[“Chen Zhe, come here.”]

Chen Zemian was no less surprised than anyone else to see Lu Zhuonian suddenly appear. He felt like he and Lu Zhuonian must have incompatible horoscopes. Why else would Lu Zhuonian always happen to see him every time he got into a fight? The suspicion value, which he’d finally managed to lower, was probably going to shoot back up again. Damn Xu Shaoyang.

But then again, this was too much of a coincidence. Lu Zhuonian didn’t usually come to the shooting range, and even if he did, he wouldn’t deliberately seek out Chen Zemian. The last time he saw Lu Zhuonian was… well, the last time. It had been over half a month. Why was he suddenly here today? It was almost as if he’d come specifically to catch Chen Zemian. Given the Lu and Xu families’ notorious rivalry, Chen Zemian would have suspected Lu Zhuonian was orchestrating this as an entrapment, having no reason to think otherwise had he not known the plot.

Xu Shaoyang’s face turned pale with shock. He never expected Lu Zhuonian to be here, and even less that Chen Zhe’s boss was actually Lu Zhuonian. This international shooting range belonged to the Lu family?

Lu Zhuonian stepped into the training hall, his eyes indifferent, his voice laced with pressure. “Xu Shaoyang, it seems you’ve forgotten what I told you last time.”

Xu Shaoyang’s heart pounded violently, making his ribs ache. “Lu Zhuonian, your employee is hitting me right now.”

Lu Zhuonian stated flatly, “I saw you make the first move.”

Some onlookers chimed in to support him:

“Yeah, you clearly grabbed that handsome young man first.” “What’s wrong with this guy? He started yelling the moment he walked in. Must be looking for trouble.” “The staff member was perfectly polite the whole time, so why did he get so upset and want to hit someone?” “Why is someone so emotionally unstable coming to a shooting range? It’s too dangerous.” “Hey, hey, security, quickly secure that gun over there, and call the police!”

The whispering and murmuring of the crowd were almost tangible, sweeping over Xu Shaoyang like an overwhelming tide, hitting him squarely in the face. Xu Shaoyang’s cheeks burned, his scalp tingled, and he felt a non-existent stinging sensation on his skin, as if he were standing in a courtroom, forced to endure accusations and reprimands.

“He swore at me first!” Xu Shaoyang was filled with shame and indignation, unable to bear it any longer. He pointed at Chen Zemian’s nose and roared, “He swore at me first!”

The onlookers hadn’t heard Chen Zemian swear, but seeing Xu Shaoyang’s bloodshot eyes, they didn’t dare to speak up and provoke him further. They just watched him with fear and defensiveness, as if he might suddenly go berserk and hurt someone. For someone emotionally unhinged and powerless to prove their innocence, that kind of look alone was a trigger.

He glared fiercely at Chen Zemian, his cheeks flushed red, his eyes bloodshot. The sharp pain in his ribs constantly reminded him of the fact that he’d been sworn at and hit. And yet, everyone else thought it was his fault! ‘I’m the one who got hit!’ Xu Shaoyang had never felt so wronged, so aggrieved.

In a fit of rage, Xu Shaoyang grabbed Chen Zemian’s arm and demanded loudly, “Did you swear at me? Tell me, did you swear at me?!”

Chen Zemian nodded repeatedly. “Mhm, yes, yes, yes.”

Xu Shaoyang had been prepared for Chen Zemian to deny it. He never expected him to admit it so easily, leaving all his questions and rebuttals stuck in his throat, almost choking him. ‘Is this person crazy?’

‘Why do things never go as planned?!’

Xu Shaoyang’s emotions had reached their peak, but then Chen Zemian’s sudden admission deflated his surging anger like a burst balloon. It simply couldn’t explode again.

Finally vindicated, Xu Shaoyang grabbed Chen Zemian, looking up at Lu Zhuonian. “You heard him, right? He admitted it.”

“Let him go first,” Lu Zhuonian said.

Xu Shaoyang was relentless, clutching his ribs. “Your Lu family’s employee is arrogant, insulting and hitting customers. This can’t just be swept under the rug.”

Lu Zhuonian’s gaze was devoid of warmth. “What do you want?”

Xu Shaoyang pressed his advantage. “I want him to kowtow and apologize to me!”

Hearing the words ‘kowtow and apologize,’ a faint gasp rippled through the crowd. Everyone felt it was too excessive. Chen Zemian almost couldn’t control his laughter and quickly lowered his head to hide his expression. Kowtow and apologize, such a typical male-lead drama line. He’d actually stumbled upon this classic scene. It was too funny.

Chen Zemian thought if he hid quickly enough, no one would notice his failure in emotional control. He didn’t expect Lu Zhuonian to have such sharp eyes. Not only did Lu Zhuonian see Chen Zemian secretly smiling, but he also noticed a faint red mole on the side of Chen Zemian’s slender neck when he lowered his head. It was small and very red.

Lu Zhuonian unconsciously rubbed his fingers together and said in a deep voice, “Chen Zhe, stop smiling.”

Chen Zemian’s smile froze, and he instantly stopped chuckling. ‘What kind of eyesight does this guy have? He can see that?’

Xu Shaoyang’s eyes were filled with disbelief. He turned Chen Zemian’s shoulder to look at his expression, asking suspiciously, “You can still smile?”

Lu Zhuonian’s gaze deepened slightly. “Chen Zhe, come here.”

Chen Zemian looked up, meeting Lu Zhuonian’s ink-black eyes. Fearing he’d revealed too much, he didn’t dare to act foolishly anymore. He twisted his wrist to pull away from Xu Shaoyang’s grip and obediently walked towards Lu Zhuonian with his head bowed.

Xu Shaoyang hadn’t even reacted to what happened. He just felt a sharp pain in his thumb and forefinger, instinctively letting go. By the time he regained his senses, Chen Zemian was already standing opposite Lu Zhuonian. Even if he had more guts, he wouldn’t dare reach out to grab someone in front of Lu Zhuonian.

Xu Shaoyang was consumed by rage but powerless. He felt Lu Zhuonian was utterly possessed, unable to comprehend why this renowned “Crown Prince of Beijing’s elite circle” insisted on protecting a worthless Chen Zhe. He wanted to say more, but Lu Zhuonian had already lost all patience.

“Save the rest of your words for the police,” Lu Zhuonian said flatly.

Xu Shaoyang was incredulous. “You’re calling the police over such a small matter? Don’t you care about the impact on the shooting range at all?”

Lu Zhuonian ignored Xu Shaoyang. He simply glanced at Chen Zemian, giving him a ‘follow me’ look, then turned and left without expression.

Chen Zemian hesitated for a tenth of a second between immediately following and feigning ignorance. In the end, he dutifully accepted his boss’s signal and meekly followed Lu Zhuonian.

Aftermath

The police legally retrieved the surveillance video from the shooting range’s training hall and summoned those present for questioning. It was a straightforward case. The surveillance footage clearly corroborated witness testimonies, forming a complete and clear logical chain. Xu Shaoyang was detained by the public security organs for suspected affray, but he was released on bail before his statement was even finalized. This was also within Chen Zemian’s expectations. After all, he was the second young master of the Xu family.

Chen Zemian wasn’t disappointed. He simply analyzed the situation objectively: “Aside from when he pulled the gun, his other actions weren’t severe enough to be considered ‘egregious circumstances.'”

“It has nothing to do with any of that,” Lu Zhuonian paused slightly. Only when Chen Zemian looked at him did he continue, “It’s bail for medical treatment.”

Chen Zemian: “…”

Lu Zhuonian’s gaze rested on Chen Zemian’s face, quietly observing him for three seconds. Chen Zemian, confused, tilted his head. He was like a cautious yet curious feline. Fierce and combative, ready to lash out at anyone who dared provoke him. Although Lu Zhuonian’s expression didn’t change much, his internal doubts were no less than Chen Zemian’s.

What must one have gone through to undergo such a drastic change?

Ever since that night he injured Wu Xu, this Chen Zhe seemed to have activated a battle-hungry system. In less than a month, he’d been in several fights, each one more brutal than the last, causing increasingly greater impact, and the list of victims kept growing. If left unchecked, what further impact could Chen Zhe cause?

Lu Zhuonian’s gaze dropped to Chen Zemian’s wrist, curious as to how such a slender, bony wrist could unleash such immense power—not only instantly pulling up an 80kg Xu Shaoyang and flinging him far away, but also applying force to slam him hard to the ground in the brief moment of an over-the-shoulder throw. Based solely on Xu Shaoyang’s weight and the height he was thrown from, he absolutely shouldn’t have been injured like that.

Extensive soft tissue contusions, three broken ribs, and six fractured ones.

Chen Zemian was startled when he heard the results. “Broken… that many?”

“More were fractured,” Lu Zhuonian replied.

Chen Zemian noticed Lu Zhuonian was looking at his wrist again. He uncomfortably tugged at his sleeve, desperately trying to excuse himself. “Maybe Xu Shaoyang is just too fragile.”

Yes, it must be that Xu Shaoyang was too fragile. Young Master Xu, having been spoiled and pampered, probably hadn’t been hit his whole life, so his resistance to blows was relatively weak. That’s why he broke so easily with a light throw.

Lu Zhuonian neither confirmed nor denied Chen Zemian’s explanation, merely stating truthfully, “Quite a lot broke.”

“If he can’t take a hit, he shouldn’t be starting fights,” Chen Zemian said, exasperated and frantically shifting blame. “He probably broke them on purpose, just to get me jailed.”

“You won’t go to jail,” Lu Zhuonian said.

Chen Zemian’s eyes moved, looking at Lu Zhuonian with eager anticipation. “Really?”

“Mhm,” Lu Zhuonian affirmed.

Receiving the male lead’s assurance, Chen Zemian breathed a sigh of relief. “So Young Master Lu has already taken care of everything for me. You startled me.”

“No arrangements were made,” Lu Zhuonian said, looking at Chen Zemian, his gaze coming from above with a hint of reproach. “Bribery is illegal, Chen Zhe.”

“…”

Chen Zemian’s head instinctively tilted back as he stared at Lu Zhuonian in shock, but the other party’s expression remained unchanged. He had said it with complete seriousness. For a moment, Chen Zemian almost thought he and Lu Zhuonian weren’t in the same book.

In the original novel, to maximize reader satisfaction, Lu Zhuonian’s background was unfathomably deep. From his first appearance, he had connections everywhere. No matter how big the problem, it was solved with a phone call or a meal. He could effortlessly eliminate formidable enemies with a flick of his finger, essentially doing whatever he pleased, cool, flashy, and domineering.

‘Why was this big “Dragon Overlord” suddenly preaching legality to him? The world suddenly felt so surreal.

Of course I know bribery is illegal. The problem is, you guys in the book seem to have absolutely no legal awareness!’

Chen Zemian was a little dazed, even forgetting to use honorifics. “Then how do you know I won’t go to jail?”

Lu Zhuonian’s tone was calm and composed. “I trust in judicial fairness.”