"So that's how it is. You provide the raw medicine, and we'll handle the packaging and sales."
However, Qiao Xin also voiced her concerns. "Is the production quantity of the raw medicine stable? And will the variety be limited?"
"Stability won't be an issue. As for variety, I'm just temporarily introducing the medicines I've developed to test the market response," Ye Chuan said. After all, the output of medicinal herbs from the herb garden could be consistently supplied.
And refining pills was as effortless as lifting a finger for him.
"In that case, the pharmaceutical company's role would lean more toward sales and services," Qiao Xin remarked, taking a sip of water from her glass. The pharmaceutical company they were selling was just a small subsidiary under their family's conglomerate.
Disposing of it was merely to optimize their industrial structure. The Qiao family had no intention of continuing operations in the pharmaceutical sector. If another company showed interest in acquiring it, that would be ideal.
"As I mentioned earlier, I intend to give this company to you," Qiao Xin said.
"For free? It’d be better if you set a condition," Ye Chuan replied. He wasn’t fond of freebies—after all, nothing came without a price.
Qiao Xin smiled. "I’d like our group to retain a ten percent stake."
"Oh?" Ye Chuan was surprised by her offer. In a typical acquisition deal, a mere ten percent would practically be a giveaway—but the catch was, Qiao Xin knew exactly how effective these medicines were.
Turning a profit was practically guaranteed, especially since these drugs were effective even for superhuman martial artists. A ten percent share would still yield substantial returns.
"You won’t need to worry about the company’s operations, sales, or other aspects," Qiao Xin continued.
"Pleasure doing business," Ye Chuan replied, quite pleased with the arrangement. He’d only need to handle a minimal part of the work—the rest could be managed by Wang Yanran, and now Qiao Xin as well.
With a young heiress and a female CEO on board, their connections and experience were more than reliable.
The partnership was settled effortlessly. Qiao Xin studied Ye Chuan from across the table and decided to shift to a lighter topic.
"Ye Chuan, my grandfather’s health has improved significantly."
"Hmm?" Caught off guard by the sudden mention of her grandfather, Ye Chuan paused briefly before nodding.
"That’s good to hear."
"If you have time, you should visit our home. My grandfather would love to meet you," Qiao Xin added with a smile.
"Next time, definitely."
Noticing his dismissive tone, Qiao Xin raised an eyebrow slightly. But considering Ye Chuan’s capabilities, she felt a mix of frustration and resignation. At least now, with their business ties, their relationship would naturally grow closer over time.
"Let’s eat first," Wang Yanran suggested, seeing that the main discussion had wrapped up.
"Sure."
Casual conversation flowed, but the topic soon turned to the monsters and dimensional rifts—after all, these were the most pressing issues of the day.
"The emergence of monsters has caused significant losses for our group. Several partner factories have shut down, and we’ve had to restructure our subsidiaries just to keep the conglomerate afloat," Qiao Xin explained. If not for these circumstances, they wouldn’t have put the pharmaceutical company up for sale in the first place.
And who would’ve thought this twist of fate would lead to a partnership with Ye Chuan?
Life is truly unpredictable—full of twists and turns.
"Thanks for lunch, Miss Qiao. I should probably get going now." Ye Chuan checked the time and stood up to leave.
"Stay a little longer," Qiao Xin urged.
"I’ve got other plans later," Ye Chuan replied.
Truth be told, Qiao Xin had been rambling about the most trivial things—her school days, office gossip—nothing of substance. He’d have been more interested if she’d just handed him a red envelope instead.
"Qiao-jie, we’ll take our leave now," Wang Yanran said.
"Alright, let’s meet up next time." Qiao Xin sighed, watching reluctantly as Ye Chuan and the others walked away.
Once Ye Chuan descended the stairs, Qiao Xin cupped her face in her hands, deflated.
"Wasted my charm on a blind man. Am I really not attractive anymore?"
She pulled out her phone to check her reflection. Her looks were still top-tier, right?
With a killer figure—curves in all the right places—and legs for days?
"He wasn’t even interested. Ugh~ and he was the first guy I’ve liked in ages." She sighed again. Was there really no chance for her?
…
Back in the car at the parking lot, Ye Chuan had barely settled into his seat when Wang Yanran, in the driver’s seat, chuckled. "Ye Chuan, Qiao-jie seems really into you."
"Figured as much. After the whole ‘hero saves the damsel’ bit, she probably sees me as Prince Charming now," Ye Chuan said dismissively.
"But Qiao-jie’s six years older than you. They say ‘a woman three years older is like gold’—so double the treasure?"
"If you don’t drive properly, I’ll make you fly out of this car." Ye Chuan rested his chin on his hand, a faint smirk in his eyes.
Wang Yanran quickly sobered up, though she still didn’t know where Ye Chuan wanted to go next.
"Heading back, Ye Chuan?"
"Yeah, home." He glanced out the window. With no other plans, he might as well return and spend some quality time with Bai Qianshuang.
"Got it."
Once home, Ye Chuan glanced back at Wang Yanran, who followed him inside without hesitation—clearly planning to freeload off his spiritual energy again. Not that he minded.
Pushing the door open, he spotted two familiar figures in the living room: Luo Xi and Bai Qianshuang, lounging on the sofa watching a drama.
"Chuan-chuan, you’re back already?" Luo Xi blinked in surprise when she saw him.
She’d assumed he wouldn’t return until evening at the earliest.
"Finished my business early," Ye Chuan said, only for Luo Xi to dart over and start sniffing him like a detective.
"What’s this about?"
"Checking if you’ve been up to no good." Luo Xi huffed.
"Why would I? I was barely gone that long." Ye Chuan paused mid-sentence, recalling last night’s incident with the succubus, and averted his gaze.
"Wang Yanran can vouch for me."
"Chuan-chuan, why do you look so guilty?"
"You’re imagining things."
Luo Xi narrowed her eyes, hands on her hips, unconvinced. She knew Ye Chuan too well—whenever he acted shady, his eyes darted everywhere.
"We really just discussed business," Wang Yanran chimed in, backing him up. After all, she’d been with him the whole time.
Moreover, the big shot encountered some trouble, and she couldn’t help but speak up to explain.
"True enough, the moment I got home, I was hit with a strong smell of vinegar," Ye Chuan remarked, then lowered his head slightly to sniff at Luo Xi’s hair.
"Hmm, sour indeed."
"You’re asking for a beating!"
Over on the sofa, Bai Qianshuang silently watched the playful banter between Ye Chuan and Luo Xi.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
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.
] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
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.”
