LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 18:
Chapter 18: A Gamble!
Qin Ningbing’s gaze toward Shen Anyu had changed.
Originally, in her mind, Shen Anyu was just a spoiled young master who relied on his powerful family background—a frivolous man obsessed with beauty, someone who would risk his life for desire. Though domineering and forceful, that strength came solely from the power and influence of his family. On the surface, she respected him, but deep down, she felt nothing but disdain.
But now, after witnessing Shen Anyu reveal just a glimpse of his strength, Qin Ningbing was shocked.
He seemed cloaked in a veil of mystery.
Whether it was his effortless crushing of a military-grade spring knife, or the way he healed the wound on her neck with just a touch—it was beyond belief.
Shen Anyu lightly pinched her slender, snow-white neck with one hand, leaned in like a lion about to pounce on its prey, narrowed his eyes, and said calmly, “Qin Ningbing, no one is allowed to hurt you, not even yourself.”
His gaze, like that of a monarch gazing down at his subject, along with those domineering words, threw Qin Ningbing’s heart into chaos.
[Ding! Detected increase in Destiny Female Lead Qin Ningbing’s affection +30, Plundered +Destiny Points!]
[Ding! Main emotional line of the Chosen One Xia Liu fluctuated, Plundered +Destiny Points!]
Though Shen Anyu’s expression remained stern and indifferent, he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Qin Ningbing—the first female lead of Village Miracle Doctor—a beautiful CEO and fiancée of the protagonist, was truly hard to win over.
If it was just about physically taking her, then for someone like Qin Ningbing, a logical CEO who knew how to weigh pros and cons, Shen Anyu could have easily done so through sheer force.
But what Shen Anyu wanted was more than that. He needed to conquer her heart—to gain more Destiny Points.
At a total affection level of 80, he’d gain an additional 30,000 Destiny Points.
At 90, an extra 100,000.
If it reached full affection, the reward would be even greater.
Qin Ningbing’s personality was extremely proud and unyielding. If forced, she’d rather die with her enemy.
From the Destiny Plundering System, Shen Anyu knew—unlike Master Returns to the Mountain: My Gorgeous Sister-in-law, which had already been completed and whose plotline was fully mapped out, other novel worlds that had merged into the main world only contained basic setups and character profiles.
Village Miracle Doctor, for example, only had general information about the male and female leads, and the beginning of the plotline. The rest would evolve with time.
Too many variables.
Even Master Returns to the Mountain could be altered due to the integration of other novel worlds.
That’s the butterfly effect.
A butterfly flapping its wings in the south could stir a storm in the north.
But Shen Anyu at least knew Qin Ningbing’s core traits—proud and forceful, intelligent and calm, a woman who liked to stay in control. She would never surrender. Once cornered, she’d risk everything.
And the only type of man she could fall for would be someone stronger, more capable, who could truly protect her and give her a sense of security.
Definitely not a typical second-generation rich playboy relying on family connections—that only made her look down on them.
Fortunately, this was a good start. A 30-point affection increase was proof of that.
What Shen Anyu didn’t expect was that Xia Liu had also contributed 50,000 Destiny Points!
Clearly, Qin Ningbing held immense weight as the first female lead of Village Miracle Doctor.
Even Ye Yan—the Chosen One in Master Returns to the Mountain—hadn’t given such a huge red packet for Lin Keqing. Shen Anyu guessed it was probably because Ye Yan hadn’t appeared yet, and thus hadn’t stirred the fate paths.
This also gave Shen Anyu a new idea. He could find out when Ye Yan would descend from the mountain by watching Lin Keqing.
Thinking of that, Shen Anyu couldn’t help but miss that stunning sister-in-law.
As for how to completely conquer Qin Ningbing—he already had a plan.
Qin Ningbing had one critical flaw: she was a heavy gambler.
Just the fact that she had resolutely invested more than half of her liquid funds into researching the Ginseng Heart Pill was proof of that.
Shen Anyu looked at her with amusement in his eyes.
At that moment, Qin Ningbing bit her lip, her beautiful eyes filled with stubbornness. She said nothing.
It was as if she already knew she was meat on the chopping block, left at Shen Anyu’s mercy.
Yet her eyes still held a determined glint—clearly, she hadn’t given up on the idea of mutual destruction.
Shen Anyu chuckled and said, “Darling, how about a gamble?”
Qin Ningbing’s determined gaze wavered slightly. She looked at him in surprise.
“If you win, I’ll let you go. And I’ll give back full control of Renshintang Pharmaceutical Company and help you eliminate all obstacles.”
“Of course, if you lose… then everything you have—your body, your heart—belongs to me.”
Qin Ningbing’s eyes finally changed. Her red lips parted in astonishment. “Are you serious?”
The surprise was so unexpected, she couldn’t believe it.
Because at this point, faced with the mysterious and powerful Shen Anyu, she no longer had any bargaining chips. Even risking mutual destruction wasn’t an option anymore.
She had already resigned herself to the worst—that she might as well be bitten by a dog and end it all.
But now?
Shen Anyu actually offered to let her go?
And on such generous terms—not only letting her go but also helping her reclaim the entire Renshintang Pharmaceutical Company?
It was a temptation she couldn’t refuse!
And if she lost… would her situation really be any worse?
Unconsciously, Qin Ningbing had already begun to consider the idea of becoming Shen Anyu’s woman.
Shen Anyu smiled faintly and said, “Of course I’m serious. As the eldest son of the Shen family of Yanxia, would I lie to you?”
Of course, he would. Don’t ever doubt the shamelessness of this old fox.
But in this case, there was no need to lie. Shen Anyu was 99% confident of winning.
Qin Ningbing believed him—or rather, what other choice did she have?
“Huuu…”
She took a deep breath, looked at Shen Anyu, and a breathtaking smile blossomed across her face. “Young Master Shen, I believe you are a man of honor who stands tall and never lies. I accept this gamble!”
“But—I’ll be the one to set the terms.”
“Otherwise, a one-sided bet is meaningless.”
Shen Anyu looked at her with a half-smile and said generously, “Alright.”
He knew that with Qin Ningbing’s intelligence and calm personality, she wouldn’t suggest anything unreasonable.
She wouldn’t dare. If she pushed too far, Shen Anyu could tear up the agreement, and she would be the one to lose out.
Such is the helplessness of the weaker side.
Besides, Shen Anyu had already guessed what she would propose.
Sure enough, Qin Ningbing bit her lip and, after a moment of hesitation, spoke:
“Young Master Shen, let’s bet on the Ginseng Heart Pill.”
“Our Renshintang Pharmaceutical Company has spent 500 million over the past three years and still hasn’t succeeded.”
She sighed softly. Today’s boardroom meeting, and Wang Hai’s attempt to seize power, all stemmed from this issue.
She continued, “Three months. With your resources and background, you should be able to succeed in developing the Ginseng Heart Pill within that time and achieve the intended effect of curing heart disease.”
“If you succeed, I will be your woman. Everything I have will be yours.”
“But if you fail, I ask that you honor your promise—let me and Renshintang go.”
She looked at Shen Anyu with hopeful eyes.
Shen Anyu thought, Just as expected, then smiled and said, “Alright, we’ll bet on that.”
On Qin Ningbing’s cold yet stunning face, her eyes sparkled with a mix of coyness and anticipation…