Chapter 39: The Plan for Mutual Destruction Succeeds

Lu Hui stood with her back to Yan Zhao. She didn’t have the privilege of seeing the supposedly heartbroken look on his face—and she had no intention of turning around, either.

Cen Yueze’s cold, chilling eyes swept a few more times over the man behind her. How should he put this? He, Cen Yueze, had truly seen it all now. These men had been cheated on so blatantly—green hats practically glowing on their heads—and yet they were still devoted to her, pouring out their hearts and souls, willing to live or die for her.

Chasing a woman all the way to the scene of the drama? That was downright pathetic.

Cen Yueze found the man seriously irritating. He couldn’t say why—maybe it was the long hair, or the annoyingly handsome face, or simply the vibe—but he just couldn’t stand this guy.

Lu Hui, after delivering a solid verbal smackdown, was in a great mood. She turned and went upstairs to her room to shower.

Yan Zhao slowly stepped out from the shadows, lifting his pale, snow-white face. Cen Yueze was already a strikingly handsome man, but if it was a matter of looks alone, Yan Zhao was even more beautiful—there wasn’t a single flaw on his face.

With his hands in his pockets, Cen Yueze sneered, “You sure seem pretty pleased with that green hat on your head.”

Yan Zhao frowned. He didn’t yet understand the meaning of “green hat,” but he could feel the malice behind the words. All he knew was that he wanted to kill every man who got close to Lu Hui—especially the ones she let stay close.

“And you are?” Yan Zhao asked.

Cen Yueze smirked. “I’m under no obligation to tell you.” His fox-like eyes narrowed. “But I really am curious—what did you do to hurt her so badly that now you’re crawling after her like a dog?”

Yan Zhao disliked this man. Not because of his arrogance or blatant contempt—but because Lu Hui had actually exchanged so many words with him. Even if they were just hurling insults, at least she was talking. That was better than the cold indifference she showed him.

Yan Zhao lowered his gaze, his eyes icy. “No comment.”

Cen Yueze is someone who enjoys provoking others and causing trouble. Although he and the long-haired man in front of him have no personal grudges, whenever Cen sees him, he just feels uncomfortable and can’t help but take a jab at him, causing some annoyance.

Cen Yueze spoke with a tone full of insincere pity, “What a shame. No matter how much you wag your tail, he can’t even be bothered to give you a glance.”

Yan Zhao rarely gets angry, and his expression remained calm as ever.

Cen Yueze felt pleased after taking a jab at the man. This man didn’t look like a scumbag, but as for what despicable deeds he might have done before, Cen wasn’t sure. One thing he knew for sure was that the remorse of a scumbag was cheaper than grass.

Cen Yueze thought of himself as a good person and decided he needed to have a word with Lu Hui, so she wouldn’t be misled by a man’s sudden regret and end up falling for him again.

He went upstairs and knocked on her bedroom door.

Lu Hui had just come out of the bathroom, her hair still damp. She asked through the door, “Who is it?”

Cen Yueze leaned against the door. “It’s me.”

Lu Hui cracked the door open slightly, looking at him warily, clearly not wanting him to come in. Cen Yueze couldn’t help but laugh at her defensive stance. “I’m not planning to come in.”

Lu Hui asked, “Is there something you need?”

Cen Yueze raised an eyebrow. “No.”

Lu Hui was about to close the door without a second thought, but Cen Yueze’s leather shoe was caught in the door gap. “But I have something to say.”

Lu Hui couldn’t close the door. “Aren’t you here to see your beloved nephew?”

No need for so much unnecessary talk, right?

Cen Yueze paused as though he didn’t notice anything wrong. “I love the house, so I love everything about it.”

Cen Yueze glanced her up and down. He hadn’t noticed before, but she had a good figure: a slim waist, long legs, and curves. She definitely had some enticing assets.

He cleared his throat awkwardly, shifting his gaze. “A scumbag will never truly change. You forgive him once, and in a few days, he’ll forget the pain and make the same mistakes again.”

Lu Hui understood the reasoning, but she couldn’t help but wonder why Cen Yueze was suddenly preaching to her about life lessons.

“I know.”

“Really?”

She nodded sincerely and then looked at him with a slightly strange gaze, raising a reasonable doubt. “Since you know so much, have you ever been a scumbag yourself?”

Cen Yueze rubbed his head, feeling a headache. “Go away.”

“Why are you mad? Did it remind you of something sad?”

“Fine, I’ll go away.”

Cen Yueze had been shut down by Lu Hui multiple times. Every time he got so frustrated his head hurt, he secretly swore he’d never talk to her again, but he always couldn’t resist.

It was at this moment that he remembered his neglected nephew. The production team downstairs had been waiting for him to come down, itching with curiosity: was Cen really here to see Lu Hui, or was he here to see his nephew? This was something only Cen knew in his heart.

“Mr. Cen, the kids are playing in the backyard. Let me take you there.”

“Did they fight?” Cen Yueze asked.

The staff laughed. “No, the kids have been very well-behaved these past two days.”

Previously, Cen’s little troublemaker often got into conflicts with other kids. He was always so self-centered, making people’s heads ache. But after meeting Lu Hui, he acted more like a mouse seeing a cat—though his character hadn’t improved drastically, at least he wasn’t making a fuss as much as before.

Cen Yueze whistled, surprised. When did Cen Bao’er get associated with being well-behaved?

“I’m going to check on that little rascal.”

Cen Bao’er spotted his uncle from a distance. It was like seeing an old friend, and with tears in his eyes, he immediately abandoned the group of kids surrounding him. He ran towards his uncle with short legs, threw himself into his uncle’s arms, and cried out loud, “Uncle, you’re finally here to save me, right?”

Cen Yueze grabbed him by the back of the neck and lifted him up. “Already crying? You’re so pathetic.”

Most of Cen Bao’er’s tears were fake as he clung to his uncle’s neck. “I’m so miserable, sob sob. I’m always hungry, and I’ve lost so much weight.”

Cen Yueze chuckled. “Is that so?”

Cen Bao’er treated his uncle like a savior and vented all his grievances. “I’ve been beaten, mistreated, can’t eat enough, can’t sleep properly, I’m just a poor little cabbage.”

“Who hit you?” Cen Yueze asked, pretending not to know.

Cen Bao’er had originally planned to complain about Lu Hui but couldn’t bring himself to do so now. The woman wasn’t as annoying as before.

“Anyway, I was beaten,” Cen Bao’er tried to squeeze out more tears. “It’s so embarrassing.”

Cen Yueze teased him, “If that’s the case, I’ll take you away from this fire pit tomorrow.”

Cen Bao’er immediately stopped crying, forgetting to shed any more tears. He awkwardly wiped his eyes with his sleeve and stammered, “Well… I’m not that fragile.”

Cen Yueze was taken aback. It seemed like Cen Bao’er was reluctant to leave after all.

“Really not leaving?”

“I can still hang on a bit longer.”

Cen Bao’er no longer longed for the food his nanny made. It wasn’t half as good as Lu Hui’s cooking. And there was no one at home to sleep with him.

He clung to his uncle’s neck. “I’m hungry again.”

Cen Yueze patted him on the back of his head. “I’ll make you some instant noodles.”

“I don’t want that junk food.”

“Then starve.”

Cen Bao’er pouted, looking pitiful enough to make anyone feel sorry for him.

Cen Yueze sneered. “What’s the use of crying in front of me? Do I look like someone who can cook?”

Cen Bao’er pouted. “I don’t want you to cook. I want Lu Jie to make it.”

Cen Yueze said, “She needs to rest. She’s not here to cook for you.”

Cen Bao’er gave in, “Oh.”

Cen Yueze carried him back to the house. The atmosphere in the living room wasn’t exactly great.

When Lu Hui came downstairs, she was stopped by Yan Zhao, and with so many cameras on them, it wasn’t convenient to expose her feelings. She tried to avoid confrontation as much as possible.

However, Yan Zhao is a shameless man. He didn’t come on this show to be an onlooker. After enduring enough, he finally exploded.

Lu Hui whispered in his ear, “Don’t go crazy.”

Yan Zhao also didn’t like being under so many watchful eyes. When the others went outside to shoot, he pushed Lu Hui into a corner. “What does a green hat mean?”

Lu Hui was annoyed, “You can look it up yourself.”

This question wasn’t important to Yan Zhao. He pinned her wrist against the wall, their skin touching. His eyes were deep and dark. “What is your relationship with that man from earlier?”

His gaze remained persistent. “We are a couple engaged to be married.”

Lu Hui had grown tired of hearing this line.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Hui suddenly remembered that Yan Zhao had a very traditional obsession. He had a severe cleanliness fetish—if a woman had been touched by someone else, he wouldn’t even want to look at her.

He could change his heart. He could even kill his wife. But his fiancée had to be pure, never having any unclean relations with other men.

Without hesitation, Lu Hui treated Cen Yueze as a tool. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, “I’ve slept with him.”

Lu Hui spoke casually. “Besides you, I’ve had several boyfriends. I’ve done everything I should have. I’m no longer the innocent, pure younger sister you think I am.”

A surge of anger rose to Yan Zhao’s head. He couldn’t tell whether he was angrier or more driven by a desire to kill.

He remained silent for a long time, slowly regaining control over his emotions, and his grip tightened on her wrist until it turned purple.

Lu Hui endured the pain. “You came after me because you want me to forgive you for trying to kill me, right?”

She said nonchalantly, “Now I forgive you, let’s just pretend it was all from a past life. Don’t dwell on it, let’s look forward.”

Yan Zhao forcefully grasped her chin.

Lu Hui felt like he was about to kiss her. She opened her lips, “You can change your heart and fall for someone else. I can like other men, that’s normal.”

Yan Zhao lowered his head as if to stop her from speaking. Lu Hui struggled and avoided him, but he bit her lip, drawing blood.

Lu Hui slapped his face, glaring coldly. “Don’t touch me. I told you I find you filthy.”

Yan Zhao’s face hurt, but his heart was confused. After over a hundred years of cultivation, he had never been interested in women. This was the first time he experienced what it was like, and it turned out to be sweet, soft, and fragrant.

Yan Zhao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse. “I’ve never touched anyone. I’m not dirty.”

One Yan Zhao was enough to give Lu Hui a headache. Thinking about the troublesome ghosts like Xie Ran and Yu Mandong, her head was about to explode.

“There are plenty of men queuing up to marry me. You should first beat them before you can even think about me.”

Let them fight among themselves. The plan worked.