Making up a random excuse and having the nerve to claim he was just joking—with no living witnesses, there was simply no way I could hold him accountable!
Wasn't he an absolute veteran and seasoned expert at this sort of thing?
Lu Chengwen looked at the motionless Xu Xuejiao and felt thoroughly bewildered.
*(Has this chick lost her mind? Why isn't she moving?)*
"Hello? Hello-hello?" Lu Chengwen waved the contract twice. "Look at the contract. Why are you staring at me?"
Xu Xuejiao knitted her delicate brows, took the contract, but kept her gaze locked directly on Lu Chengwen's face.
Gone was the mischievous, giggling playfulness that usually defined her expression.
Her cute, exquisite doll-like face had turned alarmingly solemn.
Lowering her eyelids, she checked the spots requiring a signature. Everything was in order.
In other words, the moment she secured this contract, today's net profit would exceed seventeen billion!
And that was merely on paper.
By gaining full controlling interest in the entire Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory, the subsequent returns would be immeasurable.
"Why?"
Lu Chengwen used a wet wipe to clean the red ink off his fingers. "What do you mean, 'why'?"
"This contract."
Xu Xuejiao looked somewhat annoyed. "Why are you signing it?"
"If I don't sign, won't you accuse me of going back on my word?"
Xu Xuejiao stared at Lu Chengwen, trying to detect the slightest trace of an ulterior motive in his expression.
Unfortunately, Lu Chengwen remained as calm and indifferent as ever.
Seeing his relaxed demeanor, Xu Xuejiao completely snapped.
"Lu Chengwen! What kind of game are you playing? Tell me!"
Startled by her sudden outburst, Lu Chengwen looked into her eyes. "Why... why are you getting so worked up over making ten-odd billion?"
Chapter 20: Life is Going Swimmingly Enough to Die For
Xu Xuejiao couldn't figure out why she was so furious.
She was just furious.
This guy... he made no sense at all!
Who on earth just hands over ten-odd billion like it was nothing?
Lu Chengwen was equally baffled.
*(Is she out of her mind? Wasn't she the one who demanded these shares from me?)*
*(Taking the shares is fine—consider it paying money to avert disaster. From now on, staying far away from her means I'll live a few years longer.)*
*(You just go ahead and follow the normal plotline, becoming someone's harem member. I'll peacefully stay in the Northern Country as a wealthy man, and we won't bother each other.)*
*(Perfect.)*
Xu Xuejiao grew even angrier.
Over seventeen billion, fifty-one percent of the Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory's equity—was all of this just meant to... brush her off and send her packing?
Just because he hated her and wanted her to vanish from his life?
Did she really disgust him to such an extent?
Xu Xuejiao felt as though she had never suffered such a monumental insult in her entire life.
What did it mean when a man was willing to abandon nearly twenty billion in assets just to completely cut ties with you?
It meant that in his eyes, you were nothing more than a ghost!
This was contempt carried to an absolute, unimaginable extreme!
Overcome with anger, tears welled up in Xu Xuejiao's eyes.
Her outburst immediately drew the attention of several people standing nearby.
Xu Xuejiao's team nervously asked, "President Xu, what's wrong? Why are you... why are you crying?"
Lu Chengwen chimed in, "She made over ten billion and got too excited."
Xu Xuejiao snapped, "Leave us."
"Oh... right. We'll be right over there. Call us if you need anything..."
"Leave!" Xu Xuejiao shouted.
The secretary hurriedly walked away.
Xu Xuejiao stared at Lu Chengwen. "Do I annoy you that much?"
"Huh?" Lu Chengwen was completely thrown by her.
*(Are you sick?! Do you have some kind of mental illness?!)*
*(Big sister, you just made over ten billion off me! Go take your money and hit the club!)*
*(I'd even let you give me my shares back and kowtow to you! I've already transferred them over to you, so why... why are you getting mad?)*
*(Don't you realize how utterly absurd this little freak-out of yours is?)*
"I... I'm a bit confused here," Lu Chengwen said. "Isn't this the result you wanted?"
Xu Xuejiao snatched up the contract and tore it to shreds.
Now it was Lu Chengwen's turn to be shocked.
"Little sister Xuejiao..."
"Lu Chengwen, I am not you. Every cent I earn complies with morality and the law, and I've never made a habit of threatening people's lives to do business. Keep these shares yourself."
"Oh." Lu Chengwen still didn't understand. "Are you... alright?"
"Do you find me that repulsive?"
"Not at all." Lu Chengwen scratched his cheek. "You're actually quite cute."
"Then why do you always want me to disappear?"
*(Is it really that obvious?)*
Lu Chengwen felt a pang of guilt.
"Of course not. It's just... haha, ever since we were kids, haven't you always loathed me? Shouldn't you be glad to see me vanish?"
Xu Xuejiao took a deep breath. "I've changed my mind. I want to understand you better."
Transforming like a master of face-changing, she blinked away her tears and instantly flashed a brilliant smile:
"Starting today, I'm sticking with you every single day. The more annoyed you are with me, the more I'll linger right in front of your eyes. I'm going to drive you crazy!"
Of all things, this was the one thing Lu Chengwen couldn't handle.
He stared in sheer terror at the grand heroine.
"What is the logic (reason) behind this!?"
Lu Chengwen protested, "It makes no sense! What is wrong with all of you?! First Leng Qingqiu, and now you—what are you people doing? She looked down on me and thought I was a pathetic, bootlicking loser. Ever since we were kids, you've thought I lacked integrity, and all these years you could barely be bothered to say hello. What's gotten into you both these past couple of days? Are you trying to drive me to an early grave?"
"Will you be getting engaged to Leng Qingqiu?"
"Get engaged to her over my dead body!" Lu Chengwen blurted out, agitated. "I still want to live a few more years!"
Xu Xuejiao looked at him. "Fine, then get engaged to me."
Lu Chengwen had just picked up a cup of coffee to take a sip, and upon hearing those words, he spat it right out.
He choked and couldn't speak for a good long while.
Xu Xuejiao simply watched him with a frown.
Lu Chengwen patted his chest, frantically wiped his clothes, and busied himself for a moment. "Big sister, don't scare me. I don't have that kind of luck, and that's not a joke to be throwing around."
Xu Xuejiao rested her arms on the table, cupped her chin in one hand, and smiled as she watched him.
"Brother Chengwen, I feel like you've changed a lot over the past few years."
"Huh? Have I?"
"Although I don't know what kind of madness has gotten into you lately, I think you're actually a pretty good guy."
Lu Chengwen sighed. "I have things to do, I'm heading out."
...
Sitting in the back of the car, Lu Chengwen looked silently out the window.
The direction things were heading was getting a little too bizarre!
From now on, he could never seal Long Aotian away again. Either he sealed him for life, or this constant day-to-day sealing was going to drive him crazy.
He needed to release him quickly and let him go tangle with the female protagonist harem.
Otherwise, how was it acceptable for this bunch of girls to keep orbiting around him?
First, Leng Qingqiu completely flipped her usual script, suddenly agreeing to an engagement yesterday and taking the initiative to kiss him today.
Now, Xu Xuejiao's gaze toward him didn't seem quite right either, actually talking about getting engaged.
Even if she was joking, he couldn't afford to take risks with that kind of joke.
If this kept up, he was bound to slip up sooner or later.
No, I have to... make them hate me, loathe me, and desperately wish they were a hundred yards away from me.
I've run into way too many female protagonists today, I need to take a breather.
Chen Moqun called to say his grandfather wanted to see Lu Chengwen.
Lu Chengwen originally didn't want to go, but upon second thought, there was still plenty of time until tomorrow noon at twelve. Wandering around outside might lead to bumping into yet another grand heroine.
Fine! I'll go to the Chen family, drink with Chen Moqun until dawn, and then sleep straight past twelve noon tomorrow. That should work, right?
Brother Aotian, you really need to step up your efficiency and hurry up and reel in this bunch of female demons. Your boy here feels like he's living life as a petty thief.
Arriving at the Chen family estate, Lu Chengwen chatted with Chen Qiushou for a bit before pulling Chen Moqun up to his private floor.
The two of them sat on the balcony chairs, watching the sunset glow while drinking red wine and smoking cigars.
Chen Moqun asked, "How's it going with Leng Qingqiu? Did you bag her yet?"
Lu Chengwen laughed. "Bag her? What are you talking about? I chased her off as soon as she woke up."
Utterly astonished, Chen Moqun gave him a thumbs-up. "Nice! Such self-control! Out of everyone I know, I, Chen Moqun, don't bow down to anyone—except you."
"You're not getting any younger either. Find something productive to do; you can't just idle away your days forever."
"I heard you saw my sister?"
"Ah, yeah, I saw her."
At that exact moment, Chen Mengyun happened to walk into the main hall.
She had come down to argue with Chen Moqun over an expense report, but upon entering the hall, she spotted a familiar back sitting on the balcony smoking a cigar alongside her younger brother.
Chen Moqun said, "My advice is to cut ties with Leng Qingqiu right now and turn around to chase my sister. Ever since my sister broke up with you, she hasn't dated anyone else. If you didn't take her virginity back then, then she's still untouched."
"So sure? I remember her ass being pretty voluptuous; she might not necessarily have been factory-fresh, you know."
Chen Mengyun was fit to be tied.
These two guys were cut from the exact same cloth, colluding in villainy.
Whenever they got together, they never did anything good!
To actually sit there talking about her like that behind her back—one was her first love, and the other was her own flesh-and-blood younger brother. They were supposed to be the people closest and most intimate to her, yet they discussed her without an ounce of respect, using... that kind of tone.
Chen Moqun continued, "My sister is one hundred percent untouched! After breaking up with you, she went straight to work at the group, logging over a dozen hours of work a day like a crazy person."
"Half a year later, she took over the management and operations of the subsidiary, becoming even more unapproachable. She cared about nothing except work."
Lu Chengwen said, "I know. Is she still pushing herself that hard?"
"Not anymore, and she doesn't need to," Chen Moqun said. "By now, she's thoroughly mastered the ins and outs of the entire group up and down, and she's honed her own capabilities, so it hasn't been as grueling. That's why right now is your golden opportunity! If you just show half the enthusiasm you had for Leng Qingqiu, I guarantee my sister will be the little white horse between your thighs, letting you gallop wherever you please."
Chen Mengyun was driven absolutely mad.
Was there any brother who talked about his own older sister like this? It was utterly sickening!
Yet Lu Chengwen suddenly spoke in a serious tone:
"Hey, hey, hey, do me a favor and stop talking about your sister like that. She's your sister, show some respect."
"I'm not talking to an outsider, you're one of us! Look, while my grandfather is still alive, if you want to win back my sister, nobody in the family would dare object—not to mention you've got me backing you!"
Looking at the setting sun, Lu Chengwen smiled bitterly and shook his head. "It's no use. Things between her and me are already impossible."
"Why? Isn't it just because of that stuff back then? Do you even call that a thing? Which rich kid hasn't had their wild phases? As long as you treat my sister well from now on, our family will back you one hundred percent."
Lu Chengwen thought to himself: *You have no idea what the actual situation is. This isn't just a matter between the two of us; there's a grand protagonist standing right in the middle of us.*
*I'm not someone who refuses to eat meat; I'm someone staring at meat I wouldn't dare touch with chopsticks—I can't even look at it!*
Lu Chengwen smiled. "You'd better worry about yourself instead. Maybe you should settle down and start a family; it might ground you. With the responsibility of a family, a person matures."
Chen Moqun sighed. "Feels... a bit impractical."
"What's impractical about it?"
Lu Chengwen turned around to face Chen Moqun. "Let me tell you, what a person's whole life is really about is family—a wife, kids, and a warm kang bed. Imagine having someone who truly loves you; the moment you look at her, your heart warms up, and the second she sees you, she smiles and her eyes crinkle up. How great is that?"
"For the sake of love, you look after each other by day and pull the quilt over yourselves at night for some shameless fun—that is true happiness."
"When you have kids and watch a little life enter the world, both of you running around ragged trying to raise him until he finally looks up and calls you 'Dad'—that feeling is a million times happier than playing around with a bunch of little demons in nightclubs every day."
Chen Mengyun froze in place.
Pearls of wisdom were actually coming out of this scoundrel's mouth?
Without realizing it, Chen Mengyun wore a gratified smile.
Chen Moqun stared at Lu Chengwen as if looking at a complete stranger.
"Holy crap! How come you... suddenly got so profound? Big bro, you're supposed to be a black-hearted businessman, how are you talking like a righteous sage?"
Lu Chengwen sighed. "The mortal world is full of vicissitudes; this flashy world dazzles the eyes. A true man should be able to hold onto his core self no matter how bizarre, superficial, or restless the world gets—never being vain, never depraved, never drifting with the current, never letting himself run wild. Grasping what is truly important in your life—that's what makes a man."
Forget about Chen Moqun being frozen in place; even Chen Mengyun behind them was smiling.
This deadbeat, didn't he actually understand reason quite well?
These two public menaces actually had brains that worked better than anyone's; they just refused to walk the straight and narrow.
They were like this back in school, competing with each other to see who could be more corrupt.
Chen Moqun shook his head at Lu Chengwen. "Did something happen to you recently? Is your brain broken? By the sound of it, are you really going to swear off women from now on?"
Lu Chengwen laughed out loud. "To hell with swearing off women. A man is never satisfied without meat."
Chen Moqun had a sudden epiphany. "Oh, you've got a new target, huh? How does she compare to my sister?"
"Your sister..." Lu Chengwen deliberately paused. "An absolute bombshell. By the way, did her breasts grow again? Those two treasures of hers look like they could burst through her clothes and pop out at any second."
Chen Mengyun was instantly fit to be tied with rage.
These two deadbeats! They'd only said a few proper sentences before immediately going off the rails again!
"Hahaha!" Chen Moqun laughed. "Tell me the honest truth, did you or did you not bag my sister back then? Swear on it!"
"I didn't!"
"I don't believe you!"
With a wicked grin, Lu Chengwen said, "Let me tell you, everything was truly ready that day. Your sister had already been tamed clean by me, lying right there ready for me to have my way with her."
"Damn it, you finally told the truth!"
"But do you know what happened afterwards?"
"You... don't tell me... it ended right then and there?"
"No!" Gritting his teeth, Lu Chengwen grabbed Chen Moqun's cheek and pinched it. "It turned out your punk-ass got into a fight with someone and called me! I damn well had to pull up my pants and sprint out the door!"
"Was that... the time we beat up Old Six?"
"That exact time!"
"Hahahaha..."
The two bad boys collapsed into fits of laughter.
As absurd as it was, looking back across the years at their youthful folly filled them both with an inexpressible sense of nostalgia and joy.
With a stern face, Chen Mengyun walked right up to them. "Need a top-up on the drinks?"
"Yeah, open another bottle."
Chen Moqun replied naturally.
Lu Chengwen leaned in close to Chen Moqun, wearing a wicked smirk. "You punk, you have no idea what a good thing you ruined for me! Your sister's state that day, oh man—her face was as red as a monkey's backside, she was lying there stripped bare, nervously biting the corner of the quilt with her teeth, not resisting at all, and I was just about to..."
Chen Moqun blinked. "Go on! Tell me, tell me!"
Lu Chengwen slowly turned his head and saw Chen Mengyun staring right at him with an icy gaze.
*(I am dead.)*
Chapter 21: Disaster Strikes
Both of them had assumed it was just one of the household maids coming to serve them.
Because they had been too engrossed in their chat, and Chen Mengyun rarely entered Chen Moqun's room without giving notice... things had turned horribly awkward.
The moment Chen Moqun caught sight of Chen Mengyun, he immediately pointed an accusing finger at Lu Chengwen and roared, "Lu Chengwen! What kind of outrageous nonsense are you spewing? That's my sister! The person I respect, admire, adore, and deeply love the most... my eldest sister!"
Lu Chengwen felt his mind snap.
*(Why is she home? Didn't they say she hardly ever comes back?)*
*(How much of what I just said did she overhear? Judging by that expression, she heard all of it, didn't she?)*
*(Oh crap! Aren't I completely dead now?)*
"I-I'm sorry, I might have... had a bit too much to drink," Lu Chengwen stammered, feeling somewhat nervous.
"Sis, here's what happened. Chengwen didn't mean..." Chen Moqun hurriedly stood up, trying to play the peacemaker.
"Get lost!"
"You got it." Without a shred of hesitation, Chen Moqun tucked his tail between his legs and bolted.
Left facing an enraged Chen Mengyun alone as the spineless fatso vanished in a puff of smoke, Lu Chengwen had no choice but to take the heat.
"I'm sorry, I really did have a few drinks and let my mouth run away from me. I apologize..."
Looking at Lu Chengwen, Chen Mengyun's eyes were filled with anger, humiliation, and heartbreak.
Her voice trembled slightly. "Lu Chengwen, ever since we broke up, you've gone around telling people I behaved like a slut in bed, and now you're saying things like this in front of my younger brother. I really want to know—what on earth did our past mean to you?"
Lu Chengwen wanted nothing more than to slap himself across the face.
Men were strange creatures sometimes. They liked to discuss women with their best bros.
The closer the friends, the more boundary-pushing the talk—whose boobs were bigger, whose ass was perkier...
That didn't necessarily mean their moral standards were rock-bottom—though Lu Chengwen and Chen Moqun were exceptions, as their moral standards had indeed never been very high.
Yet this kind of banter was commonplace among men.
It served as a bit of casual spice in life where everyone just ran their mouths for a thrill, letting whatever was said vanish into thin air.
But the moment those words were overheard by a woman—especially the person involved—the situation changed completely.
It was an insult, a belittling, and a profound lack of respect toward women.
Particularly for a relatively pure girl like Chen Mengyun, accepting that her first love talked about her in such a manner was practically impossible.
Seeing a tear slip down Chen Mengyun's cheek, Lu Chengwen said guiltily, "I really was just joking, and I never went around spreading bad things about you."
"To you, was I just a woman you used to play with, someone who's no different from any other once her clothes are off, nothing more than your oversized toy?"
"I never even played with you!" Lu Chengwen blurted out. "I really didn't! Nor did I ever say those things; someone must be spreading rumors. You know what people of our status are like—scandalous rumors were flying everywhere back in school, how many of them were ever true?"
"Is it really that thrilling, that pride-boosting, that face-saving to go around bragging to people that you slept with Chen Mengyun, the eldest daughter of the Chen family?"
"Please stop, I'm begging you. I was wrong."
Chen Mengyun pulled out her phone and dialed a number.
"You're calling the cops on me too?"
"Hello, Hu Shuhui? Didn't you say you wanted to treat me to dinner? I'm free today."
Lu Chengwen's eyes flew wide open.
Hu Shuhui!?