Chapter 112: The Highly Intelligent Robot!

Money—I desire it. Beautiful women—I desire them as well. Yet, when placing these two against the safety of one’s life on the same scale, Qin Luo’s heart naturally tipped toward the latter.

Safety comes first!

Hearing Qin Luo’s refusal, Wenren Muyue did not grow angry. She extended her slender, flawless, alabaster hand to lift the lemon water before her, sipping delicately. Looking up, she said, “I have laid out my terms. Now it’s your turn to state your conditions. Whatever you dare to ask for, I dare to give.”

Every gesture she made was near perfection, every movement a pleasure to behold.

To be honest, if this woman were not so intelligent, so wealthy, so domineering, so proud, she would be utterly captivating.

But can there ever be an “if” in love?

Qin Luo smiled warmly at her and said, “What if I said I want you?”

“As long as you can make me fall in love with you. The love between man and woman is but human nature,” Wenren Muyue replied calmly.

Qin Luo was momentarily taken aback. He had not expected such a brilliant answer from this woman.

And yet, she spoke openly about such matters as conditions—without any embarrassment.

“I’m not confident I can make you fall for me,” Qin Luo said with a wry smile.

“Why not give it a try? From what I know, you are not a man lacking confidence.”

There was one thing she did not say—that this man’s arrogance was sometimes hard to bear.

“Try? Do you think this is shopping in a market where you can test a sample? I have too many things to do and no time for such trials,” Qin Luo replied.

“That’s why you can propose your own conditions. The things you need to accomplish can be included among those terms,” Wenren Muyue stood from her chair and sat down beside Qin Luo on the sofa.

Full-figured and graceful, a subtle fragrance enveloping her.

Qin Luo inhaled deeply, unable to deny his fondness for that scent.

He looked at Wenren Muyue’s face so near, appreciating her beauty at such close quarters. The intense visual impact made him dizzy.

She neither wept nor smiled nor frowned, yet she exuded a thousand shades of charm.

It felt as if she simply was this way—this was her beauty.

Qin Luo shook his head with a smile. “You still don’t understand.”

“What do you mean? Last time, you pretended not to know me, and I was understanding enough to play along. This time, since you’re willing to reveal my identity, it proves you want us to speak openly,” Wenren Muyue said, picking an apple from the fruit plate and twirling it gently in her hand.

“Do you like apples?” Qin Luo asked, watching her.

“They’re alright,” Wenren Muyue nodded. Apples were her favorite fruit—crisp, rich in vitamin C, an essential natural beauty aid for women.

Qin Luo took the fruit from her hand, picked up the fruit knife from the plate’s edge, and skillfully peeled it.

“You don’t understand love,” Qin Luo said. “If I loved you, no matter if there were mountains of blades, seas of fire, or even hell itself ahead, I would hold your hand and face it with you. When love exists, nothing is a problem. Why talk about bargains then?”

“But I don’t love you yet. Or rather, I haven’t fallen for you. So now I start considering practicalities. I think about my safety. I see the opposition is too strong. I find all this tedious. With so many external constraints, naturally, I choose to give up. To forgo such a transaction.”

Qin Luo was an expert at peeling apples. As the gleaming blade in his hand moved gently, his long, strong fingers turned the fruit, producing a continuous strip of peel like a string of petals resting in his palm.

This novice who had never experienced love was lecturing another even more inexperienced soul about it.

“Don’t you consider your career? You should know that if I were willing to help you, you’d achieve your goals sooner,” Wenren Muyue tempted.

“If someone is willing to work with me, I would welcome that. But if love is used as a bargaining chip, I feel it desecrates both my love and my career in traditional Chinese medicine. I am not in a rush. I have enough time. If I accomplish meaningful things through my own efforts, my life will be filled with purpose,” Qin Luo smiled.

To his surprise, Wenren Muyue nodded in agreement. She had always been reluctant to interfere in Qin Luo’s career because she did not want to rob him of his hard-fought dreams.

Perhaps it was selfish, and the global promotion of traditional Chinese medicine might be delayed by a few years—but please forgive a woman’s selfishness.

“Then, as a woman, do I hold no attraction for you at all?” Wenren Muyue asked seriously.

No evasive gaze, no shy expression, only a hint of curiosity.

Such a proud woman spoke whatever was on her mind. There was no need to conceal or deny.

It was like asking, “Do you think this dress suits me?”—a question without much emotional weight.

Perhaps a little, but so slight as to be insignificant.

Qin Luo studied her seriously, shook his head, and said, “To be honest, I want to confess that you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.”

“In that case, your choice is surprising,” Wenren Muyue chuckled softly.

“I have many girls around me. They may not be as beautiful as you, but they live and breathe beside me. They have flesh and blood, personalities and tempers.”

“I can touch them. Or rather, I can interact with them naturally. You’re different. Your greatest flaw is—you are too perfect. Yes, too perfect.”

“Flawless looks, inexhaustible wealth, and your wisdom—truthfully, I’m a little afraid of you. Every time we meet, I feel as if I am being scrutinized. In your presence, I have no defense.”

Qin Luo handed the peeled apple to Wenren Muyue, then wiped the fruit residue from the blade with a napkin, smiling.

“I think, even if I hadn’t broken off the engagement, even if we married under the arrangements of those old men, I would not feel happiness. Because holding you would feel like embracing a high-intelligence humanoid computer. Do you understand that feeling?”

“Is that why, even after seeing my photo in the living room, you insisted on breaking the engagement?” Wenren Muyue smiled knowingly.

Qin Luo was startled. “You even guessed that?”

“Otherwise, how would you know my identity? The photo hangs in the living room. Where else would you have looked?”

Qin Luo sighed. “That’s why I don’t dare to like you. You’re too formidable.”

“I don’t want to either,” Wenren Muyue sighed softly. “But I have no other choice.”

Since childhood, she had endured the disdain and harsh words of uncles and elders. Even then, she resolved to become smart and strong enough so no one could bully her.

Her father indulged in art; her brother was a misfit in the world. She could not rely on anyone’s protection—only on growing stronger and stronger herself.

When you stand high above, the world bows to you.

But when you err, a flood of attacks, both overt and covert, crashes upon you, suffocating you.

She longed for a pause, a rest from it all.

But she could not.

In a family like theirs, one could only run—day and night, without ceasing.

Only by running forward could she avoid being pulled down from that high place and shattered to pieces.

“So, we cannot make this deal,” Qin Luo said with a smile. “Good luck to you.”

As Qin Luo opened the door, just as before, Mayue stood dutifully by the entrance, ready to respond at once to any command.

Qin Luo smiled at her. Mayue nodded expressionlessly, then opened the private room door and entered.

“Miss, did he agree?” Mayue asked. She knew of her mistress’s plan. As Wenren Muyue’s chief strategist, whether in business or personal matters, she gathered ample information for her mistress and offered her advice.

“He refused,” Wenren Muyue examined the apple in her hand as if it were a work of art.

“She refused?!” Mayue was shocked. Was this man truly out of his mind?

Even if Miss were penniless, her beauty alone could captivate any man on earth.

Moreover, Miss carried so many additional qualities. She constantly pondered who in this world could possibly be worthy of her.

After much thought, perhaps only Qin Zongheng could barely fit the role.

Yet, Miss was indifferent to him, and to reject him, she had to find another man to pose as his stand-in fiancé—how strange the world is.

“Why wouldn’t he refuse?” Wenren Muyue countered. “He was able to break off the engagement. What’s one more refusal?”

“Hasn’t Miss discussed the deal with him? Our terms are tempting enough,” Mayue said.

“What is he lacking? Money? He can earn that on his own. Women? Lin Wanxi? Wang Jiujiu? Li Qingcheng? And that Taiwanese model—”

At this, Wenren Muyue’s mood suddenly darkened. “Compared to them, I lack charm. A high-intelligence robot. Mayue, what do you think of that description?”

Mayue was taken aback, then immediately understood it was Qin Luo’s characterization of her mistress.

Her expression turned cold as she turned to find Qin Luo and confront him.

“Mayue, forget it,” Wenren Muyue called out. “I think his metaphor is apt.”

“Miss, that’s because he hasn’t gotten close to you,” Mayue comforted.

“Even if he did, would his impression change? I’m still a robot—no tears, no smiles, no anger, no coquettishness—not even warmth.”

Seeing her mistress’s sour mood, Mayue quickly asked, “Miss, then how shall we deal with Qin Zongheng?”

“There’s always a way,” Wenren Muyue said, regaining her composed demeanor.

After a moment’s thought, she couldn’t help but raise the translucent apple flesh in her hand to Mayue and say, “He gave this to me. Not bad at peeling apples, right?”

She bit gently, the sweet juice filling her heart.

Mayue stood dumbfounded. When had Miss ever been willing to eat an apple peeled by a man?

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