Chapter 17: Qin Ningbing's Charm! Her Heart is in Turmoil!
"What I desire, no one can refuse!"
Shen Anyu's powerful and domineering voice echoed in the top-floor conference room, bouncing off the high ceiling and marble floors like the edict of a god. It was not a boast; it was a statement of absolute fact.
Qin Ningbing's beautiful eyes stared blankly at Shen Anyu. The cold logic that usually governed her mind short-circuited. In front of this absolute force, her strategies, her business acumen, and her cold demeanor were as fragile as paper.
However, instead of fear deepening, a strange transformation occurred. A beautiful arc suddenly curved at the corner of her delicate lips.
Pushed to a dead end, stripped of all options, she actually smiled!
"Young Master Shen... Ningbing likes a tall, handsome, powerful, and domineering man like you!"
Her voice changed. It wasn't the icy tone of the CEO anymore; it was low, sultry, and laced with a dangerous allure.
Qin Ningbing slowly stood up from her chair. Her slender and graceful legs, wrapped in translucent black stockings that hinted at the pale skin beneath, stepped out. She kicked off her crystal high heels. Her alluring jade feet, small and perfectly formed with painted red nails, touched the cold floor.
She moved towards him. It was like the graceful walk of a black Persian cat—silent, predatory, and impossibly elegant.
Qin Ningbing walked towards Shen Anyu with elegant steps, her cold and frosty aura melting away like snow in spring, transforming into a myriad of charms. She was noble yet alluring, distant yet inviting.
Outsiders would probably find it hard to believe that Qin Ningbing, hailed as Magic City's top beauty, a billionaire female CEO, and always incredibly aloof, could display such a charming and captivating side. It was a weapon she kept hidden, a last resort.
Shen Anyu smiled faintly, remaining rooted to the spot. He calmly watched the graceful, noble, and alluring Persian cat approaching him. He didn't retreat; he enjoyed the view.
Five meters! The scent of her expensive perfume, a mix of jasmine and cold steel, reached him.
Three meters! He could see the rapid pulse in her neck.
One meter! The heat radiating from her body was palpable.
Closer, even closer!
Qin Ningbing came close, stopping only when her chest was inches from his. She bit her red lips with her pearly teeth, looking deeply at Shen Anyu with her beautiful eyes that swirled with complex emotions—fear, admiration, and a desperate resolve.
Then, she suddenly said, her voice dropping to a whisper:
"It's a pity, Ningbing also has a very strong and resolute personality, and doesn't like to be threatened!"
"Even if it means… mutual destruction!"
Click.
In a flash of motion too fast for an ordinary eye to track, a cold, gleaming switchblade appeared in her hand and was pressed against Shen Anyu's throat!
The metal was cool against his skin.
Qin Ningbing's beautiful eyes suddenly turned icy cold, the seductress vanishing instantly to be replaced by the cornered wolf. She looked at Shen Anyu with unwavering intensity.
Shen Anyu still wore a faint smile. His eyelids didn't even twitch. He looked at Qin Ningbing with a half-smile, unbothered by the blade threatening his jugular.
He nonchalantly said:
"Should I say, 'Woman, you have successfully caught my attention'?"
Qin Ningbing's pretty face was frosted over. Her beautiful eyes were extremely cold as she looked at Shen Anyu, ignoring his joke completely.
She said in a cold voice:
"Young Master Shen, since you are interested in me, you should also know that my parents passed away long ago!"
"Now, Magic City Renxin Hall Pharmaceutical Company, which I cared about the most, has also been taken by you!"
"I have no weakness!"
"And you... you are the Young Master of the Yanxia Shen Family, a Young Master from a millennium-old top aristocratic family!"
"Whether it's wealth, status, power, or beautiful women, you have it all!"
"Your life is precious. Mine is cheap."
Shen Anyu smiled, his expression relaxing even further. He leisurely said:
"Yes, and then?"
Qin Ningbing took a deep breath, her beautiful eyes looking at Shen Anyu with profound meaning. She pressed the blade harder.
"Young Master Shen, do you truly not understand, or are you pretending not to understand?"
"Ningbing can perish with you!"
At this point, the switchblade in her fair, jade-like hand exerted a little more force. The tip indented his skin, seemingly about to pierce Shen Anyu's throat. A single slip, a single burst of emotion, and blood would spill.
"Young Master Shen, are you truly not afraid of death?"
Shen Anyu found it amusing. He wanted to laugh.
He possessed a [Divine Steel Body]. His skin was tougher than diamonds, his muscles like woven titanium. Even a supersonic missile might not be able to break through his defenses. How could he be afraid of the small switchblade in Qin Ningbing's hand? It was like an ant trying to stab an elephant with a blade of grass.
Moreover, with Shen Anyu's [Martial Arts Grandmaster-level] cultivation and reaction speed, Qin Ningbing, who at most had the strength to bind a chicken, was moving in slow motion to him. He could have disarmed her ten times before she even blinked.
However, Shen Anyu didn't move. He looked at Qin Ningbing, who was pushed to a dead end, trembling with adrenaline and fear yet standing her ground. He felt that at this moment, she was very charming.
A flower blooming on a cliff in desperation has an even more breathtaking beauty than one in a greenhouse!
In that case, let's just play along.
Shen Anyu leaned forward, pressing his throat against the knife, looking at Qin Ningbing with a sense of oppression that made the air heavy.
He slowly said:
"Qin Ningbing, I have seen countless beauties, but you can still be called a noble and gorgeous peony among them!"
"I am determined to have you!"
Qin Ningbing's beautiful eyes widened, and she was completely stunned. Her hand trembled. The switchblade in her hand retreated repeatedly as Shen Anyu moved forward, terrified that she might actually hurt him.
She truly hadn't expected that a top-tier Young Master from a millennium-old aristocratic family like Shen Anyu would disregard his own life for the sake of beauty. Was he crazy? Or was he just that confident?
Qin Ningbing took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Her pretty face regained its coldness with effort.
She slowly said:
"Young Master Shen, with your status, position, wealth, and power, what kind of woman can you not have? Why do you specifically favor Ningbing?"
"Ningbing is a cold and uninteresting woman."
"My heart is only for work, to revitalize my family business, and I have no thoughts of love and romance."
Shen Anyu smiled slightly, his gaze appreciating Qin Ningbing from her messy hair to her bare feet.
He sincerely said:
"It's alright, I can appreciate the beauty of different women. Gentle, noble, soft, charming... and even a cold CEO busy with work is very interesting."
"You…"
Qin Ningbing almost broke down. She barely maintained her expression. Biting her red lips with her pearly teeth until they turned white, she finally managed to swallow her angry retort.
At this moment, Qin Ningbing was in a dilemma.
She understood Shen Anyu's status, position, power, and wealth all too well.
The Shen Corporation alone was an unshakeable behemoth, one that even Yanxia's richest man would treat with utmost respect.
Not to mention the millennium-old top aristocratic family, the Yanxia Shen Family!
Even if she didn't know that behind Shen Anyu, there was another top aristocratic family, the Yanxia An Family, the Shen name alone was enough to crush her world.
But this was already terrifying enough!
Qin Ningbing was exceptionally intelligent and naturally knew that if she harmed Shen Anyu, everything would be over! The retaliation from the Shen Family would wipe out not just her, but anyone remotely connected to her. Even her parents' graves might not be spared.
She wanted to show an attitude of mutual destruction to force Shen Anyu to back down! It was a bluff, a desperate gamble.
But now… looking at the calm and composed Shen Anyu before her, who treated her blade like a toy, Qin Ningbing felt an unprecedented sense of helplessness and powerlessness.
What should she do now?
But how could she, with her immense pride, willingly submit to a profligate Young Master who used his power and background to intimidate her? It went against everything she stood for.
A resolute glint flashed in Qin Ningbing's eyes. A desperate idea formed.
Suddenly, she reversed the grip. She pressed the sharp switchblade, which had been at Shen Anyu's throat, against her own fair, slender, swan-like neck!
The blade bit into her skin, even drawing a tiny bead of crimson blood that stood out starkly against her pale flesh.
"Young Master Shen, Ningbing is unwilling to submit; I would rather die!"
Qin Ningbing held the sharp switchblade to her own neck, her hand steady despite her fear. Her beautiful eyes were resolute as she looked at Shen Anyu:
"Young Master Shen, if you force me, you will only get Ningbing's cold corpse!"
"Jade can be shattered, but its integrity cannot be destroyed!"
Shen Anyu's smile faded slightly, replaced by a look of gentle admonishment. He shook his head, smiling indulgently:
"My dear, how can you hurt yourself? Such perfect skin, what a pity to have a blemish…"
Then, he moved.
To Qin Ningbing's astonished gaze, Shen Anyu moved like a phantom. Before her brain could send the signal to press the blade, he had already snatched the switchblade from her hand with lightning speed.
It happened so fast she didn't even feel it leave her grip.
Shen Anyu held the high-quality, military-grade forged switchblade in his palm. With a casual rub of his fingers, metal groaned.
Crrreaak.
The steel blade was kneaded like dough. It crumpled into a useless ball of metal, dropping to the floor with a dull thud.
"Hiss…"
Seeing this, Qin Ningbing gasped, utterly dumbfounded! Her eyes were wide, staring at the scrap metal on the floor.
That was a high-quality, military-grade forged switchblade, worth hundreds of thousands. It was made of reinforced alloy, almost as good as cutting iron like mud, with extremely high strength and toughness.
Qin Ningbing kept it with her for self-protection.
With her excessive beauty and wealth, and being the sole daughter of the Qin Family, how many people coveted and schemed against her?
Although she had female bodyguards, Qin Ningbing felt more secure relying on herself. She was a woman who lacked a sense of security, always prepared for the worst.
However, Qin Ningbing had not expected that in Shen Anyu's hands, this switchblade would be kneaded like mud.
How was that possible? Was he human?
And that wasn't all!
Shen Anyu stepped closer, closing the distance between them. He reached out and casually stroked Qin Ningbing's long, fair neck where the blade had nicked her.
His fingers were warm.
Shen Anyu activated his [Extraordinary Medical Skill] and [Grandmaster-level internal Qi]. A vibrant, invisible energy flowed from his fingertips, penetrating her skin. It stimulated cell division at a rate visible to the naked eye.
Qin Ningbing immediately felt a warm, tingling sensation spread across her neck, soothing the sting of the cut.
And then, to her astonishment, she discovered that the small scar and the bead of blood from earlier had completely vanished. Her skin was flawless once more, as if the knife had never touched her.
"Impossible, this… Am I hallucinating?"
Qin Ningbing was shocked! She touched her neck, feeling nothing but smooth skin.
Magic City Renxin Hall Pharmaceutical Company's main products included scar-removing creams, but compared to this instant miracle, they were trash. They were worlds apart.
At this moment, Qin Ningbing's heart was in turmoil… fear, awe, confusion, and a strange, undeniable attraction swirled within her.
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