"Why are you so confident? Are you absolutely sure he won’t deceive you because you two are in the same boat? That’s why you’re so confident?"
"It seems I was right before, you two have been in cahoots for a long time. When did it start? Was it from the first time your personality changed drastically, or even earlier? How could you sink so low? Why would you ally yourself with someone like Chen Wenzhou?"
"Do you even know what kind of person Chen Wenzhou is? To achieve his own ends, he’ll stop at nothing, even harming those close to him. With someone like him, you actually have the guts to cooperate? I’m truly scared for you."
"Enough! Stop preaching at me. I came here today concerning your daughter, not to listen to you sermonize. If you don’t care about your daughter’s well-being, you can leave right now. I won’t stop you. But if you’re here to talk business, then drop this act and stop painting your son in such a noble light as if you really care about me. If you did care about what I do, why ignore my efforts and pursuits?"
"After all, you’ve never taken me seriously. So why are you pretending? I’ve already given up pretending, so why do you continue to wear a mask? There are no outsiders here, no audience. Let’s just cut the crap and talk openly."
"Let’s just have a nice, simple chat."
Hearing his words, Shen Heyu literally exhaled a breath of cold air, realizing that in Lu Yi’s eyes, all his actions were seen as wickedly intentional. He did not appreciate nor would he understand Shen Heyu’s heart.
Given the circumstances, Shen Heyu really had nothing more to say. Breaking off his line of thought, he looked up and regarded him seriously.
"You’ve been beating around the bush for so long. Now you can tell me your terms, right? I’m sure you’re more anxious than I am."
Shen Heyu’s voice became completely cold as he looked up at Lu Yi’s expression. After he said those words, he could clearly see Lu Yi’s mocking laugh, that kind of smile that seemed like a devil reveling in triumph.
Lu Yi stood up with a glass of wine, step by step moving closer to Shen Heyu. Why did he feel a chill approaching him whenever he was near Shen Heyu, cold enough that he subconsciously wanted to shiver?
However, he tried to steady his mind, wary of Lu Yi’s approach, truly worried Lu Yi would do something detrimental to him.
"In fact, haven’t you always known what I want? So why the pretense? I’ve made myself clear this time. To obtain that antidote, I had to pay such a heavy price. You can’t expect me to have done it all in vain, can you?"
Shen Heyu tensed up, his heart feeling as if it was being constricted by a thin thread. Indeed, he knew what Lu Yi had always wanted, but he couldn’t meet Lu Yi’s demand.
"Let’s change the terms," Shen Heyu pleaded, but then he heard that rejecting laugh from himself. When Lu Yi laughed, Shen Heyu felt his airways freeze over.
"You’re a smart guy; you know exactly what I want. So, let’s make a trade for what I want."
"After all, your daughter’s life is quite valuable."
Shen Heyu’s hands, resting on his knees, slowly clenched into fists. He lifted his head and met Lu Yi’s gaze, glaring at him with an intensity as if he wanted to reduce Lu Yi to ashes.
"Lu Yi, are you still human? Don’t you have any human emotions? Don’t forget that Yuexue has always treated you as a dad. How important you’ve been to her in her heart. And now, you’re threatening me with his life? Where’s your conscience?"
Shen Heyu glared angrily at Lu Yi. Half an hour earlier, when he received Lu Yi’s call saying he had Yuexue’s antidote, he felt like a traveler in the desert who had finally found an oasis.
At that moment, he thought he was saved. Now it seems his earlier thoughts were too naive. He was not saved, but had simply jumped from one dire situation into another, for Lu Yi and Chen Wenzhou were equally devious; otherwise, how could they have joined forces to create a united front?
But Shen Heyu didn’t want to dwell on when they had joined forces and what harm they had done to him; now his eyes were only on Yuexue. He wanted to save his daughter and needed to obtain the antidote from either Chen Wenzhou or Lu Yi, but both men were thorns in the side, tough to deal with, and unlikely to grant his request easily.
"Shen Heyu, what do you mean by that? You already know the great lengths I’ve gone to obtain the antidote. So, of course, I’d expect something of equal value in return, isn’t that a normal thought?"
"Can’t you consider the relationship between you and Yuexue and let us off the hook? You say you spent all that money; I can give you back that sum, just give me the antidote. I could even offer you more."
Hearing Shen Heyu’s words, Lu Yi suddenly burst into mad laughter, his voice becoming extremely chilling.
"Where would you get that much money to offer me? Are you thinking of asking Pei Yansi for help? Even now, you’d rather seek help from Pei Yansi than from me."
"Shen Heyu, you really are hopeless until the end. Even now, you still hope that Pei Yansi can rescue you from dire straits, but I need to tell you: open your eyes and see clearly that I am the only one who can save you now."
"Lu Yi, are you going to be like Chen Wenzhou? Chen Wenzhou is so heartless and cruel towards Yuexue, doesn’t that pain you? Don’t forget that Yuexue has always treated you as the most important outsider."
"And to think that with the antidote, Yuexue would be saved. It seems I was too naive. Since that’s the case, let’s trade the drug for money. After all, you’re spending the money at that moment too, aren’t you?"
"Shen Heyu, I’ll say it one more time what I want; if you give yourself to me, I’ll give you the antidote. Why can’t you understand plain speech?"
"Even if you’re using the antidote to force me to agree to sleep with you, Lu Yi, I’m telling you, you’ll never have my heart, even if you have my body."