Chapter 21 This whole thing is...

Ling Wei reached for her seatbelt, wanting to get away from this person, but Lu Zhao grabbed her wrist.

He then realized that Ling Wei's hands were small and soft, and he could easily encircle them.

Her eyes, which usually held a playful or calm gleam, were now misty with panic, tiny raindrops clung to her eyelashes, and her cheeks were flushed a delicate pink. In the dim light, she was breathtakingly beautiful.

This realization strangely dispelled his earlier embarrassment and panic, instead giving rise to a strange sense of aggression within him.

He slammed the car door lock shut, trapping her in her seat, his voice carrying a forceful tone he himself wasn't even aware of: "It's raining so hard outside, where are you going?"

Ling Wei glared at him, her eyes wide open.

Lu Zhao looked away uncomfortably, trying to explain, "I...I didn't see anything."

"Slap!" Another slap, the force of which was still not much lighter.

Lu Zhao was so angry he almost laughed. He turned to look at her, pressing the tip of his tongue against his slightly numb cheek: "You hit me again?"

Ling Wei made a move to raise her hand, but he quickly grabbed her wrist with his other hand.

He held both her slender wrists firmly in his grasp. Looking at her trapped state, Lu Zhao felt a wicked sense of triumph resurface. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "Go ahead and hit me again?"

Ling Wei struggled but couldn't break free. Looking at his handsome face, which was so close to hers and had a slightly roguish air about it, she suddenly leaned forward abruptly.

"pound!"

A muffled thud.

Her forehead collided squarely with his.

"Ouch—!" Caught off guard, Lu Zhao instantly released his grip and covered his forehead in pain. "Is your head made of iron?!"

Ling Wei rubbed her reddened forehead and retorted without backing down, "Want to do it again, you pervert?!"

The girl opposite me had watery eyes and flushed cheeks, but her expression remained fierce.

Lu Zhao rubbed the sore spot and shamefully discovered that he wasn't angry at all after being hit.

My heart started beating faster and faster, and a sweet joy was spreading from my heart to every part of my body.

Just as he was about to say something more, Ling Wei's phone rang in her bag.

Ling Wei took out her phone, and the words "Lu Yan" appeared on the screen.

"Hello?"

"Are you in the western suburbs?" The voice on the other end of the phone was as clear and crisp as ever. "I'm passing by, I can pick you up."

Lu Zhao, who had overheard the conversation, couldn't help but chuckle.

This godforsaken western suburban botanical garden? On the way? His brother really loves it deeply.

He clicked his tongue in annoyance, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the steering wheel.

Ling Wei said on the phone that it wasn't necessary, and that she had already hailed a taxi and left.

Lu Yan on the other end of the phone suddenly asked, "Who...are you with?"

She felt inexplicably guilty and subconsciously glanced at Lu Zhao beside her, mumbling, "Um, classmate. What's wrong?"

The question was posed to the other end, and after a pause, a voice devoid of emotion replied: "It's nothing, just be careful not to catch a cold."

"Um."

After hanging up the phone, Ling Wei looked up and met Lu Zhao's curious gaze.

She rolled her eyes and made a fuss next to her, which was annoying.

“You talk to me in such a nasty way,” he raised an eyebrow, his tone carrying an ambiguous undertone, “you…”

Before he could finish speaking, the car bell rang.

The moment he saw the caller ID, Lu Zhao suddenly sat up straight: "My brother!"

Ling Wei immediately replied nervously, "Don't tell anyone we're together!"

As soon as she said it, even she felt that it was somewhat immoral.

Lu Zhao hadn't planned to talk about it in the first place, since he absolutely couldn't let a third person know about his dark history of being enslaved. But hearing Ling Wei's eagerness to distance herself from him, he felt inexplicably annoyed.

His phone was connected to the car's Bluetooth system, and he deliberately answered the call, letting Lu Yan's voice ring out in the car.

"Brother, what's wrong?"

"Where are you?"

"I have something to do, I need to go out for a bit," Lu Zhao lied without batting an eye, and asked in return, "What is it?"

There was a noticeable pause on the other end before the voice slowly spoke, "Your emotions were too obvious just now. I..."

"Aaaaaaah!"

Ling Wei was startled by Lu Zhao's sudden shout, and Lu Yan also fell silent.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Lu Zhao quickly switched the call back to the phone's earpiece mode.

Then he angrily retorted into his phone, "I didn't!"

Ling Wei didn't know what Lu Yan said over there, but she saw Lu Zhao's gaze suddenly fall on her. She was still wearing his oversized hoodie, the collar slightly open, revealing her slender white neck and collarbone.

Their eyes met.

Lu Zhao turned her head abruptly as if she had been burned, her ears turning bright red, and said in a flustered tone, "I know! I have something to do! I have to go now!" She then hurriedly hung up the phone.

Ling Wei, standing to the side, didn't seem to notice his strong reaction.

She was mentally complaining to the system: "My god, this is so exciting! I almost got caught! If Lu Yan finds out, I'll know that I not only used his brother as free labor, but also made money off him and then paid him back..."

Ling Wei shivered inexplicably.

"Oh dear, I really shouldn't think about something this dangerous. Just thinking about it is making me sweat a little..."

system:"……

Shouldn't we avoid doing something so dangerous?!

"Stop it, Avi! There are police everywhere outside."

Ling Wei chuckled; there was no turning back.

The train carriage was unusually quiet for the second half of the journey back to school.

Lu Zhao pretended to be focused on the road ahead, and Ling Wei also paused the video. They were both still immersed in the subtle and chaotic atmosphere from before, and neither of them spoke again.

The car came to a smooth stop at the school gate. Outside vehicles are not allowed to enter the dormitory area. Ling Wei unbuckled her seatbelt and prepared to get out of the car.

"Umbrella." Lu Zhao handed over the sturdy, long-handled black umbrella from the car.

Ling Wei naturally accepted it: "Thanks. I'll call you back later and return the clothes and umbrella together."

It was already an implicit acceptance that she would continue to enslave him, and Lu Zhao didn't react much to this, responding softly and keeping his gaze on the steering wheel without looking at her.

Ling Wei didn't mind, waved to him, opened her umbrella, and stepped into the still pouring rain.

The black SUV did not leave immediately, but remained quietly in place until her slender figure completely disappeared from the dormitory building entrance before slowly starting and merging into the traffic.

When Ling Wei dragged her slightly tired steps back to the dormitory, she took out her phone and saw several unread messages on the screen, all from Lu Yan.

Lu Yan: [Did you manage to get a taxi?]

(Approximately 20 minutes apart)

Lu Yan: [I happen to be running errands nearby. If you're still here, I'll come pick you up.]

(Ten more minutes passed)

Lu Yan: [I've arrived.]

Immediately following was the phone call he made.

The system murmured, "Oh dear, this whole thing is a mess..."