Lu Chengwen quickly tried to comfort her again, "Hey, come on, stop it. I wasn't playing around, really. I was just teasing you."
Xu Xuejiao burst into tears, crying so hard she could barely catch her breath. Lu Chengwen had no choice but to pat her back and chest to soothe her. "You're a renowned doctor, a talented young woman respected across the Northern Kingdom. How come you're like this in private? Your crying is so ugly!"
"Leng Qingqiu is pretty! Go find her! Didn't you already have fun with her? With her long legs, slim waist, and all that firmness and bounce! Why bother with me? I'll cry! I'll cry! Today, I'll cry myself to death in your office—"
Lu Chengwen said, "I didn't! I was just joking. Why are you so petty? Can't even take a little joke—"
"That's right! I'm petty. Leng Qingqiu is magnanimous. She ignored you for three years, strung you along for three years, played you for three years, and you still like her, don't you?"
"No, I don't. We're just friends—"
Xu Xuejiao shouted, "Friends? You want her to be your main wife and me to be your concubine? You want me to serve her tea, wash her clothes, fold her blankets, and—sob—even wash her feet?"
"No, no, I'll serve you tea, wash your clothes, fold your blankets, and wash your feet. How's that?"
Xu Xuejiao immediately stopped crying. "You promise? Swear it!"
Lu Chengwen froze.
*[Damn, this little fox tricked me!]*
Lu Chengwen quickly backtracked, "Alright, alright, stop messing around. You're making it sound like it's real."
"I don't care. I am being serious. Are you going to marry me or not? Am I not slim and delicate?"
Lu Chengwen was so flustered he started stammering. "Well… girls with slim arms and legs look good! And your lolita style is super successful. Plus, your boobs are so big and soft—"
Xu Xuejiao laughed through her tears. "Shut up! You just love bullying me!"
"Business! Big sister, stop crying. Let's talk business."
"What's left to talk about? So many people are eyeing Qianfeng Group now. If our two families join forces, we can definitely take it and leave no room for anyone else. Why are you hesitating?"
Lu Chengwen sighed. "I just feel… Qingqiu, she—"
Xu Xuejiao was so angry she could barely speak. "Fine, fine, fine! I give up! You indecisive jerk, I agree. You can marry her, but I won't be her subordinate! I won't serve her tea, wash her clothes, or cook for her! Happy now? Two great beauties serving you alone! Ugh, you're handling business worth tens of billions, yet you're still hung up on a woman. I don't even know if you're cut out for big things!"
Lu Chengwen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
*[This little brat is convinced I'm obsessed with Leng Qingqiu's beauty and can't bring myself to be ruthless.]*
*[Hah, and she's even offering me the fantasy of having both. Well, I can dream about it, I guess.]*
Lu Chengwen said, "You've got it wrong. I'm not interested in Leng Qingqiu."
"Really?"
"Really."
"How real?"
Outside the door, Leng Qingqiu, who had been eavesdropping, let her hand slip weakly from the doorframe.
He doesn't like me anymore.
Even if I throw myself at him, he's not interested…
Of course. I'm the kind of woman everyone wants to abandon.
How laughable.
For three years, I had countless chances to become the young madam of the Lu family.
Back then, all I had to do was nod, and the entire Lu family would have treated me like a star, cherished me like the moon.
But I don't know what was going through my mind—I treated Lu Chengwen like that.
Yeah, back then, my mind was only on Qianfeng, on my dreams, on my ambitions.
Lu Chengwen? In my eyes, he wasn't even worth a pile of dog shit.
But now, even if I agreed to be his concubine, he'd probably find me a nuisance.
Tears streamed down Leng Qingqiu's face.
Her back slid down the doorframe as she slumped to the floor, covering her face with her hands. Torrents of tears seeped through her fingers, dripping from her chin onto her thighs…
Lu Chengwen said, "I've already teamed up with Leng Qingqiu."
Leng Qingqiu's hands dropped abruptly, her head snapping up as she turned in shock, peering through the door crack at Lu Chengwen's profile.
Lu Chengwen was tall and handsome, dressed in a crisp suit, standing by his desk like a flawless hero bathed in golden light.
Lu Chengwen continued, "I'll support Qingqiu wholeheartedly in taking over Qianfeng and regaining control."
Xu Xuejiao wondered if her ears were malfunctioning. "What did you say?"
"You heard me."
"W-why?"
Xu Xuejiao, burning with jealousy, was genuinely furious now. "She's practically out of the game already! She has no value left! Partnering with her? Wouldn't partnering with me be better? If you support her, once she regains her strength, do you think she'll even care about you?"
Xu Xuejiao's mind was clouded by the flames of envy, and she was truly angry now.
"Have you forgotten how she treated you for the past three years? Do you really think she'll be moved by this? That she'll obediently become your wife?"
"It's not like that. I'm not thinking that way. I just—"
"Are you out of your mind or just mentally ill?! Qianfeng's collapse is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to reshape Snow City's business landscape! Swallowing Qianfeng would let the three of us redivide all the commercial interests north of Snow City! The long-term value is immeasurable. Don't you understand these things?"
"I do, but—"
"But what?!" Xu Xuejiao yelled. "Do we have to maintain the Four Great Families? No matter who takes over the Leng family, their business will compete with ours. Every one of the four families wants to swallow the other three—do I need to spell that out for you? Now that the Leng family is weak, it's not like we're stabbing them in the back. This is normal business practice. Why can't we?! Why?!"
Lu Chengwen slammed his hand on the desk, furious. "I said no, so it's no! What are you shouting for?!"
Xu Xuejiao stared at Lu Chengwen in shock. He had never yelled at her before—even when she had been scheming against him, he'd just laughed it off, teasing her a little before letting it go.
But today, for Leng Qingqiu, he had actually shouted at her!
Xu Xuejiao felt deeply humiliated. It was the humiliation of being defeated by a woman who had already lost everything, a woman who shouldn't even be in the same league as her anymore.
Lu Chengwen said, "From now on, if your family has business to discuss, tell your dad to come talk to me himself. Don't you dare come into my office and yell at me again! I'm protecting Leng Qingqiu, and not even the King of Hell can take her away from me. That's final!"
Xu Xuejiao lowered her head and scoffed. "King You of Zhou lit the beacon fires to amuse his concubine, King Zhou of Shang lost his kingdom for Daji… Of course. Idiots are always dragged down by beautiful women."
"Stop muttering nonsense! I've had enough of you! And stop putting on that act at my house, making my parents think I did something to you. I don't even dare go home now—every time I do, I get an earful."
Xu Xuejiao looked up, her voice trembling with indignation. "Lu Chengwen, have some conscience! You're not going home because of me? It's because you abandoned your brother at the police station and refused to help him! It's because you've been burning money on the slum redevelopment project! It's because—"
"I don't care! Leng Qingqiu is my goddess, and I'm her loyal simp. As long as she lives, I'll simp for her. That's just how I am! If anyone wants to take her down, they'll have to go through me first! As long as I'm in Snow City, I'll make sure Leng Qingqiu is the queen of this city! I'll crown her myself! Anyone who makes her cry, I'll crush them! Got a problem with that?!"
Xu Xuejiao gritted her teeth. "Lu Chengwen, you're something else!"
She grabbed the documents from the desk and stormed out.
Jiang Shihan, hearing the argument, hurried in to check on the situation. As soon as she opened the door, Xu Xuejiao shoved her aside. "Move!"
Jiang Shihan glanced at Lu Chengwen, who was still fuming, and wisely turned to chase after Xu Xuejiao. With a forced smile, she said, "President Xu, don't be angry. President Lu just has this temper—usually he's fine, but when he gets stubborn, he yells at everyone. There's no one in this building he hasn't scolded before. You—"
Xu Xuejiao suddenly stopped, looking at Jiang Shihan with tearful eyes. "He doesn't love me anymore."
"N-no, that can't be. I can tell President Lu likes you the most."
Xu Xuejiao burst into loud sobs. "His heart still belongs to Leng Qingqiu! What did I do wrong?! I came to him to make money together, and he refused! He'd rather spend a fortune protecting Leng Qingqiu! The Chen family is already planning to take over Qianfeng, and several big shots from outside are eyeing it too. What is he even thinking?!"
Just then, Li Meiqin walked over and overheard Xu Xuejiao's lament. Her expression turned serious, but she smiled and said, "President Xu."
"Huh?" Xu Xuejiao turned her tear-streaked face toward her.
"I think I understand what you were arguing about."
"Yeah."
Li Meiqin chuckled. "You're being silly! Why argue with him?"
"He's protecting Leng Qingqiu, and it makes me so mad!"
"Think about it. You haven't been in touch with President Lu for years, but he and President Leng have seen each other almost every day during that time. People who see each other every day are bound to develop feelings—even if it's just from bickering and teasing."
"So I've already lost?!"
Li Meiqin shook her head. "If Leng Qingqiu had seized her chances, she'd probably have a child with him by now. But she snubbed our President Lu for three whole years!"
"What's your point?"
"Consider this: Leng Qingqiu treated President Lu terribly, yet at this critical moment, he's willing to go all out for her, sacrificing huge profits just to protect her. In today's business world, in all of China, can you find another man like that?"
Xu Xuejiao pouted. "I know what you mean, but I'm a woman too. He… he just keeps protecting that Leng Qingqiu."
"That's exactly what makes him worth it—worth liking, worth admiring, worth entrusting your life to, worth crying over."
Jiang Shihan secretly gave a thumbs-up.
*Damn, that's smooth. I'm taking notes!*
The vice president of Houde Group, reduced to a lovestruck girl by our president's smooth talk.
*Impressive!*
---
Lu Chengwen sat in his chair, filled with regret.
*"I'm such an idiot! Why did I yell at her? Why did I lose my temper?"*
*"She's just a girl. So what if she raised her voice? As a man, I should've been more patient."*
Lu Chengwen sighed, berating himself, when suddenly a pair of slender arms wrapped around him from behind.
Startled, he turned his head and saw Leng Qingqiu's tear-streaked face.
"Qingqiu?! When did you— Mmm—"
Before he could finish, his lips were sealed.
"Wait! I just wanted to ask if you've been here the whole time— Mmm—"
Leng Qingqiu kissed him again.
"Hey, calm down. Let's talk first— Mmm—"
Lu Chengwen pushed her away, nearly in tears. "Big sister, say something first! Let's— Mmm— Mmm—"
After a long while, Leng Qingqiu finally pulled back, her voice soft and seductive. "Go ahead. Speak."
Looking into Leng Qingqiu's eyes, Lu Chengwen felt his blood boiling.
"Screw talking! Today, I'm going to wreck you!"
With that, he yanked off Leng Qingqiu's towel, flipped her onto the desk, and pinned her down.
---
Outside, Xu Xuejiao had made up her mind.
"Fine! I'll go back and apologize to Chengwen right now!"
She turned and marched back.
Jiang Shihan nodded approvingly. "Sister Qin, you're amazing."
Li Meiqin smiled. "It's nothing. By the way, did President Leng say what she needed in there?"
Jiang Shihan's face instantly paled. "President Leng is in the office?!"
"Yeah, she's been in there for a while. I thought you knew—"
Jiang Shihan immediately rushed after Xu Xuejiao. "President Xu! President Xu, wait a second!"