Zhao Gang smiled and said, "Young Master Lu, today it really looks like she has completely fallen for you! She even threw herself into your arms! Don't worry, Young Master Lu, I'll help you win over this little genius doctor from the Xu family. When the time comes, the Xu family's resources will be ours—"
"Shut your mouth!" Lu Chengwen was at his wit's end. "Remember, do not provoke Long Aotian, and keep your hands off Xu Xuejiao! That dead girl is clearly trying to drive me to my grave!"
"Oh, isn't that just perfect, then?" Zhao Gang wore a lewd grin. "Between a married couple, what difference does it make who plays whom?"
Lu Chengwen looked at Zhao Gang, and just as he was about to lose his temper, he remembered that Zhao Gang was simply used to being a lackey and knew nothing of what was truly going on. To fly into a rage at him would be like playing the lute to a cow.
He could only sigh. "What's wrong with the pharmaceutical plant?"
What Lu Chengwen did not know was that at this very moment, Xu Xuejiao was sitting in the back of her business car, wearing earphones and listening in on their conversation.
That embrace just now had been a stealthy maneuver to plant a wire.
Sitting in the car, Xu Xuejiao wore an expression as cold as frost, her gaze sharp. Her team of secretaries watched her nervously, not daring to make a sound.
Zhao Gang was saying, "Director Zhang from the Drug Administration Bureau is a real piece of shit! To cut costs, the young master reduced some of the precious ingredients in this batch of medicine. Besides, it's just traditional Chinese medicine; it's not going to kill anyone."
"That damned Director Zhang actually had the nerve to write a resignation letter and wants to blow the whistle with it! Tell me, isn't this old bastard courting death?"
"Here's what I think we should do: let's just white-label and ship the medicine normally. After all, it's just herbal medicine, and it won't kill or poison anyone. Isn't this guy surnamed Zhang just after money? Give him ten or twenty million to shut him up. If he doesn't agree, we'll just make him completely disappear. Once he's gone, this whole matter will be—"
"Enough, shut up." Lu Chengwen rolled down the partition window and told the driver, "Step on it. To the pharmaceutical plant."
Xu Xuejiao pulled off her earphones, her gaze growing colder still.
Lu Chengwen, if you dare to commit such a conscience-devoid act, don't blame me, Xu Xuejiao, for being discourteous!
Other people might be afraid of your Lu family, but I, Xu Xuejiao, am certainly not!
What is more...
A cunning smile tugged at the corner of Xu Xuejiao's lips.
Chapter 6: Something is Missing
Several well-informed executives inside the pharmaceutical plant were arguing fiercely.
One faction insisted that the medicine must not be destroyed.
This batch of medicine was far too costly. Destroying such a massive quantity of finished drugs would alert the Drug Administration Bureau, and by then the losses would not simply be a matter of raw materials, fine ingredients, and finished processing costs. It could even shake the very foundation of the enterprise and damage the brand's market reputation.
The losses would be incalculable.
The other faction's stance was simple: if the medicine was no good, it could not be white-labeled, shipped, or sold—not on your life!
The two factions were arguing up a storm.
Lu Chengwen buried his face in his hands, pressing his palms against his head, his mind consumed entirely by his own worries.
Why was everything so infuriating?
Misfortunes never came singly; all the bad luck was piling up together.
This wasn't even the plot from the original text, was it? What was this supposed to be? Could the system tamper with the plot at any time now?
Long Aotian wasn't even in this scene, was he?
And what was going on with Xu Xuejiao? Why would she suddenly want to ruin me?
At that moment, the main door was pushed open, and everyone immediately stood up.
"President Xu!"
The crowd greeted Xu Xuejiao one after another.
Lu Chengwen was startled. Why had she come too?
Xu Xuejiao sat down on the opposite side of the circular table, looking at Lu Chengwen with a beaming smile. "Brother Chengwen, I already know everything. How do you plan to handle this?"
"Uh..."
Lu Chengwen's brain raced.
[This batch of medicine cannot be shipped no matter what; it must be destroyed!]
Xu Xuejiao was startled inwardly, her expression shifting through several changes in an instant as she stared fixedly at him, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
Must be destroyed?
This was his true inner thought?!
[I've got it! I'll say we need to ship normally and let her take the lead in opposing me. She will never let this batch of medicine leave the factory.]
[If she finds me annoying enough, she probably won't bother with me much in the future either. I'll use this opportunity to have a row with her, and then pull out my investments! Yes, that's what I'll do!]
[I really am a damned genius!]
At this thought, Lu Chengwen began to smile.
Looking wretchedly eager, he walked over to Xu Xuejiao's side. "Little Sister Xuejiao, look, the situation is like this! The production cost of this batch of medicine is simply too high, and cutting back on the fine ingredients was my idea. While the medicinal efficacy might be slightly reduced as a result, we're talking about Chinese patent medicines here—they won't kill anyone!"
"However, if we destroy them, it's going to alert the Drug Administration Bureau. By then we'll have to hold a press conference, and our pharmaceutical plant will be finished! The reputation of our Number Nine Pharmaceutical Plant will be ruined! Our stock price will crash, right? The later sales volume of our medicines will plummet like crazy, won't it? After that, we won't be able to make any money!"
"We need to gag everyone in the know. At a time like this, we have to stand firm against the pressure and get the big job done! Am I right?"
Lu Chengwen looked at Xu Xuejiao with a grin, thinking anxiously to himself:
[Scold me, scold me, hurry up and scold me! Oppose me, oppose me, hurry up and object!]
[I'll withdraw my capital, and you can become the majority shareholder. From now on, neither of us will bother the other, and we'll have nothing to do with each other until the day we die.]
[You can go on being a good girl and hook up with Long Aotian, becoming his little concubine. Each of us will go our separate ways, and neither of us will get in the other's way.]
Xu Xuejiao was no pushover either.
This fellow had already made up his mind in his heart to destroy this batch of medicinal materials.
Yet he wouldn't do it himself, and instead wanted to make her do it—what was that supposed to mean?
Since when did this fellow acquire such a medical conscience?
And why was he dodging her like the plague? What was that all about?
Was she really that cheap, that she'd go and become a concubine in the harem of that nauseating piece of work Long Aotian?
Xu Xuejiao rolled her eyes and smiled. "Brother Chengwen, I think just like you! As expected, the pharmaceutical plant cannot do without you. When it matters most, we still have to rely on you to steer the ship!"
Lu Chengwen's smile froze instantly.
He looked at Xu Xuejiao as if looking at someone he had never met before.
"Xuejiao, did you mishear me? What I said was... we need to white-label them, ship them out, and sell the medicine..."
"That's right!" Xu Xuejiao said. "That's what I think too!"
Lu Chengwen shook his head vigorously, feeling as though his entire world had completely collapsed.
[What on earth is all this?!]
[Xu Xuejiao, paragon of medical benevolence, how could you do something like this? You agree to something so thoroughly immoral too? Has your brain been flooded with water?]
Lu Chengwen squeezed out a smile. "Xuejiao, you need to think this through carefully. This is medicine! What is medicine for? Saving lives! If the medicine is substandard, it will delay patients' treatments. Just think, tens of thousands of people could because of our medicine... hehehe, you understand, right?"
"I understand, I understand completely." Xu Xuejiao had also made up her mind.
This was a game of chicken to see who would blink first.
Both of them had secretly decided in their hearts that this batch of medicine must absolute not leave the factory.
Yet both wanted the other person to be the one to propose it.
The current situation was this: Xu Xuejiao already knew Lu Chengwen's bottom line, while Lu Chengwen remained completely bewildered, unable to pierce through the fog.
Xu Xuejiao had won right from the start.
The dark-bellied little cutie said with an easygoing expression, "It's just a batch of finished medicine, what's the big deal? If it really delays their treatment, they can just consider themselves unlucky. Who told them to fall ill in the first place? Don't you agree, Brother Chengwen?"
"On the other hand, if our hard-earned silver is spent and we can't make it back, the company's losses will be massive. Brother Chengwen, I support you! Here, I'll sign the papers, and this batch of medicine will leave the factory today, with instructions for the entire lot to be shipped out within three days!"
As the contract was pushed forward and a secretary handed over a signature pen, Xu Xuejiao snatched it up, ready to sign.
Seeing that Xu Xuejiao was actually about to sign, Lu Chengwen panicked. He slammed his hand down over the signature area and stared straight at her.
Xu Xuejiao blinked her large eyes at him. "Brother Chengwen, what's wrong?"
Trembling all over with anger, Lu Chengwen felt profoundly disappointed in Xu Xuejiao.
[Don't ever call me brother again, you're my dad!]
"Xuejiao, have you... really thought this through?"
"I've thought it through!" Xu Xuejiao said. "I trust you, Brother Chengwen. Whatever you say, I'll listen."
Lu Chengwen lowered his head, depressed to the point of exploding.
He snatched the document away and tore it to shreds.
Pressing both hands against the desk, Lu Chengwen kept his head bowed and said in a deep voice, "Report to the Drug Administration Bureau. We are going to destroy this batch of medicine immediately and ask them to send personnel to oversee it."
"At the same time, launch an internal systemic investigation, and have all relevant departments review their operational procedures."
"Investigate and punish the personnel related to the procurement of the fine ingredients, revoke their professional qualifications, and transfer the case to the judicial authorities for formal investigation."
Xu Xuejiao smiled. She had won.
Zhao Gang was so shocked he was on the verge of losing his mind. "Young Master Lu, this batch of medicine is worth over six hundred million! Over six hundred million! Please reconsider! Didn't you and President Xu already—"
"Get lost!" Lu Chengwen vented all his inner anger and depression onto Zhao Gang, deliberately yelling at him for everyone else to hear:
"Is company business something a mere head of security can stick his nose into? Can't I even establish this basic bit of family discipline?!"
"This is medicine! Medicine! Medicine used to save lives!"
"Listen up, all of you, loud and clear: if anyone dares to let even a single case, a single box, a single pill of this medicine leave the factory... I'll twist your head off and use it as a soccer ball!""Not just today. From now on, whoever the hell dares to touch our raw materials, I'll have them thrown in prison in a minute and make sure they rot behind bars!"
"Forget six hundred million—even six billion, sixty billion... I'll let them perish right here in our pharmaceutical plant, and not a single speck of scrap medicine will ever leave these gates!"
Lu Chengwen looked at Xu Xuejiao. "What do you think, President Xu?"
Xu Xuejiao smiled.
This time, it was a smile of genuine relief.
She suddenly felt that she didn't really understand Lu Chengwen at all.
This guy was completely different from when they were kids!
Were those rumors about him bullying the market and committing every imaginable evil really true? Could there have been some mistake?
Besides, the temper tantrum he had just thrown was actually quite handsome.
"Brother Chengwen, I said it before—it's your call. Whatever you say, I'll listen."
Lu Chengwen looked at Xu Xuejiao's triumphant expression and suddenly understood.
*(This brat figured out from the very beginning that I would never let this batch of medicine leave the factory?!)*
*(Has she really heard nothing about my reputation? Big sister, I'm a villain who bullies the market, seizes people and property, commits every sin, and is driven entirely by greed! How dare you play games like this with me?)*
*(No, something's wrong, absolutely something is wrong!)*
Xu Xuejiao stood up with a smile. "Brother Chengwen, it's my birthday next week, and you're invited to my birthday party. As for the matters here, I'll leave them to you."
Xu Xuejiao turned and walked away.
At this point, she was completely at ease.
She had Lu Chengwen completely figured out; there was no need to worry about him running amok in the pharmaceutical plant.
He simply didn't possess that "ability."
Sitting in the car, Xu Xuejiao's heart was still restless.
That idiot—when she agreed to let the medicine leave the factory, the disappointed look in his eyes was as if he were the righteous hero and she was Snow City's number one villainess.
Still, the kid really looked quite dashing today.
Just thinking about how she had driven Lu Chengwen to his wits' end, forcing him to rack his brain in a battle of wits against her until he was on the verge of a breakdown, was just too much fun!
At the thought of this, Xu Xuejiao burst into a laugh.
Her secretary team was completely stunned. Exchanging glances, the chief secretary asked cautiously, "President Xu, what's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing."
Xu Xuejiao put on a straight face and resumed her serious expression, but remembering how priceless Lu Chengwen's thwarted expression had been today, she burst out laughing all over again.
...
Evening fell, and the city lights began to twinkle.
Leng Qingqiu had been distracted all day long.
Lu Chengwen's situation was far too bizarre.
Why on earth had she suddenly been able to hear his inner thoughts?
And why could he accurately predict Long Aotian's actions?
He seemed terrified of Long Aotian, yet the two of them clearly hadn't even met!
Among the people present today, only she knew that Long Aotian was exceptionally skilled in martial arts. Why on earth had Lu Chengwen been able to sense the danger radiating from Long Aotian so acutely?
There were simply too many mysteries.
Was everything this guy had done for over three years—his so-called love, affection, and pursuit—all fake?
Just because a Long Aotian appeared, he backed down? He didn't dare to fight for her anymore?
Her secretary knocked on the door, poking half her body in. "President Leng, leaving for the day?"
"Huh? Oh." Leng Qingqiu gathered her thoughts. "Let's go."
Leng Qingqiu felt something was off, as if something was missing...
Right, a person was missing.
For three years, at this exact time, there would invariably be a shameless, bootlicking pest waiting eagerly by the door, wearing a flashy suit, holding a bouquet of flowers, and chasing after her with nauseatingly cheesy pickup lines.
Every single day she had to endure that guy's harassment and hypocritical flattery, and every single day at this hour she had to humiliate herself right here in the company's lobby.
Yet today, he was gone. Looking at the empty doorway, Leng Qingqiu suddenly felt a hollow emptiness in her heart...
Walking down the hallway, the sound of her high heels felt particularly cold and desolate.
One secretary muttered, "Huh? How come it feels so quiet today?"
Another secretary blurted out, "Young Master Lu didn't come!"
"Oh, that explains it! Yeah, usually at this time he'd already be waiting at the door, chattering away nonstop."
Leng Qingqiu glared at them. "Nothing better to do?"
The secretaries quickly shut their mouths, and the group walked quietly to the elevator bank.
Leng Qingqiu felt completely uncomfortable all over.
What was going on?
Hadn't she always been praying for Lu Chengwen to stay away from her?
Hadn't she always wished for him to vanish from this world?
Now that he had vanished, what was wrong with her?
Leng Qingqiu was annoyed beyond measure.
When they reached the entrance, a young staff member whose sole job was to collect the discarded flowers every day was waiting eagerly. Seeing Leng Qingqiu and the others emerge empty-handed, she froze.
Then she looked past Leng Qingqiu, but there was no sign of Lu Chengwen.
A look of utter bewilderment crossed her face.
Leng Qingqiu looked at her. "He didn't come today."
Stepping into the car, Leng Qingqiu felt even more irritated.
It seemed that without Lu Chengwen, her life had suddenly changed...
The vexation tormented her for a long time until she resolutely snatched up her phone. "Hey, is this Lu Chengwen? I want to see you."
The other end of the line was extremely noisy. "Huh? What? Speak up, I can't hear you!"
A girl's voice came through the phone: "Young Master Lu, keep drinking with us!"
"Ah, hang on a second, I'm on the phone. President Leng, I'm a bit busy right now, let's chat another day!"
Beep, beep... The call disconnected.
Leng Qingqiu was instantly hopping mad and snapped at the driver, "Track Lu Chengwen's location. We're going to find him!"
***
Chapter 7: What Has Gotten into the Female Leads?
Lu Chengwen found Chen Moqun.
Chen Moqun was Lu Chengwen's sworn buddy, Chen Mohuan's older brother, and Chen Mengyun's younger brother.
Chen Moqun wasn't as handsome as Chen Mohuan; he was a standard, chubby slacker.
The Chen family business was currently managed by Chen Mengyun, but Chen Moqun held the largest share.
In other words, this kid practically did nothing proper all day long except drive sports cars, pick up foreign girls, and burn through endless piles of cash.
Chen Moqun had plenty of flunkies around him, but practically no friends.
His only true friend—whom he considered his sworn brother—was Lu Chengwen.
When Chen Moqun received Lu Chengwen's call, he froze for a moment. As soon as he heard that Lu Chengwen wanted to have some fun, he instantly grew beyond excited and texted him an address.
It was an upscale private club where the girls were all "models."
If you didn't drop eighty or a hundred thousand bucks in a single night here, you'd practically be too embarrassed to walk in.
And that was just for ordinary nouveau riche; when Chen Moqun came here, dropping a hundred thousand without blowing it on a wild night would mean he was feeling sorry for his old man and trying to save the family money.
So, fat as he was, the treatment he enjoyed here was top-tier.
Lu Chengwen was in an irritable mood.
It wasn't like he had never seen the world. Having played the villain six times before, he knew how wealthy people lived it up and was hardly a stranger to places like this.
He found that Chen Moqun was equally bored out of his skull. Having long since grown sick of looking at beauties here and having indulged in every possible pleasure, the guy didn't even know how to find amusement anymore.
Still, Chen Moqun was much livelier than Lu Chengwen and said excitedly, "Sally, Cher, and you... what's your name again?"
"Brother, my name is Tiantian!"
"Whatever, whatever. You girls take good care of my big brother. He doesn't come to a place like this easily. If you can make him lose his soul in pleasure today, hehe, this young master will give each of you a hundred-thousand-dollar red envelope, with no upper limit!"
The girls instantly perged up, all crowding around Lu Chengwen.
"Young Master Lu, what kind of style do you like?"
"Young Master Lu, shall we play some games? We have lots of games, and they're super thrilling!"
Lu Chengwen had come here to cheer himself up, only to find he couldn't get into it at all.
"You guys quiet down for a minute. I need to talk to this fat boy."
The girls obediently retreated to the side, turned off the music, and chatted in low voices while holding their wine glasses.
"What's wrong?" Chen Moqun asked. "Don't like them? Want a fresh batch?"
"No." Lu Chengwen sighed. "Leng Qingqiu and I are getting engaged. Did you know?"
"I know." Chen Moqun snorted. "That Leng Qingqiu... I don't even know what to say about you. What does she even have? A figure? A face? Which girl here doesn't have those? Do you have any idea how many young beauties' youth you've wasted over the past three years?"
"Besides, even if you like being a bootlicker, why her of all people? Look at Leng Qingqiu's dead attitude... What does her Leng family even have left? Don't they still have to rely on your Lu family to keep them afloat? Yet she still acts like she's God's gift to the earth, wearing a stinking face all day long? Just looking at her makes me want to puke!"
Lu Chengwen looked around. "We've been scattering cash and looking for thrills in places like this since college. It's been all these years—aren't you tired of playing?"
"I'm sick of it as hell," Chen Moqun said. "But what else can I do? What am I good for? I went to work once and took three naps in a single morning. When my subordinates reported on their work, I couldn't understand a damn word they said! I don't know how to do anything else either; I only know how to spend money, play around, and chase girls."
Lu Chengwen looked at him. "What you do isn't called chasing girls. Chasing means pursuing them, not just flashing your money and having them come over when you crook your finger."
"Don't tell me I have to be like you—"