Ten Rules to Bind Her Heart - Chapter 56

Astonishing.

Beyond that word, Xia Zhiyao’s limited vocabulary offered nothing capable of describing the sight before her.

What she had seen from the entrance was merely the tip of the iceberg, a glimpse through a narrow tube.

Only now did the nest reveal its true power to the little white rabbit who had wandered inside.

This was a subterranean private collection center with no visible end.

Each enormous column supporting the vaulted ceiling was as thick as the leg bone of some ancient giant.

Wherever she looked, she saw only perfectly sealed climate-controlled storage rooms extending in silent, imposing rows along the heavy walls.

This was one of the most critical high-end asset service systems under Black Wolf.

It provided the wealthiest clients in Southeast Asia and around the world with confidential collection storage, customized security, and compliant cross-border transport.

It was a secret sanctuary where countless members of the powerful elite entrusted the possessions that represented their fortunes.

In Xia Zhiyao’s art-history textbooks, human history had always been accompanied by artistic creation and the rise and fall of civilizations.

She had marveled at the intricate designs on ancient Greek bronze sword hilts and immersed herself in the graceful lines of Renaissance armor.

But those were dead history, cold relics resting inside museum cases.

Everything before her was alive: civilization of the highest order, guarded with absolute care. These were the rare private treasures entrusted by Southeast Asia’s wealthiest families, a tangible manifestation of true power and order.

The overwhelming scale and precision deprived her brain of oxygen, making her physically dizzy.

She wandered several steps closer and remained speechless for a long time.

“Wow…”

At last, a faint exclamation escaped the depths of her throat.

She slowly turned toward the indifferent man beside her.

The cold industrial light fell from above, casting varying shadows across his face. It sharpened his deep features while leaving his black eyes obscure and bottomless.

He stood casually amid the immense collection as though relaxing in his own garden.

“Mr. Shen…”

Xia Zhiyao’s voice seemed to float.

“This is… so enormous…”

She had always known Shen Yu was formidable.

But her understanding had remained abstract, little more than a vague concept.

Only now did she truly and profoundly comprehend what a terrifying existence the man beside her—the man who had tormented her at will the previous night—actually was.

Shen Yu looked at her naïve, dumbfounded expression and tilted his head. Amusement entered his deep black eyes.

“Is it?”

Xia Zhiyao’s face instantly turned crimson.

She instinctively looked around.

Behind the reinforced glass of sealed galleries on either side stood oil paintings, sculptures, antique ornaments, and exquisite mechanical collectibles, each immensely valuable.

She suddenly remembered that her father also loved objects like these. Their family’s limited means had restricted him to inexpensive trinkets, but he had treasured every one.

At the thought of her parents, Xia Zhiyao’s eyes reddened. She hurriedly lowered her head.

Fortunately, Shen Yu paid no attention.

After a moment of hesitation, her heart pounding in her chest, concern for her parents finally overwhelmed every trace of caution.

She clutched the hem of her uniform and spoke shakily, testing him.

“Mr. Shen… I-I want to ask…”

Have my parents reached Huaguo safely?

The words tumbled through her throat, but an invisible wall blocked them at her lips. No matter how she tried, she could not force them out.

She was afraid of him.

She truly feared angering him—feared that the face which appeared almost gentle one instant would turn violent the next.

“What do you want to ask?” Shen Yu said casually.

He knew exactly what she wanted.

The thoughts inside the little thing’s foolish head were nearly transparent to him.

“Am… am I allowed to ask?”

Xia Zhiyao summoned her courage and used every bit of cunning she possessed to turn the question back on him.

She did not dare ask directly. This was the only way she knew to test his limits first.

Shen Yu finally stopped what he was doing.

He smiled faintly.

Stupid puppy.

She had actually learned to use such clumsy little tricks on him.

She even wanted a guarantee in advance.

Shen Yu turned and glanced at her with bottomless black eyes, his amusement deepening. He deliberately slowed his words.

“Of course.”

Xia Zhiyao exhaled sharply and prepared to ask the question.

But Shen Yu leisurely returned the object in his hands to its display.

He walked toward her and stopped directly in front of her.

Then, in the same smiling yet chilling tone, he continued,

“You may ask.”

Xia Zhiyao stopped breathing.

He leaned down until his high-bridged nose nearly touched hers. Her panicked face was clearly reflected in his dark eyes.

“However,”

his thin lips parted as he said indifferently,

“I may also punish you.”