Chapter Two: The Wealthy Daughter-in-law
The woman thought that at a moment like this, shouldn’t she resist—wouldn’t that be the normal thing to do? Yet, to her surprise, her body was as docile as a kitten, letting the man gently slip down both her shoulder straps. When the last trace of modesty was gone, she closed her eyes, even tinged with a hint of anticipation.
But after a few seconds, the man made no further move.
She abruptly opened her eyes, only to find that the man had vanished without a trace, and her clothes were nowhere to be seen.
“Bastard, I’m going to kill you!”
She roared in fury, wanting to chase after him, but suddenly realized she was utterly naked.
Yang Jiekai had already walked out of the alley. Hearing the woman’s furious shout, he touched his nose with amusement and casually tossed her clothing into a nearby trash bin.
As for what that female thief would do next, he couldn’t care less. In the past, he would have enjoyed himself before leaving, but now…
Yang Jiekai dialed a number. “Old man, is there really no other way?”
A voice on the other end replied impatiently, “This is the only way to get a large sum of money in Huaxia in a short time. Take it or leave it. After this, we’re even.”
Bee—bee—
Hearing the busy tone, Yang Jiekai gave a bitter laugh and sighed to himself, “So ungrateful!”
Back then, he’d risked his life, braving bullets to carry that old man out of a war zone. Now, when he’d run into trouble and asked to borrow some money, the other dodged and gave him such a lousy idea.
When Yang Jiekai asked to borrow tens of millions, the old man flatly refused, but in consideration of having saved his life, said he could help him once.
Thus, the old man used mysterious connections to arrange a marriage for Yang Jiekai, telling him that as long as he married that woman, there would be as much money as he wanted.
Such a shameless way of living off a woman was something Yang Jiekai could never accept—or at least, that was before. Now, desperately in need of money—a lot of it—after the accident before returning to the country, he found himself caught in a whirlpool, no longer quite human, nor a ghost.
Oh well, a true man can bend or stand tall as needed!
He consoled himself, then hailed a taxi and headed to the address the old man had sent him.
Shizhu Manor, the most exclusive villa district in Anhai City—only the richest or most powerful could live here.
As soon as Yang Jiekai got out of the taxi, two men in black suits and sunglasses approached. One asked, “Are you Mr. Yang?”
Yang Jiekai knew the drill and handed over his ID. After verifying, the man returned it and said, “This way, Mr. Yang.”
The two men led him inside to a luxurious villa at the heart of the estate.
Looks like the old man wasn’t lying—this woman really is loaded!
A glance at the villa and a rough calculation based on Anhai’s real estate prices told him it was worth at least tens of millions.
One of the men opened the door for him to enter on his own.
Inside, the décor was refined and elegant—Persian carpets, Austrian crystal chandeliers, Italian marble floors…
There were more than a dozen men and women in the grand hall, which struck Yang Jiekai as odd. Hadn’t the old man said only his future wife and a housekeeper lived here? Where did all these people come from?
The moment Yang Jiekai stepped into the hall, a dozen pairs of eyes snapped onto him.
But he felt not the slightest discomfort. He’d been honored with state gifts from several countries, and once even slapped the leader of a Southeast Asian country in front of a crowd. This was hardly worth mentioning.
“So, which one of you is my fiancée?” Yang Jiekai broke the ice, politely scanning the women in the hall, feeling a pang of disappointment. Despite their glittering jewelry, they were all shockingly unattractive. Could his future wife really be one of them?
The people in the hall stared in surprise, then burst into laughter, barely hiding their contempt. In their eyes, this penniless youth was nothing but a toad dreaming of swan’s flesh.
“What are you idiots laughing at? Which one is my fiancée? Step forward and let me see!” Yang Jiekai frowned, irritated by the way they looked at him. If this weren’t Huaxia, a few of them would already be lying on the ground.
The group paused, then a few hot-tempered ones were about to stand up, but were stopped by an elderly man with white hair and beard.
“Mr. Yang, what composure!” The old man had been watching Yang Jiekai closely since his arrival. Surrounded by so many scrutinizing eyes, the young man remained utterly calm, which stirred a glimmer of hope in his otherwise despondent heart.
If this man became the Han family’s son-in-law, perhaps this crisis, which had reached a boiling point, could yet take a turn for the better.
“Enough talk—who is my fiancée?” Yang Jiekai was growing impatient. He’d harbored some hope that his future wife might be a beauty, but after seeing these eyesores, he just wanted to get it over with, claim his share, and leave.
At his words, the hall fell silent, everyone staring at him as if at a dead man.
Was this kid tired of living, daring to speak to the family’s second-in-command, Second Master Han, in that tone?
“Insolence!” barked a stout, dark-skinned man beside the old gentleman, stepping forward, only to be stopped by the elder.
Another expert! Just from the power in that shout, Yang Jiekai could tell this man was a master of internal martial arts. A few months ago, he might have been wary—but now…
After what had happened, Yang Jiekai wasn’t sure whether to laugh or cry.
The old man watched Yang Jiekai’s unruffled demeanor, and his heart began to pound violently.
He’d known the bodyguard’s strength well—when he let out that shout, he unleashed all his killing intent. An ordinary man would have been terrified, knees turning to jelly. Yet this young man acted as though nothing had happened!
There were only two possible explanations: either the youth was a master far superior to his bodyguard, or he was an idiot numb to fear.
As the old man pondered, Yang Jiekai suddenly cleared his throat and asked the bodyguard seriously, “Insolence? Is that my fiancée’s name? Is there even a family with the surname ‘Insolence’? I’ve never heard of it.”
At that, the faint hope in the old man’s heart vanished without a trace. He sighed inwardly: so it’s the latter…
The room erupted in laughter. The old man waved a hand and sighed helplessly, “The young lady is on the third floor. Go up yourself.”
Yang Jiekai glanced at him, noting the changes in his expression—joy, then sorrow—in quick succession. Was the old man practicing face-changing?
Without further thought, Yang Jiekai casually snatched a banana from the coffee table, ate it as he headed up the crystal staircase, and tossed the peel on the floor, as if he’d never seen a banana before, leaving the entire room speechless.
Climbing the stairs, Yang Jiekai’s thoughts wandered. This marriage had been forced by the old man he’d once saved on the battlefield. Normally, the Han family should hate him, but apart from the old man, everyone else seemed rather pleased. That didn’t make sense.
Shrugging it off, he reached the third floor. For now, he just wanted to get it over with, secure his share of the fortune, and deal with his urgent needs.
Thinking of that, he couldn’t help but feel bitter.
What kind of karma had he accumulated to end up involved in something more fantastical than fantasy itself?
A few months ago, he’d been a top international mercenary. On a mission, his squad was ambushed by a biochemical bomb—the whole team was wiped out.
He’d crawled out from a pile of corpses, only to realize that over a month had passed since the bombing.
He’d survived more than a month in a coma, buried among the dead, without food or water.
It was unbelievable. At the time, he’d thought himself just lucky and, with everyone assuming he was dead, snuck back to Huaxia, where the old man got him legal papers.
Though it was his first time setting foot in the country, he’d always known he was Chinese. He’d planned to live a normal life, but then noticed strange changes in his body.
He’d grown stronger—faster, tougher—which should have been a blessing. But with the gains came painful side effects.
Yang Jiekai took a deep breath, shaking his head hard as if to banish all these troubles. What was done was done—he’d have to face it.
At the end of the third-floor corridor, a carved redwood door stood ajar. Yang Jiekai approached, a flicker of anticipation in his heart. What would his future wife look like? Surely not like those hags downstairs.
He knocked politely, but received no response. Pushing the door open, he saw a woman with a stunning figure standing by the window, her back to him. The moment she turned, her beauty nearly made him drool.