Pretty and Perky Beauty

The secret technique passed down by the remnant soul, was it truly powerful? Without anything to compare it to, Merritt couldn't be sure.

But now, he finally understood why the remnant soul was hunted down by so many people.

The saying "a man without sin becomes guilty by possessing a treasure" made perfect sense. Owning something so extraordinary would obviously attract envy and greed.

Before this, Merritt hadn't cared about the secret technique and didn't bother to explore it.

But now, one question kept bugging him—based on all the signs, the remnant soul didn't seem like it came from Earth. So, where exactly did it come from?

Two cars were parked by the side of the road.

One was a sleek black Brabus CLS, its smooth body showing off the kind of flawless design you'd only see in million-dollar luxury cars.

But the rear end had a nasty dent in it, ruining the whole look.

The one responsible? A cheap, low-end domestic car.

The door of the luxury car opened, and a man in a suit stepped out. He had a beer belly and slicked-back hair, and his face was full of rage. It looked like a typical rear-end accident.

Wait! Merritt suddenly felt like something was off. The man with the fancy car looked mad, but the real anger Merritt was sensing didn't come from him—it came from the driver of the cheap car behind.

That didn't make any sense. If you were the one who rear-ended a car like that, shouldn't you be scared out of your mind? So why was this guy angry instead?

The suited man walked to the back of his car, face dark with fury, pointing at the dent and yelling, "Are you blind? This is just—"

Before he could finish, the door of the domestic car opened. The people watching nearby, drawn over by the commotion, were all stunned by what they saw.

"Whoa, she's gorgeous!"

The person who got out of the car was a beautiful woman.

She was wearing a light beige blazer and a matching pencil skirt, the kind of outfit you'd expect from a white-collar office worker.

But underneath the blazer, a light blouse with some lace detailing gave her whole look a softer, more relaxed vibe.

Merritt could instantly tell that the clothes weren't expensive designer stuff, but the design and tailoring were really good. They fit her perfectly.

Still, no matter how well-made or stylish an outfit is, it really depends on the person wearing it.

There's a saying: "Even in royal robes, you might not look like a prince."

But on the flip side, even simple clothes can look amazing if worn by someone with a great body and a beautiful face.

There was no question—it wasn't the clothes making her look good. It was her beauty that made the outfit stand out.

Her long black hair was pulled into a neat bun, showing off a slender, snow-white neck that gave her a sharp, capable air.

Her eyebrows were delicately arched, highlighting her bright, angel-like eyes. Her nose wasn't especially high, but it was straight.

Her lips were soft and slightly parted, revealing four pearly white teeth.

The front of her blazer was stretched tightly across her chest, like it could burst open at any second.

Even in a city filled with beautiful women, someone like her was still rare.

"Not quite as good as the girl…"

Merritt's eyes slid to the curves under her blazer, and he couldn't help but swallow. "But… definitely bigger than the girl. Kinda impressive…"

Whoa!

He instantly snapped back to his senses.

What was that all about?

Merritt was actually kind of freaked out by his own reaction. He wasn't the kind of guy who got distracted by looks.

With everything he'd been through, he had more self-control than that.

He never even spared a glance for other women, except his girl.

But now… his thoughts felt like they were slipping out of his control, like something was messing with his head.

"From now on, you are me, and I am you."

The words of the lingering soul echoed in his head again, and Merritt felt a chill run down his spine.

Could it be that the lingering soul not only changed his appearance but also started messing with the personality he'd had since he was a kid?

Just as he was thinking this, the beer-bellied man, who had been swearing non-stop, suddenly froze the moment he saw the woman get out of the car.

His expression changed instantly. He looked surprised—really surprised.

"Yasmine? Is that you?"

An acquaintance?

Hearing this, Merritt's lips curled into a weird smile. His guess was right — the anger from the man in the suit was just an act. The real fury was coming from the beautiful woman. There was definitely some kind of unknown entanglement between them, maybe even... Merritt had a strong feeling the rear-end collision wasn't an accident at all.

"Mr. Evan, you really didn't recognize me?" Yasmine's pretty face turned cold, her eyes flashing with anger.

"Of course not..."

The man in the suit stared at the damaged rear of his car, frowning. "Look... Yasmine, even though we're friends, I just bought this car..."

His attitude was clear: they might've known each other, but their relationship wasn't close enough to just overlook the damage. She would have to pay for the repairs.

Yasmine's eyes burned with even more anger as she stared at his disgusting, chubby face. She said coldly, "If I remember correctly, it was you who slammed on the brakes, right? According to traffic rules..."

Suddenly!

Merritt noticed a wisp of purple smoke, representing anger, drifting from Yasmine and merging into the Heavenly Pearl. Immediately, a strange power spread through his body, slightly boosting his vitality.

So it seemed...

A person could give off more than one burst of emotion. As their emotions intensified, they could keep supplying more.

If everything was really like this, collecting primal emotion seeds would be super easy — almost too easy!

"I slammed on the brakes?"

While Merritt was thinking about all this in the crowd, the man in the suit's face darkened. "Yasmine, you can't just make stuff up. Who saw me slam on the brakes? If you want, we can call the police and have them check the surveillance footage!"

"Check the surveillance cameras?"

This area was close to an old village in the city, and there weren't any traffic cameras installed, so nothing would've been recorded.

"There are no cameras here, and you know that very well," Yasmine said coldly.

"No cameras, huh?"

Evan had clearly expected this response and acted all self-righteous. "That's fine! The eyes of the people are sharp. There must be witnesses, right? Let's ask the bystanders what happened. That would be fair for both of us, wouldn't it?"

"It was clearly that JAC that sped up and rear-ended!"

"Yeah, I saw it too!"

"Driving a cheap local car and hitting a luxury car? She's gonna lose everything!"

"Does she think just 'cause she's pretty she can crash into people?"

"Women drivers are the worst."

Among the crowd, five or six men and women started speaking up immediately — some were mad, some looked like they were enjoying the drama, and some just acted like they were being fair. But they were all pointing fingers in the same direction.

Yasmine's face changed instantly. She looked shocked and couldn't believe what she was hearing. She knew what really happened, and it definitely wasn't like what they were saying.

But why were they...

Something wasn't right!

"Evan!"

She was so furious her face turned pale, and her teeth clenched tight. "I know this is your setup. These people are all your plants. You knew there were no cameras here, so you slammed on the brakes on purpose to cause the crash, then got your people to lie about it — you're disgusting!"

"Yasmine, what are you even talking about? We're friends. Why would I set you up? If anything, you're the one trying to frame me, right?"

"You..."

"Alright, alright," Evan waved his hand generously and said, "Whether it's a false accusation or not, it's not up to us to decide. Since there are witnesses, let the police handle it."

Yasmine knew very well that if this was a trap, then Evan had definitely prepared everything ahead of time. The police's final judgment would probably not be in her favor.

"What do you want?" she asked coldly.

"What do I want? Even though we were friends, this is a separate matter. Let the police figure out who's responsible. And whatever compensation is needed, so be it."

After saying that, Evan suddenly changed his tone like he just remembered something. "Oh, Yasmine, you're starting your own business now, right? With the damage to my car, it might cost tens of thousands. Are you sure you can afford it? Actually... you know, your salary with me wasn't low. There's no need for a girl like you to work so hard starting your own business. How about this — why don't you come back and work for me? I've never treated you like an employee, more like a friend. If a friend crashes a car, it's no big deal."