Chapter 19 Why Don't You Give It a Try?

Time will tell us that simple affection lasts the longest.

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With that, she picked up a piece of chicken breast and slowly shredded it, her hands trembling slightly as she shuddered to think of the consequences should any deviation occur.

Outside, Chu Ci began his gentle, reasonable persuasion once more. Ignoring him, she went straight for the seasonings.

The man outside was practically itching to break the door down, yet hesitated out of fear of walking in on his own two feet and being carried out horizontally.

Xue Zuining had always projected an image of aloofness, self-containment, and calm. Who would have thought that losing her temper could make her this infuriating? He was growing frantic. If only she were a man—then they could settle their differences with a proper, hearty brawl. Getting angry with a woman, however, was so tedious it made him want to smash his head against a piece of tofu.

Indeed, trying to reason with a woman was a waste of time; trying to reason with a stubborn woman was a sign of lacking brains; and trying to reason with a stubborn woman *while she was angry* was absolute cerebral bankruptcy.

Chu Ci gritted his teeth, pressed his hands against the windowsill, and watched Xue Zuining remove the lid of the clay pot. Instantly, white steam billowed up, and the rich aroma of chicken soup fought to force its way into his nose. Remembering that he had long since been branded as an accomplice in this woman's mind, and having already lost his dignity anyway, he decided to throw caution to the wind and let things fall apart entirely.

He patted his face and chanted silently in his heart: *Abandon all shame. Abandon all shame.*

After repeating it twice and steadying his nerves, he knocked on the glass again. Xue Zuining turned to look at him, and he put on a grave and worried expression. "Miss Xue, really, you should let President Lu come inside first. It's getting windy out there, and after all, he just recovered. What if he catches a cold—"

Xue Zuining smiled faintly. "He's dressed warmly enough. If someone with his physique could catch a cold just like that, you'd already have pneumonia."

As expected, playing the pity card was now completely self-defeating.

Chu Ci felt an instant surge of irritation in his chest. *What is that supposed to mean? Do you think my build is inferior to his? You've got rose-colored glasses on, but was there any need to trash me quite like this?*

Naturally, he couldn't ask such a question aloud, or he feared the man standing behind him would eliminate him first.

Staring at her sneering expression, Chu Ci carefully ventured, "Aren't you worried about him at all? What if he gets sick, or has a relapse of his old condition?"

Xue Zuining let out a cold laugh. "He doesn't care about my feelings, so why should I worry about him? A woman must never act like a doormat, or she'll just give a man a reason to look down on her."

Was this a roundabout way of insulting him? Why did he keep getting hit by stray bullets whether he was standing, walking, or even lying down asleep?

Where was justice? Where was the law? Was he truly destined to carry this undeserved blame for the rest of his days?

Chu Ci forced an awkward laugh, but noticing that Xue Zuining's expression grew even frostier, he quickly pinched himself twice to hold back his mirth. His mind raced. Turning around, he walked back to Lu Huaning, who was biting into a piece of dried beef while watching him, one eyebrow raised with a faint trace of mockery in his eyes. Chu Ci felt his head swell to the size of a bushel. Massaging his temples, he was suddenly struck by an inspiration and blurted out loudly, "Bro, what's wrong? Are you alright?"

Lu Huaning nearly choked on his own saliva. What kind of play was this?

Turning around as if to speak, he was motioned to keep quiet by Chu Ci, who continued dramatically, "Just sit here for a moment, I'll help you up... Wait, I'll go get her right now." Since he was the one who had stirred up this mess, he had to be the one to clean it up; otherwise, his days ahead were bound to be rather unpleasant.

Extremely satisfied with his own brilliant scheme, Chu Ci saw the dawn of hope right before his eyes.

*A wonderful future, please wait for me! Once I survive this ordeal, I swear I'll burn incense for you.*

Trotting over to the kitchen window, Chu Ci put on a frantic, anxious expression. "Miss Xue, please let him inside first. You know his stomach is bad—let him eat something to line his stomach. His face is completely pale; this is no laughing matter..."

Xue Zuining walked slowly to the window and stared at his hand. "What's that in your hand? Looks awfully familiar. How does it taste?"

Chu Ci looked down, and his face instantly flushed crimson. The compressed biscuit in his hand was his usual emergency ration for his stomach; he had only eaten half of it, and the rest was still clutched tightly in his palm.

"Mr. Chu, do me a favor and rehearse properly the next time you put on a performance. After all, you aren't a professional actor; you're still lacking a bit in professionalism," Xue Zuining said, giving him a cold side-long glance. "I refuse to believe that if you had food, you'd eat it alone in front of your boss. His face is pale? Probably stuffed from overeating."

Game over. His cover was blown, and he had completely succeeded in making things worse instead of better.

What should he do now? Would his boss's next line simply be asking him how he preferred to die?

A layer of sweat beaded on Chu Ci's forehead. He awkwardly turned back to give the man a sheepish smile, completely at a loss for words.

Just as he turned around to search for a countermeasure, footsteps approached from behind. Glancing back, he saw Lu Huaning walking toward him with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. The man patted him on the shoulder—the force wasn't heavy, but Chu Ci felt as though his bones were about to shatter.

Lu Huaning glanced past him at Xue Zuining in the kitchen, smiled softly, and strolled leisurely toward the other side of the house, signaling for Chu Ci to follow.

When all was said and done, victory ultimately belonged to those who used their brains.

Having been kicked out earlier, he had panicked slightly, but after eating something, he had calmed down. If he remembered correctly, the French windows on the other side of the living room were unlatched.

Seeing the gap in the open French windows, Chu Ci felt a sudden darkness descend before his eyes as Lu Huaning calmly remarked, "Finding an alternative path is a good idea, and when applied correctly in business, it certainly yields great results. However, you should really think this through: the reason she and I were arguing was because I pulled a petty stunt and hurt her feelings. What women despise most is a man's glib tongue. By lying that my stomach condition had flared up with similar symptoms, were you actually trying to help me solve the problem, or were you hoping she and I would end up at each other's throats? Right now I've only been thrown out of the house; next time, I'm afraid she'll be chasing me with a knife."

Chu Ci was speechless. A cold gleam flashed in Lu Huaning's eyes as the corners of his lips slowly curled upward. "Your acting earlier was very convincing. You genuinely hoped my stomach condition would flare up, didn't you?"

Chu Ci felt that even if he jumped into the Pacific Ocean right now, he wouldn't be able to wash away this stain.

He wailed internally, feeling as though he was on the verge of collapse. *Great. Now you aren't sick, but I'm about to pass out.*

"And remember one more thing: relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself. When someone closes a door on you, if you find your own path, you can still get inside." As he spoke, Lu Huaning climbed the steps and pushed open the French windows to step inside.

Indeed, winning with intellect was the true path; people sometimes simply died of sheer stupidity.

Hearing the footsteps, Xue Zuining walked out of the kitchen and widened her eyes in shock. Lu Huaning walked over leisurely, not forgetting to cast one final warning glance at Chu Ci over his shoulder.

Well, now that the person had gotten inside, it was time for his unfortunate self to make a tactical retreat and leave the young couple some loving space.

With great discretion, Chu Ci walked over to the terrace outside the French windows, put on an expression of admiring the scenery, and prepared to find a chance to grab his car keys and slip away with a wave of his hand.

He certainly was resourceful—too bad he had only added fuel to the fire.

Biting her lip, Xue Zuining took a moment before squeezing out a few words. "Next time, I'm definitely locking all the doors and windows."

Lu Huaning chuckled softly. "Do you really think you can fool me a second time?"

Xue Zuining said coldly, "You just wait and see."

"Alright, stop being angry. The outcome is what matters; let's just ignore the process."

"Fine. Lu Huaning, do you really think this matter is that simple? Do you have any idea that you could have reduced everything I've spent the last two years painstakingly building to ashes?"

Did he even realize that she was gambling with everyone's lives on the line in this game? Countless times, she had told herself with a mixture of sobriety and madness that she could not afford to lose, because the stakes were simply too high.

"Are you genuinely angry? Everyone feels curious; it's just human instinct. Besides, little cat, if I hadn't done this, how much longer were you planning to keep things from me?" Lu Huaning pulled her into his arms, speaking softly against her ear. "I only did it to make you certain—if I were truly in danger, would you still care about me? Since the ending is a good one, why dwell so stubbornly on the little details?"

*Little details?* Xue Zuining could already imagine her own face twisting in disbelief.

Unable to resist, Lu Huaning reached out to pinch the little woman's puffed-up cheek, which made her look precisely like a goldfish. Wanting to laugh but forced to hold it in, he coaxed, "Alright, alright, I apologize, okay? Tell me, what will it take for you to forgive me?" He knew he had genuinely irritated her this time; without paying a heavy price, turning over this page seemed quite impossible.

Xue Zuining swatted his hand away and lifted her chin to look at him with an inscrutable, half-smile. "Really?"

A faint, ominous premonition flashed through the depths of Lu Huaning's heart, but he had no choice and could only bite the bullet and nod.

"Good. Well, I've honestly been exhausted out of my mind lately. I originally planned to go out and catch a show, but now I'm in no mood for it. Why don't you dance a pole dance for me to lighten the mood?" Xue Zuining slipped out of his instantly stiff embrace, clapped her hands together, and sat down on the sofa.

Meanwhile, Chu Ci—who had covertly sneaked back inside to grab his car keys and make his escape—felt all the blood in his body freeze upon hearing that final demand. *A pole dance?* And performed by *this* man? If he was fortunate enough to capture a video of it as a memento, the entire Shangtian corporation would probably erupt in chaos.

As he hesitated over whether to stay and watch the spectacle, he felt a chilling gaze land upon him. Slowly turning his head, he met the woman's assessing stare.

Xue Zuining put on a deliberately seductive smile. "Or perhaps... you'd like to do it instead?"

"Ha-ha." Chu Ci felt this was the most powerless laugh of his entire life. "I'll leave such a profound blessing for the two of you to enjoy yourselves. I just remembered I might have left the gas stove on at home, so I'll take my leave first."

Without waiting for anyone to react, he tucked his tail between his legs and bolted.

Only after making sure the figure had vanished did Xue Zuining turn back around, leisurely eyeing the man still standing in place. Watching his faintly furrowed brow, she found it immensely gratifying.

As he sat down beside her, she spread her hands with a smile. "Are you ready?"

Lu Huaning was stunned for a fraction of a second before his eyes narrowed slightly. Cupping her face, he found her palms silky smooth, though her skin radiated a slightly elevated temperature. He leaned in until the tip of his nose practically brushed hers, his warm breath gently washing over her face as he spoke: "Little cat, stop joking around like this, alright? You already made me lose face in front of that kid just now. You've vented your anger, haven't you?"

Pushing him away while fighting back a smile, Xue Zuining retorted, "Who's joking with you?" She drew a deep breath, her bright eyes locking straight onto his, and enunciated every single word: "I am dead serious. Truer than genuine gold."

*Fine. This little woman is determined not to let me off the hook today without torturing me to death.*

Lu Huaning clenched his fists. After a moment, he said slowly, "Little cat, I don't know how to dance that. Pick something a bit more conventional, won't you? Or how about *you* give me a demonstration first?"

"You want to watch me dance? In your dreams." Xue Zuining shot him a sidelong glance, crossed her arms, and let out a soft hmph. "If you don't dance, don't even think about getting me to forgive you."

Lu Huaning forcefully rubbed his face. "Little cat, stop making a fuss. I genuinely don't know how."

"Even if you don't know how, you must have seen it before! You've watched it so many times, didn't any of it stick?"

"I *have* seen it many times, but I never thought of studying it."

Xue Zuining instantly flared up. "So you *have* seen it many times!" With that, she made a threatening motion to pounce on him.

Laughing despite himself, Lu Huaning quickly grabbed her little claws and soothed, "It's just a performance... Come on, you know what a pole dance is, haven't you watched it yourself?"

"Is my nature the same as yours? Stop twisting my words!"

Lu Huaning pulled her back into his embrace. "It's just the difference between a man and a woman dancing it, little cat. I know you actually like it deep down, too; otherwise, how else would you have come up with such a devious way to torture me?"

Unwilling to bicker with him any longer, Xue Zuining gritted her teeth and said, "Let go. If you don't dance, don't expect to lay a finger on me."

"Why are you forcing me to do something I can't?"

"Because you made me angry."