Chapter 334 Smoke
She temporarily stopped checking for possible loopholes and instead activated inefficient self-diagnosis, looking back at the past for fragments that might be helpful, applying past experience to current problems—the kind of empiricism despised by scholars but admired by killers.
He always emphasized the importance of experience. Experience makes one knowledgeable and steady. A person's character and abilities are determined by everything they've experienced since birth. The so-called "person" is actually the accumulation of countless past experiences. Having seen so much as a child, he was able to wear the mask of a peerless master with ease in most situations. Only in situations beyond his expectations and control would his true childish nature be revealed.
That's it. Unexpected events, uncontrollable variables, "failures" that no matter how she calculated or employed, could resolve. If her logic hadn't changed significantly until now, then past failures wouldn't be resolvable by calculation today.
Velvet Velus rarely failed. Excluding the rainy night when Lucas plotted against her, she could even claim to have never lost. She manipulated the other family heads into a cohesive position within the Blood Alliance, securing a high position within it. Even the royal power took her years to uncover. The decisive battle with the Blood Alliance was destined to be a fatal one. Though she died, she also witnessed the death of her enemies.
As for results, she always achieves her desired goals quickly, except for some small things.
Some little things that are not worth mentioning, but she cares about them very much.
For example, asking Chu Hengkong to quit smoking.
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The theme of "quitting smoking" occupies an overwhelming amount of space in the conflict between the head of the Velus family and his deputy. It took about seven years from the time the two met to the time they reached adulthood before it finally came to an end. It can be said to be the absolute main axis of this protracted struggle.
This theme first appeared on the day when Velvet helped Chu Hengkong clean his room for the first time. She confidently announced that she would change this guy, and the first step was to get him to quit smoking.
At the time, little Velvet hadn't realized how naive she was. In her mind, at least when it came to dealing with those around her, everything was simple: facts and reason were enough to solve the problem. So, she found an opportunity to have a serious conversation with Chu Hengkong. From classic case histories to the latest academic papers, she presented an impeccable and comprehensive demonstration of the universally acknowledged fact that smoking is harmful to health.
"So?" the delivery man said with a smile.
"If you continue to smoke like this for a long time, you will develop various lung diseases, even lung cancer, within three to five years..."
"Me? Sick?" He laughed and lit another cigarette. "How is that possible!"
He expressed his confidence in his health in a blind, stubborn and inexplicable attitude, and had no concerns about the harm of smoking.
Velvet repeatedly emphasized the horror of lung disease several times afterwards, and even used her connections to get diseased lung specimens from a medical school to alarm people. However, it still had no effect on the daring person.
Later, when someone saw the smoking science lecture coming up again, he simply crossed his legs, lit a cigarette, and listened with relish, smoking without saying anything. After listening, he asked, "Is the show over tonight? "After the show, go home and do your work. I have to go out and deliver food. Bye."
Finally, Velvet was so angry that she lost her composure and threatened that if she didn't quit, she would have to wait and see the physical examination report in the future. She would never pay for her hospitalization fee.
Yet, watching Chu Hengkong continue to smoke for another two years, there was no trace of any disease on his body, even his teeth were as white and bright as before. His physical examination report showed him to be so healthy that even through the paper, you could see his vibrant energy. The family doctor was so excited after completing his first physical examination that he burst into tears, saying that in all his years of work, he had never seen a truly perfect human being. He begged the head of the family to allow his deputy to participate in the genetic optimization project. What was the prosperity of the family? He was the future of mankind!
The head of the household was furious, almost to the point of a headache. It wasn't until he'd thoroughly investigated the man's background that he was shocked to learn he'd never been sick since childhood. Not even pneumonia, gastroenteritis, or a cold. His records showed him as "healthy." The doctor, after much research, concluded his deputy's physique was so tough that any viruses or bacteria were instantly neutralized by his immune system. Any carcinogens he'd ingested would likely resolve themselves. Even ordinary poisons wouldn't be effective, let alone an illness.
Velvet had to admit that Young Master Chu's physical fitness was different from that of a frail Earthling. He could smoke three packs of cigarettes a day for eighty years without even developing a sore throat. Therefore, there was no basis for persuading him to quit smoking; cigarettes were harmless to Chu Hengkong.
But how could she just give up? She had vowed to do what she had promised that day, and she really didn't like the way someone smoked. He was puffing away in the meeting room while everyone else was sitting there, looking like a second-generation rich kid who didn't care about anyone. Not only the older members of the old-school, aristocratic establishment, but even those of the same generation were frankly a little unbearable.
Velvet did the opposite. When reasoning didn't work, she appealed to his emotions. She began to educate someone about the dangers of secondhand smoke, earnestly explaining that it was harmful to everyone. This time, her reasoning finally worked. Chu Hengkong considered for a moment and put out his cigarette.
"I'll go to the balcony to smoke next time." There was a hint of apology in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I really didn't expect you to be so fragile."
Velvet was so angry that she couldn't sleep all night.
After that, Chu Hengkong rarely smoked in public. Like a polite adult, he only took out cigarettes in the smoking room or on the balcony. If someone caught him, he would apologize. But the essence of the problem did not change. He still did not quit smoking!
Velvet knew full well that by this point, it had become a battle of egos. This was the first time she'd encountered such a purely emotional issue, one devoid of conflicting interests or life-or-death grudges. The root of the problem lay in the fact that some people simply would never act as expected. She shifted her focus again, trying tactics she'd never used before, such as bribery.
She promised to triple someone's salary starting from that day if they were willing to quit smoking.
"What's the use of all that money?" Chu Hengkong looked puzzled. "Actually, I think you're giving out too much now. Have you considered taking the money back and doing something else?"
The money offensive failed. Then she used the game console as bait, telling him that if he quit smoking, she would give him the new handheld console that had not yet been released.
Chu Hengkong laughed non-stop: "Boss, if I wait two more months to buy something, I have to exchange it for the rest of my life of unhappiness. Do the math yourself, isn't this a bad deal?"
The game console business also failed. She then tried animation, comics, and real estate, but none of them had any chance of success. Someone cared nothing about these material things; nothing mattered more than his willingness. As for intimidation, she hadn't considered it at all. Young Master Chu was known in the industry for his softness, not his strength. How could he really get angry?
At the age of sixteen, the competition entered its third stage, and Velvet began to outsmart him. This time, she tried to use her status as a pretext, mentioning that the man was now a dignified Serpent of the Sacrificial Life, and that smoking plain cigarettes would be unbecoming of his status. If he wanted to smoke, he had to bring a cigar he disliked, otherwise his peers might gossip about the family.
This time, Chu Hengkong really thought about it for a while and said, "Let's do this. Each person should take responsibility for their own actions. Boss, please find out who has objections, and I'll go and resolve the source of the problem."
Rumors were no match for the threat of violence, so Velvet devised another sinister plan. She added a smoking cessation clause to the employment contract, and after Chu Hengkong signed it without even reading it, she told him that any subsequent smoking would constitute a breach of contract.
"Then sue me!" Chu Hengkong laughed uncontrollably.
Velvet realized she was already reeling from years of failure. She'd actually tried to confine this guy with rules and regulations. She clutched her forehead, dejectedly admitting her own folly. Chu Hengkong wasn't angry at all, instead smirking and waving a cigarette in front of her.
"I sincerely look forward to your next move. It has added a lot of fun to our monotonous life."
This bastard is totally treating this as a game. There are always people who will take it as fun to go against you, and they don't even care about their own interests just to play against you. What else can you do?
Velvet decided to give up and indulge herself in some way. Late at night, she called Chu Hengkong to her room and told him frankly that she hated men who smoked when it came to choosing a partner, and she absolutely did not want to live with a smoker.
"No problem, boss." He patted his chest and said, "If you find someone suitable, tell me. If he dares to smoke, I will break his legs."
That night, he was kicked out of the room by Velvet, and at the end, he was confused and yelling in the corridor, "What the hell are you doing in the middle of the night?"
At this point, Velvet finally gave up. She despairingly admitted that getting Chu Hengkong to quit smoking was impossible. If there were some things in the world that could never change, this killer's temperament was bound to be one of them. The next day, she announced to Chu Hengkong that the war against smoking was over. She admitted defeat and surrendered.
Chu Hengkong felt a little sorry, like the regret of seeing his favorite entertainment program shut down. He warned her that asking him to quit smoking was as impossible as asking her to smoke. She should learn a lesson from this incident: it's impossible to have everything go your way.
As if inspired by God, Velvet had a brand new idea.
The next day, Chu Hengkong asked about work arrangements as usual. When he walked into the office, he saw Velvet lighting a cigarette.
He grabbed the cigarette so quickly that a strong wind was blew in the room.
"What the hell are you doing?" Chu Hengkong said sternly.
"Practice smoking," Velvet said. "I need some iconic actions to reinforce the impression of myself as a gang leader. Cigarettes are a good symbol."
"No." He glared at her. "I'm telling you, don't even think about it."
Velvet found it very interesting. “Why? Many family heads are heavy smokers…”
"They are them, and you are you!" Chu Hengkong slammed the table, "This thing is harmful to your health, you can't touch it."
"One now and then won't hurt."
He seemed to want to give some impolite examples, but gave up midway and instead emphasized his authority with a rising voice like a savage middle-aged man: "This matter is non-negotiable, Velvet. If I say no, it means no!"
“So why?” Velvet slumped in her office chair, watching him with interest. “Why do you smoke and drink all day long, but I face such extreme opposition even for smoking a cigarette?”
"I'm different from you—"
Velvet smiled and handed over the knife. “Akong, you smoke every day, so you don’t seem to have the right to lecture me.”
Chu Hengkong plopped down on the sofa, like a volcano about to erupt. Velvet crossed her fingers and waited for his response with the air of a victor.
He put the cigarette on the desk and gritted his teeth: "I quit smoking."
“Oh, when did you quit smoking?” Velvet asked in surprise.
"I quit last night. I don't smoke now, and you can't either!"
“Okay, then it’s a deal.” Velvet added the final blow, “You don’t smoke, and I don’t touch tobacco. You smoke one, and I’ll smoke one.”
“Vilbert, I really am. How could I have raised a bastard like you—”
Chu Hengkong looked as if he wanted to eat her alive. She happily stood up and hugged her beloved killer. Before leaving, she reminded him, "It's a deal."
From that day on, Chu Hengkong quit smoking.
(End of this chapter)
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