Lu Chengwen kept his face stern, plotting internally:
[Offending all three at once might be tough. One by one, then.]
[Start with Leng Qingqiu—her pride's the strongest. She'll crack easiest.]
He marched to the liquor cabinet, grabbed a bottle and a glass, and turned to Leng Qingqiu. "Our business is done. I thought about using you before, but now? You're not worth much. Heh, pathetic."
He spun around, chin raised. "For three years, I was after your Leng family's assets. But looking at it now, your family's got nothing left. Take your pitiful fortune and get lost."
Leng Qingqiu watched him, a pained smile on her lips.
Even when he was trying to push her away, his words were oddly gentle.
I'm not an idiot. I know the past three years weren't fake. I used to hate your ways, your personality, your speech—everything about you.
But one thing I and my team never doubted: you genuinely liked me.
I've never denied or questioned that.
She smiled faintly. "So, you never liked me?"
"Hah!" Lu Chengwen poured himself a drink. "Like you? Big sister, you're always so cold, acting untouchable. Honestly, you make my stomach turn. Please, we're both rich—stop harassing me! Shoo, go on, get out."
Leng Qingqiu, still smiling, joined him at the cabinet and grabbed a glass.
"Oh, mad, huh? Want to drink to our breakup?" Lu Chengwen said. "Fine! Down this, and get out. No more contact—business stuff goes through Li Meiqin."
She poured a drink, clinked glasses with him, and said softly, "Thank you."
Lu Chengwen blinked, thrown off. "What, being polite now because you're pissed? Nice, nice. I'll drink, and you leave. No more ties."
Leng Qingqiu sipped, then flashed him a warm smile.
He eyed her warily, unnerved by her gentle expression. "I'm warning you, don't do anything crazy! What more do you want?"
Suddenly, she hugged him and kissed his cheek.
He pushed her back. "Big sister, what's that for? What's your deal?"
She tilted her head playfully. "Instead of wasting energy snapping at me, figure out how to deal with Long Aotian. You're looking more handsome lately, by the way."
Lu Chengwen wiped his face. "You… you're nuts."
She laughed. "Hey, dinner tonight? My treat."
"Dinner? Didn't we just agree to cut ties!?"
She grinned. "Got it. My dad doesn't decide my marriage—you know that. So, if you want to marry me, I'm in."
Sweat beaded on his forehead. "Shut up! You're crazy! Absolutely crazy!"
Chen Mengyun stepped to the cabinet, grabbed a glass, and blocked Leng Qingqiu, pouring herself a drink.
Leng Qingqiu shot her a look but stayed quiet.
Chen Mengyun faced Lu Chengwen. "Your turn to chew me out now?"
"Huh?"
She downed her drink in one go. "I'm telling you, Lu Chengwen, you're marrying no one but me!"
He stared at her. "What's your deal? We broke up three years ago—let me go, big sister!"
Before he could finish, Xu Xuejiao bounced over to the cabinet.
Lu Chengwen grabbed her, near collapse. "What now!? What are you up to!?"
"They're drinking with you, so I want in!"
"We're drinking to break ties—think carefully!"
As he argued with Xu Xuejiao, Chen Mengyun leaned in and kissed him square on the lips.
He stumbled back, wiping his mouth. "What was that!?"
Chen Mengyun just smiled at him, silent.
Xu Xuejiao returned with a glass, but Lu Chengwen snatched the bottle. "Xuejiao, you're my grandma, I give up! Don't drink—this stuff's off today!"
"No way! They drank—why can't I?"
"There's something wrong with this booze, trust me…"
"Give it here, or I call your dad!"
Lu Chengwen was livid. "Call him! Go ahead!"
Seeing her actually pull out her phone, he had no idea what drama this actress might pull—some tragic mother-son saga or a battlefield epic.
He grabbed her phone and handed over the bottle. "Drink, drink, fine!"
Xu Xuejiao gleefully poured a glass, but halfway through sipping, her face twisted. She burst out laughing, sticking out her tongue, stomping her feet, and fanning her mouth. "What is this!? So spicy!"
Leng Qingqiu and Chen Mengyun couldn't help but laugh.
Lu Chengwen chuckled too. "You can't handle liquor—why join the chaos?"
Xu Xuejiao clamped her mouth shut, glared at him, and raised her glass to chug it.
He stopped her. "You've had enough—no need to down it! Your tongue's for tasting rare herbs, don't ruin your gift."
To become a top-tier divine healer, the basics—observation, listening, questioning, pulse-taking—were just the start.
True masters tasted medicines, sniffed herbs, judged flames, refined in furnaces, wielded needles, hung threads, scraped bones, crafted poisons—the list went on.
These were elite skills, unseen by common folk, like America's high-end medical care, accessible only to the ultra-wealthy, while the masses went to private clinics.
A divine healer's expertise was far rarer and more mystical than Western medicine.
Xu Xuejiao barely drank, her delicate tongue reserved for…
Wait!
Lu Chengwen froze.
That night!
This girl drank with me half the night!
He felt played.
She didn't drink that night, yet she matched my vibe perfectly?
If she did drink, why's a single sip today wrecking her like this!?
Are there hidden backstories or special traits for the leads in this story I don't know about!?
When Lu Chengwen thought about these things, the heroines couldn't hear his thoughts.
The system was solid—he couldn't share this world's secrets, and they couldn't glean them from his mind.
These three women seemed to have him pinned.
Lu Chengwen felt dizzy.
Am I just a lab rat being toyed with?
The male lead, Long Aotian, is getting ruthless, crossing lines!
The female leads are losing it, all falling for me.
The plot's completely derailed. With things as they are, Long Aotian conquering these women is a pipe dream.
In their eyes, he's already scum.
No, wait—Jiang Shihan too!
I've stolen four female leads' affection from Long Aotian.
Does the system really not interfere with this world?
If it doesn't, why's everything going off the rails?
Is it just because I'm trying to survive that things have ended up like this?
Lu Chengwen pulled out his phone. After Tie Tuo Wang beat Long Aotian, he'd saved Tie Tuo Wang's number under Long Aotian's identity.
He sent a message, four words: Get out here.
His face was grim.
The truth was about to unravel!
At that moment, one thought consumed him:
[You reap what you sow. I choose my own path!]
Chen Mengyun, concerned, said, "Brother Chengwen, you okay?"
Lu Chengwen, dazed, strode out.
Xu Xuejiao called after him. "Hey! What's with you these past few days? You're freaking me out!"
Leng Qingqiu added, "Chengwen, you…"
He spun around, pointing fiercely. "Don't follow me!"
The three women froze, silenced, rooted in place.
To Lu Chengwen, everyone in this world looked like a ghost.
In this story—no, this world—who can I trust?
Are Mom and Dad even real?
These three heroines—are they truly into me, or are they just pretty facades? Sirens out to kill me?
Why does Long Aotian keep screwing up around me?
What's the system's real purpose for bringing me here?
To toy with me, ensuring I die no matter what I do?
Or did they just give me a battlefield to see if I can survive?
If the system doesn't interfere with anyone or anything…
If it's not blocking me, letting me act freely…
If everything in this world is real…
Then where's the damn protagonist!?
Or rather—everyone's their own protagonist!
No—better yet, I'm the protagonist!
Long Aotian's just a guy named "Long Aotian," wearing a "halo," stacked with "buffs," called the "male lead." That's it, right?
And me? What do I have?
Sporadic system rewards!
Knowledge of this world beyond anyone else!
Rough insight into future characters and plots!
Those are my weapons!
You've got your halo; I've got my hidden skills!
You've got your buffs; I've got my foresight!
You're the son of destiny!
I'm the chosen one who's died seven times, resurrected in this world to face you in a final showdown!
Who's the protagonist?
That's not settled yet!
Destined son versus chosen one—until we clash, who's stronger isn't clear!
Lu Chengwen, grinding his teeth, floored the gas, his sleek sedan speeding toward a suburban spot.
…
In an abandoned factory, Long Aotian sat in a chair, the picture of an elegant gentleman, legs crossed, reading a newspaper.
A small table beside him held a bottle of fine whiskey and two glasses.
Hua Xuening stood behind him, expressionless, staring at the entrance.
Clang!
The iron door swung open, echoing through the empty factory.
Lu Chengwen's tall, lean silhouette stood in the doorway, the fiery sunset casting his shadow inside.
Against the blazing light, his figure was a dark curtain, features obscured.
Long Aotian folded his paper, smiling faintly. "Meeting me to beg for mercy?"
Lu Chengwen slowly raised his eyes, his fierce gaze locking onto Long Aotian.
Hua Xuening's brows furrowed, sensing a shift—this man's aura was entirely different now.
The dark figure was unreadable, save for those blazing, ferocious eyes, unnervingly bright.
Lu Chengwen's voice, hoarse, rasped out: "Long Aotian, from today, Xuecheng is my domain."
_
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