Chapter 326: Shen Anyu's Glory!
"Ruyan, I'll take you away from here. With me around, no one can harm you."
Shen Anyu gripped Zhong Lingyin's small hand, stood up directly, his tone gentle yet firm. His hand was warm and calloused, radiating a reassuring strength that seemed to anchor her trembling soul.
Zhong Lingyin bit her lip, not uttering a sound. Her beautiful eyes gazed at Shen Anyu in front of her, a chaotic mix of emotions swirling within her. She was unsure of how to speak, trapped in a web of mistaken identity.
This person in front of her was very likely Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's boyfriend, yet he had mistaken her for Liu Ruyan. What kind of awkward situation was this?
They looked ninety percent alike, true, but their temperaments were vastly different. Liu Ruyan was a sharp, domineering CEO, while she, Zhong Lingyin, was a gentle, ethereal songstress. How could he not tell?
If she were to clarify the misunderstanding now, right in the middle of a crisis, it would be too awkward. And more importantly, would he still protect her if he knew she wasn't his girlfriend?
Furthermore, Zhong Lingyin was also a bit curious about the handsome man in front of her. Didn't Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan dislike men? She was known as the "Iceberg Queen" of the business world. How did she suddenly have a boyfriend without telling anyone in their sisterhood?
He is handsome, undeniably so, Zhong Lingyin thought, her heart skipping a beat. And he seems... very protective.
At this very moment, thousands of miles away, Liu Ruyan was drawing circles on her desk and cursing, "Damn Shen Anyu, how dare he bully me like that~ Wait until I see him again!"
Back in the tense restaurant in Tokyo, feeling the sense of security Shen Anyu brought, Zhong Lingyin's favorable impression of him increased rapidly. Second Senior Sister's boyfriend seemed like a good man—handsome, responsible, and fearless. He stood between her and the abyss without hesitation.
Having such a Second Brother-in-law wasn't bad at all.
However, as soon as she thought of the scene just now—the passionate kiss, the intimate touch—Zhong Lingyin felt conflicted, her face burning. She felt as if she had suffered a great loss, yet a strange, forbidden thrill coursed through her veins.
Shen Anyu was amused inwardly, though his expression appeared solemn. In reality, he was incredibly calm. He held Zhong Lingyin's small hand as if he were taking her for a stroll in a garden, not navigating a den of wolves.
He walked through the tables, his gaze sweeping over the Dark World powerhouses who wanted to kidnap Zhong Lingyin. His eyes were cold, filled with a terrifying pressure that made the weaker assassins hesitate.
With Shen Anyu's current strength—a peak Grandmaster with the combat power of a Heavenly Human—these Dark World powerhouses at the Innate or ordinary Grandmaster level were simply not worth his attention. They were ants trying to bite a dragon.
The air in the high-end restaurant grew heavy, thick with killing intent. The ordinary diners sensed something was wrong and began to flee, screaming.
Bang!
Just as Shen Anyu and Zhong Lingyin were about to leave the restaurant, a table near the door exploded into splinters. A burly man in the corner suddenly erupted with violence.
He was huge, standing over two meters tall, with muscles that bulged like rocks under his skin. His feet directly left two deep imprints on the expensive marble floor as he launched himself forward. He lunged towards Zhong Lingyin like a black tiger descending a mountain, his momentum unstoppable.
That wild Aura was truly astonishing, carrying the weight of a seasoned killer who had bathed in blood.
"Get lost!" the burly man roared, his voice like thunder.
With hands as large as palm-leaf fans, he aimed a backhand slap at Shen Anyu, intending to swat this pretty boy away like a fly and grab the billion-dollar prize.
His eyes were filled with greed and fervor; this woman was a walking treasury. A staggering ten-billion-dollar bounty (converted) was right in front of him.
"Second Brother-in-law, watch out!"
Zhong Lingyin's face turned pale with fright, and she held her breath, her hand tightening around Shen Anyu's. She closed her eyes, unable to watch.
But the impact she expected never came.
Shen Anyu didn't even dodge. He simply raised his free hand, his movement casual, as if swatting a mosquito.
Bam!
A dull, heavy sound echoed through the restaurant, followed by the sickening crunch of bone meeting overwhelming force.
The next moment, with a bang louder than a cannon shot, the burly man flew backward. He moved even faster than his initial charge, his body becoming a blur.
He smashed directly through the reinforced concrete wall of the restaurant, creating a human-shaped hole. He rolled outside onto the street, tumbling like a broken ragdoll.
When he finally came to a stop, his chest was visibly caved in, his sternum shattered. His breath was faint, bloody froth bubbling at his lips. He was clearly on the verge of death, incapacitated by a single, casual slap.
Silence descended on the restaurant. The other assassins, who were preparing to pounce, froze in their tracks. Their eyes bulged, staring at the hole in the wall, then at the elegant young man who hadn't even wrinkled his suit.
"Let's go, we're leaving."
Shen Anyu tightened his grip on Zhong Lingyin's small hand, smiled gently at her as if nothing had happened, and then led her away with large strides.
Zhong Lingyin finally reacted, opening her eyes to see the aftermath. She looked at the hole in the wall, then at Shen Anyu's calm profile. Her beautiful eyes filled with a strange, worshipful expression.
He... he defeated that monster with one hand? While holding mine?
[Ding! Detected destiny value +30,000 from destined heroine Zhong Lingyin's favorability +10!]
[Ding! Detected destiny value +30,000 from destined heroine Zhong Lingyin's favorability +10!]
[Ding! Detected destiny value +30,000 from destined heroine Zhong Lingyin's favorability +10!]
...
The system notifications chimed pleasantly in Shen Anyu's mind. He suppressed a smile. Hero saving the beauty is a cliché for a reason. It works.
They stepped out onto the bustling streets of Tokyo. The neon lights reflected in the puddles on the ground.
But the danger wasn't over. The bounty was too high. Greed overcame fear.
Next, one after another, the Dark World powerhouses attacked. Assassins leaped from rooftops, mercenaries emerged from alleys, and martial artists blocked the path. They moved in unison, a wave of killing intent crashing towards the couple.
"Kill the man! Take the woman!" someone shouted.
Blades flashed, bullets flew, and fists roared.
But in front of Shen Anyu, they were laughable. He didn't even need to use his hands anymore.
His mental power, honed to the God-level, surged out like an invisible tsunami.
Kneel!
An invisible pressure descended from the sky.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Dozens of attackers were instantly slammed into the pavement. Their bones cracked, their weapons shattered. They were flattened like pancakes by gravity itself.
Zhong Lingyin personally watched as several Martial Arts Grandmaster-level Dark World powerhouses—international fugitives Fourth Senior Sister Ye Liyou had warned her were terrifying demons—were instantly annihilated with just a glance from Shen Anyu.
He walked through the chaos untouched, his white shirt pristine. Blood sprayed around them but was deflected by an invisible barrier before it could touch her dress.
"So strong! Second Brother-in-law is so strong! He's like a god!"
Zhong Lingyin looked at Shen Anyu with unadulterated worship in her beautiful eyes. Her small face was flushed with excitement, her heart surging with adrenaline and admiration. The fear was gone, replaced by the thrill of standing next to absolute power.
This casual stroll among wolves and tigers, effortlessly saving her from a den of danger, caused Zhong Lingyin's favorability to rapidly increase. It quickly broke through the 50 mark and soared past 60.
After reaching sixty favorability, the rate of increase slowed down, but it was still rising steadily.
Soon, Shen Anyu led her to a red Ferrari sports car parked nearby. He opened the door for her like a gentleman.
"Get in."
Zhong Lingyin scrambled into the passenger seat. Shen Anyu slid into the driver's seat and started the engine. The V12 engine roared to life like a beast waking up.
He stepped on the accelerator, and the speed instantly soared. The car shot forward, weaving through the Tokyo traffic with impossible precision.
Zhong Lingyin in the passenger seat turned pale with fright again, almost screaming out loud as they drifted around a corner at high speed.
"Ah! Slow down!" she cried, gripping the handle.
A smile flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes as he glanced at her. He reached out a hand to pat her thigh reassuringly.
"Ruyan, why are you so timid? It's okay, I'll help you relax."
Zhong Lingyin's exquisite and beautiful face instantly turned crimson. His hand was warm on her leg, sending electric shocks through her body.
"You, you, you, you scoundrel, I don't need you to help me relax! Keep your hands on the wheel!"
At this moment, Zhong Lingyin finally couldn't hold back. She glared at Shen Anyu with a flushed face, trying to sound angry but looking more like a pouting kitten.
However, her upbringing was too good. She was a refined lady, a global idol. She kept repeating herself, stammering, and besides "scoundrel" and "bad guy," she didn't have any other hurtful insults in her vocabulary.
Her beautiful eyes were filled with anger and embarrassment.
As a global superstar diva, with a distinguished family background and several formidable Senior and Junior Sisters, when had anyone ever treated her like this?
Not even Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's man could! This was too bold! Too presumptuous!
Shen Anyu suppressed a laugh in his heart. He enjoyed her reaction immensely. He pretended to be puzzled, tilting his head.
"We're an old married couple, still shy? Ruyan, you were much bolder last night."
"Who's an old married couple with you? I'm not... I'm not her!"
Zhong Lingyin could no longer endure it. Even if it was very awkward, she had to reveal her identity.
She wasn't Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan; she was Zhong Lingyin! Otherwise, who knew how much more she would be taken advantage of? If he tried to kiss her again, or worse... she wouldn't be able to resist!
She opened her mouth to shout the truth.
But at this moment, Shen Anyu's expression suddenly became serious. His playful demeanor vanished instantly.
He looked into the rearview mirror. Several modified black SUVs were chasing them, their engines roaring, men hanging out of the windows with guns.
"They're catching up. I need to speed up."
He personally leaned over, his face inches from hers, and helped Zhong Lingyin fasten her seatbelt tighter. His scent enveloped her again, making her dizzy.
"Hold on tight."
As his voice fell, Shen Anyu stomped on the accelerator.
The Ferrari screamed. The G-force slammed Zhong Lingyin back into her seat. The car's speed instantly reached three hundred kilometers per hour. The city lights blurred into streaks of color.
The strong push-back pressed Zhong Lingyin tightly against the seat, knocking the breath out of her. She couldn't bother with revealing her identity anymore. Survival was the priority.
She looked at the pursuing vehicles in the rearview mirror, filled with worry. "They are persistent!"
A smile flashed in Shen Anyu's eyes; he was doing it on purpose, of course. He could have lost them easily, or destroyed them with a thought. But a thrilling car chase was the perfect aphrodisiac for suspension bridge effect.
"We'll be okay, right?"
Zhong Lingyin looked at the rapidly blurring vehicles on both sides, and the few cars still hot on their tail, her small face filled with worry and tension.
"With me here, you don't need to worry about anything in this world."
Looking at the worried and tense Zhong Lingyin, Shen Anyu gently comforted her, his voice calm and steady amidst the roar of the engine.
Zhong Lingyin felt a warmth in her heart, spreading from her chest to her limbs.
Although this Second Brother-in-law mistook me for someone else and was handsy and mouthy right from the start, he really does give a strong sense of security. And... he's very handsome when he's serious.
If he can save me this time, I won't complain to Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan. I'll just... treat this as a secret between us.
Suddenly, Shen Anyu slammed on the brakes. The car screeched to a halt, tires smoking.
"Ah! Why did you stop?"
"There's someone ahead!"
At this moment, Zhong Lingyin looked through the windshield. Under the dim streetlights of a deserted bridge, she saw a figure.
A middle-aged man dressed in a traditional black martial arts uniform stood in the middle of the road like a mountain. He gripped a gleaming katana with both hands, his eyes closed in meditation.
The aura radiating from him was terrifying. It felt as if the air around him was being cut into ribbons.
Zhong Lingyin immediately cried out in surprise. She recognized the person from the dossiers her sister had shown her.
It was none other than the terrifying Sword Demon Miyamoto Ichiro, a Martial Dao Grandmaster at the peak, and a super international fugitive from Sakura Country's Dark World. Fourth Senior Sister Ye Liyou had mentioned him specifically as one of the most dangerous men in Asia.
"It's actually Sword Demon Miyamoto Ichiro! We're finished! He can cut a tank in half!"
Despair washed over her. Even Shen Anyu couldn't handle a legend like this, could he?
But the next scene made Zhong Lingyin's cherry-red lips slightly part, her face stunned!
[Akarin Note:
Your Support Keeps This Story Alive!
If you're enjoying this novel, your support means the world to me. Simple actions like leaving a review, power stone, comment, or sharing the story let me know you're out there. It's the greatest motivation for me to keep updating until the very end and ensures this project continues.
For those who wish to support me more directly, you can join my Patreon at [patreon.com/AkarinTL]. As a thank-you, you'll receive access to 50 advanced chapters.
I hope I am still worthy of your support. My life truly depends on this... haha, I know I'm so shameless.]