Chapter 352: Zhong Lingyin's Action! Shocked Yang Luoluo for a Hundred Years!
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin's favorability +10. Plundering +30,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin's total favorability has reached 99 (Unswerving unto Death). Extra plundering +50,000 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Child of Destiny Ye Linyuan's emotional line has been completely broken. Plundering +600,000 Destiny Value!]
...
"Damn it... this annoying feeling again!"
Inside a cramped, child-themed study room, Ye Linyuan clutched his chest tightly. A sudden, piercing pain—like a dull knife twisting inside his atrium—caused his face to turn instantly pale. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, soaking the collar of his miniature shirt.
But this feeling was fleeting, vanishing as quickly as it had arrived, leaving behind only a phantom ache and a deep, unsettling dread.
'Could the curse within my body have a greater hidden danger than I anticipated?'
Ye Linyuan was in an extremely bad mood. His heart felt heavy, weighed down by a suffocating sense of loss he couldn't quite identify—he didn't know that miles away, his connection to his beloved Fifth Senior Sister had just been severed by the Heavens.
All he knew was his own misery. Because of that strange, damnable cursed talisman used by Shen Anyu's subordinate, he had reverted to the physical state of a child and lost all his cultivation. Now, he still experienced occasional, unexplained heart pains. If he, a magnificent Prodigy, were to die from a mundane heart attack, he would be unwilling to accept it even as a ghost!
A nineteen-year-old peerless genius who once rivaled Celestials, dying from a pediatric heart condition? That was a joke too humorous for even the darkest comedy.
Ye Linyuan looked out the window, watching the breeze rustle the vibrant green leaves of the garden he was forbidden to enter. His expression was heavy, his eyes filled with a vicissitude that did not match his tender, childish face.
'I must find Third Senior Sister Murong Jieyu as soon as possible. With her medical skills—the best in the hidden sects—she might have a way to help my body. Even if she can't break the curse completely, she might at least be able to restore some of my cultivation.'
'At the very least... I need to return to my original appearance.'
Ye Linyuan lowered his head, looking at his small, short hands. They were soft, chubby, and completely devoid of the calluses of a swordsman. He clenched them into fists, but there was no strength, no surging Qi.
'How can I pursue my goddess Senior Sisters when my hands are this small? I can't even hold a sword properly, let alone hold them in my arms. I can't even grasp a large apple with one hand!'
Bam!
Just as he was spiraling into despair, a large, thick palm slammed onto the desk, causing the pencils to jump.
A middle-aged woman with arms as thick as tree trunks loomed over him. She wore a maid's uniform that strained against her muscular frame. She looked at Ye Linyuan with a smile that didn't reach her eyes—a smile that was terrifyingly "kind."
"Young Master Ye, you must finish all this homework! No spacing out!"
Saying that, the middle-aged strong woman reached down and hauled up a stack of exercise books and worksheets that was literally half the height of Ye Linyuan's current body. With a heavy thud, she slammed the mountain of paper onto the desk, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Elementary Math Olympiad. 300 Poems for Children. Handwriting Practice.
Ye Linyuan's face turned ash-pale. He looked up at the "kind-faced" tormentor Shen Anyu had assigned to "take care" of him. His voice trembled slightly.
"Can I... can I not do it? I already know all of this..."
The middle-aged strong woman shook her head, her smile widening to reveal gums.
"No. The Young Master Shen specifically instructed that children must have a proper education. Your Senior Sister also agreed that you need discipline. Young Master Ye, you wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you? Study hard."
With that, the middle-aged strong woman turned around, her heavy footsteps shaking the floorboards. She walked out, closed the heavy oak door, and—Click—locked it from the outside.
"No... Open the door! Let me out!"
Ye Linyuan wailed, throwing himself against the door. But it wouldn't budge.
He didn't want to do any homework! He was a cultivator! He was a Dragon among men! He wanted to find a way to restore his body, to lift the curse. He wanted to see his Senior Sister, he wanted to bury his face in her embrace and complain about this injustice...
But now, he was trapped in a kindergarten hell.
...
[Location: Shen Anyu's Private Villa – Music Room]
On the other side of the city, the atmosphere was a stark contrast to Ye Linyuan's misery.
The afternoon sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the luxurious music room in a warm, golden halo. Dust motes danced in the light, moving to the rhythm of the lingering notes in the air.
Zhong Lingyin stood by the grand piano, her body trembling slightly. Her eyes, usually clear and proud, were now slightly red. She stared blankly at the wetness on her fingertips—she had touched her cheek and found tears.
She couldn't believe it. She, the Heavenly Queen of the music world, who had mastered countless instruments and composed moving symphonies, had actually shed tears listening to Shen Anyu's singing.
It wasn't just the technique; it was the soul.
"Lingyin, I've made some minor changes to your lyrics, melody, and score during the bridge. What do you think? Are you satisfied?"
Shen Anyu sat on the piano bench, his posture elegant and relaxed. His handsome face wore a gentle smile, his dark eyes looking at Zhong Lingyin with a doting, almost spoiling affection. He looked like a noble prince from a painting, perfect and flawless.
Satisfied?
Zhong Lingyin took a deep, shuddering breath. More than satisfied... she was completely conquered.
She regained her composure with great difficulty, her beautiful eyes looking at Shen Anyu with an extremely complex expression. Shock, adoration, guilt, and desire swirled within her gaze. She hadn't expected Shen Anyu's musical attainments to be so high—no, "high" was an understatement. He was terrifyingly brilliant.
He had only heard her play and sing the new song once. Just once! Yet, he had immediately identified the minute flaws she had been struggling with for weeks. He helped her revise the score, the lyrics, and the melody on the spot.
And it wasn't a random revision. It was transcendental.
If Zhong Lingyin's previous composition was rated ninety-nine points—the absolute limit of what a mortal musician could achieve—then after Shen Anyu's revision, it was the finishing touch that brought the dragon to life. Zhong Lingyin rated it two hundred points in her heart. It was a Divine Work.
Especially Shen Anyu's voice.
When he sang, his voice carried a unique, magnetic quality—a sense of "Vicissitudes," as if he had lived through a thousand lifetimes of love and loss. The dancing notes and the long, gentle melody didn't just enter her ears; they penetrated her Qi, resonated with her soul, and unearthed all the hesitation, entanglement, and secret love she had buried deep in her heart over the past two days.
It was a fatal blow. It directly shattered Zhong Lingyin's emotional defenses!
'Is this... a soulmate?'
Zhong Lingyin's beautiful eyes stared blankly at Shen Anyu, losing focus.
Her ideal future husband... ever since she was a young girl practicing the zither in the mountains, she had imagined him. He should be someone who understood music as she did. Someone who could communicate with her through sound, where words were unnecessary. They would be in perfect harmony, treating each other with respect, playing duets until their hair turned white.
She had thought such a person didn't exist in this materialistic world.
Everything that had happened between her and Shen Anyu previously—the accident, the coercion, the "curing of the poison," even the moment her most important chastity was taken—Zhong Lingyin did not regret it. But she had felt a lingering sense of guilt, a feeling that this was a physical transaction rather than a spiritual union. She even had the absurd, arrogant idea that she could "teach" Shen Anyu about art to elevate him.
How ridiculous she had been.
He was the Master. She was the student.
But... the difference in their identities was like a chasm, difficult to cross.
'He is Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's boyfriend.'
As soon as this thought surfaced, Zhong Lingyin's heart was filled with bitterness and a suffocating discomfort. It felt like thorns wrapping around her heart.
Throughout this day, Zhong Lingyin had repeatedly rejected Shen Anyu's intimate advances because of this complex and contradictory feeling. She told herself she couldn't betray her sister. She told herself she had to leave.
But now...
Looking at Shen Anyu, handsome as jade, bathed in the holy light of the sun, sitting at the black Steinway like an Immortal exiled to the mortal world... recalling the beautiful music that seemed to bind their souls together...
Zhong Lingyin's rationality snapped.
She could no longer hold back. The dam had broken.
'This man... I can't give him up. Even if Second Senior Sister blames me, let her blame me! Even if the world calls me shameless, I want him!'
"Lingyin, why are you spacing out?"
Shen Anyu smiled, his voice low and teasing. He waved his large, slender hand in front of Zhong Lingyin's dazed eyes.
"Are you captivated by my charm?"
Zhong Lingyin didn't answer with words.
Suddenly, she leaned forward. Her movement was impulsive, desperate, and filled with a fiery passion she had suppressed for too long.
She reached out, her slender, jade-like hands cupping Shen Anyu's handsome face firmly.
"!!!"
Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow, feigning surprise, but his eyes danced with amusement.
Before he could speak, Zhong Lingyin lowered her head and directly attacked.
She pressed her soft, rosy lips against his. It wasn't a gentle peck; it was a collision. It was a declaration of ownership.
"Mmph..."
A soft sound escaped her throat as she closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings. She kissed him clumsily but with overwhelming intensity, pouring all her admiration and love into the action.
Shen Anyu smiled inwardly. He naturally wouldn't be passive. He reached out, his strong arms wrapping around her slender, flexible waist—the waist of a martial arts expert, firm yet incredibly soft. He pulled her close, eliminating the distance between them.
Zhong Lingyin gasped, her body softening instantly against his chest. She could feel the heat radiating from him, the strong beat of his heart. The scent of him—a mix of masculine musk and faint ambergris—filled her senses, making her dizzy.
"Eh? Eh??"
At the door, a small head popped out.
Yang Luoluo, who had been peeking through the crack in the door, widened her innocent, round eyes at this sudden scene. Her mouth formed a perfect 'O' shape.
She had also been standing there for a while, engrossed in Shen Anyu's performance. She had been shocked to the core.
'Master Brother is truly amazing! Not only is his martial arts profound enough to suppress the older generation, but he is also so skilled in music that even Fifth Sister—the Heavenly Queen—was moved to tears!'
Yang Luoluo had been feeling a surge of worship. But then... she saw this.
She saw the noble, reserved, and aloof Fifth Sister Zhong Lingyin pounce on Shen Anyu like a starving tiger.
Yang Luoluo pouted, her cheeks puffing up like a hamster. She thought to herself indignantly:
'Stinky Fifth Sister! Didn't you just say this morning that you wanted to draw a clear line with Master Brother? Didn't you say you would break things off completely and leave immediately?'
'Why are you taking the initiative now? You big liar! Big liar!'
'You said men affect the speed of your sword drawing, but now you're chewing on Master Brother's mouth!'
She wasn't jealous... okay, maybe a little. But mostly, she thought Fifth Sister Zhong Lingyin was too much!!!
'Master Brother is clearly Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's boyfriend. Fifth Sister is being so bad... she is stealing Second Senior Sister's man in broad daylight!'
However, despite her internal moral condemnation, Yang Luoluo did not rush in to stop them. She didn't shout, "Stop, thief!" nor did she pull out her phone to call Liu Ruyan.
Instead, she stood frozen, gripping the doorframe. Her eyes widened further, refusing to blink, staring intently at the scene unfolding by the piano.
She watched as Shen Anyu's hand moved up Zhong Lingyin's back, his fingers tangling in her long, silky hair. She watched as Zhong Lingyin's legs went weak, her body sliding into his lap, her arms wrapping tightly around his neck as if she wanted to merge into him.
The sound of their breathing became heavy and ragged. The air in the room seemed to turn pink and viscous.
Yang Luoluo's cheerful, pretty face suddenly flushed a deep crimson, spreading all the way to her ears and neck.
'So... that kind of thing is like this?'
'They are eating each other's saliva... doesn't it taste weird? But they look so... enjoying it.'
'And Fifth Sister... she's usually so cold and arrogant. Why is she making those sounds now? Like a kitten being petted.'
'Hiss... Fifth Sister can actually endure such intensity? Master Brother looks like he wants to eat her alive.'
'So amazing.'
Yang Luoluo's horizons were broadened violently. Her innocent worldview was shattered and reconstructed in real-time. She felt shocked for a hundred years.
She felt a strange heat rising in her own body, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. It was a feeling she had never experienced before—shame, curiosity, and a strange, inexplicable longing.
After an unknown amount of time passed—it felt like a century to the voyeuristic Yang Luoluo—she finally couldn't take the rising heat anymore. She turned around and left with unsteady, floaty steps, as if she were walking on cotton.
...
After another unknown amount of time.
The sun had set, and the twilight cast long shadows across the villa.
When it was time for dinner, the dining room was quiet.
Shen Anyu walked in, looking refreshed and radiant, his spirit high.
Behind him, the usually graceful and powerful Heavenly Queen Zhong was like a weak, helpless willow branch in the wind. She leaned heavily on Shen Anyu's shoulder, her legs trembling slightly with every step, needing his support just to walk to the table.
Her face was still flushed with a deep, mesmerizing red tide. When she saw Yang Luoluo and the maid Ruan Lingshan waiting at the table, she wished she could find a hole to bury herself in.
Zhong Lingyin sat down gingerly, glaring at Shen Anyu with resentment in her beautiful, watery eyes. Her small hand secretly reached under the table, finding the soft flesh on Shen Anyu's lower back, and pinched it hard.
'Bad guy! Scoundrel! You bullied me for two whole hours!'
However, even though she pinched him, she couldn't bear to use any real True Qi or force. It was more like a flirtatious tickle.
She knew that for the rest of her life, she would never be able to leave this man. Her body and soul were branded with his mark.
Yang Luoluo sat across from them, holding her rice bowl. She glanced at Fifth Sister Zhong Lingyin, then at Shen Anyu. She pouted, her expression full of meaning.
She glared at Zhong Lingyin as if to say: I saw everything, you liar.
But she didn't expose them. She simply ate her meal with her head down, burying her face in the rice to hide her own blush.
Suddenly, she felt a little puzzled. Her gaze swept around the large table, realizing someone was missing.
"Where's Little Yezi?" Yang Luoluo asked in surprise. "It's dinner time. Usually, he's the first one to run to the table."
Shen Anyu smiled, picking up a piece of tender beef and placing it in Zhong Lingyin's bowl. He replied casually, without blinking an eye:
"Ye Linyuan is diligently doing his homework in the study. He said he felt his foundation was lacking and wanted to study hard to catch up. I was very touched by his determination, so I've already sent someone to deliver food to him. We shouldn't disturb his learning."
In the distant study, Ye Linyuan was huffing and puffing, gripping a pencil with cramping fingers, tears streaming down his face as he copied "1 + 1 = 2" for the hundredth time.
Shen Anyu!! I will never forgive you!!!
Hearing Shen Anyu's reply, Yang Luoluo was also a little surprised. She blinked her big eyes.
"I didn't expect Little Yezi to be so diligent. He's usually so lazy and arrogant. He's really made me look at him in a new light."
A thought suddenly popped into Yang Luoluo's simple mind.
'If even Junior Brother Ye Linyuan—who is usually a brat—is working so hard to improve himself, what about me?'
'I can't fall behind! I need to improve too!'
She looked at Shen Anyu, her eyes sparkling with determination.
"No, I can't lose to him. Master Brother, I also want to learn! I will come to your room tonight... you have to give me tutoring and extra practice..."
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