Chapter 10: I Didn't Do Anything

Lu Chengwen felt the blood in his veins turn to ice.

In the world of a web novel... you never know how a small-time villain is going to meet his end. Sometimes, the author’s imagination is as repulsive as a pile of dung.

*What do you mean, I just fell asleep and the heroine is suddenly in my bed? Since when does that happen?*

*Good grief! I spent the whole day struggling to keep my nose clean and avoid tripping any red lines, and the moment I fall asleep, you guys max out my aggro level? Isn't this just bullying the bad guy?*

Sweat beaded on Lu Chengwen’s forehead, trickling down like raindrops. His entire body had stiffened; he didn't dare move a muscle. In his mind, he could already visualize the scene: Long Aotian charging into his home, crushing his skull with a single palm strike, and then pulling Leng Qingqiu into an overly saccharine romance drama plot.

Leng Qingqiu looked beautiful at this moment.

A beauty in deep slumber, the morning—or rather, noon—sunlight streaming in and striking her flawless face. Even every single lash was perfect and exquisite. She slept so earnestly, so relaxed, so beautifully, and so sweetly...

But Lu Chengwen had no heart to admire the beauty. He knew his life was hanging by a thread. If this situation wasn't handled correctly, he would likely be written out of the story and sent to collect his paycheck right then and there.

Yet, at this very moment, Leng Qingqiu was resting her head on his arm, sleeping soundly.

Lu Chengwen thought rapidly: *Calm down! I can handle this! But I have to be fast!*

He slowly extended his other hand, gently supporting Leng Qingqiu’s head, and tried to inch his arm out. He began to slide his body backward, but Leng Qingqiu—perhaps caught in some dream—frowned, shifted forward, and burrowed into Lu Chengwen’s embrace. Not only did she keep resting on his right arm, but she also naturally wrapped her arms around his left one.

Lu Chengwen panicked! *If Long Aotian saw this, I’d be done for!*

He waited until Leng Qingqiu settled back into a deep sleep and started moving slowly once more. Supporting her head, he carefully extracted his arm and pulled a pillow underneath her...

He thought to himself:
*Good girl, don’t wake up. You’re exhausted, just keep sleeping.*
*I’m disappearing right now. I’m definitely not taking advantage of you on purpose—I’m just as confused as you are.*
*My sweet little Qingqiu, I’m almost done. Once you wake up, you’ll be the only one in this room.*

Lu Chengwen finally succeeded. He let out a breath, but just as he was about to stand up, he saw Leng Qingqiu’s eyes wide open, staring straight at him. She held no expression—neither angry nor happy, neither speaking nor moving—just watching him.

Lu Chengwen swallowed hard. "I... I can explain!"

He accidentally tumbled off the bed, scrambled to his feet, and stood there. Leng Qingqiu’s eyes remained round and wide. Shedding her usual air of a high-powered CEO, she looked like an innocent little animal, curiously observing him.

Standing on the floor, Lu Chengwen confessed sincerely, "I didn't do anything."

"Really. I mean, you were drunk yesterday! Oh, you were talking gibberish, and when others wanted to take you away, I didn't know if your subordinates were reliable or not, so I had no choice but to bring you home. You understand, right?"

"But I didn't do a thing!"

"I originally settled you in the guest room. I don't know why you suddenly appeared in my bedroom—oh, wait, this is the guest room. Haha! That’s great. Really, I didn't do anything!"

"It’s just... I went to the pharmaceutical factory yesterday. We had a batch of medicine to destroy overnight. I was exhausted to the point of collapse, and when I came back, I clearly went to my own room. I don't know why..."

Lu Chengwen was on the verge of tears. "I swear on the lamp, I didn't do anything!"

When Leng Qingqiu had first opened her eyes, she had seen this guy being extremely cautious, his movements gentle, even holding his breath as he carefully lifted her arm to place it down and pulled the blanket up to cover her exposed calf...

She was sharp-witted and understood in an instant: this guy was trying to make a run for it.

She could tell he was scared out of his wits, sweat beading on his forehead. It was obvious he had been completely unprepared for this situation and just wanted to slip away without waking her. And since her clothes were still on, it was clear that "he hadn't done anything."

So, instead of being angry, Leng Qingqiu found this idiot rather amusing. She decided to watch his performance in silence.

It was brilliant. Especially when he realized she was awake and became completely flustered, babbling endless, incoherent explanations.

Leng Qingqiu was quite mischievous herself. She stayed silent, watching his performance. She kept her face blank, giving him no emotional feedback, letting him improvise freely. Only when she saw him on the verge of a mental breakdown did she suppress a laugh and say calmly, "It’s fine."

She sat up, stretched her neck, and acted as if nothing had happened.

This was completely beyond Lu Chengwen's expectations.

*What’s going on?*
*Shouldn’t she be screaming? Shouldn’t she be calling me a beast, a degenerate, a bastard?*
*Why... is she okay? Does that mean I don’t have to explain anymore?*
*Or is she biding her time, waiting to get away from my clutches before hiring someone to beat me up?*
*Does she even have a clear grasp of the situation? Heavens, I really didn't do anything!*

Leng Qingqiu covered her mouth, stifled a yawn, and got out of bed. Lu Chengwen hurriedly and obsequiously handed her a new pair of slippers. Leng Qingqiu put them on naturally, looked at her reflection in the vanity mirror, patted her face, and smoothed her hair, acting as comfortable as if she were in her own home.

Lu Chengwen stood behind her, hands clasped in front of him, and asked nervously, "So... say something, please. You acting like this... it makes me... scared."

Leng Qingqiu turned her head. "Why did you come to my room to sleep?"

Lu Chengwen blurted out, "I don't know! I swear on the lamp, I really don't know! I was exhausted to the point of collapse, came back, laid down, and fell asleep... Maybe because it was my first day here, I was so worn out that my memory of the room got a bit scrambled. I really didn't do anything!"

Leng Qingqiu couldn't hold it back anymore. She turned away to hide a smile and then said, with a straight face, "I need to wash up. Get out."

"Yes!"

Lu Chengwen spun around and bolted out of the room like a rocket. He slammed the door shut and leaned against it, letting out a long breath.

*Oh heavens! I survived!*
*If she had been convinced I did it on purpose, I wouldn't be able to clear my name even if I jumped into the Yellow River!*
*Looking at it this way, this Leng Qingqiu is actually quite reasonable!*

Behind the door, Leng Qingqiu heard his thoughts and couldn't hold back her laughter anymore. She thought to herself: *You dead-headed fool, I’ve heard all your inner thoughts and you still don't know it. If you had done it on purpose, do you think I would have spared you?*

***

After washing up, Lu Chengwen took the elevator to the first-floor dining room. As soon as he walked in, he saw the whole family eating together.

Lu Chengwen was starving. Having escaped disaster, he was in high spirits. "Oh, everyone’s here? Morning, Mom, Dad. Oh, the food looks good today! Come on, Aunt Xia, serve me a bowl of rice. Good heavens, I’m starving..."

Aunt Xia stood still, grimacing awkwardly, and didn't move.

"Serve the rice!" Lu Chengwen looked at her. "What’s the matter?"

He looked at his family and realized everyone was unnaturally quiet. Only Lu Guanghong wouldn't look at him; his father just stared at his food, expressionless, chewing with a loud crunch.

Lu Chengwen knew there was trouble. He forced a smile. "Dad, did... did something happen?"

Lu Guanghong finally looked up. "Where were you last night?"

Lu Chengwen understood.

"Oh! I can explain!" Lu Chengwen said. "That batch of medicine was substandard. To be honest, it’s my younger brother’s fault—he skimped on the ingredients to cut costs. Dad, we can't keep indulging him. That’s medicine! It’s meant to save lives! Don't let him touch the factory’s business anymore..."

Lu Guanghong pulled out a broom handle from somewhere.

Yes, the tradition of the Lu family was to keep a broom handle on hand—a basic cleaning tool found in every rural household. Even though the family lived in a five-story mansion, they still had to have one.

The broom handle was the Lu family totem!
It was the Lu family’s educational artifact!
It was the Lu family’s anchor!
It was the nightmare of the Lu family’s younger generation!

Lu Chengwen jumped up and retreated a step. "Dad, let’s talk this out. Why are you grabbing the hardware? That batch of medicine really couldn't be sold! Isn't it enough if I just cover the losses myself?"

"I can afford to lose a few hundred million! I dared to hand the business to you, so I wasn't afraid of you losing money."

"Then what is this about..."

"I’m asking you, what did you do yesterday? What did you do to Qingqiu?"

Only then did Lu Chengwen realize his father was worked up because of this.

"I can explain this too!"

"Explain your ass! I’m beating you first, then you can explain!"

Lu Guanghong leaped up, his movements agile.

"Hey! Dad! Dad, Dad! Don't! Ouch! It hurts! Dad! I really didn't do anything!"

"You didn't do anything? Do you think I don't know what kind of person you are? Damn it, every man knows how to chase women, but using such sleazy tactics on your own fiancée? Is that how I raised you? If I don't beat you to death today, then this broom handle has no spirit!"

"Dad, what did the broom handle do to offend you? Listen to my explanation first!"

"Explanation? Explain it to the weapon in my hand! You’re still running? Stand right there! Did you hear me? Stand there! Take off your pants and show your butt!"

Mother Lu hurriedly tried to intervene. "Guanghong, Chengwen is in his twenties and about to get married. You can't keep pulling his pants down to spank him."

"If I don't beat him, he won't learn his lesson!"

Lu Chengwen was depressed to death. "It’s really a misunderstanding! Why won't you believe me?"

"Believe you? I’d believe anyone but a little rascal like you!"

"Dad, don't pull my pants! Ouch, give me some face!"

The father and son began to scuffle in the dining room.

Just then, Leng Qingqiu stood on the stairs. She coughed awkwardly, her voice as faint as a mosquito's, her face flushed red. "Good morning, Uncle. Good morning, Auntie."

Lu Guanghong stopped instantly, stood up straight, and hid the broom handle behind his back. "Oh, Qingqiu, you’re awake. Come, come, you must be hungry. Let's eat, let's eat."

Lu Chengwen quickly pulled up his pants, his face crimson. Could it get any more embarrassing? Being spanked by his father in front of his fiancée was humiliating to the extreme.

Leng Qingqiu felt the scene was absurdly funny, but she didn't want to laugh as it would be rude. She was shy, embarrassed, and struggling to hold back her giggles. She had only heard of the Lu family’s "tradition" before, but seeing it today, she realized it was even more rustic and simple than the rumors suggested.

Mother Lu hurried over and took Leng Qingqiu’s hand. "Qingqiu, you must be hungry, right? My Chengwen is ignorant, he forced you to drink, didn't he? Next time, don't indulge him. Don't give him any face. If he acts up again, just tell us, and your uncle and I will back you up."

Leng Qingqiu was the eldest daughter of the Leng family. She was the CEO of the Qianfeng Group. She was noble, elegant, a woman of the upper class and a successful professional. Now, having been brought home drunk and spending the night at her fiancé’s house, and with her future in-laws knowing all about it... it was truly damaging to her image.

What would her future in-laws think of her? What kind of woman had she become?

She was so embarrassed that her face turned as red as a boiled crab, the blush reaching the roots of her ears. Even the most powerful woman, facing such a situation, would reveal the shy, timid side of a young girl.

She kept her head down, her voice small. "Uncle, Auntie, it really was... a misunderstanding... Last night was... I was too reckless. Brother Chengwen didn't... do anything to me."

Lu Chengwen looked at Leng Qingqiu’s bashful, downcast expression and was instantly mesmerized. He snapped out of it and jumped toward his father. "See! See! See that? She said it herself! I didn't do anything!"

Lu Guanghong whacked Lu Chengwen on the head with the broom handle. "Shut up!"