Chapter 117 Does Su Ruan know how crazy you are?
Lu Zhuo's fingers, holding the cigarette, froze in mid-air, as ash fell in a flurry.
He stared at Yan Tingnan, as if he hadn't heard clearly.
"Say it again?"
"Who should I approach? Lin Yiyao?"
He twitched the corner of his mouth, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
"He still wants to sleep with her?"
Yan Tingnan's expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were as calm as a cold pool.
"This is currently the fastest and most effective way to break the deadlock."
"efficient?"
Lu Zhuo chuckled, stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees.
"Old Yan, did that little vixen drain your brains out of you in the Southwest?"
"Who is Lin Yiyao? The Lin family's pampered youngest daughter!"
"You want me to sleep with your nominal fiancée? To cuckold you?"
He leaned back on the sofa, crossed his long legs, and resumed his nonchalant demeanor.
"Brothers may be brothers, but I won't do something so despicable."
"That girl Lin Yiyao is really to my liking. She's innocent, pure, and like a little white rabbit."
"But touching her? That would be too much trouble."
"The waters around the Lin family's house are so muddy that you can't shake off the mud from your feet."
Yan Tingnan suddenly smiled, a very faint smile, yet carrying a chilling undertone.
"Don't tell me you have absolutely no interest in that girl."
"If it weren't for the marriage alliance between the Yan and Lin families, you would have made your move long ago, wouldn't you?"
His tone was flat.
"You waded into that pool of water in the Lin family's territory before I did."
"Lin Yiyao is afraid of me, but she may not be wary of you."
“You are one of the few people in Beijing’s social circle with a similar family background, and she doesn’t dislike you.”
Lu Zhuo grabbed a handful of hair in frustration, loosened his collar, and slumped back onto the sofa in a deflated manner.
"That's different!"
"I may admire her, but that girl is as pure as a blank sheet of paper. I have no intention of getting involved with her!"
"It's not a question of whether you want to or not now."
Yan Tingnan's voice was cold and hard.
"It's necessary due to the situation."
Lu Zhuo stared at him, as if he were seeing this person for the first time.
Lean forward and rest your elbows on your knees.
"You want me to go and pick up a young girl? Yan Tingnan, that's not like you."
"That's a lot like me."
Yan Tingnan met his gaze without flinching.
"The ends justify the means."
"Now, this is the most effective means."
He paused, his voice lowering slightly.
“I have no choice, Lu Zhuo.”
"Over the years, I have been secretly plotting to sideline the old man, clean house, and lay out a scheme that will ultimately fail at the most crucial moment."
He raised his eyes and looked straight at Lu Zhuo.
"All the effort and resources we've invested will be wasted because of this farce."
"The Southeast Asian lines, the European markets, the North American deals—how many eyes are watching them?"
One wrong step and the whole game is lost.
"A single hair can affect the whole body."
"This is not about personal feelings, it's about life and death."
"Su Ruan cannot become the target of public criticism, and our situation cannot be thrown into chaos."
"You are the only person I can trust and who can get this done."
The mockery on Lu Zhuo's face gradually disappeared, and he stopped smoking the cigarette that was still in his mouth.
He narrowed his eyes, his expression becoming serious.
"So, you want me to steal her away and win Lin Yiyao over?"
"Let the Lin family fall into internal strife first?"
"To undermine the foundation of the marriage alliance, or even turn it into a handle against the Lin family, making them look guilty?"
Yan Tingnan nodded.
"Lin Yiyao is simple-minded, too well protected by the Lin family, and also the most thoroughly exploited."
"She felt only fear, not expectation, towards this marriage."
"You are the only one who can get close to her and make her waver."
Lu Zhuo remained silent for a moment, took a deep drag on his cigarette, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"You knew all along that I had feelings for her?"
Yan Tingnan did not deny it.
Lu Zhuo remained silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed, with a hint of ruthlessness in his smile.
"Yan Tingnan, you are the craziest gambler I have ever seen. You even push your marriage partner to your brother to sleep with."
"It wasn't a push."
Yan Tingnan's gaze was calm.
"It is about choosing the optimal solution."
"Lin Yiyao is innocent, but Ruan Ruan must not get involved in this mess."
"If you take action, there's still room for maneuver. If we wait until the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet to break off relations, it will be a dead end."
“I have been planning for twelve years since I entered the business world, and I cannot let it be ruined by such a trivial matter as a marriage alliance.”
"Ruan Ruan is a variable for me, but I accept it."
"Now, I need you to clear the last obstacle for me."
He looked at Lu Zhuo with a deep gaze.
"Lin Yiyao is better off with you than in the cage of an arranged marriage."
"At least you won't use her as a bargaining chip."
"Your approaching her is mutually beneficial."
“You have gained people, and I have cleared away obstacles.”
Lu Zhu stubbed out his cigarette, a complex smile tugging at the corners of his lips, tinged with self-mockery.
"You are truly cunning, even using your brother's shady thoughts as a pawn."
"Yan Tingnan, you are a complete bastard."
He cursed, but it sounded like he had resigned himself to his fate.
"In order to protect the moon in your heart, I really intend to drag everyone down with me."
Yan Tingnan accepted his assessment without any expression.
"I've never been a good person. Is this the first day you've met me?"
"I was born into the Yan family, but grew up amidst conspiracies."
"Ruthlessness is the norm; if you weren't ruthless, you wouldn't be alive today."
"Fifteen days."
"Before the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, make her willingly be with you."
Lu Zhuo let out a heavy sigh, suppressing all his emotions.
"Damn, you managed to tame a timid little rabbit in fifteen days?"
"You've really given me a huge problem."
"The Lin family's rules are ingrained in her DNA."
"That girl looks soft and gentle, but she's stubborn and inflexible. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been controlled by the Lin family for so many years."
"They won't be pushed into a marriage alliance, and they won't even dare to say no."
That's your problem.
After a while, he slumped back onto the sofa and wiped his face.
"Hold……"
His voice was terribly hoarse.
"That girl is very timid, what if she cries?"
Yan Tingnan knew that he had given in.
"Be gentle."
"Remember, don't force things."
"Lin Yiyao is gentle, but not stupid."
"She knows better than anyone that she is just a pawn in the family game."
"If you give her a way to breathe, she might just seize it."
"After it's done, if you want to continue, I'll help you clear the obstacles."
"If you want to back out, I'll guarantee her a worry-free life."
Lu Zhuo suddenly cursed under his breath, grabbed the cigarette pack on the table, and shook out another cigarette.
I lit it and took a deep drag.
Amidst the swirling smoke, he squinted at Yan Tingnan.
"For so many years, I've shielded you from open attacks and hidden arrows, and helped you with your plans."
"Now you want to close the net early for the sake of a woman, and you're even pushing me out as bait."
Is it worth it?
"value."
Yan Tingnan answered without the slightest hesitation.
"In the past, it was for power, for freedom."
"Now, there's another one."
Lu Zhuo chuckled and waved his hand.
"Alright, you can continue being your Casanova then."
"I'll be the villain."
"Does Su Ruan know how crazy you are?"
Yan Tingnan stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the green space in the distance.
She doesn't need to know.
Lu Zhuo chuckled softly.
"Too."
"You'd better make sure Susoft is worth it."
—A side note—
I'm still in the "little black room" (a term used to refer to a dark room or similar environment) today, as I've been busy revising previous chapters, which has delayed the next chapter. It will be uploaded before midnight.
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