Long Aotian narrowed his eyes. "I've noticed that you're everywhere. Everywhere I go, there you are. Every time something involves you, it starts taking a strange turn."
Lu Chengwen hurriedly said, "Mengyun, don't mess around! That kind of joke can get people killed!"
Chen Mengyun looked at Lu Chengwen with a smug expression. "You tell him. Have you ever bullied me?"
Lu Chengwen pulled Chen Mengyun aside. "Big sis, you can't joke about this! People will die!"
"Oh? So there's someone you're afraid of too?"
"Hurry up and explain it to him, or I'm really going to be in trouble!"
"Then promise you'll have dinner and watch a movie with me."
"Are you sick?" Lu Chengwen lowered his voice as much as possible and said angrily, "We already broke up! We go our separate ways now. You were the one who wanted to split up, so we split up!"
"Then what if I want to win you back with true love now?"
Lu Chengwen nervously watched Long Aotian and Chen Moqun over there handing each other cigarettes. The two had already started chatting.
Lu Chengwen was worried that Chen Mengyun would accidentally get him killed, but he was also afraid that blockhead Chen Moqun would provoke Long Aotian and get himself killed.
Lu Chengwen said, "One movie, one meal, then we go our separate ways."
"Do you hate me that much?"
"Big sis, how could I hate you? You're so beautiful! I just want to stay alive!"
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
"Anyway, be polite to Long Aotian. Get along with him properly, and say more good things about your brother to him in the future. He might become your brother's nemesis someday."
"What else do you know?"
"Just that. I can't say too much. If I do, I'm dead for sure."
Chen Mengyun nodded. "Our dinner and movie date still counts, right?"
"A gentleman's word is as good as gold."
"Fine." Chen Mengyun walked up to Long Aotian, suddenly becoming mature and composed. "Mr. Long, thank you for helping us out just now."
"It was nothing. Not to brag, but forget those few punks—even experts from beyond the border would have to kneel and beg for mercy if they ran into me."
Chen Mengyun nodded. "I can tell. You're an expert."
"Want me to teach Lu Chengwen a lesson? Or shall we go get coffee first, and I'll deal with him afterward?"
Chen Mengyun smiled. "I was joking. I really hate it when men fight and kill each other."
"Oh, then the coffee..."
"No need for coffee. I don't really like it, and I already have plans to have dinner and see a movie with Brother Chengwen. Until we meet again."
After saying that, Chen Mengyun turned and left, grabbing Lu Chengwen's hand and dragging him downstairs.
Lu Chengwen wanted to break free, but Chen Mengyun glanced back at him coldly and whispered, "If you dare pull away, I'll have him beat you to death!"
Lu Chengwen thought:
You're ruthless!
I've known you for so many years, and I never knew you had this side to you!
Good lord, when a woman like you gets ruthless, you're seriously terrifying, aren't you?
If Lu Chengwen broke free, he was genuinely afraid Chen Mengyun would do something reckless. She did not understand how serious this was and might really get him killed without even realizing it.
But if he did not break free, it would be the same as provoking Long Aotian.
Forget it. He would stall for as long as he could.
Lu Chengwen grabbed the fatso Chen Moqun. "You're coming with me too!"
"What are you taking him for?" Chen Mengyun asked unhappily.
"I need to talk to him."
After they came outside, Chen Mengyun cackled with laughter.
Lu Chengwen said unhappily, "You're still laughing? You almost got me killed."
"Hey! Why are you so afraid of that Long Aotian?"
Lu Chengwen thought, If I could explain it clearly to you guys, I would have done so long ago.
"Anyway, he's the nemesis fate has assigned to me and Chen Moqun. You'd better protect your brother. Fatso might very well die by his hand, so don't say I didn't warn you."
Chen Moqun said, "That's it?"
Lu Chengwen looked at him with utmost seriousness. "Chen Moqun, do you believe me?"
"Obviously. You're my brother. Of course I believe you."
"Then remember this: if you want to live, don't provoke him. You saw his combat ability just now. He's on a completely different level from guys like us, who only learned a few moves at martial arts schools and then go brawling. And he's ruthless, ambitious, and willing to do anything to achieve his goals. He won't spare you just because you're the eldest grandson of the Chen Family. That guy is capable of anything. Including, but not limited to, beating you to death."
Lu Chengwen deliberately made it sound especially severe, hoping to intimidate Chen Moqun.
Chen Moqun nodded gravely. "True. That kid really shocked me today. Good thing you stopped me earlier. If I'd fought him today, I'd probably be in the hospital by now."
"So! We can only outsmart him, not confront him head-on."
Chen Moqun nodded. "That bastard is after my sister's beauty. He's cut from the same cloth as Hu Shuhui. We absolutely can't let him succeed."
Lu Chengwen thought, This script is fucking hard to clear.
"You'd better stay out of whatever's going on between him and your sister. If you leave it alone, he might leave you alone too. But if you stop him from chasing girls, he really might beat you to death!"
Chen Mengyun said from the side, "So what you mean is, I'm definitely going to end up being his woman?"
"I won't interfere in your business, and I can't. I only have one idea: let Chen Moqun and me survive. That guy can kill people just to chase women."
Chen Mengyun snorted. "I refuse to pay attention to him. I'll just stick to you instead. What about it?"
Lu Chengwen looked at her. "You..."
Chen Moqun laughed. "All right, it's just Long Aotian. I'll deal with him."
Lu Chengwen was on the verge of collapsing. "Did you two even listen to a word I said? I just... I said all that for nothing?"
"Cheng Wen, when did you become such a coward?"
"I'm not a coward. I'm managing this dungeon strategically, weighing my options!"
"What does that mean?"
Lu Chengwen looked at the huge fat man wearing nothing but a bathrobe. "Get in the car already. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
In the back seat of the car, Long Aotian read the newspaper with a gloomy expression.
Hua Xuening sat across from him. "Young Master, Lu Chengwen has repeatedly sabotaged your plans. Why not just kill him?"
Long Aotian raised his head. "Are you telling me how to do things?"
"I wouldn't dare. It's just that seeing you suffer losses every time leaves me unwilling to accept it."
Long Aotian snorted. "Things aren't quite going the way I expected. I don't know why, but I always feel like the way things are developing is a little... strange."
"Is it because you fell into the dung pit, Young Master?"
Long Aotian stared at Hua Xuening. "Do not mention that dung pit to me again! Never mention it again!"
"Yes!"
Long Aotian took a deep breath. "Lu Chengwen can't be killed yet. Things have changed. My original plan was to win over the Leng, Xu, and Chen families one by one, then use the combined strength of those three families to take down the strongest, the Lu Family. But now, all three have run into obstacles."
"The obstacle is Lu Chengwen!"
Long Aotian nodded. "Still, even if I can't get rid of him for now, I can make him suffer a little."
"Send Shi Yin a message. It's time for her to act."
Hua Xuening said, "I can handle this kind of mission!"
Long Aotian smiled. "No. Some missions have to be handled by Shi Yin."
Hua Xuening looked displeased. "She only knows how to seduce men."
"Hahaha!" Long Aotian burst into laughter. "You just don't know how to adapt. I originally planned to use Jiang Shihan as my undercover agent to gather intelligence, but I never expected that bitch to be so lowly that she would be utterly loyal to Lu Chengwen. Shi Yin is my woman, and Lu Chengwen is a lecherous man... Once I figure out his background, I won't have to worry about bringing down the Lu Family."
"Does Young Master intend to start with the Lu Family?"
Long Aotian shook his head, a trace of gloom in his eyes. "The best choice is still the Leng Family."
When Lu Chengwen woke up, he felt refreshed and clear-headed.
He had figured it out.
Why did he always become Long Aotian's enemy? Because he was still standing in this position!
Other than a few female leads, Long Aotian's ultimate goal was to consolidate the Four Great Families of Xue City. As long as his family remained one of the Four Great Families, it would inevitably be a target for the protagonist's annexation. That would not change.
Unless the Lu Family scaled back until it no longer interested the protagonist. Until it became a second-rate family, or even a third-rate company.
That way, the Lu Family would become an insignificant backdrop outside This Book's main storyline.
And in that case, his social connections would change too, and he would have fewer interactions with the Main Heroines.
Yes!
He would lose money on a few deals, ruin a batch of the Lu Family's nonessential businesses, sell off another batch, and retain only a few core profitable operations.
That would ensure the family's standard of living did not decline too drastically, while also guaranteeing the absolute safety of himself and his family!
I really am a genius.
The Shantytown Renovation Project was the first step. If he handled this step well, hehe, maybe all the problems would be solved.
Great Sage Group.
Lu Chengwen sat in the central seat, looking at the two rows of subordinates with a smile.
"Everyone, I've reviewed the financial reports. You've all done well. The Internal Affairs Department should reward contributions. Employees who have made recent contributions should be commended. All subsidiaries, departments, and outstanding employees who participated in profitable projects should be rewarded. The entire group will receive a raise, and it must not be less than twenty percent."
At those words, everyone erupted in uproar.
Lu Chengwen was famously stingy. The salaries of the group's management and employees had always been the lowest in the industry.
As long as he could ensure they would not leave, he paid them as little as possible.
Lu Chengwen wanted to earn money from outside and save money inside. His lavish lifestyle, his indulgence in pleasure, his extravagant spending—that was his own business. But they wanted to earn his money?
In their dreams!
The salary issue had always been a source of complaints within Great Sage Group.
But Lu Chengwen was skilled at manipulation and had used nearly every method to tie down upper management.
If they wanted to change jobs, the pay here was actually not bad, and Great Sage Group was flourishing. The value and personal sense of achievement they could create here far exceeded what other companies offered.
But if they stayed, the salary simply was not appealing enough. The boss squeezed every last drop he could out of them.
In the end, every company was more or less the same. Companies that spent lavishly had their own downsides too... In short, they could not bear to leave, but if they stayed, the pay definitely was not top-tier.
But today, Lu Chengwen stunned everyone by voluntarily proposing a raise for the employees.
Vice Executive President Li Meiqin was utterly astonished.
"CEO Lu, should we discuss this internally first? A twenty-percent raise is no small sum. Once it's implemented, our operating costs will become very high in the future..."
"No discussion needed."
Lu Chengwen knew exactly what he was doing.
Others increased revenue and cut costs, so he had to cut revenue and increase spending.
Lose money outside and spend money inside, attacking from both fronts. Once Great Sage Group's operations deteriorated, the peripheral subsidiaries would close down one after another and sell off their assets at rock-bottom prices...
He had to move faster. Long Aotian would not leave him much time. He needed to disappear from Long Aotian's sight as soon as possible.
"That's settled!" Lu Chengwen said firmly. "Carry out my decision."
Li Meiqin furrowed her brows, completely unable to understand what had gotten into her boss today.
Li Meiqin's first thought was: Could he have discovered my plan? Is he really that formidable? Damn it, I still underestimated Lu Chengwen's strength!
Li Meiqin could clearly feel that today's boss filled her with fear from the bottom of her heart.
Before you continue