Chapter 3: Xu Yueyao Wants to Maximize Benefits

Xu Yueyao frowned. “Ah! It hurts!” The anesthesia had worn off, and the pain woke her up.

Zhan Rongxuan heard the commotion and approached her hospital bed. Xu Yueyao slowly opened her eyes, looking at the unfamiliar hospital room. Then she saw Zhan Rongxuan. The pain in her shoulder reminded her that she had transmigrated into a novel.

She looked at Zhan Rongxuan, her lips quivering, tears rolling down her face.
“Woo… woo… woo… You’re so handsome… woo… woo… woo… What do I do? I can’t go back… woo… I’m so unlucky… woo… it hurts… woo…”

Zhan Rongxuan had initially come to retrieve his ring, but seeing her like this, he swallowed his words. Was she regretting saving him?

“Call Chen Shen over,” Zhan Rongxuan ordered with a dark expression. A moment later, Chen Shen arrived.

“Check her out. She says she’s in pain,” Zhan Rongxuan instructed.

Chen Shen examined her wound. “The wound is fine. Pain is normal.”

“Normal? Crying like that is normal?” Zhan Rongxuan pointed at her.

Chen Shen nodded. “After anesthesia wears off, normal people feel pain. If someone doesn’t, that’s abnormal.” He gave Zhan Rongxuan a meaningful glance.

“I’m busy. Don’t call me unless it’s important.” With that, Chen Shen walked out coolly.

At the door, he overheard Zhan Shao awkwardly comforting Xu Yueyao. The corners of his lips curled up. Who would’ve thought he’d live to see Zhan Rongxuan coaxing a woman? He had to share this with Ayan and Jing Yi.

Xu Yueyao cried for a while, venting her emotions. Then she gradually stopped. “What’s that doctor’s name?”

“Huh?” Zhan Rongxuan was puzzled by the question and replied impatiently, “Chen Shen.”

“Oh, so that was Chen Shen.” In the novel, he was one of the ‘Four Villains.’ Now, she’d met two of them. Thinking about their tragic endings, she couldn’t help but shake her head in pity. Sigh, that’s what happens when you’re friends with the villain.

She then looked up at the biggest villain in the novel. After falling for the female lead, he made her waver, only for her to later discover that he had killed her father. That led to love turning into hate, making him her sworn enemy. He never won her love, constantly opposing the main couple. Tsk tsk, what a cliché plot.

Zhan Rongxuan observed her changing expressions and mumbling. Her injury was on her shoulder—why did it seem like her brain was affected?

Xu Yueyao was lost in the novel’s plot when she saw a hand in front of her. Confused, she looked up. What was this? Did he want to check if she had a fever? She was about to lean her face closer.

“The ring,” Zhan Rongxuan said impatiently, raising an eyebrow.

Xu Yueyao noticed the symbol of his status—the ring—was missing from his hand. Alarmed, she asked, “Your… your ring?”

Zhan Rongxuan felt like this woman was here to mess with him. “Why don’t you check what’s in your hand?” he said through gritted teeth.

Xu Yueyao looked down and opened her right hand. The ring was there.

She picked it up and examined it carefully. “So this is what it looks like.”

The novel described it as a family heirloom, passed down through generations in the Zhan family. The emblem on it symbolized the Zhan family’s authority. The simple yet elegant design, smooth surface, and engraved insignia made it a classic signet ring.

She observed it closely, then suddenly slipped it onto her middle finger. It fit perfectly.

Zhan Rongxuan stared at her in disbelief. Was she not afraid he would kill her? Any other person would’ve died a hundred times over for this, yet he hadn’t acted. Strange.

Xu Yueyao’s mind raced. She knew this was the best moment to negotiate—it would determine her future. She needed to maximize her benefits.

Should she ask for money? A large sum, then flee far away? No, this was a novel, not the modern world. People shot first and talked later. Money was unreliable—there were too many rich people, and the author could make them as wealthy as they wanted.

Power and status—those were reliable. And Zhan Rongxuan had both. The only way to secure them was to become his woman. That way, she’d have his protection, and others wouldn’t dare target her. Sigh, she had no choice. Her damn beauty always caused trouble.

Zhan Rongxuan watched her scheming eyes dart around before he leaned back in his chair. “Have you decided what you want? This might be your only chance.”

“Yes, I’ve decided,” Xu Yueyao’s eyes sparkled like a cat that had just stolen fish.

“Zhan Feng,” Zhan Rongxuan called. A man entered and stood behind him.

Zhan Feng had been following Zhan Rongxuan since childhood. His mission was to protect him. He had trained in the military and now managed the family business. He was Zhan Rongxuan’s shadow and his sharpest blade.

Zhan Rongxuan looked at the woman before him, who seemed to be in a daze again. He was annoyed. Had she never seen a man before? Why was she always staring?

“How much do you want?” he asked impatiently.

“Huh?”

“How much money do you want? Name a price,” he repeated, irritation creeping in. He hated repeating himself, and this woman had done it multiple times tonight.

“I don’t want money.”

Don’t want money? Then what did she want? Zhan Rongxuan doubted his ears.

“I want to be your woman.”

Xu Yueyao had thought it through. If she was destined to be his woman, why not claim her rights early? In the novel, she suffered a lot before that happened. She didn’t like suffering.

Zhan Rongxuan froze, staring at her as if struck by lightning. His face stiffened, his expression filled with disbelief. Did this woman even know what she was saying?

Zhan Feng’s mouth dropped open in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.

Was it that shocking? Their reactions made Xu Yueyao momentarily unsure of herself.

“Miss Xu, our Young Master Zhan does not need a woman,” Zhan Feng said cautiously, afraid that his boss might strangle her in anger.

“No, he does need a woman.” Xu Yueyao wagged her finger. “Let me explain. Young Master Zhan is at the peak of his youth. If he never has a woman by his side, what will people think? Won’t that become an easy target for those with bad intentions?

“And look at him! With this face, who in the entire capital can compare? Rich, powerful, and handsome—of course, women must be all over him. Isn’t that annoying?”

Zhan Feng thought about the women constantly throwing themselves at Zhan Shao, some even attempting to drug him. It truly was a hassle. Unconsciously, he nodded.

Zhan Rongxuan leaned back, crossing his legs, his sharp gaze locked onto her. His fingers tapped the armrest rhythmically. “Go on.”

Xu Yueyao swallowed and continued, “If I publicly become your woman, that will silence the rumors. I’ll help you keep those annoying women away. And of course, once you fall for someone or decide to marry, I’ll disappear immediately. I won’t cause trouble for you.”

Zhan Feng turned to look at his boss. To be honest, the idea sounded pretty good.

Zhan Rongxuan, however, felt a slight discomfort when she mentioned disappearing. “Miss Xu saved my life. Using her like this wouldn’t be right.”

Xu Yueyao quickly said, “It’s fine! Use me as much as you want! Every situation has two sides.” She held up two fingers.

“Oh? And what’s the other side?”

“The first part benefits you. The second benefits me.”

“Go on.”

Xu Yueyao switched to a slightly aggrieved tone. “Zhan Shao, you know, I have a stunningly beautiful face…”

“Haha.” Zhan Feng couldn’t help but laugh.

“Ah?” Xu Yueyao was confused. What was so funny?

Zhan Rongxuan shot Zhan Feng a glare, making him shut up.

Xu Yueyao pouted. Annoying! He ruined her mood. She took a deep breath and continued. “Many people have their eyes on me. I have no money, no family to protect me. But if I’m your woman, people will think twice before targeting me.”

Zhan Feng nodded. With the Zhan family’s protection, no one would dare touch her.