Chapter 209: What Good Is He? (1/2)

Actually, Lu Chenzhou’s response wasn’t that strange to Cheng Xi. The crux of the issue was that he was cold, hard, and arrogant. His distaste for everything around him was so blatant that it made people instinctively want to criticize him, especially after news like this broke.

And then, he turned around and left right after speaking—he didn’t even try to cushion his words or offer an explanation! This time, even Ceng Xing couldn’t help himself from smiling in schadenfreude. “Ha, look at this guy!” But then he glanced at Cheng Xi to gauge her response.

Cheng Xi frowned and replayed the video, and after that she replayed it again, and then again. “The footage has to have been edited. Lu Chenzhou wouldn’t give that poor of a response, no matter how cold he is.”

The reaction in the video didn’t have his characteristic aloofness, and the questions that were asked didn’t correspond well with his responses. Thus, something in the middle must have been edited out.

“That can only mean that he must have really offended the reporter who interviewed him.”

Cheng Xi remained silent—Ceng Xing wasn’t wrong. If the reporter hadn’t been offended, then there wouldn’t have been any need to edit the footage and specifically present Lu Chenzhou in such a way that showed his arrogance and haughtiness in exquisite detail! Given what had happened to Donglai Pharmaceuticals, that kind of performance could ruin both him and his entire company.

As predicted, when Cheng Xi looked up news articles about Donglai, almost all of it was negative. There seemed to be countless articles and posts being made every minute, and even questionable anecdotes, like how someone had bought flu medicine from Donglai and then had a terrible stomachache, started popping up left and right. In a matter of days, Donglai Corporation’s reputation had plummeted to the bottom of the barrel. At the time, Cheng Xi was slightly relieved that Lu Chenzhou rarely appeared in the public eye, so the shark-like reporters who wanted to attack his personal life didn’t even know where to start.

But clearly, her feelings of relief had come too early, as before they could even finish dinner, someone revived the “exposé” thread that the girl he’d toyed with had written. All sorts of rumors and gossip about Lu Chenzhou’s erectile dysfunction flew around the internet, and there was even a particularly provocative rumor that surfaced: “The reason why Lu Chenzhou doesn’t feel anything towards women is because he’s gay! Don’t focus on how cold and hard he is—he’s actually a bottom!”

The person who started that thread quickly received countless replies demanding proof, and he actually replied with a picture of... Baldy.

When Cheng Xi saw the post, she instantly sprayed tea all over her phone.

As she coughed, she quickly reached out for a napkin to wipe her phone off.

“What’s the matter?” Ceng Xing asked as he helped her out.

Cheng Xi graciously shared the gossip with him, and Ceng Xing was stunned speechless by the time she finished explaining. “You’re not going to call him?” Lu Chenzhou was clearly on the brink of ruin.

Cheng Xi shook her head. “I don’t think that he did anything wrong. What’s more, even though this is a pretty big deal, I believe that he has the ability to overcome it.”

Cheng Xi thought back to when he had said, “What if we destroyed Donglai Pharmaceuticals?” His tone had been light-hearted, but he had clearly been very serious.

An inevitable headache struck Cheng Xi, as she was very worried that the whole incident might have been orchestrated by Lu Chenzhou. But this thought was too frightening, so much so that Cheng Xi didn’t dare tell anyone about them, and certainly not Ceng Xing.

Perhaps it was because she didn’t understand why Lu Chenzhou was so hostile toward Donglai Pharmaceuticals, but the only thing Cheng Xi could think about was his mother’s death…… What had actually happened back then? What didn’t she know?

As she pondered this enigma, her forehead scrunched up, and her countenance turned gloomy. Ceng Xing thought that she was just worried about Lu Chenzhou but wouldn’t admit it, so he called out, “Cheng Xi?”

“Hmm?” She quickly returned to her senses as she looked up at Ceng Xi even as she continued to bite down on her chopsticks.

They were at a roadside stall somewhere in Gansu. People were streaming through the road, and in the dim light, her bright face was like a fresh patch of spring grass.

The moment their gazes met, Ceng Xing’s heart felt like it had been lightly tapped by someone, and an indescribable feeling of limpness and numbness spread throughout his body.

He couldn’t lie to himself anymore. He couldn’t lie about why he had followed in her footsteps to come here. He couldn’t lie about why he had chosen to come today even though it would’ve been easier later on—today was Valentine’s Day, after all.

But she didn’t seem to notice his self-realization. In the past, and even in the present, she’d never thought too much about him.

“What’s the matter?” After Ceng Xing just looked at her without speaking, Cheng Xi eventually spoke up.