"Qingqiu, get up," Lu Chengwen urged gently.
"Chengwen, I love you. I love you so much. Devour Qianfeng!" Leng Qingqiu's eyes blazed with unwavering determination.
"Take it over, and I'll keep running it for you. I'll pour every ounce of my ability into making it thrive, turning it into the most profitable branch under Dasheng Group."
"Qingqiu, you…" Lu Chengwen faltered, caught off guard.
"Devour me too!" she pressed on, her voice fierce yet vulnerable. "I, Leng Qingqiu, used to be an arrogant, clueless woman. But now I see clearly. I love you—from the bottom of my heart, with every fiber of my being, with a love that's etched into my bones…"
"Stop, stop, stop!" Lu Chengwen interrupted, waving his hands. "Just get up first."
Leng Qingqiu studied him, her heart sinking. She realized he seemed utterly uninterested in her words. He didn't care about Qianfeng. He didn't care about her.
For a woman drowning in love, nothing was more terrifying than discovering the man she adored was indifferent. He didn't seem to have the slightest interest in her. That was her greatest fear.
On the surface, Leng Qingqiu was icy and composed, but deep down, she craved love desperately. Raised under the rigid expectations of her family, betrayed by her best friend, abandoned by her first love, and cast aside by her father, she was—despite her wealth, beauty, and figure—a woman with nothing else to call her own.
To the world, Leng Qingqiu had it all, inspiring envy in most. But she knew the truth: she had nothing. Lu Chengwen was her last lifeline.
After waking, she'd been in constant contact with him, tracking the corporate war's twists and turns. She'd wanted to throw her own funds into the fight, but Lu Chengwen had stopped her. Her few billion wouldn't have made a dent. Yet he was pouring hundreds of billions into the battle for her.
Watching the fluctuating transaction records, Leng Qingqiu felt utterly powerless. All she could do was watch as events unfolded, helpless to act. Behind those numbers, graphs, and markers was the shadow of a man fighting fiercely for her.
When Xu Xuejiao made snide remarks, Leng Qingqiu didn't get angry—she felt triumphant. In the corporate arena, she'd lost everything, but with Lu Chengwen, she was the ultimate victor.
Because he loved her. More than Xu Xuejiao, more than Chen Mengyun. He loved her most. He'd gone all-in, throwing money without a care for losses, just for her.
So when Xu Xuejiao jabbed at her, Leng Qingqiu just smiled, infuriating Xu Xuejiao enough to storm off.
But now, as she offered herself completely to Lu Chengwen, he rejected her. What was this man thinking? Why was he toying with her like this?
If he didn't love her, why had he pursued her for three years? Why had he done so much for her? Why would a man who valued money above all else spend so recklessly to stabilize Qianfeng for her?
Tears welled in Leng Qingqiu's eyes. "Are you still holding a grudge? For my coldness and arrogance those three years? My ignorance and pride? I've already apologized!"
Lu Chengwen softened. "Just get up, okay?"
"No! Tell me clearly!" Leng Qingqiu's voice broke, her strength crumbling. "Even if I die, I want to die knowing the truth! You said you liked me, so why… why don't you want me now that I'm throwing myself at you? When did you stop loving me?"
Lu Chengwen's head was spinning. He couldn't handle this. He had the cunning, charisma, and vision of a grand figure, but deep down, he still carried the instincts of a simple delivery boy. Another heir of a wealthy family might have smugly lifted her chin, soothed her with a few words, and accepted her devotion. But Lu Chengwen was at a loss, reverting to that naive, ordinary guy.
"Qingqiu, don't… just get up," he stammered.
"I won't!" Tears streamed down her face. "I have nothing left! Qianfeng is gone, my family is gone. I have no friends, no confidants, no lover, no kin… only you. What do I have to do for you to love me? Tell me!"
Lu Chengwen hadn't expected Leng Qingqiu, such a formidable woman, to speak so humbly. His heart ached, and panic set in.
"I don't not like you," he said, fumbling. "It's just…"
"Then take me!" she pleaded. "Take everything I have!"
Lu Chengwen's face twisted in exasperation. "Everything?"
"Yes! Everything!" Leng Qingqiu's voice was resolute. "My dreams, my heart, my… body."
Lu Chengwen sighed heavily. "Get up already."
When she didn't budge, his tone turned stern. "Get up!"
Leng Qingqiu slowly rose to her feet.
Lu Chengwen's voice softened again. "I'll give you all the Qianfeng shares I've acquired."
"But—"
"Listen to me first," he interrupted. "If you're truly set on following me, what's mine is yours. What difference does it make if Qianfeng is an independent group or a branch under Dasheng?"
Leng Qingqiu was stunned. Any major conglomerate would seize the chance to swallow Qianfeng whole. Keeping it independent meant giving her full autonomy—her own power, her own decisions. She could claim to be under Dasheng's umbrella while remaining her own master. It was like leaving money in someone else's account, trusting them to hand it over when needed. Most people would pocket the money, securing absolute control. But Lu Chengwen was letting her and Qianfeng stay free.
In essence, she could betray him at any moment.
"Let's focus on taking back Qianfeng first," he said. "We'll figure out the rest later."
In his mind: [I'll help her reclaim Qianfeng. She's desperate and broken right now, lost and hopeless. Once Qianfeng's back in her hands, she'll regain her strength. She'll be Leng Qingqiu again, and Qianfeng will be Qianfeng. She won't need to throw herself at me like this.]
Leng Qingqiu understood. Lu Chengwen thought she was only turning to him out of desperation. He believed that once Qianfeng was hers again, she'd reclaim her place as one of Xuecheng's four pillars and no longer consider aligning with the Lu family or becoming a Dasheng subsidiary.
Fine. If he didn't trust her loyalty, she'd prove it.
"If we take back Qianfeng," she said, "will you accept me? Accept my loyalty?"
Lu Chengwen thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, sure."
"Good!" Leng Qingqiu declared. "I, Leng Qingqiu, swear this: whether I reclaim Qianfeng or not, I am Lu Chengwen's from this day forward. If I break this oath, may lightning strike me dead!"
Lu Chengwen groaned inwardly. [I'm touched, sure, but this? This isn't the Leng Qingqiu who runs a conglomerate. She's acting like a lovesick, naive girl with her head in the clouds, making childish oaths. She's not thinking straight. I'll let her cool off and deal with this once things stabilize.]
"Eat something," he said aloud. "You're too thin."
Leng Qingqiu sat back down, smiling at him. "I'll stay tonight."
"Huh?"
"I'll keep you company."
Lu Chengwen set down his chopsticks, at a loss for words.
A knock came at the door. He unlocked it with his phone, and his mother stormed in. "Chengwen, did you know your brother's been arrested?"
"Mom, have you eaten?" he asked, deflecting.
"I'm asking you! Your brother's been taken by the police—did you know?"
"Yeah, I heard. Armed police, several cars, submachine guns and all."
His mother was livid. "You have to save him!"
Lu Chengwen chuckled. "Mom, what are you talking about? They're handling it by the book. How am I supposed to save him? Storm in with my own guns?"
She grabbed his ear, twisting. "Are you trying to kill me with stress? Get him a lawyer, bail him out!"
Lu Chengwen rubbed his ear, wincing. "Mom, saving him now would only hurt him."
"What are you saying?"
Lu Chengwen's tone turned earnest. "You and Dad raised us on values—benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. Benevolence for the weak, righteousness for family and friends, propriety for strangers and business partners, wisdom in our actions, and trust in our dealings. No problem there. But every time we mess up, you fix it with money. Do you know what that does?"
His mother stared at him. "What?"
"It teaches us that no matter how big a hole we make, someone will clean it up. When we were kids, a spanking sorted it out. But we're adults now—that doesn't work. He needs to face the consequences of his actions, to suffer for them. Only then will he think twice before acting. He'll weigh the risks, knowing no one will bail him out if he screws up."
"I can do it!" Lu Chengwen continued. "I can hire the best legal team, pay a massive bond, and have him home for dinner tonight. But think about it—he's making fake drugs now. If we let him walk away scot-free, who knows what he'll do next?"
His mother knew he was right. She'd always known. But her son was in jail, and a mother's heart couldn't bear it. She wanted him out, to lecture him at home. But Lu Chengwen was correct—bailing him out now would render any lecture useless. He'd brush it off, as always.
"What do we do then?" she cried. "Your brother can't handle hardship. How will he survive prison?"
Lu Chengwen softened but stayed firm. "Prison holds thousands of people—why can't he handle it? Doesn't he deserve it? Fake drugs, Mom! If you and Dad weren't in poor health, if I weren't worried about stressing you to death, I'd break his legs myself!"
Seeing his mother's tears and Leng Qingqiu comforting her, Lu Chengwen relented slightly. "Mom, this is the last chance to save him. Bailing him out now would ruin him. I've destroyed the drugs, so technically, it's an internal company issue. His sentence shouldn't be too harsh. I'll get lawyers to minimize it, but pulling strings to let him off? That can't happen again."
His mother understood, though her heart ached. Leng Qingqiu, holding her, glanced at Lu Chengwen, thinking, God, my man is so handsome. How is he this perfect?
A cold voice cut through the room. "Well, well, Young Master Lu's got quite the sense of justice, doesn't he?"
_
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