"Lu Chengwen, what exactly is your game? You were the one chasing me for the past three years!"
"Didn't you reject me?"
"I'm agreeing to it now."
"Why on earth is that?"
"I like you, I'm happy, I love you."
Lu Chengwen was instantly flustered. "Big sister, stop messing with me. You can't stand me, you hate me, you wish you could choke the life out of me—everyone in Snow City knows it. I don't get it. You loathed me to the core, and now that I've stopped bothering you and we're calling it quits, isn't that the most natural thing in the world? Why is making a clean break with you so damn hard?"
"Do you really want to break ties?"
"Yes."
"Tell me why."
Lu Chengwen muttered to himself:
*If I could tell you, wouldn't I have told you already? The point is I can't!*
*Is this really that important? What matters is that you don't like me! You like Long Aotian!*
Leng Qingqu calm replied, "I don't care what's rattling around inside your dog brain. Until you tell me the truth, I'm not going to give you what you want."
Lu Chengwen looked at her and suddenly chuckled.
*If I don't pull out a few high-tech tricks for you, you won't realize that Master Ma has three eyes.*
Lu Chengwen stood up, walked right over to her, and closed in on Leng Qingqu.
Leng Qingqu instinctively leaned back, pressing her hips against the edge of the desk. "What are you doing?"
"Figures. Women really are cheap."
Lu Chengwen smiled. "When I liked you, you played hard-to-get and put on this holier-than-thou act. Now that I want to dump you, suddenly you're all into it."
Leng Qingqu glared. "Lu Chengwen! Watch your mouth!"
Lu Chengwen grabbed Leng Qingqu by the chin, acting like an absolute scoundrel. "Today I'm going to play rough with you."
Leng Qingqu's mind went completely blank with a buzz.
Is he... going to kiss me?
This jerk is simply inhuman!
I hate him so much! Seeing this scoundrel's attitude makes my skin crawl.
He's coming closer, closer, oh no...
I... I'm not really ready yet! Does my mouth taste okay?
Good heavens! What am I even thinking? He's about to kiss me!
Lu Chengwen slowly closed the distance, thinking:
*Why isn't this girl moving? Move! Just slap me across the face and be done with it! Blow things up and call off the engagement—what a perfect plot!*
*Crap, why are you closing your eyes? Big sister, are you playing for real? Open them, open them! What's this supposed to mean? Giving up the resistance?*
Lu Chengwen looked at the stunning face he was holding in his hand, and this beautiful, cold-as-ice beauty had her eyes shut tight.
If he were a normal person—anyone normal—they would rather be riddled with machine-gun bullets than miss the chance to kiss her.
But Lu Chengwen couldn't.
Because this was the leading lady, Long Aotian's prime leading lady. She was off-limits.
Yet at this point, he was riding a tiger and couldn't get off.
It was another game of who would blink first.
Leng Qingqu heard Lu Chengwen's inner voice. Not only was she not angry, but a hint of a smile even touched the cheeks he was pinching.
She thought to herself with smug delight: *So that's how it is. Playing the bad boy with me, are you? Sister isn't buying your act. If you've got the guts, kiss me then! Go ahead, kiss me!*
Lu Chengwen quickly changed tactics and let go of Leng Qingqu's face. "Initiative, please. Come over and kiss me. I suggest you don't fail to appreciate what's good for you."
Leng Qingqu opened her eyes and looked at Lu Chengwen. Their gazes locked.
Lu Chengwen panicked.
From this woman's face, he couldn't see a shred of anger, not a trace of annoyance, not a hint of resistance.
Instead, Leng Qingqu's two delicate, jade-white hands gently cupped Lu Chengwen's face.
Now it was Lu Chengwen's turn to have his brain short-circuit.
*Big sister... what are you doing?*
*Crap, your character setting just collapsed! You can put up with even this? You're actually delivering yourself right to my door?*
*There's no logic here! None at all!*
*Things have come to this... what are you doing?!*
Lu Chengwen watched as that stunning face and those alluring red lips drew closer and closer to his mouth.
*No way.*
Lu Chengwen couldn't believe it.
*Has today's plot really derailed to this extent?*
Chapter 17: Bad guys belong behind bars
Just as Leng Qingqu's lips were about to brush against Lu Chengwen's, he cracked under the pressure and dodged right past her cheek.
He cursed under his breath, "Fumbling around like that—I've lost the mood."
To her own astonishment, Leng Qingqu felt a powerful wave of disappointment surge through her heart.
What am I doing?
I was actually going to kiss Lu Chengwen?
And when he backs off, I'm genuinely disappointed?
Is this deadbeat really that irresistible to me?
For the past three years, if I gave you the slightest hint of a smile, you'd leap ten feet into the air.
Now you're acting all high and mighty! You just love bullying people!
She turned around and saw Lu Chengwen, with his back to her, shaking like a leaf.
Leng Qingqu let out a snort of laughter.
What a silly boy, getting this nervous? Hah, trying to play the big bad wolf without the guts to back it up—serves you right to be single.
"Uh..."
Lu Chengwen flailed his fingers wildly without any rhyme or reason. "Th-that's it for now. I've got things to do, I'm heading out."
Feigning composure, he practically bolted for the door as if running for his life. Zhao Gang hurried over. "Young Master Lu, how did it go?"
"Shut up, let's go!"
Behind them, Leng Qingqu stepped out and called out to Lu Chengwen with a casual shrug:
"Young Master Lu!"
Lu Chengwen stopped dead.
"If you ever want to make out again, come find me."
Lu Chengwen looked at Leng Qingqu's calm, even slightly triumphant expression and clenched his fists.
Are you all death spirits sent to collect my soul?
"Got it." Lu Chengwen turned on his heel and left, practically fleeing in a panic.
Seeing his back, Leng Qingqu could easily guess his state of mind; if he had wind-and-fire wheels on his feet, he'd probably have flown away.
Leng Qingqu burst out into a delighted laugh.
Han Yue and the others standing nearby were shaken beyond measure!
Had their boss... lost her mind?
Lu Chengwen didn't wait for the elevator. The doors slid open, and a female police officer accompanied by several officers stepped out, immediately flashing her badge at the sight of him.
"Lu Chengwen, right?"
Lu Chengwen was overwhelmed with misery.
Good grief! Is a guy not allowed to live today?!
Yet another leading lady?
Damn it... Long Aotian, just show up already! I promise I'll never lock you in the dark room again!
It's bad enough that you've been quiet, but now your women are taking turns coming at me to torture me!
Leading lady Zhang Shen'er.
Back in school, she was always filing complaints against me. If there was one person in this world who wanted Lu Chengwen to drop dead in the gutter most of all, it had to be Zhang Shen'er.
Unlike Leng Qingqu and Xu Xuejiao, who merely disliked him, Zhang Shen'er genuinely loathed him.
She despised him for being wealthy and reckless, for arbitrarily bullying others, and she believed scum like him had no right to exist in this world.
According to the standard plot, she would investigate his wrongdoings, sneak into his company to gather evidence, only to get caught by him.
And he had planned to do a little bit of this, followed by a little bit of that.
He slipped her a drug and even had a coffin prepared for her.
Naturally, the righteous angel, the Son of Luck Long Aotian, would burst onto the scene in the nick of time!
Right as Lu Chengwen was about to succeed, Long Aotian would beat him half to death and rescue Zhang Shen'er.
So what happens when Zhang Shen'er gets dosed with an aphrodisiac?
Oh, what a coincidence! Just so happens that the antidote is growing right on Long Aotian!
Left with no other choice, utterly cornered, driven to a dead end, and forced by circumstance...
Long Aotian could only resign himself to bad luck, sacrifice himself for others, endure a heavy sense of guilt, and—against his will, bitterly grinding his teeth, and doing it under extreme duress—administer the antidote via unspeakable methods.
Clap, clap, clap!
Let's hear it for the applause!
The kicker was that Zhang Shen'er actually grew addicted to the antidote treatment later on!
From then on, she became obsessed with the "detoxification" process, convinced that only Long Aotian's divine detoxification artifact was the strongest, the best, and top-tier, and she could no longer live without it.
Trash!
The plot was so trashy it was unwatchable!
Yet countless people loved it!
Lu Chengwen knew.
According to the script, this woman was truly capable of sending him straight to the underworld—she was the most dangerous of all the heroines!
He couldn't afford to lower his guard for a second.
"Oh, old classmate!" Lu Chengwen laughed heartily. "What a coincidence!"
"Someone called the police, reporting that the young master of the Lu family is openly committing violence here and even scheduling beating sessions. We aren't wronging you, are we?"
Lu Chengwen thought:
*Now we're in trouble. This Zhang Shen'er hates my guts way more persistently than any other girl.*
*The crucial thing is I'm in a rush to save someone; I can't let her drag me off!*
*If she hauls me away, won't Jiang Shihhan's mother be dead for sure?*
Zhang Shen'er paused. "What did you say?"
"Huh? Oh, I mean, between old classmates, hehe, can't we bend the rules a little? Let me tell you, that Jiao Shiheng is a total scoundrel—he drinks, gambles, patronizes brothels, commits every crime imaginable, throws his weight around, thinks he's hot stuff just because he has a little dirty money, and he insults and toys with women. Plus, he doesn't close the bathroom door when he goes!"
"Whether he closes the bathroom door or not is none of our business. You assaulted someone, so you're coming with us to the police station."
Sweat beaded on Lu Chengwen's forehead.
"Shen'er..."
"Call me Officer Zhang."
"Right, Officer Zhang. I really am in a rush to save someone. Have mercy and cut me some slack, okay? How about this—give me two hours, just two hours. I'll go save the person, and then I'll turn myself in."
"Lu Chengwen, do you even know the law? The net of justice is vast, and law enforcement needs to check your schedule and make an appointment with you? Cut the crap. You can resist arrest, but that'll just add to your charges!"
With a *click*, Lu Chengwen found himself in handcuffs.
"Shen'er—no, Officer Zhang. I know you loathe people like me, and honestly, I pretty much hate myself too. But I am genuinely in a hurry to save someone today—a person's life is on the line! Every other time you've arrested me, didn't I just post bail and walk out a few hours later? Have a heart this time and let's bend the rules; saving a life adds three and a half tiers to both our merits toward the pagoda."
Zhang Shen'er wasn't a standard by-the-book officer. She flipped Lu Chengwen a middle finger and turned to leave.
Inside the police cruiser, Lu Chengwen argued the whole way, but to no avail.
Zhang Shen'er genuinely despised Lu Chengwen.
And unlike Leng Qingqu, who at least maintained a veneer of surface politeness for the sake of the two families' standing, Zhang Shen'er wouldn't give Lu Chengwen an ounce of face. As he was being shoved into the police car, she even gave him a couple of covert jabs.
Zhang Shen'er had martial arts training and hadn't spared him the beatings when they were kids; those two jabs left Lu Chengwen struggling to catch his breath for a long time.
Locked in the police station, Lu Chengwen grabbed the bars and shouted, "Officer Zhang! Let me make a phone call! I'm allowed a phone call, right?"
Zhang Shen'er walked over carrying the logbook and smacked the bars where Lu Chengwen was gripping them. "Quiet down! This is a police station, not your family villa!"
Lu Chengwen blew on his fingers. "Officer Zhang, I know you can't stand me, but this isn't a personal grudge anymore—a human life is at stake! Trust me just this once, I'm begging you, let me make a phone call. One phone call: if I'm lying, the worst that happens is I made a phone call; if I'm not lying, you get to save a human life!"
Zhang Shen'er had never seen Lu Chengwen like this, nor had she ever heard him plead with anyone in such earnest tones.
Every time she'd arrested him before, he'd strolled in with a carefree attitude, stayed in a private holding room, eaten high-end boxed meals, and swaggered out a few hours later, leaving her with some obnoxious parting remarks.
Of course, the offenses he committed were mostly minor, so regulations allowed him to bail himself out—he wasn't some untouchable criminal master-minding international cartels.
Combined with the fact that his victims usually settled out of court, he'd always acted with utter impunity.
Today, however, Lu Chengwen had completely dropped his usual act. It was clear he was genuinely desperate.
Zhang Shen'er stared at him with a stern face. Lu Chengwen met her gaze without flinching, his eyes entirely sincere.
"Just one call, I'm begging you."
"I'll dial. Give me the number."
Lu Chengwen recited Xu Xuejiao's number.
Wary, Zhang Shen'er dialed it. When it picked up, it was indeed Xu Xuejiao's voice on the other end.
With a stiff expression, she shoved the phone right up against the bars.
Unable to squeeze his head out, Lu Chengwen stretched his mouth as far forward as he could. "Xuejiao, little sis? You still there?"
"Mm, listening. What's up, handsome?"
"Hahaha, well, I actually need a favor."
"Oh? Go on."
Lu Chengwen said, "Remember my secretary, Jiang Shihhan? The one who knelt in front of me in the lounge today..."
Zhang Shen'er rolled her eyes. She utterly abhorred Lu Chengwen's conduct—making his own subordinate kneel, what a scumbag!
"Mm, I remember. What about her?"
"Listen to me, her mother's illness flared up, real bad. You need to help her. Who knows where that punk Long Aotian ran off to; this was supposed to be his job, but he's nowhere to be found today. Jiang Shihhan's mom is on the brink of death—can you go check on her for me?"
"How should I check on her?"
"You'll know the moment you see her condition. It's a rare affliction, but you can cure it."
"Oh? Is Young Master Lu suddenly showing such concern for his subordinates?"
"Big sister, stop messing with me right now, saving lives is urgent!"
"Not going."
"Not going?!"
"I don't even know her. I don't just treat anyone's illness, you know that."
"Consider it a favor to me, okay? Help her out, save her mom just this once. I'll pay your consultation fee—double."
"Do you think I'm short on your pocket change?"
"Right, right. How about this—help me this once, I'll owe you a favor, and I'll be your beast of burden to repay you later, sound good?"
"Oh? So you're begging me?"
"Yes!" Lu Chengwen felt like he was about to die of frustration.
"I'm begging you! You're my grandma, my great-grandma, my great-great-grandma—please, oh venerable one, deign to save her! I'm kowtowing to you right here!"
"Hahaha, I have no interest in being your great-great-grandma. But if you're going to beg, you've got to look like you mean it."
"Can we talk about that after I get out? Save the person first!"
"Agree to one condition of mine, and I'll save her."
"Name it!"
"Transfer all your shares in the Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory over to me, without asking for a single cent."
Lu Chengwen closed his eyes.
The Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory had a market value of over thirty billion, and his shares alone were worth around seventeen billion-plus.
"Fine, I agree."
"A deal?"
"A deal, a deal."
"Get over here and sign the contract."
Lu Chengwen roared, "I'm sitting in a cell! How am I supposed to come over and sign a contract with you? Save the person first! Save the person first! You can have all the pharmaceutical factory shares, I don't want 'em anymore!"
On the other end, Xu Xuejiao bit back a laugh.
At that very moment, she was sitting right inside Jiang Shihhan's mother's hospital room. The older woman's condition had already been alleviated, and her vitals had stabilized.
She had even scheduled the surgery to personally operate on her mother next week.
Only Lu Chengwen was still sweating it out like an ant on a hot pan.
Jiang Shihhan was completely dumbfounded.
Over seventeen billion?! Even if she were chopped to pieces and sold off, she wouldn't be worth a fraction of that!
That was an astronomical sum most people couldn't earn in a lifetime—no, ten lifetimes, a hundred lifetimes!
To save her mother, President Lu was... willing to sacrifice this much?
Seeming afraid that Lu Chengwen wouldn't panic enough, Xu Xuejiao deliberately drawled at a leisurely pace, "Still sounds a bit hard to believe. A fellow like you doesn't keep his word. Is a mere secretary really worth all this?"
Infuriated, Lu Chengwen snapped, "Go save her already! Why do you have to talk so much nonsense?"
"You're yelling at me!"
"Huh?" Lu Chengwen startled, quickly softening his tone. "I-I yelled at you? Did I? Haha, no I didn't, no I didn't. Oh man, the echo in here is... cough, cough. Good sis, dear sis, sweet sis—Xuejiao is the sweetest, cutest, most compassionate, and kindest person ever. Help me save her, and I'll give you all the shares, give 'em all to you, okay? From now on, the pharmaceutical factory belongs to the Xu family, and I'll never hang around your eyes again. Help me out, please, I'm begging you..."
"Alright, alright, I'll take a look. Let me go take a bath and do my hair first; if I'm in a good mood, I might head over."
"Hey, you..."
*Beep beep beep...*
The call disconnected.
Zhang Shen'er put her phone away and looked sternly at Lu Chengwen. "So you really were saving someone?"
"Y-Yes."
Lu Chengwen had no energy left to spar with her.
*Did she agree or not? That counts as agreeing, right? She has no reason to turn down a condition like that!*
*She will. She's not the kind of person to stand by and watch someone die. Please, please, you've got to save her!*
Zhang Shen'er had overheard Lu Chengwen's inner monologue earlier and thought she was hallucinating.
Hearing it clearly once more, she looked at Lu Chengwen with a gaze that grew increasingly serious.
She probed tentatively, "Young Master Lu sure drops a fortune to woo women. That girl must be a breathtaking beauty, huh?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Lu Chengwen's mind was a million miles away.
He turned, collapsed tiredly onto the wooden bench, and leaned his head against the wall.
*This won't do. Tomorrow I'm going to make that Long Aotian show up; I can't keep cleaning up his messes forever.*
*I wrecked that business deal with Leng Qingqu, and I saved Jiang Shihhan's mom... Who knows how the plot is going to derail next.*
*Seventeen-plus billion? I couldn't care less. At worst, I'll take a severe beating from the old man and become the laughingstock of the entire Northern Country.*
*I've got too many lice to feel the bites; my reputation is already in the toilet anyway. The most important thing is... the person has to be saved!*
Zhang Shen'er felt this entire affair was beginning to grow bizarrely interesting.