Chapter 265: The Collapse of the Dragon King! A Symphony of Despair!
"Han Qi... do you know how I managed to get Liu Qingyue?"
Shen Anyu's voice was soft, almost conversational, echoing in the damp, metallic air of the dungeon.
Hearing Shen Anyu's words, Han Qi's expression completely changed. His eyes, swollen from the beating, snapped open.
This was the biggest doubt, the most agonizing confusion in his heart.
Even though he had been deeply hurt by Liu Qingyue's rejection... even though he saw her holding Shen Anyu's hand... in Han Qi's heart, he still couldn't believe that his "White Moonlight" would cheat on him willingly.
In Han Qi's eyes, Liu Qingyue was a saint. She was definitely not someone who cared about fame, wealth, or power. She had stayed with him when he was a "useless" nobody!
Even if Han Qi gave Liu Qingyue all his assets, hundreds of billions in wealth, she would not accept it if it meant compromising her morals.
Although Shen Anyu was wealthier than him, he definitely couldn't be as wholeheartedly devoted as Han Qi. Han Qi had washed her feet! He had endured humiliation for her!
So... how?
How exactly did a playboy like Shen Anyu win over the unshakeable Liu Qingyue in just a few days?
Meeting Han Qi's confusion and desperate need for closure, Shen Anyu smiled. He decided to be generous with the truth.
"It was simple, really."
"A while ago... the Liu family's lighting factory faced a major crisis. Catastrophic."
"Due to 'unqualified' raw materials that weren't detected by quality control... the finished products were returned and refunded by all major distributors. The bank also recalled loans overnight. They were facing bankruptcy, lawsuits, and jail time."
"Overnight, Liu Qingyue and her parents were plunged into a desperate predicament. They were drowning."
Shen Anyu leaned closer to the bars.
"And I appeared in time. Like a god. I helped her. I lent her 100 million without interest. I saved her family."
"I struck while the iron was hot... and completely took her down."
Shen Anyu's eyes gleamed with reminiscence.
"Liu Qingyue is truly a traditional, gentle, and good woman. You were right about that. She has a strong sense of duty."
"She was originally going to repay my kindness with gratitude... maybe a meal. But I wanted more."
"After I took her... after I broke her barriers... she couldn't leave. Her sense of traditional virtue worked against you. Once she gave herself to me, she felt she belonged to me. And our feelings deepened even more in the bedroom..."
Listening to Shen Anyu's narration, Han Qi's eyes turned bloodshot. He was furious to the extreme.
He roared, straining against his chains:
"It must be you! It must be you!"
"How could the Liu family's lighting factory suddenly fall into such a desperate predicament? They have been stable for twenty years!"
"It must be your doing! You poisoned the supply chain! You bribed the bank! It was a self-directed and self-acted scheme!"
"You created the problem just so you could be the hero!"
Shen Anyu gently clapped his hands.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
He looked at Han Qi with approval, as if praising a smart dog.
"Smart. You guessed right. It was indeed a self-directed and self-acted 'Hero Saving the Beauty' play."
"This move is quite effective. It's a classic for a reason. A one-trick pony that works everywhere."
At this point, Shen Anyu turned his head to Ye Yan in the adjacent Cell Number One.
Ye Yan was slumped against the wall, listening silently, his eyes hollow.
"Ye Yan. I forgot to tell you."
"When I took down Lin Keqing... it was also a self-directed and self-acted scheme like this."
"I plunged the Lin family into a difficult situation. I cut off their capital chain. I made her desperate."
"That made Lin Keqing actively seek me out. She offered herself to me to save her family."
Shen Anyu chuckled.
"However... Lin Keqing is a bit smarter than Liu Qingyue. She suspected it was my doing from the start. She knew I was the devil."
"But she still gradually fell into it. She fell in love with the devil because the devil was the only one powerful enough to protect her."
"After all... they are all traditional good women who follow the adage: 'Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog.'"
"Once their bodies are taken... and you treat them a little better than their previous situation... it's hard for their hearts not to fall. You gain both body and mind."
Shen Anyu sighed in his heart. It was almost too easy.
Although this trick was old-fashioned, it was devastatingly effective, especially for traditional women like Lin Keqing and Liu Qingyue who valued loyalty and stability.
Look at society. Good women are often harmed by scumbags, yet they remain loyal. They even work to support the scumbag. That is the power of the "Traditional Virtue" trap.
In male-oriented novels, there are quite a few Destined Heroines of this type. Readers like goddesses who give themselves freely and stay loyal.
For Han Paopao (Han Li), it was Nangong Wan. For Xiao Huohuo (Xiao Yan), it was Medusa. They seem strong, but in reality, once they lose their bodies to the protagonist, their hearts gradually fall in line.
Of course, not all Destined Heroines are like this.
If it were an arrogant young lady like Su Hongmian, she would rather perish with you than submit to a scheme.
And a mischievous little demoness like Liu Mi wouldn't take it seriously; she would probably join the scheme for fun.
But for the "White Moonlight" and the "Cold CEO"? It was kryptonite.
Shen Anyu's words fell into the silence of the dungeon.
Then, chaos erupted.
In Cell Number One and Cell Number Two... Ye Yan and Han Qi simultaneously let out extremely resentful, beast-like roars.
Their curses and angry shouts directed at Shen Anyu became hysterical and overwhelming, echoing off the metal walls.
"Shen Anyu!!! You devil!"
"May you die a terrible death! May you be struck by lightning!"
"You despicable and shameless bastard! I'm going to kill you! I'm going to kill you!"
"You ruined her! You ruined everything!"
…
Ye Yan and Han Qi were furious to the extreme. Even though they were bound by heavy alloy shackles... even though their cultivation was crippled and they were severely injured... they still struggled violently.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The alloy shackles rattled against the steel crosses. The sound was deafening.
One can imagine the anger and hatred in their hearts. Their women—their reasons for living—were stolen by a man who manufactured their suffering.
Shen Anyu, however, had a smile on his face. His expression was joyful, almost serene.
To him, the noise wasn't screaming.
It was music.
The notification sounds of plundering Destiny Value in his ears were like a beautiful symphony orchestra playing a crescendo.
Rising and falling.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Yan is extremely resentful! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Han Qi's resentment is off the charts! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Yan is filled with regret! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Han Qi is filled with regret! Plundering +9,999 Destiny Value!]
…
And besides their resentment towards Shen Anyu... Ye Yan and Han Qi were filled with deep, agonizing regret towards themselves.
"If I had come down the mountain earlier..." Ye Yan wept, tears mixing with blood on his face.
"If I hadn't wasted time training... my sister-in-law would never have been taken by that despicable bastard. She would be safe with me!"
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Ye Yan's heart was bleeding.
He hadn't expected it to be like this. His beloved sister-in-law, Lin Keqing, had only just gotten together with Shen Anyu. He missed saving her by a margin of days.
He was too late.
But he understood, with a sinking feeling of finality... it was already too late.
His sister-in-law, Lin Keqing, was already Shen Anyu's woman. She loved him. She protected him.
"Pfft!"
Ye Yan directly spat out a mouthful of fresh blood. His face turned ashen grey.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Yan suffered a massive blow! His mental state is severely damaged!]
[Ding! His Dao Heart has shattered! Plundering +200,000 Destiny Value!]
Han Qi was also filled with regret. But then... a sudden thought struck him like lightning.
His expression suddenly changed.
He stared intently at Shen Anyu, his eyes widening in horror. He trembled as he asked:
"Impossible..."
"I told Situ Yueying to take good care of Qingyue. I told her to watch over the Liu family!"
"I told her to inform me immediately if anything big happened! Anything at all!"
"How could Yueying not know that the Liu family fell into such a desperate predicament? How could she miss a bankruptcy crisis?"
Han Qi's voice was trembling. It cracked under the weight of his realization.
He thought of a terrifying conjecture. A conjecture he dared not believe because it destroyed his last shred of pride.
With Situ Yueying there... his top spy, his confidante... even if he was far away in Jinling, he couldn't possibly not know about such a big thing.
Unless...
Unless Situ Yueying had betrayed him!
Unless she hid the information on purpose!
Shen Anyu smiled. He walked up to Han Qi's cell.
"Han Qi... you're so smart. You should be able to guess."
"That's right. It's just as you thought."
"Situ Yueying... is now mine. Body and soul."
"She belongs to me more than she ever belonged to you."
Shen Anyu leaned in, whispering the final nail into the coffin.
"On the day you and Tianfeng Ichiro came to visit me at the manor... do you remember waiting downstairs?"
"On the second floor... Liu Qingyue and Situ Yueying were there too."
"They were resting. Sound asleep. From exhaustion."
"Because they had been serving me together."
"Losing both the wife and the army (the general)... that's you, Han Qi."
"And the best part? Situ Yueying was the woman you personally sent to me! You sent her to try a honey trap!"
"Unfortunately... you were too clever for your own good. You gave me the knife to stab you. Isn't that interesting?"
Han Qi froze.
The image of his wife and his sister... together... with Shen Anyu.
It was too much.
He closed his eyes.
He cried silently. Two streams of blood and tears streamed from his eyes.
His spirit broke completely.
[Ding! Child of Destiny Han Qi has completely collapsed!]
[Ding! Plundering +138,686 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Han Qi's Destiny Value has been cleared to Zero!]
[Ding! The Child of Destiny Halo has shattered! He has lost his Child of Destiny status!]
…
A faint golden light flickered in Shen Anyu's eyes as he activated the [Tianji Observation Technique].
He looked at Han Qi.
The golden and purple Luck that once crowned the Dragon King had completely dissipated.
It was replaced by a thick, suffocating cloud of Blood-Red (Death) and Pitch Black (Doom). It covered his head like a shroud.
And even the vibrant Green Light (Cuckoldry) that used to shine so brightly... was now being swallowed by the blackness of death.
Shen Anyu shook his head.
He had originally thought that it would take another period of "Strike" and torture to completely break down the Dragon King Son-in-law and shatter his Halo. He expected a fight.
He hadn't expected it to be so easy.
"He broke too fast," Shen Anyu mused. "I guess the green hat was too heavy."
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