BDB Chapter 54

Both the Buddhist monk and the Taoist priest became silent.

After a long pause, the Taoist priest finally spoke, “There is only one solution: make her lose the memories of the dreams about your past lives together. In your past life, your behavior and character were indeed… domineering. As long as those memories remain, she will always have a nagging feeling that you are not her ideal partner, and that you might reveal a violent side at any moment.”

Li Jueyan chuckled softly.

To hell with being domineering; why not just say he was a bad person?

He wasn’t exactly a good person in this life either, but at least he was far better than in his past life. He could never use violence to coerce someone into being with him, nor could he confine someone with the intent of keeping them bound to his side.

He didn’t want to hurt her, and he didn’t want her to look at him with the same despairing eyes as in those nightmares.

So, after considering, he said, “No.”

He then turned to the Buddhist monk, “What about your method?”

The Buddhist monk continued to murmur “Amitabha.” “A flower can represent a world, a leaf can represent a Bodhi tree. How can we outsiders resolve your issues of love? It would be better to use sincere feelings to influence the other party. Remember, sincerity can work miracles, and intentions can bring understanding. The world is not unchanging, and fate can be controlled by yourself.”

Li Jueyan coldly curled his lips, “Do you guys even have any real skills? One wants to erase memories, and the other suggests I enlighten myself. Do you think an eight-figure reward is easy to earn? Or do you think I’m so easy to fool? Or maybe you think you can just play me and walk out of here unscathed?”

But his threats proved ineffective.

The two masters simply looked at him calmly. Although their faces showed some discomfort, they maintained their straight posture.

“President Li, it’s not that we think you’re easy to fool. It’s just that the solution I mentioned is the best our Taoist sect can come up with. Things like love charms could solve your problem, but they come with great risks. If mishandled, they could lead to severe consequences that I cannot bear.”

“Benefactor, if you were an ordinary person facing such a situation, how would the heads of various temples solve it?—Kneeling on mats, burning incense, and praying to Buddha! It’s not that I’m trying to deceive you; it’s just that our Buddhist sect doesn’t have extensive research on this matter.”

Li Jueyan took a deep breath. “Get out!”

Though his tone was disrespectful, the two masters had no choice but to comply.

The power and influence of his entourage were overwhelming. Just the bodyguards at the door could drown them in spit, let alone the fact that the bodyguards were all armed with weapons ranging from M416s to 98ks. They wouldn’t dare to take another step forward, as they’d likely be turned into a sieve.

It was already a significant concession that they were allowed to leave.

However, an eight-figure reward was not so easily earned. As soon as they reached the building’s entrance and tried to part ways, they were stopped by the bodyguards trailing behind them. “President Li has arranged a five-star hotel for you two. Please stay there, Taoist priest, as you might be needed in the future; and you, Buddhist monk, please remain to pray for President Li’s romantic success and happiness, for at least six months.”

MMP!

…

Jiang Rao had no idea about everything happening in City A.

She had no idea that the male lead was secretly engaging in superstitious rituals to seek a romantic connection.

Even more so, she didn’t know that he had already thrown away two eight-figure sums for these superstitious rituals.

What she did know was that since the male lead had given her that bag of so-called blessed items, her luck seemed to have improved significantly.

The official stills for “Yanyan” were released the day before the Dragon Boat Festival.

Perhaps wanting to capitalize on the holiday to boost traffic, Director Feng made a big move and bought the top three spots on the trending list… for an hour.

The purchase of trending spots happened at 8 PM, the peak time for online traffic. At that time, Jiang Rao had just been dropped off in the city by the production team’s vehicle. The scenes of her character, Ruan Li, which were set in a rural background, had already been completed. For any additional shots, she only needed to find a somewhat wild area in the suburbs.

Unexpectedly, as soon as she entered the hotel arranged by the production team, her phone rang.

It was a call from Qiao Yan.

“Jiangjiang, did you know you’re trending? Did you know that the photos of us helping the businesses were also dug up? Oh my gosh, I’m so excited! Jiangjiang, you look great in that suit! There’s a bunch of people in the comments calling you ‘husband.’ I’m different, though. I know how soft and cute you are, hehe.”

Jiang Rao wanted to say that she was neither soft nor cute.

Unfortunately, the outer appearance covering her cold, hard heart was both pure and glamorous. Without makeup, her features were rather plain, and the characteristic of “purity” naturally took more prominence. Moreover, her voice and physique leaned towards the “soft” side, so she couldn’t really explain this and just hummed in response without further comment.

There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Jiangjiang, are you still upset that I called you on behalf of President Li?”

Jiang Rao stepped out of the elevator and inserted her key into her room. “No, I’m not mad. He’s the type of person who will get things done no matter what, whether through coercion, threats, or persistent nagging. So this isn’t your fault.”

“Jiangjiang, you don’t seem to have a good impression of President Li? But actually, I think he’s pretty nice.”

Jiang Rao chuckled lightly, “Didn’t you previously advise me to save up and buy a property, buy a nice car, and live the kind of life where I could collect rent, lease out a car, and keep a young hunk when I get old…”

Her words abruptly stopped as she suddenly saw a figure wrapped only in a bath towel emerging slowly from the frosted glass bathroom.

It was clearly a man.

The bright white light in the room cast the contours of his muscles clearly in her sight.

He curved his lips into a smile. “Collecting rent, leasing out a car, and keeping a… young hunk? Tsk, Jiang Rao, do you have such a big ambition?”

On the other end of the line, Qiao Yan was a bit dazed by the sudden male voice. Before she could react, the call was abruptly disconnected.

She wanted to call back, but just before she pressed the dial button, she suddenly realized that the male voice sounded somewhat familiar.

No, it wasn’t just familiar; it was the Li Group’s President!

She thought for a moment but ultimately managed to suppress her gossiping excitement.

She couldn’t let anything ruin it! President Li might be planning a surprise for Jiangjiang.

Her assumption was completely wrong. Jiang Rao didn’t receive any surprise; she was only overwhelmed by shock.

The room was one she had just checked into at the front desk, and she had only just picked up the key. How could the male lead already be there? Moreover, he had already taken a shower and was now emerging from the bathroom with his upper body bare?

With this thought, she asked out loud.

The man’s lips curved into a smile. “I’m here to collect a debt.”

Jiang Rao uttered a surprised “Ah,” and within two seconds, she realized what kind of debt he was referring to.

She had always disliked owing others anything. If she owed money, she would pay it back quickly; if she owed something, she would give it back promptly.

Since she had agreed to this “debt” that day, she would neither hide nor deny it.

However, looking at his bare upper body made her feel immensely awkward, and she couldn’t help but glance away. “I understand. Please put on some clothes first.”

He rarely saw her so shy that she didn’t dare to look at him.

He thought, Wearing clothes was out of the question. It was already late at night; was there really a need to wear clothes?

With a smile in his eyes, he said, “It’s too hot; I don’t want to wear any clothes.”

It was almost July, and although this northwestern region was full of greenery, the cicadas were chirping, and the heat waves had arrived.

However, the hotel’s air conditioning was on full blast. The moment she opened the door, Jiang Rao couldn’t help but shiver, so she couldn’t believe his claim.

She had originally thought that after such a long time of ignoring her, the male lead had turned over a new leaf. To her surprise, he not only hadn’t changed but had become even more shameless.

She turned her head and met his gaze.

Perhaps due to the principle of same-sex repulsion and opposite-sex attraction, her eyes involuntarily shifted downward.

His skin wasn’t entirely white nor particularly dark but had a healthy, tanned hue. His abs were not as intimidating as those of bodybuilders but showed that he hadn’t neglected exercise despite his busy schedule.

Just one glance made Jiang Rao’s heart race and her face flush.

Her heartbeat could be hidden, but the blush on her face was impossible to conceal.

Seeing her face flush unnaturally, Li Jueyan chuckled softly. “Does my appearance make you uncomfortable? But I remember that when I went to the city village to find you, there were plenty of shirtless men grilling skewers at the street stalls. Don’t tell me you didn’t see them. How could you enjoy your meal so happily there? Why are you feeling shy with me now?”

Jiang Rao instinctively rolled her eyes at him. “Those men were all properly dressed below the waist. They were in a public setting and wouldn’t do anything inappropriate.”

His expression gradually hardened. “Jiang Rao, what do you take me for?”

As he spoke, he walked directly up to her, stopping only when they were less than an arm’s length apart. “Don’t believe me? Try kissing me and see if I’ll do anything inappropriate.”

——