As she spoke, tears streamed down her face.

Her eyes were glistening with tears, her eyebrows were furrowed in distress, and her pearly teeth were clenched tightly around her pale, bloodless lips. With this delicate expression, Chen Yan seemed to have suffered a great injustice.

If any other man saw this, he would be heartbroken and fall head over heels for her.

But Lu Zheng was different; his cold and gloomy eyes showed not even a ripple.

And the bodyguards he personally selected would not be either.

Shen Yan trembled as she looked at the bodyguard with a fierce face in front of her, gritted her teeth, scrambled to her feet, and shoved him, "Get out of my way! Who do you think you are! How dare you block my way!"

The bodyguard stood as still as a rock.

On the contrary, Chen Yan was thrown away and crashed to the ground because she used too much force.

This time, her body rubbed against the cobblestone path, and a bloody scratch appeared on her snow-white arm. The pampered young lady, who had never suffered such pain, immediately cried out in agony.

"Lu Zheng, it hurts so much..." She didn't need to act anymore; the pain was genuinely excruciating.

"Send her back." Lu Zheng's dark eyes gleamed like a bloodthirsty wolf in the night. "She must never appear before me again."

Even the burly bodyguards, with their broad shoulders and thick waists, were trembling with fear in front of Lu Zheng. A layer of fine sweat had already appeared on their foreheads. They hurriedly grabbed the cigarettes and headed towards the main road.

Like a chick caught by an eagle, Chen Yan kicked the ground listlessly, trying to get back to Lu Zheng's side.

"Lu Zheng, have you forgotten who brought you out of the abyss?! Have you forgotten how miserable you were back then, with no food or water, almost dying? It was my hands that warmed you, bringing you from the dark abyss back to the bright world!"

"..." The bodyguard suddenly felt nauseous and wanted to vomit.

Lu Zheng scoffed, "It's not you."

With tears streaming down her face, Chen Yan struggled to shout, "Who else could it be but me?!"

Lu Zheng said, word by word, "Someone you can never compare to."

Shen Yan was stunned, as if struck by lightning, her face turning bright red.

"Who is it? Where is it?! I don't believe it! Lu Zheng, you're lying! Why are you lying to hurt me and yourself?!" she cried out in anguish.

Lu Zheng gave the bodyguard a wink.

The bodyguards quickened their pace and dragged Chen Yan away.

"Lu Zheng, how could you bear to leave me? You promised to take care of me for the rest of my life! I love you so much, you can't leave me, you can't break your promise..."

Shen Yan was acting out a melodramatic scene here, but her bodyguards had no sense of chivalry and found her too noisy, so they simply covered her mouth.

"Waaaaah..."

Amidst low sobs, Chen Yan was dragged into a black sedan.

The glaring red taillights quickly disappeared into the night.

A security guard from the resort, who was patrolling nearby, caught a glimpse of the situation and asked Lu Zheng in a panic, "Excuse me, Mr. Lu, has someone been harassing you...?"

Lu Zheng waved his hand, indicating that he could leave, and then called Xie Yan, "Investigate who among my bodyguards and the people at the resort is colluding with the Shen family."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yan knew something was terribly wrong and solemnly agreed.

Lu Zheng strolled along the lake.

He moved to the resort to escape the outside world and enjoy the rare warmth and tranquility here.

Unexpectedly, some people have stretched their tentacles quite far.

Relying on that so-called "gratitude," she wants to control him for life?

Lu Zheng gave a cold laugh, the shimmering lake surface reflected in his eyes like a series of sharp, gleaming blades.

He will completely break this hand and destroy the Shen family.

Five minutes later, Xie Yan called back. "It's Ding Xiang. Yesterday, when it was his shift, he went to the resort. Someone saw him secretly texting someone in the bathroom. We found that his bank account received a total of 50,000 yuan yesterday and today, and the transfer was made by Ms. Shen's assistant."

Lu Zheng asked, "Has it been dealt with?"

Xie Yan said, "The brothers hate traitors the most. They rushed to the dormitory, broke his legs, and threw him at the entrance of the Shen family mansion. Some brothers are watching nearby."

"Okay." Lu Zheng instructed, "Throw him out of Jiangcheng in a couple of days, and don't let this happen again."

"Yes, Mr. Lu!" Xie Yan replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

Lu Zheng closed his eyes and returned to the villa after his gaze returned to calm. Qiao Zhen and the others were happily eating and drinking, even making a hearty toast with juice instead of alcohol.

Qiao Zhen was the first to notice Lu Zheng's return. She raised her arm high, waving and shouting excitedly, "Lu Zheng, come over here and have a toast!"

Lu Zheng completely shed the gloom in his heart and immersed himself in it.

With the college entrance examination approaching, Lu Zheng personally drove the Qiao family back home. The doctor suggested that the family members spend more time with Qiao's mother, as it would be beneficial to their physical and mental health.

Given the Qiao family's arrangements, it was not suitable for a clandestine rendezvous, which made Lu Zheng's heart itch with desire.

He pushed his suitcase and was the first to enter Qiao Zhen's bedroom.

"Just leave it there, I'll clean it up myself in a bit." Qiao Zhen said, when suddenly a shadow fell in front of him, followed by a gentle push, and his back was pressed against the wall.

"Hello……"

At this moment, their posture was quite ambiguous.

Lu Zheng braced his arms against the wall on either side of her body, getting closer, and could clearly feel her breath brushing against his cheek like a feather.

She was pinned against the wall by Lu Zheng; one can imagine that this position is perfect for a kiss...

Qiao's mother and caregiver Deng were tidying up clothes in the bedroom diagonally opposite.

The sound insulation of ordinary residential buildings is far less effective than that of villas; any slight noise will be heard.

What covered them was merely a half-open door.

Qiao Zhen lowered her eyes and could see the warm light from the corridor shining through the crack in the door.

She was so frightened by Lu Zheng that her heart almost jumped out of her mouth.

Lu Zheng said in a serious tone, "I just looked outside, and I think I can climb up to your house by following the pipe."

"..." Qiao Zhen opened her watery eyes wide and looked around. Lu Zheng's handsome face was serious and solemn. In fact, because of this serious expression, he was even more radiant and hard to look away from.

She swallowed hard and retorted without holding back, "You'll be mistaken for a thief by security guards and arrested. That very night, your name will be trending at number one on every major website..."

"It seems Zhenzhen doesn't know my skills enough." Lu Zheng leaned down and kissed Qiao Zhen's earlobe. Seeing that the earlobe turned red instantly, he smiled.

Qiao Zhen punched him in the chest, "What are you saying in broad daylight!"

Lu Zheng buried his face in the crook of her neck, "Who told you to be so alluring?"

"Oh, so it was my fault after all?" Qiao Zhen feigned annoyance, crouching down as if to escape from under Lu Zheng's arm.

But this scoundrel was even faster. He wrapped his arms around her waist and said, "You're not allowed to go anywhere."

Qiao Zhen couldn't escape no matter what she did. A surge of anger rose within her, causing her to lose her composure and ask, "Lu Zheng, what exactly are we?"