Chapter 27: I Just Want to Eat Chicken

Jiang Shihan could not be taken away by Long Aotian.

Lu Chengwen was being coerced by Xu Xuejiao, so he could not force Jiang Shihan to leave with a heavy hand. Moreover, Jiang Shihan herself had no desire to leave Lu Chengwen and elope with anyone. At this moment, not only did she not want to leave, but she even secretly vowed to do everything in her power to repay her great benefactor... Lu Chengwen.

Long Aotian, meanwhile, realized that his image in Jiang Shihan’s heart did not seem to be as secure as he had thought.

It is fair to say that the three of them—Jiang Shihan, Lu Chengwen, and Long Aotian—were all completely confused. Their information was entirely asymmetrical, and each had their own blind spots.

Because Jiang Shihan had overheard Lu Chengwen’s inner thoughts over the past two days, she had mistakenly combined that information with Lu Chengwen’s past actions to analyze the situation. The conclusion she reached would have been enough to make Lu Chengwen cough up three pounds of blood. Instead of hating him to the bone as the original plot dictated, she felt deeply grateful, convinced that Lu Chengwen was merely pretending to be a villain while actually being a truly wonderful person.

To make matters more bizarre, deep down, the young woman had suddenly developed a sense of happiness from being bullied by Lu Chengwen. She didn't even realize it herself, but that was exactly how things had transpired. Therefore, when Lu Chengwen suggested she go with Long Aotian, and Long Aotian was willing to take her, she felt an immense resistance.

She had only just discovered the charm of her boss, Lu, and only just begun to feel that her life was full of hope—and they wanted her to leave now? Not a chance! She wasn't going anywhere.

Long Aotian felt the same way. According to the original plot, he was the glimmer of light in the long, dark night of Jiang Shihan’s life. He believed he had appeared as a savior, addressing the two major pain points of her life: her mother’s illness and her hatred for her perverted boss. He assumed that with a mere wave of his hand, she would cling to him like a drowning person grabbing a plank of wood, never to let go.

What he didn't know was that Lu Chengwen, through a series of accidental blunders, had inadvertently illuminated and ignited Jiang Shihan’s life ahead of schedule. Long Aotian could not fathom whether there was something wrong with her, or why she refused to let go of a painful past to embrace a new beginning with him. It was truly bizarre.

However, the most confused person of all was Lu Chengwen. His mind was a complete mush; he couldn't tell north from south or up from down. Everything was in chaos. He didn't understand why Jiang Shihan insisted on clinging to him, nor did he understand why Xu Xuejiao constantly worked against him, forcing him to make decisions that were not in his best interest. She always seemed to know his intentions and intervened—how could she possibly know?

He understood even less why Long Aotian was so pathetic. *Big Brother, aren't you the main protagonist? Shouldn't a main protagonist be awe-inspiring, invincible, destroying everyone in their path, and triggering cheats whenever they meet the heroine, with affection points skyrocketing until they can sweep her off her feet?*

Xu Xuejiao was causing trouble, Jiang Shihan had changed her heart, and Long Aotian was no longer effective... If things continued like this, he really wouldn't know how to play the game anymore.

Three days! His highest survival record in the previous six attempts was only three days. Could three days be his limit?

Long Aotian, finding himself unwelcome, had to slink away in defeat. But he did not give up. *I will definitely be back.*

...

Lu Chengwen received a call—it was from Leng Tianhao, inviting him to dinner at his home. Lu Chengwen roughly knew what he wanted: it was about the engagement, and the engagement was really about money. He viewed his daughter as a bargaining chip. Having spent three years "licking" Leng Qingqiu, he figured that as long as he agreed to let her be with him, he would have to offer something in return. Specifically, the financial machine of the Lu family that he controlled would have to help the Leng family through their difficulties.

But this was Long Aotian’s job! He couldn't interfere! Absolutely not!

...

Having made up his mind, Lu Chengwen returned to the company to settle some work before heading to the Leng residence.

As soon as Lu Chengwen arrived, Leng Tianhao personally came out to greet him.

"Oh, Chengwen, you're here!"

Lu Chengwen hurriedly went up to shake his hand. "Hello, Uncle."

"Haha, don't be so formal, we're family. Come on in."

This reception was top-tier. Leng Tianhao gave Lu Chengwen plenty of face, and even Mrs. Leng came out to chat. For a junior, this was a sign of immense respect.

Lu Chengwen felt awkward, but today was an opportunity—the best chance to make things clear. He had to cut the Gordian knot and sever his connection with the Leng family—or more precisely, his connection with Leng Qingqiu. The Leng family would absolutely not fall; they had Long Aotian, the child of destiny, waiting in the wings to take over. He didn't need to worry about the future of the Leng family, and he didn't care to.

The atmosphere of the dinner was a warm, family-style affair. It was meant to make him feel at home, emphasizing the theme of being one big family. After a few pleasantries, Leng Qingqiu returned.

Upon entering, she asked the nanny, "Auntie Zhang, do we have guests?"

"It’s your fiancé, he’s here," Auntie Zhang said with a smile.

Leng Qingqiu was surprised; clearly, she hadn't known her father had invited Lu Chengwen. When Lu Chengwen saw Leng Qingqiu, their eyes met, and Lu Chengwen fell.

He realized that the main heroine lived up to her title. He truly had the potential to be a scumbag and a villain—he really did fall for every beautiful woman he saw. Earlier that day, he had been shaken by his sexy little secretary, marveling at how Jiang Shihan was a rare beauty, surely full of endless ways to be played with. Now, seeing Leng Qingqiu, his heart was struck with even greater intensity.

Leng Qingqiu was truly stunning. How stunning? She was a queen. As long as she was present, other women were merely side dishes. That was no exaggeration. Leng Qingqiu was perfect and exquisite; in terms of looks, there were almost no rivals in the world. Her beauty was majestic and dignified. Don't mention the girl-next-door, the cute and lively, the pure and pretty, or the sexy wildcat—those were all "little sisters" compared to her. Leng Qingqiu was beautiful to the point of being unreal, so perfect that she seemed different from ordinary humans.

And that was just her face. Her figure was invincible! She wasn't the bone-thin, stick-legged type of model one saw on TV, nor was she chubby. Her figure was as perfect as her face. Tall, sexy, and well-proportioned, she had full, rounded hips, shapely thighs, slender calves, and ankles of a rarity that would make a man's nose bleed. At the same time, she exuded a healthy, voluptuous sensuality—a unique charm that made one desire to explore, possess, and play with her. It seemed as if losing or gaining even an ounce would ruin that perfect ratio. It wasn't science; she was like a masterpiece created by an artist.

But the rarest thing was her aura. Xu Xuejiao didn't have it, Chen Mengyun didn't have it, Jiang Shihan didn't have it—not even the celebrities he knew, whether Western, domestic, or Asian, possessed it. It was a true queenly aura, a true aristocratic air. It was simply perfect!

Lu Chengwen carried the memories of the "original Lu Chengwen," so it would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. Even without those memories, a man would only need one condition to be moved by Leng Qingqiu: seeing her. If you didn't have crooked thoughts when seeing Leng Qingqiu, you weren't a man, or there was something wrong with you. Unless you were blind, a vegetable, or had undergone a very successful surgery in Thailand, it was impossible not to be moved.

Leng Qingqiu saw Lu Chengwen and felt a wave of joy. She smiled, something rarely seen. "Brother Chengwen, you're here!"

"Oh! Yes, right, I'm here." Lu Chengwen hadn't expected to be so mesmerized.

*[Damn it, I haven't dared to look at her closely these past few days. Now that I’m temporarily safe, I let my guard down. This woman cannot be looked at too much, or you'll never be able to pull your eyes away. What a sin! Aren't you afraid of making all the women in the world hate you just by existing like this? I hope my nose isn't bleeding.]*

Listening to Lu Chengwen’s sincere inner praise, Leng Qingqiu felt proud and very happy.

Leng Tianhao watched them and thought: *This is definitely happening! Lu Chengwen is staring at my daughter as if he's lost his mind. Look at that wretched expression—if her mother and I weren't here, this kid would have probably lunged at her. Why did Qingqiu say he was hesitant? Could it be that this kid wants the girl but doesn't want to pay up?*

The "family of four" sat down to eat and chat. Initially, they exchanged small talk—asking about his company, the recent acquisition, and how his parents were doing. During the conversation, Leng Tianhao secretly observed Lu Chengwen, confirming his judgment once again. He was a pervert! Absolutely! The little brat kept trying to steal glances at his daughter. *You say you're not interested? Who are you trying to fool? I've been driving for years; how many manual transmissions have you handled? Do you think I can't tell your driving level?*

Leng Tianhao smiled and said, "Chengwen, the engagement is on the tenth of next month. How are your preparations coming along?"

Lu Chengwen’s thoughts snapped back. *What a disaster!* He really couldn't bear to let her go—not in ten thousand years. Handing over such a beautiful girl to Long Aotian felt as painful as death!

But there was no choice. He had to remember why he was here. This wasn't a romance simulation game; it was high-stakes survival. He wasn't supposed to increase intimacy with the heroine to unlock various "positions" and "methods"; he was supposed to use every resource to survive until the end and win the game! This game wasn't meant for him to carry; there was a "Big Brother" on the opposing team. All he had to do was make sure that when the Big Brother went to clear the top lane, he was in the bottom lane, and when he came to the bottom lane, he should feed him all the minions, towers, and jungle monsters! Big Brother was destined to be god-like; he just had to make sure he wasn't one of the short-lived cannon fodder along the way. He wasn't important to Big Brother, but this was important to him!

Therefore, the wise approach was to wander in the jungle and kill monsters to pass the time. Don't worry about teammates flaming you; only you know that you aren't playing the same game as them! Once Big Brother goes god-like and pushes the base, you just sit in the fountain and clap, hoping Big Brother will carry you in the next round. Don't do anything else; do one extra thing, and Big Brother might just use your head to buy equipment.

Lu Chengwen sighed. *My life, it’s just too miserable.*

At that moment, the butler came in to report: "Sir, a Young Master Long requests an audience."

"Young Master Long?"

"Yes, named Long Aotian. He says... he has insider information worth over two billion to share with you."

Lu Chengwen’s head buzzed instantly. *Big Brother... you’re not just stealing the base now, you’re trying to spawn-camp me!*