Chapter 12: Young Master Lu: I'm Really Robbing You, Not Giving a Gift!
Outside the State Guest House, the night was as thick as ink, and the evening breeze carried a hint of early spring chill.
Lu Shixuan slid into the driver's seat of the ferrari LaFerrari and slammed the door shut.
"Bang!"
The dull thud echoed through the silent parking lot, startling a flock of birds perched in the treetops.
His current mood was even darker than the night.
System, get out here!
Explain to me, what on earth does 'favorability overflow' mean?
I worked my ass off acting for so long, splashing wine and smashing jade, yet my villain points barely budged. Instead, I've become the charity ambassador for the whole of Beijing?
Was the script swapped out behind my back?
The system played dead, with only a row of golden text flickering in his mind as if mocking his incompetence.
"Young Master Lu, wait for me."
The passenger door opened, and a faint scent of jasmine wafted into his nose.
Chu Yaoyao lifted her skirt and sat down with elegant movements.
After taking off those heavy black-rimmed glasses, her face was so exquisite it seemed otherworldly.
Especially those eyes; they were sparkling now, as if filled with a galaxy of stars.
Lu Shixuan glanced at her sideways and snorted coldly, "Who told you to get in? Get out!"
"I won't."
Chu Yaoyao buckled her seatbelt and folded her hands over her knees, looking like she was determined to stay.
"Young Master Lu was so majestic on stage just now. If I get out now, what if those jealous socialites tear me to pieces?"
"That's your problem. What the hell does it have to do with This Young Master!"
Lu Shixuan cursed harshly, but his foot didn't touch the accelerator.
Tsk, how did this girl get so thick-skinned?
This dress is off-the-shoulder. It was fine with the heating in the banquet hall, but it's several degrees below zero outside now. Her shoulders are covered in goosebumps from the cold.
She's really a handful, risking her life just to look pretty.
And this ferrari's air conditioning—the vent is pointing right at the passenger seat. I better not let her catch a cold, or I'll have to go through the trouble of finding her cold medicine.
While grumbling in his heart, Lu Shixuan roughly reached out and tapped frantically on the touchscreen.
"What are you looking at! This Young Master is hot; can't I turn up the temperature?"
He cranked the AC to 30 degrees, set the fan to the lowest setting, and then took off his suit jacket, throwing it hard onto Chu Yaoyao's lap.
"Take it! This jacket smells like that scum Lin Zihao's booze. This Young Master doesn't want it anymore. Hold it for me, and don't get my leather seats dirty!"
Chu Yaoyao felt the residual warmth on the jacket, and a dry, warm woody fragrance instantly enveloped her.
She pursed her lips, trying her best not to laugh out loud.
"Alright, Young Master Lu. I'll 'handle' this piece of trash properly."
Lu Shixuan started the engine, and the ferrari charged out of the parking lot like a roaring beast.
His god-level driving skills were on full display at this moment.
Even on Beijing's busy Second Ring Road, Lu Shixuan drove as steady as a rock, every turn as precise as if drawn with a compass.
"Young Master Lu, was that piece of jade from Ye Chen... really fake?"
Chu Yaoyao turned her head and asked curiously.
"Nonsense. This Young Master has seen countless treasures; I could tell at a glance it was Pinduoduo-tier junk."
Lu Shixuan held the steering wheel with one hand, his tone arrogant.
Actually, that fake was quite realistic. If I didn't have the Appraisal Skill from the system, I probably would have been fooled too.
Ye Chen is too eager for quick success; he probably got played.
But his antique dealer master is interesting. The acid used for the staining seems to be some kind of prohibited substance.
Looks like I'll have to get Fourth Sister to look into that lead, so the Lu family doesn't suffer this kind of loss again.
Chu Yaoyao's heart stirred. Third Sister Lu Hongyi was a criminal investigation captain; if Lu Shixuan really provided a lead, it could indeed help the Lu family avoid many risks.
The car soon arrived at the entrance of the Chu Family Old Mansion.
Lu Shixuan stepped on the brakes and shooed her away impatiently, "We're here. Get the hell out."
Chu Yaoyao didn't get out immediately. Instead, she took a golden brooch out of her small bag.
It was the medal awarded to "Outstanding Contributors" at tonight's charity gala, made of pure gold and set with a tiny sapphire.
"Young Master Lu, this is your medal. Eldest Sister accepted it on your behalf earlier, and it ended up with me."
Lu Shixuan stared at the medal, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
A medal?
This thing is a symbol of honor!
If I snatch it and throw it away, or humiliate her to her face, I'll definitely gain a lot of villain points!
Lu Shixuan suddenly reached out and snatched the medal away.
"This Young Master has plenty of this kind of junk!"
He deliberately put on a greedy yet disdainful expression, turning it over and over.
"This gem is way too small. Chu Yaoyao, were you planning to keep it for yourself? I saw you staring at it for ages—do you really want it?"
Chu Yaoyao was stunned and hadn't spoken yet.
Lu Shixuan stuffed the medal directly into his pocket and sneered, "Even if you want it, you're not getting it! I'd rather feed this kind of thing to a dog than give it to a Special Poor Student like you!"
Whew, that should be nasty enough, right?
Snatching honor and humiliating a classmate!
Actually, there's a sharp pin on this medal. I saw her almost prick her finger when she was holding it.
I'll keep it for now, find a craftsman to grind down that pin tomorrow, and then secretly slip it back into her backpack.
Although the sapphire is small, the quality is good. It should look quite nice with her blue school uniform skirt.
Seeing his petty "I found a treasure" act while hearing the tenderness in his inner thoughts, Chu Yaoyao felt as if her heart had been lightly tickled by a feather.
"Alright, then Young Master Lu, remember to keep it safe. Don't go 'feeding it to the dogs'."
She pushed open the car door, but before getting out, she suddenly leaned in close to Lu Shixuan and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.
"Goodnight, Young Master Lu."
"Holy crap!"
Lu Shixuan was so startled he nearly jumped out of the driver's seat.
Touching his cheek, he watched Chu Yaoyao's retreating figure as she ran off lightheartedly, his mind in a complete mess.
Was I just harassed?
I was harassed by a Special Poor Student?
System!
What is this?
Villain's perks?
How am I supposed to do these tasks!
Cursing under his breath, he started the car and sped all the way back to the Lu Family Manor.
As soon as he entered the hall, he felt an unusual atmosphere.
On the leather sofa on the first floor sat a woman wearing a deep purple silk bathrobe.
She wore a pair of black-rimmed plain glasses, her long hair draped lazily over her shoulders, and she held a thick stack of scripts, focused on marking something with a red pen.
There was an extremely intellectual yet somewhat detached sense of scrutiny about her.
The Lu family's Fourth Sister, Lu Shuyao.
Beijing's most famous genius screenwriter and author; rumor had it she could see through someone's deepest secrets just by their micro-expressions.
Lu Shixuan's heart skipped a beat.
Crap, why is this auntie back?
Eldest Sister is domineering, Second Sister is hot-tempered, and Third Sister is violent—those are all easy to handle.
But this fourth one, she plays psychological games!
In front of her, I feel like I'm not wearing any clothes.
Lu Shuyao put down her pen and slowly raised her head.
Those deep eyes looked through the lenses and landed on Lu Shixuan.
"A Xuan, you're back?"
Her voice was very soft, yet it carried a power that struck directly at the soul.
Lu Shixuan maintained his arrogant facade and snorted, "Fourth Sister, aren't you filming at the movie studio? Why are you back? Is it because your script was so bad that the investors kicked you out?"
Fourth Sister's recent project, "Schemes Under Heaven," seems to have hit a bottleneck. The original second male lead's character design was too thin.
Actually, if she just changed the second male lead to an undercover agent who is 'in the darkness but yearns for the light,' the sense of conflict would emerge immediately.
Sigh, look at those dark circles under her eyes; she probably pulled a few more all-nighters.
She definitely won't bring herself to eat that box of top-grade bird's nest in the study. Later, I'll have to pretend to throw a tantrum and smash the box so she's forced to eat it 'with tears in her eyes' to nourish herself.
Lu Shuyao's hand holding the red pen suddenly trembled.
Her usually calm face was now filled with shock.
Just now... what was that voice?
As a writer, she was extremely sensitive to sounds and emotions.
That voice clearly belonged to A Xuan, but his mouth hadn't moved.
And that suggestion about the "second male lead's character design"... it was simply divine!
The logical knot that had troubled her for an entire month was actually untied by this short sentence?
Lu Shuyao adjusted her glasses and stared intently at Lu Shixuan.
She suddenly stood up, walked over to Lu Shixuan, and circled around him once.
"A Xuan."
"Wh-what?" Lu Shixuan felt creeped out by her gaze and subconsciously backed away.
"You said just now that my script was bad?"
"That's right! It's rotten to the core! Even a dog wouldn't watch it!"
Lu Shuyao suddenly reached out and gave Lu Shixuan a tight hug.
"Thank you, A Xuan. You really are your sister's... god of inspiration."
Lu Shixuan was completely dumbfounded.
No, Fourth Sister, have you gone crazy too?
I called your script trash; why are you hugging me?
Do the women of the Lu family all have some kind of intermittent mental disorder?
Just then, the system's notification sound rang in Lu Shixuan's mind.
Ding!
Detected host completing the task "Humiliate Fourth Sister's Talent."
Since Fourth Sister Lu Shuyao obtained top-tier plot inspiration from the host's inner thoughts, this script will sweep major global awards in the future.
System judgment: The host has single-handedly raised the cultural level of humanity. Due to extremely 'vile' behavior (a dimensional strike against traditional bad dramas), the rewards are doubled!
Reward: God-level Acting (Passive skill: When the host attempts to play a villain, charm increases by 1000%, and a 'heartbreaking sense of loneliness' atmosphere is automatically triggered).
Reward: 50 million in cash.
villain points: +500.
Looking at the "Charm +1000%" reward, Lu Shixuan almost cried on the spot.
System, I'm begging you, you're trying to get me killed!
They already dote on me enough; why are you adding to my charm?
I really can't keep playing this villain anymore!
Meanwhile, at the corner upstairs, Eldest Sister Lu Qingwan, Second Sister Lu Zhirou, and Third Sister Lu Hongyi were standing side-by-side, watching the heartwarming scene below.
"It seems the fourth one heard it too," Lu Qingwan said calmly.
"Good." Lu Zhirou rubbed her wrist. "From now on, in this house, however A Xuan wants to act, we'll play along."
"However," Lu Hongyi's eyes turned cold, "it's time to clean up that Ye Chen who bullied A Xuan, as well as the Lin family."
As the night deepened, the lights within the Lu Family Manor were warm and peaceful.
Only Lu Shixuan was alone, lying on his two-hundred-square-meter bed, staring mournfully at the ceiling.
"Tomorrow... tomorrow I'm definitely going to steal a kid's lollipop. I refuse to believe that can increase favorability too!"