Chapter 49: Reality

Li Yaqin's shoulders and back pressed against the cold wall, with nowhere to retreat.

She raised her hand to push away the pressing chest, which was hard to the touch and unmoving.

"You're pressing on me."

She gave up the futile struggle, her breath slightly heavy, carrying a hint of impatience at being disturbed.

"I don't dislike you." She slightly raised her chin, forcing herself to meet his deep, all-consuming eyes.

Her fingertips curled almost imperceptibly at her side, but her face remained calm, without the slightest flinch.

Dealing with someone like Zhao Chengyu, showing weakness or flattery was useless.

Instead, revealing her hand directly, letting him understand her values, might give her more control.

"Should I say I like him?" Her voice was flat and straightforward, as if discussing the weather.

But a glint of shrewdness flashed quickly in the depths of her eyes—like?

Can that feed you?

Could she exchange it for this house that could serve as cover, allowing her to safely stockpile supplies using the space?

The answer was obvious.

“Commander Zhao, I don’t know what that is. Perhaps I had naive thoughts before, but when we’re starving and can only eat tree bark…”

“I threw away this kind of thing long ago. It’s too extravagant, too useless.”

She paused, as if making a final assessment, her tone carrying an almost cruel honesty.

“I like money, or rather, I like everything tangible that money can buy—food, medicine, a safe haven where no one will bother me.”

“What you can hold in your hands is real.” She raised her eyes, her gaze sharp as needles, piercing him directly.

“So, for me, the ‘money’ that can give me these things is indeed far more important than the ethereal ‘you’.”

She was clearly telling Zhao Chengyu: You want me to ‘like’ you?

Fine, in exchange for what I need.

Li Yaqin wanted Zhao Chengyu to understand that if he wanted her, he had to offer something tangible in return.

Selfish and self-loving woman!

She could thrive anywhere.

Li Yaqin needed to establish herself in this unfamiliar era.

Anything that could make her life more comfortable was a good tool.

After all, feelings of liking and loving...

are like ghosts in fantasy novels—mostly heard of, rarely seen!

These luxuries only exist after one has achieved basic sustenance.

Li Yaqin had experienced the scarcity of her time in the book, that feeling of constant uncertainty.

The cruel reality once again taught her:

Only resources held in one's hands can bring security.

As for ephemeral emotions, they are far less reliable than a bag of food or a place to stay.

Zhao Chengyu was silent for a moment.

He looked at her frank and indifferent face, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

This little thing was surprisingly straightforward.

He actually had to compete with money for her attention.

"Fine." A barely perceptible gleam of interest intensified in Zhao Chengyu's deep voice.

Like a hunter finally discovering his prey's most fatal weakness, finding the challenge even more appealing.

"You like money? Fine." He took a step closer, his breath almost brushing against the top of her head.

"Then 'like' me. What I, Zhao Chengyu, can give you is far more than just this house."

"As long as you stay obediently by my side, I guarantee you'll have all the food, security, and wealth you can imagine in this era."

"What's mine is yours—as long as you belong to me."

"Fine." Li Yaqin agreed readily, her lowered eyelids concealing a fleeting sneer and calculation in her eyes.

Sure enough, even the most powerful man has his limits when it comes to self-interest.

This suited her perfectly!

Using a verbal "like" to acquire this house as a base and cover.

In return, she could use the Zhao family's power to shield her from unnecessary trouble—it was like a windfall!

With this protective layer, the items in her spatial storage would be safer.

They would be easier to access, and stockpiling meat and scarce resources would be unimpeded.

Money, security, and free time—these were the foundations for her survival and well-being in this era!

As for Zhao Chengyu…

Since he believed he could buy everything with money, let him buy it.

She didn't mind playing along, as long as he could continuously provide the "price" she needed.

Once her storage space was full, once the effects of the beauty pill gave her more leverage.

Who was whose prey was still unknown.

She secretly gripped the cold jade bottle in her pocket; this was her true confidence.

Zhao Chengyu's arms, like a cage forged of steel, suddenly tightened.

The slender body in his arms tensed silently under his brute force.

Her bones seemed to emit a faint, suppressed groan within this irresistible confinement.

He almost greedily wanted to crush her, embedding her into his own bones and blood.

To make her completely a part of him, with no possibility of escape.

A strange, violent emotion surged through his chest.

It fiercely assaulted his usual coldness and calculation.

He was used to being in control, manipulating the world with ease.

But it was she, this seemingly weak woman, who easily disrupted all his plans.

She made him experience this near-uncontrollable anxiety for the first time.

He slowly lowered his head, his hard chin almost brushing against her collarbone.

His hot breath, like sparks, deliberately sprayed onto the delicate skin of her neck.

This triggered a subtle, uncontrollable tremor in her body.

Every breath he exhaled carried a domineering, undeniable air of authority.

"Like me, won't you?"

His voice was deep and husky, like sand brushing against her eardrums, yet carrying the absolute weight of a command.

This wasn't a request, nor an inquiry, but a one-sided declaration.

He keenly noticed the most subtle changes in her body.

That stiff, distant resistance that had been there from the beginning seemed to relax for a fleeting moment.

It was merely a fleeting, insignificant ripple, like the surface of water.

Yet he captured it precisely, seized it firmly.

This tiny opening was enough for him.

Enough for him to press forward, to conquer and seize her completely.

He saw clearly, plainly, Li Yaqin's desire for money and a comfortable life.

And what his Zhao family had in abundance was precisely this worldly wealth and riches.

Those scattered properties he hadn't personally tended for years now finally had a new, crucial purpose.

Wealth would be the best chain he could forge. She loved money?

Then he would use money to completely bind her, impenetrably locking her to his side.

He, Zhao Chengyu, had no shortage of money.

He would use mountains of gold and silver, and the stable, affluent life she craved,

to keep this beautiful, cunning, yet obviously vulnerable young girl under his wing.

Not only would he give her money, but he would also make her accustomed to using his money.

He would make every aspect of her life bear his mark, making her inseparable from everything he provided.

Her beauty, her brilliance yet to fully bloom, would sooner or later be seen and coveted by others.

He would not allow anyone's gaze to touch his treasure.

He had to completely shelter her under his wings, strictly protecting her from any potential covetous glances.

Thinking of this, a chilling glint instantly gathered in his deep eyes.

On Chen Ming's side, a complete redeployment was necessary immediately.

The slaughterhouse job was only the first step, far from enough.

More reliable personnel needed to be arranged immediately, ostensibly for protection, to "take care" of her daily life without leaving her side.

He needed to track the people she came into contact with and the places she went.

Her social circle also had to be kept under his control.

He needed to protect her meticulously, leaving no gaps, and keep her firmly within his sight.

Until he could rightfully, in front of everyone, marry her and take her surname.

The cold metal keys, still carrying the lingering, domineering warmth of Zhao Chengyu's fingertips, were forcefully shoved into Li Yaqin's slightly cool palm.

The fine teeth of the keys dug into the lines of her palm, bringing a sharp and unusually clear sense of reality, as if trying to etch his mark.

Zhao Chengyu lowered his head, his deep gaze fixed on her hand, forced to grip the keys.

The cold touch of the metal seeped through her thin skin into her palm.

This was merely one step in his grand plan, a seemingly insignificant yet profoundly significant beginning.

He needed to make her understand in a more direct, more profound way.

What he could give far exceeded the limits of her limited understanding.

This seemingly docile and obedient little wildcat, in reality, harboring sharp claws.

Her deep-seated yearning for a life of luxury was almost undisguisedly written in her occasional, unintentional gestures.

He had already noticed it with unerring precision.

And he, Zhao Chengyu, happened to have none of these things that could easily satisfy all her desires.

A high-end, exclusive restaurant that an ordinary person simply couldn't enter, requiring special status to dine at.

was the most direct and effective tool at this moment.

That was enough to shake her heart, which only cared about practical benefits.

He wanted her to see with her own eyes that as long as she stayed by his side, Zhao Chengyu, she would be truly satisfied.

Those "tangible things" she once treasured and desperately sought could become so easily and readily available.

This intense visual and material impact made her understand the "benefits" of "liking" him more clearly than any words.

It made her more quickly and willingly indulge in the life he could provide, so that she could never, and would never, leave.