Lu Chengwu crept out cautiously. "Heh, Sister-in-law."
Lu Chengwen glared at him. "What are you blabbering about?"
"That's what I'm calling her!"
Chen Mengyun declared. "Tell me, am I your sister-in-law or not?"
"Of course!" Lu Chengwu grinned. "I don't recognize any other woman in the world as my sister-in-law—just you!"
"Well said! If any other woman tries to mess with me and your brother's relationship, what'll you do?"
"I'll beat the shameless hussy to a pulp!"
Chen Mengyun shot Lu Chengwen a smug look. "How's that?"
Lu Chengwen thought, Great.
[Lu Chengwu, you spineless jerk, and Chen Mengyun, you stubborn mule— you two are quite the pair.]
Lu Chengwu grinned. "Sister-in-law, I'm a bit short on cash lately."
"How much?"
"Twenty million."
Lu Chengwen's eyes bulged. "What do you need twenty million for?"
Chen Mengyun snapped, "You can drop tens of millions on a mansion, but your little brother can't have twenty million for pocket money? Come to my company tomorrow, Chengwu—I'll get you the cash."
"Thanks, Sister-in-law!"
Lu Chengwen pointed at Lu Chengwu, grinding his teeth. "You dare go, and I'll kill you!"
"Bro, stop making Sister-in-law mad."
"I'll kill you right now!"
Chen Mengyun stepped up to Lu Chengwen, her hair disheveled, her eyes fierce, making him flinch.
"Mengyun, you—"
"Lu Chengwen, let's be clear: you're marrying no one but me in this lifetime! I'd rather die in the Lu family than let you go!"
At that moment, Zhao Gang hurried in. "Boss, President Chen, Young Master…"
"Speak or get lost," Lu Chengwen growled.
"Officer Zhang's here."
Lu Chengwen felt like death was knocking.
He yanked off his tie, tossed it onto the coffee table, and collapsed onto the sofa. "God, just let me die! The pot's boiling over!"
He waved at them. "You two, go rest upstairs."
"Why should I?" Chen Mengyun protested.
"I've got a case hanging over me because I saved you, you stubborn mule! I'm a wanted man right now! Have you forgotten? You were all eager to dine with Hu Shuhui, got drugged, and nearly ended up as his wife. If I hadn't shown up, you'd be Mrs. Hu by now!"
Chen Mengyun's face fell, and she tugged at his sleeve, voice soft. "I know I messed up. Don't yell, okay? I won't do it again. From now on, I'll only eat with you—deal?"
Lu Chengwen was at a loss for words with this woman.
"Go hide! You're not embarrassed to face Officer Zhang!?"
"Fine, I got it!" Chen Mengyun grabbed Lu Chengwu and they ducked out.
Tang Yiyi, still hiding, felt like she'd stumbled into a soap opera.
What kind of plot is this!?
Xu Xuejiao, the Xu family's genius, seducing Lu Chengwen in a bunny girl outfit!?
Chen Mengyun, from the Chen family, throwing herself at him like her life depends on it!?
Is Lu Chengwen even worth it!?
But wait—the drug factory issue has nothing to do with him. He's the one putting out fires!
And the shantytown project? Is he really not in it for profit?
If so, he's not the shady businessman everyone says he is—he's practically a saintly capitalist!
Investing billions in infrastructure and guaranteeing every partner's capital? He's a saint!
Did we get him wrong?
Lu Chengwen, exhausted, said, "Let Officer Zhang in."
Zhang Shen'er stood in the foyer. "I'm already here."
"Oh, Officer Zhang, please sit."
Zhang Shen'er, accompanied by a rookie cop, sat on the sofa, her face stern as she stared at Lu Chengwen.
He waved weakly. "Zhao Gang, take care of our guests."
"No need," Zhang Shen'er said. "I overheard your talk with Miss Chen. Seems we might've misjudged you."
Lu Chengwen looked at her, too drained to argue.
"Officer Zhang, I know you look down on me. That's fine—I don't care. Whether you've wronged me or not, I don't care either. Got evidence? Lock me up. No evidence? Lift the restrictions. I don't want to stay in this city a minute longer."
Zhang Shen'er smiled. "We've cleared things up. Your suspicion's been lifted. I'm here to tell you the restriction order's void."
She handed him a document. "Sign here, and you're free."
Lu Chengwen grabbed the pen, scribbling his signature.
"You're not even reading it?"
He handed the pen back to the rookie, looking at Zhang Shen'er. "Someone like you wouldn't pull a dirty trick. I trust you."
She stood, glancing around. "Nice place."
"Anything else, Officer?"
Zhang Shen'er smirked. "Alright, I know you can't wait for me to leave. We'll meet again, Lu Chengwen. I'll be watching you."
"Thanks."
Just then, Zhao Gang stumbled in. "Boss, trouble! Long… Long Aotian's here!"
Lu Chengwen's eyes widened. "Long Aotian!? Impossible! Tie Tuo Wang beat him to a pulp—how's he even standing!?"
"No idea, but it's definitely him!"
Lu Chengwen clenched his fists. "Damn it!"
[The plot's moving this fast? Tie Tuo Wang knocked him out cold—how's he up already!?]
[He's the protagonist, defying all logic!]
[Is today my last day? I'm so not ready!]
Zhang Shen'er sensed something off.
Long Aotian? Lu Chengwen keeps mentioning him in his thoughts, saying he's powerful, convinced I'll end up in his harem.
Perfect chance to see who this guy is and how I'm supposedly his.
She smiled faintly. "Seems you've got a lot of enemies, Boss Lu. Who's this Long Aotian—another rich young master?"
Lu Chengwen, tense, said, "I won't keep you. You should head back."
Zhang Shen'er slipped a recorder behind a sofa cushion. "I'll record this. If he tries to hurt you, I can step in."
Lu Chengwen gave a bitter laugh. "Fine, hide in that room."
As Zhang Shen'er entered, she found it already packed.
No one knew Tang Yiyi, but Zhang Shen'er did. "Yiyi?"
"Shen'er."
"What are you doing here?"
"I…"
Zhang Shen'er got it—her journalist friend was up to her usual antics.
Then she saw Lu Chengwu, Xu Xuejiao, and Chen Mengyun—all familiar faces.
The room was a tense mix of awkwardness, each person tied to Lu Chengwen in their own tangled way.
Long Aotian strode into the hall, laughing loudly. "Lu Chengwen, quite the fancy house!"
Lu Chengwen stared. "You're… okay?"
Long Aotian laughed heartily, heading to the liquor cabinet, grabbing a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. "Have a drink with me."
"You here to fight? Drop the act—if you want to throw down, let's do it."
"No rush." Long Aotian, brimming with confidence, smiled at Lu Chengwen's tension, twisting off the bottle cap and pouring.
"Sometimes, I think fate's a strange thing. You're rich, tall, and handsome, but you've got one fatal flaw. Know what it is?"
Lu Chengwen sighed. "No clue. Enlighten me."
Long Aotian handed him a glass. "You've got no brains."
Lu Chengwen's mouth twitched, but he stayed silent.
Long Aotian sat, crossing his legs and swirling his glass. "I know you're not convinced. Let me tell you—if you were smart, you'd know I, Long Aotian, am someone you can't afford to mess with."
"You're after Leng Qingqiu, Xu Xuejiao, Chen Mengyun—those beauties. I get it. But take a good look at yourself. You think you can compete with me? One snap of my fingers, and I can make you vanish from this world. Vanish, got it?"
Lu Chengwen sighed, picked up the glass, swirled it, and took a sip to calm his nerves.
"Believe it or not, I never planned to get engaged to Leng Qingqiu. Xu Xuejiao was a total accident—I'm not into her. Chen Mengyun? We broke up over three years ago…"
Long Aotian wagged a finger, cutting him off. "Doesn't matter now. The problem is, you've pissed me off. We need to settle this."
Lu Chengwen sighed again. "How? Beat me to death?"
"Hahaha!" Long Aotian laughed. "Not yet. But you swindled fifty billion from my people—you're spitting that back."
"No problem," Lu Chengwen said. "I'll transfer it tomorrow morning."
"And the shantytown project—I want you to pull out and default."
"I've already signed a contract with the government."
"I don't care. The Lu family can't fall on your watch—it's no good for me if you go bankrupt."
"So, you're saying you won't let the Lu family off, or me?"
Long Aotian stood. "You're smarter than I thought. Just a common fool in my eyes, a lowly dog not even worthy of hot shit. But yeah, you've got some brains."
He took a sip. "One thing I don't get."
"Speak."
"Tie Tuo Wang hit you hard. How'd you recover so fast?"
Lu Chengwen smirked. "You forgot—I'm a divine healer, a master alchemist. Whipping up a Bone-Restoring Vitality Pill is child's play."
Bone-Restoring Vitality Pill.
Xu Xuejiao, listening from the room, frowned.
Chen Mengyun whispered, "Is that some amazing pill?"
Xu Xuejiao nodded gravely. "It's a legendary pill from ancient texts, said to mend all broken or shattered bones within twenty-four hours. For a qi cultivator or someone with a special constitution, it's even faster. Given how quickly Long Aotian disappeared, he might be both."
Tang Yiyi blinked, confused. "That's not scientific!"
Xu Xuejiao shot the outsider a cold look. "It's from ancient texts. Many modern folks think the Bone-Restoring Vitality Pill is just a mythical name, part of ancient superstition. Scholars have tried to recreate these legendary medicines, but no one's succeeded."
Zhang Shen'er laughed. "Some江湖 conman says a few words, and you all buy it? I'm a detective—someone with seventy broken bones surviving is a miracle, let alone walking in six months."
Xu Xuejiao gave her a frosty glance. "A few days ago, you were convinced Chengwen drugged Mengyun. If you don't get it, just listen."
"You…"
Lu Chengwu chuckled. "Let's not fight. Listen to them."
…
Lu Chengwen nodded. "If you're so capable, why didn't you fight back when Tie Tuo Wang attacked?"
At the mention, Long Aotian's eyes flared. "I used the Face-Swapping Technique, which leaves me unable to channel qi for hours. That's how that idiot got the upper hand."
"So you came just for the fifty billion and to make me drop the shantytown project?"
"One more thing."
"Name it."
"I want your five hundred billion to fund an amusement park project."
Lu Chengwen's eyes widened, staring at Long Aotian in disbelief.
_
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