"Please, heroine, stop coming over!

"This can't be happening, right?" Lu Chengwen was on the verge of losing his mind. "I haven't done anything, nor do I plan to do anything bad. Why is the protagonist coming after me? Doesn't the author need to use some logic when writing? If the villain hasn't done anything wrong, why is the male lead causing trouble?"

System: "Oh, I see. My apologies. Aren't you planning to do something to Leng Qingqiu?"

"I have over 600 million worth of defective products waiting to be destroyed overnight at my pharmaceutical factory. What could I possibly do to her? I don't have the time!"

System: "Oh, I see. Over there is… let me check… Xu Xuejiao is there… So, you're planning to make a move on both female leads at the same time. Got it! You're trying to increase the difficulty for the male lead, Long Aotian, to rescue them. Noted! By the way, that's a brilliant move!"

"Brilliant move my foot! I'm not planning to make a move on anyone. I'm just going to destroy some defective medicinal materials!"

System: "Is that so? But the plot won't be very interesting that way. We'd prefer if you could be more proactive and have some ill intentions towards the female leads. That way, the male lead's storyline can kick off more smoothly."

"Listen to me!" Lu Chengwen tried his best to stay calm and reason with the system. "Whether Long Aotian's storyline kicks off or not is none of my business. I'm done with this! I have no interest in the female leads, none whatsoever. Tomorrow, I'll settle things with both of them, no dragging it out!"

"Settle things? You mentioned 'settle things.' I understand now! So, you're planning to make your move on both female leads tomorrow, and it's going to be utterly ruthless, heinous, and inhumane, right?"

Lu Chengwen was on the verge of tears. "Sis, please spare me! I've died six times already, and each time was brutal. Can't you just let me live in peace for a while? I won't touch either of those women. By the way, can you make sure they stop hovering around me? I'm not the protagonist! Their leisure time should be spent with the male lead, Long Aotian, right? You know, all that暧昧 and eye-candy stuff? Honestly, the plot has already gone off the rails on the first day, and it's your fault!"

"Host, you're mistaken. In fact, everything here—people, events, objects—is real. We are merely here to supervise and observe. The only thing we can do is guide you in advancing the plot, improving your abilities, and provide limited external communication. What the male lead, female leads, or anyone else does, where they go, or who they get close to—we have no control over that, nor are we interested in controlling it."

Lu Chengwen suddenly calmed down and began to analyze the situation.

"It's all real? So… I must have done something to make them deliberately involve themselves with me… But I haven't done anything!"

"With Leng Qingqiu, I tried to break off the engagement, but she refused. She was the one who came to me at night."

"Xu Xuejiao… I stopped Long Aotian from making a move on her. Does she know about that? But she shouldn't know. At the pharmaceutical factory… she seemed certain that I would destroy the defective drugs…"

The system interrupted: "By the way, if you survive the first day, you'll receive a first-day gift pack!"

"The first-day gift pack is full of great items and offers! It will help you on your path to self-destruction, allowing you to fully engage in the conflict with the male lead. Before you get killed, you'll experience the ultimate thrill, ensuring you die without regrets and with a smile on your face!"

Lu Chengwen shook his head. "You're really something else."

…

After settling Leng Qingqiu in a clean guest room and making sure she was asleep, Lu Chengwen called Zhao Gang and rushed to the pharmaceutical factory.

If I'm going to die, so be it.

If the King of Hell wants me dead by midnight, the system won't let me live till dawn.

But if the system's hints are accurate, then this is a… real world?

Is the system a higher intelligence that exists above this world? They don't interfere or forcibly change the logic and operation of this world, is that what you're saying?

Regardless, I'll deal with today first. The first-day gift pack sounds tempting, even if it seems like they're rooting for my death. But only by getting it can I have a chance to survive.

Long Aotian, I'm going head-to-head with you!

You want to kill me?

I don't believe it. If I don't do anything bad and just kneel before you, would you still have the heart to kill me?

…

The process went smoothly.

Under the supervision of multiple parties, batches of defective drugs were fed into the shredder, turning into waste, which was then recycled by a third party.

Lu Chengwen supervised the entire process.

Xu Xuejiao also stayed up all night, overseeing everything.

Xu Xuejiao was meticulous, not missing a single detail. Of course, the other responsible parties were equally thorough.

Everyone was tense, knowing full well what this meant.

Lu Chengwen watched as the last batch of medicinal materials turned into waste, a calm smile appearing on his face.

*Sigh, at least I did something good, right?*

Lu Chengwen thought bitterly:

*No matter what, with these drugs destroyed, no one will get hurt. If I'm going to die in this world tomorrow, at least I did something meaningful today.*

*It was worth it!*

Not far away, Xu Xuejiao watched Lu Chengwen's profile, shocked by what she heard.

Is this guy going to die?

Is that why he suddenly changed, becoming a good person?

That can't be. He's Lu Chengwen. He has a professional medical team monitoring his family's health. If something serious happened, that team wouldn't stay silent.

What's going on?

But this guy… when he's melancholic, he kind of looks like a brooding prince.

"Director Xu."

"Huh?" Xu Xuejiao quickly turned around.

The engineer nodded with relief. "It's all done."

"Got it."

The drug regulatory official went to shake hands with Lu Chengwen.

"Director Lu, I know making such a decision requires immense courage and moral strength. No one knows what storm the Ninth Pharmaceutical Factory will face tomorrow. But as a fellow pharmaceutical professional, I want to express my utmost respect and gratitude for your decision."

Lu Chengwen smiled. "It's not as serious as you think. At worst, the factory will shut down, and I'll be vilified by the media."

The official laughed, patting Lu Chengwen's shoulder. "We'll wrap up here. If you need anything, let us know."

"Thank you. Everyone has worked hard."

Dawn was approaching.

A faint glow was rising on the distant horizon.

Lu Chengwen was exhausted.

On his first day in this world, he had avoided two direct confrontations with the protagonist, Long Aotian. He had met both female leads twice, maintaining his distance and trying to sever any ties between them.

Although he wasn't entirely successful, he was still alive, and his legs were still intact. That was good news.

The people who had worked through the night were leaving, starting their cars and heading home to rest.

Lu Chengwen wearily walked to his car when Director Zhang approached him. "Director Lu."

"Oh, Director Zhang. I'm exhausted. Can we talk tomorrow?"

Director Zhang forced a smile. "Just one sentence."

Lu Chengwen was beyond frustrated. He really didn't have the energy to deal with these people anymore.

"Fine, fine. Just say it quickly. I'm dead tired."

"Thank you." Director Zhang bowed deeply, then straightened up, his eyes moist, a relieved smile on his face. "I'll resign tomorrow. You don't need to worry."

Director Zhang turned to leave, but Lu Chengwen stopped him. "Wait. Why are you resigning?"

"I…"

Lu Chengwen understood. This time, he had "cost" himself several billion, so Director Zhang wanted to resign.

Lu Chengwen smiled. "Director Zhang, you're the backbone of our Ninth Factory. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't dare think about the consequences of today's events. You can't resign. If you leave, who will tip me off in the future? Who will help me correct my mistakes? Even if you dislike me, think I'm a terrible person, don't you have some affection for the Ninth Factory? The patients, the ones who need real, effective medicine—they need you to stay and ensure quality."

Director Zhang couldn't believe his ears. Such words coming from Lu Chengwen's mouth?

He was utterly shocked and deeply moved.

"Director Lu, I must say, I had misconceptions about you before. I apologize. Today's events have truly opened my eyes. From now on…"

"Enough, enough, enough…" Lu Chengwen waved him off. "Director Zhang, I really don't have the energy to accept your apologies or gratitude. Get some rest, and we'll continue working tomorrow. I'm exhausted. Let's talk tomorrow, okay? Today has been too much."

"Oh, alright. You should rest early."

Lu Chengwen let out a sigh of relief. Zhao Gang gave him a thumbs-up. "Boss, you're amazing! That performance was spot-on."

Lu Chengwen replied expressionlessly, "Was it?"

"Absolutely Oscar-worthy. Old Zhang was almost in tears!"

"Shut up and drive."

"Yes, sir!"

Just then, a familiar voice called out, "Brother Chengwen, leaving already?"

Lu Chengwen had already opened the car door. He turned to see Xu Xuejiao standing not far away. She had been there for a while, watching his interaction with Director Zhang.

"You're quite good at winning people over," Xu Xuejiao said. "Director Zhang probably admires you to no end now."

Lu Chengwen rested his forehead against the car door frame for five seconds, then looked up. "Whatever you want to do, let's talk tomorrow. I'm done for today. If you want, go ahead and have Long Aotian come kill me right now!"

"Why do you keep bringing him up?" Xu Xuejiao yawned. "It's already dawn. Take me out for breakfast."

Lu Chengwen shook his head at her, speaking calmly. "Tomorrow, after the press conference. Either you transfer all your shares to me, or I transfer all mine to you. After that, we'll never see each other again. Deal?"

Xu Xuejiao had no idea what was wrong with this guy. What had she done to upset him?

Why does he dislike me so much?

Xu Xuejiao felt hurt.

Since she was a child, boys had always flocked to her, praising her beauty and intelligence.

Why does this guy look at me like I'm some kind of disgusting creature?

Xu Xuejiao was upset. "Why do you suddenly dislike me so much?"

Lu Chengwen opened the car door. "I don't know, and it doesn't matter. Goodbye."

Without waiting for a response, he got in and closed his eyes. "Zhao Gang, take me home."

As Lu Chengwen's car drove away, Xu Xuejiao felt utterly wronged.

This jerk must have something wrong with him!

When we were kids, he always promised to become a doctor for me. How can he treat me like this now?

You want to stay away from me? I'll stick to you like glue and annoy you to death!

Lu Chengwen returned home, threw his coat on the floor, and collapsed onto the bed, falling asleep instantly.

The sun was high in the sky.

Lu Chengwen finally began to stir, his arm moving unconsciously and landing on something soft.

Huh?

He squeezed it a couple of times. It was quite soft.

What is this?

He opened his eyes.

I'm dead.