The accountant stepped out of the jewelry store, having purchased an expensive ring. His salary was generous, and he believed he could afford to take care of Lin Xinya’s entire life. With the ring nestled in his inner pocket, he was determined to propose to her in person, to show her his unwavering desire to marry her.
However, upon reaching the parking lot, he found a luxury car hovering in front of his vehicle, blocking his path. He walked over and knocked on the driver's side window. "Excuse me, sir, could you please move your car?"
The driver’s cabin remained silent, but the passenger door swung open. A man stepped out, black leather shoes crunching against the cement.
The accountant was taken aback, sensing an icy aura radiating from the man, one that seemed aimed directly at him. For someone with mere B-level mental prowess, this pressure was enough to make him tremble.
The man glanced at the accountant, then moved his right hand, which was hanging by his side. Abruptly, his mental power erupted, sending the accountant flying. He crashed into a pillar and fell, a small box rolling onto the ground, coming to rest surrounded by dark red blood that pooled around it.
The man walked over, stepping through the blood, and picked up the small box. He opened it to reveal the ring, its jewel gleaming faintly—clearly a proposal ring. After a brief moment, he let out a soft "Hmph."
He tossed the box aside and walked toward the terrified accountant with steady strides...
Meanwhile, in an apartment, the management system chimed twice, and Xinya immediately heard the sound of a door opening and closing. Someone had used apartment privileges to gain entry.
“Xiang Ke? You’re back early today?” Xinya called out as she set down her paintbrush, removing her apron as she moved outside her studio.
Tang Ke had grown up; he no longer needed his mother to accompany him wherever he went and could take a taxi by himself. Occasionally, he would return during weekdays, only to rush back the next morning.
Xinya thought her son had returned. She stepped out of the studio, taking off her apron, but then she looked up and saw a man standing at the entrance.
The apron fell to the floor, her blood running cold in an instant.
Every woman who saw him wore a look of delight—except for Lin Xinya. Her eyes filled with fear, she stood frozen like a frog caught in a snake's gaze, unable to move.
He had tried to do to other women what he had done to her. Long-time lovers and new partners alike had all experienced it. Some cried in terror, while others tried to comply. But no matter who they were, he could never achieve the same thrill he felt with Lin Xinya.
She was special.
He thus distanced himself from her. Even if he enjoyed tormenting her, as the head of the family, he couldn’t allow this “special” existence to thrive.
All “special” people would eventually become weaknesses.
This man, if he were to indulge himself, indulged completely. If he practiced self-discipline, he was extremely harsh on himself. He hadn't seen her in a year and four months, didn’t bother to check on her; he could have moved on.
Yet, Yanyan pushed her back into his path.
Her long hair was casually tied up, several strands having fallen loose. She stood rigidly, too frightened to move, like a little white rabbit about to be captured.
Indeed, she was special.
The head of the Han family walked toward the living room.
As he moved, Xinya's gaze fell on his right hand. It was stained red, and as he walked, drops of a crimson liquid fell onto the floor.
“You... you’re hurt?” she asked hesitantly.
“No, it’s just a little dirty,” the head of the Han family replied nonchalantly as he sat on the sofa. “Fetch me a towel to clean it up.”
Xinya rushed to the bathroom, retrieving a towel and a small basin of water. The head of the Han family extended his right hand toward her as he took a seat in a single chair. Setting the water on the coffee table, she squatted down to gently wipe it. Once the blood was cleaned away, she found no sign of an injury on his hand—indeed, he had not been hurt; it was all someone else’s blood.
“Don’t you want to ask whose blood it is?” he said.
Xinya didn’t raise her eyes, gently shaking her head.
The head of the Han family smirked, pulling something out of his pocket. “You dropped this.”
He opened his palm to reveal a ring.
"You dropped this."
What is it?
This... could it be...
“Dear, will you marry me?”
“I will!”
This kind of soap opera plot would never happen between them. Kneeling on the floor, Xinya carefully inspected the ring, shaking her head with certainty, “This isn’t mine.”
“It is yours,” the head of the Han family said lightly. “A man bought this for you, intending to propose. He’s an accountant.”
After a second of silence, Xinya’s head jerked up!
She stared into his eyes, then looked at the basin on the coffee table. Having soaked the towel twice, the water was already red!
Xinya’s lips quivered slightly as she slapped her smart device on her wrist to activate the screen. She opened her contacts, her finger trembling as she nearly dialed the wrong name.
The call went through but was unreachable.
Xinya sprang up, but the head of the Han family was quicker, rising and pulling her into his embrace.
“Let me go! Let me go!” she screamed, her voice hoarse, “Where is he? What did you do to him?"
The head of the Han family coldly replied, “He no longer exists in this world.”
Slap—
Xinya turned and slapped him hard.
This was the first slap ever dealt to him since birth. It was dealt by this timid woman.
With her eyes red and voice raspy, the weak rabbit confronted him. “Did you kill him?”
He touched his stinging cheek, his expression icy. He quickly grasped her throat, his grip lightning-fast.
“Lin Xinya,” he hissed through gritted teeth, “No woman has ever dared to betray me. You have quite the nerve.”
This threat didn’t intimidate Xinya.
“Since you investigated, you naturally know I didn’t,” she said, her eyes burning with rage. “I need something from you. Whatever you do to me, I brought it on myself!”
“But he is an unrelated person! He has nothing to do with me!" She gritted her teeth, striking him violently, “Why hurt an innocent person! Why!”
His grip tightened, and Xinya struggled to breathe, clutching his wrist. Yet, she did not cry out or plead.
Instead, she lifted her chin slightly. With this motion, her shoulders squared and her back straightened. She had once been a qualified daughter of a wealthy family, and the lessons ingrained in her since childhood naturally surfaced.
This man had once choked her during passion, letting go only when she was near death. That was a nightmare that would make her tremble at the mere recollection.
But now, she felt no fear. When a person experiences utter despair, they become fearless.
She stared into his eyes, ready to face her end.
The head of the Han family’s Adam's apple bobbed slightly.
Xinya noticed this subtle movement. Her gaze shifted, puzzled, then suddenly illuminated with understanding.
“You...” she gasped, struggling for breath but still offering a mocking smile, “So it’s true…”
The head of the Han family realized she had finally grasped the situation.
Lin Xinya was never a fool. On the contrary, she was not only clever but painfully aware. Perhaps one could say, all too aware.
From her teenage years, she understood the need to maintain distance from him. If he advanced, she would retreat.
Due to her heightened awareness, she was adept at assessing the situation, compliant at times and rejecting him at others. Life had merely worn her down, carving away her edges.
She had always believed his torment stemmed from vengeance for her past rejection of him. Now she understood, unlike love, this man, Han Jun, had a strange and subtle infatuation with her.
The trials, endurance, pain, and fear over the past five years felt like a dream that had just ended.
The head of the Han family didn’t flinch at being seen through. Instead, he felt a surge of pleasure.
He despised how she kept her head down, how her neck bent slightly forward, how she was too weak to resist. Life had dulled her spirit.
Now, the girl she once was had returned, and he felt delighted.
He lowered his head to kiss her, seizing her hands as she attempted to fight back. When he finally pulled back, she had bitten his lip hard enough to draw blood.
It turned out a cornered rabbit could indeed bite.
He found pleasure in the biting rabbit.
He lifted her into his arms and walked toward the bedroom.
Xinya wished desperately that she had a weapon; she longed to kill this man. But she was unarmed and lacked the strength. All she had were her teeth.
When the head of the Han family felt her bite too hard, he used his mental power to push her away. Blood trickled from her lips, but she refused to give up. She had lost her sense of clarity and understanding; she had gone mad.
But the head of the Han family adored this madness. In the end, he tore the bedsheets and tied her mouth shut with a strip of fabric.
Yet, he did not degrade her. His touches were gentle, his entrance deep yet restrained, unlike the past when she would cry and tremble from pain.
Finally, he left his essence within her.
“Give me a child,” he said.
When Xinya awoke, the man was already gone.
Sitting up, she found only traces of intimacy on her body, no wounds to show. Tears of joy filled her eyes.
An intricate silver metal ring was secured around her ankle—it was a life information monitor sent by him in the late night. He wanted her to have a child. If she dared to take contraception, the monitor would detect changes in her blood and report back to him.
Touching the ring that she couldn’t remove, a sardonic smile played on her lips.
During lunch, Tang Ke avoided his classmates and quietly snuck off to the training ground in the woods. With all the mechas returned to the depot, the battlefield lay empty.
Han Jin’s men certainly wouldn’t expect him to hide here. He hadn’t fully understood Han Yanyan’s reluctance to retaliate against him, and until he figured it out, he would avoid those people as much as possible.
However, he didn’t expect to find anyone else in the training ground at noon. More unexpectedly, that person would be Han Yanyan.
Hidden behind some bushes, Tang Ke watched as Han Yanyan cornered a tall youth.
Tang Ke recognized him—a senior in the twelfth grade, the son of a small family head, excelling in every aspect.
Tang Ke widened his eyes, witness to Han Yanyan pushing the senior against a tree, tugging at his collar to bring him down for a kiss. He watched as the senior wrapped his arms around her, his hands roaming freely over her body.
Her rounded chest and delicate waist fell into his grasp. He even lifted her skirt.
Han Yanyan was bolder and hotter. She ripped apart the senior’s uniform and shirt, revealing his muscular, well-built physique that came from daily training. Han Yanyan seemed to like what she saw, her hands exploring eagerly, slipping under his clothing.
Tang Ke felt a flush creep over him, as if Han Yanyan's touch coursed through his own body. He knew he was seeing something forbidden and should leave, but his legs wouldn't move.
Those vague feelings for Han Yanyan, those unnamable stirrings, felt like a veil being lifted. The adolescent was transitioning from naivety to clarity regarding his desires. For the first time, his body stirred not out of need to relieve waste, but for something else entirely.
The youth's desire burned as he sought more. Yet, Han Yanyan suddenly pressed his hand down, turning sharply to shout, “Who’s there? Who’s hiding?”
Her mental power shot through the bushes like a blade, scattering the branches and revealing the hidden figure.
“Tang Ke?” Han Yanyan exclaimed in surprise. She hid no hint of her long-term surveillance over him, having known he had been ducking here during lunch these past few days.
Tang Ke felt embarrassed to the extreme, as if he were the one committing a wrongdoing. Furthermore, his body was hot, like it might catch fire, making him anxious to flee urgently.
Yet Han Yanyan whispered a few words to her senior. The senior, frustrated at having his moment interrupted, shot Tang Ke a glare but nonetheless obeyed and left first. Tang Ke noticed the senior was in the same state of arousal, their feelings aligning perfectly.
That realization only heightened Tang Ke’s anxiety. However, Han Yanyan didn’t give him a chance to escape, stepping right up to him.
“What are you doing here? You’re blushing. Did you see? You…” Her words halted as her gaze dropped to his lower region.
Tang Ke was so mortified he wished he could vanish immediately.
Han Yanyan smiled.
Her lips were slightly swollen from their kiss and shone with a glossy sheen. Her uniform was a bit disheveled, with two buttons on her blouse undone, revealing her curves.
If she leaned in any closer, Tang Ke felt he might just explode.
But Han Yanyan did not only step closer; she laughed softly and said, “You’re just a little kid…”
No, he was no longer a child. Other than still being shorter, he had everything else—everything the senior possessed, he had too. Han Yanyan had just touched his well-defined abs, and he had those too!
These inner cries seemed to resonate through his eyes. Han Yanyan understood.
Smiling, she said, “You’re still too young. Hurry up and grow up…”
As she said this, she reached out toward Tang Ke.
Her thumb brushed softly over the boy's lips.
Tang Ke heard the sound of his blood boiling, the beat of his heart racing, even the sound of his mental energy source expanding and breaking through in the depths of his brain.
Let go! Let go! If she didn’t let go soon, he would burst!
“Oh, why are you so hot?” Han Yanyan exclaimed.
As soon as her words fell, Tang Ke exploded.
The material basis of mental energy was the body. It matured and erupted with physical development. The senior, who had not wandered far, heard a loud “bang” followed by a shockwave.
At thirteen, the boy experienced his second explosion of mental power.
He had become a powerful being with S+ level mental energy.