Lin Fei took out his phone and walked to the door to call Zhao Rui. After a few rings, the call connected.
"Hey, bro, you in Magic City yet?"
"Yeah, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. I just came to the bar you recently acquired for a drink and ran into a woman named Xia Li."
"What? Xia Li? How did you end up meeting her?"
"So you actually know her?"
"Of course. I discussed a collaboration with her before. Wait—don’t tell me you pissed her off?"
Lin Fei scratched his head. "Is she that big of a deal? What happens if I mess with her?"
Zhao Rui’s voice turned cold on the other end. "If you piss her off, don’t even think about calling me your cousin again."
"Damn, alright. There was a little misunderstanding earlier between my guys and her, but it’s fine now. She said you should comp her tab for tonight."
After a brief silence, Zhao Rui replied, "Got it. Don’t provoke her, no matter what. If anything happens, just apologize, you hear me?"
Hearing this, Lin Fei realized even his cousin couldn’t afford to cross Xia Li. He chuckled. "Got it."
"Alright then. I’ve got stuff to do. Later."
The call ended, and Lin Fei turned back to the couch, his attitude doing a complete 180 as he looked at Xia Li. "Sis Xia, I talked to my cousin. But don’t worry about him covering your tab tonight—it’s on me!"
Xia Li kept her eyes on her phone, indifferent. "Whatever, as long as we don’t pay a dime tonight."
"No problem, no problem!" Lin Fei’s sudden shift in attitude made Old Gao and Skinny Guy frown in confusion.
Xia Li finally glanced up at Lin Fei and said coolly, "Why are you still standing here? Waiting for an invitation?"
"No, no! We were out of line earlier. We’ll leave now. And hey, man, sorry about that."
Su Yang smirked but didn’t bother responding. He had heard every word of Lin Fei’s conversation with Zhao Rui.
From the exchange, Su Yang also recalled what Meng Wenzhou had mentioned about Xia Li’s background back in Shima Town.
Xia Li’s father, Xia Yuan, was a heavyweight in Magic City, with connections in both the legal and underground circles.
What Su Yang couldn’t figure out was why the daughter of such a powerful man would let her company get acquired and end up working in Haicheng.
With her resources, shouldn’t she be the one buying out others? That part didn’t add up for him.
But it didn’t matter much. He could always ask her later.
Lin Fei waved at the two men. "Let’s go. Oh, right—Old Gao, apologize to Sis Xia and this brother here."
Old Gao froze. They were already leaving—why apologize now?
But since Lin Fei was his boss, he didn’t dare argue. He reluctantly walked up to Su Yang and Xia Li. "Sorry, miss, I spoke out of turn earlier."
Then he turned to Su Yang. "My bad, bro. I acted impulsively."
Su Yang gave a faint smile. "Just go. Oh, and send someone to clean up the blood on the floor."
Once the three left, Su Yang turned to Xia Li with a grin. "Sis Xia, didn’t expect you to be so fierce—straight to action."
Xia Li looked up and smiled. "That idiot had it coming. People like that deserve a beating."
Su Yang gave a thumbs-up. "Impressive. By the way, back in Shima Town, didn’t you always have a bodyguard with you? Did you stop bringing them around?"
"Been a while. I’m focused on building my career now. No interest in fights or drama. No point having a bodyguard if I’m not in that life anymore."
"But what if I couldn’t handle that big guy earlier? You’d have been in trouble too."
Xia Li chuckled. "I knew you could take him."
"That confident in me?"
"I could tell back in Shima Town you weren’t just some ordinary guy."
"Ha, fair enough."
Su Yang smiled but didn’t press further.
Since they were on the topic, he seized the chance to ask, "I’ve got a question. Your company was originally in Magic City, right? How’d it end up acquired by a Haicheng firm?"
Xia Li tilted her head. "It’s nothing complicated. I had two companies in Magic City, but honestly, they weren’t doing great. Then Zhao Rui approached me about a partnership."
"But I turned him down—he’s not the right kind of partner. Later, I met the previous owner of Starling Media in Magic City. The details are a long story, but long story short, things just worked out that way, and I ended up in Haicheng."
Su Yang nodded thoughtfully. "Even though this is only our second meeting, I’ve heard a bit about you. Your dad’s supposed to be a big shot, right? Why strike out on your own?"
Xia Li sighed. "That’s exactly why I did. To put it bluntly, I wanted to prove myself to him. He never approved of me going into business—said a woman should just marry early and give him a grandson. But I refused."
"I’m only 31. I’m not ready to be a housewife stuck at home raising kids. That’s not the life I want."
"We had a fight years ago, and I left to start my own thing. But that’s all in the past."
Su Yang listened quietly before nodding. "Making it this far without family backing is impressive. Seems like you’ve got a natural talent for business."
Xia Li turned to him with a playful grin. "And now I’m your subordinate."
"Subordinate or not, I don’t see you that way."
"Then how do you see me?"
"As a friend."
"A friend? Hmm, yeah, this is our second meeting. I guess we are friends now."
Xia Li’s eyes sparkled as she added, "Enough about me. What about you?"
"Me?" Su Yang pointed at himself. "Ask whatever you want."
"How close are you and Meng Wenzhou?"
Su Yang blinked, surprised she’d ask about that instead of his own background.
"We’re good friends. Why?"
Xia Li nodded. "No reason, just curious. Meng Wenzhou might seem like just another rich kid, but he’s actually got a sharp business mind. From what I know, most of his ventures were built without family help."
"If you’re tight with someone like him, it makes sense you’re the big boss at Starling now."
Su Yang thought to himself, So she’s trying to figure me out indirectly. Well, the company was a system reward—has nothing to do with Meng Wenzhou.
But he didn’t bother explaining. Her assumption worked in his favor—saved him from making up a story.
He smiled. "Yeah, we’re close. He’s actually pretty low-key and easy to get along with. What about you and him?"
Xia Li shook her head. "Not much. We’ve met a few times, but that’s it. You probably already knew that."
"Anyway, if you ever want to collaborate with Old Meng on any other business in the future, you can come to me first. I’ll put in a word for you."
Xia Li glanced at Su Yang and said coolly, "No need for that. Honestly, compared to him, I’m far more interested in you~"
"Oh, really?" Su Yang tilted his head with a smirk.
As the two were chatting, the cabin door opened, and Ran Ran walked in with two others in tow.
One of them pushed a cart laden with an assortment of wines.
The other was the girl Su Yang had just bonded with—Xia Zhiyu.
......

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.”

or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?

y came from. The chests contained supplies, currency, class-change scrolls, skills, talents… and even godhood! The laws of the world were completely rewritten. This became a world where everyone gambled with their fate! Some people, despite having nothing, opened a divine artifact and rose to the top, eventually ruling the world. Others went bankrupt, opened nothing but worthless junk, and leaped from skyscrapers in despair. Lin Ye arrived in this world from another reality, utterly bewildered. “What is going on? Why is everyone a gambling addict?!” “Opening chests? No way. I refuse to gamble. I’ll start with myself!” Until— On his first chest, he obtained a Mythic Talent: Void Incarnation! He could become completely intangible, pass through all things, and reduce everything to nothingness! … On his fiftieth chest, he obtained a Mythic Weapon: Blade of Karma! With a single slash, karma shattered, twisting the universe and overturning the myriad phenomena of creation! … On his ninety-ninth chest, he obtained a Mythic Divine Treasure: Primordial Purple Energy! It could split open the heavens and earth, create all things, and evolve countless worlds with a single thought! Lin Ye: “Now that I think about it… shouldn’t someone have told me that every chest is guaranteed to contain something Mythic?!”

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…