Chapter 49: Warning, Warning! The Male Lead Cracks! …

Before this, she had been worried about things going wrong, but now she couldn’t stand their fake, dramatic behavior. They better get smart and collapse sooner rather than later, so she could enjoy it.

Both men thought the other was lying but remained confident they were right, though suspicion lingered in their hearts.

Yu Mandong crossed his legs, holding his position, and asked lightly, “From what you’re saying, it seems you’ve known her for a long time?”

Yan Zhao wasn’t a fool. Knowing what Yu Mandong was testing, he didn’t mind revealing more details. “Yes, over twenty years. Don’t you think that’s long enough?”

Yu Mandong squinted and smiled, relaxed and with measured ease. “This doesn’t match what I know.”

Yu Mandong was the most thorough of them all. He had investigated and already knew everything. Yan Zhao was just a newcomer who appeared a few months ago.

Yan Zhao responded, “She has no history of marriage. Your so-called years of marriage is a joke.”

“I never lie.”

“And I have no reason to lie.”

Yu Mandong’s expression visibly darkened. His slender fingers rested on his leg, rubbing his thumb. His face was half-hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable.

Yan Zhao didn’t think he had won. His mood soured, and his brows furrowed as he tried to figure out where the problem lay.

Lies could be exposed easily, but the other party showed no sign of nervousness while lying. They were calm, confident, and full of composure.

When Lu Hui entered, the two men stopped their silent confrontation, glancing away as if nothing had happened.

The director felt like he was in the middle of a battlefield. He shouldn’t have invited Yan Zhao today. It seemed both men had some tangled, unresolved connection with Lu Hui. If they fought, it would be impossible to clean up afterward.

The director wanted to adjust the seating positions slightly, so that the two of them wouldn’t face each other directly.

With good intentions, the director asked, “Mr. Yu, how about you sit in the main seat?”

Yu Mandong replied calmly, “No need.”

The director had no choice but to nudge Lu Rui and quietly asked her, “Where would you like to sit?”

Lu Rui chose a seat far away from both of them. “Then I’ll sit in the main seat.”

“…” The director laughed a few times, “You really don’t think of yourself as an outsider.”

The atmosphere during the meal was very stiff. The big investor sat there with a straight face and said nothing, while the others couldn’t relax, all wanting to finish the meal and leave as soon as possible.

When the waiter was pouring wine, Yu Mandong suddenly patted the seat next to him. His eyes were deep and unreadable as he looked at Lu Rui and said, “Come sit here.”

Upon hearing this, the faces of the people at the table who didn’t know what was going on subtly changed.

It would be strange for Lu Rui to comply, so she responded, “I’m fine in this seat.”

Yu Mandong didn’t change his expression, nodding slightly, then pointed to the person sitting next to her. “I’ll switch seats with you.”

The director dared not object, and just as he got up to move his chair, Lu Rui pressed him back down onto it. She smiled at Yu Mandong, “Mr. Yu, your legs are inconvenient, so let’s not move the seats around. If you fall, we can’t take responsibility.”

The director felt his vision darken, wishing he could cover her mouth. He should have known by now that nothing good would come out of Lu Rui’s mouth! Trouble comes from speaking too freely—why doesn’t she understand this? Is she happy if she really gets blacklisted?

Trying to ease the tension, the director quickly said, “Lu Rui speaks without thinking, but she doesn’t mean any harm. Mr. Yu, please don’t take it to heart.”

Yu Mandong nodded, “She’s right. My legs are indeed inconvenient.”

Lu Rui’s anger hadn’t subsided, and after realizing Yu Mandong was going to use his usual method of pressure and threats to get her sidelined again, her face darkened even more. She was probably influenced by Cen Yueze, her words turning sharp and sarcastic. “Since Mr. Yu is aware of his condition, maybe you shouldn’t trouble normal people anymore.”

That last sentence hit harder than the previous one.

The atmosphere froze, the room became eerily quiet as everyone feared being caught in the crossfire.

Ning Jiao pinched her thigh. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

This kind of thing should just stay in your mind! Why say it out loud to provoke trouble?

Yu Mandong turned his head halfway, his dark eyes calm as he stared at her, “It seems Miss Lu really dislikes me.”

Lu Rui smiled genuinely, “Mr. Yu, you could be more precise with your words. It’s not dislike, it’s disgust.”

Yu Mandong’s temper flared. “Did you take some pills today?”

Lu Rui didn’t feel like continuing the argument; it wasn’t worth it to argue with him. She silently told herself to drop it, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating calmly.

The director spent the entire evening flattering Yu Mandong, showering him with praise, while the people at the table took turns to toast him. Lu Rui and Yan Zhao ignored the proceedings.

Yu Mandong had honed his drinking skills over the years at the table, and these few glasses of wine felt like nothing to him. His gaze never left Lu Rui, fixated on her as though he couldn’t pull his eyes away.

Yu Mandong put down his glass, seeing that Lu Rui remained indifferent, and grew even more annoyed. He tugged at his tie and walked slowly over to her with his glass in hand. “Let me toast you.”

Lu Rui looked up, sneering, “Just because you toast me, does that mean I have to drink? Who do you think you are?”

Yu Mandong grabbed her chin with his hand, and his eyes showed that he was really angry. The next second, Lu Rui swatted his hand away. “Don’t touch me.”

Yu Mandong’s glass shattered in his hand, and he kicked over the chair beside him. “All of you leave.”

No one dared move, afraid of the consequences.

Yan Zhao took a step forward but was stopped by the director, who held him back with all his strength, “Don’t cause more trouble!”

Lu Rui remained calm, staring at Yu Mandong.

The director tried to persuade everyone to leave, except for Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao stood as still as a bamboo pole, sharp and upright, rooted to the ground, unable to be moved.

No matter what the director said, Yan Zhao just stood there, unwavering.

Yu Mandong removed his suit jacket and hung it on the chair, rolling up his shirt sleeves to reveal his slender white wrists. He said, “Since you want to hear it so badly, I don’t mind letting you hear it.”

The director sighed, thinking to himself, “What the hell is this? This is even more exaggerated than something out of a drama, like a male lead in a soap opera—arrogant and domineering.”

The director, terrified, quickly exited the room. Outside, the group of people were gossiping, eager to hear the story. “What’s going on?!”

The director replied irritably, “I don’t know! No comment!”

The group pressed their ears against the door, their curiosity piqued, eager to hear some juicy gossip.

The director almost wanted to spit blood, “Look at you all now, so creepy!”

Inside the room, the tension was so thick it felt like a fight might break out at any moment.

Lu Rui silently moved to the window, letting the cold breeze cool her thoughts. She asked, “I heard you’re going to blacklist me?”

Yu Mandong didn’t respond directly, “What’s so good about being a celebrity?”

He leaned one hand on the table. “Explain to me, what is your relationship with him?”

Lu Rui’s lips twitched, her rehearsed words rising to her throat, but the system urgently stopped her, “Warning, warning! Do not self-destruct!”

Lu Rui paused. “What penalties are there if I break the contract?”

The system hesitated and muttered something incoherent.

Lu Rui thought for a moment and realized that the system probably couldn’t do anything to her now, which was why it was hesitating to respond.

Her mischievous side kicked in. “What happens if the male leads collapse?”

The system answered instinctively, “They might die.”

This was like a genius being played with, a humiliation pinned on the dishonor post.

Lu Rui’s tone was playful, “Well, now I really want to give it a try.”

The system almost burst into tears, but Lu Rui quickly said, “I feel like Yu Mandong knows something. He’s deep and calculating; he won’t be fooled.”

The system cried as it ran away: “It’s over, don’t think about it.”

Lu Hui snapped back to reality, the corners of her eyes carrying a triumphant and playful charm. She smiled and asked, “Didn’t he tell you?”

Yu Mandong suppressed his anger, “He did, but I don’t believe it.”

Lu Hui’s tone was calm. “What’s there not to believe? What he said is true. We grew up together, betrothed to each other. But, just like you, he chose a path that would lead me to a dead end.”

A path where I was doomed to become the cannon fodder of a female supporting character.

Yu Mandong’s eyes reddened. “Marry me, and in this lifetime, I’ll only treat you well.”

Lu Hui inadvertently switched into her mode of tormenting trash. She took two steps forward, stood on tiptoe, and reached his ear. She softly enunciated her words: “Yu Mandong, when I die in front of you, did you shed a single tear for me?”

Yu Mandong’s love was delayed, conditional.

It seemed that after her death, everyone would claim they loved her. But while she was alive, none of them chose to spare her, relentlessly pushing her toward the path of death.

Yu Mandong’s chest felt like it was being crushed by a heavy object. He could barely breathe as he tried to speak the truth.

The truth was: he hadn’t.

“I never thought about letting you die.”

“It doesn’t matter anymore,” Lu Hui said. “Yu Mandong, you’re clever enough; you should have figured it out by now.”

Yu Mandong had a terrifying suspicion in his heart. Before he came to this world, he had some doubts, but he was unwilling to admit them.

He grabbed her wrist, his eyes bloodshot. “What do you mean?”

Lu Hui pulled her hand away. “It means you don’t have to feel guilty.”

Yu Mandong’s face turned as white as paper. He gritted his teeth and spat out each word, his eyes filled with blood, still pressing her for answers: “So… it was all a lie?”

Yu Mandong had never felt such pain in two lifetimes. His ears were ringing, and he felt like his head was splitting.

Lu Hui was about to say something, but the system cut off her words. She hesitated for a moment, then looked at him with pitying eyes, nearly pushing him to the edge of madness.

“Was it a lie?”

“You never loved me?”

“It was all an act?”

“Was it… was it a mission?”

“So I… was just one of them, right?” As Yu Mandong continued asking, his voice grew quieter, the last question sounding as though he was asking himself. He was on the brink of collapse, his entire being fragile as if it could break apart at any moment.