Chapter 58: She Desires My Body

Chu Chuyan had initially instructed someone to prepare a carriage, but Zu An stopped her. He suggested it would be a good opportunity for them to walk together and strengthen their bond amidst the beautiful night scenery, as a carriage would arrive too quickly and wasn't conducive to their goal.

Chu Chuyan didn't insist, so she agreed to walk.

They hadn't walked far before they quickly attracted the attention of passersby, primarily Chu Chuyan, who was destined to be the center of attention wherever she went.

Xue'er was also quite striking, pretty and charming, with delicate braids that caught the eye.

As for Zu An, he was merely making up the numbers. He, of course, didn't see it that way, believing his handsome and dashing appearance garnered many admiring glances from women.

"Look, look, that's Miss Chu from the Chu family!"

"She's truly as beautiful as a goddess!"

"Her maid is also lovely; she seems even prettier than many young ladies from noble families."

"Of course, Miss Chu wouldn't have any common or unrefined women by her side."

"Then how do you explain that toad beside her?"

"That guy is the good-for-nothing live-in son-in-law. Just one look at his slicked-back hair and powdered face tells you he's no good."

"Although Miss Chu is beautiful, her judgment in choosing a husband is quite poor."

"What, the son-in-law she chose isn't as good as you?"

"I could do better than him!"

Faintly hearing the passersby' chatter, Zu An couldn't help but feel indignant. "You're the toad, your whole family are toads!" he thought. To retaliate, he deliberately moved closer to Chu Chuyan, making them appear intimately close.

As expected, he immediately received a surge of Rage points.

Heh heh, you're just blatantly jealous! Let your envy consume you!

Zu An was overjoyed. "To achieve wealth and not display it is like wearing fine clothes in the dark," he thought. Not flaunting such a beautiful wife and earning a wave of Rage points would be a disservice to all the previous insults he had endured.

"You brought me out to walk just to satisfy your trivial vanity?" Chu Chuyan instantly saw through his intentions and felt a pang of regret, realizing how calculating he could be.

"Of course not," Zu An chuckled, "it's simply to strengthen our relationship."

Chu Chuyan was speechless.

Xue'er snorted, "What kind of relationship could Miss possibly have with you? Don't flatter yourself."

Zu An was accustomed to her sharp tongue and didn't take it to heart. He retorted immediately, "When the master speaks, the servant keeps quiet."

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 300!

"You!" Xue'er took a deep breath, thinking, *This guy is forcing me to unleash my ultimate move*. "Some people can only boast with their mouths, since they're useless where it counts."

As she spoke, she cast a sympathetic glance towards his lower abdomen.

To her surprise, Zu An didn't get angry at all. Instead, he retorted, "Whether it works or not, I was the first man to see and touch your body."

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 999!

Xue'er truly couldn't understand why he was so thick-skinned; he didn't show the slightest shame even when she brought up that incident.

Chu Chuyan finally couldn't bear it anymore. "Enough! Aren't you two ashamed to argue like this in the middle of the street?"

Both of them snorted in unison and turned their faces away.

Seeing how synchronized their actions were, Chu Chuyan suddenly felt a sense of absurdity, as if they were the couple and she was the third party.

Hastily banishing the thought from her mind, she asked, "By the way, I heard you killed dozens of Fierce Black Jackals?"

Zu An was startled. "How do you know?"

"Zhaozhao told me. She looked so proud, as if she was showing off something incredible." Remembering her sister's excited expression, Chu Chuyan's lips curved slightly, a smile as captivating as melting ice, which stunned every man who passed by.

"That's right, your husband is not the same as before; he's quite formidable now," Zu An said proudly, practically begging for praise.

Xue'er couldn't help but scoff. He was still as boastful as ever.

Chu Chuyan didn't take it to heart either. After all, he had always been so boastful. She figured it must have been Ji Xiaoxi, being kind-hearted, who helped him out of a bind. As for the Fierce Black Jackals, Ji Xiaoxi likely used poison to incapacitate them, and then they killed them together.

"By the way, how did you meet Pei Mianman?" Chu Chuyan remembered something else, which she found most incomprehensible. Given Pei Mianman's personality, how could she possibly help a man like him?

"Of course, she saw how handsome and dashing I am, fell in love at first sight, and then desired me," Zu An said, casually brushing her off, knowing he couldn't reveal what happened that night.

Rage points from Qiao Xueying: 99!

Rage points from Passerby A: 99!

Rage points from Passerby B: 99!

Rage points from Passerby C: 99!

Hearing his shameless remarks, Xue'er and the passing pedestrians all cursed him inwardly.

Chu Chuyan was also speechless, though she mused that Pei Mianman, being her best friend, might have helped him out of consideration for her. Still, one thing remained unexplainable: "I heard you mentioned a certain night at the academy. What exactly happened between you two that night?"

Zu An hesitated. "I'm afraid you won't believe me if I tell you."

Chu Chuyan said indifferently, "If you don't tell me, how will I know whether to believe it or not?"

Only then did Zu An say, "That night, she and I hugged tightly and rolled around on the ground, which is why she doesn't want anyone to know."

Chu Chuyan's expression immediately turned cold. "I truly dislike your loose tongue. Can't you survive without lying? It doesn't matter if you speak nonsense in front of me, but if Pei Mianman were to hear that, you wouldn't even know how you died."

Rage points from Chu Chuyan: 99!

After speaking, she departed with a frosty expression. Seeing that her young mistress was angry, Xue'er linked arms with her and turned back to give him a gloating glare.

Zu An sighed inwardly. "I told you that you wouldn't believe me if I told you. What's wrong with this world? People believe me when I lie, but no one believes me when I tell the truth?"

However, collecting Rage points from this "bargain wife" wasn't easy; she only grudgingly contributed 99 points, like an iceberg all day.

Seeing the two women quickly walk away, Zu An hurried to catch up.

After a while, Chu Chuyan's expression gradually softened. After walking a bit further, she hesitated and said, "Do you feel uncomfortable living at the manor?"

Zu An was startled. "Why do you ask?"

Chu Chuyan replied, "I heard you wanted to buy a house outside."

Zu An was furious. That Cheng Shoubing had clearly promised to keep it a secret, yet he had blabbed it to everyone. Zu An had felt a little guilty for forgetting to bring Cheng Shoubing along this time, especially since he'd once promised to create opportunities for him to interact with Xue'er.

Now? He could go to hell!

"No, just casually looking around," Zu An chuckled awkwardly. After all, he would soon need her help, and annoying her now was not a good strategy.

Chu Chuyan simply uttered "Oh" and remained silent, walking quietly down the street.

Zu An secretly praised her. This "bargain wife" truly had a perfect combination of temperament and appearance; she was as cold and stunning as could be. Simply walking like this, she garnered an extraordinary number of admiring glances.

They arrived at the entrance of a splendid, gilded shop. "We're here, this is the place," Zu An announced. People were bustling in and out, indicating that business was exceptionally good.

Chu Chuyan looked at the four grand, calligraphic characters "Silver Hook Casino" on the signboard, and her expression subtly changed. "You brought me to a casino?"

Zu An nodded. "That's right."

He had already confirmed that the Plum Blossom Gang was Brightmoon City's largest criminal organization. Their income sources included protection rackets and loan sharking, but their most lucrative venture was the casino.

As the saying goes, the economic base determines the superstructure; all conflicts are essentially economic battles. Since the Chu family couldn't use their influence to solve the problem, he decided to wage an economic war against the Plum Blossom Gang. By destroying their largest source of income, he could halve the Plum Blossom Gang's power.

He worried that the gang might resort to desperate measures and physically eliminate him. So, he invited Chu Chuyan to accompany him. Not only was Chu Chuyan herself a fifth-rank cultivator, but her status as the Duke's daughter meant that even Plum Blossom Thirteen wouldn't dare harm her.

While it was true that the Chu family had many concerns about interfering in local matters, if one of their family members faced trouble, did they truly believe the Duke's private army would stand idly by? Even if it escalated to the imperial court, the Chu family would have no fear.

However, while his plan was well-conceived, Chu Chuyan might not be willing to cooperate. Her expression darkened as she asked, "Are you aware that our Chu family has a long-standing family rule prohibiting gambling?"

"No, why?" Zu An replied, feigning innocence. In reality, he was genuinely curious why the Chu family had such a rule; even the strictest noble families wouldn't forbid gambling entirely.

Chu Chuyan slowly explained, "Because one generation of our Chu family became addicted to gambling and almost completely ruined the entire family. It took several generations of diligent effort for the Chu family to barely recover. Even now, we possess nearly half less salt and iron territories than during our peak. Otherwise, Brightmoon City would have only our Chu family, not these other prominent families."

Zu An had also learned that among Brightmoon City's four major families, besides the Chu family, there were the Zheng, Yuan, and Wang families—three great merchant houses. The Zheng family dealt in salt, silk, and porcelain; the Yuan family primarily dealt in weapons; and the Wang family mainly operated restaurant chains and traded grain. Although these families didn't hold as high a noble title as the Chu family, their wealth was not significantly less.

As for the Yu family, they were generally not included in this count because their main base was not in Brightmoon City.

Hearing Chu Chuyan say this, Zu An finally understood that a large portion of the other major families' current industries had once belonged to the Chu family. The Chu ancestors were indeed incredibly wealthy.

Chu Chuyan continued, "So, the Chu family later established a family rule: no descendant of the Chu family is allowed to engage in gambling. Although your surname isn't Chu, you are my husband in name, so you must also abide by this rule."

Zu An grumbled inwardly, *Husband is husband, why emphasize 'in name'?* However, he was prepared for this situation. "I'm not gambling. I'm just fighting back out of self-preservation because I was forced. I don't think the Chu family has a family rule that forbids retaliation when someone bullies you to your face, do they?"