Lu Xuan looked at the woman before him; the speed with which she transformed from hysterical madness to a calm negotiating stance was astonishing.
Her swollen, tear-streaked face, combined with her feigned calm and even a hint of flirtation in her eyes, created a strange sense of disjunction.
Interesting, truly interesting.
Lu Xuan chuckled inwardly. This Zhao Mengqi was truly a born actress; just moments ago she was threatening to kill herself, and now she could quickly adjust her state, attempting to seize the initiative.
Unfortunately, she had chosen the wrong opponent.
He even felt that if Zhao Mengqi's desperate, almost twisted fanaticism for survival were channeled into the right path, she might genuinely achieve something great.
But now, if this madness of hers could be properly tamed, it wouldn't be a bad tool to use—a swift blade that could precisely stab at certain enemies hidden in the shadows.
A faint curve appeared at the corner of Lu Xuan's lips, but there was no warmth in his eyes.
He surveyed the office, which he had kicked into disarray, then glanced at the scattered ceramic shards and dirt on the floor, finally letting his gaze rest on Zhao Mengqi.
He slowly walked over to a relatively intact guest sofa nearby, and as if in his own home, casually brushed aside a few scattered documents, then sat down gracefully, even comfortably crossing his legs.
“Click.”
He pulled out a cigarette pack from his pocket, shook out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, then took out a lighter and lit it.
Pale blue smoke curled upwards, blurring his expression but adding to his sense of control and oppressive presence.
He took a deep drag, then slowly exhaled the smoke towards the ceiling, before turning his gaze back to Zhao Mengqi, who stood not far away, still trembling slightly.
“Director Zhao,” he began, his voice not loud, yet carrying an undeniable penetrative power, as if every word had a hook, easily able to pull up the deepest fears from one's heart, “You just asked me if I wanted money, or if I wanted you?”
He paused, as if thinking of something amusing, and the curve of his lips deepened: “As for money, I’m not very sensitive to numbers, and I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to count too much. As for you…”
Lu Xuan’s gaze brazenly swept over her, from her disheveled bun to her slightly askew dark green qipao, finally resting on her face, which now looked somewhat comical.
“Director Zhao, do you have some misunderstanding about me? Or perhaps, do you have some unrealistic fantasies about yourself?” He chuckled, his tone filled with undisguised mockery, “Others might be deceived by your carefully crafted ‘Jiangnan talented woman’ or ‘understanding older sister’ facade, but I… I see far more clearly than them.”
He flicked the ash from his cigarette, his eyes suddenly sharpening: “The glittering shell beneath you has long since rotted away, hasn’t it? A husk filled with desires and lies, to be honest, I truly have no interest in it.”
“So, put away your self-important tricks. You want to use this rotten flesh of yours to negotiate with me? Director Zhao, you think too highly of yourself, and too little of me, Lu Xuan.”
Zhao Mengqi was utterly stung by Lu Xuan’s words; the color drained from her face instantly, then flushed crimson, as if she had been slapped hard several times.
She bit her lower lip so hard her nails almost dug into her palms.
The anger and humiliation that she had so painstakingly suppressed in her heart surged up again.
In school, in front of her suitors, when had she ever suffered such humiliation?
She was the high and mighty Director of the Network Information Center, the perfect goddess in the hearts of countless people.
But now, in front of this man ten years her junior, all her disguises were torn to shreds, and the dirty past she most wished to avoid and bury was casually laid bare in the sunlight by him, leaving her nowhere to hide.
He was right; she herself felt filthy and despicable, hating Zhao Zhaodi who resorted to any means to climb up, hating herself who had fallen into money and desire.
To erase that shameful past, she would spare no cost.
To maintain everything she currently possessed, she would do anything!
Zhao Mengqi took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down.
She raised a hand, somewhat frantically wiped away the tears on her face, and then haphazardly pushed her scattered hair behind her ears, trying to tidy her appearance and regain some of her usual composure.
“Lu Xuan, is it?” she spoke, her voice still hoarse, but with a deliberate cold hardness, “Don’t think that just because you have something on me, you can insult me so recklessly! Aren’t you just trying to find out who contacted me?”
She puffed out her chest, and even though her qipao was somewhat ill-fitting from her previous struggles, she still tried to appear confident: “I can tell you. But, I have one condition! You must agree to it, otherwise, I won’t say anything!”
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan chuckled, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world.
He stubbed out his cigarette on the edge of a broken flowerpot nearby, looking at Zhao Mengqi with calm, unwavering eyes, even a hint of pity, as if watching a clown unaware of his own folly.
“Zhao Mengqi, have you not understood the current situation?” Lu Xuan’s voice grew cold, “You, a woman with two lives on your hands, who rose to power by selling your body, what right do you have to negotiate with me now?”
He stood up and slowly walked towards Zhao Mengqi, each step seeming to land on her heart.
“Do you think I’m discussing with you?” Lu Xuan stopped in front of her, looking down at her, his tone icy, “I have a hundred ways to make you speak, and believe me, each one will be more uncomfortable than you can imagine right now. You still want to negotiate with me?”
“I have no interest whatsoever in your sordid past. What kind of rotten fish you are has nothing to do with me, Lu Xuan! If it weren’t for the person behind you setting their sights on me, do you think I would even glance at you?”
He took a step closer, almost pressing against Zhao Mengqi, lowering his voice and enunciating each word: “Now, immediately, tell me, who is the person who instructed you. Once you’ve told me, I’ll leave immediately, otherwise…”
Zhao Mengqi was so overwhelmed by the powerful aura emanating from him that she could barely breathe, instinctively taking a small step back, but her back hit the cold wall, leaving her nowhere to retreat.
Fear, like a tide, engulfed her once more.
But in this extreme fear, a hint of a desperate thought began to sprout in her mind.
She suddenly raised her head, meeting Lu Xuan’s cold gaze, and a desperate resolve flashed in her bloodshot eyes.
“I don’t trust you,” her voice trembled slightly, yet carried an unusual firmness, “What if… what if you reveal my secrets afterwards? What will I do?”
Lu Xuan’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly as he quietly watched her, wanting to see what trick she was trying to pull.
Zhao Mengqi took a deep breath, and a strange smile suddenly appeared on her face, a smile that looked particularly twisted on her swollen features.
“Lu Xuan, didn’t you say… you weren’t interested in me?” Her voice suddenly became somewhat cloying, with a hint of deliberate provocation, “But… I am very interested in you now.”
Before her words had even faded, she extended her slightly trembling hand, and to Lu Xuan’s astonishment, slowly, one by one, she began to unfasten the delicate frog buttons at the neckline of her dark green qipao…