Stealing the Protagonist's Thunder

"Do you think the CEO will accept his proposal today? If it were me, I'd be so happy I'd faint from the magic of love!"

"If a man came to confess to me every day for ninety-nine days in a Bugatti Veyron, I'd be devoted to him for life, no matter how many women he messes around with outside!"

"Do you like Young Master Tang for who he is? No, you just want his Bugatti Veyron and his wealth! You're so shameless!"

Listening to the surrounding discussions, the cold expression on Lin Ruoxue's face grew even frostier. She tightly clenched her fists, pondering how to make Tang Ao give up completely.

[What do you people know? Lin Ruoxue is a woman who only cares about her career. She'll reject me, and then when the troublemaker shows up, I'll let Ye Chen come and save the day, and then I'll be free to enjoy myself.]

Hearing this in her mind, Lin Ruoxue's face changed dramatically.

That voice was Tang Ao's!

But Tang Ao was standing right in front of her, and his mouth hadn't moved. How could she be hearing his thoughts?

Could it be... she could hear Tang Ao's inner thoughts?

And he was confessing just to be rejected?

And there would be troublemakers soon?

The amount of information was overwhelming, and Lin Ruoxue couldn't process it all at once.

[Three years later, if it weren't for that night when Ye Chen took advantage of her, Lin Ruoxue wouldn't have ended up in his harem. Speaking of which, Lin Ruoxue is pitiful too. After being with Ye Chen, she became nothing more than a pretty face.]

Hearing this, Lin Ruoxue's body trembled uncontrollably, and a fine layer of cold sweat covered her forehead.

This was impossible!

How could she, one day, turn into a mere pretty face for a man!?

It had to be an illusion, a hallucination!

She must be hearing things because she hadn't rested well recently.

[Is this woman thinking about spring? Why is her face changing color, and why is she sweating so much? Damn, this isn't right. Hurry up and reject me already! If you don't, the troublemakers will be here soon!]

Tang Ao was getting nervous, and at that moment, a coarse voice boomed from behind them:

"Hey! Lin Pharmaceuticals sells fake drugs, and they nearly killed me! Help! Is there anyone who can give me justice?"

In front of everyone, a burly man collapsed limply to the ground, foaming at the mouth, his eyes rolling back as he convulsed violently. The sight was horrifying and gruesome.

The scene shocked Lin Ruoxue. Tang Ao's inner voice had mentioned someone would cause trouble, and now it was happening!

The troublemaker had really shown up!

[Is Lin Ruoxue broken? Why isn't she reacting? Never mind, with the troublemaker here, the protagonist Ye Chen will arrive soon.]

Lin Ruoxue's mind kept flashing the name "Ye Chen."

She seemed to have heard this name somewhere before.

Right! Wasn't he the bodyguard that her grandfather forced on her despite her strong objections?

Would she really become part of Ye Chen's harem in the future?

Harem!?

Oh my god, how could that be possible!?

Shocked, Lin Ruoxue glared angrily at Tang Ao. First, he accused her of being lovesick, and now he wondered if she was broken. Did he think she couldn't hear his thoughts?

Wait...

It seemed he really didn't know she could hear his thoughts!

"Look! Even in such a critical moment, the CEO is still looking affectionately at Young Master Tang. Is this what they mean by a woman in love only having eyes for her lover?"

"It's over, the CEO has fallen. I will forever be the man the CEO can never have..."

The surrounding comments made Lin Ruoxue quickly lower her head, not daring to look at Tang Ao anymore. Her usually frosty face began to blush slightly.

The burly man lying on the ground convulsed for a full two minutes, almost to the point of oxygen deprivation. Seeing that no one was attending to him, he screamed desperately: "Help! Someone's dying here!"

With that, he stuck out his tongue and began convulsing even more violently, foaming at the mouth, looking even more terrifying than before.

In an instant, all eyes were on the burly man.

"Call an ambulance, quick! This man might not make it!"

"He just said he got like this from taking Lin Pharmaceuticals' medicine... Oh my god, Lin Pharmaceuticals is selling fake drugs and killing people?"

"Who would dare buy Lin Pharmaceuticals' products after this? This company should go bankrupt, and all the management should go to jail!"

As the president of Lin Pharmaceuticals, Lin Ruoxue's face turned cold as she stared at the man on the ground, her eyebrows tightly knitted together.

Why did this have to happen now, right at the end of the workday? Besides Lin Pharmaceuticals employees, there were many unrelated passersby around.

Building a good reputation takes years of effort, but destroying it can happen in an instant.

If this situation wasn't handled well, it wouldn't just damage the reputation of Lin Pharmaceuticals. The entire company could see a drastic drop in sales, potentially leading to bankruptcy!

[Impressive, this guy is really putting on a show. Lin Ruoxue must believe it completely now. Just waiting for the protagonist Ye Chen to come and turn things around!]

Tang Ao's thoughts acted like a calming pill, allowing Lin Ruoxue to slightly relax.

So, it was all an act.

But still, Tang Ao dared to call her a foolish woman!?

You're the foolish one, your whole family is foolish!

Lin Ruoxue glared fiercely at Tang Ao, her eyes full of undisguised anger.

Tang Ao was secretly pleased: [Great! Lin Ruoxue is finally back to normal! This is how a cold goddess should behave! But according to the time, Ye Chen should be here to show off. Why isn't he here yet?]

"Everyone, calm down. This man is pretending. There's nothing wrong with him!"

From the crowd, a man in a gray t-shirt, ripped jeans, and white sneakers, with a mischievous smile at the corner of his mouth, stepped forward.

[He's here, he's here, he's walking in with that smirk, turning his mouth to the side, loving no one!]

Tang Ao exclaimed inwardly, taking a step back to give Ye Chen the spotlight. As a supporting character, how could he steal the protagonist's thunder?

Unexpectedly, Tang Ao felt something soft under his foot. Looking down, he realized he had stepped right on the crotch of the convulsing man on the ground.

"Ah~! It hurts so much!"

The man cried out in pain, jumping up from the ground and clutching his crotch tightly. He hopped around like a tiger on a powerful spring, showing no sign of being at death's door.

"Oh my god, this guy... he's just trying to scam Lin Pharmaceuticals, isn't he?"

"Wait, I've seen him do the same act at Zhou's Pharmacy before, just to extort money!"

"This is fraud! Call the police and have him arrested!"

"Young Master Tang is amazing! Not only is he rich and handsome, but he also saw through this scammer and stepped on him on purpose. Why are all the good men always taken by others?"

"Young Master Tang, you're so cool! I want to have your babies!"

Looking at the applauding crowd and the burly man running away with his tail between his legs, Tang Ao was a bit confused.

[What's going on!?]

[These praises should be for the protagonist after he shows off. Why are they being directed at me now!?]

[Isn't this stealing the protagonist's thunder?]

[Will the protagonist forgive me for this?]