Heartthrob, Your Image is Crumbling!

Chapter 411: Lu Hui's Logic

While Lu Wanting stood to the side, silently digesting that conversation.Zhu Hong took the initiative to walk over and chat with Zhou Yuwen. "President Zhou, how is the teaching going?" she asked with a smile.

Zhou Yuwen had actually only been learning golf for a few days himself, but he played the part of a master in front of Tao Tian. The two of them were quite intimate as they played. Zhou Yuwen told her that her posture was wrong, then reached out to adjust her perky buttocks, which were clad in a white pleated skirt.

Tao Tian didn't mind when it was just the two of them, but once Zhu Hong came over, she couldn't help blushing.

Zhou Yuwen, however, was thick-skinned. "She's almost got it," he chuckled. "It's a pity President Zhu came over and interrupted our rhythm."

"Oh, so I came at a bad time?" Zhu Hong asked with a smile.

Tao Tian hurriedly denied it, telling Sister Zhu that wasn't the case at all.

Her face flushed red. Knowing that Zhu Hong had official business to discuss with Zhou Yuwen, she took the initiative to say she would practice on the side for a while so they could play a round.

With that, she tactfully walked away.

It was mid-April and the sun was shining brightly. The grass at the Zhongshan Golf Course was lush and green. Zhou Yuwen wore a polo shirt paired with beige trousers, giving off a relaxed and comfortable vibe.

Zhu Hong, meanwhile, wore tailored shorts and a sun hat.

The two of them strolled leisurely across the course. Zhu Hong mentioned that she had been hearing a lot about Zhou Yuwen in their circles lately.

"News about me? What kind of news could there be about a simple university student?" Zhou Yuwen asked, feigning surprise.

Zhu Hong just smiled. "In just a short month, President Zhou, you transformed a tiny food delivery company into a household name. Whenever anyone mentions university food delivery, Xianlin Delivery immediately comes to mind. Isn't that worth discussing in the business world?"

Zhou Yuwen shook his head. "Just showing off my meager skills before the experts. They were merely second-rate, insignificant tricks. If you guys hadn't pushed me so hard, how could I have resorted to such a terrible plan?"

"Yes, an old fox who has dominated the business world for over twenty years finally stumbled in front of a nineteen-year-old boy," Zhu Hong nodded as she spoke.

She was referring to her former boss, Mr. Wang. He had fully expected to crush his opponent with sheer power, but he never anticipated tumbling at Zhou Yuwen's hands, even losing his position in the process. It was highly unlikely he would ever re-emerge to hold a key role again. After all, the permanent stain of being played for a fool by a nineteen-year-old would always keep him from raising his head high.

Zhou Yuwen continued walking on the green lawn alongside Zhu Hong, but he remained unimpressed by her words. He stated that in the business world, experience was the most irrelevant factor.

"Because the market is constantly changing," he explained. "Your Mr. Wang's experience dictated that the larger entity will always defeat the smaller one, but those are the rules of the cold weapon era."

"Times have changed. Only those who can adapt to the era will survive. As for those who cannot adapt..."

"...their elimination is only a matter of time."

Zhou Yuwen came to a halt and looked at Zhu Hong. "I'm actually doing you guys a favor."

Zhu Hong looked at him in confusion.

Zhou Yuwen elaborated that with Meituan's massive scale, they didn't just need a few bricks and tiles. Having such an incompetent fool serving as the president of the East Region meant that even if he hadn't been snubbed here, he would have eventually suffered a massive setback somewhere else.

"Being humbled by me is actually a blessing for you," Zhou Yuwen declared, bending down to take his shot.

Zhu Hong couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "So, we should be thanking you?"

"Whether others thank me or not doesn't matter, but I think you, President Zhu, really should thank me."

"Oh?" Zhu Hong paused.

Zhou Yuwen didn't mince words. "If it weren't for me, how could you have climbed to this position so quickly?"

Zhu Hong's expression shifted slightly, but she quickly adopted a serious tone. "Indeed, I should thank you."

"I just don't know if President Zhou can give me an opportunity to firmly secure this position."

Since they had already reached this point in the conversation, beating around the bush would be meaningless.

Zhou Yuwen remained silent, keeping his head down as he continued to practice his swings.

To show her sincerity, Zhu Hong laid her cards on the table. The initial offer from headquarters was twenty million yuan, but she believed that with her influence, she could fight for an additional five million for him.

This meant that Xianlin Delivery, which Zhou Yuwen had founded less than a year ago, could be sold for twenty-five million yuan. Once the news spread, Zhou Yuwen would become the youngest multimillionaire around.

Hearing this, Zhou Yuwen simply looked at Zhu Hong and asked with a smile, "Then, Sister Zhu, do you think I should accept?"

The smile on Zhu Hong's face froze. She hadn't expected Zhou Yuwen to ask her that, but the question truly caught her off guard.

She stared at him, and he just kept smiling back. His smile seemed very sincere, but she knew this was a question she couldn't answer carelessly.

Zhu Hong hesitated for a long while before finally admitting, "From my standpoint, I should advise you to accept this acquisition."

"And then?" Zhou Yuwen prompted.

Zhu Hong continued, "But considering it from your perspective, I think even if I don't say it, you already know. Right now, in the fierce market battle between Meituan and Ele.me, the commission for a single order has reached nearly six yuan. You currently dominate the entire university student market in Southern Jiangsu. Although this specific market segment isn't massive, whoever swallows it up can establish absolute dominance. Therefore, you are in a perfect position to demand a higher price."

Zhou Yuwen nodded. "That's exactly it. So, Sister Zhu, what would you do if you were me?"

"Demand a higher price, and let the highest bidder win," Zhu Hong replied flatly.

"Perfect! Then I'll do exactly as you say, Sister Zhu."

Zhou Yuwen laughed. The two continued to stroll around the lawn, playing golf. After sinking a shot, Zhou Yuwen casually mentioned that his villa had recently finished its renovations.

He wanted to invite some people over to liven the place up.

"You should come too, Sister Zhu. And while we're at it, let's invite the people from Ele.me over to join the fun."

At first, Zhu Hong didn't register what he meant. It wasn't until he explicitly mentioned inviting Ele.me that it finally clicked.

She nodded and said, "I understand."

"It seems I'll need to prepare a generous gift for you."

"No need for lavish gifts. Just bringing yourself is enough."

The two continued their casual chatting.

Earlier, Tao Tian had voluntarily retreated to the rest area to give them space, but sitting there alone quickly grew boring.

At this moment, Lu Wanting, who had arrived with Zhu Hong, was more or less a familiar face. Tao Tian took the initiative to strike up a conversation. "Hey, do you know how to play golf? I feel like it's incredibly difficult!"

Lu Wanting felt rather conflicted. She felt she had a very good relationship with Su Qing, which made Tao Tian feel like 'the other woman' in her eyes. Yet, Zhou Yuwen was currently a major client for their company.

She couldn't afford to offend Zhou Yuwen just to stand up for Su Qing, could she?

If she did, she might even lose her job.

So, faced with Tao Tian's question, Lu Wanting hesitated for a moment before finally replying, "I played it a bit when I was a kid."

"Wow, you played this when you were little? You're so amazing!" Tao Tian instantly revealed a look of profound envy.

Lu Wanting felt a bit embarrassed under Tao Tian's adoring gaze and murmured that it was actually nothing special.

Tao Tian then clung to Lu Wanting, pestering her to teach her how to play.

No matter how reluctant Lu Wanting felt in her heart, she still physically went through the motions and patiently instructed her.

By the time Zhou Yuwen finished his business discussion and returned, he saw the two girls playing quite decently. He playfully teased them, noting that Sister Wanting was evidently a much better teacher than him.

Now that she was stripped of the 'Sister-in-Law' title, Zhou Yuwen addressing her as 'Sister Wanting' was already giving her plenty of face.

Lu Wanting shook her head, her cheeks tinged with pink. "No, I was just teaching casually."

"By the way, Sister Wanting, are you currently sharing an apartment with my cousin?" Zhou Yuwen asked, as if suddenly remembering something.

Lu Wanting said they weren't.

"We just happen to live in the same apartment building."

"Ah, then you must still be able to contact him normally. I'm having a housewarming party in a few days. President Zhu and Mr. Gao will both be coming. Why don't you come along too, Sister Wanting?" Zhou Yuwen mentioned in passing.

"Huh?" Lu Wanting blurted out. "Would it really be appropriate for me to go? I'm no longer..."

"That doesn't matter, we're all friends here. Just come over and hang out. Didn't Cousin Xiaoyong mention a few days ago that the two of you wanted to treat me to a meal? You can come with him then. It's a great chance to meet a lot of new friends."

Zhou Yuwen was essentially lending his cousin a hand. Since his cousin was working under Gao Bide, he could invite Gao Bide to the housewarming party and introduce them properly.

For newcomers just entering the workplace, personal connections were indeed incredibly important.

Yet, Lu Wanting still seemed to be hesitating.

Seeing her like this, Zhu Hong felt a bit exasperated and chimed in to remind her, "President Zhou invited you, so just go. Meeting more people will be beneficial for your future career."

"Alright."

Since Zhu Hong had spoken, Lu Wanting finally agreed.

And so, the matter was settled. By the time they left the golf course, it was already eight o'clock in the evening. The sky had long since grown dark. The group grabbed a meal together at the course before going their separate ways.

Zhou Yuwen took Tao Tian back to Zhonghai Garden. He was staying overnight at her place again, but feeling that just the two of them was a bit too dull, he considered whether he should invite Qu Jing over.

Pinned beneath him, Tao Tian heard this and quickly pleaded, "Don't..."

"Why not?" Zhou Yuwen asked with an amused grin.

"Just... not right now," Tao Tian stammered.

The main issue was that Tao Tian felt far too embarrassed at the moment. She was still wearing her golf outfit—a pleated skirt paired with a cropped shirt. She had a fantastic figure and had also worn a pair of white over-the-knee socks, leaving only a sliver of fair, tender thighs exposed between the skirt and the socks.

Practically the moment they stepped through the door, Zhou Yuwen couldn't wait any longer and pinned her down on the sofa.

If Qu Jing were to come over right now, there was no telling how she would tease her. Thus, no matter what, Tao Tian absolutely refused to let Qu Jing come over.

So Zhou Yuwen relented, maintaining his position with one hand grasping Tao Tian's ample breasts.

His other hand held onto her thigh. "Beg me," he demanded softly.

"Beg me, and I won't call her."

Her small face flushed crimson, and her hair was a mess. "Please..." she whispered.

While Zhou Yuwen and Tao Tian were busy playing their little games in her room...

Liu Shuo, who had just woken up, was in pretty bad shape. He had spent the entire previous night drinking before fooling around with a hostess from the KTV.

The girl's skills in bed were genuinely impressive, completely out of Lu Hui's league.

Yet, Liu Shuo didn't actually feel happy. After all, he had treated Lu Hui with genuine sincerity, only for her to play him like a fool. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became.

It got to the point where, while the girl was obediently kneeling and servicing him...

He suddenly pictured Lu Hui's face. Unable to control himself, he delivered two sharp slaps to the girl and cursed fiercely, "Are you this much of a slut for everyone!?"

The girl had been completely bewildered by the sudden beating.

Naturally, things ended on a sour note after that, but Zhou Yuwen had provided him with a substantial amount of money.

Because he paid well, the girl didn't make a fuss about it.

However, returning home alone, Liu Shuo still couldn't vent the seething frustration in his heart.

He maintained a stony expression as he unlocked his door.

The moment the door swung open...

He saw Lu Hui sitting on the sofa. She immediately stood up, her eyes instantly tearing up. She looked as though she desperately wanted to speak to him but was too afraid to step forward.

The stench of alcohol hadn't fully dissipated from Liu Shuo, and his cheeks were still slightly flushed. But upon seeing Lu Hui, the anger he had forced down surged right back up. "What the fuck are you still doing here?"

"Liu Shuo..." Lu Hui felt incredibly wronged hearing this.

She couldn't help wanting to rush forward, wrap her arms around him, and try to wear him down with soft pleading.

But before she could even touch him, Liu Shuo viciously slapped her, sending her crashing to the floor. "Save your fucking acting for someone else! I asked what the fuck you're doing here!?"

Lying prone on the ground, Lu Hui's nose stung as tears streamed down her face. She wept as she begged, "Liu Shuo, please listen to me. It's not what you think."

"Not what I think? Then what the hell is it?! Don't tell me you used more than just your hands! Motherfucker!" The thought sent another irrational wave of fury coursing through Liu Shuo.

"Get the hell out of here, now!"

"Just looking at you makes my blood boil! Damn it, how do you even have the nerve to show your face in my house again?! Get out!"

Saying this, Liu Shuo grabbed Lu Hui and began dragging her toward the door.

Naturally, Lu Hui refused to go. She wailed, crying out in desperation, "Hubby, I was wrong! Please, forgive me just this once, I'm begging you! I swear I'll never do it again!"

"Get lost! Acting like this just makes me fucking sick to my stomach, fuck! How did I never realize how cheap you were before?! Get the hell out!" Liu Shuo cursed, forcefully hauling Lu Hui out of the room.

Lu Hui naturally resisted, her thighs sliding against the floor as Liu Shuo forcefully dragged her all the way to the front door. Yet, she adamantly refused to leave, even gripping the doorframe with a death grip.

Seeing her like this, honestly, brought Liu Shuo a twisted sense of satisfaction. But what Lu Hui had done truly infuriated him. "Lu Hui, look at the pathetic state of yourself right now!" he barked. "If you really loved me so much, then why the fuck did you cheat on me?!"

Under normal circumstances, Lu Hui wouldn't degrade herself so miserably over someone like Liu Shuo. The main issue was that after being fired by Zhou Yuwen, she had spent the entire afternoon reflecting, only to realize that aside from her glamorous and decent job under Zhou Yuwen, it seemed absolutely nowhere else was willing to hire her.

So, she wanted to make one final, desperate bid.

Faced with the furious Liu Shuo, Lu Hui sat on the floor, weeping uncontrollably as she tried to reason with him. "L-listen to me."

Wiping away her tears, she argued, "This whole thing... I can't be held entirely responsible."

"Not your responsibility? Are you saying it's mine?! Motherfucker! My brother has several women, and every single one of them manages to behave properly! You're the only fucking woman I have, and you play this game with me? Are you even human, Lu Hui?! Huh? Are you even fucking human!?"

If he hadn't brought up Zhou Yuwen, it would have been fine, but mentioning him made Lu Hui feel even more wronged.

"B-but why don't you think about it?" she choked out.

"If..."

Lu Hui was still sobbing pitifully.

"If you were as handsome as Zhou Yuwen, how could I have ever cheated on you!?" she cried.

"Go to hell!"

Liu Shuo immediately stepped forward and delivered another resounding slap.