Chapter 187 Lu Zheng, Beg Me!
Lu Zheng seemed not to hear, remaining completely still.
Lu Rensheng didn't force him. He withdrew his hand, put the cigar to his lips, and blew a smoke ring.
The smoke dissipated quickly in the cold air. He looked at Lu Zheng's trembling shoulders, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes. This kid really cares about that woman.
"What exactly happened inside?" he asked again, his tone now tinged with impatience.
Lu Rensheng added, "You should know that I also have some connections here."
He brushed away non-existent snowflakes: "Even the best obstetrician in the port city, I can make a phone call and fly over tonight."
Lu Zheng's shoulders trembled suddenly, and he slowly raised his head.
He knew that Lu Rensheng was not lying to him; he truly had the ability.
A glint flashed in Lu Rensheng's eyes, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips. He pushed the cigar forward again, the embers flickering in the snow and wind: "What? Don't you believe me?"
Lu Zheng stared intently at the cigar, his Adam's apple bobbing violently.
Lu Rensheng withdrew his hand, put the cigarette between his lips, and blew a smoke ring: "You stubborn kid, your stubbornness is just like mine when I was young."
He gazed at the swirling snow, his eyes drifting far away, "I always felt that money was dirty, and that integrity was more precious than life."
"But can integrity put food on the table?"
Lu Rensheng suddenly sneered. He was a poor boy who crawled out of the slums and had tasted enough cold faces from his relatives. The humiliation he had suffered could fill a boat!
Lu Zheng has faced countless desperate situations like this in his life, where he is completely helpless and unable to get help from anyone.
From the day he knelt on the ground and kowtowed to the loan sharks, he buried his conscience deep in the mud with his own hands.
Lu Rensheng's eyes suddenly sharpened: "Money is what gives people courage, it's the foundation for survival!"
He turned to look at Lu Zheng, the smoke from his cigar blurring his expression, leaving only a light, airy question: "Have you thought it through? Do you need my help?"
The wind and snow, carrying a chill, lashed at Lu Rensheng's face. The collar of his navy blue cashmere coat was lifted by the wind, revealing a neatly pressed silk shirt underneath.
His fingertips unconsciously caressed the metal strap of his watch, his eyes like icy knives, yet concealing a barely perceptible anxiety.
He was waiting, waiting for Lu Zheng to look up, waiting for even the slightest pleading to appear in those clear eyes.
Those eyes always reminded him of himself twenty years ago.
Back then, he also had such eyes, as clear as a mountain stream, believing that he could make his way in the world with sheer stubbornness.
But what happened next? They were still beaten black and blue by reality, their conscience crushed and swallowed down with blood and tears.
He wanted Lu Zheng to succumb to reality like him, but Lu Zheng refused. He insisted on poking him with those eyes and mocking him for his money-grubbing with his "integrity."
Lu Rensheng fiddled with the lighter between his fingers, not believing that Lu Zheng would back down this time.
As long as Lu Zheng begs him, as long as those eyes are stained with the dust of the world, he can tell himself as if grasping at a lifeline: Look, your choice back then was not wrong! Abandoning your wife and children was right, crushing your conscience was right, only by becoming such a cold-blooded person can you survive in this cannibalistic world!
But Lu Zheng never looked up.
Snowflakes fell on his shoulders, accumulating a thin layer of white, making him look like a silent snowman.
Lu Rensheng's patience was running out. He took two steps forward, his leather shoes crunching on the snow, the sound particularly jarring in the deathly quiet courtyard.
"Lu Zheng, you should know that if you miss this opportunity, you will regret it for the rest of your life."
He was tempting him, hoping that Lu Zheng would make the same choice he had made years ago.
But the thought of Lu Zheng possibly bowing his head at that moment inexplicably stirred up a sense of irritation and regret in his heart.
It's like looking at a rare glass ornament, knowing it will break sooner or later, but being unwilling to smash it yourself.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you really want to watch your wife bleed to death inside?"
"Dad!" Lu Yaoting suddenly walked over and said urgently, "Why waste words with him!"
He walked a few steps to Lu Rensheng's side, fearing that Lu Rensheng might have taken pity on Lu Zheng, and that something that was originally a sure thing might change.
Lu Rensheng glanced at his son's face. He was both stupid and greedy. Otherwise, why would he have come all the way to this poor mountain village?
He scoffed, "Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Get back in your car before I change my mind!"
Lu Yaoting was intimidated by his father's imposing manner and stammered, not daring to talk back. Before leaving, he glared at Lu Zheng and said, "If you have the guts, don't go back to your old flame!"
Xia Qianqian's screams suddenly rose in pitch, sending chills down everyone's spines.
Lu Zheng suddenly looked up, his eyes bloodshot and his chest heaving violently.
Lu Rensheng smiled knowingly and slowly flicked off his cigarette ash. "Want my help? Beg me."
Lu Zheng clenched his fists tightly. He knew that as long as he spoke up, Lu Rensheng would definitely save Qianqian. But speaking up would be like opening Pandora's box. From then on, he would never be able to escape Lu Rensheng's control, and would gradually become a pawn on his chessboard, constantly compromising and retreating...
But what if we don't ask for it?
Another heart-wrenching scream came from inside the room, as if a dull knife was repeatedly cutting into his heart.
Lu Zheng's defenses were like a dam being gnawed by ants, teetering on the brink of collapse. The humiliating "I beg you" was stuck in his throat, tasting of rust, almost bursting through his teeth.
Lu Rensheng took in the struggle, the cigar between his fingers, the crimson flame flickering, reflecting the determined smile in his eyes.
He knew that no one could maintain their so-called "integrity" in the face of the death of their loved ones.
"Ah—!" Another scream rang out. Lu Zheng suddenly burst open the door and saw Xia Qianqian curled up in pain on the kang, her thin clothes soaked with cold sweat and stuck to her back.
She bit her lip tightly, and blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. Seeing this, Lu Zheng could no longer hold back and said, "Qianqian! I'll go beg him right now. I will definitely protect you and your child!"
"If we can't save it, we can't save it!" Xia Qianqian's unfocused pupils suddenly focused, shining brightly.
“Lu Zheng, listen to me! If you bend down for me today, you’ll have to bend your back for him for the rest of your life tomorrow! The Lu Zheng I love is the man who can carry me across an icy river, not a lapdog wagging its tail!”
She was panting like a broken bellows, but every word she uttered struck Lu Zheng's heart: "My man, Xia Qianqian's man, can die in the snow, can rot in the mud, but his spine must be straight! If you dare to beg him... I... I'll die right in front of you!"
Xia Qianqian had just recovered from a sharp pain. She looked at Lu Zheng's red eyes, slowly raised her hand and grasped Lu Zheng's hand: "Lu Zheng, you have to believe me, my child and I will be fine."
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