Yes. That was his motive.
Xie Lianzhen never denied that his motive was to make Lu Mingshu give in.
He was interested in her after their first meeting in the alley.
Xie Lianzhen was fully aware of her situation; her stepmother was trying to sell her off at a good price, and her birth father not only turned a blind eye to it but added fuel to the fire. In order to escape their hands, she was constantly working hard, fighting in different arenas once she reached Tianyun City to increase her value.
He was curious. He knew how hard that could be. In addition, just fighting in arenas wasn't enough – she had to get onto the New Generation Ranking at the least to have qualified to talk to the queen.
For a newbie who just entered the Harmonization Realm, Xie Lianzhen knew very well how hard it was to enter the New Generation Ranking, and if the game just ended there, it would've been boring.