Chapter 41: The Spicy Little Pepper

Yu Mandong’s presence was imposing, with an aura that made it clear he was a top-tier figure. His elegant brow couldn’t conceal the ruthless decisiveness in his demeanor, and every gesture reflected the authority of someone at the top.

From Lu Hui’s understanding of Yu Mandong, he wasn’t the type of person to act high-profile; he typically did things swiftly and decisively, with no fanfare. This was the first time she’d seen him so open and bold.

The fans, confused by the situation, exchanged puzzled looks. They no longer seemed to know what to do with their cameras.

Yu Mandong walked up to her, calm and unhurried. “I’m here to pick you up, as per your mother’s request.”

Yes, Mrs. Xu Qin was indeed the type to sell her daughter for money.

During the years Lu Hui spent in jail, she despised Yu Mandong, cursing him before sleep and after waking up, like a monk chanting curses. But when she went out, she was killed by the other side.

She had learned Yu Mandong’s ruthless methods firsthand—he was a man who could be unforgiving to his first wife, completely heartless.

Lu Hui thought those feelings of hatred would last her whole life, but after leaving the world of the novel, those feelings faded away.

This was for the best. No need to feel uncomfortable over a scumbag who wasn’t worth her time.

Only indifference could be the best revenge.

Lu Hui didn’t believe any of them had genuine feelings for her—that was reserved for the heroine, not her.

She said, “I’ll take a taxi.”

Yu Mandong gave a subtle nod, and the bodyguards behind him quickly took his cane. The man’s polished leather shoes shone as he walked toward her, his fingers pressing firmly on her suitcase. “Do you need me to personally ask you?”

Lu Hui crossed her arms, coldly sneering, “Do you still think you haven’t spent enough time in jail?”

The innocent and pitiful director gasped, now fully admiring Lu Hui.

He had heard of the man and had seen him twice—he was a master at cleaning up, capable of getting rid of anyone who displeased him with a snap of his fingers. Even the most powerful figures had to think twice before crossing him.

The director didn’t want to risk not seeing Lu Hui on the next show, so he pinched her arm, “Can you be a bit more polite?”

Lu Hui didn’t avert her eyes, meeting Yu Mandong’s cold gaze. She wasn’t challenging him, just speaking in the most ordinary tone. “No need. Some people aren’t worthy of my politeness.”

The director gave up, thinking, “Alright, let’s all just go down together.”

Yu Mandong was in a surprisingly good mood. Years of life-or-death separations had smoothed out all his rough edges.

Many nights, he dreamt of Lu Hui dying in front of him—his knife stabbing deep into her, twisting it mercilessly, hearing the flesh and blood turn in his ears.

The girl’s blood trickled from her lips, tears of blood spilling from her eyes as she collapsed before him.

He couldn’t make a sound, his grief so intense it robbed him of his voice.

For decades, the same dream repeated itself.

In those years, Yu Mandong only visited her grave once, after a serious illness.

She had no relatives, no friends, and no one ever came to visit her or clean her grave.

When he went, the grass had grown around her tombstone. Her photo remained in the most beautiful years of her life, with a gentle smile, crescent eyes, and a face shining with a star-like glow.

She would never grow old. She remained forever in her most beautiful years, so bright and so beautiful.

But by then, he was already aging, nearing the point where he could no longer take care of himself. His hair was completely white, his face was covered in wrinkles, and he needed to take a large amount of medication every day just to stay alive.

He had never been loved again, and had forgotten what it felt like to love someone.

Yu Mandong had experienced the worst of times, and now, facing Lu Hui’s sarcasm, he didn’t feel anything. As long as he was still alive, there was still time to fix everything.

“You can call your mother and ask her,” he said.

Lu Hui wouldn’t call, and even if she did, even if it was her mother’s intention, she wouldn’t compromise.

Yu Mandong knew she was stubborn. He looked at the growing crowd around them and kindly reminded her, “The crowd is getting bigger. Are you sure you want to keep this up with me?”

Lu Hui coldly replied, “Don’t threaten me, I’ll take a taxi.”

She said that and grabbed the director, walking towards the taxi area, while the fans were stopped by the bodyguards, staying where they were.

Yu Mandong, shameless as ever, followed them. His walk was labored, veins popping on his forehead, his face showing slight pain, but he quickly masked it.

“I’ll hitch a ride then.”

“Don’t you think you’re acting like a sticky plaster?” Lu Hui couldn’t hold back and asked him.

Yu Mandong didn’t seem to mind being labeled with this unpleasant tag. “If I’m called that, it’s my honor.”

Lu Hui was so fed up that she couldn’t find words anymore.

The director didn’t want to be caught in the middle; having stumbled into the battlefield, he just wanted to escape. He forced a smile, “I think we’re not headed in the same direction. How about we take separate cars?”

Lu Hui responded, “We’re going the same way.”

The director nearly choked. One was heading to the East Second Ring Road, the other to the West Third Ring Road—how was that the same way?! But if he left them now, it would seem ungrateful.

He covered his eyes. “Fine, fine, you can say we’re going the same way.”

After waiting in line for a few minutes, it was their turn.

Yu Mandong, without a shred of shame, grabbed the car door and got in.

The director put on his earpiece and pretended to be a dead man, sitting in the passenger seat.

Lu Hui didn’t ask what Yu Mandong wanted, instead, she buried her face in her phone. She hadn’t checked Weibo in days, and when she opened it, the comments and private messages were about to explode. Her fan count was also skyrocketing, indicating that her drama was really doing well.

The latest post had almost all the comments asking her to get back to work, praising her beauty, comparing her to a fairy.

Lu Hui read some comments, then scrolled to the trending news. To her surprise, she saw a post about herself. The post claimed she was heartless for hitting a child, with some netizens seriously questioning whether she had violent tendencies and predicting she would abuse her husband if she ever got married.

Lu Hui was amused by these strange comments. She leaned back against the car window, laughing so hard her stomach hurt.

Yu Mandong, ignored as if he were air, suddenly spoke up, his tone calm as he addressed the situation. “I’ve already talked to your parents about our marriage.”

Lu Hui’s laughter faded, and she looked up. “What are you talking about?”

Yu Mandong crossed his arms and placed them lazily on his knees. He spoke steadily, “Our marriage.”

The engagement could be skipped, he was in a hurry, and couldn’t wait. The process would go straight to marriage. She would return to Beijing, and they could go directly to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their marriage certificate. As for the wedding, they could hold it later, he wouldn’t make her feel wronged.

Lu Hui was utterly speechless.

They had all tried to torment her before, and now, one by one, they were dreaming of marrying her.

She never knew she was such a sought-after prize.

“You have no shame,” Lu Hui sneered. “You’re old enough to be my father, and you still want to chase after younger women? Look at yourself in the mirror.”

The director, sitting in the front seat with his earpiece on, couldn’t help but get involved in the gossip. He realized it was impossible to avoid the drama unfolding right in front of him.

Damn it, Lu Hui was really something. She had quite the network, and she wasn’t afraid to use it.

Yu Mandong was not angered. He remained calm and collected. “If you want to call me ‘dad,’ I’ll take it as a form of affection.”

Lu Hui didn’t hold back. She laughed coldly, “Dad.”

Yu Mandong: “…”

Well, that worked. He was successfully disgusted.

Lu Hui knew that men like him, especially ones nearing forty, were the most sensitive about their age. How could he not care?

She then asked, “So what do you want from me this time?”

“Whether you believe it or not, I only want you.”

“Enough with your lies. You’ve used me plenty of times,” she snapped. “Old men who only care about money and schemes—your words are like honey-coated swords.”

Lu Hui rolled down the car window, the cool air rushing in, making the car’s heat dissipate. She said, “This time, are you trying to make me take the blame for years, or do you want to kill me and inherit the Sheng family’s fortune?”

She sighed. “Get it straight, I’m not related to the Sheng family by blood, and I won’t get a single cent of their wealth.”

Yu Mandong clenched his teeth, trying to suppress his anger. “I told you, I don’t want anything from you.”

Lu Hui laughed again, her voice full of mockery, “Listen to yourself. Are you even human, Yu Mandong?”

Yu Mandong’s patience snapped, and his tone became cold. “Fine, don’t blame me if I bypass you and take matters into my own hands with your family.”

“Dream on,” Lu Hui fired back, “You’re old, and your legs don’t work, where’s your confidence that I’ll marry you? Find a little gigolo, that’s more appealing.”

Yu Mandong’s fingers twitched, but he held back the words he wanted to say.

Lu Hui had vented her anger, feeling much better.

The driver first dropped the director off at home. When they arrived, the director hurriedly left, forgetting his suitcase. He had seen enough. Lu Hui was a natural-born troublemaker, and he was lucky she didn’t wreak havoc online.

She wasn’t just bluffing, and Yu Mandong didn’t escape unscathed. It seemed like her influence was no joke.

However, it seemed that Yu Mandong, who was a ruthless person capable of handling his own younger brother, showed an unexpectedly high level of patience toward Lu Hui. He didn’t hit back when she struck or respond when she insulted him.

It was as if he had seen a ghost.

Fortunately, Yu Mandong didn’t follow Lu Hui into the Sheng family house; otherwise, Lu Hui would have really thrown her suitcase at him and told him to get lost.

The first thing she did when returning to her bedroom wasn’t to take a shower, but to confirm again with the system: “Really, I can’t just get rid of these idiotic, fake, overly sentimental dog male leads who disgust me?”

The system replied, “No, you can’t. The heavenly lightning will strike you down.”

The system gave her an idea: “You can turn the tables and get back at them.”

Lu Hui was not interested, “Heh, no interest.”

What was the point of tormenting hearts? If she could torment their bodies, that would be a real treat.

Because Lu Hui’s current drama was airing and gaining a lot of popularity, her own popularity was soaring as well. The airport scandal was spreading in small circles due to paparazzi and fans.

The rumors were all about the domineering CEO coming to snatch her away.

The little wife running away and being caught.

The CEO, in a fit of rage, halting the airport… rumors spread widely.

Lu Hui was blackened to the point of being turned into coal, and the gossip became more and more bizarre, describing her as the delicate female lead of a novel.

“This man in the photo is a handsome guy, my legs are weak.”

“My heart is overflowing.”

“My waist is broken.”

“I’m already in bed, getting ready.”

Midnight comments were always so thrilling, and when people uncovered Yu Mandong’s identity, the tone of the comments changed again.

Yu Mandong turned out to be a big shot. How many hidden big shots had Lu Hui hooked up with? She was indeed a resource queen! And when they saw that her fan count had risen by over a million in the past few days, it seemed like she was unstoppable and truly on the rise.

Resource queen + trending = “Our entertainment industry might really be doomed.”