Zhang Cheng anxiously hid within the spiritual realm, secretly watching Lu Qiuchen.
Every tiny reaction from her stirred waves of emotion in his heart, and the confidence he had earlier had long since vanished without a trace.
Lu Qiuchen’s attitude toward him would determine the path his life would take for a long time to come. At such a crucial turning point in his life, how could he not be nervous?
When Zhang Cheng saw Lu Qiuchen looking so downcast, he was confused at first, but relying on his understanding of her, he quickly realized she was trapped in self-denial.
He had long known about the deep-seated inferiority complex hidden beneath Lu Qiuchen’s calm exterior. He had guessed before that it stemmed from a lack of proper family education.
Lu Qiuchen’s parents were both busy with their company’s affairs, dedicating most of their energy to work and neglecting to spend time with her. The lack of love and companionship in her life gradually shaped her into a somewhat introverted person who was unwilling to take the initiative to communicate with others.
Zhang Cheng had noticed this educational gap after they became friends. At that time, Lu Qiuchen didn’t live in the downtown apartment yet but stayed with her parents. Zhang Cheng had visited her home several times, and her parents were rarely there. According to Lu Qiuchen, they often came home very late.
Nowadays, society pays much more attention to children’s safety; there are transport services for school commutes, and three meals a day can be had free at school. This relieved many parents of burdens, allowing them to focus on work. Lu Qiuchen’s family was just like that. From elementary school onward, she was used to being alone.
Later, Zhang Cheng once upset Lu Qiuchen by joking about his height. Although he immediately realized his mistake, apologized, and was forgiven, he still didn’t understand why she reacted so strongly to such a harmless joke.
But after researching online, Zhang Cheng understood the inferiority complex his friend harbored. From then on, he became very mindful of his words and actions, careful not to touch on Lu Qiuchen’s sensitive spots when joking.
Seeing her like this now, Zhang Cheng immediately sensed her mood and, while a little worried, couldn’t help but feel a spark of joy.
Lu Qiuchen’s self-doubt and denial were exactly the opportunity to change her mindset. If he could make good use of it, it would greatly advance their relationship.
Saving Lu Qiuchen was Zhang Cheng’s goal, but the method was still up to him to choose.
No longer hiding his consciousness, Zhang Cheng’s figure appeared in the spiritual realm.
He wrapped his arms tightly around Lu Qiuchen from behind, leaning in close to whisper softly in her ear, “Don’t doubt yourself. You’ve done more than enough.”
Lu Qiuchen trembled but did not resist. Seeing no violent reaction, Zhang Cheng’s confidence grew. He hugged her tighter and continued, “I’m here with such determination to save you, and yet you’re turning against yourself. That’s not only a lack of trust in yourself but also a doubt in my judgment.”
“I… I’m not!” Lu Qiuchen felt uncomfortable under Zhang Cheng’s relentless closeness and was ready to break free, but his next words hit her heart, making her freeze and instinctively retort.
Seeing Lu Qiuchen react, Zhang Cheng knew things were going as planned. He suppressed the joy swelling in his chest, his voice lowering to a slightly husky, magnetic tone.
“I opened my heart to you, yet I got no response. That hurts. You saw my feelings just now…”
Lu Qiuchen sensed something off in Zhang Cheng’s logic but, hearing his accusation, hurriedly defended herself, wanting to clear her “guilt.”
“No, it’s not like that! I see all your efforts. I’m really touched…”
“Then why are you running away? Whatever the problem, we can face it together. Even if I’m not strong enough now, still…”
But Zhang Cheng’s pressing only backfired. Lu Qiuchen snapped back to reality and suddenly broke free from his embrace, turning to shout at him.
“Zhang Cheng! Do you think just because you’re kind to me, I’m supposed to like you and let you control me? Don’t flatter yourself!”
Confronted by Zhang Cheng’s closeness, all the resentment and inferiority she had buried inside erupted like a flood, boiling into rage as she yelled at him.
“I know you’re obsessed with me. If our roles were reversed, I admit I couldn’t do what you’re doing, so that moves me deeply! But so what? Just because you’ve done a lot for me, you think I have to obey you blindly?”
Zhang Cheng was stunned by her emotional outburst, but he had already anticipated this. He knew she had laid bare her innermost thoughts.
If he could convince Lu Qiuchen to truly accept her shortcomings and see her true self, overcoming and controlling her draconic mindset later would be much easier. So he immediately tried to respond.
However, because Lu Qiuchen hadn’t deliberately restrained her strong spiritual power, Zhang Cheng’s consciousness was hit, leaving him dazed. His mouth opened to speak, but the carefully prepared words were scattered, and he failed to retort in time.
But whether he responded or not no longer mattered. Lu Qiuchen was already caught in her emotions, continuing to vent at Zhang Cheng.
“Zhang Cheng! I’ve always been jealous of you! Jealous of your happy family! Jealous of the love your family gives you! Jealous of your sharp mind and strong body! Jealous of your cheerful, generous, and gentle personality!
“The kinder you are to me, the taller and more beautiful you seem, and that only highlights the ugliness in my heart!
“Being your friend is both my luck and my misfortune. Every part of you shines so brightly, and compared to you, I’m always just a supporting role, which makes me deeply insecure! But I also have pride—I’ve always wanted to prove I’m not worse than you!
“Body and looks are gifts from parents; I can’t change that. So I worked hard in other areas, but whenever I barely managed to surpass you in something, you’d easily catch up and leave me behind. Now I know it’s your elven talent, but even if it’s an advantage from your bloodline, that’s your strength.
“So when I saw you again, I was pleased to become a dragon. Finally, I truly surpassed you in something. But reality tells me I’ve stepped right into your trap from the start. Everything I have now is because of your arrangements?
“Even though I clearly know there’s a conspiracy behind this, I don’t have the courage to end it myself and can only ask you to save me in the end. I admit I’m cowardly and timid. I want to live, and for that, I even signed a contract with you to become your ‘pet’! But do you really think you can easily control me like that?!
“I don’t know what your ‘good mother’ sent you here for, but I know you want complete control over me! You’ve changed my body, destroyed my life, and now you want to control my mind?” Lu Qiuchen’s eyes blazed with fury as she roared at Zhang Cheng.
“I refuse to be your puppet! My life isn’t your game!”
These words completely caught Zhang Cheng off guard. This was not the scene he had imagined at all. For a moment, he stood frozen, staring at Lu Qiuchen in shock.
So this is how she’s always seen our relationship? Well, obsession is always personal and has nothing to do with her. I can’t assume she has to give back equally just because I’m good to her. And given her parents’ behavior, it’s understandable that she distrusts me.
Zhang Cheng realized her thoughts weren’t wrong; it was he who had been too self-centered.
Seeing Zhang Cheng remain silent for a long time without replying, Lu Qiuchen gave a bitter smile and slowly faded away.
“Child! Wait!!” Zhang Cheng suddenly snapped back from his thoughts as Lu Qiuchen was about to leave the spiritual space and hurriedly called out.
Think quickly! Say anything! If I can’t keep her here now and she misunderstands me, it’ll be even harder to explain later!
“Um… you’re right. Earlier, I was too presumptuous and made you misunderstand. I apologize… No, no, actually, I’m very serious about this…” Zhang Cheng stammered.
Seeing Lu Qiuchen stop and quietly turn back, Zhang Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. Although her expression was cold, as long as she was willing to listen, there was still hope.
He reorganized his words and apologized sincerely: “I’m very sorry! I was too arrogant before, mistaking your tolerance for my success and becoming complacent, thinking that because I put in a lot of effort, you’d surely agree.”
Zhang Cheng anxiously observed Lu Qiuchen’s expression. “This was actually moral coercion on my part. I didn’t consider whether it would put more pressure on you or your feelings.”
Looking into her eyes sincerely, Zhang Cheng continued, “I don’t really understand my parents’ thoughts or what Eternal Group’s hidden agenda is, but as you saw just now, my desire to save you is genuine.”
“But some of what you said was mistaken. I think you might have misunderstood me, and I want to explain now.”
After finishing his words, Zhang Cheng pulled up the memories Lu Qiuchen had seen before. She found herself back in first-person perspective, immersed in watching Zhang Cheng’s memories again.
But unlike last time, Zhang Cheng was now by her side, giving detailed explanations and clarifying his thoughts at the time.
“As you see here, from the moment I learned you were in trouble, I might have gone a little crazy. Self-blame led me to an obsessive madness. Even late at night, thinking back on it, I couldn’t control my emotions. I was scared of myself.”
Zhang Cheng analyzed his inner thoughts as he described the first scene.
“At first, I only blamed myself for causing your accident. Coupled with suspicion around that incident, I stubbornly believed it was a conspiracy and launched some rather childish investigations. Later, the company’s conspiracy was confirmed. But my feelings back then… let’s leave that aside for now.”
“The next scene is when I found your huge poster in the company. Before discovering that, I’d wanted to give up countless times, but this event reignited my resolve.”
The scene shifted, revealing images Lu Qiuchen had never seen before.
“I’m sorry I hid some things from you before. After all, old Zhang… Zhang Guang did something wrong to you. I didn’t want you to know, fearing you’d misunderstand. But from now on, I’ll share all my memories with you.”
“I will never hide anything from you again.”