553: Chapter 548 Purely Self-Interested Relationships

He Wanqing's voice carried a trace of imperceptible trembling.

She didn't understand.

Why would this man say such things?

They had only met by chance; by what right did he think he could interfere in her affairs?

Shen Yan's gaze retracted from the brilliant lights outside the window and fell upon her face.

That gaze was very calm, as if he were looking at an inanimate object.

"Literally."

He spoke indifferently.

"I will help you get revenge and help you take back 'Victoria Jewelry'."

He Wanqing's heart skipped a beat, followed by deeper vigilance and doubt.

"Why?"

She clenched her fists, her nails digging deep into her palms.

"There is no such thing as a free lunch in this world; I understand that much."

"Mr. Shen, what do you want?"

The corners of Shen Yan's mouth curled into a very slight arc.

He liked talking to smart people.

"I am not helping you."

"I am doing business."

He Wanqing was stunned.

Business?

"The 'Victoria Jewelry' brand, though currently notorious, has history, heritage, and those designs your grandfather left behind."

"These things have value."

Shen Yan leaned back against the soft leather seat, his posture relaxed, yet his words were like a sharp scalpel dissecting the most cruel reality.

"Of course, it also currently has a pile of debt and a reputation that is rotten to the core."

"Most importantly, it has two powerful enemies."

"Dongsheng Group and Shark Lin."

"On your own, Miss He, what do you think your chances of winning are?"

He Wanqing's lips moved, but she couldn't say a single word.

Chances of winning?

She didn't even dare to think about it.

The opposing side consisted of two great mountains that left her breathless, while she was merely an ant that could be crushed at any moment.

"Therefore, you need a partner."

Shen Yan continued, his tone devoid of any emotion.

"A partner who is richer than them and even less concerned with the rules than they are."

He looked at her as if looking at a piece on his chessboard.

"And I happen to be that person."

The air inside the car seemed to freeze.

He Wanqing felt as if even her breathing had become difficult.

Every word from this man carried an irresistible sense of oppression.

There was no comfort, no sympathy—only naked transactions and equal exchange.

"What are... your conditions?"

She spoke with difficulty.

"It's very simple."

Shen Yan held up two fingers.

"First, I will provide the capital to establish a new company to take over all the valuable assets of 'Victoria Jewelry' and dispose of all its debts."

"In this new company, I will hold an eighty percent stake."

He Wanqing's pupils suddenly constricted.

Eighty percent!

That was practically taking everything from the He Family.

"You," Shen Yan's gaze did not waver in the slightest, "will hold the remaining twenty percent."

"At the same time, you will serve as the CEO and Chief Designer of the new company."

"To the public, you are still the mistress of Victoria and the heir to the He Family."

"Internally, you work for me."

"That is my first condition."

He Wanqing's face instantly turned pale.

This was... inviting a wolf into the house.

No, this wolf didn't even bother to disguise himself; he told her directly that he wanted to swallow the entire sheep, leaving her with only the sheepskin.

"And the second condition?"

Her voice was dry.

"The second condition," Shen Yan paused, "I want you, all the knowledge about jewelry design in your head, and all the manuscripts your grandfather left behind."

"From now on, you and everything about you must serve this new company."

"Without my permission, you cannot design works for anyone else."

A deathly silence filled the car.

He Wanqing's heart sank bit by bit.

She thought she had already lost everything, but she hadn't expected this man to take even her last bit of dignity and freedom.

"How... how is this any different from Wu Dong and the others?"

She blurted out, her tone filled with desperate indignation.

Upon hearing this, Shen Yan suddenly laughed.

"The difference?"

"The difference is that Wu Dong wants you dead, wants your family ruined, and wants you never to rise again."

"Whereas I am giving you a chance to personally trample all those who once humiliated and harmed you under your feet."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it was like a heavy hammer smashing ruthlessly against He Wanqing's heart.

"Revenge, or sink to the bottom of the sea holding onto your grandfather's rotten signboard."

"Miss He, choose for yourself."

His cold words left no room for maneuver.

Wu Ya, who was driving, looked straight ahead as if she hadn't heard a thing.

But her hands on the steering wheel tightened slightly.

She knew that Shen Yan's patience was limited.

He Wanqing's body was trembling slightly.

In her mind, images flashed of her grandfather lying on a hospital bed, covered in tubes.

Of Lu Ming's hypocritical face.

Of Wu Dong's smug, petty expression at the auction.

Of the malicious gazes from Shark Lin's subordinates.

Hatred, like poisonous vines, instantly entwined around her heart.

Why?

Why should the betrayers be high and mighty while the victim falls into the abyss?

No, this was different.

A voice was screaming in He Wanqing's mind.

Wu Dong and Lu Ming wanted to trample her along with the 'Victoria' brand into the filthiest mud, ensuring she could never rise again.

But this man before her, Shen Yan—though he asked for much, he gave her one thing.

Something she had dreamed of obtaining.

The hilt of the blade of revenge.

She could grasp this blade and personally plunge it into her enemies' hearts.

The price was her freedom and the last remaining glory of the He Family.

Was it worth it?

He Wanqing didn't know.

She only knew that if she didn't agree, she wouldn't even have the right to choose.

She would continue to be like a street rat in the massive city of Hong Kong City, chased into hiding by Shark Lin and Wu Dong's people until she was caught and completely destroyed.

And her grandfather might die in his hospital bed amidst endless humiliation and resentment.

No.

She would never allow it.

Hatred, like the strongest liquor, scorched her reason but also gave her unprecedented courage.

Rather than sinking with a decaying tombstone, it was better to be a vicious wolf in sheep's clothing—even if this wolf needed to submit to another, more powerful beast.

Half a day later.

Inside a presidential suite at the Peninsula Hotel in Hong Kong City.

Shen Yan hung up the phone.

The call was from He Wanqing; her voice had been calm, yet it revealed a determination to burn her bridges.

"Mr. Shen, I agree to your conditions."

"Very well."

Shen Yan's reply was equally concise.

"Tomorrow morning at ten o'clock, in the hotel lobby lounge, we will sign the contract."

"Fine."

The call ended.

There were no extra pleasantries, no hypocritical formalities.

From the moment He Wanqing said "I agree," nothing remained between them but a relationship of pure interest.