"Nowadays the internet is so advanced," Lu Hong said with a smug, lewd grin, staring at Shao Lihong's trembling figure. "If I upload these photos and videos of us, with your body and looks, you'd definitely become an overnight sensation!"
"Lu Hong, you bastard! You scum! You're not even a man!" Shao Lihong's eyes turned red with anger. Her body trembled as she gritted her teeth, wishing she could pounce on him and tear off chunks of his flesh.
"One million! Just give me one million yuan, and I promise I'll never bother you again!" Lu Hong extended a finger, his expression smug and triumphant as though he already had her cornered.
"One million! You—you might as well go rob a bank!" Shao Lihong finally exploded, unable to contain her fury at his audacious demand.
"If that's how it is, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Lu Hong sneered, snatching the photo from her hands and turning to leave.
"Lu Hong, you scumbag! Stop right there!" Shao Lihong screamed, tears finally streaming down her face as she watched him walk away.
Hearing her angry cries, Lu Hong smirked coldly, the expression of someone whose malicious scheme had succeeded. Just as he was about to turn back to gloat, he was confronted by a young man with a dark expression striding toward him.
The young man was none other than Xia Yunjie.
Lu Hong froze, confused by the young man's menacing gaze. Before he could react, Xia Yunjie had already kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground. At the same time, Xia Yunjie snatched the photo from his hand.
Thanks to his training, Xia Yunjie's keen hearing had picked up most of the conversation from afar. He knew Lu Hong was trying to blackmail Shao Lihong with the photo. However, he underestimated just how explicit the photo was. A single glance at it left Xia Yunjie, who had no experience with women, flustered and red-faced. Despite the photo's initial impact, Xia Yunjie quickly realized that it was a poorly done digital forgery.
As a shaman with the inherited bloodline of Xia Yu, Xia Yunjie had an instinctive ability to distinguish the natural from the unnatural. While the woman in the photo appeared alluring at first glance, something about her lacked harmony, like a surgically altered beauty whose features didn't quite fit. His sharp intuition picked up on these discrepancies immediately.
"Who the hell are you? Why the f**k did you kick me?" Lu Hong shouted as he struggled to his feet, snapping out of his daze.
"Ah-Jie!" Shao Lihong exclaimed when she recognized Xia Yunjie. She noticed him staring intently at the incriminating photo, her face flushing with shame, panic, and frustration.
"Well, well, I see now!" Lu Hong sneered. "No wonder you've been ignoring your husband all these years, Shao Lihong. Turns out you've been keeping a boy toy!"
Hearing his baseless accusations, Shao Lihong's hands trembled in fury as she prepared to lash out. Before she could, Xia Yunjie's eyes gleamed with mischief. He stepped forward and delivered another hard kick to Lu Hong, shouting, "Husband? You? Look in the damn mirror! Do you think you're worthy of Hongjie? Let me tell you, Hongjie is my woman! If you dare to harass her again, I'll have someone take care of you!"
Shao Lihong was caught off guard. Yesterday, during his job interview, Xia Yunjie had seemed like a shy, boy-next-door type. Now, he was suddenly acting fierce and possessive, claiming her as his woman. She knew he was trying to scare Lu Hong, but the mention of her past photos and videos made her even more anxious. Hurriedly, she grabbed Xia Yunjie's arm and said, "Ah-Jie, don't do anything rash!"
Lu Hong, a cowardly gambler who preyed on weaker targets, was momentarily shaken by Xia Yunjie's boldness. However, seeing Shao Lihong's panicked reaction, he regained his confidence. Backing up a few steps, he sneered, "Take care of me? Why don't you just say you're a gang boss? I'm so scared!"
Before Lu Hong could finish his taunts, Xia Yunjie smirked coldly and waved toward a group of men emerging from a nearby diner. "Bald Strong, come over here!"
The man leading the group was bald with a shiny head, a prominent scar, and a gold chain around his neck. It was none other than Bald Strong, someone Xia Yunjie had already "disciplined" earlier.
Bald Strong, full from his meal and ready to enjoy his evening, froze in terror when he recognized Xia Yunjie. Clutching his gold chain nervously, he muttered to himself, What rotten luck! Why do I keep running into this guy?
Despite their reluctance, Bald Strong and his crew couldn't ignore Xia Yunjie's call. They quickly approached and, to Lu Hong's shock, bowed respectfully and greeted Xia Yunjie in unison, "Boss!"
Lu Hong's confidence crumbled. He instinctively stepped back, his face pale. Trying to sound tough, he stammered, "Y-you'd better not mess around. If you push me, I'll—I'll post those photos…"
Hearing the word "photos," Shao Lihong snapped out of her daze. She grabbed Xia Yunjie's arm again and pleaded, "Ah-Jie, don't do anything reckless. He still has something of mine!"
"Don't worry, Hongjie. Those photos are fakes. This guy's just trying to scam you," Xia Yunjie said gently, patting her hand to reassure her.
"Fakes? Who says they're fake? They're real!" Lu Hong protested, his face pale and his voice shaking.
Shao Lihong, being a savvy businesswoman, quickly calmed down and scrutinized the photo Xia Yunjie had taken. Upon closer inspection, she noticed the inconsistencies Xia Yunjie had mentioned. Letting out a sigh of relief, she realized why Lu Hong had been so eager to snatch the photo back—it wouldn't hold up under scrutiny.
"See? I wasn't wrong, was I, Hongjie?" Xia Yunjie said with a sly grin. Gently wrapping an arm around her waist, he added in a soft voice, "Just play along for now." He even gave her a playful wink.
The thin material of Shao Lihong's blouse didn't do much to mask the smoothness of her skin, and though Xia Yunjie's gesture was purely for show, he couldn't help but feel his heart race.
Turning back to Lu Hong, Xia Yunjie's expression grew cold. "You dared to mess with my woman? Bald Strong, teach him a lesson!"
Bald Strong and his men didn't hesitate. With a quick "Yes, Boss!" they lunged at Lu Hong and began beating him up.
"Ah! Please, I'm sorry! I won't do it again!" Lu Hong wailed, covering his head as he rolled on the ground. "Hongjie, I swear I'll stay out of your way from now on!"
"Who gave you permission to call her Hongjie?" one of the men barked, delivering another kick.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! Miss Hong Please forgive me!" Lu Hong begged.
Though Shao Lihong hated Lu Hong to the core, she wasn't the type to enjoy violence. Fearing things might escalate, she tugged at Xia Yunjie's arm and whispered, "Ah-Jie, maybe that's enough…"