When Lu Chenyuan saw the message from Uncle Yu, his expression changed instantly.
It was a panic akin to an iceberg collapsing.
An emotion Ren Qian had never seen on his face before.
Lu Chenyuan grabbed his car keys and rushed out.
He even forgot his jacket.
"Mr. Lu!"
Ren Qian chased after him.
"The meeting with the bank this afternoon..."
"Cancel them all!"
Without looking back, Lu Chenyuan dashed into his private elevator.
Leaving a whole floor of subordinates exchanging bewildered glances.
Ren Qian stood rooted to the spot for a long, long time.
She felt a pang of jealousy towards that girl named Lu Qianqian.
This girl could so easily sway all of his emotions.
But, more than jealousy, Ren Qian felt heartache for him.
She wondered, just how much was this man carrying on his shoulders.
Externally, he had to fend off relatives as vicious as jackals and wolves.
Internally, he had to protect a troublesome younger sister.
His world had no room for himself, only duty and shackles.
The next day.
Lu Chenyuan appeared in the office on time.
His face had regained that impeccable composure.
As if yesterday's lapse was merely an illusion.
Except, Ren Qian noticed.
A delicate photo frame had appeared on his desk.
Inside the frame was a beautiful girl laughing without a care in the world.
It was Lu Qianqian.
Ren Qian asked nothing.
She only made a silent vow in her heart.
She would become his most solid, most reliable line of defense.
...
Ren Qian began proactively sharing his burdens.
She spent three months studying all the rules, regulations, and power structure of Lu Corporation.
She understood the processes better than the legal department.
She understood checks and balances better than human resources.
She was soon promoted to Administrative Director.
Her office was right next to the CEO's office, separated only by a door.
She became Lu Chenyuan's true firewall.
"Director Ren, I'm Assistant Zhang from Director Lu Mingshi's office. Our Director Lu would like to invite Mr. Lu to dinner to discuss the Southern District project."
"Apologies, Assistant Zhang."
Ren Qian's voice was gentle yet brooked no argument.
"The Southern District project is currently under the full authority of Manager Wang from Division Three. According to company regulations, before the bidding results are announced, Mr. Lu cannot have any private contact with potential partners."
"Director Ren, what do you mean by that? Is our Director Lu an outsider?"
"Director Lu is certainly not an outsider."
Ren Qian's tone remained calm.
"But rules are rules. They were personally established by Old Master Lu back in the day. I believe Director Lu wouldn't want to put Mr. Lu in a difficult position, would he?"
The other end was left speechless and could only hang up resentfully.
Such confrontations happened daily.
Ren Qian handled them with increasing ease.
With the most professional attitude and watertight procedures.
She shielded Lu Chenyuan from over ninety percent of the unreasonable entanglements from within the family.
She allowed him to truly focus on the corporation's business.
Lu Chenyuan, in turn, gave her his utmost trust.
Sometimes, when Lu Chenyuan was cornered in his office by his uncles.
He would simply press the intercom.
"Ren Qian, come in."
Ren Qian would then enter with a "urgent" document prepared in advance.
"Mr. Lu, the video conference with the European division starts in three minutes. Their CEO is already online."
A perfect excuse for an exit.
Over time.
Those in the Lu family came to understand.
To see Lu Chenyuan, one had to get past Ren Qian first.
And getting past Ren Qian was even harder than getting past Lu Chenyuan himself.
...
The top floor of Lu Corporation, the CEO's office area.
Became an efficient and precise independent kingdom.
Lu Chenyuan was the king.
Ren Qian was the most powerful chamberlain.
And Lin Yuan was the king's sharpest sword.
He was responsible for executing Lu Chenyuan's most confidential and thorniest tasks.
The three of them formed an unbreakable iron triangle.
Overtime was the norm in the CEO's office area.
Countless late nights, the lights on the top floor shone only for them.
The city glittered brilliantly beneath their feet.
They fought side by side in the silence.
The feeling was wonderful.
It was like guarding a secret together at the summit of the world.
Ren Qian immersed herself in this tacit understanding of being "the one" and "indispensable."
She felt these were the happiest days of her life.
She was so close to him.
Close enough to discern the subtle differences in how he tapped the desk under different moods.
Close enough to understand his next words from the simplest look in his eyes.
Ren Qian thought she was the person in this world who understood him best.
She interpreted all his businesslike demeanor and emotional distance.
As the necessary calmness and self-restraint of a man in his position.
She interpreted his almost pathological protection of Lu Qianqian.
As the heavy and profound sense of family responsibility of an older brother.
She was deeply enchanted by this "truth" she had constructed for herself.
And felt immense glory at being the sole guardian by this lonely king's side.
Ren Qian didn't even notice that the look in Lin Yuan's eyes when he gazed at her was also growing deeper.
Once, while preparing the report for the annual shareholders' meeting.
They worked three days and nights straight.
The moment the report was finished, Ren Qian felt the world spin.
Her low blood sugar had kicked in.
Her vision suddenly went black.
Just as she was about to fall, a strong arm caught her.
It was Lin Yuan.
Then, he produced a piece of chocolate from somewhere.
Quickly unwrapping it, he gently, tenderly, placed it in her mouth.
The sweetness of the chocolate spread in her mouth.
The sugar brought energy.
Ren Qian's consciousness slowly returned.
She saw undisguised worry and anxiety on Lin Yuan's face.
"Senior, are you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Ren Qian shook her head, not even registering that Lin Yuan rarely called her 'senior.'
Her gaze went over Lin Yuan's shoulder, towards Lu Chenyuan not far away.
Lu Chenyuan was also walking towards her.
He was frowning.
"Don't ever do this again."
There was reproach in Lu Chenyuan's tone.
"Your body is your own."
After saying this, he glanced at his watch.
"Knock off early today. Everyone, go rest."
He turned, picked up his suit jacket.
And said no more.
Ren Qian's heart felt a subtle sweetness from Lu Chenyuan's words of concerned reproach.
She completely failed to notice the momentarily dimmed gaze of Lin Yuan beside her.
She only watched Lu Chenyuan's departing figure.
She felt even his silhouette carried a reassuring strength.
She thought days like these would go on forever.
She would forever be the most loyal, brightest star by his side.
Forever, following his light.
Until, one day.
Ren Qian discovered that the moonlight seemed to have changed.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
