The familiar melody—tinged with a faint sorrow and boundless nostalgia, as if imbued with some time-defying magic—echoed gently, over and over, in Jiang Wanxing's mind. Her thoughts were already a chaos of shock, shame, anger, despair…and an inexplicable flutter.
Each lyric, every note, struck her soul like a glowing, poisoned silver needle, piercing the soft, fragile corner she had buried and forgotten for twenty years.
Pain—deep to the bone!
Yet oddly, it carried a thread of warmth, as if a faint dawn had suddenly broken in endless darkness, bringing with it a strange comfort.
Through blurred, tear-clouded eyes, she gazed at Lu Chen's face—so pale from invoking his "Heart-Hunter Score," yet alight with the triumph of control. She searched that young face, greedily if you will, seeking even the slightest crack, the slightest deception.
But all she saw was a pure sincerity that felt utterly alien and yet unaccountably reassuring.
This obscure, almost shabby young man was nothing like the despicable, lust-driven Wang Hai, nor like the sycophantic "elites" and "rising talents" who flattered her with false devotion. He seemed more like someone who truly understood her pride and loneliness, her strength and vulnerability, her light and darkness—a soulmate. A soulmate twenty years too late.
That thought took root like a seed dropped into the driest desert. In her heart—long numbed by hatred and solitude—it sprouted, grew, and flourished before she could even grasp what was happening.
Her body—so tense with shame and resistance—began to relax in his arms, a touch at once gentle and filled with an undeniable power. Instinctively, she buried her tear-stung cheek against his chest. It was not broad, yet at that moment it offered the most profound safety and warmth she had known.
She inhaled his youthful scent—sunlight and sweat—and felt a rush of shame and longing, as if an old addiction had resurfaced, demanding more.
Lu Chen felt her body soften, melt, succumb. His sharpened senses even caught her broken, uneven moans—like a wounded kitten's cries—slipping from her jasmine-and-red-wine scented lips.
A dark, merciful smile curved his mouth. He knew he had ensnared this "peerless siren" in the irresistible web of his "Heart-Hunter Score." Now, like a master tamer, he would dismantle every defense she had built.
"President Jiang, I know this song holds profound meaning for you." His words, softer now, brimmed with an irresistible power. His hand, once merely resting at her waist, now moved as if on its own, stroking her with tender sympathy.
Beneath the finest silk, he felt her tremble—burning with emotion. She shuddered at his subtle touch, as though scorched by a flame, a rush of shame and desperate craving washing over her.
She wanted to scream, to fight back, to tear this audacious young man apart—but she had no strength. Even her heart, long frozen, now pounded with urgent need.
"It's more than a song—it's your buried memory of youth, of dreams, of a mentor worthy of your lifelong honor, isn't it?" His voice, a feather's caress and an ice pick's edge, echoed in her blank mind.
"Teacher Gu Ying… she must be so proud of you."
His words shattered her final defenses. A torrent of grief, anger, guilt, and that forbidden dependence surged from her lips in a single, uncontrollable cry. Tears fell for her mentor Gu Ying, for the bright-eyed girl she once was, for twenty years of lost youth and dignity.
Lu Chen held her close, a quiet sanctuary amid her storm. He understood that she was like a drowning woman, exhausted and on the brink. What she needed wasn't hollow sympathy but a strong hand to pull her to safety—and he was that hand.
After long silence, her sobs long subsided, he spoke softly at her ear:
"Ms. Jiang, some wounds leave scars for life. But avoiding them solves nothing. Only by facing them—and using their power—can we force those who hurt us to pay, and find our true freedom and rebirth."
Her body trembled. She lifted tear-stained eyes to his—eyes that looked deep and warm, offering solace and strength.
"Can you… really help me?" Her voice, hoarse yet tender, carried the innocence of someone utterly vulnerable.
Lu Chen smiled with unwavering confidence. He wiped the last tear from her cheek and spoke with gentle authority:
"From the moment I entered this office, my destiny has been tied to yours and to the future of Wanxing International. Your enemies are mine. Your regrets are mine. Your desires are mine.
"If you trust me, give me a chance, I will do everything in my power to reclaim justice delayed by twenty years—for you and for myself. And I will make those who underestimated or harmed you pay a price they'll never forget."
His words, soft yet like a blade of light and flame, pierced her frozen heart. For the first time, hope and vengeance blazed in her eyes. She felt a trust and dependence on this unassuming young man she could not explain—believing he could solve all.
"All right… all right…" she whispered, her voice trembling but unbreakable.
In those two simple words, the proud "Scorpion Queen" finally lowered her guard and offered her wounded, still-enticing queenly heart to him. And Lu Chen, feeling his soul ignite with the thrill of control, knew that his "S-tier top prey" was now completely within his grasp.