I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 716: Is it haggling, or fun? (Please subscribe and vote with monthly tickets!)
Mikhailovna dressed herself up carefully, trying to use solemn makeup and clothes to cover up her inner panic and humiliation. Then she took a deep breath and walked with heavy steps toward the villa where Li Chen was, which now seemed to her like a hellhole.

She waved away the maids standing at the door, their eyes filled with ambiguous glances, and walked straight into the inner room.

Li Chen was lounging on a soft couch, toying with a faintly glowing sorcery rune in his hand. He seemed unsurprised by her arrival, merely raising his eyelids slightly with a faint smile on his lips.

Mikhailovna forced herself to look directly into his eyes, which seemed to see right through people. Her voice was slightly hoarse from nervousness, but she tried her best to remain calm: "Your Excellency Wizard, please, please spare Valentina."

Upon hearing this, Li Chen's face showed a perfectly timed hint of surprise. He sat up straight and looked at the beautiful woman before him, who was trying to maintain her composure, with great interest: "Oh? What makes you say that, Madam? I only met Lady Valentina by chance in the garden this afternoon and chatted for a few minutes. She seemed quite interested in some of the witchcraft stories I told her. Is there anything wrong with that?"

He was indeed somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that the "big fish" would take the bait so readily, and react so strongly, as soon as the "bait" was cast and before he even started reeling in the line.

That feeling seemed to be saying: What kind of person do you take me, Li Chen, for?
In fact, Mikhailovna's feeling was right. If she didn't stop him, Li Chen would definitely want to get his hands on Valentina.

This woman, who was seen as mean and vicious by others, was actually top-notch in terms of figure and appearance.

Mikhailovna looked at Li Chen's feigned innocence and felt bitter inside. She knew he was pretending to be confused, but she had no choice but to be blunt: "Why do you ask when you already know the answer! I know perfectly well what you did to Lyudmila and Olga!"
Now you've set your sights on Valentina. She's a straightforward girl and doesn't understand your methods. Please be lenient and don't drag her into this mess.

Her tone carried a hint of pleading, but more so a suppressed anger.

Li Chen slowly stood up, walked to Mikhailovna, looked down at her, his gaze sweeping over her slightly flushed cheeks and her heaving, full breasts, his tone tinged with amusement:
"Madam, you speak as if I were some kind of monster. My interactions with you ladies are merely a deep spiritual exchange, or as Olga would say, a sacred ritual."

He paused deliberately, took a step closer, lowered his voice, and said with an unquestionable tone, "However, since Madam has come personally to plead for Valentina, the conditions remain the same. You should understand what I mean."

It was that condition again! The condition that had woken her up countless times in the middle of the night, filled with immense shame and resistance!
Mikhailovna's body trembled and her face turned deathly pale. She subconsciously took a half step back, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her skirt, her knuckles turning white from the force.

A surge of immense humiliation and anger welled up inside her, causing her full breasts to heave uncontrollably, outlining a breathtaking arc as if to burst through the taut fabric of her clothes.

Her breathing was rapid, and her still beautiful eyes were filled with struggle, shame, and a deep sense of powerlessness.

Li Chen watched her leisurely, without urging her, as if admiring a precious prey that was about to be obtained and was struggling.

He knew that when this proud noblewoman stepped through the door and uttered those pleading words, most of her inner defenses had already crumbled.

Now, all we need to do is wait for her to make that "voluntary" decision herself.

A suffocating silence fell over the room, broken only by the crackling of the candlelight, which illuminated Mikhailovna's pale and complex profile and her mature body, which appeared even more alluring due to her intense emotional turmoil.

At this moment, Mikhailovna knew that if she did not compromise, the man in front of her would definitely harm Valentina.

She bit her lower lip until she tasted a hint of blood, then mustered all her strength to stare at Li Chen, her voice carrying a desperate resolve: "I can give you anything, but we won't go all the way! If you agree, I'm yours now." Her eyes, like those of a lamb about to be sacrificed, held a poignant determination and a frozen flame.

She had expected Li Chen to change his expression abruptly, or to reject this almost ridiculous "bargaining" with sarcasm.

To Li Chen's surprise, a look of utter astonishment flashed in his eyes upon hearing this. He then seemed to have discovered something incredibly interesting, thinking to himself: Oh? Such a novel way to play the game? Playing hard to get? Or is it what she considers her bottom line? Interesting.

Then we'll see whether you can't withstand the escalating torment first, or I lose patience first.

A meaningful smile appeared on his face, and he readily nodded: "Alright, as you wish. If Madam is in such a good mood, I will gladly oblige."

The next second, before Mikhailovna could react, Li Chen had already bent down and swept her soft, voluptuous body into his arms.

Mikhailovna let out a short gasp, instinctively grabbing his neck before quickly releasing him in shame and anger, turning her face away, unable to look at him.

Feeling the slight trembling of the body in his arms and its amazing elasticity and softness, Li Chen's smile deepened. He strode into the inner room and placed her on the bed covered with soft animal hides.

For the next seven days, Li Chen kept his promise and did not cross that final line.

However, this so-called boundary became an endless torment for Mikhailovna.

Li Chen seemed to have endless patience and tricks up his sleeve, doing everything he could to seduce her.

Li Chen would suddenly pull her into the shadows in a solemn corner of the family's corridor, making his demands without restraint, just to see how she acted, even if she was being discovered.

He would also take her into the chaotic slums late at night, and among the dirty, dilapidated ruins, make her cater to his various excessive demands.

The fear and shame of being discovered at any moment wove together into an impenetrable net, tightly binding her.

Mikhailovna kept her promise and humiliatingly fulfilled all his demands except for the final step. Her body began to act strangely under Li Chen's efforts, and her inner defenses gradually softened and collapsed.

What she found even more unbearable was that Li Chen clearly didn't need to remain chaste; he could go to Lyudmila or Olga to satisfy his needs at any time.

She, however, could only bear the desires aroused by Li Chen alone, burning day and night, leaving her with a bone-deep emptiness.

Every night became incredibly long and unbearable, as the physical memories and the humiliation of her soul tormented her repeatedly, causing her to struggle between lucidity and confusion.

(End of this chapter)