"Why do you keep chasing after a woman like Leng Qingqiu who gives people the cold shoulder all day long?"
"At least she's a decent girl from a good family."
"Well, my sister is a decent girl from a good family, too!" Chen Moqun demanded. "Why did you break up with my sister? Why go fawn over Leng Qingqiu instead of my sister? My sister and you were childhood sweethearts, growing up together. If you had saved all those shells of yours over the past three years for my dear sister, you would have been my brother-in-law by now, and I bet I could already be holding a big nephew!"
Lu Chengwen looked at this shameless guy, Chen Moqun. "The hell is wrong with you? Have you got no self-awareness about why your sister and I broke up? Wasn't it because you got me drunk, set me up with a few foreign chicks in my bed, and let your sister catch us red-handed?!"
"I was young and didn't know any better then. We could have explained that! But what about you? Just because you're the young master of the Lu family, you simply washed your hands of it and dumped her! Seriously, did you even score with my sister or not? Did you get tired of her and dump her on purpose?"
Lu Chengwen stared at him and practically yelled, "Your sister and I were only in high school back then! High school, dammit! I didn't know a thing! I kissed her on the cheek once and couldn't sleep for three days!"
"You guys were together all three years of college, have you forgotten?" Chen Moqun yelled back.
"Wasn't that because you told me I had to find other women to practice on first, or else my skills wouldn't be up to par and your sister would look down on me?"
"Lu Chengwen, let's get our stories straight! The first time, *I* was the one who said we needed to practice, but the second time, *you* dragged me along, saying we needed to review the previous lesson, consolidate our learning outcomes, and strive to get a top score on your sister, right? Wasn't that you?!"
"Damn it! Are you blaming me now?!" Lu Chengwen said excitedly. "When that bunny girl was dancing around the pole showing off her thighs, didn't you kneel on the ground crying like a river, saying I gave you a new lease on life, and that you wanted to play like that every day for the rest of your half-life? Wasn't that you?!"
"I was young and didn't know any better! You should have reined in my wild nature! My dream when I was a little kid was to be a doctor, a lawyer, or an astronaut, but you dragged me into this pit and now I'm a complete nobody! Right now, I'm just a joke in my family!"
"Didn't you become a doctor, a lawyer, and an astronaut?"
At Lu Chengwen's question, Chen Moqun froze, then nodded. "I did. I've been a gynecologist for fallen women, a suave lawyer defending sexy female defendants, and a planetary captain picking up female astronauts in a space capsule..."
The two of them stared at each other for a moment, then suddenly burst out laughing together.
Lu Chengwen smiled and said, "You really are shameless."
Chen Moqun wholeheartedly agreed. "I should become an actor."
It was right at that moment that Lu Chengwen's phone rang.
The second Lu Chengwen saw Leng Qingqiu's name, his face changed color. He shrieked immediately, "Quick, quick, quick! Get the girls over here! Turn the music on, turn it up! Louder! Let's get this party hyped!"
Chen Moqun was completely baffled. "Why did you suddenly get so hyped?"
"Stop talking nonsense! It's Leng Qingqiu, Leng Qingqiu is calling! I have to make her stay away from me!"
Hearing that it was Leng Qingqiu on the line, Chen Moqun—a nearly two-hundred-pound fatty—actually jumped straight up, gritting his teeth. "Let's party! Party like our lives depend on it!"
And that was how that phone call came to be.
He had thought that once the call ended, the matter was over.
However, less than thirty minutes later, the club manager arrived, walked up to Lu Chengwen's ear, and said, "Young Master Lu, President Leng has arrived and is already in the elevator. Should we... have the girls clear out first?"
The manager knew how to read the room and understood the interpersonal dynamics here.
Bulls***. Which club didn't keep track of the personal affairs of the young masters from the Four Major Families in Snow City?
They were cash cows, absolute VIP clients!
Their girlfriends' or wives' phone numbers, license plate numbers, tempers, personalities, social networks—the managers knew them all inside out.
Otherwise, how could anyone survive a brigade of angry women lining up at the club to catch them cheating?
But right now, Lu Chengwen didn't need the manager's tact—at least not when it came to Leng Qingqiu.
And so, after Leng Qingqiu walked in, she saw Lu Chengwen with his arms around two beauties, howling with his eyes closed:
*"They all say my dashing charm is the invincible overlord's spear, oh oh..."*
*Screeech—!*
The music stopped abruptly.
"Huh? Why did it stop? I was just about to show off my coloratura tenor!"
Lu Chengwen turned his head. "Oh, well if it isn't my prospective fiancée, the great beauty Leng Qingqiu! Hahaha, come sit, come sit, pick a song and sing!"
Leng Qingqiu looked at Lu Chengwen coldly. "You're living it up, aren't you?"
"Not bad, not bad, just looking for some amusement. Something you need?"
That single question stumped Leng Qingqiu.
It was true—for the past three years, he had always been the one initiating contact with her. When had *she* ever sought him out?
Leng Qingqiu's lips moved. "Come with me. I have things to ask you."
Leng Qingqiu was used to using this tone with Lu Chengwen.
In her subconscious, the fact that she condescended to speak to him of her own accord was already enough to thrill him.
He would definitely follow her immediately with a cheeky smile and a blooming heart, without a single objection.
However, times had changed.
Lu Chengwen smiled. "I am a man! A stout-hearted, spine-of-steel, proud and heroic young man! What's wrong with finding a few chicks? What's! Wrong! With! It?! Are you unhappy? Are you angry? Fine, engagement canceled!"
Everyone was utterly shocked.
The general manager had been standing by, ready to step in and play peacemaker at any second, but hearing this tone, something was terribly wrong!
Today, Young Master Lu wasn't giving Leng Qingqiu an ounce of face, and... it seemed like he was heading straight for a breakup?
Don't move!
Observe first.
Lu Chengwen was extremely pleased with himself.
*[Leng Qingqiu, don't say Big Brother didn't give you a chance. If you can swallow even this, I admit defeat!]*
*[Oh my, her chest is heaving violently! Snapped, haven't you? Furious, aren't you? About to lose your temper, right?]*
*[There's a glass of beer right in front of you. Pick it up and splash it in my face, and we'll call it quits once and for all.]*
Leng Qingqiu suppressed her anger for half a minute, then suddenly smiled.
She walked right up. One of the girls hurriedly scooted over, and Leng Qingqiu sat down beside Lu Chengwen, pressing close to him affectionately. "Oh, why are you getting angry? I was just worried about you!"
Lu Chengwen was shocked to the point of spontaneous combustion.
And it wasn't just Lu Chengwen—fatty Chen Moqun was frozen in place, while the club manager standing at the back, ready to "put out fires," widened his eyes in sheer disbelief that this was the formidable Leng Qingqiu!
Startled by Leng Qingqiu, Lu Chengwen shrank back instinctively while she had her arms around him, still putting up a stubborn front. "You... don't think an apology means I'm going to stop yelling at you..."
Leng Qingqiu hugged him tighter. "Let's not play today, okay? I really, really want to talk with you."
Lu Chengwen looked at Leng Qingqiu and felt like he was breaking down. Everything was falling apart!
What on earth were the female protagonists in this book doing?!
Xu Xuejiao undergoing a bizarre "genetic mutation" out of nowhere was already enough for him to handle.
*[What kind of evil spirit possessed Leng Qingqiu today?!]*
*[What is she even doing here? I just want to quietly play a small-time villain, live a few days of peace, and not get tangled up with big shots like you! Why is it so damn hard?]*
*[Can't we just live our own lives separately? Wouldn't it be wonderful if we never crossed paths again? Is it really that hard to just ignore each other?]*
Listening to Lu Chengwen's inner thoughts, Leng Qingqiu felt a bitter ache in her heart.
*Does this guy really want me to get as far away from him as possible?*
Lu Chengwen gritted his teeth hard.
He decided to resort to a desperate measure!
*Chapter 8 plot cannot be stopped.*
*[Damn it, in for a penny, in for a pound! You treat me to the first of the month, I'll give you the fifteenth!]*
*[If I don't hit you with some heavy medicine, you won't realize how many legs this young master has!]*
Lu Chengwen smiled. "Want me to calm down? Sure!"
He grabbed a bottle of foreign liquor and slammed it onto the coffee table. "Drink it."
First, Leng Qingqiu never drank alcohol. Her alcohol tolerance was abysmal; even a tiny bit would get her thoroughly drunk.
Second, Leng Qingqiu had an intensely strong sense of pride. In this life, she had never yielded to coercion or grievances, and she had never drunk a forced toast.
Lu Chengwen refused to believe it. He refused to believe Leng Qingqiu's bottom line had vanished, and he refused to believe she would cater to him infinitely. This wasn't the persona of a big heroine, nor should it be.
He refused to buy it!
Leng Qingqiu looked at Lu Chengwen with an expression of anger and grievance, tears swirling in her eyes.
Seeing Leng Qingqiu pushed to the verge of an emotional explosion by his own hand, Lu Chengwen suddenly felt a pang of heartache.
Leng Qingqiu had never suffered this kind of grievance in her entire life.
He had doted on her for three years, fawned over her for three years, pursued her for three years...
Throughout those three years, he was always the one who was completely submissive, compromising, speaking in soft whispers, and trying to please her in every possible way.
She had always maintained her lofty, superior posture. But today, he wanted to make her bow her head in public.
Lu Chengwen shouted inwardly to himself:
*[Lu Chengwen, why are you feeling sorry for her? Don't be fooled by those puppy-dog eyes of hers. She... just hold your ground!]*
*[You can't get entangled with her anymore. Offend her early, break up early, and be done with it.]*
*[Wow, but those mournful eyes... Am I creating bad karma here?]*
Lu Chengwen pretended to be indifferent. "Not drinking? If you don't drink, that means you're not giving me face. And if you're not giving me face, that means you're not giving me... face! I, Lu Chengwen, in Snow City..."
Leng Qingqiu suddenly snatched up the wine bottle, threw her head back, and poured it straight down her throat.
Everyone fell silent, watching.
Watching this scene—watching the proud, noble Leng Qingqiu as wine constantly spilled from the corners of her mouth—Lu Chengwen clenched his fists tightly, cheering himself on.
*[Lu Chengwen, don't feel sorry for her, don't feel sorry for her, don't feel sorry for her! Pitying her is abusing yourself!]*
*[Don't actually drink it, big sister! Stop drinking! Just curse me out and walk away, or if worst comes to worst, slap me across the face! What are you even doing this for?!]*
Leng Qingqiu suddenly choked, pulled the bottle away, and coughed continuously.
Lu Chengwen let out a breath of relief. "Phew..."
Before he could recover, however, Leng Qingqiu grabbed the bottle again and chugged some more.
Lu Chengwen simply couldn't bear it any longer. He snatched the wine bottle right out of her hand.
The two stared at each other. The private club room was drop-dead silent.
Leng Qingqiu's eyes were red and tear-rimmed as she stared fixedly at Lu Chengwen, as if asking:
*Happy now, Young Master Lu? Satisfied now, Young Master Lu? Do you want me to drink more, Young Master Lu?*
Ashamed, Lu Chengwen averted his gaze, unable to meet her eyes. He muttered in a low voice, "I—I'm sorry."
The manager nearby felt it was his turn to suck up and clapped his hands. "Bravo! President Leng has quite the capacity for liquor, truly a heroine among..."
"Get lost!"
Lu Chengwen roared.
The manager froze for a second, then quickly lowered his head. "Right away, let's go, everyone out."
All the waiters and girls hurried outside.
Lu Chengwen let out a breath and stood up. "Let's talk."
Walking down the club hallway, Leng Qingqiu was already swaying on her feet.
Lu Chengwen walked in silence the whole way, his heart filled solely with self-reproach.
*[I didn't mean to make things hard for you, it's just... how did things end up coming to this?]*
Leng Qingqiu's mind was no longer clear. Her steps were unsteady, and she finally stumbled. Lu Chengwen reacted the fastest and caught her in his arms.
The last thing Leng Qingqiu heard echoing in her mind from Lu Chengwen's inner thoughts was:
*[I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, I didn't mean it...]*
Dazed and groggy, tears spilled from the corners of Leng Qingqiu's eyes. "Lu Chengwen... you're not human..."
Lu Chengwen picked Leng Qingqiu up horizontally and sighed. "You're right. I'm not human."
Leng Qingqiu's secretarial team panicked.
They had never handled a situation like this before.
The chief secretary bowed respectfully. "Um... Young Master Lu, you can just hand President Leng over to us. We'll take good care of her."
Lu Chengwen looked at them, calm and sincere. "I won't hurt her. You don't need to worry."
The secretaries were all stunned.
Over the years, they had seen Lu Chengwen in every state imaginable.
Shameless, sleazy, self-proclaimed humorous, completely devoid of standards...
They had never seen Lu Chengwen use such a sincere expression and such an earnest voice to say something so deadpan serious.
For a moment, the female secretaries felt somewhat dazed.
Lu Chengwen gave a bitter smile. "In short, Qingqiu was hurt by me today, and the guilt in my heart right now makes me want to strangle myself. Please trust me and give me a chance to make amends, okay?"
The chief secretary awkwardly replied, "Young Master Lu, it's not that we don't trust you, but we feel..."
At that moment, a dazed Leng Qingqiu wrapped her arms around Lu Chengwen's neck, speaking as if in a dream, "You guys go. I'm fine."
Both Lu Chengwen and the secretarial team were somewhat bewildered.
Should they consider her super drunk or not drunk at all?
The chief secretary needed to clarify. "President Leng, are you sure you're okay? Do you want President Lu to take you away?"
"Mm-ngh..."
Leng Qingqiu hugged Lu Chengwen's neck, pressed her face against his chest, and nuzzled him, letting out a spoiled, coquettish sound.
That left the secretarial team even more dumbfounded.
First, Lu Chengwen had completely broken character and become terrifyingly earnest.
Now, Leng Qingqiu was displaying a coy, girlish shyness that none of them had ever seen in all the time they had known her.
Sweat beaded on the chief secretary's forehead as she anxiously asked, "President Leng, I need to confirm with you: are you really drunk, or..."
"You guys go away," Leng Qingqiu mumbled vaguely.
Carrying Leng Qingqiu, Lu Chengwen walked straight out of the club.
Zhao Gang had already driven the car around and was flashing a wicked, grinning smirk at Lu Chengwen.
As the car pulled away, the chief secretary stood on the spot, her brow furrowed tightly.
"Sister Han, this... President Leng is drunk, and we just handed her over to Young Master Lu... that is so unprofessional!"
Another secretary chimed in, "The crucial thing is we had no choice! President Leng kept alternating between clear-headed and muddled; we couldn't tell whether she was actually drunk and had lost her normal decision-making capacity, or if she was simply... using being drunk as an excuse to be with Young Master Lu."
"But... doesn't President Leng really hate Young Master Lu?"
"Yet today President Leng was definitely the one who came looking for Young Master Lu on purpose, and... you saw how it was at the time."
Sister Han sighed. Watching the car vanish from sight, she said calmly, "If President Leng really is drunk, we're all dead tomorrow."
***
Zhao Gang drove personally.
As he drove, Zhao Gang's mischievous, slick little eyes kept glancing back through the rearview mirror.
Using a damp towel from the car, Lu Chengwen kept wiping Leng Qingqiu's face while asking if she felt better. Leng Qingqiu remained groggy, alternating between clear-headed and muddled.
Zhao Gang finally spoke up. "Boss, I seriously admire you! This move of playing hard to get is absolute genius! I was wondering why you suddenly turned over a new leaf and became a good guy. Turns out you were holding this card up your sleeve all along. Brilliant! Truly brilliant!"
Lu Chengwen looked at him. "I am simply taking care of a girl I accidentally hurt. I don't have a single filthy thought in my head, understand?"
"Yes, I understand," Zhao Gang said, tightly pursing his lips and nodding sincerely.
"To be honest, sometimes I really feel lucky to follow you, Boss. Your upright personality and noble character have always been the model I study and emulate. I firmly believe that if everyone in the world were as kind, upright, and compassionate as you, Boss, this world would be a harmonious, beautiful, and perfect place."
"Speaking of which, I know a themed love motel. It's secluded and private, fully stocked with all kinds of adult novelties and equipment. We just need to slip the manager a little cash, and he can provide us with a complimentary multi-angle recording system..."
Unable to bicker with this extra wheel-spinning lackey, Lu Chengwen silently rolled up the partition glass. He could see Zhao Gang, but Zhao Gang couldn't see the back seat, cutting off communication.
Slip him a little cash? Was that supposed to be *complimentary*?!
No matter how devoid of morals Lu Chengwen might be, he wouldn't stoop to taking advantage of someone when they were vulnerable.
In his own world, he was just a food delivery guy. He had read plenty of web novels, dabbled in various adult movies, and could practically be considered a semi-expert.
Yet he was well aware that was part of his private life; he couldn't afford to play dirty in reality.
The education and family upbringing he had received didn't allow him to do such things.
Besides, could he really touch Leng Qingqiu? The male protagonist's woman was off-limits—that was an ironclad rule!
In every novel he had ever read, there was never a plot where the villain successfully got away with the female lead.
Moreover, if he harbored such thoughts, according to the plot, Long Aotian would instantly materialize.
No matter how secluded the location, Long Aotian would definitely track them down. As for logic? Web novels cared about your grandpa's logic!
Even if you tried to bully Leng Qingqiu on the moon, Long Aotian would encounter some miraculous fortuitous encounter and suddenly pop out, scaring you into losing bladder control on the spot.
Not only would he definitely fail to score, but he would also max out the hatred meter between himself and the male protagonist instantly.
Long Aotian would display his protective desire for her in front of Leng Qingqiu with furious, maddened intensity, showing how heartbroken and self-sacrificing he was for her sake...
Well then, how would the male protagonist's complex, fierce emotions manifest?
By beating him up!
Right, beating him to within an inch of his life!
He might even castrate him, then burn his entire family to ashes in a massive fire.
Then he would pull Leng Qingqiu into his arms, heartbroken to the core, speaking with the tone of an idol drama, martial arts serial, or Qiong Yao romance:
"Qingqiu, it's my fault. I failed to protect you. Blame me! Hit me! Scold me! That will make me feel a little better inside!"
"Oh no! No! No! I won't mind that your hand was held by him, this isn't your fault!"
"I, Long Aotian, swear that from this day forward, I will never let anyone bully you by so much as a hair on your finger. You are my woman, forever and always!"
Lu Chengwen shuddered, nervously checking to see if any cars were tailing them.
Mother Bear, out of momentary softness of heart, how did he actually end up getting the big heroine into his car?!
Heaven is my witness! I have no bad intentions. You... you're the male protagonist, you have to be reasonable and have morals! I didn't mean to do anything bad, so you shouldn't beat me up!
And you definitely shouldn't castrate me.
Castration... is immoral.
Lu Chengwen lowered the partition window. "Zhao Gang, head home."
"Head... home?"
"Is heading home that hard to understand? You big jerk!"
"N-not hard to understand at all."
The night had grown deep.
Sitting in the back seat of the car, Lu Chengwen felt mentally and physically exhausted. Too many things had happened today—way too many.
Other people might think it was nothing, but he had cheated death several times over.
Right then, a phone call came through.
Lu Chengwen answered it. To his surprise, it was Xu Xuejiao.
"Big Brother Chengwen, what are you busy with? Hurry over to the pharmaceutical plant, oh—I'm waiting for you."
"What on earth?"
Lu Chengwen was on the verge of a breakdown. "Big sister!"