TMWTGD CH5

The young helmsman of the Xie Consortium had always been generous, especially when breaking things off.

A car worth millions, property worth millions more, along with a hefty sum of cash—such a lavish parting gift was more than enough for an ordinary person to live in leisure for a lifetime.

Lu Li had heard about this as well. A week after meeting Xie Jianwei, his friends had warned him, but Lu Li had paid it no mind.

Back then, he assumed he wouldn’t fall in love with Xie Jianwei. Later, when he did fall in love, he convinced himself he would be an exception.

Being allowed to stay the night, coupled with the tender intimacy of this morning, had led Lu Li to believe he truly was different.

Even if Xie Jianwei was notoriously heartless, perhaps he had genuinely developed feelings for him.

Yet now…

Plummeting from the soft embrace of the clouds straight into a hell of thorns was a bitter pill to swallow.

Lu Li remained entirely expressionless.

A single glance was enough for Xie Jianwei to understand the situation.

A breakup settlement?

Though Xie Jianwei had anticipated this dream wouldn’t be straightforward, he hadn’t expected it to be so utterly messed up.

Judging by the circumstances, “he” clearly wasn’t doing this for the first time. Such an egregiously scummy persona was truly beyond his wildest expectations.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Jianwei steadied his emotions. “Take—”

He uttered only a single syllable before Yan Ke’s words flashed abruptly in his mind: My Lord, you have to play along! Play along, understand?

Fuck! No matter how refined his manners, Military Advisor Xie felt the urge to curse.

Was he genuinely expected to play the part of a heartless scumbag who turned cold the second he got out of bed and tossed money at his lover?

Xie Jianwei looked up at Lu Li, studying him with earnest precision.

Lu Li masked his emotions deeply, yet Xie Jianwei could still discern clearly. This big bastard genuinely believed this was a breakup fee.

Since he believed it, the show had to go on.

Otherwise, he would be kicked out of the dream again. Being ejected wasn’t the end of the world, but the real hazard was the big bastard splintering into several more little bastards…

Thinking of that whole nest of fratricidal Lu-bastards, Xie Jianwei compromised.

Curing the illness came first; everything else could take a backseat.

Reining in his emotions, Xie Jianwei cast a nonchalant glance over Lu Li. “Take them. The car is in the color you like.”

Lu Li’s eyes were pitch-black. His thin lips pressed into a tight line, his voice strained: “What does this mean?”

Letting out a soft scoff, Xie Jianwei rested his chin on his palm and looked at him. “Lu Li, you’re an intelligent man.”

Lu Li stared at him with stubborn fixity. “I don’t understand.”

Xie Jianwei stepped closer. When the distance between them narrowed to nothing, he abruptly reached out, grabbing him by the collar. The difference in their heights vanished in an instant. Staring back into his eyes, his detached lips curved into a sneer: “We are both adults. Don’t make a scene by clinging. A clean breakup is—”

Before he could finish, Lu Li captured his lips with brutal force.

Rather than a kiss, it was mutual torment between bruised lips; even the metallic tang of blood welling up could not mask the crushing agony seizing his entire heart.

Xie Jianwei’s resolve began to soften again, but remembering Yan Ke’s warnings, he hardened his heart and slapped Lu Li across the face without mercy: “Enough!”

That sharp reprimand left Lu Li stunned. Meanwhile, the suited men behind Xie Jianwei stepped forward swiftly, drawing their weapons: “Mr. Lu, please conduct yourself with dignity!”

Xie Jianwei’s face was coated in frost.

Lu Li couldn’t snap back to reality for a long while.

Pausing in thought, Xie Jianwei stated slowly, “Do not test my patience.”

Far from holding any affection, his gorgeous eyes were filled with nothing but cold disdain.

As if jolted from a dream, the profound love overflowing in Lu Li’s chest fermented and rotted in that instant, corroded by despair and agony until it slowly mutated into bone-deep hatred.

Xie Jianwei had no heart.

Last night’s tenderness was merely the last supper before the death sentence.

The past three months were nothing more than casual amusement to him.

He was never an exception; he was merely an expendable bedmate.

Summoned at a whim, discarded with a wave, without a shred of lingering sentiment.

A devastating pain exploded in his skull. Lu Li glared daggers at Xie Jianwei, thick hatred seeping into his voice as he spat word by word, “Xie Jianwei, you will regret this.”

Xie Jianwei: “…”

Though his heart ached in shuddering pangs, regret was out of the question. The fact that he hadn’t been kicked out of the dream yet proved his “cooperation” was working splendidly.

Though he had never pulled such scummy stunts in his life, our Military Advisor Xie was no ordinary mortal; whatever role he took on, he excelled at, playing a heartless scumbag shou with peerless authenticity.

Naturally, Lu Li refused to accept the “breakup fee.” Departing with burning hatred, he would obviously make a vengeful comeback to retaliate against Xie Jianwei.

Xie Jianwei was only worried he wouldn’t retaliate, so he specifically arranged for people to deliver the “breakup package” to him again, just to provoke him a few more times.

High-IQ individuals were just like that, exceptionally skilled at extrapolating and pushing the envelope.

Having finished his performance, Xie Jianwei began gathering intelligence. Looking over the files in his hands, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Lu Li certainly hadn’t mistreated him, granting him a towering status in this dream. The helmsman of a mega-conglomerate, pampered in luxury from childhood, brilliantly capable, inheriting the family empire at a young age and expanding it into a powerhouse capable of swaying an entire nation.

Perhaps because his birth was too privileged and everything came effortlessly, this “Xie Jianwei” was detached and fickle, prioritizing only wealth and power, harboring zero faith in romance.

Yet as a golden bachelor, Xie Jianwei naturally attracted no shortage of admirers. CEO Xie was hardly one to deny himself pleasure; whoever caught his eye was taken in, kept while interest lasted, and cast aside once he grew bored, making his cold-hearted reputation renowned far and wide.

However, all those previous bedmates had been women; Lu Li was the sole man.

The initial encounter between Xie Jianwei and Lu Li had actually been quite romantic.

Three months ago, CEO Xie emerged from an exclusive club in the dead of night. Having sent away his assistant and chauffeur earlier out of annoyance, and now having had his fill of fun, he was about to call his driver when Lu Li pulled up beside him. Rolling down the car window, he asked, “Need a ride?”

In the hazy night, Xie Jianwei had drunk quite a bit, and without thinking twice, climbed into the car.

Lu Li asked him, “Where is your place?”

Xie Jianwei casually named an address.

Lu Li said in surprise, “We live in the same residential complex.”

Xie Jianwei owned countless properties; this place naturally wasn’t his primary residence, merely convenient and nearby.

Lu Li, however, was unaware, genuinely believing they shared a fated connection.

As the car drove into the parking garage, Lu Li offered, “I’ll escort you upstairs.”

Xie Jianwei nodded. “Building Two, twenty-seventh floor.”

Lu Li was even more astonished: “We’re actually neighbors.”

The building had twenty-eight floors in total, with the top two floors being duplex penthouses, meaning the twenty-seventh floor was the uppermost entry.

Given the sprawling square footage, there was only one unit per floor, with two penthouses per wing.

Xie Jianwei was rather surprised as well: “What a coincidence.”

Having had alcohol, his footing swayed as he exited the elevator, and Lu Li reached out to steady him.

Xie Jianwei smiled at him: “Thank you very much for tonight.”

That smile sent a tremor through Lu Li’s heart.

Xie Jianwei scanned his fingerprint and entered his penthouse. Though Lu Li felt a touch of regret, he knew when to draw the line; after all, he could tell Xie Jianwei was straight.

Had things ended there, how could the subsequent toxic entanglement ever have blossomed?

Although Xie Jianwei owned the property, he had rarely stayed there. While housekeeping cleaned regularly, the staff had assumed CEO Xie had long forgotten this humble little place and would never drop by, slacking off and failing to pay the utility bills on time.

Midway through Xie Jianwei’s shower, the water and electricity cut off.

Covered in soap suds, he dialed his assistant’s number. After barking a reprimand, the assistant scrambled to rush over.

Yet no matter how fast he hurried, it would take time. After a moment’s contemplation, Xie Jianwei simply threw on a bathrobe and rang his neighbor’s doorbell.

Opening the door to see him, Lu Li genuinely sucked in a sharp breath.

Xie Jianwei’s looks already catered flawlessly to his preferences, and now, standing before him fresh from a bath with glistening droplets clinging to his skin, the sight was so tempting he nearly pinned him down on the spot.

Xie Jianwei asked, “May I borrow your bathroom?”

Lu Li thought inwardly: Never mind the bathroom, I’d gladly lend you myself.

Outwardly, however, he maintained an impeccably upright facade: “Come in.”

Xie Jianwei took a hot shower, emerging feeling considerably more sober.

Lu Li poured him a cup of sobering tea.

Taking a sip, Xie Jianwei suddenly looked up: “You’re into men?”

Lu Li froze.

Curving his lips into a smile, Xie Jianwei murmured, “In the car earlier, you kept staring at me the entire time.”

Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Knowing I like men, you still barged into my home looking like this?”

Stepping closer, Xie Jianwei looped his arms around his neck, eyes curving with amusement: “Does making love with a man feel good?”

Lu Li said nothing, merely gripping his waist and burying kisses into his fair, slender neck.

Evidently, it felt exceptionally good, or else CEO Xie wouldn’t have let him fuck him for over three months.

Reviewing the files, the corners of Xie Jianwei’s mouth lifted, amused by the uncanny sense of familiarity.

In reality, his first encounter with Lu Li had been remarkably similar.

Though not neighbors, they had been the only two humans on that desolate planet.

When Lu Li bathed with him, he had gotten hard.

Xie Jianwei had asked similar questions and done similar things.

Naturally, in reality, Xie Jianwei already liked Lu Li, which was why he seduced him.

Yet apparently, in Lu Li’s subconscious, had that behavior seemed frivolous? Was that why this dream birthed a CEO Xie who was fickle, detached, and the ultimate scumbag among scumbags?

The smile on Xie Jianwei’s lips faded slightly as he rubbed the vintage paper between his fingers, lost in thought.

Several days passed, and Xie Jianwei grew thoroughly familiar with this dream world.

It felt somewhat like a virtual reality game that had taken the Empire by storm a while back, set in the ancient Earth era millennia ago, when humanity had yet to venture beyond the solar system, utterly ignorant of deep-space exploration and confined entirely to their small home planet.

He and Lu Li had once logged in to experience it, observing the local customs and lifestyles of thousands of years ago.

Lu Li must have had a favorable impression of it, which was why he had constructed such a dream setting.

Within a short span, Xie Jianwei gathered a wealth of intelligence, mastering the operational mechanics of the entire Xie Consortium.

With a glance, he easily spotted the underlying rot.

Though grand on the surface, the Xie Consortium was hollow and decaying within; one slight misstep, and the entire edifice would come crashing down.

Xie Jianwei naturally possessed the brilliance to make it solid as bedrock.

Yet there was no need.

Pondering the matter, Xie Jianwei decided to hasten the Xie Consortium’s collapse instead.

That way, Lu Li could seek his revenge much sooner.

Thinking of this, Xie Jianwei couldn’t help a dry laugh: What a convoluted mess…

Yet he had still underestimated his Big Pervert Lu.

On the seventh day after their parting, Xie Jianwei’s entire body burned with unbearable heat, an unspeakable place itching and aching so intensely he felt driven out of his mind.

What in the world was wrong with this body?!