CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56; BUYING FREEDOM 3

"Tsk... So stingy... What a petty human," she muttered, clearly annoyed. Her jade eye narrowed with displeasure. It was just a touch. Why react so defensively?

"Hello," the man spoke up, his voice smooth and controlled as he lowered his hand. "I’m Sixth Master Lu. I want to talk to you."

He extended his hand for a formal greeting, but the girl in front of him completely ignored the gesture. Instead, she recklessly hopped up onto the coffee table, sitting cross-legged on its surface, and proceeded to study him from head to toe with open curiosity.

He was forced to withdraw his hand.,.

He looked too refined for an ordinary human. His features carried a sharpness that spoke of mixed heritage, perhaps some distant bloodline that gave him that unusual coloring. Even his eyes were remarkable, a shade of electric blue that seemed to glow with their own light. Alluring. Almost hypnotic.

But he was still human. She could tell.

"I’m not interested," she said flatly, then tilted her head with a mischievous smile. "Perhaps if you let me touch it... What do you think?"

As she spoke, her jade eyes began to work, peering past the surface, reading the memories that flickered through his consciousness. Despite the grief and sadness etched into every line of his face, she could see deeper, into his mind, into his heart.

All she saw there was a young girl. Silver-haired like him. Lying motionless on a hospital bed, surrounded by machines. The image repeated over and over in his thoughts, an obsession born of desperation.

So that was it. He’d come because of that girl. Because Shuyin had appeared completely healed today after being brutally injured just days ago.

Word traveled fast, apparently.

From his expensive tailored suit, the way he carried himself with unconscious authority, the subtle confidence in every movement, she could tell he was powerful... Wealthy.... Influential.... And for him to gain access to the prison at this hour, to arrange a private meeting with an inmate past midnight, he definitely wielded enormous power.

Her gaze swept the room casually, and she caught the telltale signs, shadows that moved slightly out of sync with the dim lighting. Hidden guards. At least four, maybe more.

For someone to have that level of security, he was capable of anything.

"I just have one request," Lu Yuze said, and there was something raw in his voice now, the control slipping just slightly. "And you can name any price. Anything."

He was desperate. That much was obvious. And desperate people were dangerous, but also useful at the same time.

"Why not let me do what I want to do first?" Shuyin hummed softly, a playful lilt in her voice. "Then we can talk about what you want. Mnnnh?"

Lu Yuze looked into her eyes, which were glowing jade eyes with their vertical reptilian pupil. What he saw there made something cold settle in his chest.

Nothing but emptiness. A void where human warmth should exist.

How could a person have such charm in their appearance while their eyes projected such complete detachment? Such coldness?

"All right," he said finally. He had no other options. For his daughter, he would sacrifice anything and everything.

Shuyin smiled, a strange, inhuman expression, and elegantly climbed off the coffee table. Then, without warning or hesitation, she settled herself onto his lap, crossing her legs gracefully as if she belonged there.

Lu Yuze didn’t react. Didn’t push her away or show surprise. He simply remained still, allowing her to do whatever she had wanted. He’d given his word.

Though he hadn’t expected this. He’d seen her images in the tabloids a few days ago when the scandal broke, the disgraced heiress arrested for murder. She’d looked frightened then, broken.

This woman was neither frightened nor broken.

"You look really... edible," she murmured, running her fingers through his silver hair with obvious pleasure. It was smooth and silky, just as she’d imagined like touching moonlight.

Lu Yuze remained silent, giving her the freedom he’d promised. She could do whatever she wanted, so long as they eventually reached the conversation he needed to have.

She shifted on his lap, moving closer, and took his chin in her small hand, feeling the sharp angle of his jawline. Her fingers traced the line of his face with clinical interest, as if studying an interesting specimen.

Then she closed her eyes for just a second.

When they snapped open again, those jade eyes were blazing brighter, she abruptly moved away, standing several steps back from him.

"Fickle human creatures," she spoke up, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop. The hatred in her voice was palpable, mixed with a coldness that made even the hidden guards shift uncomfortably in their concealed positions.

Lu Yuze felt it too, a creeping sensation along his spine that had nothing to do with the room’s temperature. This was the first time in years he’d encountered someone he couldn’t read, couldn’t predict, couldn’t control through negotiation or intimidation.

Her actions screamed seduction, but her words and eyes told a completely different story. One of disgust and of contempt.

He stood slowly and crossed the distance between them, extending his arms to wrap around her waist. He pulled her against him, her back to his chest.

"I can offer my body if you think it would be worth it," he whispered, his breath warm against her ear. He was testing her, trying to gauge her true feelings, trying to find the leverage he needed.

She gently but firmly nudged him away, then moved to sit on the coffee table again, her posture lazy and uninterested. "Say what you want from me," she said, her voice cold and completely detached.

Lu Yuze took a deep breath, steadying himself. "I heard you were seriously injured in a ring fight a few days ago. Broken ribs. Shattered hand. Multiple internal injuries. But you look completely fine standing here now. Can you recommend the doctor or the medicine you used?"