Chapter Twenty-Seven: A Hero to the Rescue?

The conference room door closed silently behind Lu Chen's tall, confident form.

Yet the entire Sales Department A—and even colleagues from Groups B and C who had hurried over to witness the spectacle—remained engulfed in the shock of what could only be described as an "epic public execution," unable to collect their thoughts.

Zhao Yuhang slumped in his chair like a dead dog, his face ashen, his gaze vacant, muttering obsessively, "Impossible… this can't be real… that recording is fake… Lu Chen that pauper is framing me…"

But his pale, feeble pleas were utterly laughable—and, under the contemptuous, schadenfreude-tinged, and faintly fearful stares of everyone present, they seemed… insignificant.

No one believed him anymore.

Or rather, no one dared… to believe him.

For they had all witnessed how the usually bullied and long-suffering "punching bag" Lu Chen, in just a few days, step by terrifying step, had crushed Zhao Yuhang—the arrogantly assertive "prince heir"—beneath his heel, reducing him to… a puddle of mud that no one cared about.

And the other "focus" of this storm—Xu Tingxia—stood perfectly still in a corner of the room, her fair, delicate face still flushed with the shock and… an inexplicable excitement.

Her large, shining eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the direction Lu Chen had taken, filled with emotions too complex to name: relief at having survived the ordeal, disdain for Zhao Yuhang's despicable behavior, astonishment at Lu Chen's thunderous tactics, and above all… a feeling she had yet to fully recognize—welling within her like a flood from a broken dam… an overwhelming… admiration and… affection!

He… he actually did it…

He actually… publicly humiliated that bastard Zhao Yuhang for me!

The way he looked at me just now… so gentle, yet so commanding…

And that final line—"Next time, I might not stop at just playing a recording"—was absolutely… breathtaking!

Is this… is this what they call… a hero saving the beauty?

Lu Chen… he… he is the real man! A man worthy of my lifelong trust… a true man!

These scattered, feverish thoughts, like the sweetest poison or the richest wine, fermented wildly in Xu Tingxia's innocent heart, sending her into a blissful daze where even her breaths carried a heady sweetness.

She could feel her heart—already racing from Lu Chen's rescue—pounding like a frightened fawn: thump-thump, thump-thump, threatening to burst from her chest. Even her long, slender legs, encased in delicate crystal stockings, trembled with excitement and anticipation.

If not for her colleagues still lingering in the room, she would have rushed out without hesitation—like a swallow yearning for its nest—flinging herself into Lu Chen's embrace, seeking the unprecedented security and warmth it offered, and pressed upon him… her most ardent and pure kiss!

But Lu Chen remained blissfully unaware of the storm he had wrought in Xu Tingxia's pure, romantic heart with his seemingly offhand "rescue" and that suggestive "mysterious recording" (the identity of its "female lead" known only to him and heaven). He sat calmly at his corner desk, leisurely sorting through the documents in his hand.

That thirty-million-yuan contract "tricked" from Jiang Wanxing moments ago lay in a dusty heap at the corner of his desk like a hot potato—treated as though it were no more than a pile of worthless scrap.

He even retrieved from his drawer the cold vegetable bun he'd bought that morning for three yuan—neglected there for days—took a sip of the sanitized-tasting water from the pantry, and slowly… methodically… ate it.

As if the brilliant strategist who had just bested the arrogant young master Zhao Yuhang and terrified everyone with a scandalous recording was anyone but him.

This stark contrast—this unfathomable depth of cunning—sent his onlooking colleagues peeking from the corners of their eyes into waves of dread.

They could not fathom how this seemingly meek, harmless young man could harbor such… unknown secrets and powers capable of overturning everything.

Just as Lu Chen was about to finish the last bite of his stale bun, a faint, lily-of-the-valley-like fragrance—like the first dew-kissed ray of dawn—wafted from just behind him, accompanied by the hurried, slightly panicked steps of someone approaching.

Lu Chen's brow lifted ever so slightly, and a playful, knowing smile curved his lips.

Without turning, he could "hear" the fluttering thoughts of the bashful, hopeful "little white rabbit" drawing near:

What should I do… should I… go speak to him?

He helped me so much just now… shouldn't I properly thank him?

But if I go to him… will that be too forward? Those gossips will say I'm… interested in this "waste"—no, this "hero"…

Yet if I don't go… will he think I'm cold? Ungrateful?

Oh dear! Xu Tingxia, you fool! You're so articulate normally, so why around him are you… useless?!

A silent cheer rose in Lu Chen's heart, suppressed yet filled with delight.

He knew that Xu Tingxia, already marked as an "A-level potential prey" in his "heart-hunting ledger," had been completely… captivated by him after today's dramatic rescue.

Now, like the most patient and precise hunter, he would use the most skillful tactics to touch the most sensitive chord of her heart, gently yet resolutely… turning this "pure little white rabbit"—whose heart was already promised—into the most devoted bloom on his "peach blossom chart."

He turned slowly, his gaze filled with tenderness and encouragement, upon Xu Tingxia—her face flushed, breaths rapid, the swell of her chest rising and falling like waves.

"Xia Xia, is something the matter?" Lu Chen's voice was clear and calm, yet carried an irresistible magnetism and warmth.

Xu Tingxia's heart—already racing—beat even faster at his sudden gentle gaze and caring words, as though it might leap from her chest.

Her fair, delicate face blazed with a deeper rosy glow, like peach blossoms in spring. She looked achingly vulnerable, evoking boundless sympathy.

"I…I…" Xu Tingxia's lips trembled uncontrollably. From her throat came a string of broken syllables. Her large, shimmering eyes flickered away from Lu Chen's intense gaze. Her voice was barely above a whisper, yet laced with a fatal allure:

"Lu… Lu Chen… I… I just wanted… to say… thank you…

Thank you… for… helping me just now…"