Chapter 42: The Goddess's Resolve

Leng Tianhao left, and Lu Chengwen picked up the phone. "Li Meiqin! Change it. Transfer the funds directly to Leng Qingqiu's private account. No need to ask why, just do as I say."

After hanging up the phone, Lu Chengwen was furious to the core and slammed his executive desk with a loud crash.

"What the hell kind of prominent entrepreneur is he? What the hell kind of top four family is he? A dog! Leng Tianhao, you're nothing but a dog who only sees money! Leng Qingqiu is gorgeous and capable, yet instead of cherishing, loving, and protecting such a daughter like the apple of your eye... You goddamn bastard, it's truly disgusting!"

He sat there, trying to regulate his breathing, and panted, "Leng Qingqiu will never be able to handle this blow... You want to scheme against me? Now I'm giving the ten billion directly to Leng Qingqiu, and you're kicking her out of the game? Without her, you won't have any money—let's see how you play this hand then! You want to mess with me? If you weren't Leng Qingqiu's father, I'd kick your little twig right back into your bladder!"

Having finished venting his anger, Lu Chengwen collapsed limply into his executive chair, gazing blankly at the ceiling.

His mind was a tangled mess.

At that moment, a figure flashed out from behind the door.

Leng Qingqiu's face was covered in tears, and she stared at Lu Chengwen with a blank expression.

Lu Chengwen turned his head instinctively, caught sight of Leng Qingqiu, and immediately sprang up from the chair as if he had been electrocuted.

"Qing-qing-qing-qing... Qingqiu? Why are you here? How long... how long have you been here?"

"I heard everything."

Lu Chengwen was dumbfounded.

*Oh, holy crap! Isn't this completely screwed? She must be heartbroken, right? Who wouldn't be heartbroken and devastated by something like this?*

*It's over. She must hate both me and her father to the core. It doesn't matter if she hates me—I can take the hatred—but... how is she ever going to face her own father after this?!*

"Qingqiu, you... you listen to me, actually... some things..."

"You don't need to say anything. When things reach this point, nothing you say matters anymore."

Truth be told, Lu Chengwen couldn't think of anything to say anyway.

With Leng Qingqiu overhearing that kind of conversation, there was simply no way to salvage the situation!

Even if he possessed the silver tongue of Zhuge Liang, who could verbally defeat a whole hall of scholars, he probably wouldn't be able to spin any pleasant words out of this.

Lu Chengwen wore a look of profound guilt. "I-I'm sorry."

Leng Qingqiu remained silent, just looking at Lu Chengwen as tears streamed down her face.

Suddenly, Lu Chengwen flew into a rage. "Zhao Gang! Jiang Shihanh! Get your asses in here!"

Both Zhao Gang and Jiang Shihanh were scared out of their wits. Stepping into the office and taking in the heavy atmosphere, they realized something terrible had happened, and their faces turned as pale as paper.

"Are you goddamn pig-headed morons? Qingqiu came over and nobody bothered to give me a heads-up? What the hell do I even pay you for?! Pack your things and get lost!"

Jiang Shihanh was so terrified her mind went completely blank, while Zhao Gang dropped straight to his knees.

"President Lu! President Lu, it was my fault! Please spare me this once, President Lu..."

Leng Qingqiu said in a clear voice, "I'm the one who forced them. If you want to yell at someone, yell at me!"

Lu Chengwen instantly lost all his temper.

Leng Qingqiu looked back at the two of them. "You guys can go outside. This has nothing to do with you anymore. I'm sorry for dragging you into this."

"We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare..."

Jiang Shihanh was still in a daze, so Zhao Gang grabbed her and quickly scurried out of the room.

At that moment, Li Meiqin pushed the door open and hurried inside, only to find Leng Qingqiu standing there crying while Lu Chengwen stood in silence.

She said nervously, "President Lu... a transfer of ten billion scale requires your... signature."

Lu Chengwen nodded. "Bring it here."

Just as Lu Chengwen was about to sign, Leng Qingqiu pressed her hand over the signature area, staring at him with tear-filled eyes.

Lu Chengwen looked back at Leng Qingqiu and smiled bitterly. "Stop making a fuss. Once I sign, you'll have the money, and you can... continue to run Qianfeng and lead it forward."

Leng Qingqiu gazed at him. "Why... won't you marry me?"

Lu Chengwen gave a bleak smile. "I won't buy you with money, nor will I force you with money. If you don't love me, being together will only result in mutual torture. Why bother?"

Gently, Lu Chengwen moved Leng Qingqiu's hand aside, signed his name on the document, and handed the pen to Li Meiqin.

His voice was infinitely gentle:

"Qingqiu, I know I used to be a terrible person, and I'm deeply sorry for all the trouble I caused you. If time could flow backward, I would never let any of this happen. If there's any way to make amends for the hurt I've caused you, I'm willing to do anything."

"Think of this money as a tiny token of my apology—take it. You're a good girl: smart, hardworking, and kind-hearted. Trust me, one day you'll meet your true love. He... he will surely be a child of destiny, superior to everyone in every way, and full of virtues from head to toe. He will love you, cherish you, and protect you. He will be the person you've always searched for. With him by your side, you will never feel lonely or deserted again. Trust me, that person will appear, and that day will come."

Leng Qingqiu snatched the transfer document bearing Lu Chengwen's signature and clutched it tightly in her hands.

"Qingqiu, what are you doing?!"

Leng Qingqiu said, "Li Meiqin, get out."

Li Meiqin had been wanting to bolt anyway. She hurriedly bowed and turned to leave.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lu Chengwen asked. "You need this money."

"Since you're so rich, why don't you buy me?"

Lu Chengwen's eyes widened. "What... did you just say?"

"Am I not worth ten billion? Buy me, then."

"I've already apologized! Isn't it enough that I'm sorry? I'm begging you, please spare me, I won't ever dare to—"

"I'm doing this willingly."

Lu Chengwen was plunged into utter depression. "Big sis, you're just speaking out of anger..."

"I'm not speaking out of anger. I've fallen in love with you."

Lu Chengwen stared at Leng Qingqiu for a few seconds, then laughed out of sheer exasperation.

"Qingqiu, you... haha, I know you're out of your mind with anger right now..."

"I'm completely sane. A lot of things happened these past few days that made me see your true character clearly, and I genuinely like you. From the bottom of my heart, I want to be the young mistress of the Lu family."

Lu Chengwen looked at her, his entire face feeling paralyzed.

"Big sis, are you..."

Leng Qingqiu seemed to have made up her mind completely. "I'll ask you just this once: do you still like me?"

Lu Chengwen thought to himself:

*Like you my big fat head! Do I dare like you?*

*What is going on here? This plot is all wrong! For three whole years, I trailed behind you like a stray dog, and you wouldn't even deign to look at me straight.*

*Did something hit your head these past couple of days? How did you suddenly... What am I supposed to do now?*

Thinking back on the past three years, Leng Qingqiu felt a twinge of embarrassment.

It was true; she had lacked any real understanding of Lu Chengwen and had often treated him terribly.

Anyone else with a shred of self-respect would have stopped paying attention to her long ago. It was remarkable that he had endured three whole years with her.

Now, Leng Qingqiu couldn't even recall what Lu Chengwen's annoying traits were. Instead, whenever she thought of the past few years, she felt that life had actually been quite wonderful precisely because Lu Chengwen had been in it.

Recalling those past scenes one by one, she suddenly felt that for the past three years, she had been blessed without knowing it, and her heart overflowed with guilt toward Lu Chengwen.

"In the past... it was my fault. Please... don't be angry with me. Can't you see I was wrong? I'm apologizing to you."

Lu Chengwen had no inkling of Leng Qingqiu's psychological transformation. From his perspective, she had undergone an instantaneous personality shift, executing a complete 180-degree turn in her perception of him.

He could neither comprehend it nor accept it.

"Qingqiu, are you acting like this simply because too many things have happened lately? Don't worry, I promise I won't pester you anymore..."

"I *want* you to pester me!" Leng Qingqiu interrupted hastily. "It was my fault for not knowing I was blessed before, and you—you deliberately put on such an annoying facade, which made me misunderstand you for so long."

"Misunderstand!?"

"Anyway, I finally know what's truly in your heart now. I like you, sincerely and truly."

Lu Chengwen felt a constant buzzing inside his head.

"I think you're not thinking clearly right now. This is clearly an impulsive reaction."

"Fine, I know you've lost interest in me. It doesn't matter; you chased after me for three years, so now it's my turn to chase you."

Lu Chengwen had no idea how to respond.

Leng Qingqiu smiled—a smile that was both blissful and sorrowful, causing a pang of distress in Lu Chengwen's heart.

"Anyway, starting today, you'll see my changes."

Leng Qingqiu glanced at the document in her hand. "Consider this money a loan from you. I'll pay you back as soon as I make money."

Abruptly, Leng Qingqiu leaned in close and pecked Lu Chengwen on the lips. Blushing deeply, she said, "I'm leaving now. You... you—I'll contact you."

Not until Leng Qingqiu had departed did Lu Chengwen snap out of his daze.

He sat in his chair like a frost-bitten eggplant, remaining motionless for a long time.

When he finally stepped out of the office, Jiang Shihanh immediately stood up, watching him nervously.

Lu Chengwen started, then quickly said, "Oh, just now... that was my fault. I shouldn't have lost my temper at you two."

Jiang Shihanh blurted out, "I'm sorry, President Lu. Please forgive me; it was my fault for letting someone in without checking."

Lu Chengwen patted her shoulder. "Don't be silly. I was just out of my mind with anger. Leng Qingqiu practically owns the place here at Dasheng Group and is even more badass than I am—how could you possibly stop her? Don't overthink it. I'll give you a day off, go home and get some rest."

"No, no, no, I'm fine, I can work."

"Then stop crying, it ruins your looks," Lu Chengwen said with a smile.

Seeing Lu Chengwen smile, Jiang Shihanh instantly blossomed with joy. "I won't let it happen again."

At that moment, Zhao Gang walked in nervously. "President Lu."

Lu Chengwen looked at him. "What is it?"

Zhao Gang flashed a ingratiating grin. "President Xu is here to see you."

"Xu Xuejiao?"

"Yeah," Zhao Gang said hastily. "I tried to block her, but she threw a tantrum at me, and I didn't give her any special treatment either. She even bragged that she'd make things hard for you once she saw you. Following your highest instructions, I showed her zero courtesy, and now she's about to explode with rage..."

Lu Chengwen's mouth twitched.

*Talk about retribution!*

*I chewed Zhao Gang out, which scared the kid so badly that, just to keep his job, he went and offended the dark loli Xu Xuejiao on my behalf.*

Lu Chengwen said gloomily, "Next time President Xu comes, you still have to show some respect, understand?"

"Understood."

Zhao Gang was practically on the verge of tears. Since Lu Chengwen used "next time," it meant his job was safe.

*Fantastic! I get to keep being a flunky, wonderful! Sob, sob...*

Lu Chengwen quickly walked over to the lounge. As soon as he entered, he saw Xu Xuejiao with her chest heaving heavily from anger.

He hurried over with a smile. "What an honor to have President Xu grace us with your presence! Lu Chengwen failed to welcome you from afar, please forgive me, please forgive me!"

Xu Xuejiao stood up. "Lu Chengwen, you've got quite a bit of nerve!"

Lu Chengwen immediately smiled deprecatingly. "Not at all, not at all. Something came up just a moment ago, so I yelled at Zhao Gang. The kid got scared, which is why he offended you. Forgive me, please forgive me."

"Let me ask you: why did you suddenly invest in the shantytown redevelopment project?"

Lu Chengwen felt like crying. "I... was just struck by a sudden impulse."

"Are you certain you can make money?"

"I'm certain I'll lose money."

Xu Xuejiao's eyes widened. "Then why did you and Leng Qingqiu both invest in it? What kind of conspiracy are you two cooking up?"

Lu Chengwen sighed inwardly.

*Where is Long Aotian? Come on, just smack me to death already. I don't care anymore, I'm exhausted.*