"Please, heroine, stop coming over!

[Damn it, in for a penny, in for a pound! If you start something, I'll finish it!]

[If I don't give you a taste of your own medicine, you'll never know how many legs this young master has!]

Lu Chengwen smiled and said, "Want me to calm down? Fine!"

He grabbed a bottle of foreign liquor and slammed it on the coffee table: "Drink it."

First, Leng Qingqiu never drank alcohol. Her tolerance was terrible; even a little would get her very drunk.

Second, Leng Qingqiu had an extremely strong sense of self-respect. She had never been coerced or humiliated in her life and had never been forced to drink as a form of punishment.

Lu Chengwen didn't believe it. He didn't believe that Leng Qingqiu's bottom line had disappeared. He didn't believe that she would endlessly accommodate him. This wasn't the character of a strong female lead, nor should it be her character.

I don't believe in evil!

Leng Qingqiu looked at Lu Chengwen, her eyes filled with anger and sorrow, tears welling up.

Lu Chengwen, seeing Leng Qingqiu pushed to the brink of explosion by him, suddenly felt a pang of heartache.

Leng Qingqiu had never suffered such humiliation since she was a child.

He had doted on her for three years, fawned over her for three years, pursued her for three years...

For three years, he had been submissive, compromising, speaking softly, and trying every way to please her.

She had always been aloof, but today, he wanted to make her bow her head in public.

Lu Chengwen shouted to 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. It's better to offend her early and break up early.]

[Wow, but this resentful look... Am I committing a sin?]

Lu Chengwen pretended not to care and said, "Not drinking? Not drinking means not giving me face, not giving me face means not giving me... face! I, Lu Chengwen, in Xuecheng, am..."

Leng Qingqiu suddenly grabbed the bottle and started chugging it.

Everyone watched in silence.

Lu Chengwen watched this scene, watching the noble and proud Leng Qingqiu spill wine from the corners of her mouth, and 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, big sister! Stop drinking, just scold me a few times and walk away, or even slap me! What are you doing!]

Leng Qingqiu suddenly choked, put down the bottle, and kept coughing.

Lu Chengwen breathed a sigh of relief: "Whew..."

But before he could recover, 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 deadly silent.

Leng Qingqiu's eyes were red, tears at the corners, staring at Lu Chengwen, as if saying:

Are you happy now, Young Master Lu? Are you satisfied now, Young Master Lu? Do you want me to keep drinking, Young Master Lu?

Lu Chengwen shamefully averted his gaze, not daring to look into her eyes, and whispered, "I... I'm sorry."

The manager nearby felt it was his turn to step in and flatter, clapping his hands: "Bravo! President Leng has an impressive capacity for alcohol, truly a heroine..."

"Get out!"

Lu Chengwen roared.

The manager was stunned, then quickly whispered, "Go, everyone, get out."

All the waiters and girls hurried out.

Lu Chengwen exhaled and stood up: "Let's talk."

Walking down the corridor of the club, Leng Qingqiu was already swaying unsteadily.

Lu Chengwen remained silent the whole way, filled with self-reproach.

[I didn't mean to make things difficult for you, it's just... How did things come to this?]

Leng Qingqiu's mind was already foggy, her steps faltering, and she finally stumbled, but Lu Chengwen quickly caught her.

The last thought Leng Qingqiu heard from Lu Chengwen's mind 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 this situation before.

The head secretary bowed respectfully: "Um... Young Master Lu, you can leave President 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.

Shameless, despicable, thinking he was funny, utterly unscrupulous...

But they had never seen him with such a sincere expression, such a sincere voice, saying such serious words.

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 secretary-general awkwardly said, "Young Master Lu, it's not that we don't trust you, but we think…"

At this moment, Leng Qingqiu, in a daze, wrapped her arms around Lu Chengwen's neck, murmuring as if in a dream, "You all go, I'm fine."

Both Lu Chengwen and the secretary team were stunned.

Was she really drunk or not?

The secretary-general wanted to confirm: "President Leng, are you sure you're okay? Should we let Mr. Lu take you?"

"Mmm…"

Leng Qingqiu clung to Lu Chengwen's neck, her face nuzzling against his chest, letting out a coquettish sound.

This left the entire secretary team even more confused.

First, Lu Chengwen had acted completely out of character, becoming quite intimidating.

Now, Leng Qingqiu was displaying a shy, girlish side that they had never seen before since knowing her.

The secretary-general was sweating profusely: "President Leng, I must confirm with you, are you really drunk, or…"

"Go away," Leng Qingqiu mumbled.

Lu Chengwen carried Leng Qingqiu and walked straight out of the club.

Zhao Gang had already driven the car over, grinning mischievously at Lu Chengwen.

As the car drove off, the secretary-general stood in place, frowning.

"Sister Han, this… President Leng is drunk, and we handed her over to Young Master Lu… This is so unprofessional!"

Another secretary chimed in, "But what could we do? President Leng was in and out of consciousness. We couldn't tell if she was really drunk and unable to make rational decisions, or if she was… deliberately using being drunk as an excuse to be with Young Master Lu."

"But… doesn't President Leng hate Young Master Lu?"

"Yet today, it was President Leng who deliberately came looking for Young Master Lu, and… you saw what happened."

Sister Han sighed, watching the car disappear from sight, and said calmly, "If President Leng is really drunk, we're all dead tomorrow."

…

Zhao Gang was driving the car.

As he drove, his mischievous 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 drifted in and out of consciousness, sometimes lucid, sometimes not.

Zhao Gang spoke up, "Young Master, I'm in awe of you! Your tactic of playing hard to get is genius! I was wondering why you suddenly turned into such a good guy. Turns out you had this trick up your sleeve. Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

Lu Chengwen looked at him, "I'm just taking care of a girl I accidentally hurt. There's no ulterior motive, understand?"

"Yes, I understand," Zhao Gang nodded earnestly, pursing his lips.

"Honestly, sometimes I feel lucky to be working for you, Young Master. 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, the world would be a harmonious, beautiful, and perfect place."

"Speaking of which, I know a love hotel that's discreet and private, fully equipped with all kinds of toys and gadgets. If we just give the manager a little money, he can provide us with a free multi-angle recording system…"

Lu Chengwen couldn't deal with this sidekick's nonsense and silently raised the partition glass. He could see Zhao Gang, but Zhao Gang couldn't see the back seat or communicate anymore.

Give him a little money? That's called free?

Even if Lu Chengwen were the most unscrupulous person, 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 dabbled in all kinds of adult films, even considering himself somewhat of 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 wouldn't allow him to do such things.

Besides, could Leng Qingqiu be touched? The male lead's woman was off-limits—this 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 antagonist.

And if he even entertained the thought, 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 to succeed, but he would also instantly max out the hatred between himself and the male lead.

Long Aotian would, in front of Leng Qingqiu, furiously display his protective instincts, showing how heartbroken and reckless 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 ashes.

Then he'd hold Leng Qingqiu, heartbroken, speaking in the tone of an idol drama, martial arts drama, or Qiong Yao romance:

"Qingqiu, it's my fault. I failed to protect you. Blame me! Hit me! Scold me! That way, I'll feel a little better!"

"Oh no! No! No! I won't resent you for holding his 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 shivered and nervously checked if any cars were following him.

Damn it, why did I soften up and actually bring the female lead into 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 either.

Castrating people… is immoral.

Lu Chengwen lowered the partition window: "Zhao Gang, take me home."

"Home… home?"

"Is going home that hard to understand? Damn it!"

"N-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, a call came through.

Lu Chengwen answered, and it was Xu Xuejiao.

"Chengwen, what are you up to? Come to the pharmaceutical factory right away. I'm waiting for you."

"What?!"

Lu Chengwen was on the verge of a breakdown: "Big sister! Heaven above! I've been dealing with plotlines all day. Can't you let me rest for a bit? Are villains not human?"

Xu Xuejiao was puzzled, wondering what nonsense he was spouting.

"No, it's you who said that batch of drugs needs to be destroyed as soon as possible. My team has already made arrangements. 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 factory? You can handle it!"

"Hehe, operations of this level require the president's personal signature! And don't you miss me?"

"Miss your big head! You're always plotting against me! First, tell me, are you with Long Aotian?"

"Long Aotian? That so-called 'miracle doctor' from today? Pfft, who does he think he is? My heart only belongs to you."

Lu Chengwen was on the verge of tears: "Big sister, I beg you, let me go, okay? Stop spouting this nonsense. Fine, I'll go to the factory. I'll personally supervise the destruction process. You don't need to come. Let's just not meet, alright?"

"Hmm, no can do," Xu Xuejiao said. "According to standard destruction procedures, you, me, the leaders from the drug administration, the head of our internal review committee, and relevant notary personnel 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 framing me!"

Lu Chengwen shouted the last part and then roughly hung up the phone.

Xu Xuejiao was completely baffled: "Has this guy lost his mind? What's all this nonsense?"

Lu Chengwen lay in the back seat, feeling even weaker than the "drunk" Leng Qingqiu.

Just then, the system dinged.

"System notification: Congratulations, villain, for successfully controlling 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?!"