From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Ye Churan rubbed her temples, her expression one of exhaustion.

Lu Yunzhou glanced at her expression.

She barely slept last night, and ran into Gu Nanqiao as soon as she got home.

Before leaving, Ye Churan put the first-aid kit in the kitchen on the table, glanced at Gu Nanqiao, and her meaning was very direct.

She's at her house, so no one should lay a hand on her.

The door closed, leaving only the two people inside.

Gu Nanqiao stood still, not touching the sofa.

She pressed her uninjured hand against her right shoulder and remained silent for a few seconds.

"The game we arranged last night was a joint decision made by the three of us."

She lowered her eyes. "Let me explain things clearly."

Lu Yunzhou pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze fixed on her.

Gu Nanqiao explained the arrangements for the mine.

The help page was a temporarily obtained account, the broken work badge was prepared in advance, the sound from the speaker was a recording, and the positioning device was hidden under the white light.

Ye Zhiwei was responsible for close-quarters combat, while Bai Wantang was responsible for blocking their escape routes.

She stayed on the perimeter to observe, ready to intervene if Lu Yunzhou could not hold on any longer.

The three people originally only wanted to test his combat strength.

Later, they deliberately put Ye Churan's name in the game, forcing him to be cautious, forcing him to hold back, and forcing him to continue fighting while injured.

"We want to confirm whether you can hold off the experts from Gray Tower."

Gu Nanqiao swallowed hard. "I also want to know if you would risk your life for the people around you."

Lu Yunzhou's hand landed on the edge of the table, and the wooden table made a dull thud.

"You measured it very clearly."

Gu Nanqiao's shoulders and back were tense.

"You used Teacher Ye's name to deceive me and dragged the orphanage into it. Every time the recording was played, I had to pull back my strength. You knew I would be wary of her, which is why you dared to set up this scheme like this."

"We didn't mean to hurt her."

Gu Nanqiao lowered her voice.

"Just because she wasn't injured, does that mean the score can be settled?"

Lu Yunzhou raised his eyes, but there was no smile on his face.

"You can find out her duty hours, and so can the people in Gray Tower. Today they can use the orphanage to spread false information, tomorrow they'll actually kidnap a child. You think you're testing me, but you're actually paving the way for the enemy."

Gu Nanqiao pursed her lips tightly after being told that.

She took out a memory card and placed it on the table.

"Grey Tower has been chasing us for a long time. Bai Wantang took a bullet for me, and Ye Zhiwei helped me escape from the blockade overseas. All three of us are on Grey Tower's list. If one of us is caught, the other two won't survive either."

She paused for a moment, then continued explaining.

"I know this reason won't appease you. But we only dared to use this method to confirm your strength after we found out you've already entered the True Qi Realm. If you can't withstand it, Yuanchuan, Mu Qingying, and Teacher Ye will all be implicated."

Lu Yunzhou did not take the card.

Gu Nanqiao stood by the table, her palm pressing down on the card, the gauze on her shoulder wrinkled from the fabric.

She was slapped by Lu Yunzhou last night, and after returning home she didn't even have time to change her medicine before rushing over at daybreak.

"You owe me, come and pay me back with the documents."

Lu Yunzhou pointed to the memory card, "Don't try to fool me with a few explanations."

Gu Nanqiao withdrew her hand.

She stood there for a while, then reached out and unbuttoned her coat.

The movement aggravated the wound, and his brows immediately furrowed.

The coat slipped down to his arm, and the collar of his snow-white shirt also loosened, exposing the side of his neck to the air.

"You spared our lives last night, which is equivalent to saving two lives."

Gu Nanqiao looked up at him, "I can't pay you back."

She put her coat aside and took two steps closer to Lu Yunzhou.

"I'll accept whatever punishment you want. If you want me to stay, I'll stay. If you want me to stay with you, I'll agree to that too. Just don't pursue them any further, and don't hand them over to Gray Tower."

Lu Yunzhou stood up, reached out to catch her slipped coat, and draped it back over her shoulders.

He gathered her collar and fastened it for her.

"You think you can get away with this by offering yourself up?"

Lu Yunzhou's hand stopped at the last button. "What do you take me for?"

Gu Nanqiao gripped the hem of her clothes, her shoulders stiff.

"Everything I said is true."

"I'll make myself clear."

Lu Yunzhou withdrew his hand. "What you owe me is the complete truth and formal compensation. I won't accept your bodies as payment."

Gu Nanqiao looked up, her eyes reddening at the corners.

"You dislike me?"

Lu Yunzhou looked at her for a few seconds.

"I like women, and you're not bad looking either. But you can't trade a life-saving opportunity for sex. If you want to talk about feelings, come talk to me yourself after you've thought things through."

Gu Nanqiao's breathing faltered, and the hem of her clothes slipped from her grasp.

"I owe Bai Wantang and Ye Zhiwei two lives, and I also owe you one life. I'll do anything to repay you."

"Then show us what you've got."

Lu Yunzhou put the memory card into the drawer. "You're a structural engineer. Go back to Yuanchuan and complete the safety plan for the Nanwan project."

Gu Nanqiao was stunned for a moment.

"You can stay and work at Yuanchuan, and you'll still get paid. You can make amends with your own actions, but I don't need it."

She stared at her now-buttoned collar, her hand pausing on the medicine box.

Lu Yunzhou turned around, poured a glass of warm water, and placed it in front of her.

"After Qingying's birthday banquet, the three of you will go to Yuanchuan together. Write down clearly why Gray Tower is chasing you, how many people they still have, and who is in Sheng'an to provide backup."

Gu Nanqiao picked up her water glass but didn't drink it immediately.

"If one item is missing, I'll check it my own way."

She nodded.

"I will bring everything."

Lu Yunzhou looked up at her, his tone direct.

"The people around me cannot be used as guinea pigs for you. Ye Churan, Mu Qingying, Su Qingwan, Feng Qianyi, Shen Luoyan—none of them can be touched. If the enemy dares to harm them, I will take action. You think I'll take the fall for you before even understanding their background? No way."

Gu Nanqiao held the water glass, her knuckles pressing shallow marks into the glass.

"And what about me?"

Lu Yunzhou pushed the medicine box in front of her.

"You're from Yuanchuan. I'll help you if you get into trouble. But if you try to use yourself as a bargaining chip, I won't take you."

Gu Nanqiao picked up the medicine box, but the movement paused for a moment as her shoulder ached from her injury.

Lu Yunzhou swept his hand over her gauze.

"Focus on healing your injuries first, and don't risk your life again by using them."

She put on her coat and stopped at the door.

"You just buttoned my collar, were you afraid Teacher Ye would misunderstand when she gets back, or do you really care about me?"

Lu Yunzhou touched the memory card in his coat pocket.

"I just don't want to see you acting crazy while you're injured."

Gu Nanqiao let out a laugh through her nose, her ears turning bright red.

She opened the door and went down the stairs.

The room fell silent again.

Lu Yunzhou stood by the table and took out his phone.

Ye Zhiwei's number is still on the blocked list.

After the test ended last night, he blocked her without even wanting to hear her explanation.

Now that Gu Nanqiao has delivered the message, there's no need for him to continue blocking the news.

Lu Yunzhou opened the settings, unblocked the message, and sent a message directly.

"Twelve everyday photos. Taken today. No filters, no old photos, just pictures of eating, working, and leaving get off work. I've collected twelve as an apology."

The phone lit up immediately after the message was sent.

"Okay, I'll film it now."

Ye Zhiwei replied crisply.

Then she added another sentence.

"Send all original images, and please don't block me again."

Lu Yunzhou pressed his temples and put his phone back on the desktop.

A few seconds later, twelve upload prompts appeared on the screen in succession.

Ye Zhiwei agreed even faster than he expected.