Chapter 282: "Why Would I Fall in Love with Someone Who Doesn’t Exist?

So, when it came down to it, his strength just wasn’t enough.

If he were powerful enough, he wouldn’t have these worries. He could perfectly handle the fallout for anything Shen Lu wanted to do.

Seeing Fu Cheng grow more and more silent, Shen Lu didn’t know how to comfort him.

"Do as I say," Fu Cheng said, his voice cold. "If they don’t get the answers they want, they’ll resort to inhumane interrogation methods."

’If that’s the case, it would be better to just sacrifice me.’

’I’m a cripple anyway, so it doesn’t matter if I get caught. Besides, Shen Lu was the one who saved my life. This way, I can finally repay her.’

"You..." Shen Lu was speechless. ’He really is a top student from the military academy. This level of self-sacrifice is just... too noble.’

’But how could he say something like that so casually?’

’I painstakingly pieced his life back together. I can’t just push him out to take the fall for me. I can’t do it.’

"Gong Tianhua told the truth because I used a True Heart Potion on him." Shen Lu had no choice but to reveal a few details. "He won’t remember any of it, either. I erased all his memories related to that video. So as long as the security footage doesn’t show I ever left, and we both deny knowing anything, we should be fine."

Fu Cheng blinked, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "True Heart Potion?"

He had heard that the military possessed a special drug for interrogations, but the side effects were said to be severe. Anyone subjected to it would either die or be left in a vegetative state.

"Yes." Shen Lu took out the True Heart Potion. "This is it."

Fu Cheng took it and examined it. It was a tiny bottle made of a glass-like material, filled with a pale pink liquid. It looked a lot like a travel-sized perfume.

This was nothing like the interrogation drug he’d heard about, and the application method was different too.

The interrogation drug was administered via injection, whereas Shen Lu’s True Heart Potion seemed to be a spray.

"And he won’t remember because of the True Heart Potion?" Fu Cheng asked.

"No, I used something else for that."

"Does the True Heart Potion have any side effects or long-term consequences?"

"I don’t think so. I’ve used it before, and the two people I used it on are still doing just fine," Shen Lu said, though she wasn’t entirely certain.

After all, she hadn’t run any tests on Shen Lan and Xie Mei after using it on them. Judging by their appearances, they seemed perfectly normal.

Fu Cheng asked, "Can I try it?"

Shen Lu was a little reluctant. The True Heart Potion only had five uses in total. She had used it twice on Shen Lan and her mother, and once on Gong Tianhua. That left only two uses.

However, Shen Lu was also curious about any potential side effects or long-term consequences, so she agreed.

She lightly sprayed the potion onto the back of Fu Cheng’s hand.

Fu Cheng felt a slight coolness on the back of his hand, but his Spiritual Sea felt nothing. It was as if a gentle breeze had just brushed past.

"That’s it?"

Shen Lu nodded. "Yep."

"Alright, ask me a few questions."

Shen Lu pursed her lips and asked, "Do you like your dad or your mom better?"

"I like them both," Fu Cheng replied, his expression complicated. "Can you ask a real question?"

’This is so unfair!’ Shen Lu wanted to shout. ’He just sprung this on me. I have no idea what to ask!’

"Uh... do you hate me?"

"No." Fu Cheng asked in return, "Why would you ask something like that?"

’Why would I hate her? In this entire world, she’s the only one who hasn’t abandoned me.’

Shen Lu awkwardly rubbed her nose, unsure how to respond.

’It’s because I was just thinking about how Fu Cheng is destined to become the great villain, the Demon King who will overturn the entire world.’

’If he ends up fighting the main characters, I wonder if he could give me some special treatment and let me just hide away in my own little corner. Please don’t destroy me along with the rest of the world?’

"I think my brain just short-circuited for a second."

"..."

"Okay, then... could you ever fall for a girl who is beautiful, gentle, kind, and resilient, but also a bit of a sanctimonious ’white lotus’? She might even have a superpower you’d never expect," Shen Lu asked, her eyes gleaming.

"No," Fu Cheng answered, his tone firm and decisive.

"Why not?"

’In the original story, you were supposed to fall for the heroine, weren’t you?!’

’You even went easy on her several times!’

Fu Cheng gave her a puzzled look. "Why would I fall for someone who doesn’t exist?"

Shen Lu’s brain froze.

’Right. Fu Cheng hasn’t even met the heroine yet.’

"But what if she does exist? What if you meet her in a year or two?"

"No," Fu Cheng’s answer was just as curt. "I won’t fall for her."

’Because there’s already someone I love.’

Shen Lu puffed out her cheeks and changed the subject. "Do you hate your uncle?"

"Yes."

"Would you kill him if you had the chance?"

"Yes."

"What about his wife and your cousins?"

"One must pull out the weed by its roots."

"And what about the world? Would you want to destroy it and establish a new order?"

"No." Fu Cheng paused. "Shen Lu, what are you really trying to ask?"

Shen Lu pouted. "You’re the one who told me to ask you questions."

Fu Cheng fell silent. He could now feel the power of the True Heart Potion. It was true: whatever Shen Lu asked, he would answer with his innermost thoughts, without a shred of hesitation.

As for that video of Gong Tianhua, even though it was quickly scrubbed from the internet, Fu Cheng had managed to find a way to watch it.

He’d thought it was strange when he watched it. Gong Tianhua had a cautious and steady personality; he wasn’t the type to say such things in front of others.

Now it all made sense. It was the effect of the True Heart Potion.

The potion was colorless, odorless, and its application was completely painless. Aside from being unable to control his own mouth, he felt nothing strange at all.

’Where did Shen Lu get something like this?’

"So, you believe me now, right?" Shen Lu put away the True Heart Potion, her heart aching. ’There’s only one use left. I can’t just take it out and use it recklessly anymore.’

"Yes."

...

Shen Lu went downstairs. The kitchen prep work was mostly done. She went into the pantry to restock some supplies, then grabbed a few vegetables to start making dinner.

Just as she put on her chef’s coat, someone from the government arrived.

Just as Fu Cheng had predicted, they were going to be questioned for being right outside the door at the time.

The investigators had taken their time getting here, only showing up now long after the incident had occurred.

The questioning itself was even more perfunctory, ending after just a few half-hearted questions.

After seeing the investigators out, Shen Lu went upstairs to find Fu Cheng.

"What did they ask you?"

Fu Cheng said, "They asked if I’d seen any suspicious individuals or heard any strange noises."

"They asked me the same things." Shen Lu’s eyes widened slightly. "They seemed so half-hearted about it."

’And to think we argued back and forth over how to handle the investigators,’ Shen Lu thought. ’We even wasted a dose of True Heart Potion for this.’

The thought was like a knife twisting in her gut.

"They probably... figured there was no way we could have committed the crime."

A crippled Superpower User who nearly died and an ordinary person who faints at the sight of blood. Neither of us fits the profile of someone who could impersonate Gao Weineng and trick Gong Tianhua into talking.