Demon Consort Runs into the Beijing Crown Prince - Chapter 31

That day, Chu Muyun was pondering what to order for dinner when Lu Hanzhang called.

“Are you inviting me to dinner?” Chu Muyun asked.

“Come to Lu Group Headquarters. I want you to meet someone. I’ll treat you to dinner afterward,” Lu Hanzhang replied.

“Okay, okay, I’ll be right there.”

Since his assistant, Xiao Xing, was on vacation and Chu Muyun couldn’t drive the RV himself, he hailed a ride-hailing service.

Hmm, who exactly does the Great King want me to meet?

Chu Muyun was still wondering as he entered the Lu Group Headquarters Building.

Lu Hanzhang’s other assistant greeted him and escorted him to the conference room next to the CEO’s office.

Two muscular bodyguards in black suits stood guard at the conference room door, like modern-day guardian deities.

Chu Muyun found it slightly odd but didn’t dwell on it. He pushed open the door with a bright smile, “I’m here!”

Your little darling has arrived.

“Mm,” Lu Hanzhang glanced up, a hint of amusement thawing his usually icy gaze. “You’re here.”

“What’s going on here?” Chu Muyun’s eyes widened as he scanned the room.

In the vast conference room, Li Weide stood to the side, notebook in hand, scribbling away as if taking notes.

The Boss sat across from him, legs crossed, exuding an air of domineering authority.

Opposite them was…

Sun Ping, the unscrupulous former manager?

Sun Ping sat—or rather, cowered—in his chair, head slumped, face ashen, his pig-like body trembling uncontrollably.

Li Weide stopped writing and handed the notebook to the Boss, “Boss, I’ve recorded everything. I don’t think I missed anything.”

“Good.”

Lu Hanzhang took the notebook and glanced through it. Chu Muyun leaned over to look as well.

It contained Sun Ping’s confession, how he’d gotten his artists drunk and offered them as sexual bribes to investors he wanted to curry favor with. He’d forced artists into prostitution more than once.

Trash. Scum. Human garbage!

Chu Muyun’s eyes lit up as he looked at the shivering Sun Ping, “Next, shall we beat him to death with canes? Or tear him apart with chariots? Oh, wait—before we execute him, let’s castrate him first!”

Sun Ping trembled even more violently.

Lu Hanzhang paused, startled, and shot Chu Muyun a shocked look, “Call the police. This is a society governed by law. You’re being a bit too feudal.”

Ever since Chu Muyun told him about Sun Ping’s actions, Lu Hanzhang had dispatched investigators. After contacting Zhang Chen, they obtained new evidence sufficient to crush Sun Ping and even the entire Tiansheng Media Company.

The Lu Clan possessed wealth and influence, but not the authority to conduct interrogations. The police wouldn’t accept Sun Ping’s confession as it stood, but it provided ample grounds for a thorough investigation.

Chu Muyun sighed in disappointment, “Alright.”

He knew a literal caning was impossible, yet he couldn’t help feeling let down. Simply handing Sun Ping over to the police felt woefully inadequate.

So disappointed…

Lu Hanzhang watched him, a sudden surge of protectiveness rising within him. He couldn’t bear to see that crestfallen expression on Chu Muyun’s face. Moreover, learning about Sun Ping’s actions had ignited his own fury.

How dare Sun Ping try to force Chu Muyun, nearly succeeding!

In the next moment, Lu Hanzhang shed his suit jacket, loosened his tie, and elegantly rolled up his shirt sleeves.

While instructing Li Weide, “Call Lawyer Lin and ask about the penalties for assault,” he kicked Sun Ping’s chair over with a thunderous crash, sending the man sprawling. Then, he brought his fist down with brutal force.

The veins on Lu Hanzhang’s taut arms bulged with raw power. He looked lean in clothes, but his exposed muscles were smooth and tightly defined.

So handsome, Chu Muyun thought, mesmerized.

“Boss,” Li Weide said calmly, relaying the phone call against the backdrop of Sun Ping’s pig-like squeals, “Lawyer Lin advises against kicking the kidneys, it could cause paralysis and turn this into a criminal case he’d have trouble handling. Avoid the chest and abdomen too, given the vital organs there. Limbs are fine, even head injuries—he can take care of those. Just keep it to minor injuries, or it’ll complicate things for him.”

“Fine,” Lu Hanzhang growled, delivering a few more brutal kicks. He grabbed Sun Ping by the collar, hauled him up, and slapped him hard across the face twice.

Sun Ping, who had been lying limp like a dead dog, began to struggle in pain, but he stood no chance against Lu Hanzhang. Within minutes, he was covered in bruises.

Chu Muyun seized the opportunity to land a couple of kicks himself, then gently tugged at Lu Hanzhang’s wrist.

“That’s enough. Stop.”

While beating a defenseless opponent might be satisfying, sending the Great King to jail wasn’t worth it.

Before long, the police arrived and took Sun Ping and the others away.

At the police station, Lu Hanzhang calmly stated that he was Chu Muyun’s friend. Hearing that Chu Muyun was being bullied by his manager, he had acted in a fit of anger.

Since he had already instructed Li Weide to disable the surveillance cameras in the interrogation room, he could say whatever he pleased.

Lawyer Lin, hired at a high salary by the Lu Clan, quickly arrived at the police station. Smiling, he shook hands with each officer present and took over the explanation. He insisted it was a mutual fight, not a one-sided act of violence, “Look, my boss even has a scratch on his arm!”

Given Lu Hanzhang’s status, the situation was already delicate. His willingness to cooperate, coupled with Lawyer Lin’s intervention, led the police to reassess Sun Ping’s injuries. Ultimately, they released both men.

The criminal evidence against Sun Ping submitted by Lu Hanzhang would be investigated later.

After leaving the police station, Chu Muyun said, “Let me treat you to a late-night snack!”

He was in an exceptionally good mood.

That damned former manager was finally getting his comeuppance! And the Great King who stood up for him was so cool!

Li Weide immediately excused himself, “Boss, Mr. Chu, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Alright. What are you treating me to?”

It was getting late, so they went to a barbecue joint. The air was thick with the smoky aroma of grilled meat.

This was a small street-side shop near the police station. The Crown Prince had probably never been to a place like this before.

Chu Muyun had plenty of money now and could have taken Lu Hanzhang anywhere, but today he wanted to treat him to a meal filled with the warmth of everyday life, like an ordinary college couple.

While they waited for their skewers, Chu Muyun said, “That bastard scratched your arm. Let me see.”

“It’s fine.”

“No, I need to check.” Chu Muyun forcibly pulled his hand over, rolled up his sleeve, and found a red mark on his forearm. Thankfully, it was just a broken blister, not bleeding.

Lu Hanzhang seemed to suddenly remember something. His body stiffened slightly, and he tried to pull his hand away, but Chu Muyun had already noticed a dark stain on his palm. He gently straightened Lu Hanzhang’s curled fingers one by one to examine it closely.

The mark was Chu Muyun’s own signature from several weeks ago, the character “Yun” ending with a heart. It was still there, clearly imprinted in the lines of Lu Hanzhang’s palm.

After returning to the Capital, they had met several times, but Lu Hanzhang had hidden his feelings so well that Chu Muyun only realized it today.

“You haven’t washed your hands in all these days?” Chu Muyun asked.

Lu Hanzhang looked up, his ears already flushed red.

“Of course I’ve washed them,” he retorted. He wasn’t that unhygienic, he simply traced over the signature each time.

“Is that so?” Chu Muyun pressed his finger against his name on Lu Hanzhang’s palm, his fingertip teasingly rubbing against the skin. Lu Hanzhang seemed ticklish and tried to pull his hand away, but Chu Muyun held firm. “Then you… traced it over again yourself?”

No answer came.

Silence implied consent.

Chu Muyun pressed Lu Hanzhang’s hand flat against his own, interlacing their fingers until their palms were tightly clasped. Suddenly, he asked, “Boss, have you ever been in love before?”

“No.”

Chu Muyun was secretly delighted, but he couldn’t resist teasing, “You seem too easy to win over.”

So pure. He can’t even resist my simplest tricks. And I haven’t even used half of my most seductive moves yet!

“Then… have you won me over?”

“Hmph,” Chu Muyun said, feeling a pang of hurt. “If you won’t admit it, then fine, I’ll pretend I didn’t win you over. But my name is etched into your palm, that makes you mine.” His expression was utterly serious.

“Mm,” Lu Hanzhang murmured, offering no resistance. He lowered his gaze to his palm, already trapped in a cage the moment he had inexplicably picked up a pen and traced the first stroke of the characters.

He had shackled himself, succumbing to the illusion of love.

Under the night sky, the atmosphere was charged with unspoken tension.

A passerby at a street barbecue stall secretly snapped a photo of the scene with their phone, unnoticed by the two men.

Suddenly, Lu Hanzhang spoke again, “I had Zhang Chen investigated. His mother’s illness was genuine, and I covered her medical expenses. In return, Zhang Chen handed over all the evidence he had on Sun Ping.”

“Oh, okay.”

Chu Muyun was still wondering why Lu Hanzhang would bring up Zhang Chen unprompted when the answer dawned on him.

“Zhang Chen has been working as a male model in nightclubs for a long time, and his current social connections aren’t exactly clean. You should limit your contact with him in the future.”

“Got it,” Chu Muyun replied obediently. Whether he was truly obedient or not, he was a master of feigned compliance.

How possessive, he thought. The Great King is still my Great King.