"Damn it, if you're going to play dirty, I'll go all in! You make the first move, I'll hit back twice as hard!" Lu Chengwen thought to himself, his resolve hardening.
"I'll show you what I'm capable of if you don't get a taste of some real consequences!"
Lu Chengwen smirked and said aloud, "Want me to cool off? Fine, no problem!"
He grabbed a bottle of foreign liquor and slammed it down on the coffee table. "Drink it."
First, Leng Qingqiu never touched alcohol. Her tolerance was abysmal—one sip, and she'd be out like a light.
Second, Leng Qingqiu's pride was unshakable. She'd never been coerced or humiliated in her life, let alone forced to drink as punishment.
Lu Chengwen didn't buy it. He refused to believe Leng Qingqiu's principles had vanished, that she'd bend to his whims without limit. That wasn't the character of a strong female lead, and it shouldn't be hers.
"I don't believe it!" he thought defiantly.
Leng Qingqiu stared at him, her eyes blazing with anger and resentment, tears welling up but refusing to fall.
Lu Chengwen watched her, pushed to the edge of breaking, and suddenly felt a pang of guilt. Leng Qingqiu had never endured this kind of humiliation in her life.
For three years, he'd doted on her, chased her, groveled at her feet. Three years of bending over backward, speaking softly, doing everything to please her.
She'd always held her head high, untouchable. But today, he was determined to make her bow in front of everyone.
"Lu Chengwen, why do you feel sorry for her?" he scolded himself internally. "Don't fall for those pitiful eyes! You've got to hold firm!"
"No more entanglement with her. Offend her, end it, and be done with it!"
But then: "God, those resentful eyes… am I committing a sin here?"
Lu Chengwen feigned nonchalance. "Not drinking? That's disrespecting me. And disrespecting me is… well, disrespecting me! In Snow City, I, Lu Chengwen, am—"
Before he could finish, Leng Qingqiu snatched the bottle and started chugging.
The room fell silent, all eyes on her.
Lu Chengwen watched, stunned, as the proud, elegant Leng Qingqiu let liquor spill from the corners of her mouth. His fists clenched, urging himself to stay strong.
"Lu Chengwen, don't feel sorry for her. Don't! Feeling sorry for her is torturing yourself!"
"Don't actually drink it, big sister! Stop! Just curse me out and storm off! Slap me if you have to! Why are you doing this?!"
Leng Qingqiu suddenly choked, the bottle, coughing violently.
Lu Chengwen let out a relieved breath. "Phew…"
But before he could relax, she grabbed the bottle and started drinking again.
Unable to bear it, Lu Chengwen yanked the bottle from her hands.
Their eyes locked, the tension in the private room suffocating.
Leng Qingqiu's eyes were red, tears clinging to her lashes, staring at him as if to say: Happy now, Young Master Lu? Satisfied? Want me to keep going?
Lu Chengwen, ashamed, looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "I… I'm sorry," he mumbled.
The manager, sensing a chance to curry favor, clapped his hands. "Brilliant! President Leng's got some serious drinking skills, a true heroine—"
"Get out!" Lu Chengwen roared.
The manager froze, then quickly muttered, "Everyone, out, out!"
The waitstaff and hostesses scurried out of the room.
Lu Chengwen exhaled heavily and stood. "Let's talk."
_
In the hallway of the club, Leng Qingqiu was already unsteady on her feet, swaying as she walked.
Lu Chengwen, silent, was consumed with guilt.
"I didn't mean to make things hard for you," he thought. "How did it come to this?"
Leng Qingqiu's mind was foggy, her steps faltering. She stumbled, and Lu Chengwen caught her just in time.
In her haze, she caught his last inner thought: "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean it…"
Tears spilled from her eyes as she slurred, "Lu Chengwen… you're not human…"
Lu Chengwen scooped her up in his arms, sighing. "You're right. I'm not."
Leng Qingqiu's secretarial team was in a panic. They'd never dealt with a situation like this.
The head secretary bowed respectfully. "Young Master Lu, we'll take care of President Leng. You can leave her to us."
Lu Chengwen looked at them, his tone calm but sincere. "I won't hurt her. You don't need to worry."
The secretaries exchanged stunned glances.
Over the years, they'd seen Lu Chengwen in all his forms—shameless, sleazy, self-proclaimed witty, utterly shameless. But never had they seen him speak with such earnestness, such sincerity.
For a moment, they were thrown off balance.
Lu Chengwen gave a bitter smile. "Look, I hurt Qingqiu today. The guilt I feel makes me want to strangle myself. Please, trust me. Give me a chance to make this right."
The head secretary hesitated. "Young Master Lu, it's not that we don't trust you, but we think…"
At that moment, Leng Qingqiu, half-conscious, wrapped her arms around Lu Chengwen's neck, murmuring dreamily, "Go away, I'm fine."
Lu Chengwen and the secretaries were dumbfounded.
Was she drunk or not?
The head secretary pressed, "President Leng, are you sure you're okay? Do you want Young Master Lu to take you?"
"Mmm…" Leng Qingqiu nuzzled against Lu Chengwen's chest, letting out a soft, coquettish whimper.
The secretaries were floored.
First, Lu Chengwen was acting completely out of character, terrifyingly so.
Now, Leng Qingqiu was showing a side they'd never seen in all the years they'd known her—a vulnerable, almost girlish charm.
The head secretary, sweating, tried again. "President Leng, I need to confirm—are you really drunk, or…"
"Go away," Leng Qingqiu mumbled.
Lu Chengwen, still holding her, walked out of the club.
Zhao Gang, his driver, pulled up with a mischievous grin.
As the car drove off, the head secretary stood frozen, brows furrowed.
"Han Jie, President Leng's drunk, and we just handed her over to Young Master Lu… this is so unprofessional!" one of the secretaries said.
Another chimed in, "But what could we do? One minute she's lucid, the next she's out of it. We couldn't tell if she was too drunk to make decisions or if she's… using it as an excuse to be with Young Master Lu."
"But doesn't President Leng despise him?"
"Yet she came looking for him today, and… you saw what happened."
Han Jie sighed, watching the car disappear. "If President Leng is truly drunk, we're all dead tomorrow."
_
Zhao Gang drove, sneaking cheeky glances through the rearview mirror.
Lu Chengwen wiped Leng Qingqiu's face with a wet towel, asking if she felt better. She drifted in and out of clarity, mumbling incoherently.
Zhao Gang spoke up. "Young Master, I'm in awe! That 'push her away to pull her in' tactic? Genius! I was wondering why you suddenly turned into a saint. So this was your trump card. Brilliant!"
Lu Chengwen shot him a look. "I'm just taking care of a girl I accidentally hurt. No ulterior motives. Got it?"
"Got it," Zhao Gang said, nodding earnestly, though his lips twitched with suppressed amusement. "Honestly, sometimes I'm grateful to work for you, Young Master. Your integrity and noble character are a model for me to follow. If everyone in the world were as kind, honest, and compassionate as you, we'd live in a harmonious, beautiful, perfect world."
He paused, then added, "By the way, I know a discreet love hotel. Super private, fully stocked with all kinds of… toys and equipment. Slip the manager a little cash, and he'll throw in a free multi-angle recording system—"
Lu Chengwen, fed up, raised the partition glass, blocking Zhao Gang's view and voice.
"Free? After paying the manager? What kind of logic is that?" he muttered.
No matter how low he sank, Lu Chengwen wouldn't take advantage of someone in this state.
In his original world, he was just a delivery guy. Sure, he'd read plenty of web novels and watched his share of adult films—maybe even considered himself half an expert. But that was private, not real life. His upbringing and values wouldn't let him cross that line.
Besides, Leng Qingqiu? Untouchable. She was the male lead's woman, an ironclad rule in every novel he'd read. No villain ever got the heroine.
And if he even thought about it, the male lead, Long Aotian, would appear out of nowhere. Didn't matter where—logic be damned in web novels. Even on the moon, Long Aotian would have some miraculous encounter, show up, and scare Lu Chengwen into losing control of his bladder.
Not only would he fail, but he'd max out his enmity with the protagonist. Long Aotian would go berserk, showcasing his protective instincts in front of Leng Qingqiu, declaring his undying love while beating Lu Chengwen to a pulp.
Maybe even worse—castration, followed by burning his entire family to ashes.
Then, in true melodramatic fashion, Long Aotian would clutch Leng Qingqiu, voice trembling:
"Qingqiu, it's my fault. I failed to protect you. Blame me, hit me, curse me—it'll ease my pain!"
"No, no, no! I don't care that he touched your hand—it's not your fault!"
"I, Long Aotian, swear, no one will ever harm a single hair on your head again. You're my woman, forever!"
Lu Chengwen shivered, glancing nervously out the window for any cars tailing them.
"Goddamn it, I let my guard down and ended up with the heroine in my car! Heaven, I swear I have no bad intentions! You're the male lead—you've got to be reasonable, moral! I'm not trying to do anything wrong, so you can't beat me!"
"And you definitely can't castrate me. That's… immoral."
Lu Chengwen lowered the partition. "Zhao Gang, home."
"Home?"
"Is that hard to understand, you idiot?"
"N-no, not hard at all."
_
The night was deep.
In the backseat, Lu Chengwen felt utterly drained. Too much had happened today—too much. Others might think it was nothing, but he'd narrowly escaped death multiple times.
Then his phone rang. It was Xu Xuejiao.
"Chengwen-ge, what're you up to? Come to the pharmaceutical factory quick—I'm waiting!"
"What?!" Lu Chengwen was on the verge of a breakdown. "Big sister, for heaven's sake! I've been through a whole day of plot! Can't I get a break? Villains aren't human?!"
Xu Xuejiao blinked, confused. "What's he rambling about?"
"No, I mean, you said that batch of drugs needs to be destroyed ASAP. My team's got everything ready for tonight, and we're holding a press conference tomorrow. We need to pull an all-nighter."
"You're the vice president of the factory! Can't you handle it?"
"Hehe, for an operation this big, the big boss—you—has to sign off in person. Don't you miss me?"
"Miss your big head! You're always scheming to screw me over! Tell me first—are you with Long Aotian?"
"Long Aotian? That so-called 'miracle doctor' from today? Pfft, who's he to me? You're the only one in my heart."
Lu Chengwen nearly cried. "Big sister, I'm begging you, let me go! Fine, I'll go to the factory, oversee the whole destruction process myself. You don't need to be there—let's just not meet, okay?"
"Nope, won't do," Xu Xuejiao said. "Standard procedure requires you, me, the drug regulatory authority, our internal audit committee, and a notary present. No one can be missing."
Lu Chengwen clutched his head in agony. "Fine, I get it. But I'm telling you, this time, I'm surviving to the end! You won't trap me!"
He shouted the last part, then hung up abruptly.
Xu Xuejiao stared at her phone, baffled. "Is this guy nuts? What's all this nonsense?"
Lu Chengwen slumped in the backseat, feeling weaker than the "drunk" Leng Qingqiu.
Ding-dong.
"System notification: Congratulations to the villain for subduing the heroine, Leng Qingqiu. The protagonist is currently on his way to rescue her. Wishing you success in overcoming all obstacles and turning danger into fortune."
Lu Chengwen's eyes widened as he yelled, "Do you people have any humanity?!"