Chapter 979: Female Sea King

Seeing that he indeed let her into the room, Tang Tian’er couldn’t help but feel a surge of pride. “Even if you’re a block of wood, I can make you burn.”

“My surname is An,” Zu An said, naturally not revealing his real name. He then looked at her with a half-smile. “The soundproofing in this private room at Carefree Tower is excellent. Now that you’ve closed the door, aren’t you afraid I might do something untoward to you?”

This was a room reserved for jade-token VIPs. As soon as the windows were closed, the outside noise was almost instantly cut off, clearly a result of meticulous design.

Tang Tian’er revealed a sweet smile. “How could a distinguished guest like you be a boorish man who doesn’t understand romance? Of course, I have nothing to fear.”

Zu An said indifferently, “Don’t you know that the more distinguished a guest like us is, the more likely we are to have some perverse habits?”

Tang Tian’er was speechless.

His words completely stumped her; for a moment, she didn’t know how to respond.

Normally, shouldn’t they exchange a few playful words, allowing the ambiguous atmosphere to subtly thicken?

Zu An’s attention was still on Sun Ji, so he had no mind to play along with her. “Weren’t you here to deliver something? Where is it?”

Tang Tian’er’s recently recovered smile stiffened again, but she still took out a bag from the ring on her hand. “Everything’s inside, Young Master An, please check it.”

Zu An glanced at her ring again. Having been in this world for so long, he could naturally tell it was a spatial artifact. However, most spatial artifacts were of the storage bag type; those small enough to be rings were, without exception, extremely rare and precious. Was she truly just an ordinary hostess?

He had doubts but didn’t show them. He took the bag and carefully counted the contents. These items were crucial for Daji’s breakthrough, so he naturally had to be cautious.

After confirming everything was correct, he also took out a stack of silver notes. “Miss Tang, please check these.”

Tang Tian’er casually took them and put them back into her ring. “Someone of your stature, I trust you; there’s no need to count.”

This, in turn, made Zu An’s earlier careful counting seem a bit petty.

“This woman really holds a grudge,” Zu An muttered to himself, “retaliating even for such a small thing.”

Tang Tian’er then spoke again, her eyes holding a hint of curiosity. “You are clearly as gentle as jade, completely different from the image you presented to everyone just now.”

Zu An wondered when he could ever be associated with being gentle as jade, but he quite enjoyed her flattery. “It only proves that you don’t know me well enough yet,” he replied.

Tang Tian’er pursed her lips and smiled, her body involuntarily moving a bit closer to him. “Then, Young Master, could you give me a chance to get to know you better?”

She managed the distance between them quite precisely; any closer would make her seem too frivolous, and any further would lose that indescribable ambiguity.

Smelling the faint fragrance emanating from her body, so close to him, Zu An was momentarily stunned. Was this woman trying to seduce him?

Had his charm grown so immense that people would throw themselves into his arms even when he wore a mask?

He smiled. “Perhaps you should give me a chance to get to know you instead, Miss.”

“How would Young Master like to get to know me?” Tang Tian’er thought, *I almost believed you were a block of wood. Now that we’re interacting, everything will be under control.*

“A deep understanding, of course.”

“Oh, Young Master, you’re so naughty!” Tang Tian’er, being in a place like Carefree Tower, naturally understood the hidden meaning instantly. She playfully pounded Zu An’s shoulder a few times with her small fist.

As a courtesan, she naturally knew that appropriate physical contact could quickly bridge the distance between two people, making a man subconsciously believe you had enough good feelings for him.

Zu An naturally knew her tricks, but if they were going to play this game, he wasn’t afraid.

He then naturally reached out to put his arm around her waist, having suddenly realized he might need her as a witness later.

However, Tang Tian’er twisted her waist as if with foresight, cleverly dodging his hand. The smile on her face was replaced by worry. “Young Master,” she began, “besides delivering these items, I also came to warn you about something. You might be new to Yi Commandery and unaware of the background of the person you just offended. His father, Sun Xun, is the Prime Minister of the Yan Kingdom. Within a thousand-mile radius, he is practically second only to the King. Young Master Sun is also extremely favored and usually acts with impunity in Yi Commandery; no one dares to provoke him. You offended him so openly just now. Given his temperament, he will certainly seek revenge. So, Young Master, it’s best to be careful, or notify your family’s experts to come and protect you. Do not be careless.”

A relationship with a man is like fishing: the best strategy is to reel in and let go. She had just displayed her charm and stirred his romantic feelings; if she kept giving him what he wanted, her appeal would greatly diminish once he achieved his goal too easily. Instead, this unfulfilled desire could make a man gradually fall into obsessive infatuation.

Zu An was momentarily surprised. “We are merely passing acquaintances, Miss. Why are you being so good to me? If Sun Ji found out, it would clearly offend the Sun family.”

He appeared very grateful on the surface, but secretly sneered in his heart. He had already learned most of what she said from the discussions of the people in the hall earlier. So, she hadn’t given him any truly useful information; instead, she was secretly trying to pry into his background in various ways.

A young man might truly have been moved to tears, but unfortunately, she had encountered him.

Alas, a female ‘sea queen’ raising fish, isn’t she afraid of encountering a shark?

Tang Tian’er softly said, “Publicly, you are a distinguished guest of Carefree Tower, and we naturally don’t wish to see anything happen to you. Privately…”

She paused, then looked at him with a shy glance before speaking in a soft, delicate voice. “Having just witnessed your heroic demeanor, I am quite admiring, and naturally, I wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Zu An secretly clicked his tongue. If this woman went to the entertainment industry in his previous life, she would surely win consecutive Best Actress Oscars. Her acting was truly top-tier.

“Don’t worry,” Zu An said, pretending to be a young master captivated by her and patting his chest, “let alone the Sun family, even if the Yan King himself came, he couldn’t do anything to me.”

Hearing him say this, a hint of surprise flashed in Tang Tian’er’s eyes. This man’s background was indeed unusual.

However, she still feigned great anxiety and worry. “Young Master, you must not be careless. The Yan King is a Grandmaster, and Prime Minister Sun is also rumored to have the strength of a Master. Even if your family has some power, I’m afraid…”

She didn’t finish her sentence, but her meaning was clear.

Zu An said indifferently, “No matter. The Yan King might not get involved in the feud between me and the Sun family.”

Tang Tian’er understood in her heart. It seemed his background still held some apprehension towards Grandmasters, but was less afraid of Masters.

“But this is, after all, the Sun family’s home turf. If they are determined to ambush you, Young Master, you are alone outside, and your family’s elders might not arrive in time to save you.” Tang Tian’er continued to probe indirectly.

“It’s fine,” Zu An replied proudly. “Yi Commandery has the Suidan Great River; they can’t harm me where there’s water.”

Tang Tian’er’s heart skipped a beat. He was indeed from the Sea Tribe!

So she seized the opportunity and said, “That puts my mind at ease. Speaking of which, everything is good here in Yi Commandery, except it’s a bit too cold. I long for the warm south. I’ve heard that the far southern coast is still like midsummer, with sunshine and beaches—the thought excites me, but I wonder if it’s true.”

“Of course, it’s true,” Zu An replied. He had guessed her intention, so he fabricated a Sea Tribe identity for himself. He told her about the mysterious ocean, drawing on documentaries he had watched on TV in his previous life. Coupled with his earlier encounter with the mermaid princess in the secret realm, his descriptions were even more authentic.

Tang Tian’er became even more certain that he was definitely from the Sea Tribe; otherwise, he couldn’t possibly know so much.

Initially, she was still probing for information, but later she became completely captivated by the details he described, and stars constantly twinkled in her eyes.

Soon, the atmosphere between the two grew increasingly familiar and fervent. However, Zu An noticed that Sun Ji was about to leave. Feeling anxious, he reached out to embrace the woman beside him.

Tang Tian’er giggled and fell into his arms. Then she tilted her head back and slowly leaned in for a kiss.

Just as their lips were about to meet, a wisp of pink smoke lightly emerged from her vivid red lips. Zu An trembled all over, then slumped softly to the side.

Tang Tian’er stood up from his arms, no trace of her previous affectionate charm remaining on her face. “Hmph, you want to take advantage of me? Not a chance!”