Half an hour ago, when Chu Luyu was gagged and dragged away by someone, her heart practically leaped into her throat, and her scalp went numb in waves from the sudden surge of panic.
She struggled frantically, her mind flashing through all the horror and suspense thrillers she had watched before. A chill ran down her spine, and then the person behind her finally spoke.
“It’s me.” The familiar voice brushed past her ear, and Chu Luyu’s suspended heart finally settled a little. She let out a breath of relief, but before she could even make a sound, the person behind her added, “So, baby, the reason you wanted to break up with me—was it because of your stepbrother?”
She was later taken by Jiang Hezhou to his car. Before getting in, she took a glance and realized she had actually seen this car outside her residential complex before, except she had never seen the man drive it. The car was also fitted with privacy film all around, so she had absolutely no idea that Jiang Hezhou was sitting inside.
In other words, he had actually known about her move all along, and had even quickly tracked down her new address. Even though they hadn’t been in contact these past few days, he had been secretly observing her?
Realizing this, Chu Luyu felt a chill run down her spine in an instant.
She had no idea why the male lead was doing this. It completely went against the plot’s direction, and more importantly, against his own feelings for her!
Hadn’t his disgust toward her already hit rock bottom? It was already at -100!
Wasn’t her leaving on her own something worth celebrating for him?
While she was lost in her thoughts, Jiang Hezhou had already gotten in from behind, closed the door, and pressed himself toward her. The familiar scent completely enveloped Chu Luyu in an instant. A lingering kiss traced its way from the back of her neck forward, finally landing on the corner of her lips.
“Why aren’t you answering my question earlier?”
Chu Luyu was still in a daze. She had been frantically discussing with the system in her head what on earth was going on, and when she heard the man’s words, she didn’t react immediately.
“What?”
“I said, do you want to break up with me because of your stepbrother?”
Chu Luyu couldn’t understand what he meant at all. She wanted to turn around to face him, but Jiang Hezhou didn’t give her the chance, keeping her shoulders pinned so she remained facing forward.
She had no choice but to say, “Jiang Hezhou, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Are you misunderstanding something? There’s nothing going on between me and my brother.”
“Is that so?” The man’s voice was low, magnetic, and tinged with amusement—as if he believed her, or as if he didn’t care at all how she answered.
Chu Luyu suddenly felt both her wrists being caught behind her back. He leisurely rubbed the skin on her wrists, and after a moment, she heard him say in a low voice, “Baby, your wrists are so pretty. How about I add a little ornament to them?”
The next second, she felt a cold touch on her wrists. Before she could even register what it was, she heard a click.
Chu Luyu’s eyes widened. She asked the system: [Cuihua, the male lead… did he just put handcuffs on me?!]
System Cuihua: [Yes… Oh no, Baobao, this male lead… seems like he’s gone freaking crazy!]
He really had gone crazy.
For the rest of the time, Chu Luyu felt like she couldn’t even breathe on her own. At first, he just nibbled and teased, kissing her chin and neck. One after another, little red marks bloomed beneath his lips. She felt itchy and restless, constantly tilting her head back to pull away, only to be dragged back again and again.
The man eventually lost patience, pressing down on her neck with unusual force, turning her face sideways and kissing her lips fiercely.
The angle of this kiss was far too strange.
Chu Luyu’s hands were cuffed, her body twisted awkwardly. The man’s kiss was like a sudden, violent storm, leaving her not a shred of room to struggle. Amidst the panic, she felt her thoughts growing hazier by the second, her ears filled with nothing but his harsh breathing. At that moment, if she didn’t want to pass out from lack of oxygen, she could only rely entirely on the breath he fed her.
When it finally stopped, Chu Luyu couldn’t remember at all. All she knew was that the moment he released her, she felt like a fish finally returned to water, gasping and gulping for air.
Her lips were completely numb, and so was her tongue. Her ears were ringing in constant buzzes, yet the man still seemed unsatisfied, only temporarily letting her mouth go while his thin lips lingered reluctantly on her chin and neck.
Luckily, at that moment, her phone rang, and the man seemed distracted by it, straightening up behind her.
Chu Luyu immediately saw the caller ID on the screen and instinctively called out Jiang Hezhou’s name, begging him to let her go.
But the man paid her no attention, merely covering her mouth again. After giving her one instruction, he answered the call right beside her—
“Auntie, this is Jiang Hezhou.”
His voice still carried the lingering huskiness from their deep kiss just moments ago—low and deep, like aged red wine stored for years in a cellar.
The car was completely sealed off now, exceptionally quiet. He held the phone to his ear, and Chu Luyu could hear every word from the receiver clearly.
Chu Fanyin on the other end was obviously taken aback, and after two or three seconds, she spoke with a slightly awkward tone: “Hezhou? Why is it you? Where’s Xiaoyu?”
“She’s right next to me. She’s feeling a bit lazy right now, so she asked me to answer for her.”
“This child!” Chu Fanyin said with a playful scold. “She went out to take out the trash and hasn’t come back for so long. I thought something had happened to her and was so worried. If she ran into you, she should have told me sooner.”
After finishing, Chu Fanyin seemed to think of something and suddenly spoke with a hesitant tone: “But haven’t you two already…?”
Jiang Hezhou knew what she was asking and replied with a smile, “She’s just throwing a tantrum with me. I’ve never said we were calling off the engagement. I’ve been busy planning my proposal to her these past few days—why would I ever want to break up with her?”
“I see.” Chu Fanyin still sounded a little uneasy, speaking hesitantly, “Well, Hezhou, could you put Xiaoyu on the phone? I’d like to talk to her.”
Jiang Hezhou chuckled again and didn’t respond further. Instead, he leaned his handsome face close to the girl’s ear and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear: “Baby, you don’t want Auntie to worry, do you?”
Chu Luyu naturally understood what the man meant. With his hand still covering her mouth, she turned back with difficulty to meet his eyes in the moonlight filtering in from outside, and nodded.
Two seconds later, Jiang Hezhou placed the phone against the girl’s ear. She quietly took a deep breath and said softly, “Mom.”
The moment Chu Fanyin heard her daughter’s voice, most of her anxiety dissipated. She complained, “You child! If you ran into Hezhou, why didn’t you call me sooner? You were gone so long I thought something had happened to you—you scared me to death!”
“It’s nothing, really… He just came to find me, and we were talking.”
“Oh.” Over the phone, Chu Fanyin didn’t feel comfortable asking too many questions, so she simply said, “Then are you coming back later?”
Chu Luyu glanced up at the man again, only to see him shake his head at her with a faint expression.
She sighed inwardly and replied, “I’m not coming back.”
After the call ended, Jiang Hezhou seemed very pleased and leaned in to kiss her lips again.
“Baby, after so many days apart, did you miss me?”
At this moment, Chu Luyu felt more keenly than ever just how wrong the man was.
“Jiang Hezhou, actually I—”
Jiang Hezhou seemed unwilling to hear anything else. He shushed her and placed his index finger between her lips: “Just tell me if you missed me or not.”
Chu Luyu swallowed, instinctively looking up at him with a hint of fear. Finally, under his unwavering gaze, she nodded with difficulty.
Jiang Hezhou was satisfied. He finally sat all the way back and returned to the driver’s seat.
“Baby, I’m taking you somewhere.”
The handcuffs on Chu Luyu’s wrists weren’t removed until after the car stopped, when Jiang Hezhou finally unlocked them.
She barely had time to enjoy her regained freedom before he was already leading her out of the car and into a hotel.
The hotel manager happened to be on the first floor lobby discussing matters with staff at that moment. When he saw Jiang Hezhou approaching, he looked quite surprised.
“Mr. Jiang, why are you here at this hour?” The manager hurried over, his gaze briefly sweeping over the girl beside him. Seeing Jiang Hezhou’s arm firmly wrapped around her waist, he roughly understood their relationship.
“So this is your fiancée! Truly a perfect match—a talented man and a beautiful woman!”
But after speaking, the manager couldn’t help but feel puzzled inwardly.
The proposal had been scheduled for three days ago, but for some reason, it had been postponed. The penthouse had remained empty these past few days, and the hotel staff had been whispering about whether something had changed between Mr. Jiang and his fiancée. They had all assumed he wouldn’t be coming back, yet here he was, showing up at this hour with her in tow.
Jiang Hezhou ignored the flattery and simply nodded with a faint expression. “Have someone open the penthouse doors. I want to take my fiancée up.”
The manager nodded quickly, relayed the instructions to his subordinates via walkie-talkie, then hesitated as he looked at Jiang Hezhou. “Mr. Jiang, would you like me to arrange for some more staff to assist?”
“No need. Just open the doors.”
With that, Jiang Hezhou pulled the bewildered Chu Luyu straight toward the elevator.
As the elevator ascended, Chu Luyu frantically communicated with the system in her head: [Cuihua, I desperately need you to explain this to me. What’s going on with the male lead? What’s wrong with him?!]
System Cuihua: [I don’t know either! Holy crap, even I was scared just now. Isn’t this guy supposed to be the aloof, restrained, untouchable ice queen type? How did he suddenly turn into some creepy, obsessive ghost?!]
Chu Luyu: [I don’t think that’s the main point. The point is why he’s acting like this. I checked again just now—his disgust value hasn’t changed. It’s still -100. This is obviously wrong! How could someone who hates me that much, who’s utterly disgusted by me, come chasing after me the moment I suggest breaking up?! And what he told my mom about preparing a proposal—was he actually planning all of that this whole time?]
System Cuihua: [I can’t do this anymore, Baobei. If you’re asking me right now, I’m just as confused. Just deal with him for now while I think of a way to figure out what’s really going on!]
After saying that, the system went offline, leaving Chu Luyu no time to call it back.
Moments later, the elevator reached the penthouse. Jiang Hezhou led her out and walked her toward the banquet hall.
The hall doors were wide open, and the scene inside practically hit Chu Luyu’s eyes all at once—
A sea of pink-and-white flowers, balloons in matching shades, a path made entirely of petals leading straight ahead, and a large screen playing a video composed of countless photos of her… Every detail, every corner, showed the thoughtfulness of whoever had arranged it. Almost everything catered perfectly to her tastes.
Chu Luyu parted her lips, at a loss for words to describe what she was feeling right now.
It felt somewhat absurd, somewhat surprising, and somewhat… moving.
Jiang Hezhou held her and walked along the petal path to the very center of the venue. There, several exquisite boxes were displayed. He picked up one lake-blue velvet jewelry box, opened it, and took out a sparkling diamond-encrusted tiara.
He didn’t seem to have any intention of saving it as a surprise. He did everything right in front of her. Once the tiara was in his hands, he turned and placed it on her head. Then, he pulled out a ring box from his pocket.
A moment later, he knelt on one knee, opened the small box in front of Chu Luyu, and looked up at her—
“I always believed that loving someone was a form of self-inflicted torture that goes against genes and human nature. I never thought I would ever love someone so deeply that I couldn’t pull myself back—until I met you.”
“Chu Luyu, you made me understand that there is a kind of feeling in this world that can make a person lose all reason, lose the habits and beliefs engraved in them since childhood. I used to be rigid and unyielding. I hated all irregular changes, hated everything that fell outside of order. But your arrival completely shattered those outdated habits I thought would never change for a lifetime. To me, you are the miracle beyond order in my world.”
“So, marry me. I will give you the best life within my capabilities in the future. I can promise that I will be faithful to you for this entire lifetime, protecting you with all my strength. I also want to take care of you forever, to always let you be my princess by my side.”
Chu Luyu stood there, completely stunned.
She felt that every word the man spoke landed like a heavy stone crashing beside her ears. She didn’t know how to react, standing there in a daze, remaining silent for a long time.
Jiang Hezhou no longer had his usual patience. After waiting a while and seeing she hadn’t moved, he stood up on his own, took the enormous pink diamond ring from the box, and calmly pulled her hand toward him.
The girl seemed a little frightened, instinctively flinching back.
But Jiang Hezhou gave her no chance to dodge. After firmly grasping her hand, he looked up at her.
At that moment, Chu Luyu truly felt the oppressive weight bearing down on her from above. He hadn’t said a word, yet his attitude seemed to have said everything.
Her heart pounded heavier with each beat. This time, she didn’t dare retreat again, and simply let the man slide the ring onto her finger.
Seeing the ring finally on the girl’s hand, Jiang Hezhou’s face finally showed the gentle smile he used to have. He lifted her hand, pressed a kiss to it, and looked at her.
“Thank you, baby, for accepting my proposal. Tomorrow morning, we’ll go to the civil affairs bureau.”
Chu Luyu truly felt that this man had gone mad. Not only was the proposal not the end of it—he actually wanted to take her to get their marriage license?
The male lead taking the female supporting character to get a marriage certificate… wouldn’t that completely collapse the entire plot?!
The system was still offline, and Chu Luyu had no one to cry to or consult with.
After leaving the hotel, Jiang Hezhou drove Chu Luyu back to the apartment. This time, he was even more controlling than before. In his hands, she was like a porcelain doll—he carried her when walking, changed her clothes himself, and even when it came to bathing… he wouldn’t allow her to do it on her own. From the inside out, almost everything was handled by him.
Chu Luyu was extremely embarrassed and protested twice, but Jiang Hezhou paid no attention. He simply treated her like a naughty child, lightly kissing her lips and murmuring, “Be good.”
She could feel that his dominance was magnified many times over compared to before. She truly didn’t know what else to do, so she could only let him have his way.
After the bath, Jiang Hezhou even meticulously applied body lotion on her.
Chu Luyu immediately thought back to that time at the hot spring resort, when she had asked him to do this as part of a mission. Back then, she had been so flustered she didn’t even dare to look up from the couch.
But this time… he laid her flat on the bed, with the lights on.
His fingertips moved gently, without a trace of unnecessary desire. As he applied the lotion, it was as if what lay beneath his palms was the most priceless treasure in the world. Yet she still felt stirred, biting her lip and turning her head away, not daring to meet his eyes.
After everything was done, Jiang Hezhou tucked her into the blankets. Chu Luyu hadn’t expected to end up in a state where she had nothing on at all.
She took a deep breath in his arms and said somewhat helplessly, “Jiang Hezhou, let’s talk.”
The man behind her tightened his arms around her, his chin resting against the top of her head. When he spoke, Chu Luyu felt a faint vibration against her ear.
“Baby, I haven’t slept in three days. I just want to hold you and get a good rest right now. Whatever you want to say, can we talk about it after we wake up tomorrow?”
With that, he raised his hand and placed his palm flat over her heart.
His warm palm rested there, devoid of any amorous intent—as if he simply wanted to feel her heartbeat.
Chu Luyu didn’t say anything more. She lay alone in the darkness with her eyes open, waiting for a long while, until she finally heard even breathing behind her.
She was tempted to take advantage of this gap, while Jiang Hezhou was asleep, to quietly slip out of his arms and run away. But then she thought of what he had just said—that he hadn’t slept well in three days…
Forget it. Let him have a good sleep first. Everything else could wait until tomorrow.
Just as she was thinking this, a familiar voice suddenly sounded in her mind—the system was back!
Chu Luyu: [Oh my god, Cuihua, you’re finally back! You have no idea what the male lead just did. I feel like he’s gone completely insane, you know? He just proposed to me! The male lead proposed to me, the female supporting character!]
The system seemed to have learned something too, and its tone was equally dramatic: [He really has gone crazy. Babe, you know what I found out when I secretly went back to headquarters just now? That test device I stole earlier—it turned out to be a batch of defective products with bugs that were supposed to be recalled. But I didn’t know that, and when I used it on the male lead, we thought the negative numbers we saw were disgust values. But actually, the readings were all reversed! Negative means positive! Disgust… is actually love!]
Chu Luyu froze: [You mean…]
System Cuihua: [What male lead hates you and is disgusted by you to the extreme? That 100 value of his—it means he likes you to the extreme!]
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