Chapter 99: How Despicable! An Unexpected Surprise!
Xia Liu watched Shen Anyu and Lu Yan walk towards the back of the police van, chatting intimately. Shen Anyu placed a hand on Lu Yan's lower back, guiding her, his touch casual yet possessive.
His heart soured with envy, jealousy, and burning resentment.
He always felt that all of this should have been his.
If Lu Yan had come to interrogate him back then at the detention center, and he had been able to heal Lu Yan's hidden injuries with his acupuncture... perhaps he would have had a chance. She would have been grateful. She would have fallen for his skills.
And there was the beautiful CEO fiancée Qin Ningbing... Su Hongmian... Ruan Lingshan...
If it weren't for Shen Anyu, all of this should have been his harem!
Shen Anyu... why don't you just die!
Xia Liu thought to himself, secretly wishing for his demise. He had indeed guessed the truth: if it weren't for Shen Anyu, the [Destined Villain], he would have been the protagonist enjoying this life.
"Behave yourself!"
Lu Yan's female colleague unceremoniously handcuffed Xia Liu, shoving him forward. She said sternly:
"Practicing medicine illegally without a license... sexual harassment... and jailbreaking... and now you're also suspected of attempting to murder Young Master Shen! Your crimes are not light. You'll be sentenced to at least ten years in prison!"
"Confess leniently, resist strictly; you must honestly explain everything at the station!"
Xia Liu pouted, too lazy to speak to a minor character. His eyes darted around, calculating angles, distances, and shadows as he pondered how to escape.
He had personally heard how Shen Anyu called the head of the relevant department in Modu earlier. How could he believe he would get a fair trial?
In Xia Liu's view, with the immense power of Shen Anyu, the Young Master of the [Yanxia Shen Family], if he entered prison, he might not even be able to save his own life. He would "suicide" in his cell before morning.
His current [Innate] cultivation had been sealed by Shen Anyu using some unknown, domineering method.
However, Xia Liu was very confident. Even if he couldn't mobilize his internal energy, his combat skills were far superior to any soldier king or special forces operative. As long as he wasn't in front of that monster Shen Anyu... he could escape.
However, at this moment, Xia Liu's expression became dazed.
He suddenly smelled a strange, sweet odor. His vision blurred slightly. He immediately felt drowsy, his limbs heavy.
"Oh no... a sedative..."
Xia Liu's expression changed. With his [Extraordinary Medical Skill] and [Extraordinary Poison Skill], even with his Innate cultivation restricted, he quickly identified the scent and bit his tongue to stimulate his mind, trying to break free of the drug's effect.
He looked up, ready to fight.
However, seeing the scene before him, Xia Liu was instantly dumbfounded.
Because, suddenly... a "Xia Liu" appeared in his place?
Standing right next to the police van was a man wearing identical clothes. Identical height. Identical battered face.
And this doppelgänger smiled eerily at him!
???
At this moment, Xia Liu was bewildered. What was happening? Had he seen a ghost? Was he hallucinating from the drug?
No... it's a disguise mask! A perfect one!
Xia Liu quickly reacted, his face changing drastically. He realized the trap. He wanted to shout, to alert the police, to scream that he was being switched!
But a hand clamped over his mouth. His voice was sealed.
He was dragged away into the shadows of the alley by unseen hands with iron grips.
"It's over..."
At this moment, only two words were in Xia Liu's mind.
Shen Anyu had never intended to let him go from the start. He had even thought of using a fake Xia Liu as a substitute to be handcuffed and taken away by the police.
Perhaps, this fake would even "escape" midway, completely disappearing without a trace, leaving Xia Liu as a fugitive forever while the real one rotted in a dungeon.
'Shen... you are too despicable...'
Xia Liu was on the verge of tears. He was terrified and desperate, his face pale as death.
At this moment, he knew his fate was grim!
Then, with a heavy BANG, a blow struck the back of his head. His vision went black, and he knew nothing more.
...
Xia Liu had more or less guessed the course of events correctly.
Shen Anyu naturally couldn't let Xia Liu leave alive. But to gain Ruan Lingshan's favor, he had to play the benevolent master. So he directly created a fake Xia Liu, pulling a switcheroo.
He had an [Innate Realm] guard drawn from the System—a master of disguise—directly replace Xia Liu to be handcuffed and taken away.
Later, this guard would "escape" midway, disappearing into thin air.
After two jailbreaks, Xia Liu would be directly placed on the wanted list with a reward of 500,000! He would be hunted by the entire nation.
However, no one would be able to claim this reward. Because the real Xia Liu was already in Shen Anyu's private hell.
...
[Location: Outside the Restaurant]
"Wheat-colored skin... it feels very nice to the touch. Firm yet yielding."
Shen Anyu rubbed his fingers together, recalling the sensation. He had a strange, satisfied smile on his face as he watched Lu Yan hurriedly leave in her police car, her face flushed red.
"Master..."
A soft, worried voice broke his reverie.
Ruan Lingshan stood beside him. Her small face was wrinkled with anxiety. Her watery eyes were filled with worry and self-reproach.
"Master... Xia Liu jumped out of the car and escaped! I just saw the news alert! Will he come back to harm you?"
"Master... it's all Lingshan's fault. I shouldn't have let Xia Liu go. I should have let you handle him. Now that he's escaped again... he'll definitely hold a grudge against Master and harbor ill intentions! It's all Lingshan's fault..."
Shen Anyu turned to her. He cupped Ruan Lingshan's small face in his hands, lifting her chin. His gaze was gentle and sincere as he met her teary eyes.
He softly said:
"It's okay, Lingshan. You don't need to feel guilty or blame yourself. You have a kind heart."
"At worst... I'll prepare more guards and bodyguards. Xia Liu won't be able to harm me. I promise."
Ruan Lingshan's eyes were teary. She looked at Shen Anyu with immense gratitude and adoration.
Master is truly too kind! Even in this situation, he doesn't blame her for her naivety.
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Ruan Lingshan's favorability +1! Total favorability reached 99!]
"Master... Xia Liu can poison. He is insidious. From now on... Lingshan will taste your food to prevent poisoning! I will be your tester!"
"...It's okay, really. But if Lingshan you insist... then alright."
Shen Anyu said with a smile. What kind of poisoning could escape him? His [Extraordinary Poison Skill] and [Medical Skill] were even better than Xia Liu's now.
But if Ruan Lingshan wanted to taste his food... then let her try. Preferably by directly feeding him, or sharing it mouth-to-mouth.
"Lingshan, I still have some matters to attend to. You stay at home and be safe."
"Mhm! Master, Lingshan knows."
Looking at Shen Anyu, Ruan Lingshan's small face suddenly flushed a deep pink. She twisted the hem of her maid apron and shyly asked:
"Master... will you be back tonight?"
"Lingshan... will tell you a bedtime story!"
Shen Anyu was startled. He looked at the exquisite little maid Ruan Lingshan.
Dressed in a black and white maid outfit that highlighted her youthful curves... her cute and fair small face shyly lowered almost into her chest... her slender, soft hands clutching the hem of her skirt...
He smiled faintly and said:
"Mhm. I wasn't planning to come back because of some matters... but since Lingshan asked... then I'll come back."
"I want to listen to what bedtime story Lingshan has prepared for me."
He had originally planned to go to the Dream Bar after dealing with Xia Liu to accept the "gift" from Mr. Han, the Dragon King Son-in-law. But now... nothing in the world was as important as his little maid's invitation.
"Mhm! Master! Lingshan will give you a surprise tonight!"
Ruan Lingshan bit her tender pink lips with her pure white teeth. She bravely raised her head and looked earnestly at Shen Anyu, her eyes promising devotion.
"Haha... then I look forward to your surprise. It sounds quite mysterious."
Shen Anyu chuckled softly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead, then stepped into a low-key Maybach. He drove with one hand, pressing the accelerator, and sped away into the traffic.
"After dealing with Xia Liu... I'll come back to see my little maid's surprise. As for Situ Yueying... let's talk about it tomorrow night. Let her stew in her anxiety a bit longer."
"Alas... I'm born to be busy. No choice..."
Shen Anyu shook his head and sighed theatrically. Being a villain with a harem is tiring work.
"Oh, right. The System should have finished upgrading. Let me check."
Previously, he had spent one million Destiny Points to devour the [Licking Dog Gold Cashback System] of Qi Fan, the Child of Destiny. The [Destiny Plunder System] had begun a twenty-four-hour upgrade. More than a day had passed since then.
However, Shen Anyu had been busy detoxifying Su Hongmian and Jiang Linlin earlier and hadn't had time to check.
Now he had some free time on the drive.
He summoned the interface.
Upon seeing it, Shen Anyu raised an eyebrow, revealing an interested expression.
"System Mall?"
The System interface had changed. It clearly displayed a new tab: [System Mall].
Here, he could spend Destiny Points to directly purchase items he had previously drawn or encountered.
[Yangqi Pill], [Guiyuan Pill], [Vitality Pill], [Dingyan Pill], [Nanometer Monitoring Robot], [Supreme Human-Demon Guard]... and so on. A dazzling array of goods, all available for a price.
"This is a good feature."
A satisfied smile appeared on Shen Anyu's face.
Before, if he wanted something specific, he could only get it through gacha draws using Destiny Points, which had too much uncertainty. It was gambling.
For example, if he wanted a [Dingyan Pill] for a new woman, he might spend one million points on draws and not get a single bottle, or even ten million points might not secure it if his luck was bad.
However, the treasures in the System Mall were priced high to compensate.
A bottle of the gold-tier [Dingyan Pill] cost 100,000 Destiny Points!
If he were to get it through gacha draws, 100,000 points for a hundred consecutive draws could yield multiple gold-tier rewards, and besides the Dingyan Pill, there would be other rewards, and perhaps even double golden eggs.
"For urgent items... I can buy them directly through the System Mall. No RNG."
"For non-urgent items... I'll use draws to maximize value, and set aside some points for the shop."
"Wait... there's even a System Upgrade function?!"
Shen Anyu's eyes lit up as he looked at a certain spot on the System interface, revealing a look of pleasant surprise.
In the corner, a new button pulsed with light.
[System Upgrade Module: Level 1 -> Level 2]
[Cost: 5,000,000 Destiny Points]
[Effect: Unlocks "Destiny Theft" - Ability to steal a Protagonist's Golden Finger directly without killing them.]
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