Chapter 6

"Good grief! I've been walking through this plot for an entire day now. Can't you let me rest for a minute? Are villains not human?"

Xu Xuejiao was stunned, thinking to herself: What on earth is this guy rambling about?

"No, you're the one who said that batch of medicine needed to be destroyed as soon as possible. My team has already arranged everything. We're destroying it tonight and holding a press conference tomorrow, so we have to work through the night."

"Aren't you the vice president of the pharmaceutical factory? You being there is more than enough!"

"Hehe, an operation of this level requires you, Lord President, to sign in person! Besides, didn't you miss me?"

"I miss your big head! You're plotting against me around the clock! First, tell me: are you and Long Aotian together or not?"

"Long Aotian? That so-called 'divine doctor' from today? Tch, who even is he? My heart only has room for you."

Lu Chengwen was practically on the verge of tears. "Big Sis, I'm begging you, cut me some slack, okay? Stop talking nonsense. Look, I'll go to the pharmaceutical factory. I'll personally supervise the entire destruction process, but you don't need to go. Let's just avoid seeing each other, alright?"

"Mm, that won't work," Xu Xuejiao said. "According to standard disposal procedures, we need you, me, the leaders from the Drug Administration, the head of our internal audit committee, and relevant notary personnel all to be present. Not a single person can be missing."

Lu Chengwen clutched his head in agony. "I get it! But let me tell you guys, this time I am definitely going to play it safe till the end! Absolutely! Don't even think about framing me!"

Lu Chengwen finally shouted at the top of his lungs, then rudely slammed down the phone.

Xu Xuejiao was completely bewildered. "Has this guy lost his mind? What is all this gibberish?"

Lying in the back seat, Lu Chengwen felt even weaker than the "drunk" Leng Qingqiu.

At that moment, the system gave a ding.

"System prompt: Congratulations to the villain for controlling the main heroine, Leng Qingqiu. The protagonist is currently on his way to the rescue. We wish you success in breaking through obstacles and turning danger into safety."

Lu Chengwen opened his eyes wide and yelled, "Do you people have any humanity left?!"

Chapter 9: A Successful Villain's Day

"You've got to be kidding me!"

Lu Chengwen was losing his mind. "I didn't do a damn thing, and I didn't even plan to do anything bad. What is the protagonist coming here for? Writing a book requires some brains, right? The villain hasn't done anything wrong, so what kind of trouble is the male lead trying to pick?"

System: "Oh, oh, I'm terribly sorry. Weren't you planning to do something to Leng Qingqiu?"

"I have over 600 million worth of defective products waiting for me to destroy through the night at the pharmaceutical factory. What could I possibly do to her? Where would I even find the time?"

System: "Oh, oh, over there is... let me check... that's Xu Xuejiao... Ah, meaning you plan to make a move on both heroines at the same time? Mm-hmm, understood. You're trying to increase the rescue difficulty for the male lead, Long Aotian! Message received! By the way, that's a brilliant strategy!"

"Received my ass! I am not planning to make a move on anyone! I'm just going to destroy the medicine! Medicine! Defective medicine!"

System: "Is that so? Well, a plot like that isn't very exciting. We here still hope you can be a bit more proactive and harbor more malicious intentions toward the heroines. That way, the male lead's storyline will be much easier to kick off."

"You listen to me!" Lu Chengwen tried his absolute hardest to maintain his sanity, attempting to reason with the system. "Whether Long Aotian wants to kick off his plot or not, I am dead set against making another move! I have no interest in the heroines—zero interest in any heroine whatsoever. Tomorrow, I'm going to settle things with both of them once and for all, and I refuse to drag this out!"

"Settle things? You just used the phrase 'settle things'—I understand now! That means you plan to strike at both heroines tomorrow, and it'll be a completely unhinged, heinous, monstrous, and utterly ruthless kind of move, right?"

Lu Chengwen wept:

"Big Sis, have mercy on me! I've died six times already, and every single death was utterly miserable. Can't you just let me survive in peace for a while? I'm not going to touch either of these women! By the way, can you make them stop buzzing around me all the time? I'm not the protagonist! Shouldn't their leisure time be spent with the male lead Long Aotian... you know... being all ambiguous... doing all those... eye-candy things? When it comes down to it, the plot on day one has completely fallen apart like this, and you guys bear direct responsibility for it!"

"The host is mistaken. In reality, all the people, events, and things here happen genuinely, and our side merely exists from a perspective of supervision and observation. The only things we can do are related to your plot progression, ability upgrades, and limited out-of-bounds communication. What the male lead and heroines do, where they go, and who they grow close to—we have no control over any of that, nor are we interested in controlling it."

For a split second, Lu Chengwen suddenly calmed down and began to analyze.

"Genuine? Everything is genuine? That means... I must have done something... to deliberately get myself tangled up with them... No, that's not right, I didn't do a damn thing!"

"I wanted to call off the engagement with Leng Qingqiu, but she refused, and she was the one who came looking for me last night."

"Xu Xuejiao... As for Xu Xuejiao, Long Aotian was about to stab her in the back, and I stepped in to stop it. Could she know? No, she shouldn't know. At the pharmaceutical factory... she seemed entirely certain that I would destroy the substandard products..."

The system interrupted: "As a reminder, survive the first day and you can successfully claim the First-Day Grand Gift Pack!"

"The First-Day Grand Gift Pack features plenty of great items and amazing value! The First-Day Grand Gift Pack will become your greatest aid on the road to courting death, allowing you to fully unleash the confrontation plot with the male lead and experience the ultimate rush before you get beaten to death—ensuring you die with no regrets and smile down at the underworld!"

Lu Chengwen shook his head. "You really are a piece of work."

***

After settling Leng Qingqiu into a clean guest bedroom to let her sleep, Lu Chengwen called Zhao Gang and rushed at top speed to the pharmaceutical factory.

If I die, I die. If the King of Hell wants me dead by the third watch, the system certainly won't let me live past the fifth. Yet, if the system's hints are true, does that mean this is... a real world? Are the system operators a group of highly intelligent beings superior to this world? Do they mean to say they won't interfere with or forcefully change the logic and operation of this world?

Regardless, let's just get through today first. The advertisement for the First-Day Grand Gift Pack was pretty well done—it got my blood pumping. Even though it sounds like they're kinda hoping I'll die, I have to actually get my hands on it to earn the right to survive. Long Aotian, you and I are locked in mortal combat! You want to smash me to death? I refuse to believe it. I won't do a single bad thing; the moment I see you, I'll drop to my knees. Would you even have the nerve to crush me then?

***

The process went smoothly. Under the supervision of multiple parties, batches of finished medicine poured into the shredder, turning into scraps and waste to be recycled as junk by a third party. Lu Chengwen supervised the entire procedure from start to finish. Xu Xuejiao stayed up through the night alongside him, overseeing the whole operation. She was extremely thorough, letting not a single detail slip past her—and of course, the other relevant personnel were just as diligent. Everyone was on edge, and everyone knew what this meant. Watching the final batch of medical supplies turn into waste, Lu Chengwen wore a calm smile at the corners of his mouth. *(Phew, I suppose I actually did a good deed for once?)* Lu Chengwen thought with a bitter smile: *(No matter what, with this batch of medicine destroyed, no one will get hurt. If I'm destined to die in this world tomorrow, at the very least, I did something meaningful today.)* *(It was worth it!)*

Not far away, Xu Xuejiao watched Lu Chengwen's profile, deeply shocked by what she overheard. Is this guy about to die? Is that why he's suddenly had a change of heart and turned into a good person? No way, right? He's Lu Chengwen! He has a team of professional private doctors monitoring his entire family's health. If someone had a major health crisis, that team couldn't possibly stay this quiet! What on earth is going on? Still, this guy... when he looks so sorrowful, he actually resembles a melancholy prince.

"President Xu." "Ah?" Xu Xuejiao snapped back to attention. The engineer nodded with relief. "We're all done." "Got it."

The leader from the Drug Administration walked over to shake hands with Lu Chengwen. "President Lu, I know that making a decision like this requires immense courage and moral backing. No one knows what kind of storm the Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory will face tomorrow. But as a pharmaceutical professional, I want to represent all our colleagues in expressing our highest respect and gratitude for your decision." Lu Chengwen smiled. "It's not as serious as you guys think. Worst case, the factory closes down, and the media curses me out to be as worthless as dog crap." The leader chuckled and patted Lu Chengwen on the shoulder. "Well, we'll wrap things up here then. If you need anything at all, give us a call." "Thank you. Everyone's worked hard."

Dawn was almost breaking. A brush of rosy morning glow was slowly creeping up the distant skyline. Lu Chengwen was exhausted to the bone. On his very first day after transmigration, he had managed to evade two direct confrontations with the protagonist Long Aotian, met with the two major heroines twice, and maintained his distance both times while trying his best to sever the ties between them. Though none of those attempts went particularly well, he was still alive, and his legs were still attached—and that in itself was good news. The people who had worked overtime all night filed out to start their cars and head home for some rest. As Lu Chengwen walked wearily toward his car, Director Zhang approached him. "President Lu." "Oh, Director Zhang. I'm so exhausted; can we talk about business tomorrow? Please?" Director Zhang gave a bitter smile. "I only have one sentence." Lu Chengwen was overcome with frustration; he genuinely lacked the energy to deal with these people right now. "Fine, fine, fine, spit it out quickly. I'm beat." "Thank you." Director Zhang bowed deeply to him. When he straightened back up, the corners of his eyes were moist, and his smile was filled with relief. "I'll be submitting my resignation tomorrow, so you don't have to worry." Director Zhang turned to leave, but Lu Chengwen called out to him, "Hold on. Why are you resigning?" "I..." Lu Chengwen understood now. This time, his actions had "harmed" the company, causing losses amounting to hundreds of millions, which was why he felt compelled to quit. Lu Chengwen smiled. "Elder Zhang, you are the pillar that holds up our Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory. If it weren't for you today, I wouldn't even dare to imagine the consequences regarding that batch of medicine. You cannot resign. If you leave, who will tip me off if something like this happens again? Who will help me correct my mistakes? Even if you hate me and think I'm a monster, surely you still have some affection for the Ninth Factory? Those patients—the ones who truly need good, miraculous medicine—need you to stay here and guard the gates for them." Director Zhang could hardly believe that such human words were coming out of Lu Chengwen's mouth. He was utterly shocked and deeply moved. "President Lu, I'll say this from the bottom of my heart: I used to have misunderstandings about you, and I apologize. Today's events have truly opened my eyes. From now on—" "Alright, alright, alright..." Lu Chengwen interrupted. "Elder Zhang, I really don't have the strength to accept your apologies or thanks right now. Get some rest and come back to work tomorrow. I'm tired; let's talk about everything tomorrow, okay? I've had a truly awful day." "Oh, r-right, of course. Please get some early rest."

Lu Chengwen let out a long breath, and Zhao Gang gave him a thumbs-up. "Young Master, you're amazing! Your acting just now was spot-on." Lu Chengwen maintained a blank expression. "Was it?" "That was an absolute Oscar-winning performance! Old Zhang was practically crying!" "Shut up and drive." "Yes!"

At that moment, a familiar voice rang out nearby. "Brother Chengwen, leaving just like that?" Lu Chengwen had already pulled open the car door. He turned his head and saw Xu Xuejiao standing not far away. She must have been standing there for quite a while now, having witnessed his entire exchange with Director Zhang. "You really know how to win people over, huh?" Xu Xuejiao remarked. "Director Zhang is probably going to worship the ground you walk on after this." Lu Chengwen pressed his forehead against the car door frame to steady himself for five full seconds before lifting his head. "Whatever it is you want, talk to me tomorrow. I'm not doing anything else today. If you have the guts, have Long Aotian come over right now and beat me to death!" "Why do you keep bringing that guy up?" Xu Xuejiao let out a yawn as well. "It's already dawn. Buy me breakfast." Lu Chengwen shook his head at her and said calmly, "Tomorrow, right after the press conference ends. Either you transfer all your shares to me, or I transfer all mine to you. From then on, we'll have nothing to do with each other and never cross paths again. Sound good?" Xu Xuejiao had no idea what kind of bug crawled up this guy's ass today. Exactly how had she offended him? Why did he find her so annoying? Xu Xuejiao felt deeply aggrieved. Ever since she was a little girl, she had carloads of boys vying for her attention—weren't they all praising her for being peerless in beauty and brilliantly clever? Why did this guy look at her as if she were stepping in dog crap? Displeased, Xu Xuejiao demanded, "Why are you suddenly acting like I'm such a nuisance?" Lu Chengwen pulled open the car door. "I don't know, and it doesn't matter. Goodbye." Without another word, he climbed inside and closed his eyes to rest. "Zhao Gang, let's go home."

Watching Lu Chengwen's car drive away, Xu Xuejiao felt utterly wronged. That blockhead definitely has something wrong with him! When we were kids, he always promised he'd be my doctor—how can he treat me like this now? You want to stay as far away from me as possible? Well, I'm going to cling to you all the more! I'll annoy you to death!

Upon returning home, Lu Chengwen threw his coat onto the floor, pitched his entire body forward, and fell flat on his face, instantly dead asleep.

The sun was high in the sky. Lu Chengwen finally showed signs of waking up. His arm stirred unconsciously, and his hand landed unthinkingly upon a soft, pillowy mound. Hmm? He gave it a couple of squeezes—pretty soft, actually. What on earth is this? He blinked his eyes open. I'm dead.

Chapter 10: I Didn't Do Anything

The blood in Lu Chengwen's veins ran completely cold! When you're dealing with a web novel... you never even know what kind of bizarre death awaits the minor villain. An author's imagination can sometimes be... as sickening as a pile of garbage. Did a heroine just materialize in my bed while I was sleeping? They do things like this now?! Good grief, I managed to hold the line and avoid crossing any red lines all day yesterday, only for you guys to max out my aggro meter while I was asleep?! Isn't this just bullying the bad guys!

Sweat poured down Lu Chengwen's forehead in heavy beads. His entire body stiffened, and he didn't dare make a single movement. His brain was already conjuring up the scene of Long Aotian kicking down his front door, shattering his skull with a single palm strike, and then gathering Leng Qingqiu into his arms to kick off a sickeningly sweet romance plot...

At that moment, Leng Qingqiu looked stunning. A beauty fast asleep in the morning—or rather, the midday sunlight streaming in and casting its glow across her flawless face, making even every single eyelash look exquisite and perfect. She was sleeping so soundly, so relaxed, so prettily, and so peacefully... Yet Lu Chengwen had zero room in his heart to appreciate the beauty. He knew his life was hanging by a thread. If he didn't handle this situation properly, he'd probably wrap up his role right here and head out to collect his boxed meal.

Right then and there, Leng Qingqiu was resting her head right on his arm, sleeping soundly. Lu Chengwen's mind raced: *Stay calm! I can handle this! But I have to do it fast!* Slowly, Lu Chengwen extended his other hand, gently cupping Leng Qingqiu's head as he tried to slide his trapped arm out inch by inch. His body inched backward, but Leng Qingqiu, caught up in whatever dream she was having, furrowed her brows and nudged forward, burying herself deeper into Lu Chengwen's embrace. Not only did she keep resting on his right arm, but she also naturally looped his left arm around her torso as well.

Panic gripped Lu Chengwen's heart! What would happen if Long Aotian walked in and saw this?! Waiting until Leng Qingqiu settled back into a deep sleep, Lu Chengwen cautiously began his maneuver once more. Cup the head, slowly pull out the arm, slide a pillow underneath... He chanted internally: *(Good girl, don't wake up. You're exhausted, so get a good rest.)* *(I'm going to vanish right now. I swear I'm not taking advantage of you on purpose—I'm just as clueless about this as you are.)* *(Sweet little Qingqiu darling, almost done. Once you wake up, there will only be one person left in this room—you.)*

Lu Chengwen finally pulled it off. He let out a long breath, but just as he started to push himself up, he caught sight of Leng Qingqiu's wide-open eyes staring straight at him. She wore no expression whatsoever—neither angry nor pleased, neither speaking nor moving—just fixing her gaze on Lu Chengwen. Lu Chengwen swallowed hard. "I... I can explain!" Clumsily tripping over himself, Lu Chengwen tumbled off the bed and scrambled back to his feet in a flurry.

Leng Qingqiu's eyes remained wide open. She completely lacked any of her usual grand president airs, looking instead like a harmless little animal as she curiously watched Lu Chengwen. Standing on the floor, Lu Chengwen offered a sincere confession: "I didn't do a damn thing." "Really! I mean, you were drunk yesterday, right? Oh gosh, you were even talking nonsense in your sleep. Other people wanted to take you away, but how could I know if those subordinates of yours were trustworthy? I had no choice but to bring you home. You understand, right?" "But I didn't touch a thing!" "I originally settled you in the guest room. I have no idea why you suddenly ended up in my bedroom—oh wait, this is the guest room. Haha! Perfect. Seriously, I didn't do anything!" "It's just that... I went to the pharmaceutical factory yesterday. A batch of medicine had to be destroyed through the night, and I was half-dead from exhaustion. When I came back, I clearly walked into my own room, but for some reason I..."

Lu Chengwen was practically crying. "I swear to the heavens, I didn't do anything!"

When Leng Qingqiu had first opened her eyes, she had seen this guy moving with extreme caution and the utmost gentleness—even holding his breath as he carefully lifted his arm away, and then pulling the blanket up to cover her exposed shin... Being exceptionally sharp and clever, she understood the situation instantly. The guy was trying to make a run for it. She could tell he was practically scared out of his wits, covered in a cold sweat, and clearly completely unprepared for this turn of events. He had been desperate to escape without disturbing her. Moreover, her clothes were still fully intact, which clearly proved that "he didn't do anything."

Therefore, far from being angry, Leng Qingqiu found this dork rather amusing. So she had simply stayed silent and watched his performance. It had been brilliant. Especially when he realized she was awake and completely panicked on the spot, stuttering out explanation after endless explanation.

Leng Qingqiu could be quite mischievous herself. She refused to speak just to watch him perform. She kept her face expressionless, withholding any emotional feedback whatsoever, letting him improvise to his heart's content. Seeing that he was finally on the verge of a complete breakdown, Leng Qingqiu suppressed a smile and said calmly, "It's fine." She sat up, stretched her neck, and acted as cool and unbothered as if nothing had happened at all.

This completely caught Lu Chengwen off guard. *(What is going on?)* *(Shouldn't she be screaming her head off? Shouldn't she be cursing me out as a beast, a brute, a scumbag?)* *(Why is she... totally fine? Does that mean I don't need to explain myself?)* *(Or is she bottling it up, waiting to lure me out of my defenses so she can get people to beat me up?)* *(Does she have any clear grasp of the situation right now at all? Good lord, I really didn't do anything!)*

Leng Qingqiu patted her mouth, let out a delicate yawn, and climbed out of bed.