Chapter 66: Damn it, Even My Innocence Is Ruined

"Heh, keep pretending."
"Don't you think you’re underestimating it? This luminous pearl is worth at least thirty million."
She didn’t believe a word of Xiao Yang’s nonsense.
He really dared to open his mouth—three million? It wasn’t even worth thirty thousand.
“Long hair, short wisdom! What a woman!”
Xiao Yang no longer wanted to pay her any mind.
As the old saying goes, silent gains make the greatest fortune.
Earning money quietly and discreetly was better than anything else.
If she learned the real price of this item, she might get jealous and cause unnecessary trouble.
Xiao Yang decided not to mention it again.
As long as he knew its true value, even if he claimed it was worth a single penny, he’d still be the one to profit.
“Hahaha! I’ve never seen anyone this stupid.”
Nalan Fangya twisted her body, laughing with melodious delight.
At this moment, she felt utterly at ease.
It had been so long since she’d been this happy.
Yet her continuous laughter began to irk Xiao Yang.
He shot her a fierce glare.
“Do you want my socks instead?”
With that, he pretended to start taking off his socks.
Immediately, Nalan Fangya’s voice caught in her throat as if she’d been strangled.
She couldn’t make a sound.
She looked at Xiao Yang in disbelief.
She was dying to shower him with curses, to scold this infuriating man until he was covered in spit.
But with her hands and feet tied, she knew she’d only suffer more if she tried.
So she held back.
Once she was out of danger, she’d have her revenge.
She glared fiercely at Xiao Yang but dared not mock him further, afraid he might really gag her with a sock.
By now, Xiao Yang’s attention had already returned to the screen.
Having stumbled upon a dragon pearl, he was more eager than ever for the rest of the auction.
One lucky buy had earned him 1.3 million—if he could repeat it a few more times, he might become a Martial Marquis overnight.
But the rest of the items paled in comparison to the dragon pearl.
The most lucrative was an ancient painting,
netting him only a two-thousand difference in profit.
The others offered only hundreds or a few thousand at best.
He was thoroughly disappointed by the latter half of the auction.
Nalan Fangya, sitting to the side, was left speechless.
Every time Xiao Yang made a bid, it was a guaranteed loss.
He seemed to be throwing away tens of thousands at a time; by the end, he’d lost at least three hundred thousand.
His prodigal ways left her stunned.
At the same time, she made up her mind:
She would never marry this man.
No matter how deep his family’s coffers, they couldn’t withstand his wastefulness.
“Let me go!”
As the final lot was sold, Nalan Fangya could no longer contain herself.
She still had to host the closing ceremony.
How could she go, tied up like this?

“I need to take care of the aftermath.”
“Don’t do anything reckless. I’ll trust you this once, but remember, you can’t beat me.”
Xiao Yang gave a few warnings as he prepared to untie her.
The auction was over; he couldn’t very well keep her bound.
Even if he was willing, Nalan Fangya’s uncle wouldn’t allow it.
Besides, they’d both have to go outside soon.
He couldn’t possibly parade the chief steward of the Treasure Hall outside tied up.
He’d be beaten to death for sure.
“Hurry up, I’m running out of time.”
Nalan Fangya, watching the clock, urged him anxiously.
“What’s the rush? I have to untie you first.”
Xiao Yang grumbled, working at her bonds.
But when he saw her wrists, his expression changed.
He’d tied her tightly to prevent her from escaping, and now two red rope marks were clearly visible on her pale wrists.
He quickly, and anxiously, untied her ankles.
The same red marks were there.
On an average person, they might be less noticeable, but on her unnaturally fair skin, the lines stood out starkly.
After a moment’s thought, Xiao Yang decided he had to break the news to her.
With those marks, there’d be no way to explain what had happened.
“Ahem! There might be a bit of a problem.”
“I don’t have time for your games; I need to go.”
Nalan Fangya got up to leave, heading for the door.
Xiao Yang quickly reached out to stop her.
“Wait a second.”
He pushed her back down.
Instantly, all the hairs on Nalan Fangya’s body stood on end; panic flickered in her eyes.
“W-what do you want?” she asked, startled.
“Look at your wrists and ankles before you decide to go out.”
At his words, Nalan Fangya glanced down in confusion—
and her face changed drastically.
Several clear rope marks; if she went out like this, she’d attract all sorts of unwanted attention.
As the chief steward of the Treasure Hall, she knew too well that many wealthy businessmen and officials had a taste for such things.
If she appeared like this, her reputation would be in tatters.
Her eyes reddened a little as she stared wordlessly at Xiao Yang.
Soon, his skin crawled under her gaze.
He muttered softly,
“It’s not my fault—you forced my hand.”
Though he spoke quietly, Nalan Fangya heard every word.
Already furious, she was instantly ignited.
She sprang up and lunged at Xiao Yang.
“I’m not letting you off!”
She absolutely could not host the ceremony today.

If she went out, the entire city of North Desert would be swept up in rumors about those marks.
“Hey, hey! This really isn’t my fault.”
Xiao Yang understood his blunder.
So many other options, and he chose to tie her up. Next time, he’d just knock her out.
Feeling a little guilty, he didn’t resist, letting her pin him down. He figured as long as she vented her anger, the matter would be settled.
“I truly didn’t mean it. I never thought a martial artist like you would get rope burns so easily.”
He meant to explain, but nearly choked her with rage.
Tied up, was she? He’d clearly used all his strength, not an ounce of gentleness.
She reached for his throat.
Just then, the door suddenly opened.
Seeing Nalan Fangya straddling a man, the two attendants froze.
It took them several moments to recover.
They apologized quickly and retreated.
“Sorry, I thought the room was empty.”
The two attendants hurried away. After a few steps, one asked,
“Did I just imagine it, or was the chief steward really sitting on a man?”
“You saw it too—she really was sitting on a man.”
“….”
Both felt a pang of disappointment.
Nalan Fangya had always treated the attendants kindly; many of them secretly admired her.
“Sigh… The chief steward is a woman, after all. She’ll have to marry someday.”
“Ugh!”
The sudden opening of the door had caught both Xiao Yang and Nalan Fangya off guard.
In that instant, the attendants were gone, leaving no chance for explanation.
“Damn it! Get off me—my reputation!”
Xiao Yang shoved Nalan Fangya aside and lunged for the door.
He yanked it open, hoping to explain, but the two attendants had already vanished.
Nalan Fangya, meanwhile, was in turmoil.
But after being shoved away, she regained her composure.
Watching Xiao Yang’s frantic behavior, she felt an odd sense of satisfaction, tinged with sadness.
She, a genius among women, hadn’t even had time to defend her own reputation, yet this man was already worried about his.
“Damn it!”
She clenched her teeth, her heart once more unbalanced.
Xiao Yang turned back—the attendants were gone.
The only option was to ask Nalan Fangya to find them and clear things up.
Otherwise, his own reputation would be ruined.