Min Moyou nodded upon hearing this, gesturing with his eyes for Tong to continue.
A trace of surprise flashed across Tong's eyes. She knew nothing about the world of the wealthy, nor how the major aristocratic families classified themselves by size and status.
Yet, since Min Moyou was a young master of a prominent family who had access to things like Longyin and the Dragon Curse, it meant his family at least had some involvement with such matters. This indirectly indicated that Min Moyou's family possessed considerable strength.
"Then you must know about the Dragon Domain, right?"
"You're not a Longyin, so you wouldn't know, but actually, Dragon Domains are everywhere in Zhongpu District. We walked right past several of them just on our way here tonight!"
"And the leakage of Dragon Domain energy triggers supernatural phenomena—you know, demons, ghosts, and all that."
"I'm telling you, I just walked around this room and I discovered..."
"That's right! This is a haunted house! Unfortunately, it just happens to be affected by a Dragon Domain!"
Tong faked it convincingly, making things up as she went, attempting to use a tense tone to create an ominous atmosphere.
Seeing a flicker of deep thought in Min Moyou's eyes, Tong knew her mission was practically accomplished!
However, Min Moyou was not pondering because he had been bluffed by Tong; rather, as a Longyin himself, he hadn't sensed any danger at all. Then it dawned on him.
Oh~
So she wants to play this game with me?
Min Moyou decided not to expose her just yet. After all, an excellent hunter always appears in the guise of the prey...
Seeing this, Tong wasn't about to give Min Moyou a chance to think.
She hurriedly interrupted his thoughts, just in case he figured out something was wrong!
"Really! I don't even dare to imagine it! If I had just dropped you off at your room tonight and left, what kind of tragedy might have happened!"
"Even though we've only spent a single evening together, I truly consider you a close and trusted friend. How could I bear to watch you fall victim to those evil demons and ghosts?"
Tong lowered her head to hide the triumphant smile in her eyes, crossing her hands over her chest. Her voice sounded mournful and on the verge of tears, as if she were grieving for the misfortune about to befall Min Moyou.
Min Moyou maintained his calm and collected expression, as unruffled as a collapsing mountain, which in turn made Tong panic. *Say something will you? I'm running out of things to make up!*
Tong quickly switched to a tone of indignation and exasperation, turning to Min Moyou:
"Look at you...!"
"As a dignified young master of an aristocratic family, knowing full well how dangerous this world is, how could you come to Zhongpu all by yourself?"
"Don't you rich people cherish your lives? How can you be so careless! Not even bringing a single guard—it's way too dangerous!"
"Tell me, now that you're in danger, what are you going to do about it?"
"Where else are you going to conjure up a guard from?! It's so anxiety-inducing!"
(The six-member Min Family Death Guard squad lurking in the shadows: Are you looking for us?)
After finishing this sentence, Tong secretly raised her eyes to observe Min Moyou, praying inwardly: *No way, right? He surely can't conjure up a guard right on the spot, can he? And even if he could, he couldn't possibly conjure up a Longyin, right? Please let him not have one!*
To her surprise, instead of falling into the trap she had set, Min Moyou remained surprisingly lucid:
"A haunted house? Affected by a Dragon Domain?"
"Then couldn't I just not stay in this room?"
"Change rooms."
In truth, Min Moyou simply wanted to tease Tong a little longer. Goodness! Who knew how fun it could be to tease such a cute, beautiful girl?!
The feeling of holding the moral and intellectual high ground was truly addictive.
"Uh... This... You... How is it as simple as you think?!"
Tong panicked for a moment, but quickly cleared her head, convinced that her facade hadn't cracked.
*Damn it, why is he so clear-headed?!*
"You... You're not a Longyin, you can't see them, and you can't hear them! Do you have no idea that the moment you stepped into this room, they latched onto you?!"
"How can you take things so lightly?! Do you know how worried I am about you? You..."
"Besides, this Dragon King Suite is something you went through so much painstaking effort to grab! Are you willing to just let it go just like that?!"
Painstaking effort?
Did she mean Min Moyou's painstaking effort of throwing money around and flirting with the front desk receptionist?
Tong dared to scam Min Moyou with this routine for two main reasons:
First, she hadn't sensed any power related to Longyin or the Dragon Curse on Min Moyou. At most, a few decorative accessories he wore looked vaguely like Dragon Jade... Moreover, Min Moyou didn't have anyone else around him who understood Dragon Domains and Longyins, making this a heaven-sent opportunity for a professional like her to show off!
Second, the official Dragon Suppression Bureau didn't explicitly forbid Longyins from revealing such related information to ordinary people—the rule was merely an unwritten custom among the Longyin Realm to avoid unnecessary trouble. Besides, Min Moyou already knew a thing or two about this anyway.
Furthermore, if Min Moyou ever discovered the truth one day, she could just tell him she was merely trying to tell him a ghost story to liven up the atmosphere. Who told him to take it seriously?
Besides, it wasn't illegal, and she had an escape route, so what was there to fear?
...
"I'd say you aren't worried about me at all; you just can't bear to lose my commission fee, right?"
Min Moyou calmly spoke, still acting as if he didn't take the matter to heart at all.
*Huh?*
Tong hadn't expected Min Moyou's train of thought to be so bizarre.
*Hissss... I have a strange feeling about this...*
If you said he fell for her scam, he was far too calm.
If you said he didn't fall for her scam... it somehow felt like he actually believed her.
Or did he misunderstand? Did he just think she only cared about him because of greed?
Never mind, it could count as a blind cat running into a dead mouse.
Pretending her hidden little motives had been exposed, Tong put on a coy posture and spoke bashfully:
"Oh my... though I suppose economic factors might play a tiny, tiny part in it~"
"Fine. Then tell me how this should be resolved."
Min Moyou waved his hand, taking the initiative to speak and push the plot forward.
"Do you know why I am a top-tier agent?"
"That's because—actually, I! Am a Longyin! And a very powerful one at that!"
"I can always help clients solve problems that ordinary people can't. That's why I became a top-tier agent."
Tong seemed ready to go on about how incredibly powerful she was, but Min Moyou cut her off directly.
"Then why don't you stay behind tonight and stand guard?"
"I remember you saying it yourself, you can take on the role of a bodyguard, right?"
Min Moyou turned his head back, refusing to look at Tong anymore, his unquestionable tone sealing the matter.
Tong was dumbfounded.
*What?*
*Just like that?*
*Wait—*
The guard he mentioned, surely it wasn't the kind who would stand by his bed, watching over him the entire night without sleeping or resting, remaining vigilant every single second?
*No way! I'm here to lie down and collect a paycheck; how can I add more labor to my workload?!*
She needed him to be endlessly grateful to her, begging her with utmost politeness to stay and protect him!
At this thought, Tong suddenly blushed, lowered her head, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke with apparent hesitation:
"But... but... I'm still a young woman who hasn't even been in a relationship yet..."
"Yet you are so wealthy, and as an agent, I have a reputation to maintain. What if rumors spread the next day that I spent a whole night in a hotel room with you and got myself kept by you..."
"You know, as an agent, my reputation has a huge impact. It determines whether I can secure commissions... No one would be willing to entrust matters they care about to someone with a bad reputation, right...?"
"I can't ruin my future just to help you out for one night..."
"And if such a rumor spreads, what would my family and friends think of me...? It would bring so much trouble to my life..."
*Darn it! Why hasn't he reacted yet?!*
*Say something, anything! Just casually ask me to stay or compliment me!*
*I'm so easy to coax!*
*If you just begged me a little, I would have stayed straight away!*
*Is he really this unfazed?*
Tong inwardly complained, feeling it was time to deploy her ultimate "vegetable-market haggling technique."
"I... I really want to help you... but... but I don't know what to do anymore..."
"Maybe... maybe I should just leave after all!"
She made a show of starting to get up.
Who would have thought Min Moyou's movements were faster than hers, giving her no chance to actually stand up.
He pulled a handful of Jiufang Coins from the inner pocket of his suit jacket near his chest—not many, just a few thousand dollars' worth.
In any case, Tong hadn't seen much of the world and was easily fooled; a few thousand would keep her happy for a long time.
"Thwack."
Min Moyou slapped that stack of Jiufang Coins right onto Tong's plump thigh.
"Still affecting you?"
"Ah? Oh... N-no... not anymore."
Only magic could defeat magic—for instance, what Min Moyou was using right now was his signature "money-sprinkling technique."
Another stack of roughly the same thickness of Jiufang Coins was pulled out by Min Moyou and placed right on top of the first stack—Min Moyou started playing Jenga on Tong's lap.
"Thwack."
"Still ruining your future?"
"N-no... no more future to ruin."
"Thwack."
"Still causing trouble?"
"N-no... no more trouble."
"Thwack."
"Do you know what to do now?"
"I-I-I-I... I know now!"
"Thwack."
"Still leaving?"
"I'm not leaving! Boss, you can rest easy! With me guarding you, no matter what demons, ghosts, monsters, or goblins dare to come, they won't dare trespass! Even if some petty villains harbor ill intentions toward you, Young Master, with me here, I will surely smash them to pieces and send them fleeing in total defeat!"
"Just rest easy and sleep tight! I'll keep your safety guaranteed! I promise you a peaceful night, sleeping soundly all the way until dawn!"
Tong scooped up the cash on her thigh—this had to be at least twenty or thirty thousand, right?
*Wahaha~ I want to laugh out loud toward the sky!*
Though the process had some twists and turns, the result was great!
"Don't get too happy too early."
Just as Tong suppressed her urge to jump up and celebrate, she heard Min Moyou pour a bucket of cold water on her—but who cared? The money was already in her hands!
"When there are no abnormal conditions, you'd better preserve your energy properly."
"Don't wait until danger actually arrives and you're in bad shape to handle it. The Min Family's money doesn't feed good-for-nothings."
"Understood, Young Master!"
Goodness! He even helped her come up with an excuse to slack off...!
Someone as foolish as him was probably unvalued by his family and cast out.
How pitiful...
Heaven knows how many roundabout ways Min Moyou had to take just to express his desire for her to get some proper rest!
Overbearing CEOs were just like this, using the coldest words to express the warmest intentions.
[Congratulations Host: Saying one thing while meaning another has initially equipped you with the arrogant and aloof attributes of an Overbearing CEO. Overbearing CEO persona alignment increased by 2%, current alignment: 28%.]