Jiang Shuyi's brows furrowed into a knot, her beautiful almond eyes bloodshot, staring intently at Lu Xuan as if she wanted to devour him whole.
"Can't afford it? Lu Xuan, what nonsense are you talking about!" Her voice was hoarse, with a hint of disbelieving sharpness. "What is it that I, Jiang Shuyi, can't afford? As long as you don't say those... those things, just name your price!"
She thought Lu Xuan would make an exorbitant demand, name an astronomical figure, or propose some embarrassing yet achievable condition.
However, Lu Xuan merely smiled faintly, a smile that, to her, was more terrifying than any ferocious expression.
His eyes held a nearly mocking scrutiny, as if he were appraising prey about to fall into a trap.
"Teacher," Lu Xuan's voice was not loud, yet every word was clear, carrying an unsettling calmness, "If I were to say I want the entire Jiang Family, could you give it to me?"
"Wh-what?" Jiang Shuyi's face instantly turned pale, as if a basin of ice water had been poured over her head, chilling her from head to toe.
She staggered, grabbing the nearby desk to steady herself.
The entire Jiang Family?
Had he gone mad?!
"You... what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Jiang Shuyi's voice rose due to extreme shock, with a slight crack. "The Jiang Family belongs to my father! Even if I... even if I could inherit it someday, that would be more than ten years from now! My father is in his prime, and his health is excellent! You... you're dreaming!"
She tried to find a hint of a joke on Lu Xuan's face, even a morbid jest.
But there was none; Lu Xuan's eyes were calm and unruffled, holding only a bottomless certainty.
"So, Teacher," Lu Xuan spread his hands, his tone as relaxed as if discussing the pleasant weather today, "You really can't afford this condition right now."
He took a step forward, his leisurely stroll carrying the oppressive weight of Mount Tai.
"So, you need to 'repay' it slowly." Lu Xuan's lips curved into a cold arc, like a sharp blade drawn in the dark night. "The first step is very simple: become my dog. An obedient, docile one, the kind that can wag its tail and beg for mercy at any time."
"You... you scoundrel!" Jiang Shuyi trembled with rage, her chest heaving violently. She had never suffered such humiliation in her life.
To be called a dog to her face!
Lu Xuan ignored her angry curses and continued unhurriedly, "The second step, naturally, is to exhaust all means to legitimately inherit the Jiang Family. I believe that with Teacher Jiang's cunning and methods, this shouldn't be difficult. After all, you even managed to make your three-year-old biological siblings disappear without a trace, didn't you?"
This remark was like a poisoned dagger, plunging deep into Jiang Shuyi's heart, rendering her speechless instantly, leaving only heavy gasps.
"As for the third step," Lu Xuan's smile grew brighter, yet also colder, "is to present the entire vast Jiang Family, completely and intact, with both hands, to me."
He tilted his head slightly, looking at the ashen-faced Jiang Shuyi, his tone carrying a hint of "considerate" inquiry: "Teacher, have you understood these three simple steps?"
"You're dreaming! I'd rather die than agree to you!"
Jiang Shuyi squeezed out these words through gritted teeth, her eyes filled with desperate madness.
"Oh? Really?" Lu Xuan raised an eyebrow, smiling indifferently. "Teacher, you should think carefully. If I become unhappy and slightly process those 'interesting' videos and materials—for example, by adding reports of how your adoptive parents desperately searched for their children back then—and then anonymously send them to major media outlets, or directly mail them to the leaders of Yanjing University... What do you think? Will you, this 'talented and beautiful' female teacher, be disgraced first, or will the 'poor upbringing and misfortune' of Ice City's richest family, the Jiang Family, resonate louder?"
"At that time, whether the Jiang Family can maintain its status as Ice City's top family will be hard to say. What do you think your father, who values his reputation as much as his life, will do to you?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer, striking Jiang Shuyi's heart.
What she feared was never what would happen to herself, but that the Jiang Family would be shamed because of her, that her adoptive parents' lifelong efforts would be ruined!
The Jiang Family was her everything, the only thing she had striven to grasp since childhood!
"No... don't..." Jiang Shuyi's body trembled uncontrollably, her lips quivering, unable to utter a complete sentence.
Lu Xuan slowly walked up to her, extended his hand, and firmly pinched her smooth, delicate chin, forcing her to look up and meet his gaze.
His fingers were slightly cool, yet they felt like a red-hot branding iron, stinging Jiang Shuyi's skin with waves of pain.
"Teacher, don't worry," Lu Xuan's voice deepened, carrying a hint of seduction, entering her ear, "Being my dog is actually very fortunate and very happy. Think about it, the Jiang Family will be mine in the future, and you are my dog, so in a sense, isn't the Jiang Family still yours?"
He leaned closer, his warm breath fanning her earlobe, giving her goosebumps.
"Rest assured, as long as you are obedient, the Jiang Family will always be your Jiang Family, and you will still be the high and mighty Miss Jiang, a glamorous university teacher. But if I expose those things... tsk tsk, not only will you yourself be torn apart by public opinion, but the Jiang Family's reputation will inevitably be ruined, its stock price will plummet, and it's hard to say if it can even maintain its foothold in Ice City."
Lu Xuan's fingers gently caressed her jaw, the pressure not heavy, yet carrying an irresistible implication.
"So, Teacher, you'd best... consider it carefully."
As he spoke, Lu Xuan's free hand, as if by accident, slowly slid down, gently resting on her thigh, which was clad in tight yoga pants, revealing its curves.
Beneath the cool touch of the fabric was the warmth and elasticity of her skin.
Jiang Shuyi stiffened, as if struck by an electric current!
She sharply gasped, wanting to scream, wanting to push him away, but her body was like it was nailed down, unable to move.
Humiliation, anger, fear... all kinds of emotions churned within her, almost tearing her apart.
She could feel the warmth of Lu Xuan's palm, and that subtle pressure, like a cold venomous snake, coiling around her, suffocating her.
In the end, all her struggles proved futile.
She tightly closed her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling violently from suppressed emotion, and two lines of clear tears silently slid from the corners of her eyes, disappearing into the hair at her temples.
Enough... enough...
For the sake of the Jiang Family, for everything she currently possessed, she could only choose to submit.
She could not lose, and even less could she let the Jiang Family lose disastrously because of her.
Lu Xuan looked at Jiang Shuyi's resigned expression, a satisfied curve forming on his lips.
Half an hour later...
"Ding! Detected a drastic change in the psychological state of target Jiang Shuyi. Due to her extreme desire for the Jiang Family and strong will to protect herself, Jiang Shuyi has chosen to temporarily align with the host, planning for the future!"
"Current Control Value: 99/100 (Note: Due to her ambition for future control over the Jiang Family and her doubts about the host's true intentions, Jiang Shuyi cannot achieve 100% loyalty and trust, retaining a slight possibility of backlash.)"
"Congratulations, Host! You have achieved near-perfect control over target Jiang Shuyi!"
Lu Xuan heard the system's prompt in his mind, and a playful glint flashed in his eyes.
99 points? Interesting. It seems this Teacher Jiang is still unwilling deep down.
However, precisely because of this, this chess piece will be even more interesting to use.
He leaned down, approaching Jiang Shuyi's ear, and chuckled in a voice only they could hear: "Teacher, remember your choice today. From now on, be a good... obedient dog."
Jiang Shuyi's body trembled violently, her nails digging deep into her palms.
Lu Xuan straightened up, no longer looking at her, and turned to leisurely walk out of the lounge, as if everything that had just happened was merely an insignificant game.
But for Jiang Shuyi, hell had just begun.