Chapter 770: A Feast for Host and Guest; The Blood Cocoon
"Uncle, thank you for raising Zhang Yaqian so well. She is pure and elegant, noble and serene, far surpassing even a royal princess. I toast you again."
Shen Anyu held his wine glass with one hand, a disarming smile gracing his lips as he raised it in a gesture of respect.
"Good, another drink!"
Zhang Yunhai's face was flushed, his words already slurring from the wine. But hearing such high praise for his precious daughter filled him with delight, and he happily clinked glasses with Shen Anyu once more.
This time, Zhang Yaqian made no attempt to persuade her father to drink less. Her knees were pressed tightly together beneath the tablecloth, a crimson blush burning from her delicate cheeks all the way down to her neck. Her starry eyes were glazed and misty, a storm of panic and pleasure swirling within them. Her slender, fair hands rested on the hem of her skirt, twitching as if wanting to push away Shen Anyu's audacious advance, but the attempt was utterly futile.
Her heart hammered against her ribs, the frantic rhythm accelerating with each passing second. Her flushed face was a mask of nervous tension, and she found herself holding her breath, unable to draw in a full lungful of air.
Zhang Yaqian bit down on her lip, her pearly teeth digging into the soft flesh as she fought to keep any sound from escaping. Her bright, luminous eyes shot a pleading look at Shen Anyu, a silent, desperate message flashing across the table: 'Brother Shen, not now… Daddy is right here!'
But Shen Anyu seemed oblivious, chatting and laughing with Zhang Yunhai as if nothing were amiss. He would occasionally raise his glass or pick at the food, all while his left hand, hidden by the flowing tablecloth, remained unwavering in its mission. His fingertips moved with a practiced grace, as if playing a silent, forbidden melody.
'This is insane, completely insane! Daddy is sitting right across from me, and Brother Shen is being this bold… What do I do?'
Even for a little fox like Zhang Yaqian, whose pure and innocent exterior concealed a cunning and clever mind, this situation was enough to send her into a complete tailspin.
'How can he do this in front of Daddy? Brother Shen is far too naughty!'
If her father were to find out, she would simply die of embarrassment.
In front of Ling Qingcheng, Zhang Yaqian could be bold and unrestrained, even managing to trick the dignified President Ling into selling herself out. But in front of her own father, how could she possibly dare to let him notice even a hint of what was happening?
A look of deep satisfaction bloomed on Shen Anyu's handsome face. To do this right under Zhang Yunhai's nose was a thrill unlike any other.
Even though his actions weren't overly excessive, the clandestine pleasure it brought was extraordinary.
Zhang Yunhai had already downed seven or eight glasses of the fine Bordeaux. As someone with a notoriously low tolerance for alcohol, his mind was already growing muddled. He failed to notice his precious daughter's strange state or the unusual activity under the table, continuing to clink glasses with Shen Anyu in a fiery, boisterous mood.
Shen Anyu kept his hidden game going while simultaneously urging his host to drink more. Unable to resist the young man's encouragement, Zhang Yunhai chuckled and downed one glass after another.
"Uncle, are you getting a bit too drunk?" Shen Anyu finally asked, his voice laced with feigned concern.
"No… not drunk… I can still drink!" Zhang Yunhai slurred. The next moment, with a soft thud, his head dropped onto the dining table, and he began to snore loudly.
After a moment to confirm that Zhang Yunhai was well and truly unconscious, Shen Anyu's gaze fell upon Zhang Yaqian. His eyes grew hotter as he took in her flushed, delicate face, which was now a stunning shade of scarlet.
Today, Zhang Yaqian wore a custom-made little black dress that made her skin appear as flawless as snow, as warm and lustrous as the finest mutton-fat jade. She was utterly perfect.
Especially now, with her starry eyes shimmering with shyness, she possessed a charm that was simply captivating. No man on earth could have resisted her allure.
"Brother Shen… you… you went too far! Zhang Yaqian is angry!" she declared, puffing out her cheeks. The effect was spoiled by the tremble in her voice.
"But Zhang Yaqian is also very happy, isn't she?" Shen Anyu countered, a mischievous smile playing on his lips.
Meeting that teasing grin, Zhang Yaqian immediately lowered her head, not daring to meet his gaze. Even her slender, fair neck was now tinged with crimson.
Shen Anyu chuckled softly. His large hand came up to rest gently on her cheek, feeling the scorching heat radiating from her skin. Then, his hand slid down to her slender waist, and with a gentle pull, Zhang Yaqian's petite body was lifted from her chair and settled onto his lap.
He leaned down and captured her pinkish-white lips, tasting them wantonly.
All the while, Zhang Yunhai remained sprawled across the dining table in a drunken stupor.
Zhang Yaqian's eyes were hazy with intoxication, lost in the tenderness of the man she loved. But when her peripheral vision caught sight of her drunken father, she immediately began to struggle.
"No, Brother Shen, let's go upstairs. Daddy is still here."
"It's fine. Your father is dead drunk. He won't be waking up anytime soon," Shen Anyu murmured with a smile, his warm breath fanning against her ear.
"Brother Shen is so naughty!" Zhang Yaqian rolled her eyes at him, but then she tilted her small face upward and closed her eyes in surrender.
There was nothing she could do. When it came to her man, she couldn't help but pamper him and let him have his way.
Shen Anyu wasn't too excessive, however. After a few more moments of kissing, he swept her into his arms and carried her upstairs. As drunk as Zhang Yunhai was, it still felt inappropriate to continue in front of him.
An hour later, Shen Anyu rose from the bed, preparing to leave. On one hand, it wasn't proper for him to stay the night at the Zhang family home, as they weren't yet married. On the other, someone else was waiting for him. He was destined to be a busy man, rushing from one place to another late into the night.
"Brother Shen, when you go home… will you miss me?" Zhang Yaqian asked softly, her eyes full of tender affection as she watched his retreating back.
"Of course. You are my favorite little Yaqian. I will definitely miss you," Shen Anyu said, turning back with a doting smile. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her fair forehead.
"If Ling Qingcheng knew you were secretly missing me, wouldn't she be angry?" Zhang Yaqian suddenly asked, a playful glint in her eyes.
Shen Anyu found her question rather amusing. He knew she was only joking. After a moment's thought, he replied with a wicked grin, "Then I'll just have to make it up to her next time."
"Just like today?" Zhang Yaqian's beautiful eyes widened slightly, a flicker of anticipation in their depths.
"Perhaps," Shen Anyu replied, his mood excellent.
"Not 'perhaps'! You must let Ling Qingcheng experience this too. Otherwise, Brother Shen would be playing favorites, and that's not good," Zhang Yaqian insisted, puffing out her cheeks again. A hint of cunning mischief danced in her expression.
Since this was such a "good thing," and they were the best of friends, how could President Ling possibly be spared?
Even if Shen Anyu hadn't thought of it, Zhang Yaqian would have. She couldn't be the only one to suffer such delightful humiliation.
'You really are my best friend, Ling Qingcheng,' she thought with a private giggle.
It wasn't until Shen Anyu's figure had completely disappeared from her sight that Zhang Yaqian tilted her head and fell into a deep, exhausted sleep. The Zhang family's nanny had already helped Zhang Yunhai to his room, so he wouldn't be left passed out on the dining table all night.
After leaving the Zhang family's villa, Shen Anyu made his way to the villa he had bought for Zhou Luyao, which was also located within the exclusive Jinxiu Mountain Villa area. Besides Zhou Luyao, He Yiyi was also waiting for him there.
"A life of toil… truly, a life of toil," Shen Anyu sighed, shaking his head with a look of helpless resignation.
The night was deep. The lights in the surrounding villas were extinguished, and a deep silence had fallen, broken only by the soft echo of Shen Anyu's footsteps.
Elsewhere, in a narrow, dark cave…
An utterly terrifying blood cocoon hung in the oppressive darkness, pulsating slowly and rhythmically, like a monstrous heart.
Thump.
Thump.
Each beat was incredibly deep and muffled, as if a demon god were breathing in the void. Had anyone been present to witness it, they would have been paralyzed with terror, their very soul trembling from the sound.
And in the deepest part of the blood cocoon, a young man with a severed arm floated in the viscous fluid. He clutched a dark, embryonic sword, his eyes closed in a deathlike slumber.
Suddenly, the young man's eyes snapped open, revealing irises of pure, horrifying blood-red.
"SHEN… AN… YU!!!"
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