Somewhere in the depths of her mind, a sliver of reason tried to warn Qian Xingzhi that there might be a trap, but cold, hard cash easily clouded judgment.
As soon as she entered the room, Lu Yu was waiting with his sword in hand.
"Sit down. Eat it all."
Qian Xingzhi: ?????
Gone were the shimmering eyes and tender emotions. The man holding the sword was fierce, the mischievous smirk on his lips barely restrained. Qian Xingzhi immediately grew indignant and boldly challenged him: "You're going too far! If you've got the guts, run me through right now and see how you explain it to everyone!"
"Explain what? Nanchuan is in the midst of unrest. A thug from the mob sneaked in for a midnight assassination, and unfortunately Lord Qian died trying to save me. How does that sound, my lord?"
How could he be so shameless! Qian Xingzhi shoved a spoonful into her mouth, instantly feeling her life darken. If someone forced her to eat this whole bowl, she'd get revenge the very next day.
The second spoonful simply wouldn't go down. Qian Xingzhi gave up. She threw down the bowl and chopsticks, imitating Lu Yu's earlier worthless demeanor, and said pitifully, "Fine, let me die. Who in this world would even care about me, Qian Xingzhi?"
It was an offhand remark, but the more she thought about it, the more pathetic it seemed. The paste before her blurred, and with a pout, she started crying out loud.
Lu Yu sucked in a cold breath. He thought she would bend for money, but who would have thought she'd cry over a bowl of paste? "A man doesn't easily shed tears. A bowl of paste drives you to this?"
Back when he had pinned her against the wall, she hadn't even flinched.
That 'a man doesn't easily shed tears' only made Qian Xingzhi cry harder. "Threats and tests, and you trick me every time. Just kill me and be done with it."
Lu Yu sheathed his sword, sat down beside her, and said seriously, "I'm sorry. I was just messing with you. It was thoughtless of me."
Qian Xingzhi ignored him. "I want thirty thousand taels."
Lu Yu hesitated. "Are you trying to drain the Lu family..."
Qian Xingzhi stopped crying and looked at Lu Yu—this was the first time she'd seen him at a loss, just like when he caught her cross-dressing.
"The mighty Lu Family Textiles can't come up with thirty thousand taels?"
Lu Yu's mouth twitched. "Fine. When we get back to the capital."
Qian Xingzhi: "I want thirty thousand... Huh?"
He actually agreed? Qian Xingzhi immediately pulled paper and brush from her bosom. "Let's write an IOU."
Lu Yu sneered. She had even come prepared. "Lord Qian, you've thought of everything."
"I can't expect you to remind me of trivial matters like this."
Lu Yu actually started writing vigorously. "A written IOU isn't enough. We need to sign and seal. Here's some red ink paste."
Qian Xingzhi sensed a trap, but she scrutinized the contents left and right and found nothing wrong. She'd better strike while the iron was hot. She quickly pressed her fingerprint, and her mood lifted instantly. "Thank you, Lord Lu. Once I've saved enough from my salary, I'll definitely repay you."
Given her meager salary, even if she ate nothing, it would take at least three thousand seven hundred and fifty years to pay it off.
"Lord Qian's worth will surely exceed thirty thousand taels someday. I'm in no rush."
Was that a compliment or...? Qian Xingzhi puzzled for a moment, then worried about something else. "I wonder how things are with the Third Prince. The debt is raised, but the debtor is still chained up."
"This is urgent. The general and the governor must have already arrived at Chengxin Temple."
Qian Xingzhi didn't notice the subtle change in Lu Yu's expression, still basking in the joy of sudden wealth.
"Lord Qian, you said earlier that you came for revenge, starting with the Third Prince. What do you have planned?"
Qian Xingzhi thought seriously. Given the Third Prince's behavior, the guy was a walking disaster. It should be pretty hard to fail at taking revenge on him.
"I have no money, no power, no connections, so naturally I have to take it step by step and proceed slowly."
Looking at the medicine, which had cooled slightly, Lu Yu drank it without changing his expression. "How could that be? Now that you're mine, which of those—money, power, connections—are you lacking?"
No wonder he was written into domineering CEO romance novels. He must be used to spouting stuff like this. Qian Xingzhi laughed inwardly.
Seeing him seriously drinking his medicine, she suddenly felt embarrassed about crying so pathetically just moments ago.
So she leaned in maliciously and whispered in his ear, "Lord Lu, are you really that trusting? I just slipped an aphrodisiac into this bowl."