Chapter 566: The Lovers on the Scale
The Clumsy Reconciliation
Since ancient times, true feelings are often overlooked, while only calculated methods win people's hearts.
This is not the past. If you want to keep the "red flag waving at home" while having "colorful banners flying outside," simply relying on emotion isn't enough. Even if you offer ten thousand years of sincerity, the other party won't join a sharing arrangement. At this time, you need just a tiny bit of strategy.
After a night of indescribable dreaming, Linda woke up the next morning feeling completely disoriented. Seeing Luke standing outside her door, she instinctively covered herself.
"What do you want? Don't come any closer!"
Her voice trembled, and a blush crept up her cheeks.
Luke smirked inwardly, but his face remained unchanged. He frowned and asked,
"Your complexion looks terrible. Are you sick?"
"No, I'm not sick. How could I be sick? I'm perfectly fine!"
Linda laughed awkwardly, looking utterly bizarre.
Luke didn't call her out. His gaze swept the room, and seeing her clothes piled in the corner, he shook his head.
"Such a grown-up, yet still throwing clothes around."
The next second, a gust of wind swept through, and the clothes instantly vanished.
Linda emerged from the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
"Why are you looking for me?"
The atmosphere was awkward.
The two looked at each other. The girl quickly averted her gaze, her face flushed, and her eyes darting nervously. One might assume they had been up to no good.
Luke shook his head.
"Come with me. I need to talk to you."
"I can't."
"Can't what?"
"What's wrong with you? You're acting strange."
Linda tucked her hair behind her ear, unable to meet Luke's eyes. She chose to look down, stammering,
"I... I have an urgent matter. I have to go out. Let's talk another day!"
With a whoosh, she shot out the window and vanished in the blink of an eye. She was gone all day, only sneaking back into her bedroom that night. Luke was helpless with her, and Carol was frustrated too. Every time she tried to talk to Linda, Linda either ran away or made excuses. In short, the answer was: No Discussion.
Three days passed like this. Carol returned to her company, and Luke also went back to Metropolis.
Sinestro could arrive on Earth at any time. Time was short. He had to finish building the battle armor before Sinestro's arrival. In addition, the Phantom-4 needed modification.
Strategy of Indifference
Busy times always fly by quickly. Another three days passed unnoticed. The design blueprint for the space armor was finally complete. The next step was production and testing.
Feeling tired, Luke returned to Lake View Villa to rest. As soon as he entered the living room, he saw Linda on the sofa. He didn't pay her any mind, eating and drinking as usual. Only after he was full did he ask,
"When are you leaving?"
The girl retorted angrily, "Are you really that eager for me to go?"
Luke nodded coldly.
"The sooner, the better. You should leave tonight."
"What about that woman? Why don't you make her leave?"
"She's different from you."
"How is she different? Just because you slept with her?"
The moment she said it, Linda immediately regretted it. Her head sank, her embarrassment palpable.
Luke intentionally maintained a cold face. "Don't change the subject. In short, you must leave Earth within a week. Tell me anything you need, and I'll arrange it."
"I'm not going!"
Luke emphasized his words. "Are you really going to stick to me like a bothersome plaster?"
"If I leave, it'll be after two months. Not now."
Luke was speechless.
The girl raised her head, burst out laughing, and covered her mouth. She reached out, wrapped her arm around Luke's, and leaned into his embrace. "I knew it. You can't bear to let me go."
"Don't flatter yourself."
"You're worried you can't beat Sinestro, so you're forcing me to leave so I can survive."
"That's too naive of you."
"It's not naive, it's the truth. No matter what, I'm staying."
Luke sneered. "To stay and die?"
"That's not certain. Sinestro is strong, but we're not weak."
The girl smiled sweetly at him, her beautiful eyes seemingly speaking for her. Luke finally couldn't maintain his composure. He sighed, his face etched with resignation.
"I knew you wouldn't kick me out."
Luke stroked her hair. "Staying won't be easy."
"If that woman can stay, why can't I?"
"Carol..."
"Don't mention her name in front of me!"
"Fine, fine. I won't mention it."
At this moment, time slowed down. The two nestled together, enjoying a rare moment of peace. After a while, the girl suddenly looked up.
"You know what? You're a jerk. A huge jerk."
Luke pinched her nose. "You're right. I'm indeed a greedy big bad guy. Having one girl as excellent as either of you is a gift from heaven, yet I want both."
Linda scoffed. "I never agreed to you having me."
"Whether you agree or not isn't important. What's important is that you can't leave. You have to stay by my side forever."
"Dream on."
The girl turned her head away, though her body did not move away from him.
With things having reached this point, there was no turning back. The thought of having to see Carol Ferris's face regularly made her feel deeply uncomfortable.
"You bastard! You make me so angry! I should have stayed far away from you if I'd known you were like this."
"It was fate's arrangement."
Luke chuckled softly. "Even if you hide at the ends of the Earth, I will find you."
"Don't say such pretty words. How are you going to deal with that woman?"
"I'll talk to her."
"How will you talk to her?"
"I have my ways."
Linda's eyes darted around. She suddenly broke free. "No need for you to talk. I'll go talk to her myself."
Luke's body stiffened. He quickly reached out to grab her, but the girl dodged him first, her mouth curving into an utterly mocking grin.
"I knew it! You've been up to no good all along. First, you win me over, and then you'll deal with her. In Chinese, it's called 'advancing step by step and penetrating layer by layer.' You wish you could have both of us!"
"I'm going to find her right now and tell her all your schemes. Let's see if she'll still want you."
With that, she flew up, crashed through the roof, and sped westward.
Luke watched her, and when she was far away, he couldn't help but shake his head.
Ava spoke up.
"Young Master, aren't you going after her?"
"No need."
Ava was puzzled. "Miss Danvers seems to be destroying your plan."
"It's useless. No matter what she does, it no longer matters."
"Why?"
Luke walked to the liquor cabinet, took out a costly bottle of champagne, and, while shaking the bottle, explained,
"The beginning is always the hardest. The difficulty lies in the first threshold. Once I cross that, the rest will naturally fall into place. Linda and Carol are like a scale. I am in the middle, and they are on the two ends. The three of us maintain a fragile equilibrium. This balance is extremely unstable. No matter which side I move towards, the other end will rise, causing the entire system to collapse."
"Under these circumstances, what should I do to simultaneously embrace the two girls who are separated on either end?"
Ava answered, "Let them act on their own."
"Clever."
Luke took a sip of champagne, saying contentedly, "Only when they start moving do I have room to maneuver. By utilizing the shaking balance line, I can constantly bring them closer to me, eventually holding them all in my arms."
"Of course, this requires time and effort. It can't be achieved in one go."
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