Chapter 586: The Moonlight is So Beautiful!
At this moment, Bai Bing was no longer the terrifyingly powerful and beautiful Heavenly Human Queen in Zhang Zhiyun's eyes; under the restrictions of the master-servant contract, she had no strength and couldn't move, only able to curl up in Shen Anyu's embrace.
She was like a weak, helpless little white cat in winter, pitiful, small, and vulnerable. The aura of the Ice Phoenix, once a storm of killing intent and frigid arrogance, was now suppressed into nothingness, leaving only the delicate warmth of a woman held against her will. Her limbs, which could shatter stone and bend steel, were now as pliant as willow branches, completely at his mercy.
Shen Anyu pecked her pretty face, a light, almost casual gesture that sent a jolt through her entire system. He looked down at Bai Bing, whose phoenix eyes were wide with a mixture of fury and shock, a small smile playing on his lips. "Relax," he said calmly, his voice a low murmur against her ear. "We're not doing anything, just sleeping. And, you need to call me Master, or I'll punish you."
The word 'punish' was a loaded weapon. Bai Bing trembled slightly, a memory of the contract's agonizing enforcement flashing through her mind. The pain had been absolute, a violation of her very soul that had brought her, the indomitable Ice Phoenix, to her knees. Yet, her pride was a fortress not easily breached. She still managed a cold snort, her voice laced with mockery despite her predicament. "Heh, you're sleeping in my room? A Master full of bad intentions, do you think I believe you?"
Shen Anyu found it amusing. Her stubbornness was a thing of beauty in its own way. Even now, trapped and powerless, her tongue was as sharp as a shard of ice. Yet, the word 'Master' had slipped out so smoothly, an unconscious submission forced by the contract's power. "Don't move around," Shen Anyu warned, his tone dropping a fraction, a subtle hint of the iron will beneath his placid exterior. "Or I really will do something." He felt her stiffen, the silent acknowledgment of his threat. Satisfied, he adjusted his position, treating her lithe, warm body as little more than a large, custom-made pillow, and closed his eyes, his breathing soon evening out into the rhythm of deep sleep.
He had already returned to the Hangzhou Manor Villa with her, teleporting directly into her own bedchamber. The familiarity of the room—its minimalist, cold decor a reflection of its owner—was now tainted by his intrusive presence.
At first, Bai Bing's mind was a maelstrom of humiliation and rage. She wanted to spit a thousand curses at him, to mock his crude desires. But as the minutes stretched on, the only sound was the soft, steady whisper of his snores by her ear. The rhythmic sound was strangely calming, a stark contrast to the violent turmoil within her. For some reason, the scathing remarks died on her lips. The fight seemed to drain out of her, replaced by a weary stillness.
Time flowed like water in the silent room.
Gradually, the sharp, aggressive light in her pair of phoenix eyes began to soften. The moonlight, clear and bright, spilled through the large window, tracing the sharp, handsome lines of Shen Anyu's profile. He was asleep now, the calculating smirk and arrogant glint in his eyes gone, replaced by a quiet vulnerability. He looked almost peaceful.
'Master is asleep,' she thought, the word echoing in her mind with a mix of resentment and an unsettling flicker of something else. 'He's not so annoying now… just a quiet, handsome man. Bah, bah, bah, what Master? Shen Anyu, this scoundrel! I must find a way to break this master-servant contract. No, better yet, I'll reverse it! I'll make him my male servant. He'll serve me tea, pour my water, wash my feet… and I'll step on his head every single day!'
A faint, cruel smile graced her cold, jade-like face at the thought. The image of this infuriatingly confident man groveling at her feet was deeply satisfying.
Her gaze drifted past him, through the window, towards the night sky. The moon was a luminous half-disk, hanging like a celestial jewel against black velvet.
'It's almost August 15th… another Mid-Autumn Festival…'
The thought landed like a stone in her heart. Her eyebrows, usually arched with disdain, lowered. A shadow of profound sadness and a familiar, agonizing pain flickered across her features.
The Mid-Autumn Festival was not a time of joyous reunion for her. It was a scar, an unforgettable nightmare etched into the very core of her being.
That night, years ago, the Bai Family manor had been a sea of lanterns and false smiles. The air was thick with the scent of mooncakes and osmanthus wine. It was a family banquet. But for her and her mother, it had been an execution. She remembered the scene with horrifying clarity: her mother, a gentle woman from a common background, being beaten by the Bai Family Ancestor, Bai Wuqing. His face was a mask of cold fury, each blow landing with a sickening thud. Her father, Bai Xingzhi, the man who had supposedly loved her mother, stood by and watched with chilling indifference. The other Bai Family members, her aunts, uncles, and cousins, merely sneered, their whispers like venomous snakes.
"A commoner woman, without strength, without talent, without background… is she worthy of being the main wife of our Bai Family?"
The words still echoed in her memory. Bai Bing had witnessed it all. She saw her mother, a woman who had never hurt a soul, being bludgeoned to death. She had knelt on the cold stone floor, her small body trembling, begging. She begged the Ancestor to stop. She begged her father to say something, to intervene. She begged the watching relatives for a shred of mercy. But no one offered help. Their eyes were as cold and hard as the marble beneath her knees.
The Ancestor, Bai Wuqing, had grown impatient with her cries and had turned his murderous gaze on her next.
But her mother, even in her agony, did not scream. She endured the pain, crawling across the floor, leaving a long, horrific trail of blood behind her. She reached for Bai Bing, her voice a ragged whisper, telling her not to cry, to live well. Her last act was to beg Bai Xingzhi to protect their daughter.
Since that night, Bai Bing had never cried again. The tears had frozen inside her, replaced by a wall of ice and a tongue honed to a razor's edge. Her only goal became the pursuit of power.
Bai Xingzhi did not protect her. But it didn't matter. With a fury forged in grief, she clawed her way up, becoming the most outstanding talent of the younger generation. In the dog-eat-dog viper pit that was the Bai Family, her strength made her valuable, and thus, she survived.
'Heh, the Bai Family.' A sliver of pure, undiluted mockery flashed in her phoenix eyes. The coldness in them could freeze souls.
'Mother, if your spirit is in heaven, you can finally rest in peace. Those beasts of the Bai Family… I have killed them all. I didn't leave a single one. They are not worthy of disturbing your peace. They will all sink into the deepest pits of Hell…'
She recited the words silently, a solemn vow fulfilled. The familiar scent of the man beside her, a mix of clean soap and something uniquely his own, pulled her back from the abyss of her memories. His body heat seeped into her, a tangible warmth against her chilled skin. The ice around her heart, so carefully constructed over years of pain, began to show the faintest of cracks. Her gaze, now strangely soft, settled once more on the handsome profile illuminated by the moon.
'Mother, I met a man,' she murmured in the privacy of her heart. 'His name is Shen Anyu. He's very bad… a scoundrel, not a good person, and certainly not a good man. But… I seem to care about him a little.'
'Is this… love?'
The question was foreign, uncomfortable.
'I don't know.'
'But I won't fall into misfortune like you did. Weakness is the original sin. Only by being strong can one have everything they desire. Happiness must be seized with one's own hands.'
Her resolve hardened, the brief moment of vulnerability encased once more in ambition.
'I will become stronger in the Main God Reincarnation Game. That place is a crucible of danger, but it is also an ocean of opportunity!'
'I will seize every single chance to grow more powerful.'
'And when that time comes, I will make Shen Anyu my private pet. My servant. My only servant. My only man.'
'No one will ever be able to hurt me again. And no one will be allowed to hurt him.'
'I'll give him whatever he wants… but he can never escape me.'
'If he ever tries to run, I'll imprison him. I'll lock him away with shackles of my own making.'
A delicate, dangerous curve appeared on Bai Bing's lips. The fantasy was deeply alluring.
'Tonight, the moonlight is truly beautiful.'
Her phoenix eyes gently traced Shen Anyu's profile, his face so handsome and serene in the silver glow. A genuine, soft smile blossomed on her face, a breathtaking sight that could shatter nations. It was a smile of stunning beauty, a warmth that no one had ever witnessed from the cold-blooded Ice Phoenix.
Then, feeling a strange sense of peace she hadn't known in years, Bai Bing closed her eyes and fell asleep in Shen Anyu's arms.
At the first light of dawn, Bai Bing awoke with a start, an instinct honed by years of danger instantly alerting her to an abnormality. Her eyes snapped open, a razor-sharp killing intent flashing within them before just as quickly softening into something else entirely. She glared at the man beside her.
Shen Anyu was still sleeping soundly, even letting out a soft snore. But one of his large hands was no longer resting innocently on her back. It had, at some point during the night, very naughtily slipped inside her clothes, resting warmly against her skin.
'Really,' she thought, feeling a betraying heat creep up her neck and onto her cheeks. 'He's not honest even when he's sleeping. Truly a stinky guy, full of nothing but bad intentions.'
Bai Bing spat the insult silently. A faint blush stained her cold, jade-like face. She shifted slightly, but then, she simply closed her eyes and fell asleep again, making no move to stop him.
Even though the contract's restriction on her movement had lifted with the dawn, and she could now move freely.
Not long after, her breathing once again became long and steady.
Shen Anyu's eyes suddenly opened, clear and alert. He looked at the woman nestled against him in surprise. 'This woman… she actually isn't stopping me?'
He had only been probing slightly, a half-conscious exploration. He hadn't expected her to allow it. 'Did she not realize the restriction is gone?' he wondered.
Or perhaps… she had already fallen for him?
Young Master Shen's thoughts turned rather narcissistic. 'It must be because I'm too handsome. Even a villainous female boss like Bai Bing can't resist my charm. I'm truly loved by everyone and everything.'
He silently recited the incantation for the Super Divine Skill 'Teleportation'. The System indicated it could only be used on a target with ninety or more favorability. It wasn't limited to Destined Heroines, but only they had the visible favorability prompts. He focused on Bai Bing and found that the skill was active. It could be used.
A satisfied smile curved Shen Anyu's lips.
Curiosity piqued, he then silently chanted the incantation for the Super Divine Skill 'Sharing', a skill that required the absolute peak of favorability—one hundred points.
'Eh? The Super Divine Skill Sharing can also be used? Bai Bing has max favorability?'
Shen Anyu was genuinely surprised. Was her favorability really that high already? He had assumed that a cold-blooded, sharp-tongued woman like her would be an fortress to conquer, requiring a long and arduous siege. He never expected her favorability to reach its maximum so quickly. Wasn't this a bit too fast?
Shen Anyu grew thoughtful. He surmised that a woman like Bai Bing was incredibly difficult to get close to, her heart guarded by layers of ice and pain. But once someone managed to breach those defenses and open her heart, her affection would not grow incrementally like a normal woman's; it would surge, flooding to the maximum level in an instant.
In short, this could definitely be considered a good thing, right?
Shen Anyu was in an excellent mood. Bai Bing's immense potential and her unique identity as a participant in the Main God Reincarnation Game were assets of extreme value. And, of course, her stunning beauty was something he greatly appreciated as well.
He was very honest with himself; he was greedy.
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