Lu Chengwen stared at the broken chair leg in his hand. What's this piece of junk supposed to do? he thought. It might've been useful for schoolyard brawls, but we're facing Long Aotian here! The War God of Beijiang! The entire nightclub crew combined wouldn't be enough to take him down.
Hu Shuhui piped up, "Brother Long, it's all on you today. I'm counting on you to settle this score!"
Long Aotian smirked. "Tell your guys to stand down. I can handle this alone."
"What? They've got numbers!" Hu Shuhui protested.
"No matter," Long Aotian said coolly. "It's been a while since I've stretched my legs."
Chen Moqun exploded with rage. "Damn, you're too cocky! I'm starting with you!" He lunged forward, only to be yanked back by Lu Chengwen.
Moqun was heavy, and his furious charge nearly dragged Lu Chengwen down. He managed to stop him but ended up sprawled on the floor himself.
"What the hell are you pulling me for!?" Moqun roared.
Lu Chengwen scrambled up, thinking, You don't even know you're about to die! This was exactly how villains met their end—charging in blindly.
He patted Moqun's shoulder, urging him to cool off. "Don't mess with that guy. We can't beat him."
"What? Since when are you such a coward? Fine, I'll take that punk myself, alright?"
"You…" Lu Chengwen sighed. "Let me talk to him first."
Moqun was itching for a fight, whispering, "I'm dying to throw down. Don't talk too well, or we won't get to scrap."
"I'll try," Lu Chengwen muttered.
He turned to Long Aotian. "Brother Long, long time no see."
"Not that long," Long Aotian replied. "Let's get to it."
"Hold on," Lu Chengwen said. "I've got a question for you."
"Go ahead."
The crowd around them thought these two were nuts. The posturing was done, the trash-talking phase was over—why were they chatting so politely?
Lu Chengwen said, "Brother Long, you're a man of valor and talent. Why are you hanging out with trash like Hu Shuhui? And fighting over girls in a nightclub? That's beneath you. We're all respectable people here. How about I play peacemaker? You and Hu Shuhui enjoy yourselves tonight—everything's on me. Let's call it even. Sound good?"
Long Aotian scoffed. "Lu Chengwen, you think you're qualified to call anyone trash? Don't you know what you are? I'm here to deal with you and that Chen Moqun. You're both notorious scumbags in Xuecheng. Today, I, Long Aotian, am here to rid the city of vermin like you!"
At that moment, Chen Mengyun emerged from the back, wide-eyed with alarm. "What's going on? Why are there so many people?"
She'd rushed to the bathroom earlier, rattled by Lu Chengwen's "warning" and his reckless driving. Relieved to find her brother unharmed, she hadn't noticed the brewing chaos until now. Seeing Hu Shuhui among the crowd only heightened her unease.
Then, Long Aotian and Chen Mengyun locked eyes, sparks practically flying between them.
Long Aotian was stunned, his mind waxing poetic: What a breathtaking beauty, rare in this world. Delicate as a flower, graceful as a fairy. Her lips, her waist, her charm—she outshines all others. This isn't some heavenly banquet, so how did the moon goddess descend from her palace? She's like a chrysanthemum-picking maiden from the southern hills, and I'm like… well, a modern-day romantic hero.
Chen Mengyun, catching Long Aotian's intense stare, felt a flutter of confusion. Why's he staring at me like that? Nervously, she stepped closer to Lu Chengwen for cover.
Lu Chengwen thought to himself: [Alright, problem solved. The male lead and female lead have finally met.]
[Next, Chen Mengyun will fall for Long Aotian at first sight, and they'll go off holding hands to chat.]
[Sigh, it's a shame, but Chen Mengyun's destined to be part of Long Aotian's harem. Off you go, join Leng Qingqiu as sisters.]
Smiling, Lu Chengwen said, "Brother Long, allow me to introduce Chen Mengyun, the eldest daughter of the Chen family."
Chen Mengyun saw through his intentions, her face flushing with anger as she glared at him.
Lu Chengwen continued, unfazed, "Mengyun, this is Long Aotian."
Long Aotian clasped his hands in a respectful gesture. "Miss Chen, a pleasure to meet you."
Chen Mengyun ignored him, her expression icy. "What's everyone doing here? Old Three, what's with the weapons? Think you're still in high school? Grow up!"
Old Three and the others shrank under her scolding, hastily hiding their makeshift weapons.
Long Aotian, a bit embarrassed, realized beating up her brother in front of her wasn't the best move.
Hu Shuhui, however, jumped in. "Damn it! You and Lu Chengwen are ganging up to screw me over, don't think I'm clueless! Brother Long, take them down, and tonight I'll get you ten girls—each one stunning, skilled, and enthusiastic!"
Long Aotian pushed him away. "Friend, don't stand so close. I, Long Aotian, am a man of integrity. Why would I mess with escorts?"
"Huh?" Hu Shuhui was confused. "Didn't we agree to have a wild night? You said you could handle ten girls in one go, and we were all waiting for the show…"
"Bullshit!" Long Aotian stammered, furious. "With my noble character, lofty ideals, and pure soul… I'd never touch such vulgar women, now or ever!"
Hu Shuhui was dumbfounded. "What about Little Red and Little Blue?"
"Who the hell are Little Red and Little Blue?" Long Aotian snapped.
"The two girls who were sitting on your lap, feeding you drinks mouth-to-mouth! You said Little Red's butt was perky and Little Blue's chest felt great…"
Long Aotian's eyes blazed. "You've got the wrong guy!"
Chen Moqun, still clutching his chair leg, sidled up to Lu Chengwen and whispered, "What's up with these idiots? Brain damage?"
Lu Chengwen grinned. [This is hilarious! No hack writer could dream up this plot twist.]
[Today, we'll play the tiger against the wolf! Watch me stir the pot!]
He leaned toward Moqun. "Forget the chair leg. Times have changed. Today, we fight with words."
He shot Moqun a knowing wink. Moqun's eyes lit up, and he nodded. "Good show."
Chen Mengyun, standing behind them, glared at the scheming duo, her eyes burning with disdain.
Lu Chengwen spoke up. "It was him, Brother Long! Hu Shuhui tried to assault my good brother's sister, Miss Chen Mengyun! If I hadn't arrived in time, her honor would've been ruined!"
He thumped his chest dramatically. "But alas, Hu Shuhui's family is too powerful. We can't touch him! If I had the guts, I'd tear him to pieces!"
Hu Shuhui panicked. "Lu Chengwen, you're smart to know your place, but you're not getting out of this today!"
Chen Moqun tossed his chair leg aside. "Sis! This guy bullied you, but I'm too weak to take him on. I hate myself!"
Long Aotian's face darkened with fury. "You dared to harass Miss Chen?"
Hu Shuhui blinked, stunned. What the hell? Why are you turning on me?
He hissed, "Hey, we're on the same side! What's your deal?"
Long Aotian slapped him hard across the face. "Who's on your side, you filth?"
Hu Shuhui's head snapped to the side, his mind reeling.
"Wow, so heroic!" Chen Mengyun clapped her hands to her mouth, playing the starry-eyed fangirl.
"Huh?" Lu Chengwen and Chen Moqun turned to her, staring as if she were a stranger.
Lu Chengwen narrowed his eyes. [Well, damn, big sister, you're quite the actress!]
Long Aotian, catching Chen Mengyun's gaze, was practically melting. If Leng Qingqiu was Lu Chengwen's dream girl, Chen Mengyun was Long Aotian's. Her every move, her single exclamation, hit him like a shot of adrenaline straight to the brain. He was utterly smitten.
Chen Mengyun continued, "Hu Shuhui, I went to dinner with you out of kindness, and you tried to take advantage of me! I'm just a girl, the eldest daughter of the Chen family—I can't exactly drag you to court. But your crimes will catch up with you someday!"
This was pure venom, meant to bury Hu Shuhui.
Hu Shuhui, clutching his stinging cheek, glared at Long Aotian. "You hit me? You dare hit me?"
Slap! Another resounding smack.
Long Aotian was unmatched at thrashing villains, with a flair for dramatic flair. The slaps echoed—loud, crisp, and merciless.
Hu Shuhui's head snapped back, blood trickling from his nose. "Long Aotian, you son of a—"
Slap, slap, slap, slap, slap! Long Aotian grabbed his collar with one hand, delivering a relentless barrage of slaps with the other.
Finally, he stopped, glaring coldly. "I despise scum who disrespect women."
Hu Shuhui, battered and dazed, turned to his crew. "You're just watching him beat me?"
His lackeys snapped out of their stupor. "Let go of Young Master Hui!"
"Drop him, punk!"
Long Aotian smirked, closing the door until only a sliver remained. "Give me one minute."
The door shut. Outside, a cacophony of crashes and thuds erupted.
Chen Moqun grinned. "What's with this clown?"
Lu Chengwen laughed. "Can't you tell? He's got a thing for your sister."
"No way! Her? She's yours. Nobody else is gonna be my brother-in-law!"
Chen Mengyun smacked Moqun's head. "Stop talking nonsense! Lu Chengwen, what's going on?"
Lu Chengwen smiled. "You'll see. This guy's actually solid—insanely strong. Think of it this way: if your life's a movie, he's the leading man. The chosen one. Gods fall before him, Buddhas tremble."
"So you're saying I should date him?" Chen Mengyun snapped.
"It's your fate. Nobody escapes fate."
Chen Mengyun was livid. Chen Moqun jumped in, "Lu Chengwen, what're you blabbering about? She's yours!"
Lu Chengwen hushed him. "Don't say that in front of him. Anyone who steals his woman is as good as dead."
"You're scared of him?" Moqun scoffed.
"Not just me—you should be too."
"I'm not scared!"
"You have to be!"
"I'm not! I'll go beat his ass right now!"
Lu Chengwen grabbed him. "Can you listen for once? He's the main character! The chosen one! Together, we're not even a match for him. You could die, got it? Stay away from him, be polite, and don't do anything shady around him. Follow those rules, and you might survive. Your family—"
The door swung open. Long Aotian stood there, smiling calmly. "All done."
They peeked outside—bodies strewn everywhere.
Chen Moqun gaped. "You… did that alone?"
Zhao Gang, wiping sweat from his brow, glanced at his boss, a dawning realization in his eyes.
Long Aotian stepped in, his tone gentle. "Sorry for the scare, everyone. I met this guy by chance, thought he was decent. Turns out, he's pure scum. Miss Chen, don't worry—with me around, he won't come near you again."
Chen Mengyun glanced at Lu Chengwen, who was winking furiously: [Go for it! Talk to him! Your destined hero's here!]
She gritted her teeth, then smiled sweetly. "Brother Aotian, is it?"
"Sister Mengyun," he replied warmly.
"Thank you for standing up for me. I don't even know how to thank you."
"No need, Sister Mengyun. If I may be so bold, would you join me for coffee?"
"Of course! But… there's someone else who's been bullying me for years. I'm terrified of him."
"Who?" Long Aotian demanded.
Chen Mengyun pointed at Lu Chengwen. "Him."
Lu Chengwen had been beaming, thrilled that his clever maneuvering had brought the male and female leads together, setting the plot back on track. But as Chen Mengyun's finger pointed at him, his smile vanished.
He turned to see Long Aotian glaring at him, his expression dark with menace.
[Oh, so this is how I die!]
_
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