Chapter 376: This Woman Understands Me Too Well

Wan Ze locked the screen and slipped the communicator back into his pants pocket, screen-down.

From the first message’s vibration to him locking the screen, the entire process took less than forty seconds.

He looked up at Xiao Ya.

Xiao Ya was sitting on the long sofa opposite him in much the same posture as before. A shawl was draped over her shoulders, one end falling across her chest, the other resting on the arm of the sofa.

Her calm gaze rested on Wan Ze. There was nothing superfluous in her captivating eyes, not even a hint of the question, ‘Who are you messaging?’

But Wan Ze knew she was watching.

Wan Ze spoke. “So you know the details of our cooperation with Zhao Henian?”

Xiao Ya raised an eyebrow slightly.

She seemed to find his question very interesting.

Her gaze lingered on Wan Ze’s mask for a moment before settling on his exposed eyes. She was trying to determine his purpose in asking the question.

‘Is he trying to confirm how much I know, or is he testing my limits? Or both?’

“Besides the cooperation to assassinate me tonight, what else is there?” Xiao Ya asked.

Wan Ze looked at her without answering immediately.

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Light from the crystal chandelier fell upon the coffee table between them, its glass surface reflecting a hazy play of light and shadow.

“It seems you don’t know everything after all,” Wan Ze said slowly, his tone not entirely mocking.

Xiao Ya was silent.

But her gaze never left Wan Ze’s face. Wan Ze didn’t press her.

He leaned back on the sofa and tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest twice. TAP, TAP. The rhythm was slow, as if keeping time with Xiao Ya’s thoughts.

Just then, Xiao Ya spoke, taking a deep breath. “It seems your relationship with Wan Ze is very close indeed. Otherwise, it would be impossible for you to know even this secret.”

She looked up, met Wan Ze’s eyes, and suddenly smiled. “You’re talking about the translated manuscript, aren’t you?”

Wan Ze looked at her.

That was the starting point of his first deal with Zhao Henian, and the foundation for all their subsequent cooperation.

The value of the manuscript itself was another matter, but the chain reaction it set off was far more valuable than Wan Ze had initially expected.

‘I can’t believe this woman knows about the manuscript too.’

Wan Ze let out a soft chuckle. “Well, what do you know. I underestimated you. So, do you know the contents of the manuscript?”

Xiao Ya could have said yes at this point, using the claim to raise her own value and gain a more advantageous position in the negotiation.

But she chose not to.

She smiled candidly. “I don’t. I’ve only heard about the manuscript. I know Zhao Henian has it, and I know he came into contact with people from Dragon Eagle because of it. But as for the specific contents, what’s written inside, I really don’t know.”

She looked at Wan Ze, her gaze unwavering. She leaned her body forward slightly, closing the distance. “So, Mr. Tan, are you willing to cooperate with me? I’m willing to take over all of your previous arrangements with Zhao Henian, at double the price. That includes the manuscript… I want it all.”

Wan Ze watched her, his expression unreadable. “Since you know so much, you should also be clear on our requirements.”

Xiao Ya nodded, maintaining a dignified smile. “Money is no object. You want antiques. What a coincidence. I have an auction house group under my command. Every month, we handle… if not tens of thousands, then at least several thousand antiques. You can tell me if you see anything you like.”

Wan Ze fell into thought.

His Stealing Celestial Secret required him to touch objects.

This was his ability, and also his Core method for obtaining Martial Dao comprehension and Spiritual Forms.

The black market channels Zhao Henian provided had allowed him to reap over a hundred benefits from Stealing Celestial Secret in one go.

But if he switched to Xiao Ya, with several thousand antiques per month, the sheer quantity was on a much larger scale than what Zhao Henian could offer.

The problem was, Zhao Henian was easy to fool. If Wan Ze said he “wasn’t interested” in something, Zhao Henian wouldn’t think twice about it.

Xiao Ya was different.

This woman was meticulous, extremely observant, and had a background in intelligence.

If Wan Ze picked up and touched every single antique for a few seconds, then wanted none of them afterward, she might let it slide once or twice. But doing it three or five times would definitely arouse suspicion.

Things Zhao Henian wouldn’t think twice about, Xiao Ya definitely would.

So Wan Ze needed to find a reason, a plausible way to get his hands on these antiques.

It couldn’t be just “taking a casual look.” He needed an excuse that Xiao Ya would find reasonable.

For example, that he was looking for a specific type of item and needed to handle them to verify their authenticity.

Or that he was searching for a specific lost item on someone’s behalf.

Wan Ze quickly ran through these possibilities in his mind but didn’t rush to a conclusion.

‘This isn’t the time to make a decision.’

Seeing Wan Ze remain silent, Xiao Ya waited for about five seconds.

During this time, she just sat there quietly, her gaze on Wan Ze’s profile. Only when he seemed to have finished his thoughts did she speak. “I have two proposals for you to consider.”

Wan Ze looked over. “Go on.”

“First, I’ll designate a secure location where new items will be stored first, and you can take your pick. I’ll give you a monthly credit of one million, on me,” Xiao Ya said.

One million was no small sum.

But she felt it was worth it. At least for now, she felt no hesitation or pinch of regret.

Wan Ze watched Xiao Ya, his gaze impassive. In that moment, he felt there was a good reason this woman stood on a higher perch than Zhao Henian.

Xiao Ya continued, “Second proposal: I can establish a new company. If you want to keep a low profile, you can find someone to hold the shares as a proxy. You can take over these projects under the guise of an antique exhibition.”