The next moment, a displeased little expression appeared on her face as she deeply pouted her lips.
It was as if she had suffered a great injustice.
Her voice was delicate and soft, as if she was about to cry at any moment: "Chief, you don't like Wanwan anymore."
Li Daoqiang raised an eyebrow.
He glanced again at Wanwan, who truly seemed about to cry, and felt amused inside.
Was she about to get serious, going all out?
What was going on?
The question instinctively arose in his mind.
For Wanwan to act as if she had been injected with adrenaline, burning with fierce fighting spirit—this was no simple matter.
In an instant, he realized something and fell into thought.
Then he felt even more amused.
Could it be that the impulsive truthful remark he made earlier had actually worked?
Thinking quickly, he cooperatively furrowed his brow in confusion and said, "How have I, the chief, stopped liking Wanwan?"
"You like that lady so much, but you don't show the same for Wanwan. You must not like Wanwan anymore.
Wanwan is so heartbroken."
A mist of tears gathered in Wanwan's starry eyes as she stared straight at Li Daoqiang, making her even more captivating.
Li Daoqiang silently cursed her as a drama queen and a little vixen.
He was mostly certain now—it really had worked.
Could this be the best way to deal with Wanwan?
His thoughts churned with some delight.
Suppressing his emotions, he spoke seriously without changing his expression: "Silly girl, since you don't want to marry me right now, there naturally has to be a difference."
"Is that person willing to marry you, Chief?" Wanwan questioned.
"No." Li Daoqiang smiled openly, his tone calm. "But there's still a difference between you two."
"What difference?" Wanwan lifted her delicate chin, full of defiance.
Li Daoqiang's expression grew calm, and silently, he isolated the sound between them and the others.
Though curious, the few transparent figures who were already acting as background and dared not speak naturally had no objections.
They silently continued traveling.
Li Daoqiang glanced at Wanwan, who was now walking beside him, then looked away and spoke in a flat voice: "Wanwan, you're a demoness. Even if you married me, I'd still have to guard against you, because you wouldn't devote yourself wholeheartedly to me, Li Daoqiang."
The plain words suddenly made Wanwan feel a chill run through her, a heaviness settling in.
Li the bandit wasn't playing anymore!
He was serious!
The initial defiance and unwilling anger vanished, replaced by calm rationality.
Her eyes flickered as she looked at Li Daoqiang, then she looked away slightly and said pitifully, "Chief, what are you saying?"
"I know exactly what I'm saying. Even if you, Wanwan, married me, you wouldn't be wholeheartedly devoted to me.
But this woman is different. I'm certain of it.
If she married me, she would be completely devoted to me, willing to die for me.
So, Wanwan, tell me—can that be the same?" Li Daoqiang said calmly.
His demeanor lacked the usual boldness, dominance, and aggression.
Instead, there was a sincere, plain expectation.
Wanwan was stunned, a mix of complex emotions rising within her, along with some doubt and uncertainty.
Could such mortal emotions about love and romance truly belong to a man like Li Daoqiang, a ruthless leader?
Was he being real or fake?
She couldn't be sure, but she already felt a shocking impact.
If it was real, could someone like Li Daoqiang also yearn for love and genuine affection?
What kind of situation would that be?
Involuntarily, a strong curiosity surged within her, an impulse to probe deeper.
She controlled it rationally, but an even fiercer disbelief and defiance emerged.
Was that woman outstanding enough?
What made Li Daoqiang think she could achieve that?
She bit her lip, half-coquettish, half-disdainful: "Chief, are you so certain?
Outstanding women can be very changeable. Maybe you've misjudged?"
She didn't refute his point about her, because arguing further was useless.
Even she didn't believe it herself, and Li Daoqiang certainly wouldn't.
As for emphasizing "outstanding women," that was a given.
If this woman wasn't outstanding enough, no matter what, she wouldn't be worth her attention.
Excellence was the foundation of everything.
That was the rule of the world.
"Heh." Li Daoqiang smiled, saying nothing more.
But the confidence in that smile was unmistakable.
This only made Wanwan more defiant, and faintly, a hint of irritation crept in.
A sharp, cold glint flashed in her starry eyes as she looked ahead, and she said with a charming laugh, "Then Wanwan will have to take a good look. What kind of woman could earn such high regard from you, Chief?
Chief, if Wanwan finds anything wrong, don't blame me, okay?"
A thread of fighting spirit and determination emerged, filled with seriousness.
"If you can find something, I'll stop pursuing you altogether." Li Daoqiang said with a smile.
"It's a deal." Wanwan's eyes lit up, and she instinctively agreed.
"It's a deal." Li Daoqiang nodded slightly.
Wanwan smiled, full of confidence.
A vague complexity was cast aside, her mind filled with soaring fighting spirit.
How many women in the world could rival her?
Even if there were, she didn't believe that after marrying Li Daoqiang, they would die for him.
As long as she found a flaw and proved that woman couldn't do it,
she could slap Li the bandit's face hard.
Let him keep 'playing' with me, hmph.
Arrogant, conceited, and shameless.
This time, she would thoroughly humiliate him. Just thinking about it made her happy.
The more she thought, the happier and more determined she became.
At the same time, Li Daoqiang was also smiling.
But he was smiling inwardly.
For the first time, he felt he had found a way to deal with Wanwan.
The more he thought, the more confident he became.
To handle a proud woman like Wanwan, he needed to strike at her.
Tempt her.
Now, he was provoking her defiance.
Let another sufficiently outstanding woman shake Wanwan's resolve, unbalance her mindset, and stir her emotions.
Only then could he have a chance to breach her defenses.
Originally, Shi Feixuan would have been a good choice.
But she wasn't around, and since they were mortal enemies, there were pros and cons.
Unexpectedly, he realized there was a better candidate.
And he could also sell a persona on the side.
A strong person's emotions and private matters
were always very intriguing.
He was a strong person. He didn't believe Wanwan wasn't curious about his emotions and 'true' heart.
Curiosity was a great start.
With both approaches working together...
He glanced sideways at the exquisite, perfect beauty. Wanwan, he would have her.
Dispelling the power, no one spoke again as they focused on traveling.
During this time, Wanwan naturally asked about the woman's identity.
Li Daoqiang simply replied, "You'll know when the time comes," full of mystery and confidence.
This mystery and confidence only fueled Wanwan's fighting spirit.
After several days of rapid travel
and nearly a day of distant observation,
Wanwan chuckled lightly: "Chief, this Little Dragon Lady you've set your sights on is outstanding in appearance and temperament, but she hasn't broken through to the Grandmaster realm yet.
And it seems she's about to die.
Are you planning a heroic rescue?"
Her expression carried a hint of pride and condescension.
In terms of looks and temperament, she was indeed impressed, but she didn't think she was inferior.
As for martial arts, the other hadn't reached Grandmaster—that was enough.
Below Grandmaster, she wasn't worthy of comparison.
Li Daoqiang calmly watched from afar as Zhou Botong and Little Dragon Lady were trapped by the Mongol group in the mountains. He smiled and said, "Who can say for sure what will happen until the last moment?
Of course, if the opportunity arises, I certainly won't miss the chance for a heroic rescue.
As for the Grandmaster realm, heh, Wanwan, do you think it's difficult for Miss Long?"
"Whether it's difficult or not, she hasn't reached it yet."
Wanwan felt a bit displeased, her eyes twinkling as she said sweetly, "Chief, you really say 'Miss Long' so tenderly. I've never seen you treat an unrelated woman so gently.
But..."
She trailed off, as if afraid to continue.
Li Daoqiang said nothing, just glanced at the little vixen who clearly had ulterior motives, signaling her to go on.
Wanwan blinked her innocent big eyes and said, "Chief, you might not have noticed, but at the Heroes' Gathering that day, Wanwan saw your Miss Long getting along quite well with a young hero."
(One more short chapter—state of mind isn't good, hard to write.)
.....