Chapter 50: Opportunities are earned through self-struggle
Because the emperor trusted him and he had done his best, Lu Huai took the initiative to entrust the young general with the important task. Here he enjoyed wonderful treatment that others could hardly imagine, as if he was in heaven on earth.
After returning home, I was still burning with anger, and tonight was destined to be a sleepless night.
However, the two frustrated guests, who were abandoned by their little husbands and masters and had broken hearts, were in a depressed mood in sharp contrast to him.
He just stood there stupidly until Chu Yuanting ordered him to leave.
"What are you two planning on doing, still playing the foolish waitress in my palace? Those who appreciate it should go back and rest, and I won't see you anymore. And I'm truly exhausted, and I don't want to chat with you any longer."
His hand rested on the side of the table where Lu Huai had just leaned against, as if the person he was thinking about was still there, and he was even more annoyed with these people who had disrupted the situation:
"If Mr. Cheng and Mr. Shen are still unwilling to leave, I will have no choice but to send someone to see them off. Or, if you really don't want to leave, why not stay and have a few drinks with me?"
"Your Majesty, I appreciate your kindness, but I am deeply ashamed to have troubled you. How dare I continue to burden you with your care?"
Cheng Ruochen looked at the emperor's actions and cursed in his heart that even if he couldn't eat the delicious food, he would still take a few more bites while the breath was still there. The way he licked his face and moved forward didn't have the majesty of a supreme emperor at all.
Lu Huai and I were truly blind before, thinking that it was a blessing for Dayong to have such an emperor in power.
The young master left. It was no fun for him to be at odds with the dog emperor, so he just left...
So he didn't wait for Chu Yuanting's reply and said, "I will take my leave, Your Majesty, please have a good rest." Then he left without looking back. As he left, he didn't forget to come close to Chen Chensheng and whispered a few sarcastic words:
"Miss Third... I should call you Third Young Master. I have always envied you for having the best of both worlds. Even though you are a man, you still have the ability to seduce Ah Huai.
But now it seems that my previous jealousy was worthless. After all, you are just a coward."
"What a shame! If I had such a good opportunity, I would never let anyone else have the ability to make Ah Huai look away."
He looked at Shen San's silent and depressed look and found it really boring. He raised an eyebrow and was about to pass by when he heard Shen Chensheng suddenly reply to him: "What do you know?"
Cheng Ruochen wanted to ignore him and walked out of the side hall, but he heard that man's face was not as dark as he thought. He even smiled and continued to speak to himself, "No matter how much Master Cheng wants to replace me, there is no chance..."
"Even Pei Huaiyuan has a much better chance of winning than you. And you are just a loser who has to beg for mercy even when Ah Huai looks at him, and who has not dared to let Ah Huai know your intentions until now."
After hearing his heart-wrenching words, Cheng Ruochen stopped moving forward and stopped in front of the hall with him. His peach blossom eyes were frosted and became sharp and cold.
"Does the Third Young Master have a chance of winning? Don't forget that the power of life and death is still in the hands of that Chu. It would be bad if you get carried away. Let's see if he will give you another chance to contact Ah Huai."
"What happens to Shen San is Shen San's own business. I take care of my own business. But Lord Cheng, there is something that has been bothering me for a long time. I have never had the opportunity to ask you before. I wonder if you can answer my questions this time?"
Cheng Ruochen scoffed at him, "The Third Young Master just had a falling out with that Chu guy. Now instead of hurrying off to serve his master and beg him for mercy, he still has the leisure to talk to me so elegantly. What is there to discuss between you and me?"
"On Ah Huai and I's wedding night, it was as if my husband went out to wake himself up and was bitten by a wild dog that came from nowhere..."
Shen Chensheng seemed to be smiling, but upon closer inspection, one could taste the profound meaning in it: "Master Cheng, when you were pretending to be Shen San and coaxing my husband to be intimate, did you feel that Ah Huai was really wonderful?"
But isn’t this matter a thorn in his heart?
He seemed to have a sharp tongue and a venomous mouth, but Lu Huai beside him could definitely see that his posture was shaky and he was using all his strength to defend himself, hurting the enemy a thousand times and hurting himself eight hundred times.
Every word she said actually brought up the past that Cheng Ruochen thought he had hidden well, reminding him that his only chance to get the young master was obtained by using the other party's name of "mistress" to defraud others. As for the rest, he really had nothing.
Lu Huai, who had finally escaped from the chaotic situation, had no time to think about what else might happen between the three people still in the palace. He rested for a moment and nodded to the maids to signal them to give him some space to think alone.
After everyone else left the room, his back, which had remained as straight as a bamboo despite being extremely tired, finally seemed to collapse as if it could no longer hold on.
His entire demeanor suddenly changed from a jade-like gentleman whose every move was pleasing to the eye to a lazy yet unrestrained demeanor that 0359 had been with for a longer time and was more familiar with.
He closed his eyes and fell into a dark tunnel. When the glow gradually filled his surroundings, he arrived at the sea of consciousness where spring flowers were blooming, just like the curtain of an oil painting being torn apart.
As soon as I entered, I saw 0359's pitiful and resentful expression. Her big, round face was blinking, and her eyes were already watery, as if they were about to squeeze out a few tears.
Lu Huai knew that his son's little head must be full of complaints about these unconventional characters who severely disrupted the plot, and he might still have some unresolved doubts. So he took the small ball in his palm and said to it softly, "Xiaojiu, now we can have a good chat."
"Okay Huaihuai!"
"Wow, I can't understand why Huai Huai would give Pei Yu that guy a break? Don't be fooled by his righteous appearance with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He was a bad guy in the original plot, but he made the second male lead emo for a long time..."
When Lu Huai heard 0359 speak so bluntly, the shameful memory just now suddenly flooded into his mind.
As an actor in his original world, he had never imagined that, having just transferred to a new world, there would be so many moments that even someone as experienced as him could not control. Even thinking about it now, he was afraid to look back.
"The Pei Huaiyuan I actually met wasn't the same Pei Huaiyuan in the story. Furthermore, in the original story, 'I' and he had a friendship, so I can't just stand aside and make my own judgment."
Lu Huai stared at the distant clouds in the virtual space, his amber eyes reflecting the bright sunset glow. "I used the same reaction I should have had on Shen San on him. Actually, I was also doing a test."
Fortunately, the result was good. Pei Yu was still a gentleman. Although he was obviously flushed and a little tempted, he had principles and would not take advantage of him to do something dirty.
But this also proves that it is not the characters themselves who are OOC and have their personalities ruined. So, his previous suspicion that there was something wrong with these people might just be an illusion?
It's a pity, after all, if you report it, you will pay for the collapse of the world.
Thinking of this, his heart tightened, and he thought with melancholy that he didn't know whether the results of the two bug reports to the world had come out. If it was true, there would be no problem. This year-end bonus would be...
Lu Huai decided not to dwell on these inconclusive things anymore. He shook the Tongzi in front of him and called him to open the interface: "Xiaojiu, check the completion and collapse of the plot."
"Huaihuai, completion 85%, collapse degree..."
When Lu Huai heard the very human voice of 0359, who swallowed his saliva, he knew that the situation was probably not very good.
Sure enough, the bad premonition that came to my mind when I was surrounded by several men just now was based on facts. I was going to have to face a storm in the end.
"It's okay, Xiaojiu, tell me what you want. I can accept it."
"Huai Huai, originally because Shen San kept begging you to stick to him, and because the protagonist was inexplicably labeled a "dog-licker," you lost 8 points.
The key plot of "The King Seizes His Minister's Wife" is that the second male lead's 'surprise discovery' and 'frustrated drunkenness' plots were successfully completed, but the protagonist's 'being frankly impressed by the king's feelings' and 'being moved beyond self-control' plot also happened to you, and you just lost another 10 points...
Lu Huai held his forehead with a headache, calculating the numbers in his mind, and finally came up with a bleak number: "Is it already 36.75?"
"Yeah," 0359 nodded weakly, with a sad face. "If we fail to pass, we will only be able to use the guaranteed points for completing the plot as before. Maybe we will be punished in the world because of the lowest points, but Huaihuai acted so well... Damn it."
At this moment, it couldn't help but think of some things that might make the host want to hit him on the head with a slap, such as the idea that perhaps they, alone, are more suitable to be in the destruction group rather than the role-playing group...
Lu Huai just touched the system and decided to follow a conservative strategy, focusing on an approach that would resonate with the aloof attitude of the second male lead in the original plot, which was within his ability.
Therefore, in the following days, the career of the second male lead will prosper, while the other love entanglements will be temporarily put aside by the manipulator.
Spring and autumn alternate, time passes quickly, and three years have passed.
During this period, with Lu Huai at the center, the atmosphere around him was constantly surging and turbulent, with people barely maintaining a precarious balance. However, those at the center of this subtle aura were able to breathe a sigh of relief and have space to do their own thing.
Lu Huai also knew that he could not show excessive preference for anyone, otherwise he would fall into the suffocating network of love again, being chased so excessively and forced to stay in the turbulent water like a small boat that could not find the shore.
This feeling of insecurity would make him exhausted, but he still had his own ambitions to realize and too many things to do.
Therefore, he forced himself to look away from Shen Chensheng, who had been silently watching him all this time and who, with the support of Chu Yuanting, had successfully refuted his father's family and was now also an official in the court. He only silently felt the obscure and passionate gaze, and repeatedly said to Shen San in his heart, "I'm sorry."
Sometimes I would wake up from a dream in the middle of the night and sit up in panic, not realizing that my clothes were already wet with tears.
Sighing, the most hurtful thing is not forgetting each other, but being connected in heart and feeling yet unable to stay together. Even when they meet again, they can only cruelly avoid each other's beautiful eyes that seem to be able to speak and are full of heartbreak.
As an emperor, Chu Yuanting was unexpectedly calm and forbearing. He said that he would respect his feelings and wait for his choice. After he really didn't have much contact with Shen San, he did not rely on his authority to force him into the dragon tent.
He just often used some of the tricks that scholars used to please their beloveds, and summoned him under the pretext of discussing various political affairs.
Lu Huai was no fool, and naturally knew that he was fortunate that the monarch was willing to take his time with him. If he had truly rejected him decisively as he had in mind, Chu Yuanting might have done something to commit suicide, knowing that he was hopeless, given his concern.
Thinking of this, my fingertips couldn't help but pinch themselves until they turned white and painful.
But Lu Huai also benefited from this favoritism.
In just three years, thanks to his status as a fourth-rank editor, he was re-appointed by the emperor to be used in various aspects of legal reform. He even teamed up with Chen Qingyuan again, and together they investigated and solved a major case of corruption, which once again made him famous among the people.
At the beginning, the ministers would still focus on his lack of experience and young age, and submit a memorial to criticize him, expressing their distrust of him.
Even if Chu Yuanting did not have such thoughts about Lu Huai, he would not hesitate to give fresh talents who had not been tainted by the two factions a chance to grow. Naturally, he would not be bothered by these cunning and treacherous people who relied on their high positions to suppress the people he favored.
In particular, he also had a bit of unspeakable charm and ambiguity towards this admired minister. This appreciation and protection would be transformed into an absolute support from the monarch, which would also make Lu Huai more capable of displaying his skills. In the process of investigation and thinking, he would constantly increase his strategies from practice and perfect the blueprint for the future outlined in his mind.
After Lu Huai proved himself to be a useful talent, the voices of doubt gradually faded, and forces extending their hands to invite him to join emerged like mushrooms after rain. At first, it was just intermediaries delivering visiting cards, but later, even the chief officials invited him to have a chat after the court meeting.
He mediated between the Prime Minister and Prince Rui, carefully avoiding the increasingly fierce party struggles, but these rumors still tarnished the reputation of the clear and upright top scholar in the eyes of the outside world.
Although Lu Huai knew that a tall tree attracts the wind and the more prominent one is, the more likely one is to be suspected and envied, he still couldn't help but feel a little depressed by the ambiguous attitude of the other party when he was negotiating with the officials while carrying out orders.
During this period, apart from Chen Chensheng who was being watched closely and Pei Yu who was busy on guard due to the renewed border war, Cheng Ruochen was the one who spent the most time with him.
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The author has something to say: Cheng Xiaogou is particularly vindictive, and Shen Sanxiao has the weakest emotional foundation, so isn't the main point here just a companionship?
Originally, this chapter was conceived last night, but because the ending was changed, I changed it a lot again~
Ladies, what does Pei Huaiyuan's military training represent?
The disappeared "he" is coming back in a big way (slurp slurp)
Because I drew a bigger cake yesterday and the operation was in place, so this time I made a small IF to clean up my act: (Cheng Huai Modern Edition)
When Cheng Ruochen woke up, he found some inexplicable changes in himself.
Not only did his hair become shorter and his clothes became strange, but he also looked a little more childish, and even had obvious signs of being spoiled. There were only some calluses on his index finger, while the rest of his body was very white and tender, without any ugly wounds left by childhood abuse.
Where is he? What kind of appearance is this? It's really outrageous.
It's true. Yesterday, I was learning how to make the sweet-scented osmanthus pastry that Lu Huai likes to eat. I learned it until midnight. Even the master was so tired that he was panting before going back to rest. But who would have thought that he actually fell asleep somewhere unknown.
Alas, it’s a pity that I haven’t shown my skills to the little master yet...
"Ruochen, hurry up and go to school! You're an adult, but you're still so lazy and need someone to rush you. Really!"
Cheng Ruochen heard the door being kicked open with a bang, and looked at the person who came in confusion, but saw a strange and beautiful face that was somewhat similar to his own.
"Who are you?"
"You kid, in order to avoid going to school, you can even pretend that you don't even recognize your mommy."
Mom? Does it mean mother?
But his mother left soon after he was born. So, he has his mother by his side in this strange place. Isn't that too happy...
He was shoved into a schoolbag without realizing it, and then pushed out the door by this gentle and beautiful woman with a "hot temper" who looked like her mother. She kept muttering, "Time is money. Don't think your grades are okay now..."
"Go quickly! Your good brother is waiting for you!"
Cheng Ruochen was wondering where his "brother" came from. When he opened the door, he was met with a handsome face that was so familiar that he couldn't believe it. Every stroke of the facial features was as elegant and graceful as an ink painting, and the beauty was looking at him with a smile.
"Ahuai?"
"Why did Achen oversleep again today? Didn't you say yesterday that you would never keep me waiting today?"
Listening to this gentle voice, Cheng Ruochen felt a lump in his throat. He felt a contradictory sense of fulfillment wrapped in happiness and boundless bitterness.
He was happy because Lu Huai calling him "Achen" was a treatment he had never expected, and he was sad because all this brightness and beauty, all this happiness was owned by "Cheng Ruochen", the one he had usurped.
He and Lu Huai were walking on the way to school. He was deeply shocked by the novel creations along the way that were completely different from Dayong. He also accompanied Lu Huai affectionately as if walking in the clouds, and was led to the place called "middle school".
After attending a class, he realized that his learning ability, which he was proud of, was not enough here, because all the knowledge was completely different from what was required for the scientific examination, and the answers to some subjects were actually fixed.
He already had an inferiority complex and secretly felt that he was not worthy of Lu Huai, and now it was even more so.
Seeing Lu Huai, who was surrounded by celebrities and extremely popular as soon as class was over, his depression grew even more intense. He felt that such a poor person like him would never be favored by his young master no matter which world he was in. His only consolation was that after looking around for a long time, he didn't see any suspicious people who looked like those annoying rivals.
This feeling fermented and accumulated to a certain extent by the time school was over.
But who would have thought that something like adding fuel to the fire could happen...
A bright and beautiful girl shyly handed a love letter to Lu Huai. Lu Huai also looked at her with a smile and was about to say something.
He thought the two were very close.
Cheng Ruochen was furious. He rushed over and took Lu Huai aside. He kissed Lu Huai in front of the girl. He took a deep breath and said to her, whose hands were shaking with shock as she held the love letter, "Sorry, Lu Huai already has someone he loves, and that's me!"
Someone you admire?
The girl was deeply shocked but also felt it was very strange that people were still using such literary words in this era.
But Lu Huai looked at Cheng Ruochen anxiously waiting for his reply, and just smiled and said to the girl politely: "Thank you for your love! I'm just sorry, I do have a boyfriend."
He...he was recognized?
Cheng Ruochen's face suddenly turned red, and he felt like thousands of brilliant fireworks exploded in his mind. He didn't care about anything else. After the girl left, he couldn't wait to hug Lu Huai around her slender waist, but his peach blossom eyes flickered, as if to confirm whether he really accepted her.
Unexpectedly, his fate of being pushed away was broken, and he was also embraced by another pair of eager hands, and the two of them were intimately pressed together.
The hot and humid air sprayed against his ears, and he heard Lu Huai speaking to him, his tone as gentle and lingering as if in a dream: "Xuan Ning, didn't you just learn how to make osmanthus cakes and wanted to ask me to try them?"
His pupils shrank and he clutched Lu Huai's sleeves tightly: "A Huai? Yan Jin? Why are you here too?"
Lu Huai didn't reply. He just smiled and lowered his head, nibbling and kissing his ear. He whispered, "I just realized that the necklace you gave me a few days ago with my name engraved on it wasn't meant for Mooncake. It doesn't even fit."
Cheng Ruochen laughed loudly and unrestrainedly, and immediately took the lead and kissed the person who pretended to be familiar with him until he couldn't breathe.
While guiding those hands to explore her neck, she met those moist, clear almond-shaped eyes and said charmingly, "As long as the young master wants to see, I will be ready at any time."
"I want Ah Huai to put it on me personally."
Thank you to the little angels who voted for me or provided me with nutrient solution between 2024-04-19 02:46:58 and 2024-04-20 20:56:00~
Thanks to the little angel who cast the mine: Li Yu 1;
Thanks to the little angels who irrigated the nutrient solution: Xian'an 22 bottles; Anwan 20 bottles; Pinglantingyeyu, XY, and 1 bottle of wolfberry soaked in a thermos cup;
Thank you very much for your support. I will continue to work hard!
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