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Chapter 145: Chapter 145: The Secret Contest
With an indifferent tone, he spoke slowly in a deep, masculine voice, carrying an endless hint of ambiguity, as if they had known each other for a long time.
Han Jiaojiao looked up to see the man’s face clearly, slightly startled, "...Is it you?"
The man leaned forward slightly, extending one hand with chivalrous grace, "May I have this dance with you?"
Han Jiaojiao wasn’t someone with a good memory; rather than saying her memory was poor, it’s more accurate to say she wasn’t attentive.
For males other than her brother, she showed a natural face blindness. For example, she heard Yan Xiao calling out names like Ahai, Xiaoliang, Xiaoyang every day... but she thought they all looked the same and couldn’t tell who was who.
But she recognized the man in front of her instantly; he was Mr. Long from the last charity banquet.
It wasn’t that Han Jiaojiao was paying much attention when she saw him last time, but rather that this man had left a deep impression on her. She felt a strong, aggressive vibe from him.
It was a very uncomfortable type of aggression.
In both speech and demeanor, he forced you to step back, but once you really did step back, saying he ate you up might be an exaggeration, but conquering you was not far off.
For such a person, Han Jiaojiao instinctively wanted to avoid him and was about to find an excuse to reject him.
But before she could speak, her body reacted first—
She stood up! And extended her own hand!
Long Yueze smoothly took her hand, deftly guiding her step by step onto the dance floor, his other hand naturally settling on her waist, his fingertips imperceptibly, gently stroking through her sheer dress.
A chill rose in Han Jiaojiao’s heart!
When had she ever been treated like this?!
"What... did you do?!" she asked him in a lowered voice, teeth clenched.
Why were her limbs suddenly uncontrollable? Why did she dance with him like a puppet doll? Why?!!
Long Yueze leaned close to her, so close he almost touched her face, his tone as gentle as a lover’s whisper, "It’s been a while, Miss Han... you’ve become even more beautiful."
"Let go of me!" Han Jiaojiao looked furiously at him.
"Shh...It’s just a dance, Miss Han, why be so nervous?" Long Yueze chuckled lightly, whispering, "If you’re not good, I might do something even more extreme, perhaps... have you kiss me in public?"
Han Jiaojiao was shaken! Her body was completely under control, her limbs unresponsive; if she really kissed this man under manipulation... Han Jiaojiao felt a chill throughout her body!
Rage! Unfairness! Despair! Many emotions instantly filled her eyes.
"What exactly do you want?!"
Long Yueze was still smiling slightly, "Didn’t I say? I just wanted to invite Miss Han for a dance."
Han Jiaojiao laughed bitterly in anger, "Mr. Long has a truly unique way of inviting someone to dance!"
"If Miss Han is unwilling, I had to find another way."
Unconcerned by Han Jiaojiao’s mockery, Long Yueze, like the other gentlemen in the dance floor, led his dance partner in graceful twirls. Every move was brimming with ambiguity; seeing Han Jiaojiao’s indignation, his smile only grew more pleased, even delightfully wicked.
Han Jiaojiao was his type, youthful, appetizing. And besides... the unattainable always haunts the mind. Just watching her sit quietly, he felt an unbearable scratching at his heart.
He wanted to bite her.
Long Yueze’s gaze slid from Han Jiaojiao’s delicate face to her snowy white shoulders, her smooth skin enveloped in a luminous sheen, bewitched, he slowly bent down—
Han Jiaojiao was startled and immediately realized that Long Yueze was completely stiffened—not moving at all!
Long Yueze stood rigidly on the dance floor, his body tense, his face slightly pale, while fine beads of sweat seeped out from his forehead.
After her astonishment, Han Jiaojiao found that her body had returned to normal?! She immediately let go of Long Yueze’s hand, stepped back two steps and hurriedly rushed out of the dance floor—she had hardly taken two steps when suddenly she felt a tight grip around her waist! Startled, she thought Long Yueze had caught up to her, but when she turned around, she found it was Han Yi who had wrapped his arms around her waist...
"Brother," Han Jiaojiao called out, her face still somewhat shaken.
As Han Yi escorted her back, he spoke in a calm voice, "Don’t be afraid, it’s all right now."
Han Jiaojiao nodded and let out a gentle breath, feeling reassured with her brother by her side.
She thought Han Yi was just taking her back to her seat, but instead, he led her straight out of the venue—
It was already dark outside, Xiao Jian and Xiaoliang were chatting by the car, and were startled to see Han Yi coming out with Han Jiaojiao, his expression grave.
Han Yi led Han Jiaojiao into the car, his fingers lightly tapping on the glass twice.
"Drive."
...
Han Yi’s face was obscure in the shadows, only his tightly drawn jawline visible.
Brother is angry...
Han Jiaojiao felt uneasy as she watched Han Yi, and gently shook his arm, "Brother."
Han Yi sighed and lifted his arm to wrap her into his embrace, his expression slightly relaxed.
Han Jiaojiao looked up at him and asked, "Was that man just now a Mental Control Superpower User?"
"Doesn’t seem like it," Han Yi affectionately touched her smooth forehead, suppressing the irritation in his heart. "When I used my spiritual power on him, he had no ability to resist, so he shouldn’t be a Psychic Type Superpower User."
"Then how could he..."
"It must have been his subordinates," Han Yi thought for a moment and said solemnly, "To achieve such a level of Mental Control, he must be no ordinary person."
Mental Control, also a branch of the evolution from Mental Induction. It shares the manipulative aspect with Hypnosis, but the outcomes are vastly different.
Mental Hypnosis is an unconscious act, performed under the premise that the target is unaware, and the target would not be aware of their actions after awakening. However, Mental Control is a conscious act, disregarding the individual will of the target, where the Superpower User forcibly connects their will to the target’s central nervous system, creating a controlling effect.
Han Jiaojiao’s heart sank. If a subordinate could be this powerful, did he have others? Inside Beicheng Base, she had never heard of any Superpower User capable of Mental Control, except for a famous Mental Hypnosis Superpower User, Cao Qi. If he wasn’t from Beicheng Base, could he be a Superpower User from Yunan? The man with the surname Long, had he come with Qin Wenhao?
The hand Han Yi had on her shoulder tightened slightly as he spoke in a soft voice, "Stop thinking about it. Today is your birthday, you should be happy. Whatever matters can wait until tomorrow, okay?"
Every time Han Yi comforted her, she felt warm inside, and she immediately pursed her lips, nodding with a smile.
The car quickly reached a place illuminated by bright lights. Colorful lamps hung on the newly built courtyard wall, a blazing bonfire radiated warm light inside the courtyard, voices chattered loudly mixed with songs and laughter, and the aroma of food drifted afar.
Han Jiaojiao’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Han Yi, "Brother! They are roasting lamb legs!"
Han Yi pretended to pinch her nose, "Your nose is really sensitive."
Han Jiaojiao dodged him and quickly opened the car door, zipping out and briskly walking towards the courtyard entry—today was her eighteenth birthday, why should she let others spoil her mood? With her brother, friends, and family, she was determined to enjoy her birthday to the fullest without repeating past mistakes.
