Chapter 330: Fourth Senior Sister, Ye Liyou Arrives!
It took a while for Zhong Lingyin to recover from the intense, suffocating intimacy that had just occurred. Her breathing was still ragged, her chest heaving slightly beneath the silk of her dress.
She looked at Shen Anyu, whose expression remained as calm and noble as a deep lake, and bit her swollen red lip.
"Brother Shen... I'm so sorry."
Her voice was soft, trembling like a frightened kitten.
"Why are you apologizing?"
Shen Anyu was a bit surprised. He turned his head, looking at the beautiful and refined woman before him. Her hair was slightly messy, and her cheeks were flushed with a charming post-intimacy glow.
He had thought Zhong Lingyin would be angry, or perhaps embarrassed to the point of ignoring him after he "accidentally" kissed her while pretending to mistake her for Liu Ruyan. But her good temper to this extent—apologizing for his aggression—was something Shen Anyu hadn't quite expected.
A deeper blush spread across Zhong Lingyin's small face, heating her ears. Her beautiful eyes darted away, looking at the dashboard, the passing streetlights, anywhere but at Shen Anyu's piercing gaze.
"I... I've let down Brother Shen's kindness. You treated me as Second Sister... but I pushed you away eventually. I'm sorry."
She felt guilty. In her mind, Shen Anyu loved her Second Sister deeply, and mistook her for Ruyan in a moment of passion. By stopping him, she felt she had interrupted his genuine expression of love.
What a silly, innocent girl, Shen Anyu thought, his lips curling imperceptibly.
Shen Anyu chuckled, his low laughter vibrating in the quiet cabin. His gaze was gentle and doting as he reached out to smooth a stray lock of hair behind her ear.
"It's alright. I understand. I was too impulsive."
"Oh no! The time!"
Zhong Lingyin suddenly exclaimed, checking the Patek Philippe watch on her slender wrist. The tenderness in her eyes was replaced by professional panic.
"The concert is about to start! I have to be backstage in twenty minutes!"
She fumbled in her limited-edition white Chanel bag. It was like a magical treasure chest. She pulled out a bottle of high-end perfume—Chanel No. 5—and spritzed it on her wrists and neck, masking the scent of musk and sweat with the fragrance of flowers.
Then, she took out a compact mirror and a tube of lipstick. Her hands moved skillfully, touching up her makeup. She reapplied the vibrant red to her lips, covering the slight swelling caused by Shen Anyu's plunder.
It must be said that a girl's bag is like Doraemon's pocket; it seems to hold everything necessary to reconstruct a persona.
"Second Brother-in-law, please drive faster! Take me to the Tokyo Dome. I need to prepare for the concert beforehand. The makeup team is probably going crazy looking for me."
Shen Anyu tapped the steering wheel, the engine purring like a beast waiting to be unleashed.
"You're still going to hold the concert like this? You know there are countless killers looking for you."
"Yes!"
Zhong Lingyin stopped her movements. She looked at herself in the mirror, her eyes firm.
"I can't disappoint my fans. They've come from all over the world—from Yanxia, from Europe, from America. They're all people who like me and support me. They've spent so much money on plane tickets and concert tickets just to see me for a few hours. I can't not go."
"Besides..." She lowered her eyelashes, a soft smile gracing her lips. "I love to sing. Standing on stage is when I feel most alive."
Zhong Lingyin pursed her red lips, her sweet, gentle voice filled with a determination that contrasted with her delicate appearance.
At this moment, Shen Anyu seemed to see a dazzling light in Zhong Lingyin's beautiful eyes. It was the charisma of a top-tier idol, a Queen of the Stage.
"Having a career you're passionate about is quite good. I respect that."
Shen Anyu expressed his approval, nodding with a smile. He shifted the gear, the Ferrari roaring to life.
"Don't worry about the flies. If anyone tries to cause trouble, I'll help resolve it. I won't let those trash from the Dark World ruin your concert."
"Tonight, you just shine. I will handle the darkness."
[Ding! Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin has been acknowledged and protected!]
[Ding! She feels deeply touched and admired.]
[Ding! Plundering successful. Reward: +9,999 Destiny Value!]
[Ding! Detected Destined Heroine Zhong Lingyin's favorability +2.]
[Ding! Plundering successful. Reward: +6,000 Destiny Value!]
...
The car sped down the highway, the neon lights of Tokyo blurring into streams of color.
Zhong Lingyin looked at Shen Anyu with a strange, complex look in her beautiful eyes.
"Second Brother-in-law... my Family, and even a few of my Senior Sisters, don't quite understand why. They ask me, with my Family background, why do I insist on being a celebrity? Why expose myself to the public eye and let people judge me?"
The Zhong Family of the Capital was a prominent, old-money family with deep roots in politics and academia. With such a background, for a direct descendant—a girl, no less—to become a "public performer" faced considerable resistance from the elders.
After all, in the traditional, conservative Yanxia culture of the older generation, celebrities were still considered "actors" or "entertainers"—a low-tier profession compared to scholars or officials.
The higher the Family's status, the more conservative they usually were.
"They think I'm rebelling. They think I'm lowering my status."
But at this moment, Lingyin heard Shen Anyu actually approve of her. He acknowledged her career, respected her passion, and even promised to protect her stage.
He said those words knowing full well the danger—that a billion-dollar bounty hung over her head, and that half the assassins in the hemisphere were hunting her.
It wasn't a light promise. It was a commitment as heavy as Mount Tai.
Zhong Lingyin felt a lump in her throat. She even felt that she was being very willful, putting him in danger for her selfish dream.
But Shen Anyu was tolerant of her. He indulged her willfulness like a doting guardian.
Shen Anyu smiled at Zhong Lingyin, his gaze affectionate and reassuring. He said nothing, but his silence spoke volumes, making Lingyin's heart tremble.
In reality...
Shen Anyu's inner thoughts were far more cynical.
Of course I'm tolerant. This disaster was caused by me.
The billion-dollar bounty that drove many Dark World powerhouses crazy was Shen Anyu's doing. He was the arsonist who set the fire, and now he was playing the hero extinguishing it to win the beauty's heart.
However, even if Shen Anyu were to say it out loud, it is doubtful whether Zhong Lingyin or even the shrewd Liu Ruyan would believe him.
After all, who would go to such lengths—spending a billion USD—just to create a crisis to chase a girl? It was insanity.
But what they didn't know was that in Shen Anyu's eyes, money was just a number. A billion dollars was far less important than 100,000 Destiny Value.
Money could be earned back. Destiny Value was the key to godhood.
Not to mention... with Shen Anyu present, no one would be able to claim that billion-dollar bounty. He was the bank, the game master, and the final boss.
...
[Location: Tokyo Dome - Backstage & VVIP Box]
Zhong Lingyin's world tour concert. This stop: Tokyo Dome, Sakura Country.
This was a colossal multi-purpose stadium with 55,000 seats, famous for its egg-shaped white roof that glowed in the night.
At this moment, the atmosphere was electric.
Inside and outside the Dome, there were more than 100,000 people. It was a sea of humanity, a surging crowd of fans waving light sticks, wearing merchandise, and holding placards with "Zhong Lingyin" written in various languages.
The air buzzed with excitement and thrill.
There were fans from all over the world—Yanxia, Korea, America, Europe.
Shen Anyu stood in the VVIP glass box overlooking the stage, holding a glass of champagne. He was slightly surprised by Zhong Lingyin's popularity when he saw this scene.
"She really is a global icon."
The lights dimmed. The music started. The crowd roared like a tidal wave.
On stage, Zhong Lingyin descended like an angel, her voice echoing through the stadium, pure and enchanting.
"However... it would certainly be interesting if these fans from all over the world knew what happened in the Ferrari just now with their idol... who they see as pure and flawless like a goddess."
Shen Anyu's lips curved slightly upwards, a wicked thought crossing his mind.
If it were exposed... that she was panting and begging under me... it would probably crash all major social platforms worldwide.
The concert proceeded smoothly.
But the darkness was not idle.
[System Detection: Hostile Intent detected. Direction: 3 o'clock, Maintenance Catwalk.]
[System Detection: Sniper detected. Direction: 12 o'clock, Lighting Rig.]
Shen Anyu didn't move. He simply sipped his champagne.
Buzz.
[God-Level Telekinesis] activated.
High above the stage, in the shadows of the lighting rigs, a top-tier assassin from Europe was lining up his shot. Suddenly, he felt an invisible hand crush his heart.
Squelch.
He died silently, his body held in place by telekinesis so he wouldn't fall and disrupt the show.
At the ventilation shaft, a team of mercenaries prepared to release gas.
Crack. Crack. Crack.
Their necks snapped simultaneously, twisted by an unseen force.
Any assassins, mercenaries, and bounty hunters lurking in the shadows who dared to act were silently dealt with by Shen Anyu's telekinesis. He was the reaper guarding the angel.
As for personally going on stage to perform and show off like some protagonists?
With Shen Anyu's [God-Tier Music Skills], it wouldn't be difficult to do. He could easily steal the show. But Shen Anyu was too lazy. He was the Big Boss behind the scenes, not the jester on stage.
Because... there were more important things for Shen Anyu to do.
His gaze shifted away from the stage, piercing through the walls of the stadium, towards the dark alleys surrounding the venue.
...
[Location: A Dark Alley - Two Blocks from Tokyo Dome]
The cheers from the stadium were muffled here, replaced by the damp smell of trash and blood.
A corpse lay on the ground, twisted at an odd angle, with a neat, bloody hole in its forehead—a one-hit kill. It was dressed in the attire of a demolition expert.
And a few meters away.
A woman in a vibrant red dress, her face pale as paper, sat cross-legged on the cold, wet ground.
This woman was stunning.
She had sword-like eyebrows that extended to her temples, giving her a sharp, fierce look. She had a high nose bridge and lips that were naturally red. Her beauty was not soft like Zhong Lingyin's; it was like a fairy in a painting, but with a valiant and heroic aura. She looked like a general in a dress.
Even in such a wretched state, sitting in a dirty alley, she had no hint of vulgarity. She was the Fourth Senior Sister, Ye Liyou—known in the underground world as the Blood Shadow Rose.
But now, she was in trouble.
On her fair face, a strange green energy intertwined beneath her skin like living veins. Her surging [Martial Dao True Essence] swept through her body, trying to purge it, but failed repeatedly.
The poison was stubborn.
"Damn it... cough..."
Ye Liyou wiped a trickle of black blood from her lip.
"This Bomb Fiend... actually uses poison! Despicable!"
Ye Liyou's heart sank.
She had arrived in Tokyo to protect her Fifth Junior Sister, Zhong Lingyin. When she got here, the concert had already started. She didn't want to disturb Lingyin, so she patrolled the surroundings.
She discovered someone setting up high-yield explosives around the Dome's structural pillars. She immediately recognized the modus operandi of the recent rampant "Bomb Fiend" in Sakura Country.
She acted at once, killing the minions effortlessly.
But she didn't expect this Bomb Fiend was so cunning. Besides high explosives, the bombs were rigged with neurotoxin gas traps. When she destroyed the detonator, the gas triggered.
It tricked Ye Liyou.
Now she was struggling to resist the potent poison ravaging her internal organs. Her strength was fading fast. She couldn't even stand.
If anyone were to arrive now... she would be completely defenseless. A lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Just then, heavy, deliberate footsteps approached from the mouth of the alley.
The sound echoed against the wet walls.
Ye Liyou looked up sharply, her vision blurry, her hand reaching for the dagger at her waist, her expression changing drastically!
Enemy? Or...
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