The discovery of a world-class oil field actually happened two days ago.
The news didn’t spread quickly.
It was the work of capitalists entering the scene.
After all, a sharp drop in oil prices was definitely not good news for those holding large amounts of crude oil futures!
Too many interests were at stake.
Keeping the news under wraps wasn’t an easy task.
They had invested a lot of money into it.
They didn’t aim to delay it for long.
About a week.
That would be enough time for them to sell off most of their crude oil futures.
Minimizing losses.
Everything had been going smoothly.
But today, as if fate had a cruel sense of humor,
another large oil field was discovered!
According to preliminary measurements by experts, this oil field also had the potential to become a world-class giant.
Because the two locations were in opposite directions,
they were far apart.
Capital couldn’t intervene in time.
You can’t hide fire with paper.
The news was exposed.
And then came the sharp drop in crude oil prices.
Xu Corporation had recently invested tens of billions into this.
Now, watching that money about to go down the drain,
how could they not panic?
In a spacious, brightly lit conference room:
“President Zhou, crude oil prices have plummeted recently. It’s said that one oil field was discovered in the northwestern sea, and another in the Middle Eastern basin.”
“With technology being so advanced, retail investors will know about this soon. Let’s sell off all the futures we bought last time.”
“Sell? Haha… Take a look, the price has been halved, and it’s been listed for half a day with no takers. Retail investors may be slow to get the news, but that doesn’t mean they’re fools.”
“President Zhou, what should we do next?”
“……”
The high-level executives in the conference room were in chaos.
Tens of billions—not too much, but certainly not a small amount!
The problem was, because they trusted Zhou Qiaoqiao’s judgment,
they had secretly followed her lead and bought some futures.
Some had even invested most of their personal savings.
Dreaming of striking it rich.
They recognized Zhou Qiaoqiao’s capabilities.
So many of them had followed suit.
Well… If it were the company’s money, it would be one thing.
But this was their own money.
Snap—just like that, their happiness was gone.
These people were utterly frustrated!!!
But they couldn’t go to Zhou Qiaoqiao to complain.
She had never told them to buy in.
It was entirely their own decision.
Losing money is upsetting.
Making money is what brings joy.
These high-level executives, usually so confident, now wore expressions of deep worry.
As if someone owed them tens or hundreds of thousands.
Except for the person sitting in the center seat, who remained expressionless.
In fact, she was even a little amused inside.
Zhou Qiaoqiao wasn’t as calm as she appeared!
Five trillion was definitely the biggest milestone in her life.
But with Xu Mo’s insights,
this wave would secure her fifty trillion.
In liquid assets.
She knew what this meant.
It meant the distance between her and Xu Mo would vanish.
It meant she would be the officially recognized wife.
While the mistresses and other scheming women…
would have to hide in the shadows.
Not even daring to meet Xu Mo’s parents.
This was the main reason she had fought so hard for this position.
She wanted to do things openly.
If it were done sneakily,
it wouldn’t mean much.
Without the blessing of each other’s parents,
what use was such a marriage?
Zhou Qiaoqiao spoke methodically:
“Stop selling the company’s crude oil futures.”
Given the current situation,
not selling would be foolish.
But Zhou Qiaoqiao was going against the grain.
Her words were shocking.
Leaving the executives dumbfounded.
“President Zhou, if we don’t sell, those tens of billions will really go down the drain.”
A middle-aged man reminded her.
He had also invested heavily in crude oil futures.
And was now feeling the headache.
Another female executive chimed in:
“Yes, President Zhou, tens of billions is no small project. Even if you are the future daughter-in-law of the Xu family, you still have to consider the Xu family’s interests, don’t you?”
This female executive had joined Xu Corporation right after graduating from university.
She had been part of the Xu family for fifteen years now!
She felt a sense of belonging to the Xu family’s business.
Their fates were intertwined.
Others felt the same way.
But because of Zhou Qiaoqiao’s status,
they were afraid to speak up,
fearing they might offend the future lady of the house.
Zhou Qiaoqiao smiled gently.
“Of course, I’m considering the Xu family’s interests!”
“I know you all hold some amount of crude oil futures.”
“Here’s what I’ll do.”
“I’ll buy your current crude oil futures at twice the price you originally paid. Purchases made after this don’t count. Any objections?”
Zhou Qiaoqiao had her reasons for this plan.
The Zhou family had also learned about the impending crash in crude oil futures.
Their first thought would be their personal money, then the company’s.
They had also bought a lot of crude oil futures.
Zhou Qiaoqiao didn’t want her uncles to sell off their futures too quickly.
She wanted to play a psychological game.
And this smokescreen was exactly what she needed.
The executives’ earlier reactions had pleased her.
They were loyal to the Xu family.
This move would indirectly funnel money from her Zhou family uncles,
using it to win over the hearts of Xu Corporation’s executives.
After all, the money Su Ting had allocated to her was entirely from the Xu family’s own assets.
Not a single cent from the shareholders was involved.
This money could be spent freely.
They couldn’t let their subordinates’ hearts grow cold, could they?
In the end,
this counterintuitive move achieved three goals:
Weakening the power of her Zhou family uncles, winning over the loyalty of Xu Corporation’s executives, and throwing a smokescreen to other families, making them hesitate whether to sell their crude oil futures, buying time day by day!
As Zhou Qiaoqiao’s words fell,
the conference room fell into a brief silence.
Who would turn down money?
But this was a move that openly harmed the Xu family’s interests.
Did Xu Mo know about this?
Did Su Ting know about this?
Xu Corporation belonged to the Xu family, not the Zhou family!
The female executive slammed her hand on the table and stood up, demanding sharply:
“President Zhou, what do you mean by this?”
“The tens of billions in losses facing the corporation are no small matter, and yet you want to continue letting the corporation lose money.”
“What you’re doing is great for us, sure—I followed your lead and bought two million in crude oil futures—but you’re using the Xu family’s money to compensate us, aren’t you?”
Zhou Qiaoqiao blinked, her smile playful, her slender index finger tapping lightly on the table.
“When did I say I was using the Xu family’s money?”
“Fine, let me repeat myself.”
“I said: I will personally buy your crude oil futures at twice the market price you originally paid.”
She paused,
her peach-blossom eyes curving into crescents.
“Any other objections?”
Wait a minute, we’re a bit confused here. What happened to Zhou Qiaoqiao’s shares?
How did they all end up with An Youyi?
You guys changed your tune so fast!
Is Qiaoqiao’s stock no longer magical?

ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"

d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!

lities. One day, Qi Yuan was buying groceries when he unfortunately came face-to-face with a monster. Just when he thought he was going to die on the spot, he suddenly heard the monster's thoughts... "This aura, he's definitely not an ordinary master!" "So terrifying, so terrifying." "A fight with my back against the wall, I can't take it anymore." Qi Yuan: Ah, no one told me that my awakened ability isn't telepathy, but rather the stronger my enemies imagine me to be, the stronger I truly become. PS: Zhou Hai in the first chapter is not the protagonist.

+【Epic Battles!】 "Your Highness, they say Linxi Temple is miraculous. Won’t you make a wish?" "A wish? It should be making wishes to me." "That may be so, but since you’re already here..." "..." "Fine. Then grant this princess a consort to play with." "He must be obedient, devoted, and utterly infatuated with my body—so much so that he’d kneel and kiss my feet." "Your Highness, that’s not a consort. That’s a dog." "Then add clever, witty, heroic, ambitious yet pragmatic..." "Hmm, that’s enough for now. I’ll add more later." After tossing out these words half in jest, Princess Anle departed the temple—only to catch a fleeting glimpse of the Bodhisattva statue smiling at her. Meanwhile, Yang An, fresh out of university, was having a very bad day. Good news: He’d transmigrated into another world with a cheat granting tenfold combat power. Bad news: He’d immediately fallen into the clutches of a certain villainess. Good news: Said villainess possessed peerless beauty and royal status. Bad news: She was absolutely monstrous!!! In the frozen wilderness, Yang An knelt beneath Qin Guo’er’s feet, drenched in sweat despite the cold. Desperately clutching her porcelain-perfect foot—the very one poised to crush his throat—he could only think: How do I survive this?! Need answers NOW!