After being forced into a marriage of convenience, a master of metaphysics manipulates a cold and al

"Xuanyuan, you're so domineering! Well said! What right does a mere adopted son picked up from an orphanage have to compare with our true noble bloodline!"

Zhu Daji clapped her fair hands, looking at Ye Xuanyuan with an expression of adoration, like a fox spirit who feared nothing more than a peaceful world.

"You surnamed Ye! You humiliated my young lady, and now you've humiliated my son-in-law. Do you really think the Qin family is made of clay?"

Shen Lu could no longer hold back. With a delicate shout, she charged towards Ye Xuanyuan.

"You overconfident little girl!"

Upon seeing this, the two Zhu family bodyguards snorted coldly and stepped forward to block Shen Lu.

Despite facing the tall and burly bodyguards of the Zhu family, Shen Lu was not afraid at all and even took the initiative to attack.

He leaped high into the air and delivered a side kick that struck one of Zhu's bodyguards squarely in the temple.

boom!

With a muffled thud, the tall bodyguard of the Zhu family suddenly stiffened and fell straight down.

Shen Lu's kick knocked him unconscious on the spot.

Then, Shen Lu rushed to another Zhu family bodyguard and kicked him hard in the groin.

A piercing scream rang out, and the Zhu family bodyguard collapsed to the ground, rolling and groaning in agony.

Although this girl is petite, she seems to possess a powerful inner strength, like a little Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The most deadly thing is that they are ruthless and accurate, and they don't care about routines or rules at all, focusing on vital points.

boom!

Before the other bodyguards of the Zhu family could react, Shen Lu had already rushed in front of Ye Xuanyuan and punched the eldest son of the Ye family hard in the face.

Shen Lu's fist was small, but its strength was terrifying!

Unable to dodge in time, Ye Xuanyuan let out a shrill scream as his body was sent flying several meters away by the punch.

As if things weren't going to go wrong, the area behind that was the sturdy, heavy glass door of the antique shop.

Ye Xuanyuan groaned again from the impact, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Ye Bai, you beast! How dare you allow your servants to lay a hand on me?"

Ye Xuanyuan struggled to get up from the ground and sternly rebuked Ye Bai.

Ye Bai was increasingly speechless. He was too lazy to say a word to this guy anymore, and just gave Shen Lu, who was looking at him, a wink.

The little girl instantly understood, grabbed a half-meter-tall porcelain bottle next to her, and slammed it directly onto Ye Xuanyuan's head.

boom!

Ye Xuanyuan could no longer hold on, let out a scream, and completely fainted.

"This this……"

Upon witnessing this scene, the antique shop manager was completely stunned. His legs began to cramp, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud, the terror in his eyes becoming tangible.

He didn't hit the person, but he can't escape responsibility for this incident.

If he hadn't taken it upon himself to unilaterally break the agreement and sell what originally belonged to Qin Wanqing to Ye Xuanyuan, this bloody scene wouldn't have happened.

He couldn't tell how badly Ye Xuanyuan was injured, but judging from the fact that the gauze on his face was stained red with blood and that he was completely silent, he must have been seriously injured even if he hadn't died on the spot!

To let a rich young master be beaten up like this in his own store, he figured that being the manager would be a lucky break.

Just thinking about how unreasonable the powerful families in Jingzhou are, and how ruthless they can be when they retaliate, makes him feel like he's going to wet his pants!

Even Ye Bai's lips twitched slightly. Shen Lu's fighting prowess was no exaggeration; he hadn't even been able to use the methods he wanted to use to help her.

"Tch, he bragged to me before that he was a black belt in Taekwondo, but it turns out he's just all show and no substance, he can't even beat a little girl!"

Seeing Ye Xuanyuan's miserable state, Zhu Daji not only did not order her remaining bodyguards to teach Shen Lu a lesson, but instead looked at her with disdain.

All the tenderness, affection, and admiration from before have vanished in this moment.

Then, he waved his hand and said, "Send two people to take Young Master Ye to the hospital as soon as possible, and then call their family."

After the Zhu family bodyguards carried Ye Xuanyuan away, Zhu Daji looked at Shen Lu with shining eyes and said coquettishly, "Little sister, how about coming with me? No matter how much salary the Qin family pays you, I'll give you five times that!"

After Ye Xuanyuan was beaten unconscious, this eldest daughter of the Zhu family not only did not intend to hold Shen Lu accountable, but even offered to recruit her.

This caused a strange light to flash in Ye Bai's eyes.

Zhu Daji was clearly not as simple as she appeared on the surface.

He may seem capricious, arrogant, and unruly, but he is actually very shrewd and calculating.

However, upon closer reflection, it makes sense. These children of wealthy families have the environment and education they receive, so even if there are some good-for-nothings who are ignorant and incompetent, they are extremely rare.

The vast majority of them are much more capable than ordinary people.

"Don't go!"

Faced with Zhu Daji's attempt to poach her husband, Shen Lu refused without hesitation.

They even added, "I wouldn't go no matter how much money you offered!"

"Fine, I have no interest in forcing anyone."

Zhu Daji shook her head, not too disappointed, but the excitement she had shown earlier had vanished.

"Although Ye Xuanyuan was beaten, it is an internal matter of your Ye family, and my Zhu family has no interest in getting involved."

"But I can't let the beating from my two bodyguards from the Zhu family go unpunished, so I'm determined to have this painting!"

Zhu Daji gave Ye Bai a cold look, then snapped at the antique shop manager not far away, "Hasn't the painting been wrapped up yet? Hurry up! Remember, the packaging has to be high-end; I'm giving it away as a gift!"

"Miss Zhu, please calm down. It'll be wrapped up for you right away..."

Seeing that Zhu Daji did not pursue his responsibility, the antique shop manager breathed a slight sigh of relief and hurriedly got up from the ground, bowing and scraping with a smile.

"Young Master, are we really just going to let her take the painting? How are we going to explain this to Miss?"

Seeing this, Shen Lu became even more anxious and wanted to rush forward to take action.

Through their brief exchange, the little girl clearly felt that those Zhu family bodyguards were all bark and no bite.

"Don't worry, I'm here for you."

Ye Bai smiled and comforted Shen Lu, then walked up to the antique shop manager and said calmly, "After all, this is an order from my Qin family. Even if you want to go back on your word, at least let us take a look and take a picture so we can have an explanation when we get back, right?"

"This..." The antique shop manager's face turned red, and he was caught in a dilemma.

He couldn't afford to offend the Zhu family, but he couldn't afford to offend the Qin family either.

The only difference is that Miss Zhu is here, but Miss Qin is not.

Otherwise, he would never dare to break a contract like that, even if you beat him to death.

"It's okay, let them see it. Or we can just have a video call with Qin Wanqing."

Zhu Daji chuckled and surprisingly did not object.

This was not out of magnanimity, but rather because she really wanted to see Qin Wanqing's exasperated expression.

From childhood to adulthood, she always competed with Qin Wanqing in everything, but she never won.

Only now have I finally found an opportunity.

This sense of accomplishment and satisfaction was an unprecedented experience for Zhu Daji.

She certainly wouldn't mind letting that pleasurable feeling last a little longer.

Since Ye Xuanyuan had already paid, she didn't need to worry about the antique shop taking the painting back and selling it to Qin Wanqing.

The Zhu family was indeed a notch below the Qin family in Jingzhou, but they were still not someone a small antique shop dared to offend.

Upon seeing that Zhu Daji had agreed, the antique shop manager finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly had someone bring over the antique painting that was half-packaged.

It was laid out on the table outside and carefully opened.

"This is a masterpiece by Dong Qichang, titled 'Descending the Mountain by the Stream,' and it is the only one of its kind in existence, making it extremely precious..."

The antique shop manager began his explanation as usual.

"Uncle..."

Shen Lu's pretty face turned red with anxiety, and it was clear from her posture that she wanted to just snatch it and run away.

"This painting...was acquired by Feng Tianji?"

Ye Bai leaned forward to take a look, and his expression suddenly became somewhat subtle.

"That's right! Our boss spent more than half a year searching before finally finding this original! You have no idea, he lost a lot of weight in the process..."

The antique shop manager, oblivious to Ye Bai's changing expression, began to describe the item with pride.

"Indeed impressive."

Ye Bai smiled and nodded, then asked Shen Lu to take out her phone and take a few photos.

"Miss Zhu, we're leaving. The painting is yours. And the matter of the assault is settled."

Ye Bai looked at Zhu Daji, grinned, and revealed a set of big white teeth.

"...Could this adopted son of the Ye family be mentally ill? No, he definitely is, otherwise how could he agree to marry a woman who brings bad luck to her husband!"

As Zhu Daji watched Ye Bai walk out of the antique shop, she was somewhat bewildered, but a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside her.

The previous pleasure had completely vanished, and she suddenly felt a chill run down her spine, as if she were the one who had been wronged...