Chapter 22: Good People and Bad People—Impossible to Tell Apart

Lu Chengwen instructed Zhao Gang to gather all their men and be on standby at any time.

He dialed Leng Qingqiu’s number again.

“What do you want this time? Whether you want to reconcile with Chen Mengyun is your business, don’t bother me!” she snapped.

“I’m not trying to reconcile. I really have an urgent matter to discuss. Chen Mengyun is in great danger, extremely dangerous. Right now, only Long Aotian can save her, so we must find Long Aotian.”

“That has nothing to do with me; I’m not close to her.”

“Then what about me? Even if we’re not friends, haven’t we been in contact for over three years?”

Lu Chengwen was truly desperate. “Just consider it a favor—please help me, okay?”

Leng Qingqiu sighed. “The landlord of that residence just came back. Long Aotian has already checked out.”

Lu Chengwen was momentarily at a loss.

Chen Mengyun had gone off the grid like a kite with its string severed—there was no clue whatsoever.

“What kind of danger is she in exactly?” Leng Qingqiu asked.

Lu Chengwen replied, “In short, if we can’t find her tonight, this whole story will collapse completely.”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

“I’m going to die.”

“Long Aotian was just a bodyguard I fired. He probably doesn’t even know Chen Mengyun!”

Right! Lu Chengwen suddenly remembered that the plot hadn’t reached that point yet, and he was the one who triggered it. Finding Long Aotian, that kid must be as clueless as anyone.

He probably didn’t know Chen Mengyun yet!

Leng Qingqiu sensed that Lu Chengwen was truly serious and anxious.

“I can help you check Hu Shuhui’s itinerary.”

“Good! Hurry, I’m waiting for you!”

Leng Qingqiu worked quickly and found that Hu Shuhui had booked a suite at the Tianhailan Hotel an hour ago.

Lu Chengwen left a message: “I owe you big time.”

Leng Qingqiu hurriedly asked, “What are you planning to do?”

But Lu Chengwen had already hung up.

…

Lu Chengwen led over thirty security guards straight to the Tianhailan Hotel.

Who could stop them?

Like a society boss determined to pull off a big job, Lu Chengwen led the charge, thirty-plus strong, storming toward the penthouse.

The hotel security dared not block them; the front desk immediately called the police.

At the suite door, they had the attendant knock, but there was no answer. Inside, Hu Shuhui was evidently panicked, yelling at the attendant, trying to drive him away.

Lu Chengwen forced the attendant to swipe the card to unlock the door, then burst in. Before Hu Shuhui could utter a complete sentence, Lu Chengwen knocked him down with a punch.

Seeing the remains of a lavish meal, candlelight, and red wine on the table, Lu Chengwen’s fury exploded. Pointing at Hu Shuhui, he barked orders: “Drag him out and beat him—beat him to death!”

Hu Shuhui lay on the floor, screaming, “Lu Chengwen, how dare you hit me? I am—!”

Zhao Gang ignored his cries, driven by a simple, pure conviction.

Lu Chengwen was their heaven, their god, the only person worthy of their loyalty and worship in this world.

Forget Hu Shuhui—if Lu Chengwen gave the command, Zhao Gang would chase the King of Hell himself wielding a cleaver.

Zhao Gang dragged Hu Shuhui outside, but with so many people, most couldn’t get close. Hu Shuhui’s screams were maddening.

A young man thoughtfully closed the door behind them.

Lu Chengwen strode into the suite, calling out, “Mengyun! Mengyun!”

The suite was spacious, but finding Chen Mengyun wouldn’t be difficult.

At that moment, Chen Mengyun lay on the large bed, disheveled, twisting her body like a snake.

Her perfect figure was breathtaking.

Her two shapely legs pressed tightly together, writhing beneath the covers.

Her skin shone with sweat, making it glisten with a seductive allure.

Chen Mengyun’s face was flushed alarmingly, her breathing heavy. Seeing Lu Chengwen, a flicker of clarity remained in her mind.

“Brother Chengwen… save… save me…”

Lu Chengwen’s heart ached with both anger and pity.

He quickly took off his coat and covered Chen Mengyun, then scooped her up and headed out.

Chen Mengyun knew she was being rescued.

Though her mind was foggy, recognizing Lu Chengwen gave her some comfort.

Yet her primal instincts caused her to emit soft, cat-like sounds that, to Lu Chengwen, felt like gentle scratches on his heart.

…

Chen Mengyun clung tightly to Lu Chengwen’s neck. After the whole ordeal, Lu Chengwen was drenched in sweat, the scent of a man’s sweat acting like a provocative signal, stirring Chen Mengyun’s senses, alluring her deeply.

The powerful masculine charm sent her mind reeling; she nuzzled and writhed on Lu Chengwen’s neck, finally clutching him, kissing and touching him passionately.

At the door, Lu Chengwen motioned for all the guards to step aside.

Hu Shuhui quickly begged for mercy: “Chengwen, our old ties—spare me this once, I…”

Lu Chengwen kicked him in the face and headed straight for the elevator.

…

Back at his private villa.

No matter what, Lu Chengwen couldn’t calm Chen Mengyun.

He gave her three bottles of water, washed her face, and wiped her chest, but it made little difference.

Chen Mengyun was completely confused, persistently seducing Lu Chengwen and pleading indirectly.

When Xu Xuejiao entered, Chen Mengyun was still clinging to Lu Chengwen, fondling him and whispering close to his ear, “Brother, I’m so sad. Come to me! Save me, you’re the best…”

Xu Xuejiao frowned. “Lu Chengwen, you’re quite bold! Mengyun, how could you use such tactics?”

Lu Chengwen wiped the sweat from his brow. “Use some sense. Why would I call you here if I had other intentions?”

Xu Xuejiao’s brow furrowed deeply. “What’s really going on?”

“Save her first, I’ll explain later.”

Lu Chengwen held Chen Mengyun down while Xu Xuejiao administered a sedative.

Though not immediate, it calmed Chen Mengyun considerably, though her eyes remained hazy as she clung to Lu Chengwen.

After a long night of struggle.

Xu Xuejiao proved to be a skilled physician—despite her quirky nature, she was serious and focused when it came to medicine.

Chen Mengyun finally settled down, and both Xu Xuejiao and Lu Chengwen were exhausted.

The police came knocking.

Zhang Shen’er once again arrested Lu Chengwen.

In the police station cell, Lu Chengwen thought deeply.

This couldn’t go on.

He was too entangled with these leading ladies.

He had locked Long Aotian in a dark cell for a day with no change; instead, he rescued Jiang Shihan’s mother, recovered over two billion losses for Leng Qingqiu, drove off Hu Shuhui, saved the nearly violated Chen Mengyun, and spent the whole day entangled with Xu Xuejiao multiple times…

Oh, and he had been to the cell twice in one day.

This wasn’t how things should be!

The plot wasn’t supposed to unfold like this!

If I can’t handle you, can’t I at least hide?

Tomorrow I’ll buy a plane ticket and head to the southern lands, Eastern Wu, Western Shu, or Western Liang…

If all else fails, I’ll break out of Asia altogether and see the world!

I’ll go to Ukraine, Donbass, Kashmir… surely that’s acceptable?

After three to five years, maybe even ten, I might never come back.

I have money; wherever I go, I’ll live a carefree, luxurious life. Why bother with this Snow City drama? If this continues, Long Aotian will beat me to death eventually.

Yes, that’s decided!

You want to unite Snow City’s four great families?

Fine, take it all! I won’t compete—I’ll hand it all over to you.

…

Who actually drugged Hu Shuhui became an unsolved mystery.

Hu Shuhui would never admit it; the guilt was too great. He couldn’t and wouldn’t confess—just the Chen family’s revenge alone was unbearable.

So he insisted he was unaware—that Chen Mengyun approached him, and then Lu Chengwen came to beat him up.

Lu Chengwen, of course, blamed Hu Shuhui, but there was no evidence.

Chen Mengyun’s own testimony pointed to Hu Shuhui, saying Lu Chengwen warned her not to go.

But instead of serving as evidence, it only deepened suspicion against Lu Chengwen.

Right, was Lu Chengwen some kind of prophet or possessed by a spirit?

He knew they were drugged before even eating?

Was he some sort of sorcerer?

However, later Lu Chengwen did nothing but find Xu Xuejiao to detoxify Chen Mengyun.

Leng Qingqiu also testified that Lu Chengwen was frantic to find her, traced them to the hotel, and then went to rescue her.

In short, everything was a mess.

Zhang Shen’er refused to believe Lu Chengwen was so kind-hearted.

He would save someone? Ha! That’s nonsense. He must have drugged the victim.

Something must have gone wrong along the way, and Lu Chengwen switched from causing harm to rescuing.

But Leng Qingqiu, Chen Mengyun, and Xu Xuejiao—all three women involved in the case—unanimously testified that Lu Chengwen saved her.

…

This made Zhang Shen’er want to spit blood.

What methods did Lu Chengwen use? The daughters of the three great families all fiercely protected him alone?

All three women had extraordinary achievements in their fields.

Of course, they came from wealthy families and received elite education, so their platforms were higher than most, making their success normal.

Their vision, mindset, and intelligence should have far exceeded ordinary people.

Yet why were they all so thoroughly fooled by Lu Chengwen!?

It was infuriating!

Especially Leng Qingqiu—honestly, she had been the idol of every girl in Snow City.

The epitome of “someone else’s child.”

Wasn’t she at odds with Lu Chengwen, almost exploding with irritation toward him? What happened today? She got involved and even staunchly testified that Lu Chengwen was wrongly accused.

In any case, the scene was long since destroyed, evidence missing, and this case would take a long time to solve.

With doubts remaining, they couldn’t do anything to either Lu Chengwen or Hu Shuhui.

Lu Chengwen slept in the cell overnight, hair tousled, clothes wrinkled, face unwashed, then walked out.

Outside, Leng Qingqiu, Xu Xuejiao, and Jiang Shihan were all waiting.

Jiang Shihan hurried over, and her assistant team immediately took Lu Chengwen’s coat, giving him fresh clothes.

Concerned, Jiang Shihan asked, “President Lu, are you alright?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Lu Chengwen looked at Leng Qingqiu and Xu Xuejiao. “Why are you both here?”

Xu Xuejiao smiled. “To testify for you! You have no idea how many times I had to vouch for your character to prove you’re a good person. I used up half a ton of words!”

“Thank you.”

Lu Chengwen looked at Leng Qingqiu. “Sorry for troubling you all night.”

“No problem.” Leng Qingqiu remained calm as ever, glancing at Zhang Shen’er. “Can we go now?”

Zhang Shen’er’s face was hard. “Of course. But you, Lu Chengwen…”

“Yes?”

Zhang Shen’er held up a restraining order. “Until this case is solved, you are not allowed to leave Snow City. If you need to leave the country, you must obtain our approval. And during this period, you must be available at all times when summoned.”

Lu Chengwen was taken aback.

[This is a disaster! I was just planning to escape this city!]

[Damn, now I have to stay in Snow City and compete with Long Aotian for women?]

Xu Xuejiao chuckled softly.

Leng Qingqiu narrowed her eyes: Could this guy hear Lu Chengwen’s thoughts too?

Zhang Shen’er misunderstood the situation.

She thought Lu Chengwen was the mastermind behind the case, now trying to flee and evade justice.

She smiled. “Lu Chengwen, you want to run? You can’t escape. I will find the evidence and have you officially jailed.”

Lu Chengwen nodded.

[Good luck, you silly woman.]

[You don’t catch the real bad guys but always pick on me. Well, the more you hate me, the safer I am.]

Zhang Shen’er wondered what his problem was. Why was he safer the more she hated him?

And who was this Long Aotian he kept mentioning?

He seemed convinced I knew Long Aotian.

That’s a clue—I must remember it!

Xu Xuejiao laughed. “Let’s go, hero. You must be hungry. I’ll treat you to a meal!”

Lu Chengwen smiled faintly.

Leng Qingqiu said, “I have something to do. I’ll leave first.”

“Qingqiu.”

Lu Chengwen called after her.

“What is it?”

“Thank you.” Lu Chengwen smiled. “Thank you for believing in me.”

Leng Qingqiu looked at him. “You owe me one.”

“Yes, yes, I do. I’ll treat you to a meal another day. No, no, I can’t just treat you. I’ll give you a gift. What do you want? A car? A gold watch? A designer coat?”

Leng Qingqiu said, “If you want to repay me, get engaged to me.”

“Oh, no problem, I’ll—what did you say!?”

Lu Chengwen immediately shouted.