Chapter 74: Then There’s Still Hope for You

Just as Chu Chuo’s hand was about to brush Lin Zhiwei’s hair, Lin Zhiwei’s eyes snapped open with the keen alertness of a wolf. She seized his hand and, in one swift movement, threw him over her shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

Chu Chuo hadn’t even registered what happened before he was writhing on the ground in pain. He hadn’t expected this girl to be so ruthless. He jerked his head up, only to meet a pair of utterly unfamiliar eyes—gone was the lively intelligence and sly wit he’d seen when they first met. Instead, they were now deep, cold, and as mercilessly chilling as the abyss.

He froze, thrown off his guard.

It was only after Lin Zhiwei recognized his face that she loosened her grip on his arm, stood up, and looked away, her tone indifferent. “It’s you.”

Chu Chuo clutched his arm in pain. Was it dislocated? Damn it, this girl really hadn’t held back...

“I just wanted to call you,” he said, sitting on the ground with a helpless smile. His expensive suit was now streaked with dust and torn, his meticulously styled hair reduced to a disheveled mess, yet his narrow, fox-like eyes seemed all the more seductive and unruly in the dim night, a wild charm radiating from his disarray.

Leaning against her motorcycle, Lin Zhiwei had regained her usual composure, though she looked tired. Arms crossed, she asked, “What do you want?”

Chu Chuo dusted off fallen leaves from his suit and stood up. “If you weren’t coming, you could have at least said something.”

Only then did Lin Zhiwei recall Chu Chuo’s barrage of messages. Didn’t he know that no reply meant she wasn’t coming? She answered impatiently, “Is this because I took your person?”

He gave a short laugh. Seeing her so guarded was almost amusing. He had imagined playing the hero tonight, draping his jacket over her shoulders in some romantic scene. Instead, he’d ended up eating dirt.

“Why did you help Ling Ziheng?” he asked directly, his gaze fixed on Lin Zhiwei, who was dressed as a man.

She half-leaned against her bike, all in black, her fringe half-shadowing her eyes. Her face was expressionless, her mood unreadable, yet a bone-deep chill emanated from her.

Lin Zhiwei looked into the distance at the undulating mountains, her heart stifled but knowing full well there was no excuse to leave now. Since Chu Chuo had pursued her here, he was bound to want answers. If she gave him a satisfactory one, she could leave. Her voice was soft but steady. “You know who I am. Helping him is helping myself.”

“And what about Yin Mi’er?” Chu Chuo pressed, a hint of urgency in his voice under the cloak of night.

Lin Zhiwei glanced at him. “I can’t stand seeing women bullied.”

Chu Chuo narrowed his eyes, tense, as if restraining himself. After a moment, he sighed quietly. “Do you realize what kind of trouble you’re stirring up?”

Lin Zhiwei was unconcerned. “Of course I do. It’s my mission.”

Chu Chuo stared hard at the woman before him, disguised as a man. In her eyes now was nothing but disdain and mockery, unsettling him and igniting a spark of anger within.

From the beginning, he had only wanted to test her, to persuade her to back off so they could all avoid trouble. He hadn’t expected her to be so reckless, so oblivious.

“Do you think I’m despicable?” Chu Chuo asked bluntly.

Lin Zhiwei blinked and answered just as frankly, “Aren’t you?”

She cursed inwardly—what, did he want a monument erected in praise of his virtue? Did he really not know what kind of person he was?

Chu Chuo closed his eyes wearily, his face clouded. “I advise you not to choose the wrong side. Ling Ziheng’s adversaries are far stronger than he is.”

Lin Zhiwei hadn’t expected him to be so direct. Her gaze softened. “Chu Chuo, I have a question for you. Answer it instinctively, without thinking.”

He nodded.

“If just now, after you patted me, I suddenly had a heart attack and would die if not taken to the hospital within five minutes—would you save me or not?” she asked in one breath, tilting her head as she lobbed the question at him.

“Save you,” he answered at once, his gaze, usually playful and detached, now unexpectedly resolute.

Even he seemed startled by his own answer, his eyes widening slightly as he coughed awkwardly. But he couldn’t deny that, without a second thought, that was his immediate response.

Lin Zhiwei shook her head with a soft laugh, took the helmet hanging from her handlebar, and swung onto the bike. Still shaking her head and tutting, her expression was more vibrant than Chu Chuo had ever seen—so much so that he memorized it in a single glance. “Then there’s hope for you yet.”

With that, she put on her helmet and sped away, leaving Chu Chuo standing there, stunned, unable to grasp her meaning.

Was the girl toying with him? That bizarre question was probably just an excuse to slip away. It held no real significance, and he’d let himself be played for a fool…

Yet he couldn’t deny that her expression and those penetrating eyes were seared into his mind.

“Then there’s hope for you yet.”

Her words echoed in his mind like a spell. He suddenly wondered: is there really… hope for me?

He laughed bitterly, gazing up at the sky. He’d actually let this girl get to him, pondering such a pointless question.

From the very start, he’d told himself that everything right now was just a string of days muddled through without a choice. Whether life was good or bad, at least he could have whatever he wanted—wind when he wished, rain when he pleased, money to spend by the handful, women to change at will.

In the eyes of his fans, he was King Chu; to the world, the Conqueror.

At least to outsiders, his life was dazzling.

Even if he’d borrowed the pretense of “Fantasy World” to stir up a few starlets, so what? They had brought it on themselves, and without his fame, they’d never have made it.

He walked slowly to his car. A man in black stepped out to open the door for him. Leaning against the door, he asked in a low voice, “Did you get it all on film?”

“Very clearly,” the man replied respectfully.

“Good. Send it to Ling Ziheng later. With his temperament, a few more incidents like this and the conflict will escalate.” With that, he got into the car. The darkness inside swallowed his expression, leaving only the faint, cool, and slightly mocking timbre of his voice.

Ling Ziheng, the more I appear and stir things up, the more this ambiguous alliance between you two will unravel—how long can it possibly last?