The Inertia of the Plot

The era of Li Xiujian had come to an end.

But Lu Chenyuan knew this did not signify the end of the war.

The fall of one old enemy often meant a new one was about to take the stage.

In the office of Yuanlong Technologies, Lu Chenyuan reviewed the latest documents sent by Zhang Qi.

The first page displayed an ID photo.

The young man in the picture had sharp eyes and a faint trace of defiance at the corners of his lips.

Li Jinchuan.

"He's already completed the enrollment procedures at Jingzhou University," Zhang Qi reported. "He got in as a sports recruit, majoring in finance."

"Understood." Lu Chenyuan's fingers tapped lightly on the desk.

"Should we assign someone to keep an eye on him?" Zhang Qi asked.

"No need to send anyone," Lu Chenyuan replied. "Just forward his file to Su Yang."

"Su Yang?" Zhang Qi sounded surprised.

"Yes." Lu Chenyuan's gaze drifted toward the window. "Some things don’t require our direct involvement."

He could, of course, take ruthless measures and crush Li Jinchuan in his infancy.

But that wasn’t his way.

More importantly, his goal wasn’t just Li Jinchuan himself.

It was the unseen, intangible force in the original plot—the so-called "protagonist's luck," the power of fate.

To defy fate, brute force wouldn’t suffice.

What he needed was to cut off Li Jinchuan’s roots, stripping away every foundation that could allow him to rise.

His family? With the collapse of the Li Group, they were no longer a threat.

His father’s influence? Li Xiujian was already behind bars.

Love? Lu Chenyuan would never let him have it.

"I understand." Zhang Qi didn’t ask further and immediately set off to carry out the order.

After Zhang Qi left, Lu Chenyuan gazed out at Jingzhou, lost in thought.

Li Jinchuan, the chess piece, was finally making his move.

And his target, without a doubt, would be Lu Ruoxi.

Perhaps this was the inertia of the plot at work.

---

Autumn in Jingzhou University was bathed in golden sunlight.

Ginkgo leaves carpeted the campus pathways in a sea of gold.

In the math department library, by the window, Lu Ruoxi was deep in thought over a complex mathematical conjecture.

Spread before her were several foreign-language journals, the latest in their fields.

After a while, her pen began darting across the draft paper, weaving intricate symbols and formulas into a world of rigorous beauty that few could comprehend.

Since arriving at Jingzhou University, she had absorbed knowledge like a sponge.

Lu Chenyuan had sought out renowned mentors for her and established a lab tailored to her needs.

Here, she thrived.

The hardships and cold realities of her past life seemed distant now.

Her world had become pure and simple—populated only by the eternal, luminous theorems of mathematics.

She was so immersed that she lost track of time.

Only when a warm cup of milk tea was gently placed beside her did she look up.

Su Yang’s familiar, sunlit face greeted her.

"Working on another tough problem?" he asked softly, taking a seat across from her.

"Yeah." Lu Ruoxi took a sip of the tea.

The sweetness was just right—exactly how she liked it.

"I looked over the model you sent me. A few areas could use some optimization." Su Yang pulled out his notebook from his bag.

The two began discussing in hushed tones.

Sunlight streamed through the window, illuminating their youthful faces—one cool and focused, the other warm and patient.

It was a picture of serenity, like a scene frozen in time.

---

In another corner of the library, Li Jinchuan’s gaze was locked onto the girl by the window.

This was his first time in the library.

The downfall of the Li family had hit him hard.

He’d lost most of his financial support, reduced to a true "fallen noble."

But he wasn’t broken. Deep down, he was a weed that refused to die.

He would reclaim everything he’d lost—on his own terms.

As he wandered aimlessly in search of a seat, he saw her.

Just one glance, and Li Jinchuan couldn’t look away.

The girl sat there, serene.

The sunlight gilded her silhouette.

Her profile was clean and resolute, her eyes filled with a focus and purity that struck him to the core.

In that moment, something inside him shattered. A feeling he’d never known surged through him.

It was as if an invisible thread had tied him to her, binding them together by fate.

He recognized her.

No—he had seen her photo before.

Ye Ruoxi.

No, now she was Lu Ruoxi, the true heiress of the Lu family.

The girl his father had once sent him to Anhe County to approach with a clichéd "hero-saves-damsel" script.

So this was Lu Ruoxi.

A storm raged in Li Jinchuan’s heart.

Was this destiny?

At his lowest, most desperate moment, fate had brought him face-to-face with the very girl he was supposed to manipulate.

A thought took root in his mind, growing wild and uncontrollable.

He had to have her.

She was the Lu family’s heiress.

Lu Chenyuan’s beloved sister.

If he could win her over, he’d regain leverage against the Lu family.

No—she was more than just leverage.

Li Jinchuan’s eyes burned as he watched her.

A fierce intuition told him:

This girl was his woman. Destined to be his.

He was about to stand and approach her when a young man walked up, placing a cup of milk tea in front of her.

Li Jinchuan froze.

He watched as the guy sat across from Lu Ruoxi with effortless familiarity.

Watched as they leaned in, speaking in low, intimate tones.

Watched as Lu Ruoxi’s face softened in a way he’d never seen.

A wave of rage and jealousy crashed over him.

Who was this guy?

What right did he have to sit with her like that?

Li Jinchuan’s fists clenched under the table.

But he didn’t charge forward. Instead, he observed coldly, like a wolf lurking in the shadows, eyeing both his prey and the rival beside her.

He watched them pack up their books.

Watched them walk out of the library side by side.

And then, he followed.

He needed to find out exactly who that man was.

---

Days later, Su Yang received an encrypted email.

Opening it, he found a detailed dossier on Li Jinchuan—his identity, his ties to Li Xiujian, and the feud between the Li and Lu families.

At the end of the message was a single line:

"This man is dangerous. He may approach Lu Ruoxi with ill intent. Protect her."

No signature.

But Su Yang knew who it was from.

His heart sank.

He remembered that shadowed gaze fixed on him and Ruoxi in the library days ago.

So that had been Li Jinchuan.

The weight of responsibility pressed down on Su Yang.

Lu Chenyuan’s message was clear:

Stop Li Jinchuan from getting close to Lu Ruoxi.

But how?

Should he warn Ruoxi outright, telling her Li Jinchuan was dangerous?

What would she think?

Would she see it as him interfering with her freedom to choose her friends?

Would she think he didn’t trust her?

Su Yang was torn.

On one hand, he wanted to honor Lu Chenyuan’s request to protect Lu Ruoxi.

On the other, he genuinely respected her.

He refused to use "protection" as an excuse to restrain her or make decisions for her.

He believed in Lu Ruoxi’s wisdom and judgment.

After days of inner conflict,

Su Yang reached a decision.

He wouldn’t interfere.

He would only stand guard.

He trusted that Lu Ruoxi could see things clearly on her own.

All he needed to do was remain behind her, ready whenever she needed him.

That was enough.