From rejecting the beautiful female CEO to becoming extremely powerful

Lu Yunzhou noticed Bai Wantang's hesitation and looked up at her.

"Speak your mind."

Bai Wantang raised her face and her throat moved.

"The enhancement drugs we are injected with will continuously damage our bodies."

She paused, her gaze falling on her wrist.

"Internal organs, bone marrow, and meridians will be slowly worn down by the effects of the medicine."

Ye Zhiwei lowered her head and pressed her palms against her knees.

The atmosphere in the room became somber.

Lu Yunzhou looked at them, his expression unchanged, but the veins on the back of his hand bulged.

Bai Wantang uttered the most difficult words: "We won't live past thirty."

Ye Zhiwei pursed her lips and her shoulders moved slightly.

"At most thirty."

Bai Wantang added, "If we continue to hold on like this, the time will only be shorter."

Lu Yunzhou stood up and walked to her side.

Give me your hand.

Bai Wantang did not hesitate and placed her wrist on the table.

Lu Yunzhou placed two fingers on her wrist pulse, and his true energy probed into her body along the meridians.

Bai Wantang's body tensed immediately, and beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, but she did not stop.

The true energy traveled around her limbs.

Lu Yunzhou lowered his brows.

Bai Wantang's blood and qi were still circulating, but a layer of stagnant medicinal properties was pressing down on her internal organs.

Those things have seeped into her bones and become intertwined with her body. Trying to force them out directly would first damage her own foundation.

He withdrew his inner energy and turned to walk towards Ye Zhiwei.

Ye Zhiwei raised her chin and proactively extended her hand.

"Let me see it too."

She spoke frankly, but her eyes avoided Lu Yunzhou.

Lu Yunzhou grasped her wrist and channeled his inner energy into her again.

Ye Zhiwei's condition is more serious.

Her old wounds hadn't healed yet, and the effects of the medication had settled deeper.

Several meridians are blocked, causing sluggish flow of qi and blood. The accumulated damage over the years has reached deep into the bones.

When Lu Yunzhou withdrew his hand, Ye Zhiwei's hand was still being held by him.

"How is it?"

She stared at his face.

"It can be cured."

Lu Yunzhou answered quickly.

Bai Wantang looked up at him.

Lu Yunzhou looked at the two of them: "The effects of the medicine have already penetrated your internal organs and bone marrow, and you can't expel it on your own. I don't have a ready-made solution right now."

Ye Zhiwei's lips moved slightly, and the light in her eyes dimmed a little.

Lu Yunzhou continued, "But I will search. Cultivation techniques, medicinal herbs, things that can withstand true qi—I'll supplement whatever I lack. If the Gray Tower blocks my way, I'll fight my way through. If overseas organizations dare to protect them, I'll go after them too."

Bai Wantang grasped his hand, her palm tightening around it.

"You don't need to shoulder so much for us."

Lu Yunzhou looked down at her.

"Once you've moved in here, you're one of us."

He pulled his hand back, his tone leaving no room for negotiation: "My own people are dying, I won't stand by and watch."

Ye Zhiwei stared at him for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

"We don't seek any official title."

As she finished speaking, her ears felt hot.

"As long as I can stay by your side, protect you, and fight for my own survival."

Bai Wantang remained silent, but her fingers slowly tightened their grip on the medicine bottle.

They fought their way back from overseas, escaping pursuit and old grudges, and had very little left to ask for.

Now, standing before Lu Yunzhou, all they want is a choice.

Lu Yunzhou raised his hand and smoothed out the wrinkles on Ye Zhiwei's clothes.

"Follow me, and your lives are still in your own hands."

Ye Zhiwei looked up.

"From now on, you can choose which path to take. If you want to stay, stay; if you want to leave, no one will stop you. How you live your lives is up to you."

Bai Wantang looked at him without saying a word for a long time.

She had prepared for many possible outcomes.

Lu Yunzhou might find them troublesome, might demand they hand over all their secrets, or might kick them out to prevent the Gray Tower from finding them through the clues.

She had thought about all of these things.

But Lu Yunzhou gave the choice back to them.

Bai Wantang lowered her head and wiped the corner of her eye quickly, so that the two people next to her could not see it clearly.

Ye Zhiwei didn't hide; she raised her hand and hugged Lu Yunzhou's waist, pressing her face against his chest.

"You keep your word."

Lu Yunzhou placed his hand on her back and patted her gently.

"I mean what I say."

The door lock clicked at that moment.

She finished the port area modeling early, holding a stack of newly printed drawings, originally intending to hand over the new data for Nanwan to Lu Yunzhou.

She stopped in her tracks as soon as she stepped into the living room.

Ye Zhiwei was still pressed against Lu Yunzhou.

Bai Wantang sat at the table, just as Lu Yunzhou's hand had been removed from Ye Zhiwei's back.

The three people were very close, and Gu Nanqiao could see everything from the medicine on the table to the scattered corners of their clothes.

Gu Nanqiao's expression changed.

"My timing for returning is unfortunate."

She placed the drawings on the cabinet, her fingers pressing the paper down with a soft creak.

Lu Yunzhou turned around: "Nan Qiao, things aren't what you think."

Gu Nanqiao raised her hand to interrupt him, her eyes fixed on Ye Zhiwei.

"I've seen enough."

Ye Zhiwei released Lu Yunzhou, stood up straight, her lips moved slightly, but she offered no explanation.

Gu Nanqiao smiled briefly.

"You don't need to tell me anything. I understand."

She picked up her coat, turned, and walked towards the door.

Lu Yunzhou quickly caught up with her and reached out to stop her.

Where are you going?

Gu Nanqiao stopped, her shoulders tense.

"Back to the construction site. I've left the blueprints here; you can discuss the rest yourselves."

Lu Yunzhou looked at her profile.

"Nan Qiao".

She closed her eyes briefly, then finally turned her head.

"I stay up until midnight every day in the port area, monitoring the model, modifying the data, and running errands with suppliers for you. After I come back, I have to pretend I didn't see anything."

Her voice was low, but her fingers crumpled her coat.

"There are more and more people around you, but I don't even know where I stand."

After saying this, Gu Nanqiao turned around and opened the door.

Lu Yunzhou reached out to stop her, but Gu Nanqiao had already stepped out.

"Don't chase after them."

She didn't turn around.

I don't want to hear your explanation right now.

The door closed between the two of them.

Ye Zhiwei stood in the center of the living room, her gaze fixed on the ground.

Bai Wantang picked up the medicine bottle on the table, turned the cap twice, but still couldn't open it.

Lu Yunzhou stared at the door, his face darkening.

Ye Zhiwei bit her lip, picked up a drink from the refrigerator, and quickly chased after him out the door.

Less than half a minute later, she returned alone.

She didn't answer.

She put the drink on the table, her voice much lower.

Lu Yunzhou didn't blame her; he simply picked up his phone and dialed Gu Nanqiao's number.

The phone rang a few times before being hung up.

He called back, but the phone was switched off.

Bai Wantang sat at the table and looked up at him.

"She held on for a long time."

Lu Yunzhou put down his phone.

"I understand."

Ye Zhiwei stood to the side, the can of drink in her hand deformed from being squeezed.

Lu Yunzhou looked at the traces left by the three people in the living room, his gaze falling on the pair of shoes that hadn't been taken off by the door.

In the past, a joke or a drink could quell a minor conflict.

That's not enough now.

Everyone around him was waiting for a clear position, and they were all betting their lives on him.

If this ambiguity continues, someone will eventually leave first.

Lu Yunzhou picked up the medicine on the table and turned to look at Bai Wantang and Ye Zhiwei.

"From now on, everything will be laid out on the table and explained clearly."

Both women looked up at the same time.

Lu Yunzhou gripped the medicine bottle tightly, his tone direct.

"Who wants to stay, why they want to stay, what they can and cannot accept—explain everything clearly."