Lu Chengwen ordered Zhao Gang to rally all their men and stand by for action. He dialed Leng Qingqiu again.
"What now?" she snapped. "You want to get back with Chen Mengyun? That's your business—leave me out of it!"
"It's not about getting back together! I'm serious, Qingqiu—Chen Mengyun's in real danger, and only Long Aotian can save her. We need to find him!"
"Her problems aren't mine. I barely know her."
"But you know me, don't you? We've been… well, not exactly friends, but we've been around each other for over three years, right?" Lu Chengwen's voice was desperate. "I'm begging you, help me out here."
Leng Qingqiu sighed. "The landlord at that address said Long Aotian moved out."
Lu Chengwen's mind went blank. Chen Mengyun was out there, a kite with a cut string, and he had no leads.
"What kind of danger is she in?" Leng Qingqiu asked.
"It's hard to explain," Lu Chengwen said. "If we don't find her tonight, this whole story's done for."
"What are you babbling about?"
"I'm as good as dead."
"Long Aotian's just a bodyguard I fired. He probably doesn't even know Chen Mengyun!"
Right! Lu Chengwen realized. The plot hadn't reached that point yet—he'd triggered it early. Even if they found Long Aotian, he'd likely be clueless, probably not even acquainted with Chen Mengyun.
Leng Qingqiu sensed his genuine urgency. "I can check Hu Shuhui's itinerary," she offered.
"Yes! Hurry, please, I'm waiting!"
Leng Qingqiu was efficient, quickly finding out that Hu Shuhui had booked a suite at the Tianhailan Hotel an hour ago.
Lu Chengwen left a quick, "I owe you big time," before hanging up.
"What are you going to do?" Leng Qingqiu called after him, but the line was dead.
Lu Chengwen stormed into the Tianhailan Hotel with over thirty security guards in tow, looking like a gangster boss ready to pull off a heist. No one dared stop them. The hotel's security backed off, and the front desk frantically called the police.
They charged to the top floor. At the suite's door, Lu Chengwen ordered a staff member to knock. When Hu Shuhui, panicking inside, yelled at the staff to leave, Lu Chengwen forced the staff to swipe the keycard. Bursting in, he decked Hu Shuhui with a single punch before the man could finish a sentence.
Seeing the lavish dinner, candlelight, and red wine set up in the dining area, Lu Chengwen's rage boiled over. "Drag him out and beat him senseless!" he barked.
Hu Shuhui, sprawled on the floor, shouted, "Lu Chengwen, you dare hit me? I'm—"
Zhao Gang didn't care. To him, Lu Chengwen was a god, the only person worth following. Hu Shuhui? Nothing. If Lu Chengwen ordered it, Zhao Gang would chase down the King of Hell with a cleaver. He hauled Hu Shuhui out, and the thirty-plus guards swarmed, though most couldn't even get a hit in. Hu Shuhui's screams echoed, grating on everyone's nerves. One guard thoughtfully shut the door.
Lu Chengwen rushed into the suite, calling, "Mengyun! Mengyun!"
The suite was large, but finding Chen Mengyun wasn't hard. She lay on the bed, clothes disheveled, writhing like a snake, her perfect figure almost too much to handle. Her thighs were clamped together, rubbing against the blanket, her skin glistening with sweat, radiating an almost unbearable allure. Her face was flushed, her breathing heavy, but a flicker of clarity remained as she saw Lu Chengwen.
"Chengwen-ge… save… save me…"
Lu Chengwen's heart ached with anger and pity. He threw his jacket over her, scooped her up, and carried her out. Chen Mengyun, dazed but aware it was him, felt a wave of relief. Yet her body's instincts took over, and she let out soft, kitten-like moans that clawed at Lu Chengwen's heart. Clinging to his neck, she was overwhelmed by his scent—a potent mix of male pheromones that sent her already clouded mind into a frenzy. She nuzzled his neck, kissing and touching him uncontrollably.
At the door, the guards parted. Hu Shuhui, battered, begged, "Chengwen, we go way back. Spare me this once, I—"
Lu Chengwen kicked him in the face and marched to the elevator.
At his private villa, Lu Chengwen couldn't calm Chen Mengyun down. He'd poured three bottles of water down her throat, wiped her face and chest, but nothing worked. She kept throwing herself at him, her advances desperate and relentless.
When Xu Xuejiao arrived, Chen Mengyun was still draped over him, hands roaming, whispering in his ear, "Brother, I'm suffering… help me, please, you're the best…"
Xu Xuejiao's face darkened. "Lu Chengwen, you've got some nerve. Using these tactics on Mengyun-jie?"
Lu Chengwen, sweating buckets, snapped, "Use your brain! If I was up to that, why would I call you?"
Xu Xuejiao frowned but nodded. "What happened?"
"Save her first, then I'll explain."
Lu Chengwen held Chen Mengyun down while Xu Xuejiao administered a sedative. It wasn't immediate, but Chen Mengyun calmed slightly, though her eyes remained dazed, still clinging to him.
It took all night. Xu Xuejiao, despite her usual quirky demeanor, was deadly serious when it came to medicine. By morning, Chen Mengyun was stable, and both Xu Xuejiao and Lu Chengwen were exhausted.
Then the police knocked.
Zhang Shener hauled Lu Chengwen back to the station. In the cell, he reflected. This can't go on. He was too entangled with these female leads. Locking Long Aotian away for a day hadn't fixed anything—it had made things worse. He'd saved Jiang Shihan's mother, prevented Leng Qingqiu's 2 billion loss, beaten Hu Shuhui to save Chen Mengyun, and spent the whole day tangled with Xu Xuejiao. Oh, and he'd landed in jail twice.
This wasn't how the story was supposed to go! I can't keep up with you all, but can't I at least hide? Tomorrow, I'm buying a plane ticket—South, East Wu, West Shu, West Liang. Or screw it, I'll leave Asia! Ukraine, Donbas, Kashmir—anywhere! I'll stay gone for years, maybe forever. I'm rich—anywhere I go, I'll live like a king. Why stay in Xuecheng and risk Long Aotian killing me?
It was settled. You want to take over Xuecheng's four families, Long Aotian? Have them. I'm out.
The case of who drugged Chen Mengyun became a mystery. Hu Shuhui denied everything, knowing the crime was too severe to admit—especially with the Chen family's wrath to face. He insisted Chen Mengyun approached him, and Lu Chengwen attacked unprovoked.
Lu Chengwen pointed the finger at Hu Shuhui, but there was no evidence. Chen Mengyun's statement backed Lu Chengwen, saying he'd warned her not to go. But instead of clearing him, it made him look suspicious. How did you know she'd be drugged before the dinner even started? Are you a psychic?
Later, Lu Chengwen's actions—calling Xu Xuejiao to detoxify Chen Mengyun and Leng Qingqiu's testimony about his frantic call to track Hu Shuhui—supported his innocence. But the scene was compromised, evidence gone. The case would take time to crack.
Zhang Shener refused to believe Lu Chengwen was a hero. Him, saving people? Please. He probably drugged her and switched to playing savior when something went wrong. Yet Leng Qingqiu, Chen Mengyun, and Xu Xuejiao—three women from major families, all exceptional in their fields—insisted he was the good guy. It drove Zhang Shener up the wall. What kind of spell is Lu Chengwen casting to have these women defending him?
They were accomplished, educated, with high standards and sharp minds. How was he fooling them all? Especially Leng Qingqiu, Xuecheng's golden girl, who used to despise him. Now she was vouching for him? The whole thing was maddening.
With no hard evidence, neither Lu Chengwen nor Hu Shuhui could be charged. Lu Chengwen, disheveled from a night in jail, walked out to find Leng Qingqiu, Xu Xuejiao, and Jiang Shihan waiting.
Jiang Shihan hurried over, her team draping a fresh coat over him. "Lu Zong, are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he said, glancing at Leng Qingqiu and Xu Xuejiao. "Why are you all here?"
Xu Xuejiao grinned. "Vouching for you! You have no idea how bad your rep is. Proving you're a good guy took half a ton of my spit!"
"Thanks," he said, then turned to Leng Qingqiu. "Sorry for dragging you into this all night."
"It's fine," she replied coolly, looking at Zhang Shener. "Can we go?"
Zhang Shener, stone-faced, held up a restriction order. "Lu Chengwen, until this case is resolved, you're not to leave Xuecheng. Any travel requires our approval, and you must be available when called."
Lu Chengwen's jaw dropped. I'm screwed! I was just planning to flee this city!Now I'm stuck here, competing with Long Aotian for these women?
Xu Xuejiao stifled a laugh. Leng Qingqiu narrowed her eyes, wondering, Can she hear his thoughts too?
Zhang Shener misread his reaction, assuming he was the culprit trying to escape justice. "Thinking of running, Lu Chengwen? You won't get away. I'll find the evidence and lock you up for good."
He nodded, thinking, Keep trying, you clueless woman. Ignore the real bad guys and keep hounding me. Fine—your hatred keeps me safe.
Zhang Shener frowned. Why does he feel safer when I hate him? And who's this Long Aotian he keeps mentioning? He's convinced I'll meet him. That's a lead—I need to remember it.
Xu Xuejiao smiled. "Come on, hero. Hungry? I'm buying."
Lu Chengwen gave a small smile. Leng Qingqiu said, "I've got things to do. I'm leaving."
"Qingqiu," he called.
"What?"
"Thanks," he said, smiling. "For believing in me."
"You owe me one," she replied.
"Totally, I owe you big. I'll… uh, not dinner, that's a bad idea. How about a gift? Car? Gold watch? Designer coat?"
Leng Qingqiu looked at him. "If you want to repay me, get engaged to me."
"Sure, no prob—wait, what?!" Lu Chengwen's shout echoed through the station.
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