Chapter 102: Sister-in-Law’s Hush Money

"Come to my room!!"

The message contained only that one simple sentence. Devoid of anything but punctuation, it was as cold as a command.

Yang Xun stared at the screen, his brows knitting slightly.

’Xu Qian wants me to go to her room? What for?’

’Logically, considering how much Xu Qian hates my guts right now, she should want to stay as far away from me as possible. Why would she ask me to her room?’

’She hasn’t hidden another fruit knife, has she? Waiting to stab me?’

Yang Xun hesitated for a moment before finally sitting up in bed. He patted the wrinkles from his clothes, pushed the door open, and walked out.

Xu Qian’s room was at the end of the hall on the right. The door was ajar, leaving a narrow gap.

Yang Xun pushed the door open and stepped inside. This was the first time he had ever set foot in Xu Qian’s bedroom.

The room was a bit smaller than Meng Qiaofei’s master bedroom, but the decor was exceptionally exquisite and tasteful.

The walls were painted in a gradient of pale pink and cream. A five-foot princess bed stood by the window, a string of warm yellow fairy lights hanging above the headboard. The bed was made with a neatly folded, light-gray velvet comforter.

To the left of the bed was a white vanity covered with bottles and jars of skincare products and cosmetics.

A wardrobe stood against the wall to the right. Through the frosted glass doors, he could vaguely make out the colorful dresses hanging inside.

In the corner was a small, off-white sofa with a floor lamp standing next to it. A few plush throw pillows rested on the sofa.

A faint, sweet but not cloying fragrance filled the room, stirring the senses.

Xu Qian was sitting on that small sofa, her legs crossed. Her peach-blossom eyes stared coldly at Yang Xun as he entered, her face expressionless, her lips pressed into a thin, tight line.

If looks could kill, Yang Xun would have already died a death by a thousand cuts several times over.

However, Yang Xun showed not a hint of nervousness or fear. Instead, he strolled casually into the room, his gaze sweeping around before he plopped down on Xu Qian’s princess bed with its velvet comforter.

He even reached out to feel the fabric of the comforter, a look of enjoyment on his face. "Whoa, velvet. Feels nice."

Xu Qian’s brow furrowed sharply, but she fought back the urge to explode. She took a deep breath and said coldly, "I really want to call the police on you, you bastard!"

Hearing this, Yang Xun calmly looked up. He leaned back, propping himself up on his hands. "If you really wanted to call the police, you would’ve done it already," he said lightly. "Why wait until now?"

He tilted his head, his gaze landing on Xu Qian’s frosty, beautiful face. Then, he continued unhurriedly, "Mmm... your bed smells amazing. If I could do it with you again on this bed, it would definitely be incredible..."

"You!!!"

Xu Qian instantly exploded, as if someone had lit her fuse.

She snatched a plush pillow from the sofa and hurled it at Yang Xun. The pillow sailed through the air in an arc, making a whooshing sound.

Yang Xun raised a hand and caught the pillow effortlessly. "Just a joke," he said with a grin. "Don’t be so mad."

With that, he tossed the pillow aside, the grin fading from his face. "So," he said, his tone serious, "why did you really ask me to come here?"

Xu Qian glared daggers at Yang Xun, her chest heaving violently as she fought to swallow the rage threatening to erupt.

After several seconds of silence, she finally spoke, her voice low as she enunciated every word. "I called you here to tell you one thing... What happened between us, you cannot tell anyone. Not a single word."

The moment he heard her words, it all became crystal clear to Yang Xun. He understood everything instantly.

’It seems Xu Qian is even more desperate to keep this under wraps than I am.’

’It made sense, when you thought about it.’

’After all, I’m just a poor, low-status, live-in son-in-law. To everyone in the Xu Family, I’m just a useless piece of trash, a walking joke who can’t be shown in public.’

’I’m used to being humiliated. One more time won’t make a difference.’

’But Xu Qian is different.’

’She’s the second daughter of the Xu Group, a top student from a prestigious university. The line of men pursuing her could probably stretch from Zhonghai City to the next county.’

’To the outside world, she’s a glamorous, untouchable heiress.’

’But if anyone found out that she secretly ran a risqué livestream, striking seductive poses in all sorts of costumes... and that she’d even had her virginity taken by her own brother-in-law in front of hundreds of viewers...’

’Her life would be over.’

’Forget her reputation, she’d lose the right to even be considered a person.’

Thinking this, a glint appeared in Yang Xun’s eyes, and a knowing smile slowly spread across his face. "Sure, I can keep my mouth shut... But if you want to stay quiet, you’ll have to show me a little sincerity, won’t you?"

"You..."

Xu Qian shuddered, her peach-blossom eyes flying wide. Her fists clenched so tightly her knuckles cracked.

But ultimately, she restrained herself.

After a few seconds of silence, she asked through gritted teeth, "Fine. Tell me, what do you want?"

Yang Xun’s gaze roamed over Xu Qian’s curvaceous figure. He asked with an expectant look, "You must have raked in a lot in gifts from that livestream the other night, right? I seem to recall the backend showing... eight hundred and seventy thousand?"

"After the platform’s cut and taxes, I took home five hundred and ten thousand," Xu Qian said coldly.

Yang Xun nodded. "How about this... I won’t be unreasonable. Give me two hundred thousand, and I’ll take this secret to my grave. Besides," he added, "let’s be fair. The only reason your stream blew up that night was because of my ’performance.’ That two hundred thousand is my rightful share anyway."

Xu Qian glared at him, the corner of her mouth twitching.

She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t think of a single reason to.

Because Yang Xun was right. The income that night had skyrocketed to eight hundred and seventy thousand, and it was undeniably thanks to his wild performance where the "act" became all too real.

"Fine. Two hundred thousand, no problem."

Gritting her teeth, Xu Qian pulled out her phone. With an expressionless face, she tapped the screen a few times, and the two hundred thousand was transferred.

"DING!"

The transfer notification chimed. Yang Xun glanced down at the string of digits on his screen, his eyes curving into smiling crescents. He couldn’t have been more pleased.

"A pleasure doing business with you, Miss Xu."

He stood up, gave Xu Qian a slight nod, and then strode out of the room. His footsteps were light, and his departing figure radiated an unconcealable smugness.

Back in his own room, Yang Xun shut the door behind him, the smile on his face growing ever wider.

Today’s haul was a pleasant surprise.

Combined with the nine hundred thousand from selling the gold bar and other miscellaneous income he’d saved up, his total savings had now surpassed one million two hundred thousand!

’It was still a long way from a hundred million, but every little bit helped. It was better than making no progress at all.’

Yang Xun sat cross-legged on his bed and closed his eyes. He activated the Yin Yang Dragon and Phoenix Technique, slowly circulating the True Qi within his body as he entered a state of cultivation.

...

Before he knew it, the sky outside had darkened. The last rays of the setting sun faded from the gaps in the curtains, replaced by the warm glow of twilight.

The aroma of cooking food wafted like an invisible hand, slipping under the closed door and into Yang Xun’s nose.

He slowly opened his eyes, emerging from his meditation, and took a deep, appreciative sniff of the tempting aroma.

He got up and left his room, finding Meng Qiaofei and Xu Yue busy in the kitchen.

Meng Qiaofei, wearing an apron, was stir-frying some shrimp with a spatula, a faint smile on her face.

Beside her, Xu Yue quietly chopped vegetables with deft, efficient movements. The two occasionally exchanged a few quiet words, creating a warm and peaceful scene.

Meanwhile, Xu Qian was sitting by herself on the living room sofa, watching TV. Her legs were curled casually beside her, a pair of long, slender, fair legs extending from beneath her beige lounge shorts. They seemed to glow under the warm yellow light, almost dazzlingly white.

She wore a loose camisole, her long black hair draped casually over her shoulders, the very picture of boredom.

A slight smile touched Yang Xun’s lips. He walked over silently and sat down beside Xu Qian.

His gaze was involuntarily drawn to Xu Qian’s exposed legs. They were long and straight, her skin as smooth as polished jade, glowing with a soft luster under the lamplight...

GULP!!

Yang Xun swallowed hard.

The next second, his right hand snaked out and rested on Xu Qian’s smooth, delicate thigh...