Lu Corporation.
Lu Junyue lazily propped his chin with one hand, his well-defined fingers flipping through the documents on the desk.
Han Ming sighed emotionally, “A gambling father, a critically ill and biased mother, an ungrateful wretch of a younger brother, a scheming adopted sister, and being treated as Ji Yanli’s substitute! Sigh… Ms. Shen truly has had a difficult life!”
Lu Junyue casually tossed the documents into the trash bin, having already lost interest in that “little mouse.”
Difficult life? So she slept with him to get back at Ji Yanli? Trying to climb the social ladder to escape her dysfunctional family?
Pathetic. Boring.
“Have you managed to placate the old lady?”
“Master Lu, the madam remains firm in her stance. She said… if you don’t get married, she’d rather die than accept treatment.”
Ding dong—
Han Ming’s phone chimed with a new message.
After reading it, his face paled in shock.
“Master Lu! The madam says she’s waiting for you at the civil affairs bureau!”
“?”
Lu Junyue raised a single eyebrow. “She’s getting married at dusk? Which unfortunate old man is the groom?”
Han Ming shook his head repeatedly. “Master Lu, the unfortunate one isn’t an old man—it’s you.”
“The madam has found you a wife. She’s waiting for you at the civil affairs bureau right now.”
Lu Junyue responded smoothly, “…There’s a project in Country C that requires my personal attention. Book a flight. I’m leaving immediately.”
Han Ming added, “The madam also said that today, you either get your marriage certificate, or you collect her death certificate.”
He then showed Lu Junyue a photo of pesticide.
Lu Junyue: “…”
Han Ming lowered his head, not daring to speak further.
How tragic for Master Lu!
First forced into bed, then forced to marry—ahem, forced to take a wife.
Lu Junyue’s face was cold.
“Prepare the car. We’re going to the civil affairs bureau.”
He wanted to see exactly what kind of monster the old lady had chosen to be his wife.
…
Half an hour later.
Civil Affairs Bureau.
A staff member handed two marriage registration forms to Lu Junyue and Shen Zhiyi.
“I underestimated you. What a clever move—killing two birds with one stone.”
Lu Junyue leaned back in his chair, toying with the registration form in his hand.
His smiling lips concealed a murderous intent.
Shen Zhiyi wore a white dress, her long hair cascading loosely. The hand holding the pen was slender and delicate.
Tilting her head to look at him, she appeared obedient and harmless. “I don’t understand what you’re saying, Mr. Lu.”
Obedient and submissive—completely different from the ambitious woman he had first met.
“You slept with me, then threatened me into openly taking you from Ji Yanli. Not to get my attention, but to catch Han Ming’s.”
Lu Junyue continued, “You know very well that Han Ming is not only my assistant but also the old lady’s informant.”
The old lady nags about marriage every day, nearly obsessed with wanting a granddaughter-in-law.
If she found out he had been with a woman, she would stop at nothing to push for this union.
Shen Zhiyi’s hand paused while writing the character “Zhi” in her name. The corner of her lips curled into a faint smile from an angle he couldn’t see.
[How interesting. This prey is smarter than I imagined.]
When Shen Zhiyi’s voice echoed in his mind, Lu Junyue was certain she hadn’t spoken aloud.
So, he could indeed hear her thoughts.
Prey? It seemed she had no idea of her own position.
“You’re clever, knowing the old lady is my weakness. But weaknesses can also become the blade that kills you.”
Lu Junyue suddenly leaned in closer to her.
“As my wife, I have ten thousand ways to kill you. Shen Zhiyi, are you sure… you want to marry me?”
He radiated a terrifying aura of violence, his oppressive presence looming like storm clouds over the city, making the surrounding staff gasp for breath and break out in cold sweat.
System: [Warning! Warning! Warning! The crazy villain’s killing intent has surged to over 100! Host baby, run for your life!]
Shen Zhiyi finished filling in her name and handed the pen from her fingertips to him.
All the terrifying hostility dissipated upon meeting her, as if encountering some even more formidable presence, vanishing without a trace.
“Mr. Lu, let’s not keep Grandma waiting.”
The system’s trembling voice rang out: [Host baby, think twice! Do you really want to marry this crazy villain? Even if we can’t win over Lu Junyue, we can at least survive for two months!]
[Marrying him means we could be killed at any moment!]
Shen Zhiyi: [He has something I need. I must marry him.]
Something? Hah… So she does have ulterior motives.
Lu Junyue turned and saw the rare smile on Grandma Lu’s face. He took the pen from her hand and signed his name on the registration form.
As long as Grandma was happy and willing to accept treatment, he didn’t mind playing this game of predator and prey with this “little mouse.”
System: [Ding—detected Lu Junyue’s Heartbeat Value increased by 3, total: 4! Host baby, let’s work hard to break past single digits!]
Shen Zhiyi looked through the glass at her reflection, seeing the obedient facade she had crafted.
[It seems Grandma didn’t lie to me. Lu Junyue likes pure and obedient types. How… perverted.]
Hearing her thoughts, Lu Junyue curved his thin lips slightly.
This is perverted? He was quite looking forward to seeing how long she could maintain this good girl act.
Two bright red marriage certificates were handed to Lu Junyue and Shen Zhiyi.
Seeing this, the heavy stone in Grandma Lu’s heart finally settled.
“Since you’ve registered your marriage, from now on, little Zhiyi is part of our Lu family.”
She held Shen Zhiyi’s hand, “Little Zhiyi, come back to the Lu residence with Grandma today.”
With that, the old lady arranged for the butler to fetch Shen Zhiyi’s luggage.
…
After dinner and other matters, it was already evening by the time they returned to the Lu residence.
“Little Zhiyi, I’ve had someone prepare toiletries and pajamas for you. If you need anything else, just tell the servants.”
Grandma Lu instructed, “Well, it’s getting late. I won’t keep you newlyweds from resting any longer.”
Shen Zhiyi acted very obedient, “Goodnight, Grandma.”
Lu Junyue held Shen Zhiyi’s shoulder, putting on an affectionate display.
As the door gradually closed, the affection simultaneously faded from both their faces.
The unlit room was pitch black.
Thud—
Shen Zhiyi’s neck was seized by a cold, large hand as Lu Junyue’s dangerously handsome face drew close in the darkness.
“You schemed your way into the Lu family. What are you after?”
System: [Oh my god! The crazy villain’s killing intent is off the charts again! Host baby, the system survival guide offers three lifesaving answers—]
[1. Play innocent and claim you want nothing, trying to use your beauty to soften the crazy villain’s heart]
[2. Cry! Cry loudly to attract Grandma Lu]
[3. Drug him again! I’ve prepared an extra large dose of knockout powder this time—enough to take down ten bulls, let alone a crazy villain!]
“Kill me, and you’ll be a wife-killer.” Shen Zhiyi’s voice was so soft it betrayed no emotion, though the corners of her lips curved slightly. “How sad would Grandma be if she saw my corpse tomorrow…”
System: [Warning! The crazy villain’s murderous intent is off the charts, the system is about to crash…]
Shen Zhiyi ignored the looping warning in her mind, acting as if she couldn’t feel the hand around her neck that was about to snap it.
She leaned forward, tilting her head up to look at him, and smiled sweetly.
“Good night, hubby.”
Her light, melodious voice was sweet, and the word “hubby” felt like a faint electric current, spreading numbness through his veins and blood.
Lu Junyue: “…”
This woman was completely unpredictable.
He was trying to kill her, and she called him hubby?
Shen Zhiyi, nearly suffocated from being choked, her face flushed, still wore an obedient smile.
If Lu Junyue hadn’t heard her inner thoughts, he would have been fooled by her innocent and harmless appearance.
Before Shen Zhiyi could move, the strong grip on her neck suddenly loosened.
Lu Junyue’s expression turned cold as he threatened, “Don’t call me by such a disgusting title. Just know that killing you is as easy as crushing an ant.”
Lu Junyue’s room was spacious, decorated in a minimalist style.
Aside from a two-meter-wide bed, there was only a simple desk and a two-seater sofa.
Exhausted, Shen Zhiyi hadn’t even reached the bed when she was stopped.
“You sleep there.”
She followed Lu Junyue’s pointing finger to the sofa.
“Okay.”
Her unexpectedly docile compliance slightly eased Lu Junyue’s furrowed brow.
The next morning.
Lu Junyue had slept unusually deeply.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had slept this long without relying on medication.
But… what was this sensation?
He squeezed gently—it was soft.
Opening his drowsy eyes, Lu Junyue found a woman in his arms—it was Shen Zhiyi.
Her sleeping face was peaceful, her even breaths warming his neck, stirring something within him.
Early in the morning, an inexplicable dryness arose, heating his entire body.
A surge of desire began to grow.