Chapter 8: The Plot Must Go On

[Damn it, if you're going to do it, then do it thoroughly! If you start, I'll finish!][If I don't give you a taste of my medicine, you won't know how many legs I have!]Lu Chengwen smiled and said, "Want me to calm down? Fine!"He grabbed a bottle of imported liquor and slammed it on the coffee table. "Drink this."First, Leng Qingqiu never drank. Her alcohol tolerance was terrible; even a little would get her completely wasted.Second, Leng Qingqiu had an extremely strong sense of pride. She had never been coerced or humiliated in her life, and she had never drunk under pressure.Lu Chengwen didn't believe it. He didn't believe Leng Qingqiu's bottom line had disappeared. He didn't believe she would endlessly accommodate him. This wasn't the character of a female lead, nor should it be.I refuse to believe it!Leng Qingqiu looked at Lu Chengwen, her eyes filled with anger and resentment, tears welling up.Seeing Leng Qingqiu on the verge of breaking down, Lu Chengwen suddenly felt a pang of guilt.Leng Qingqiu had never suffered such humiliation in her life.He had pampered her for three years, chased her for three years, and simped for her for three years...For three years, he had been obedient, compromising, speaking softly, and doing everything to please her.She had always held herself high, but today, he was determined to make her bow in public.Lu Chengwen shouted at himself in his heart:[Lu Chengwen, why are you feeling sorry for her? Don't be fooled by her pitiful look. She... Anyway, you have to hold on!][You can't get entangled with her. Offend her as soon as possible and break up as soon as possible.][Wow, but that resentful look... Am I committing a sin here?]Lu Chengwen pretended not to care. "Not drinking? If you don't drink, you're not giving me face. If you don't give me face, you're not giving me... face! I, Lu Chengwen, in Snow City..."Before he could finish, Leng Qingqiu suddenly grabbed the bottle and started chugging.Everyone watched in silence.Lu Chengwen watched as the noble, proud Leng Qingqiu spilled wine from the corners of her mouth. He clenched his fists nervously, cheering himself on.[Lu Chengwen, don't feel sorry for her, don't feel sorry for her, don't feel sorry for her. Feeling sorry for her is torturing yourself!][Don't really drink it, sis! Stop drinking! Just scold me a few times and leave. If you have to, slap me! What are you doing?]Leng Qingqiu suddenly choked and put the bottle down, coughing violently.Lu Chengwen breathed a sigh of relief. "Whew..."But before he could relax, Leng Qingqiu grabbed the bottle and started drinking again.Lu Chengwen couldn't bear it anymore and snatched the bottle away.The two of them stared at each other, the private room of the club eerily silent.Leng Qingqiu's eyes were red, tears at the corners. She stared at Lu Chengwen as if to say:Are you happy now, Mr. Lu? Are you satisfied, Mr. Lu? Do you want me to keep drinking, Mr. Lu?Lu Chengwen shamefully averted his gaze, not daring to look her in the eye. He whispered, "I... I'm sorry."The manager, thinking it was time to suck up, clapped his hands. "Bravo! Miss Leng, you have quite the tolerance. Truly a heroine...""Get out!"Lu Chengwen roared.The manager was stunned, then quickly whispered, "Go, everyone out."All the staff and girls hurriedly left.Lu Chengwen exhaled and stood up. "Let's talk."Walking down the club's hallway, Leng Qingqiu was already swaying.Lu Chengwen remained silent, filled with nothing but guilt.[I didn't mean to push you, but... how did things come to this?]Leng Qingqiu's mind was already foggy, her steps unsteady. She stumbled, and Lu Chengwen quickly caught her.The last thought Lu Chengwen had that Leng Qingqiu could hear was:[I'm sorry, really sorry. I didn't mean to...]Leng Qingqiu, in her daze, tears streaming from the corners of her eyes, murmured, "Lu Chengwen... you're not human..."Lu Chengwen picked her up in his arms and sighed. "You're right. I'm not human."Leng Qingqiu's secretary team was in a panic.They had never dealt with a situation like this.The head secretary bowed respectfully. "Um... Mr. Lu, you can leave Miss Leng to us. We'll take good care of her."Lu Chengwen looked at them, calm and sincere. "I won't harm her. Don't worry."The secretaries were stunned.Over the years, they had seen Lu Chengwen in all sorts of states.Annoying, shameless, thinking he was funny, completely without principles...But they had never seen him with such a sincere expression, such a genuine tone, saying something so serious.For a moment, the girls were all a bit dazed.Lu Chengwen smiled bitterly. "Anyway, Qingqiu was hurt by me today. The guilt in my heart makes me want to strangle myself. Please believe me, give me a chance to make it up to her, okay?"The head secretary awkwardly said, "Mr. Lu, it's not that we don't trust you, but we think..."At this moment, Leng Qingqiu, still dazed, wrapped her arms around Lu Chengwen's neck, as if sleep-talking. "You guys go. I'm fine."Both Lu Chengwen and the secretary team were confused.Was she really drunk or not?The head secretary wanted to confirm. "Miss Leng, are you sure you're okay? Do you want Mr. Lu to take you?""Mmm..."Leng Qingqiu hugged Lu Chengwen's neck, nuzzling her face against his chest, letting out a coquettish sound.Now the entire secretary team was even more confused.First, Lu Chengwen had acted completely out of character, which was terrifying.Now, Leng Qingqiu was showing a side of herself they had never seen before—a shy, girlish demeanor.The head secretary was sweating bullets. "Miss Leng, I need to confirm with you. Are you really drunk, or...""Go away," Leng Qingqiu mumbled.Lu Chengwen, carrying Leng Qingqiu, walked straight out of the club.Zhao Gang had already brought the car around, grinning mischievously at Lu Chengwen.As the car drove off, the head secretary stood still, frowning."Miss Han, this... Miss Leng is drunk. We handed her over to Mr. Lu... This is so unprofessional!"Another secretary said, "The key is we had no choice! Miss Leng was in and out of consciousness. We couldn't tell if she was really drunk and unable to make decisions, or if she was... just using being drunk as an excuse to be with Mr. Lu.""But... didn't Miss Leng hate Mr. Lu?""But today, it was Miss Leng who deliberately came looking for Mr. Lu, and... you saw what happened."Miss Han sighed, watching the car disappear into the distance. She said calmly:"If Miss Leng is really drunk, we're all dead tomorrow."...Zhao Gang was driving.His sly little eyes kept glancing at the rearview mirror.Lu Chengwen used a wet towel from the car to wipe Leng Qingqiu's face, asking if she was feeling better. Leng Qingqiu, still in a daze, alternated between lucidity and confusion.Zhao Gang spoke up. "Boss, I'm in awe of you! Your tactic of playing hard to get is genius! I was wondering why you suddenly turned into a good guy. Turns out you were saving this move. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"Lu Chengwen looked at him. "I'm just taking care of a girl I accidentally hurt. I don't have any dirty thoughts, understand?""Yes, I understand." Zhao Gang nodded earnestly, pursing his lips."Honestly, sometimes I'm really glad I followed you, Boss. Your upright character and noble morals have always been a model for me to learn from and emulate. I firmly believe that if everyone in the world were as kind, upright, and compassionate as you, Boss, the world would be a harmonious, beautiful, and perfect place.""Speaking of which, I know a love hotel. It's discreet and private, with all sorts of toys and equipment. If we just give the manager a little money, he can provide us with a free multi-angle recording system..."Lu Chengwen couldn't argue with this sidekick. He silently raised the partition glass. He could see Zhao Gang, but Zhao Gang couldn't see the back seat or communicate.Give him a little money? That's called free?Even if Lu Chengwen were the most unscrupulous, he wouldn't take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state.In his own world, he was just a delivery guy. He had read plenty of web novels and watched his share of adult films—he could even be considered half an expert.But he knew very well that those were part of his private life and couldn't be brought into reality.His upbringing and education didn't allow him to do such things.Besides, could Leng Qingqiu be touched? The male lead's woman was off-limits—that was an ironclad rule!In every novel he had read, there was never a plot where the female lead fell into the hands of the villain.Moreover, if he even thought about it, according to the plot, Long Aotian would appear instantly.No matter how hidden the place, Long Aotian would definitely find them. Logic? Who cares about logic in web novels!Even if you were on the moon trying to mess with Leng Qingqiu, Long Aotian would have some miraculous encounter and suddenly show up, scaring you so badly you'd lose control of your bladder.Not only would he fail, but he would also instantly max out the hatred between himself and the male lead.Long Aotian would, in front of Leng Qingqiu, furiously demonstrate his protective instincts, showing how heartbroken and desperate he was for her...So, how would the male lead express such complex and intense emotions?By beating me up!Yes, beat me to death!He might even castrate me and then burn my entire family to the ground.Then he would hold Leng Qingqiu, heartbroken, speaking in the tone of an idol drama or a martial arts romance:"Qingqiu, it's my fault. I didn't protect you well. Blame me! Hit me! Scold me! That will make me feel better!""Oh no! No! No! I won't hold it against you that he touched your hand. It's not your fault!""I, Long Aotian, swear that from now on, no one will ever harm a single hair on your head. You are my woman, forever!"Lu Chengwen shuddered and nervously checked if any cars were following them.Damn it, I softened up for a moment, and now I've really got the female lead in my car!Heaven as my witness! I have no ill intentions. You... you're the male lead. You have to be reasonable, you have to have morals. I didn't plan to do anything bad, so you can't hit me!And you can't castrate me.Castration... is immoral.Lu Chengwen lowered the partition. "Zhao Gang, take us home.""Home... home?""Is going home hard to understand? Damn it!""No, not hard to understand."The night was deep.Sitting in the back seat, Lu Chengwen felt utterly exhausted. Too much had happened today, way too much.Others might think it was nothing, but he had narrowly escaped death several times.Just then, his phone rang.Lu Chengwen answered. It was Xu Xuejiao."Brother Chengwen, what are you up to? Come to the pharmaceutical factory right away. I'm waiting for you.""What now?"Lu Chengwen was on the verge of a breakdown. "Sis! Heavens! I've been following the plot all day. Can't I get a break? Are villains not human?"Xu Xuejiao was stunned, wondering what nonsense he was spouting."No, it's about the batch of drugs you said needed to be destroyed as soon as possible. My team has already arranged everything. We'll destroy them tonight and hold a press conference tomorrow. We need to work through the night.""Aren't you the vice president of the pharmaceutical factory? You can handle it!""Hehe, operations at this level require the president's personal signature! And don't you miss me?""I miss your big head! You're always plotting against me! First, tell me if you're with Long Aotian!""Long Aotian? That so-called 'miracle doctor' from today? Pfft, who does he think he is? My heart only has room for you."Lu Chengwen was on the verge of tears. "Sis, I beg you, let me go, okay? Stop spouting nonsense. Here's the deal: I'll go to the factory and personally oversee the destruction process. You don't need to come. Let's just not see each other, alright?""Hmm, no can do." Xu Xuejiao said, "According to standard destruction procedures, you, me, the drug regulatory authorities, our internal review committee, and relevant notaries must all be present. No exceptions."Lu Chengwen clutched his head in agony. "I get it, but I'm telling you, this time I'm going to play it safe to the end! Absolutely! Don't even think about setting me up!"Lu Chengwen shouted the last part and then hung up abruptly.Xu Xuejiao was baffled. "What's wrong with him? What's all this nonsense?"Lu Chengwen lay in the back seat, feeling weaker than the "drunk" Leng Qingqiu.Just then, the system dinged."System reminder: Congratulations to the villain for securing the female lead, Leng Qingqiu. The male lead is already on his way to rescue her. Wishing you success in overcoming all obstacles and turning danger into safety."Lu Chengwen's eyes widened as he shouted, "Do you even have any humanity?!"