Chapter 24: Contestant Number 3 Makes an Appearance

His words, clear and cold, were like jade beads falling crisply onto a jade plate.

Lu Hui felt something strange—she never imagined she’d live to see Yan Zhao kneel before her. She laughed twice. “It’s fine, I guess.”

To be honest, in the ears of an onlooker, that tone was quite annoying.

Lu Hui was all smiles, clearly in a good mood. “I never said I’d promise you anything just because you kneel. You’re the one who wants to kneel.”

When Yan Zhao kneeled, his back and waist were straight, his proud spirit still intact. He could tell that she was not satisfied.

Yan Zhao didn’t know what she still wanted, so he asked directly, “What do you want?”

Lu Hui replied, “I want you to stay far away from me.”

They should live their separate lives.

She wanted to fix this chaotic world they had made.

Yan Zhao looked serious and replied equally seriously, “That’s not possible. You’ll have to choose something else.”

“Then how about this: return what you owe me, and I’ll forgive you.” Lu Hui’s words were deliberately difficult for him, as her heart had long been taken by Yan Zhao, used by him to make a medicine for Zhen Lu, and Zhen Lu had already been killed by him, leaving nothing behind. Even if he had the greatest power, he could never recover her heart that had been taken away.

Lu Hui had expected the long silence that followed. She said, “You can’t do it, so don’t bother me.”

Yan Zhao’s furrowed brow seemed never to relax, and his dark, deep gaze remained fixed on her face. “Zhen Lu is dead.”

If she had any hatred, it should have been vented.

Lu Hui, willing to waste a few minutes of her time on him, said, “Yes, you killed her. Who knows if you’ll come to deceive my heart again, just to kill me for your own gain?”

The story of a man killing his wife to gain power was one told a hundred times.

Cultivating men never speak a word of truth. Perhaps when they say they love you, they may have loved you once, but compared to cultivating immortality, you’re nothing.

Having said what she needed to, Lu Hui showed no attachment as she entered the nanny car. The wheels rolled over the cement ground beside him, the cold wind ruthlessly slapping his face.

Yan Zhao remained kneeling, unmoving.

Around them, the audience’s fingers itched as they recorded videos on their phones, unable to resist making comments. “In 2020, I’m still seeing this rare breed of devoted man.”

“I’m so jealous of Lu Hui, I could do two sets of military punches.”

“Damn! We’re all women! Hey, this handsome guy, stop looking at Lu Hui and come look at me! I don’t need you to kneel, I’ll kneel for you. I’d be more than happy to be your dog.”

“Stop, stop it, don’t act like a slut.”

“Sorry, I can’t watch this anymore. My heart hurts for the handsome guy’s knees. I need to go over and comfort him!” The girl speaking had been annoyed with Lu Hui for a long time and had been eyeing Yan Zhao’s face and body for a while.

This was the perfect opportunity, and she couldn’t miss it.

She shyly walked over. “Brother, she’s already gone far. Please get up, it’s breaking my heart.”

Yan Zhao didn’t seem to hear her at all.

The girl, not giving up, crouched down and moved closer to him. “Brother, get up, I’ll take you to a hotel to rest. Let me massage your knees.”

She wasn’t embarrassed at all, continuing her one-woman show. “I have money. I’ll book a suite at Hilton. Do you know what Hilton is? It’s so much fun, brother.”

Yan Zhao finally reacted. He stood up, his face calm, but his eyes filled with disgust. Without saying a word, he turned and walked away.

The girl, still unwilling to give up, continued to chase after him.

Her friends were watching, shaking their heads, and one of them grabbed her. “Stop being a nuisance. This guy clearly has no interest in you.”

“I’ve been hinting so obviously, and he still didn’t get it! He’s ignoring me. I’m not as pretty as Lu Hui, but I have a good figure. I just had surgery in Hong Kong last year to enhance my chest and buttocks. He must be blind!” As she spoke, her anger grew, “I really can’t stand Lu Hui. All the girls I pick get eliminated by her, and now the man I want is the one she’s after. Just kill me already!”

—

Yan Zhao walked for a long time, stopping in front of a barbershop at the street corner.

He pushed open the glass door. It was the dinner hour, and the shop was empty. The shop owner’s wife was cooking in the back, and the owner was helping a child with homework. When the door opened and closed, the owner looked up, frozen for a moment by the sight of Yan Zhao’s face.

He was simply too handsome, hard not to look at more than once.

The owner heard the man’s hoarse voice and responded, “Boss, a haircut.”

Looking at his hair, the owner felt a little pain for him. “Young man, are you sure you want to cut it? You’ve probably been growing it for many years, haven’t you?”

Yan Zhao sat in front of the mirror, his eyes unmoving. His black eyes reflected his expressionless face as he replied, “Cut it.”

The owner took the scissors from another table and asked, “Your hair is really nice, the best quality I’ve ever seen. The length is great too. Have you ever thought about selling it?”

“Sell it?” Yan Zhao furrowed his brows. “I won’t sell.”

The owner hesitated, placing the scissors back down. “You really won’t sell? It’d be such a waste to just cut it.”

He had never seen such good hair before; even if he could make money off it, he couldn’t bring himself to cut it.

The owner stood behind him. “Handsome, did something happen to make you want to cut your hair? Did you get dumped?”

Yan Zhao stood up, “If you’re not going to cut it, I’ll leave.”

The owner couldn’t stop him. “Kid, even if you got dumped, you shouldn’t ruin your hair.”

He analyzed the situation: “With your looks, if you got dumped, it must be about money.”

The clothes the young man wore looked cheap. He had a great look and a distinguished demeanor, but there wasn’t a single valuable thing on him.

Yan Zhao paused for a second, then pushed the door open and left the barbershop.

—

Lu Hui now had a company car to pick her up and take her to work.

The variety show had reached its fifth episode, and each live broadcast had garnered two more percentage points of attention than the previous one. The hype for the finale had recently reached its peak.

Ticket prices soared accordingly, and fans and scalpers were fighting for tickets.

The director had even won an award at the monthly meeting, with the show bringing in more sponsorships. The advertising revenue was pouring in, and the profits were overflowing.

Although the show hadn’t ended, the higher-ups at the station were already preparing a celebratory banquet.

The director looked at the data his colleague handed him and smiled from ear to ear as he saw a series of impressive numbers.

A colleague from the production team said, “The first season was a success, so we plan to prepare for the second season. Now there are quite a few second- and third-tier actors wanting to try out for our show.”

An 18th-tier actor like Lu Hui had gained a lot of fans from the show, with 3 million new followers on Weibo. Her usual Weibo numbers now rival those of second-tier actresses. During the airing, the program maintained high popularity, and who wouldn’t envy that?

The director felt confident. “Let’s bring Lu Hui in for the second season. She was the one who salvaged the ratings and created the buzz.”

The initial hype was all thanks to her.

“We talked, but she declined. She really wants to focus on acting next.”

“Then forget it. We’ll try to arrange for her in the future if a suitable program comes up.”

“Alright.”

Every time a new rising star emerges in the entertainment industry, they get picked apart by the public. Lu Hui, now just starting to gain fame, wasn’t going to escape the scrutiny either.

But she wasn’t afraid of being exposed. Everything they said was just blackmail material. Let them dig if they were interested.

Suddenly, the nanny car came to a screeching halt. The driver quickly explained, “Sorry, it’s a red light.”

“It’s fine.”

“I was trying to speed through the red light, but I wasn’t sure I could make it.”

“I’m not in a rush. Take your time. Safety is more important.” Lu Hui valued her life immensely. Even when attending events, she’d rather risk being criticized for showing up late and being accused of throwing a diva fit than die in a car accident.

The driver glanced at the rearview mirror and hesitated. “Actually, I think someone’s following us. I tried speeding up a few times, but I couldn’t shake them off.”

Lu Hui froze. “Someone’s tailing us?”

The driver, who had previously worked for a debt collection company and had sharp instincts, had noticed the strange car since they left the venue. The other driver seemed to be an expert, following them closely and never losing track of them.

“There is. Miss Lu, you should be careful. Fans these days are crazy,” the driver commented, looking at the car’s emblem in the rearview mirror. “But they must be loaded. That’s a Bentley worth over six million.”