Chapter 54
Chapter 54: Clumsy Acting
Charlotte was naturally unwilling to give up. Having finally met Lin Tai, she was determined to continue deepening their connection.
This was something she had learned from Chinese books: to pursue a man, one must be persistent and relentless.
As the saying goes, “A man chasing a woman is like climbing a mountain, but a woman chasing a man is like lifting a veil!”
First, she needed to move into Lin Tai’s house—that way, she could quickly take things further.
“Please help me, I’m really homeless,” Charlotte said, blinking pitifully.
“…” Lin Tai’s head throbbed at Charlotte’s flimsy excuse. Her custom-made designer clothes were clearly worth no less than a million, and the watch and accessories she wore were equally expensive. Just moments ago, Yan Jun had exposed her identity as a princess of the Eagle Kingdom, yet she claimed to have nowhere to stay? Who would believe that? Even ghosts wouldn’t buy it.
Lin Tai genuinely couldn’t fathom how Charlotte had the audacity to say such a thing with a straight face.
“Beauty, since he doesn’t want you, why don’t you come with me?” Ling Weifeng, standing nearby, chimed in with a playful smile. He wanted to test Charlotte’s true feelings for Lin Tai. If she was just playing around, she’d better back off early.
One Xia Shihan was enough to break Lin Tai’s heart—there was no way he’d let another Charlotte do the same.
“No way. My mother taught me that when I’m out in the world, I should find a reliable man,” Charlotte said earnestly. The Queen of the Eagle Kingdom had always taught her to stay away from men other than her husband. In Charlotte’s eyes, Lin Tai was her husband, so naturally, she could go with him.
“How do you know he’s reliable? Haven’t you two just met for the first time?” Ling Weifeng was genuinely curious. When did his buddy’s luck with women become so outrageously good?
“From the moment I laid eyes on him, I knew he was reliable.” If you counted her past life, Charlotte had met Lin Tai twice and spent 21 days with him. Those 21 days were the most beautiful memories of her life. Whenever she thought of that time, Charlotte couldn’t help but smile softly.
Well, there it was—the unmistakable stench of love. Ling Weifeng, who had seen countless women, could tell the difference between genuine affection and pretense. The way Charlotte looked at Lin Tai, with eyes full of tender affection, didn’t seem fake at all—unless her acting skills were god-tier.
“Why don’t you let her stay at your place for now?” Ling Weifeng suggested seriously.
“…” Lin Tai shot Ling Weifeng a glance, thinking to himself that his friend’s judgment was too shallow to see through the heroine’s acting skills.
“Fine, you drive,” Lin Tai said, unsure of what Charlotte was scheming but deciding to play along for now. Ever since he realized the heroines weren’t just paper-thin characters, he understood they wouldn’t remain static. As a professional villainous side character, he had no choice but to take on the challenge.
Lin Tai realized his role as the villain was getting tougher. Not only did he have to deal with the original plot of Emperor’s Return, but he also had to brace for the protagonists adding their own drama at any moment.
“Alright.” Charlotte smiled, took the car keys, and got into the Lamborghini.
“We’re not going the same way, so I’ll take a cab back,” Ling Weifeng said tactfully, choosing not to tag along and instead heading home by taxi.
With the roaring rumble of the Lamborghini, Charlotte started the sports car.
—
At the Imperial Capital Hospital, Ye Bai was so furious he couldn’t sleep.
“Boss, small sacrifices lead to great plans,” Steven said respectfully, standing by Ye Bai’s side.
“How am I supposed to stay calm? Look at me—don’t I look like a green-haired turtle?” [Referring to him being betrayed by the female leads. Green signifies cuckoldry here.]
Ye Bai genuinely felt that way. From Xia Shihan to Charlotte, he had always been invincible in both business and romance. But ever since he crossed paths with Lin Tai, everything had changed.
He hadn’t even been back in the country for two days, and his loyal follower Hecate was already suspected of betraying him. Xia Shihan had publicly humiliated him, Xiao Yuxuan had splashed wine on him in front of everyone, Lu Ziyan had turned against him for Lin Tai, and Su Yanfei was opposing him. Now, Charlotte was cold as ice toward him but chasing Lin Tai relentlessly.
He couldn’t figure out where he fell short compared to Lin Tai!
“Now’s not the time to kill Lin Tai. Samael is already close to him,” Steven said. Samael was Zhao Gang, whose status in the assassin organization was no less than Abraham’s, and his loyalty to Ye Bai was absolute—he’d die without hesitation if Ye Bai ordered it.
“Wait half a month. Once the movie starts filming, have Samael lure Lin Tai to set that fire. Then, we won’t even need to lift a finger—someone else will take care of Lin Tai for us!” Steven was referring to the Su and Lu families.
The Su family, one of the four major families, held immense power. If Su Qingyan got hurt on set because of something Lin Tai caused, the Su family would never let it go. With the Su family making a move, their close allies, the Xiao family, would follow suit. The Lu family would also kick Lin Tai while he was down.
They wouldn’t even need to act—Lin Zhentian would suffer a fatal blow. In the best-case scenario, the Lin family would collapse, and both Lin Zhentian and Lin Tai would meet their end. This would leave a gap in the alliance of the ten minor families, creating the perfect opportunity for Ye Bai’s capital to enter China.
If Ye Bai saved Su Qingyan and Lu Ziyan in the process, both families would be immensely grateful. With their support, Ye Bai could easily establish a foothold in the country.
The plan was practically perfect. If it succeeded, they’d drive a wedge into China’s ironclad network of connections.
This would give Ye Bai the chance to take revenge on the Ye family!
“I’ll let him live for another half month!” Ye Bai finally regained his composure and chose to bide his time.