Chapter 23: Kneel Down! (Second Update)

Ruthless company, destroying her youth!

Lu Hui froze like a statue, her silence lasting five whole minutes. It was as if her soul had left her body, and she opened her mouth, “What did you say? Say it again.”

The system didn’t seem to notice the murderous tone in her voice, and boldly continued speaking the truth, “We found this bug while cleaning up the system. The world from that book is still operating normally, but the male lead is indeed missing. We can’t find him anywhere, and given the male lead’s particular character, for your safety, we kindly remind you of this. No need to thank me.”

“Thank your mother.”

Lu Hui had to endure it, but it wasn’t working. She couldn’t take it anymore.

She angrily asked, “Since you know this garbage system has a bug, why not fix it?”

The system responded, “Currently, we don’t have the capability to do that.”

Oh, great.

Useless things always act so confident.

Lu Hui was both angry and slightly amused, but she couldn’t laugh. “When will your Quickwear Bureau go bankrupt? Hurry up and close the door for good.”

The system whimpered, “We’re still improving ourselves.”

Lu Hui suddenly understood and coldly laughed, “Heh.” Then she continued to sneer, “No wonder you were so quick to pay me the work injury compensation today. Turns out you profited, huh?”

The system said it really wasn’t that sly.

Lu Hui said, “Then you have to give me more money.”

“No money, just a life.”

“…”

“Forget it, he’d better not be missing, but really dead.”

“That’s impossible. The male lead has the support of the Heavenly Dao’s luck and the halo of the protagonist. He won’t die.”

“I know, don’t spoil the fun.”

Before leaving the Quick Wear Bureau, Lu Hui was surrounded by her old colleagues.

Most of them were the big female leads from sweet romance, group pet stories, stories about getting rich, and brainless feel-good tales.

After comforting her a bit, they genuinely thought her situation was tragic.

“Good thing I’m in a pet story.”

“Me too.”

“Good thing I’m the female lead.”

“Me too.”

“I’ve finally understood—no matter how much a person gets beaten, they can’t be the second female lead. I’d rather eat shit than suffer this kind of torment.”

“Exactly, raising the flag for the female lead!”

Lu Hui felt a pang in her heart as she listened to their conversation. When she left the Quick Wear Bureau, she realized the system wasn’t going to solve the issues with the bugged male lead.

It’s easy to summon a god but hard to send one away. The irritating patches were not going anywhere. So, she decided to stay away as much as possible.

As for that dead, black-hearted person, Lu Hui no longer wanted to mention him. In this modern world of order, whether you practice cultivation or live a black market life, once you commit a crime, you’ll end up in jail to taste the iron fist.

Lu Hui walked out of the Quick Wear Bureau, looked up at the sky. The sunlight was blinding. She raised her hand slightly to shield her eyes. For countless mornings, she had stood by the window, inside the high iron fence, looking up at the sky outside. At those times, she would deeply miss the world of freedom.

Although Lu Hui had only done three tasks, she had already learned one thing: when a man is heartless, he won’t care about your pain.

Lu Hui tidied up her emotions and returned home the same way.

The program group that had previously planned to make her exit because of online public opinion reversal, changed their decision and backed out.

On the network platform, the single-video playback of Lu Hui’s live stream had already surpassed 10 million at an unstoppable speed.

The next day, all the live data was freshly out, and the few minutes Lu Hui appeared had the highest viewership.

To put it simply, she had gained some small fame.

The popularity of the show had boosted the development of the guests.

Lu Hui regretted dropping the micro-business endorsement she had just accepted. They had been scared out of their minds by the huge public outcry last night, thinking Lu Hui would definitely not rise again, with no chance for any reversal.

Now, it was too late to regret, and they couldn’t take back what had been said on the official blog about “no cooperation in the near future.”

The brand’s director, for the sake of heat and money, lowered his proud head and contacted Lin Tong again, “We can talk again about the endorsement deal.”

Lin Tong turned around and told Lu Hui, but she refused.

Lin Tong felt a bit uncomfortable, so she just placated them, saying they could work together in the future.

—

The sight of two men fighting over one woman made Sheng Zhaoming sick the day he went home. He didn’t know whether he was mad about Lu Hui being involved with two men, or her indifferent attitude.

She must have been severely emotionally shaken after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, which made her act this way.

Sheng Zhaoming couldn’t accept the change. With a cold and fever, he stayed home to rest, sleeping for two days, but his head still felt foggy, and his whole body was weak.

On the third day, when his condition improved a bit, he finally stepped out of his room and went downstairs. Lu Hui was sitting cross-legged on the couch, a thick script stacked on her lap. Her messy black hair was loosely pinned on top of her head, and the curve of her neck was beautiful when she lowered her head. She held a ballpoint pen between her fingers, sitting casually, but her expression was very serious as she read the script.

Sheng Zhaoming’s nose was congested, and his voice was nasal as he said, “Didn’t I tell you to stop working? Why are you reading the script again?”

Lu Hui looked up, pressing the script to the side. “I need to make money.”

Sheng Zhaoming immediately took out his phone and transferred a large sum of money to her account. “I’ll give you the money.”

Lu Hui was confused. “You’ve always had a problem with my work. Are you trying to make me a housewife?”

Yes, that must be it.

Lu Hui rolled her eyes. “Give up on that thought. I’ve taken the money, but I definitely won’t be useless.”

Sheng Zhaoming: “…”

He sat at the edge of the sofa, his voice hoarse. “I don’t have any ill intentions.”

Lu Hui raised her dark, vigilant eyes, looking like a wary cat, and asked, “Have you ever seen a weasel wishing a chicken a happy new year?”

Sheng Zhaoming’s neck turned red from anger. “Why do you always assume the worst about me?”

He adjusted his breathing and suppressed his temper. “Also, how many men have you been entangled with that I need to know about?”

Lu Hui frowned. “Do I need to report my business to you now, my dear brother?”

Lu Hui found it more and more absurd. “You’ve said countless times that you don’t care about me, don’t want to listen, and won’t intervene. Now you’re backtracking?”

Sheng Zhaoming’s pride wouldn’t let him admit to the word “backtrack,” as it felt like a huge insult.

“No,” Sheng Zhaoming said stubbornly, “For the sake of the Sheng family’s reputation, I’m reminding you not to do anything degrading.”

Lu Hui felt that he had finally returned to normal. “Got it.”

The background sound from the TV annoyed Sheng Zhaoming.

Lu Hui hugged the script as she went upstairs.

The script’s topic was good, the content solid, and the production company had a good reputation—it was a great opportunity.

They had just released the casting notice, and the shooting was about to start, still looking for a suitable supporting female role.

The casting department hadn’t considered Lu Hui before. The director was picky, and if her acting skills weren’t good enough, she wouldn’t land the role. But seeing her recent rise in popularity, they decided to use her to generate some buzz.

As they kept her in the loop, her popularity just skyrocketed, and now it seemed like the role was meant for her.

But the production had already chosen someone else.

Even Lin Tong advised her to give up; they didn’t really lack scripts right now.

Lu Hui said, “I want to take a gamble.”

“Nine out of ten gambles end in loss, sis, and what do you have to bet?”

“Sigh, I’m the experiential type, you know?”

This role has been through prison time for half a year—there is no other actress who can empathize with the role better than her!

They are the so-called chosen ones.

“If you lose, don’t come crying.”

“I won’t cry, but the enemy will laugh.”

At this point, Lu Hui could practically write a book called The Stories of Me and My Cellmates in Prison. Her skills, from crushing rocks on her chest to face-reading and fortune-telling, were all unlocked there.

A versatile little Hui Xiang, unstoppable.

The variety show still needed to be recorded, six episodes in total, with four more to go.

The director had mysteriously told Lu Hui that she was now royalty and the program team would ensure her spot in the finals.

Ticket prices for the show skyrocketed, with front-row tickets even going for over ten thousand.

As her fanbase grew, the prices kept rising.

Yan Zhao, without any complimentary tickets from the program, bought scalped tickets at high prices and attended every episode, sitting firmly in the front row, unshakable.

It was only when he watched Lu Hui on the show that his expression would show the slightest change.

The audience was already familiar with his face—the cold, handsome god of ice. His deep feelings were dangerously captivating. The one-sided torment in their love story had even the audience starting to feel sorry for him.

By the fifth episode, Lu Hui and Yan Zhao had already sparked a considerable amount of CPF (Couple Fan Pairing).

“He’s here again tonight.”

“Little Hui Xiang still hasn’t looked at him.”

“He’s in B-zone, near the right side of the stage, while Little Hui Xiang is closer to A-zone. How torturous.”

“Little Hui Xiang, please just glance at him.”

Not to mention just a glance, Lu Hui wouldn’t even give him half a second of her time. If she committed a crime, the heavens could punish her, but she wasn’t about to face Yan Zhao’s cold expression every week.

The man was being overly sentimental—did she really have to accept that? He hadn’t cherished her when he should have. What use was regret now?

His love, so cheap it was less than grass, even when offered, was revolting.

After the fifth episode aired, Yan Zhao stopped her.

He hadn’t been in this world for long, but he had already learned to smoke. The faint smell of tobacco carried a subtle sadness.

His hair had grown a lot, and even though he was down on his luck, he was still breathtakingly beautiful.

Yan Zhao, troubled, asked, “Why don’t you want to look at me?”

He knew he was good-looking and knew how to use his appearance, but once he had achieved his goal, he would kick the person away without hesitation.

Lu Hui had liked his face, been infatuated with his looks—how come she wouldn’t even look at him now?

“I find you disgusting.”

Yan Zhao stood frozen, his pale expression cracking bit by bit. “You don’t disgust me.”

He couldn’t understand.

Heart surgery was wrong, but back then, he didn’t love her. At that moment, she didn’t matter to him.

His abandonment then made logical sense to him.

He couldn’t understand the unfeeling path, nor could he distinguish between love and possession.

Yan Zhao looked up with cold eyes. “Is it because of that man?”

“No.”

“Do you like men like him now?”

Short hair and a sharp face.

Yan Zhao conceded, “I’ll cut my hair. Then, will you turn back and look at me?”

Lu Hui couldn’t communicate with a madman. “I won’t.”

Yan Zhao’s brows furrowed deeper. “I swore to you that I would never kill again. You’re making it impossible for me to keep that promise.”

Lu Hui wanted to reply with four words—”Then go ahead.”

If he took care of Xie Ran, she’d respect him as a true hero!

The bodyguards didn’t arrive in time and hurriedly separated Yan Zhao from her by a few meters.

Lu Hui turned her body, facing away from him.

Through the half-human wall, Yan Zhao looked up at the sky and asked, “Do you need me to kneel for you to feel better?”

Lu Hui had just placed one foot on the car door.

Yan Zhao’s voice was cold. “I can kneel.”