-Chapter 12-
She didn't even know David. The only reason she came out to have dinner with him was because her master had asked her to.
Now that she realized this man had ulterior motives, trying to ruin her medical career, make her serve under him, or even become his woman in the shadows, she felt utterly disgusted.
She was a gifted doctor. Even at a young age, she had achieved great success. She wasn't here to become someone's obedient wife.
David froze, unable to respond before watching Catherine walk away coldly.
She just left, just like that?
He frowned deeply. Something wasn't right.
Everything lately had been off.
He had returned bearing the title of Northern God of War. By all logic, nothing should stand in his way.
But he was kicked out of Old Master Miller's birthday banquet by Yelena.
His black card was exposed as canceled during dinner at a hotel.
He was slapped hard when he tried to crash a childhood sweetheart's engagement.
And now, the meeting with the famed Catherine, something he had worked hard to arrange, had gone completely out of his control, leaving him as nothing more than a background character.
As the mighty Northern God of War, why was he failing at every turn? What was going wrong?
He couldn't figure it out.
Neither could Lucas.
Even after dinner with Rose, Lucas was still puzzled.
If other storylines shifted because of his arrival, it made sense that character collapses or plot deviations would occur.
But Catherine's arc had nothing to do with him. He hadn't even spoken to her. He just stood and watched.
So why had things gone off the rails?
Was the system messing with him? Had this world already broken down?
"Lucas!"
Suddenly, Rose's voice pulled him back.
He turned and realized he had already dropped her off at the White family home.
It was dark. The gate to the White estate was closed. Lucas quickly smiled. "I'll ring the bell for you."
He stepped forward, pressing the doorbell, sighing inwardly.
[Being a simp isn't easy. If Rose ignores me, I can play the part of a desperate fool. But now that she's being so sweet, how do I keep up the act? Am I supposed to actually fall in love with her?]
Just as he was stressing over it, he suddenly felt warmth from behind.
Lucas froze.
Rose had hugged him from behind.
"Lucas, I know I gave you a hard time before. But since I agreed to this engagement, it means I've accepted you. From now on, let's just focus on being together. Forget everyone else, alright?"
What?
Focus on being together?
Was she confessing to him?
No way. Absolutely not.
The plot couldn't have collapsed this badly.
He immediately grabbed her wrists and pushed her away. "Don't mess around!"
Rose smirked, leaned in close, her breath warm against his skin. "Didn't you say you liked me? Now that we're engaged, why aren't you as passionate as before? Are you one of those men who stop caring once they get what they want?"
"Of course not!"
He couldn't let this ruin his simp persona.
Lucas quickly declared his loyalty. "My feelings for you are as real as the sun and moon! You're a goddess in my eyes. I just… I'm nervous…"
Before he could finish, Rose's soft lips pressed against his.
Lucas was stunned.
This was their second kiss.
The first had left him dazed. But this time, Rose didn't pull away. Her soft cheeks and fragrant scent overwhelmed him. Without even realizing it, his hands wrapped around her waist.
And then, giving in to his nature, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her fervently.
He expected her to resist.
But Rose didn't push him away. She responded, her hands on his shoulders, gently returning the kiss.
Only when he was nearly out of breath did he stop.
Panting against her shoulder, his body was burning hot. His head was spinning.
How did this happen? How did he end up kissing the female lead?
She felt so warm, so soft in his arms. He didn't want to let go.
But she was David's female lead.
He was the villain.
"Ahem."
The White family's butler cleared his throat nearby.
Rose tensed and quickly stepped back.
"It's already late."
Her face was bright red. She lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes.
"I'm going in. Goodnight."
She turned and followed the butler back inside.
Lucas stood alone in the cold night for a long time before returning to his car.
After sitting down, he touched his lips.
It felt… really good.
That night, he was completely dazed. Even in his dreams, he was Brownled up with Rose.
He hadn't been interested in her at first. But after this kiss, he started falling for her. Even while eating breakfast, he kept thinking about it.
Such a dangerous woman.
Luckily, that morning, he got a call from Sylvia. She wanted him to join her at an auction to meet the chairman of Harmony Group. That finally pulled his attention away from Rose and back to business.
This was about his parents and the Grey family's future. He couldn't afford to mess around.
He changed into a suit and met Sylvia at the auction venue.
"See the man sitting front and center? That's Edward Rivers, chairman of Harmony Group. He's here to auction off a 300-year-old wild ginseng. If you can win the bid and gift it to him, we might have a chance."
Three hundred years?
Lucas asked, "How much would that cost?"
Sylvia shook her head. "Hard to say. It depends on the bidders. It might be worthless to most, but if a few wealthy folks all want it, the price could shoot up, possibly into the billions."
Billions?
Lucas nearly coughed up blood.
He had already checked his bank account. It barely held over ten million.
He couldn't even afford a ginseng root hair.
Just as he was panicking, a familiar fragrance wafted over. The next moment, Yelena sat beside him.
"Lucas? What a coincidence."
She wore a white qipao, draped in white fur. Her skin glowed, and her smile was radiant.
Lucas couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
But before he could say anything, David sat down on her other side.
Wait, what?
Why was the Dragon King protagonist here too?
Yelena noticed Lucas's surprise and smiled as she explained, "There was an accident at my family's pharmaceutical company. Mr. Fox helped create the antidote and saved the situation. As thanks, I personally brought him to the auction."
So that was it.
Lucas suddenly understood.
[Looks like the plot's back on track. Yelena's family pharma company got into trouble, David helped solve it, their relationship deepened, and then she brought him to the auction.]
[Turns out, the auction described in the novel is this very one I'm attending. Tsk, Su City really is small. Can't go anywhere without bumping into the storyline.]
[This auction had a few key scenes: David buying the earrings Yelena liked, then Yelena helping Fox buy the herbs he needed to train.]
[Then David slaps the face of the antagonist Zavier. Though I remember Zavier had his leg broken at that hotel last time. No idea if he'll even show up today.]
[Hopefully not. If he does, he's just going to get beaten up and thrown out.]
Lucas sighed and shook his head.
Thankfully, none of this had anything to do with him today. He came with Sylvia just to watch.
And from what he knew of the storyline, David and Sylvia hadn't formally met yet. They had no overlap.
All he had to do was mind his own business and enjoy the show. So far, things were safe.
Thinking this, he snuck a glance at Yelena.
[Her character has collapsed but hasn't completely collapsed. Looks like she's back on track. Good, good. Let's keep it that way. Rose is already enough trouble for me. Don't add more.]
Yelena heard his thoughts and curved her lips slightly, though her eyes were filled with cold disdain.
Back to the main plot?
Was he saying she should go back to being one of David's harem?
Ha. Absolutely not.
The only reason she asked David for help was because after hearing Lucas's thoughts and checking the drugs at home, she realized something was wrong.
She had no way to fix it herself and had no choice but to seek David's help.
But just because she asked for his help didn't mean she acknowledged him.
On the contrary, the more she thought about the idea that all her setbacks existed to make way for the so-called Dragon King male lead's grand comeback, the more nauseated she felt.
That's why she brought him to the auction, helped him bid on that Red Blood Herb, and repaid the favor.
She wasn't the only one who heard Lucas's thoughts. So did Sylvia, who sat on his other side.
She gave Yelena a curious glance. So she was one of David's harem girls too.
Figures. She was a stunner.
But seriously, what made that trash David worthy of all these beauties?
He deserved to drop dead on the spot.
At the center of everyone's attention, David was equally uneasy.
Because he saw Lucas.
The walking disaster who always brought bad luck. Every time he appeared, nothing ever went right.
He didn't know if he was cursed or something, but just seeing Lucas made him nervous.
He had a gut feeling something unpleasant was coming again.
While the four of them were each lost in thought, the auction began.
First item up was the pair of jade earrings Yelena liked best.
Lucas yawned, barely interested, and glanced lazily at David.
[Go on, start your act. Spend a fortune on those earrings and give them to Yelena to win ten points of favorability. Let the two of you bask in your ambiguous romance.]
Sure enough, as soon as the host opened bidding, David raised his sign.
"Three hundred thousand!"
The price quickly climbed to 1.6 million Dollar.
Lucas yawned again and muttered in his mind:
[It's just a pair of jade earrings. Why is everyone acting like maniacs? All this just to set up the male lead's moment of glory? No logic at all. Even if it's top-quality imperial jade, the pieces used for earrings are always scraps. It's not worth this much.]
[The richer people are, the more they know the true value of things. Who would be dumb and rich enough to bid like this?]
[The author just wants to make it feel cool and doesn't care if it makes sense.]
Sylvia couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Crude as it was, the little pervert had a point.
Those earrings were worth, at most, four to five hundred thousand. And now it was pushing two million. Who was even bidding? Either fools or shills.
At that moment, David raised his sign again. "Two million!"
The room gasped.
Lucas propped up his chin and lazily looked toward Yelena.
[Now say your line: Mr. Fox, do you really like those earrings? Then David says: I don't, but someone else does. And if she likes them, then I'll buy them no matter the price!]
Yelena: "…"
First of all, she was never calling him Mr. Fox.
Second…
She took a deep breath and calmly raised her sign. "Two million two hundred thousand."
If the previous bid had caused a stir, this one silenced the entire room. Everyone turned to look at Yelena—including Lucas, David, and Sylvia.
[Wait, what's going on? Why is Yelena bidding against him? The earrings were for her. If David buys them to give to her, why is she trying to outbid him? Does she have a hole in her brain?]
Yelena rolled her eyes at him after hearing that thought.
You're the one with a hole in your brain.
Yes, she did want the earrings. But if she wanted something, she'd buy it herself. She didn't need anyone to gift it to her, especially not someone she didn't like.
Lucas wasn't the only one stunned. David looked confused too. He hesitated, then said, "Yelena, I was bidding on these earrings to give them to someone."
Yelena smiled. "I know."
David sighed gently, giving her a doting look. "You don't understand. I'm buying them for you."
Her smile didn't waver. "I know."
"What?" He blinked. "You know? Then why did you—"
She tilted her head. "Because I know, I can't let you win them. You helped me, I brought you to this auction, and I'll buy you the herbs you need. That settles our debt. You don't need to give me anything extra. I don't like owing people."
David pursed his lips and fell silent.
She didn't even want his gift. Was she trying to distance herself from him?
But why?
He didn't get it. He was outstanding in every way. So many women chased after him. Wouldn't it be beneficial for her to stay close to him?
Why was she so resistant?
Following her gaze, he saw Lucas sitting on her other side.
Somehow, it always came back to that guy.
-End of Chapter 12-