Chapter 23 Every word I said to you came from my heart…
Chairman Qi was also taken aback. Since his son could actually chat with Wen Chu, it seemed that Wen Shiyang's youngest daughter was not as simple as outsiders said.
Beneath the surface, undercurrents surged, and everyone harbored their own secrets. After all, this industry needs inside information the most and values the speed of updates the most. Wen Chu's words undoubtedly revealed an important piece of information to everyone present. Whether it was true or not, they would have to investigate to find out.
If it's true, Qi Rui can only laugh at the girl's young age and lack of understanding of the importance of technological secrecy. Wen Shiyang, who is slow to realize this, will probably be furious.
But on the surface, he seemed very satisfied with the current situation, smiling as he said, "I didn't expect Xiao Chu to know these things, it's truly surprising. It just so happens that Si Yan studied this abroad, you two can exchange ideas more. What you're talking about is something we're too old to keep up with, but perhaps it really is possible. Si Yan, you're such a grown-up, yet you have no sense of propriety. We've been eating for so long, and you haven't even stood up to toast your Uncle Wen!" He glared at him feigning anger.
"I was just getting ready, we were just getting engrossed in our conversation." Qi Siyan stood up with a smile, raised her glass with both hands, looked at Wen Shiyang and his wife, and said one sweet thing after another, making everyone present very happy.
Qi Siyan's appearance makes him seem like a handsome young man who can't hold his liquor, but it turns out he's quite a heavy drinker when it comes to alcohol.
As a junior, he toasted all the elders present. Wen Shiyang's smile widened, clearly showing his greater fondness for him. In contrast, Lu Ming, who was only one year younger than him, appeared taciturn, arrogant, and inflexible.
Someone seemed to be subtly watching Lu Ming, as if waiting for his next move.
Wen Chu was unaware of these undercurrents and continued to be a coward, eating in silence.
But as she was eating, she felt a gust of wind around her, and the person next to her suddenly stood up. The hem of his suit jacket almost hit her, causing her to shrink her neck and squint her eyes.
Then I realized what had happened.
No? Why are you getting involved?! Nobody mentioned you!
Lu Ming raised his glass and said in a cool but gentle voice, "Uncle Wen, I would also like to toast you. Thank you again for taking the time to attend my father's birthday banquet. I wish you good health and all the best."
Wen Chu couldn't stop her.
However, since the other person had already drunk from this glass of wine, there was no difference between taking a couple more sips, so she simply decided not to bother.
After paying his respects to Wen Shiyang, Lu Ming then looked at Mrs. Wen, Yang Lan, and said, "And Aunt Yang, I also wish you eternal youth, a life filled with the fragrance of ink and brush, and constant joy." He knew that Yang Lan had a hobby of calligraphy.
Mrs. Wen politely raised her glass in response, "Thank you. But more than myself, I hope my child can be happy and have all his wishes fulfilled." She glanced meaningfully at Wen Chu.
Lu Ming's eyes flickered, his lips pressed into a thin line, and he understood the other party's unspoken meaning. He responded in a low voice, "Of course."
Wen Chu thought that was enough, since the wine in the glass was almost gone, but unexpectedly Lu Ming refilled the glass and continued.
She watched as the other person also toasted all the elders present, just like Qi Siyan. He didn't repeat himself, as if he was competing with someone to see who could speak better. He kept adding wine to his glass until it was empty, and he drank without hesitation. It was as if he had lost his mind. She had never seen Lu Ming so good at handling things in her life.
She pulled and tugged under the table, almost kicking her legs raw, but the other person ignored her and just kept offering her drinks.
Enraged, Wen Chu ran her hands through her long hair, pressed them against her forehead, stared at the table with resentment in her eyes, and questioned the meaning of life.
I told you this task was deliberately making things difficult for people!
The system remained silent for a long time. She held her breath, hoping that the drugged item wasn't this bottle of wine. She was terrified that the other person would suddenly collapse while drinking it, or start talking nonsense; that would be unbearable to watch.
The atmosphere at the table was lively, and Lu Ming's performance made Wen Shiyang's expression much better. Soon, the wine on the table was almost empty.
Hearing someone call for a waiter to fetch it, Wen Chu's heart tightened again. She now felt that every newly opened bottle of wine might contain deadly poison or a deadly trap, and she wished she could take out her silver needles and test them one by one.
Fortunately, Lu Ming put down his wine glass and said, "I'll go get it."
Wen Chu breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, the other person's tantrum hadn't completely ruined their brain; they still remembered what she said.
Five minutes after he left, she also excused herself to go to the restroom and left the dining room.
Wen Chu walked out and saw the other person turn into the corridor with the restroom, so she followed.
As soon as she turned the corner, she saw Lu Ming leaning against the wall, his unfathomable eyes staring at her, as if he had a premonition that she would follow, which startled Wen Chu.
She scratched her forehead guiltily and said, "Um, I'm going to... the restroom. When you go get the wine later, make sure it's okay and that no one has tampered with it."
"How do you know someone will definitely tamper with the drink? Even if they want to harm me, there are many ways to do it."
"Besides, your nervousness doesn't seem like an act." His pause at the end of his sentence was filled with suspicion.
Wen Chu said vaguely, "Of course I wasn't acting, I was genuinely worried about you."
"I mean, you're as nervous as if you know someone will tamper with the drink." Lu Ming's tone grew increasingly dangerous.
Wen Chu froze, unsure how to respond.
This job is really tough. Sometimes having a God's-eye view isn't a good thing, because you simply can't explain the reasons behind things.
Before she could figure out how to answer that question, Lu Ming asked another: "Are you very familiar with Qi Siyan?"
Wen was a little confused by his train of thought, fearing that this deadbeat was setting a trap for her, so she answered very carefully: "We're not familiar... we just met."
“If you want to befriend him, then don’t come looking for me again.” Lu Ming seemed to think that this was inappropriate, so he said again, “Don’t overthink it. I just don’t want to have a potential threat around me. He’s not as harmless as he seems on the surface. We’re competitors right now, so if you choose him, stay away from me.”
Wen Chu was truly wronged: "I only spoke two words to him, how could I choose him? Of course I stand with you unconditionally."
Why are you arguing with an NPC? You're the male lead! Wen Chu felt completely overwhelmed.
Lu Ming, however, remained unmoved, his face still cold as he said, "I didn't interfere with your choice. You'd better go find him and stop bothering me. I think you two have a lot in common; weren't you going to exchange contact information after dinner?"
"Isn't this just being polite? He's Chairman Qi's son, I can't just ignore him. Why would I go to him? The person I've always liked is you. When I was talking, no one paid attention to me except him, who believed me and talked to me. So I had to respond to him. If you had talked to me, wouldn't we have been able to chat? You should really reflect on this!"
"Your radiant expression back then didn't seem like you were reluctantly talking to him. Now I'm suspicious of every single word you say. Every single one." Lu Ming said, each word distinct, his voice seemingly burning with rage.
Wen Chu's world collapsed.
No, she didn't do anything! Honestly, she was worried about him the whole time tonight, and now she's a suspect?
"Why?" Wen Chu asked, utterly bewildered.
Lu Ming stared at her like he was examining a criminal: "There are too many suspicious things about you. How do you know about the RX algorithm?"
Wen Chu tilted her head: "Why can't I know? That website didn't block me. I've already told you I'm not really idle, but you didn't believe me."
When did you tell me?
"..." He's already forgotten. The other person probably has very little memory of the previous three days.
Wen Chu didn't have the patience to explain, so she could only resort to shamelessness and say, "I did say it, but you didn't pay attention and don't remember!"
Lu Ming looked at her thoughtfully, then asked, "So everything you did before was an act. Why did you pretend to be ignorant and incompetent to get close to me? And why are you exposing yourself now?"
"..." How come this problem keeps piling up? There really aren't that many conspiracy theories!
Of course, Wen Chu had her own way of dealing with it. She hissed and started to pretend again: "Because... because I thought you might like the naive and innocent type, and I was afraid that if I appeared too smart, you would feel pressured."
"Nonsense. Wen Xue isn't the naive and innocent type. What makes you think I like that type of girl?" Lu Ming continued to press aggressively. "Besides, Wen Xue mentioned that you had the worst grades in your class in college. Was that something you pretended to do to get close to me?"
"I..." Wen Chu's head was about to explode. She stammered, "Well, wasn't it all because of you? You were all I could think about back then. I was just thinking about how to get your attention, so I couldn't concentrate on my studies, and naturally my grades were bad. But after you graduated, I couldn't see you every day, so I worked really hard."
Wen Chu looked hurt: "You don't believe me when I say I go to work, and you don't believe me when I say I'm trying. You won't take anything I say to heart. You always have a stereotype about me. People can change. Can't I become better? In the end, this is your prejudice against me. It's not fair to me at all."
"You still haven't told me why you think I like naive and innocent girls." Lu Ming interrupted her directly, not giving her any chance to take the initiative.
Wen Chu could only continue making up an excuse: "That's because Wen Xue is already very well-educated and reasonable. If I were like her, I wouldn't have any advantages, and you would be even less likely to give her up and choose me. Only if I am very different from her can I avoid becoming her substitute. Although I really hope you can like me, I hope even more that you like Wen Chu, not Wen Xue's substitute. I hope that you will like me later because I am me, and I have nothing to do with Wen Xue."
Lu Ming scrutinized her for a moment, seemingly finding the explanation, though absurd, surprisingly fitting Wen Chu's image. His speechless tone was almost palpable: "I don't have a penchant for using anyone as a substitute. You've definitely read too many romance novels; they've ruined your brain."
Wen Chu twitched the corner of her mouth, "If you say so... then it is..."
The man quickly changed the subject again: "So, going back to the previous question, who wants to harm me?"
Wen Chu's CPU was spinning wildly, unable to stop for a moment: "I told you I didn't know. I just had a gut feeling that something had happened to you."
Do you think I'd believe your reasoning, which is so far-fetched?
"If you don't believe me, who else can you believe!" Wen Chu stomped her foot in frustration, then rushed forward angrily, standing on tiptoe and shouting, "Let me tell you, everyone outside is a bad person, only I am sincere to you! Instead of doubting others, you interrogate me like a criminal, you know you've got the priorities backward! The person least likely to harm you is me! And you have to admit that a woman's intuition is sometimes very accurate!"
"A smooth talker." Seeing the woman's agitated state, like a cat with its fur standing on end, her eyes bulging and her cheeks almost puffed out, Lu Ming's expression softened. He pushed her away with his finger and said, "I don't have time to waste with you. I'm here to warn you to watch your behavior at the dinner table and stop rubbing your shoes against me."
"Me???" Wen Chu's eyes widened. I was kicking you!!!
"You're chatting with Qi Siyan in public, but doing this kind of thing behind the table, aren't you ashamed?"
"I was just reminding you not to drink, okay? I wasn't flirting! I'd like to ask you something else: what was wrong with you just now? I told you not to drink, but you still went around drinking!"
"With so many people at the table, what idiot would put drugs in the drinks? I don't know what you're worried about." Lu Ming looked away, as if rolling his eyes at her.
Wen Chu opened her mouth, clearly never expecting that such a vulgar word as "stupid pig" would come out of Lu Ming's mouth. This guy's mouth is really sharp when he gets angry. All the maturity he pretended to have is gone. It seems that when he's really angry, he can even swear.
Wen Chu closed her eyes briefly, then patiently continued, "In such a dangerous situation, of course you have to stay vigilant at all times so that you can be alert and not mess things up at crucial moments. You say this is fine, that is fine, but what if something goes wrong at an inconspicuous joint? And maybe you're already poisoned, but it just hasn't taken effect yet!"
Even the wine pots in The Legend of Zhen Huan have mandarin duck shapes!
"Do you want what's best for me, or do you wish for my death?"
"Of course I want you to be okay! Don't let something happen to you and I have to come and save you!" Wen Chu started to get a little temperamental. Knowing the system's nature, if she failed this side quest, the next quest would definitely be cleaning up the mess, and the difficulty would increase again. She felt that this was already difficult enough.
Lu Ming laughed, "If something happens to me, I won't go to the hospital, I'll go to you? What can you do? Are you the reincarnation of Hua Tuo?"
"I... okay, okay! I won't talk to you anymore. I need to go to the bathroom!"
"You'd better not let me find any real loopholes." Lu Ming glanced at her and left.
Wen Chu leaned against the wall and clutched her heart. "The mission isn't even finished yet, and this guy is already driving me crazy..."
Compared to this, the real-life villain is actually quite gentle.
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