Lu Chengwen felt that... the author of This Book really ought to fill the holes in their brain with some cow dung.
What the hell was this!?
What kind of things were these female leads!?
Did they have no shame!?
With that level of awareness, they weren't even as good as me, and they still called themselves female leads!?
She thought saving someone was too expensive... I'd never fucking heard of that!
But that wouldn't do. His ultimate goal was to get these two Main Heroines as far away from him as possible. Long Aotian could only disappear for one day; after that, these two women would become the fuses that set off the plot.
Lu Chengwen put an arm around Xu Xuejiao again and said with a grin, "Sister Xuejiao, I'm Lu Chengwen, you know? A bad guy! I saw you stand up for this girl just now. I'm not trying to scare you. Could you maybe take out a hundred grand or eighty grand and buy her freedom? Or... fifty grand would do too?"
Xu Xuejiao slowly shook her head. "That's not convenient."
"Hey, so you really are... How about this? As long as you hire her, I'll pay her salary. You won't have to spend a single cent. That works, right?"
Xu Xuejiao still shook her head. "Oh, I get it. You're extorting me!"
Lu Chengwen's face turned the color of pig liver with rage.
"What am I extorting from you? You don't have to pay anything. She'll be yours, she'll work for you, and..."
"How could something this good possibly fall into my lap?" Xu Xuejiao said. "You must be trying to plant a corporate spy by my side. Don't think I'm that easy to fool! I'm very smart!"
Holding back his anger, Lu Chengwen said quietly, "Are you stupid? She's not a corporate spy. Even if she were, couldn't you just assign her to some godforsaken position where she couldn't get access to any core information?"
Xu Xuejiao said, "I practice medicine and make pharmaceuticals. The people I employ must be trustworthy. Looking at how meek and lowly this woman is, she doesn't seem like a good person."
Lu Chengwen could no longer suppress his anger.
"How could she not seem like a good person!? She's the most filial, intelligent, capable, and patient girl I've ever met!"
"She dropped out of school in her teens because of her mother's illness and went to work. Nobody else was willing to be my secretary, but when she heard the pay was good, she came anyway, even knowing I was a pervert, a scumbag, and a bastard!"
"She worked for me for five years, diligent and conscientious, never making a mistake! Every time I touched her thigh, lifted her skirt, peeped at her, or embarrassed her with dirty jokes... she endured it all! All so she could earn money to treat her mother!"
"She bore all the gossip in the office by herself, never explaining, never arguing. Every day at work, she endured workplace harassment from a bastard like me. After work, she didn't go clubbing, eat hot pot, watch movies, or shop... Other than her work outfits looking somewhat decent, she normally wore cheap street-stall clothes that cost a few dozen yuan. Do you know why?"
Lu Chengwen said furiously, "Because she was afraid of losing her job, so she had to save every penny she could to treat her mother! How could a girl like that possibly be a bad person? How could she possibly look like one?"
"Oh? Brother Chengwen, you know her very well."
"Of course I do! It's been five years!" Lu Chengwen said excitedly. "Xu Xuejiao, I misjudged you! I thought you were kindhearted, sweet, caring, warmhearted, and compassionate. I thought that whenever you saw someone in need, you'd help without hesitation. But now, I fucking don't even know what I'm saying..."
Lu Chengwen slapped himself twice.
Damn it, why was I getting worked up? What the hell was I rambling about? That was the tone of some upright Male Protagonist! What am I doing here, playing the righteous hero?
The two women watched Lu Chengwen sit on the chair in frustration, his elbows braced on his knees as he rubbed the pressure points between his brows.
Jiang Shihan was already stunned.
CEO Lu... was that really how he saw me?
So he was actually a kind, warmhearted person?
Then why... did he always bully me? If you wanted to help me, you could have helped me yourself. Why did you insist on making me leave with President Xu?
I don't understand. This person was completely scrambled today.
Xu Xuejiao said with a smile, "Brother Chengwen, my secretary just messaged me. The press conference is about to begin, so I'll go get ready first!"
Without even turning his head, Lu Chengwen merely waved her away irritably, meaning: Hurry up and leave, you devil.
Xu Xuejiao held back a laugh and pushed the door open to leave. When she glanced back, she saw Lu Chengwen's arm moving like an electric fan as he repeatedly slapped himself, and she burst out laughing.
At the press conference.
Lu Chengwen forced himself to focus and finished reading the speech prepared by the secretary team.
The speech was actually well written. It strongly emphasized that when faced with a choice between profit and morality, Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory had resolutely chosen morality.
At the same time, it promised the media and society that Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory would conduct serious self-reflection and an internal investigation into the matter.
Sure enough, midway through the press conference, the phones of Lu Chengwen and the other executives kept ringing. The stock price was plummeting alarmingly.
Press conferences this embarrassing normally didn't include a Q&A session.
But the reporters were far too eager.
One reporter stood up and asked, "Mr. Lu, does this counterfeit drug incident carry some kind of symbolic significance? Could something like this happen again in the future? How will your factory ensure that all medicines produced in the future meet standards? Can you even guarantee that medicines your factory produced and already sold in the past never had similar issues?"
Jiang Shihan immediately said, "Sorry, we did not arrange a Q&A session, please..."
Lu Chengwen waved a hand and leaned toward the microphone. "If it had happened before, this press conference would have been held long ago. If it happens again in the future, we'll hold another one. I can't guarantee that our production process will always be perfect and flawless, but I can guarantee that every time something like this happens, we will destroy the products, and we will hold a press conference like this. In fact, our willingness to hold this kind of press conference is a public declaration to all of society that, between morality and profit, Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory will always prioritize morality."
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Jiang Shihan was very surprised.
This guy was usually never serious when he spoke, but that answer had been pretty good.
A beautiful female reporter stood up. "CEO Lu, I heard that you're going to hold an engagement ceremony with Miss Leng Qingqiu, executive president of Qianfeng Group. Is that true? There are rumors that you pursued Miss Leng for a long time and used your family's influence this time to force the Leng Family into submission. Is there any truth to that?"
Jiang Shihan immediately said, "Sorry, this matter is unrelated to the theme of today's press conference. We will not answer questions of this nature."
The beautiful reporter clearly had no intention of backing down. She continued, "There are also rumors that you are a profit-driven capitalist who has always valued profit over morality. Was this destruction of the drugs and this press conference merely a show? Was it only intended to convey to the public that your pharmaceutical factory is serious and responsible?"
Lu Chengwen looked at this annoying woman, and suddenly remembered.
Damn it, another Main Heroine.
Long Aotian had made someone lock him in a cage for a day, so why were all the women in his harem still running around?
He couldn't exactly offend a female reporter at a press conference.
Lu Chengwen smiled. "I am a capitalist, but whether I'm profit-driven or not isn't for me to decide. It's for you to decide. As for whether this press conference is a show, that isn't for me to decide either. It's for you to decide. But I am indeed conveying an attitude to the public. First, deep self-reflection. Second, that we are serious and responsible. Thank you."
Jiang Shihan immediately said, "Thank you to friends from all sectors for attending. Today's press conference is now concluded."
Lu Chengwen stood and left immediately. The security team quickly surrounded him and escorted him outside.
A crowd of reporters surged forward. The female reporter in particular pushed to the very front, holding up her recorder. "CEO Lu! The pharmaceutical factory made such a huge blunder. Can one press conference really make everything disappear? Could similar mistakes still occur in the factory's production process in the future? Was this mistake caused by human error or an accident? If it was human error, who should be held responsible for this enormous mistake..."
Lu Chengwen walked away with a dark expression, ignoring her.
Damn Long Aotian, you bird-brained bastard.
You were taking it easy, but my troubles hadn't decreased one bit.
Why did you need to collect so many women?
Sure, male protagonists in novels usually had three wives and four concubines, but you... were way too promiscuous, weren't you?
Sure, I envy you, but you... have no shame at all, do you?
Sure, I want to become you, but you... really are living quite freely.
After leaving the hall and entering a private passageway, Lu Chengwen strode forward.
Another group approached from the opposite direction. At its head was a young woman in a qipao and high heels, walking straight toward Lu Chengwen.
Lu Chengwen spotted her at a glance.
A graceful figure, a perfect body, a face beautiful beyond reason...
Another Main Heroine: Chen Mengyun.
Chen Mengyun was Chen Qiushou's granddaughter and the elder sister of Chen Moqun and Chen Mohuan.
She was now the president of the Chen Family's conglomerate, holding immense power and carrying herself as if no one could touch her.
But back then, she had been his official girlfriend, his childhood sweetheart, his first love.
Because of Chen Moqun's antics, the two of them had parted on bad terms, leaving his first love in complete shambles.
It was inevitably awkward for old acquaintances to meet again today.
Fortunately, Lu Chengwen was in a hurry, so he simply pretended not to see her and strode right past her.
Seeing her first boyfriend, Chen Mengyun was clearly stunned for a moment and involuntarily stopped walking.
But Lu Chengwen acted as though he hadn't seen her at all and walked right past her.
You can't see me, you can't see me, you can't see me...
Anyway, you just can't see me!
What happened before was my fault. I have no face to see you. Let's both live well separately from now on.
Chen Mengyun turned around and watched Lu Chengwen's retreating back.
This guy... was I hallucinating?
Thinking that, Chen Mengyun gave a bitter smile.
Could it be that I still couldn't let him go?
Lu Chengwen had only gone a few steps when Xu Xuejiao suddenly appeared in front of him and blocked his way.
"Brother Chengwen! Hehe, I just saw Sister Mengyun walk by! Sister Mengyun!"
Lu Chengwen nearly went insane. "Don't... don't call her!"
"Sister Mengyun, over here!"
Chen Mengyun had wanted to leave too. She felt ridiculous.
It had been more than three years since she and Lu Chengwen broke up. In those three years, Lu Chengwen had not only failed to ask her out for a meal or apologize, he had not even called or sent a single message.
He had acted as though they would never contact each other again for the rest of their lives.
Yet when she saw him today, her heart had still fluttered.
After all, he was her first love, someone she had once loved. A girl's first man was impossible to erase completely from her memory.
Even if she were seventy or eighty, sitting in a wheelchair, she would definitely still remember her first boyfriend—unless she lost her memory.
Now that Xu Xuejiao had called out to her, the two of them had no choice but to face each other.
Calling the Four Great Families close branches of the same tree would be an exaggeration, but they all observed proper etiquette with one another.
It was high society, after all. No one would truly tear up relations with an important figure or a major conglomerate.
These rich second-generation heirs did not really have much friendship between them either. They were mostly just nodding acquaintances who frequently crossed paths at various events.
When they met, they exchanged pleasantries, praised one another, and spoke a few polite words.
Chen Mengyun turned around and walked back, smiling. "I thought the person who just passed by looked familiar. So it was you, CEO Lu. How have you been? It seems you've changed your style lately."
Lu Chengwen laughed and forced himself to sound natural. "Oh, sorry, sorry. There's been too much going on lately, so I'm always thinking while I walk."
After bringing the two of them together, Xu Xuejiao stopped talking instead.
She knew the two had once been involved. Today, she was deliberately stirring up trouble so she could watch the show.
After Chen Mengyun finished her pleasantries, she suddenly fell silent, not knowing what else to say.
After Lu Chengwen gave an explanation, his mind suddenly went blank too. He couldn't squeeze out another word.
The two looked at each other. Their mouths moved, but neither could make a sound.
The three of them stood there in bizarre silence.
Xu Xuejiao alternated between watching their expressions.
Lu Chengwen opened and closed his mouth. With nothing to say, he could only force out a polite smile.
Chen Mengyun was equally embarrassed. She wanted to say something but didn't know what, so she could only tilt her head slightly and adjust her hair to hide her discomfort.
This awkwardness had reached the absolute peak.
Xu Xuejiao, you little menace, why did you call her over!?
This was so awkward I wanted to find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.
Mengyun had gotten prettier again. Her chest had developed really well. I'd even squeezed it before. Too bad I hadn't won her over back then...
Chen Mengyun was utterly shocked and asked suspiciously, "CEO Lu, what did you say?"
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