Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 170: A Small Extortion

When Angel appeared before Chu Tianyu and Fernando in her fresh and tidy attire, Fernando, who had only met her once, was stunned, while Chu Tianyu stared at her in awe.
As Angel shyly stepped forward, a fragrant scent from her bath wafted toward them. She was wearing a perfectly fitted beige velvet dress, and the pale spots on her skin had finally taken on the rosy hue typical of a young girl. Her large, sparkling eyes occasionally gleamed, and her hands, like lotus roots, no longer had their previous grayish-white complexion.
At this moment, Angel was nothing like the “Cinderella” from before. Coupled with the gentle tranquility and subtle shyness emanating from her, how could Chu Tianyu and Fernando not be surprised and amazed?
“Oh, Angel, are you done bathing? Hehe, does the dress fit well? I just had someone measure you and have it made haphazardly!” Seeing how shy Angel was under their gazes, Chu Tianyu was the first to react, asking deliberately.
These two questions were clearly pointless. The first didn’t need answering, and as for the second, Chu Tianyu knew very well that he had personally arranged for a professional tailor to make the dress for her—so how could it not fit?
“Thank you, Brother Chu!” Facing Chu Tianyu’s question, Angel mustered up courage and bowed deeply to him.
“What’s wrong?” Chu Tianyu asked in confusion.
“Thank you for saving me. I know you’re a good person—you even healed my wounds!” As she spoke, Angel’s face turned red, but unlike before, she spoke with certainty.
After hearing this, Chu Tianyu gestured for her to sit down and said calmly, “If you thank me, then how should those you’ve saved thank you? I saw what happened on the subway. I think those old wounds on you wouldn’t have become so severe if you hadn’t kept risking your life to save others.”
“But… I still couldn’t save that old man. In fact, I caused his death…” Angel ignored Chu Tianyu’s words and thought back to the scene on the subway.

“Shen is an angel!” Chu Tianyu sighed inwardly, not knowing what to say. Clearly, comforting words like “It’s none of your business” or “No one expected those people to strike suddenly” would be utterly ineffective for this angel with reddened eyes, who seemed so pitifully devoted and kind-hearted.
“Hey, Chu, what’s going on? Weren’t you going to take us out for dinner? My dear guest’s stomach has been growling for ages, and you still haven’t done anything!” Fernando’s grumbling voice came in just in time.
Chu Tianyu gave Fernando a grateful look and quickly changed the subject. “Right, right! Look at my memory—I already had the hotel’s restaurant prepare a sumptuous dinner. It’ll be just right after we enjoy the music.”
“We should’ve gone already, Chu. Are there snails? Lobsters? I don’t like any of those. Don’t serve me a whole table of them!”
“Don’t worry, it’s a Chinese feast I arranged!”
“Great…”
With that, Chu Tianyu and Fernando successfully distracted Angel from her sadness.
When they arrived at the restaurant, the atmosphere was quite pleasant—soft violin music, people chatting in small groups, enjoying delicious food, and a unique, subtle fragrance filling the air, making one feel relaxed and uplifted. In France, dining out wasn’t so much about filling one’s stomach as it was about experiencing a certain ambiance.
At Chu Tianyu’s invitation, a table full of authentic Chinese dishes, complete with color, aroma, and taste, was quickly set out. Fernando didn’t hold back; as soon as the dishes arrived, he began savoring them with delight, nodding from time to time as if appreciatively saying, “Mm, good. Authentic—just like what I eat in China!”
“Angel, you should try it too. This is food from my hometown. I wonder if it suits your taste?” Seeing that Angel seemed unaccustomed, a bit shy, awkward, and at a loss, Chu Tianyu spoke in a gentle tone and deliberately placed a few specialty dishes in front of her.
“Mm…” Angel murmured softly, not looking at Chu Tianyu. She simply used her spoon to take small bites of the food he had served her.

It was unclear whether the Chinese food truly tasted so good to her, or if Angel had never experienced such delicacies before and, due to prolonged hunger, gradually relaxed as she ate. Especially with Fernando’s encouragement, she began to eat faster and more actively.

However, this harmonious atmosphere didn’t last long. Chu Tianyu sensed trouble approaching, feeling annoyed. He put down his chopsticks, his expression darkening as he waited quietly for those who intended to cause him trouble.

Fernando and Angel seemed to sense it as well. Fernando merely curled his lips, showing indifference, with a hint of schadenfreude on his face. Angel instinctively tensed her entire body, her legs ready to spring into action at any moment. Her eyes darted quickly around, scanning the surroundings to assess the terrain and identify potential threats.

But after completing these actions, she accidentally caught Chu Tianyu’s bright and clear gaze, along with his smile signaling her to relax. This made her instantly drop her guard and feel a sense of peace.

At that moment, an emaciated old man in his fifties, dressed neatly, appeared at Chu Tianyu’s table. Judging by his appearance, he clearly belonged to the upper class or was a hereditary noble. Behind him stood four burly men in black suits, clearly bodyguards.

Chu Tianyu knew, and so did Fernando and Angel, that these men were by no means ordinary—indeed, they probably weren’t even human!

“Dear friends, from your expressions, I guess you already know why I’m here. Haha, who would have thought a simple meal could lead to such an unexpected discovery! A Blood Angel—actually a Blood Angel!” the emaciated old man said excitedly, staring at Angel.

“Yes, who would have thought eating a meal would lead us to Prince Hart’s scum!” Fernando said disdainfully, glancing at the blood-red flame emblem on the old man’s sleeve.

The old man’s expression changed. His four bodyguards, hearing someone insult their most sacred family title, showed fierce expressions, their eyes turning blood-red.

“Are you also a vampire?” Just as he was about to explode in anger, the old man suddenly stared at Fernando as if sensing something.

“Who are you to Prince Hart? Never mind, you don’t need to answer. Anyway, today is the day of your liberation. And in a couple of days, we’ll come to rob your ancient castle. You’re just leaving two days earlier!” Fernandi said frankly.

Fernandi’s words almost knocked the thin old man out. He had always been domineering, but he never expected to meet someone even more ruthless than himself. He had seen many madmen, but never one as insane as this!

“Enough, enough! Don’t look at me with such anger. To be honest, I’ve already eaten today. Besides, there’s such a cute little girl here. I won’t drink your stinky blood…”

“Arrogant God Fernandi!” Moor Nandi couldn’t finish his sentence before being interrupted by the thin old man’s shocked cry. The four men behind him also changed expressions at once, losing their earlier arrogance and stepping back.

Fernandi looked at their expressions with pity and said sympathetically, “Don’t be afraid. It seems I won’t have to take action today. Alas, I can only pray that God protects you!”

Before the thin old man could react, he felt a numbness in his heart, followed by a tremendous crushing force. He could clearly feel his Immortal Heart being crushed and torn apart by that force. In pain, he covered his chest with both hands and collapsed to the ground…

“Help! Waiter, help! Five people have had heart attacks at the same time! Call a doctor, call an ambulance!” Fernandi loudly shouted in perfect cooperation.

…

At night, at the headquarters of the Hart family—a 76-story modern skyscraper—the real focus wasn’t on the ground but underground, where there was a vast underground palace hundreds of times more luxurious than the above-ground buildings!

“Mercenaries live by scraping by. They are the elite among mercenaries. Besides their formidable strength, they also possess an innate desire for wealth and a drive to become stronger, ensuring they can get anything you want! Here’s Lei Lie, this is Bao, his name is Benjamin, and she’s Wind Blade…” Meanwhile, across the street from the building, Fernandi excitedly introduced the people he had brought to Chu Tianyu.

“As expected of the world’s top mercenary group, ‘Falling Sky.’ My dear Mr. Fernandi, should I call you the leader of Falling Sky?” Chu Tianyu said calmly, with no trace of emotion on his face.

Faced with Chu Tianyu’s sudden words, Fernandi was clearly stunned before murmuring sheepishly, “Hehe, so you already knew about my background? Uh, but Brother Chu, don’t worry. This time, our participation in ‘Fall from Heaven’ is purely out of goodwill. We won’t take a single penny from the wealth or real estate you want…”
“I heard that families like yours in the vampire race have very precious ancient skills preserved!” Chu Tianyu glanced at Fernandi and interrupted him before he could finish speaking. In fact, this whole affair was really thanks to Mr. Orsini’s intelligence; otherwise, this old guy would have been kept in the dark.
“Hehe…” Fernandi laughed sheepishly, rubbing his hands together.
“By the way, I heard your ‘Fall from Heaven’ wealth is so huge that even storing it in a bank would cause the system to crash. I need some money to invest right away. What do you think—100 billion isn’t too much, is it?” Chu Tianyu pressed further, trying to squeeze more out of him.
Fernandi immediately felt like vomiting blood.