Feng Shan's appearance was completely unexpected for Zhou Min, especially at this time when she was about to give birth. Logically, Chen's Father and Chen's Mother shouldn't have called her back. As for that guy Chen Hai, he probably just went there to get a cold shoulder.
But after noticing Ye Shuang, Chen Qin, and the others, Zhou Min seemed to understand something and gave a gentle smile. "It's really lively today."
"Let's sit down and eat first," Chen's Mother also said.
Feng Shan didn't make a scene at this point either. She just glanced at Zhou Min and pretended to know nothing, sipping her soup. It was dinner time, and making a fuss would only leave a bad impression on Chen's Father and Chen's Mother.
It wasn't worth the effort and would gain her no favor.
"Ah Hai, try some of this, it's delicious." Zhou Min, despite her big belly, still picked up food for Chen Hai.
"He has hands," Feng Shan said flatly. "This lazy Susan rotates too."
"He's not disabled, needing others to pick food for him."
Sister Shan's words made Zhou Min feel a bit awkward. Even Chen Qin, who was not far away picking food for Ye Shuang, silently put down her chopsticks.
Why does this sister always make sweeping statements?
Ye Shuang, who originally intended to give An Shiyu some green peppers she disliked, now just twitched the corner of his mouth.
Ahem, better to just mind my own business.
"I... I just thought this was tasty, that's all. I didn't mean it that way," Zhou Min's tone carried a hint of apology. Then she looked softly at Chen Hai,
"Then, Ah Hai, help yourself."
Chen Hai was sitting rather uncomfortably but still said, "Just pick food for Qiaoqiao."
Qiaoqiao then said, "Daddy, I want to eat fish."
"Okay," Chen Hai said, using a spoon to scoop some fish meat to mix with rice for his daughter.
The situation remained relatively stable, and the elderly couple seemed unwilling to get involved, choosing to observe from the sidelines.
As for An Shiyu, she was the most detached. Looking at the over twenty dishes on the table, she simply buried her head and ate and ate. These family matters had nothing to do with her, a passing ninja.
But an empty stomach did concern her.
"Shuangzai, stay overnight tonight. It's too late for you to go back, wouldn't it be inconvenient?" Chen's Father didn't forget to ask Ye Shuang to stay the night.
"No, I brought my assistant along this time. It wouldn't be very convenient," Ye Shuang explained with a smile.
An Shiyu looked up at that moment, as if asking what it had to do with her.
Upon hearing this, Chen's Father didn't press further.
Then the two chatted for a while about company matters. Regarding the responsibilities Ye Shuang was handling, Chen's Father nodded satisfactorily and also mentioned Xu Yitian in passing.
"Hand over all the sections Xu Yitian was responsible for to Shuangzai."
"Huh?" Ye Shuang was taken aback.
To me?
He was already managing a great deal. If he took over Xu Yitian's part as well, his authority would be no small matter.
"Uncle Chen, perhaps we should promote some talent instead?" Ye Shuang said with a smile.
"Qin girl, what do you think?" Chen's Father asked Chen Qin beside him.
"Me? I have no opinion. Ah Ye is already working very hard on his part. It's better to transfer someone from elsewhere to take over," Chen Qin said. Although deep down she hoped Ye Shuang would take it—after all, his ability was trustworthy—on second thought, she didn't want Ye Shuang to be too exhausted either.
People are always contradictory. Chen Qin constantly made choices between rationality and emotion, and when it involved Ye Shuang, emotion often took the upper hand.
"I see..." Chen's Father thought for a moment but didn't ask further.
Let Chen Qin handle the arrangements.
"Where's the bathroom?" An Shiyu suddenly asked at that moment.
"The bathroom is over there," Ye Shuang replied, pointing in a direction.
An Shiyu gave an "oh" and swayed as she left.
...
Dinner time ended. After sitting for a little while longer, Ye Shuang prepared to leave with An Shiyu. As for Chen Qin, she stayed behind to spend some time with her parents.
And Chen Hai, that guy, also chose to leave with Ye Shuang.
Under the pretext of having plans with Ye Shuang, it was actually just because he didn't want to deal with the matters at home.
"Want a drink?" Chen Hai asked in the car.
"You, your wife has come home. Shouldn't you try to spend more time together?" Ye Shuang asked, holding the steering wheel.
"Forget it, forget it. She gets annoyed just seeing me now. I'm afraid if I go up to her, I'll get whipped a few times with a cane," Chen Hai said, twitching the corner of his mouth.
Ye Shuang was speechless. This guy Chen Hai was too timid.
But then again, it was understandable. After all, his wife was too domineering, and over time, Chen Hai had become cowardly.
"Then let's go have a drink at Fugui's place," Ye Shuang said. An Shiyu in the back seat also reached out her hand, "I want a drink too."
"Kids can't drink alcohol."
"Tch, I'm an adult, okay?" An Shiyu sounded somewhat disdainful.
And her nineteenth birthday was almost here.
"Oh? So you're an adult?" Chen Hai turned his head in surprise. "After all, you look like a high school student."
"University student," An Shiyu said.
Chen Hai narrowed his eyes. "Hmm... can't tell."
With her flat figure, she didn't look like a university student at all.
"Ow! Why did you kick me?!"
Ye Shuang: "Alright, don't mess around in the car."
...
...
The night grew a little deeper.
By the time Zhou Min returned to her room, it was already past ten.
She was the only one living on this floor of the manor. So, as soon as Zhou Min closed the door, a trace of coldness appeared on her face. "Heh, I really didn't expect that woman to come back. Probably related to that Ye Shuang, I guess."
She sat on the edge of the bed and touched her belly. "Sigh... to complete the Master's task, I've really suffered."
"Having to do IVF to get pregnant is one thing, but also being watched by that she-dragon."
Zhou Min held her face as if sighing with emotion. "And I've gained so much weight, constantly being nourished."
As she spoke, Zhou Min took out her phone, seemingly intending to make a call—
The phone rang for a few seconds before a lazy female voice came through. "What?"
"Master, there's a small hiccup in the plan." Zhou Min quietly recounted what had happened.
"Hehehe, can't you even handle a shrew?" Laughter came from the other end of the phone. "You're heavily pregnant. Think of a way to frame her a few times, won't that do?"
"If that really doesn't work, target that child. You should be quite good at diverting attention, right?"
"Yes," Zhou Min said. The other's words did remind her.
"And, next time, don't call me so casually. I don't want to miss a good show because of your mistake."
"I understand."
After hanging up, Zhou Min touched her belly and laughed softly as if she had thought of something.
Unbeknownst to her, in an unnoticed corner under the bed—
A black device the size of a thumb was attached to an unseen blind spot.
"..."
"..."
"Hmm..." Dozens of miles away, inside the moving vehicle, An Shiyu tilted her head slightly. Beneath her loose hair, her small ear was wearing a Bluetooth earpiece. "How interesting..."
"What's interesting?" Chen Hai asked.
"Oh, I said your second wife is interesting."
Chen Hai: "..."
Why bring this up out of the blue? And what the heck is a second wife?
his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
to panic—he has a system. As long as an investment target dies, he can claim a reward. And since he is immortal, the one thing he has plenty of is time. ... Countless years later. “Immortal Emperor of Longevity? I invested in him.” “Supreme Celestial Venerable? I invested in him.” “Undying Empress? I invested in her.” “...” “Heh. Once they’ve all died, even the Heavenly Dao will have to kneel and call me Dad.”
