Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

After a moment, Shen Mingchao withdrew his hand from Xie Yuchen's arm and asked softly, "How are you now? Are you feeling better?"

Following Shen Mingchao's instructions, Xie Yuchen slowly rotated his arm a few times, gradually relaxing his stiff muscles and bones, and the previous discomfort completely disappeared.

Then, he looked up at Shen Mingchao, secretly surprised.

Judging from the series of events that had occurred before, he was well aware of Shen Mingchao's attitude toward this matter.

Disgust? Angry? Want to avoid it at all costs?

Perhaps both.

That's why he always deliberately avoided unnecessary physical contact with her, for fear of offending her.

But right now—

Things seemed to take an unexpected turn.

This was the first time Shen Mingchao had taken the initiative to contact him, knowing all the circumstances.

A surge of joy welled up uncontrollably in her heart, but the thought that Shen Mingchao already had someone by his side instantly extinguished that irrepressible excitement, like a flame doused with cold water.

He pondered repeatedly in his mind: Was Shen Mingchao's behavior a return gift for the 40 billion, or out of concern between friends, or perhaps a junior showing care for an elder?

In short, it couldn't be romantic feelings between a man and a woman.

"What are you spacing out for? Are you not done yet?"

Shen Mingchao tilted his head.

Despite possessing such miraculous healing abilities, she was unsure of the extent to which these abilities would be effective.

The voice brought Xie Yuchen back to his senses, and he subconsciously replied, "Thank you, I'm much better now."

"Oh, that's good."

After saying that, Shen Mingchao saw that Xie Yuchen was still in a daze and suddenly had a mischievous thought.

She smiled faintly, her eyes crinkling, and said with a hint of teasing, "Do you think what I'm doing counts as being a pervert?"

"How could that be?"

Xie Yuchen shook his head and denied it almost without hesitation.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned his head away, avoiding the other person's direct gaze, and spoke his mind:

"I'm more than happy to have you lend a helping hand. As you said before, I'm not the kind of person who doesn't appreciate kindness."

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingchao's gaze swept over and he clearly saw the man's reddened ears.

That blush resembled the petals of a crabapple blossom in early spring, making the other person's delicate features appear even more youthful.

Meanwhile, someone in my mind is also constantly on my mind.

[Tsk, an old peacock spreading its tail feathers.]

[What are you pretending to be shy and timid for? Who are you trying to seduce? I bet he's just waiting for you to act like a pervert; who knows what disgusting things are going on in his mind!]

[My lady, please don't be fooled!]

[And why did you heal his injuries? You're just letting him get away with it!]

Wang Can rattled off a whole bunch of complaints in her mind, her jealousy practically overflowing.

Shen Mingchao almost laughed, thinking to himself: [It's at least 40 billion! This is my way of showing respect for money, and he's showing real sincerity. I can't let my conscience be at ease if I don't do something.]

Wang Can's voice instantly lowered, tinged with helplessness: [Talking about conscience with these people, my wife, you're still too kind.]

Shen Mingchao sighed.

[Partner, let's keep this separate.]

He doesn't even mind me using his money to support a man; it's just a minor injury, nothing more.

Besides, I'm not kind without any limits; I just want peace of mind.

Shen Mingchao looked at Xie Yuchen and said, word by word, "I won't take this money for nothing."

"I know all too well that what you do is fraught with danger, every step is fraught with peril, and one wrong move can cost you your life. Those polite words about being careful are too empty and meaningless."

"I'm giving you a real promise: if you unfortunately suffer a fatal injury in the future, you can contact me, and I will not stand by and watch you die."

Xie Yuchen was stunned for a moment after hearing this, his pupils contracted slightly, and his face was full of disbelief.

"you--"

No one understood the value of these words better than him. For a tomb raider who walked the line between life and death, this promise was more valuable than any elixir or rare treasure.

If he and Shen Mingchao were just casual acquaintances, he could have accepted this enormous benefit without any qualms.

But times have changed.

He didn't want his sincerity to turn into a cold, impersonal exchange; that wasn't what he wanted.

Thinking of this, Xie Yuchen composed himself and said with utmost sincerity, "Mingchao, I am not using this as a pretext to gain your favor. You don't need to do anything for me. I don't want our relationship to end up being nothing more than a conflict of interest."

"Who said there's only self-interest left between us?"

Shen Mingchao curved his lips into a smile, a faint smile spreading across his face.

"Don't forget, I'm registered in the Jie family's household. In terms of status, we're definitely related. Since we're family, isn't it perfectly normal for us to help each other out, Uncle?"

That last "Uncle" made Xie Yuchen open his mouth, wanting to say something, but the words ultimately turned into silence.

He knew in his heart that this was the best possible outcome for them at this point.

We shouldn't dwell on what she calls us; let her call us whatever she wants.

"Alright, I've said everything I needed to say. Let's not keep the others waiting too long."

Shen Mingchao said no more and prepared to go to where the others were waiting, but just as she turned around, she saw an incredibly melodramatic scene.

From her perspective, Zhang Rishan, for some unknown reason, reached out his hand to Zhang Haixia, who suddenly swayed and lost her balance.

Just then, Hei Xiazi behind him took a step back, shifting his position. Zhang Haixia lost his balance and fell to the ground.

Ok?

Shen Mingchao's eyes were full of doubt.

Is the ground that slippery?

Is Zhang Haixia really that frail? Could she really lose her balance just from a push?

And if she wasn't mistaken, Zhang Rishan's hand didn't seem to be using that much force.

At this moment, Shen Mingchao's mind was uncontrollably flashing back to that extremely classic scene from "Empresses in the Palace".

She pushed Consort Xi! She pushed Consort Xi!

Oh! I get it!

The Birth of an Actor, right?

What are you waiting for? Join the group buy immediately!

Shen Mingchao suppressed a laugh, strode over, and scanned Zhang Rishan, Zhang Haixia, and Hei Xiazi in turn before asking:

"What...are you doing?"

Zhang Rishan was clearly taken aback by this sudden turn of events, a look of surprise on his face. He withdrew his hand, which had been hovering in mid-air, and was about to explain, "I didn't..."

But before he could finish speaking, Zhang Haixia, who had fallen to the ground, interrupted him.

"Chao Chao~"

The sound was drawn out, with a slight tremor at the end, as if the speaker had suffered a great injustice.