Jiang Shihan wasn't going anywhere with Long Aotian.
Lu Chengwen was cornered by Xu Xuejiao's threats, unable to forcefully push Jiang Shihan away.
As for Jiang Shihan herself, she had no desire to leave Lu Chengwen and run off with someone else. In fact, she was silently vowing to do everything in her power to repay her great benefactor… Lu Chengwen.
Meanwhile, Long Aotian realized his image in Jiang Shihan's heart wasn't as solid as he'd thought.
To put it bluntly, Jiang Shihan, Lu Chengwen, and Long Aotian were all completely confused.
Their information was wildly out of sync, each trapped in their own blind spots.
Jiang Shihan, having overheard Lu Chengwen's inner thoughts over the past few days, had mistakenly pieced them together with his past actions. Her conclusion was enough to make Lu Chengwen spit blood—she didn't hate him as the original plot dictated. Instead, she was overwhelmed with gratitude, convinced he was pretending to be a villain but was actually a saint.
Stranger still, somewhere deep inside, she'd started to find a bizarre sense of happiness in being "bullied" by Lu Chengwen. She hadn't even realized it herself, but the shift was undeniable.
So when Lu Chengwen suggested she leave with Long Aotian, and Long Aotian was willing to take her, her heart recoiled in resistance.
I've only just discovered Mr. Lu's charm, just started feeling like my life has hope. And now you want me to leave?
No way!
No one's dragging me away!
Long Aotian was equally baffled. In the original plot, he was supposed to be the dawn breaking through Jiang Shihan's endless night. He believed he'd entered her life as a savior, addressing her two greatest pain points: her mother's illness and her hatred for her perverse boss. He thought all he had to do was beckon, and she'd cling to him like a drowning person clutching a plank, never letting go.
But he didn't know thatස
Lu Chengwen had accidentally, recklessly, lit up Jiang Shihan's life first, igniting her hope and loyalty.
He couldn't fathom why she refused to let go of her painful past and start anew with him. It was too bizarre.
But the most confused of all was Lu Chengwen. His head was a muddled mess, unable to tell up from down or left from right.
Everything was spiraling out of control.
He couldn't understand why Jiang Shihan was so determined to stay by his side, clinging to him like a lifeline.
He couldn't grasp why Xu Xuejiao was constantly undermining him, forcing him into decisions against his best interests—and how she always seemed to know exactly what he was planning and how to thwart him. How was she doing it?
And he really couldn't comprehend why Long Aotian was so… underwhelming.
Big brother, aren't you the male lead?
Shouldn't you be radiating unstoppable charisma, crushing everyone in your path, unlocking cheat codes with every heroine you meet, racking up affection points so fast you could sweep them off their feet in a day?!
Xu Xuejiao was meddling, Jiang Shihan had switched sides, and Long Aotian wasn't living up to his hype…
If this kept up, Lu Chengwen was done for.
Three days!
His best survival record from his previous six attempts was three days.
Is three days my limit?!
Long Aotian, feeling he'd made a fool of himself, slunk away.
But he wasn't giving up.
I'll be back.
Lu Chengwen got a call from Leng Tianhao, inviting him to dinner at their home.
Lu Chengwen had a pretty good idea of what this was about—likely the engagement, which boiled down to money.
Leng Tianhao saw his daughter as a bargaining chip. Since Lu Chengwen had been chasing Leng Qingqiu for three years, Leng Tianhao figured if he offered his daughter, Lu Chengwen would have to return the favor—specifically, by using the Lu family's financial empire to bail out the Leng family's troubles.
But that was Long Aotian's job, not his!
No way was he getting involved!
With his mind made up, Lu Chengwen returned to the company, handled some work, and headed to the Leng residence.
As soon as he arrived, Leng Tianhao personally greeted him.
"Well, look who's here—Chengwen!"
Lu Chengwen hurried forward to shake his hand. "Good to see you, Uncle."
"Haha, no need to be so formal with family. Come on in."
The hospitality was top-notch. Leng Tianhao went all out to make Lu Chengwen feel honored, and even Leng Qingqiu's mother came out to chat with him.
For a junior like him, this was an extraordinary level of attention.
Lu Chengwen felt awkward, but today was his chance—the perfect opportunity to set things straight.
He needed to cut ties with the Leng family, specifically with Leng Qingqiu, cleanly and decisively.
The Leng family wasn't going under—not with Long Aotian, the chosen one, waiting in the wings to save the day. Their future wasn't his concern, and he wasn't worried about it.
The dinner was styled as a cozy family gathering—nothing extravagant, but warm and welcoming, emphasizing the theme of being one big family.
As they exchanged pleasantries, Leng Qingqiu walked in.
"Zhang Ma, do we have guests?" she asked the housekeeper.
"It's the young master," Zhang Ma replied with a smile.
Leng Qingqiu was visibly surprised, clearly unaware her father had invited Lu Chengwen.
When their eyes met, Lu Chengwen was smitten.
The main heroine is truly something else.
I really do have the makings of a sleazy villain.
The chapter isn't over yet! Please turn to the next page for more exciting content!
Lu Chengwen couldn't help himself—he was a hopeless romantic, falling for every beauty he saw.
At noon, he'd been entranced by his sultry secretary, marveling at Jiang Shihan's allure, thinking she'd be endlessly captivating, with unmatched playability and potential.
Now, seeing Leng Qingqiu, his heart was hit with another jolt.
Leng Qingqiu was stunning.
Stunning to the point of being a queen.
When she was around, every other woman was just a side dish—no exaggeration, no hyperbole.
Her face was flawless, exquisite, practically unmatched in beauty worldwide.
And her looks? Regal, commanding, the epitome of elegance.
Forget "girl-next-door charm," "lively cuteness," "pure radiance," or "sexy vixen"—those were all lesser. In Leng Qingqiu's presence, they were all just little sisters.
She was beautiful to the point of seeming unreal, perfect to the point of feeling like a different species from ordinary humans.
And that was just her face.
Her figure was invincible!
Not the skeletal, stick-thin model type with protruding collarbones and exaggerated thinness, nor did she have an ounce of extra fat—no belly, no thigh pudge. Her body was as perfect as her face.
Tall, alluring, perfectly proportioned, with full, rounded hips, shapely thighs, long, slender calves, and ankles so perfectly proportioned they'd make any man weak.
She exuded a healthy, voluptuous sensuality… a feminine allure that sparked desires to explore, possess, and indulge.
Lose a pound, and the effect would be ruined. Gain a pound, and it wouldn't work either.
Her figure was like an artist's masterpiece of perfect proportions—almost unscientific for a living person.
But her true rarity was her aura.
Xu Xuejiao didn't have it. Chen Mengyun didn't have it. Jiang Shihan didn't have it. None of the celebrities Lu Chengwen knew—Western, domestic, Japanese, Korean—had it.
It was true queenly grace.
True aristocratic elegance.
Purely impeccable!
With "Lu Chengwen's" memories, pretending he wasn't smitten was nonsense.
Even without those memories, all it took to fall for Leng Qingqiu was one condition: seeing her.
If you saw Leng Qingqiu and didn't have improper thoughts, you weren't a man—you had to be defective. Unless your eyes were donated, you were in a vegetative state, or you'd had that surgery in Thailand, the really successful kind that left nothing behind.
Otherwise, resisting her was impossible.
Leng Qingqiu, seeing Lu Chengwen, felt a rush of joy.
For the first time, she broke into a radiant smile. "Chengwen-ge, you're here!"
"Oh! Yeah, I'm here."
Lu Chengwen hadn't realized he'd been staring.
[Crap, I've been avoiding looking at her too closely these past few days. Now that I feel temporarily safe, I let my guard down.]
[This woman's dangerous—one look, and you're hooked.]
[What a sin! Looking like this, don't you make every woman in the world hate you? My nose isn't bleeding, is it?]
Hearing Lu Chengwen's inner praise, Leng Qingqiu felt a surge of pride and happiness.
Leng Tianhao, observing, thought: There's definitely something here! Lu Chengwen's practically drooling over my daughter. If Qingqiu's mom and I weren't here, this kid would've pounced already. So why's Qingqiu saying he's hesitant? Does he want her without footing the bill?
The "family of four" sat down to eat and chat.
Naturally, it started with small talk—how's your company doing? Heard you acquired a company and made a killing? How are your parents?
During the conversation, Leng Tianhao covertly studied Lu Chengwen, growing more convinced his judgment was spot-on.
He's a lech!
Guaranteed!
This little punk keeps sneaking glances at my daughter. You say you're not interested? Who're you kidding?
I've been driving stick for years—how many manuals have you handled? You think I can't see your skill level?
Leng Tianhao smiled. "Chengwen, the engagement's set for the tenth of next month. How are your preparations going?"
Lu Chengwen snapped back to reality.
What a sin!
He really, truly didn't want to let go. Handing a woman this beautiful to Long Aotian felt like ripping out his own heart.
But he had no choice. He had to remember why he was here.
This wasn't a cozy dating sim where you max out affection points, sweep the heroine off her feet, and unlock every position and playstyle.
This was a high-stakes battle royale.
His goal wasn't to boost intimacy with the heroine and win her over.
It was to use every resource and trick to survive, to make it to the end, to come out on top and "eat chicken" tonight!
This game wasn't his to carry. There was a big shot on the other team.
When the big shot pushed top lane, you stayed bottom. When he came bottom, you fed him minions, towers, jungle creeps—everything!
The big shot was destined to dominate. One more or one less short-lived loser on his path to glory didn't matter. You weren't important to him!
But this was critical for you.
The smart move was to linger in the jungle, farming creeps to pass the time.
Let your teammates flame you—you knew you weren't playing the same game as them!
Once the big shot went godlike and pushed the base, you just camped at the fountain, clapped for him, and begged him to carry you next round.
Do nothing else. One extra move, and the big shot might take your head for a gear upgrade.
Lu Chengwen sighed.
My life is too pathetic.
At that moment, the butler reported, "Sir, a Young Master Long requests an audience."
"Young Master Long?"
"Yes, named Long Aotian. He says… he has insider information worth billions to share with you."
Lu Chengwen's head buzzed.
Big brother… this isn't just sneaking into the base—you're fountain-diving!
_
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