"Later, you can just clarify the situation online, and I won’t stay any longer."
Wei Junjie immediately stopped Luo Yao, "Assistant Liu, how about having dinner together tonight? It’d be great if you could invite President Luo out. I’d also like to apologize to her on behalf of the Chinese Academy of Sciences."
Everyone in the room, all the experts, felt an unprecedented pressure. It almost felt like this special assistant wasn’t just an assistant—it was as if the infamous Luo Yao herself had arrived.
"That’s unnecessary. President Luo is waiting for me to report back. After the report, she can hurry home to accompany her husband."
Wei Junjie fell silent for a moment before speaking again, "Special Assistant Liu, the Science City project isn’t something I can decide alone. A three-point profit margin is a bit too much—it’s beyond my authority. What do you think…?"
"That’s your problem to solve, not mine. If you don’t want to concede, that’s fine. I won’t make things difficult for you."
Liu Meng made her point without overstepping—anything more would be impolite.
Wei Junjie was starting to get angry. "Assistant Liu, even President Luo wouldn’t be this aggressive, would she?"
"She’s her, I’m me. This is how I operate. If you’re unwilling, you can refuse. Of course, I won’t make things too hard for you—just withdraw some investments, cancel a few projects, and maybe cut scholarships for the three universities directly affiliated with your academy."
Wei Junjie was stunned. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
"Can Special Assistant Liu’s words truly represent President Luo?"
"My very first sentence when I arrived was that I have full authority to represent her."
To be honest, when he first heard Liu Meng was handling this matter, he had felt relieved, thinking this woman would surely be easier to deal with than Luo Yao. He never expected her to be this tough.
Now, he felt like he was facing a formidable enemy—no less intimidating than dealing with Luo Yao herself.
After a long silence, he finally gave in. "Rest assured, I’ll report this to my superiors."
Liu Meng nodded, acknowledging Wei Junjie’s attitude, then walked out of the room. At the door, she casually tossed back a final remark, "Don’t forget to make sure Chen Buhui clarifies things quickly. I’m afraid President Luo might get impatient if she has to wait too long."
Once she left the academy and got into the car, Liu Meng let out a long sigh.
Playing the cold, unapproachable role was exhausting. She truly admired Luo Yao for maintaining that image year after year.
Well… maybe Luo Yao didn’t have to "maintain" it—maybe that was just who she was.
Liu Meng had her reasons for being so assertive, especially when dealing with these state-affiliated enterprises. If she wasn’t firm, they’d chew her up and spit her out.
Only by being unyielding could she make them think twice.
A company could grow big, but once it reached the top, it had to tread carefully—one misstep could lead to ruin.
The public couldn’t topple a corporate giant, but the government could.
Of course, that was the worst-case scenario. The business environment in China was relatively decent. (Don’t read too much into it.)
By the time she returned to Luo Corporation, Luo Yao had already finished her meeting. Liu Meng immediately reported the academy’s stance.
Luo Yao listened attentively the entire time and only nodded at the end. "Well done."
This time, she didn’t mention any bonuses, but those two words—"well done"—meant more to Liu Meng than any reward.
It was another affirmation from Luo Yao.
"President Luo, heading back to the estate?"
Even though it wasn’t yet time to clock out, Liu Meng seemed to understand Luo Yao’s thoughts perfectly.
Sure enough, Luo Yao nodded, and the two left Luo Corporation together.
As the car moved, Liu Meng fell into brief contemplation.
Leaving early like this would have been unthinkable in the past. When had President Luo started prioritizing home so much?
It seemed to coincide with the time Lin Ran began treating her well.
In the car, Luo Yao, who had been resting her eyes, suddenly spoke, interrupting Liu Meng’s thoughts.
"Liu Meng, you handled this well. Keep an eye on the academy’s follow-up. Also, I want to take some time off to be with A’Ran. During this period, you’ll be acting head of the group."
Liu Meng: You’ve only been back at work for one day, and now you’re taking another break? Are you even a CEO anymore?
"Understood."
Though she was complaining internally, outwardly she remained obedient. She didn’t have the right to refuse.
But… was this really her President Luo?
Had Lin Ran saved the galaxy in a past life to deserve someone like Luo Yao?
It almost made her want to find love herself.
Of course, she’d never say any of this out loud.
Soon enough, Chen Buhui’s clarification arrived—late, but it arrived.
One statement, and the internet exploded.
["Money’s hard to earn, sht’s hard to eat—being a stray dog is fine"]: So… this was all orchestrated by Chen Buhui? She was willing to slander herself just to drag Luo Corporation down? Hah! Hahahaha! What’s even real anymore?
["Warm Dad from the Kindergarten Group Chat"]: I’ve got insider info—Chen Buhui clashed with Lin Ran and Luo Yao during the Shanghai bidding. There’s also a leak saying she rigged the process to block Luo Corporation from winning the project.
The leak came from Chen Nianshi, who was furious at Chen Buhui’s veiled insinuations, making it seem like the entire Chen family was involved in her schemes.
["Got Nothing to Do? Eat Some Candy"]: So we were all fooled? Aren’t they family? Why would Chen Buhui do this? Isn’t she a tech mogul? Someone I respected turns out to be like this?
["Chen Qingtian V"]: Achievements don’t reflect character. Who doesn’t have a few disgusting relatives?
["Huh?"]: Holy sht, verified celebrity! So even the Chen family dislikes Chen Buhui? Feels like her reputation just collapsed.
Public opinion online took a sharp turn.
Chen Buhui’s lofty image had already started crumbling when Hu Shuo exposed her collusion with Luo Corporation.
Now, with the revelation that she backstabbed Luo Yao, her reputation was in free fall. Chen Qingtian’s comment only fueled the fire, unleashing the full imagination of netizens.
At the Chen Family Villa, Chen Qingtian high-fived his father in celebration. "Yes!"
"Dad, you’re so bold! You’d leak anything! If Grandpa finds out, won’t he break your legs?"
Chen Nianshi glanced at him. "Your grandfather’s too old to beat me now. But I might just break your legs instead."
And so, the villa echoed with the screams of a certain celebrity.
"Ahhh! Stop! I’m still injured!"
"You’re hurt?" Chen Nianshi looked puzzled. Chen Qingtian rolled up his loose pant leg, revealing stitches from a drunken fall days earlier.
Chen Nianshi fell silent. "You went out drinking alone?"
Chen Qingtian suddenly looked like a wilted plant, refusing to speak.
Chen Nianshi sighed. "Was it because of Little Xia?"
Chen Qingtian’s eyes widened in shock.
"Sometimes, you should learn from your cousin. A’Ran is a kid who loves and hates openly. But you…?"
ive and Ruthless] Before his transmigration, Ye Xuan was playing a game called "Severing Emotions to Attain the Dao." The game's core wasn't about leveling up by fighting monsters, but about conquering various "bad women" with wicked personalities and cold, fickle natures. There was only one method to conquer them: stay unwaveringly by their side, then die at a critical moment, driving them to madness after losing the protagonist. The higher their level of regret, the higher the player's score. To dominate the server, Ye Xuan conquered all the bad women. In the early stages, he showered them with boundless tenderness, only to choose to sacrifice himself for them later, making them weep bitterly and drown in regret. Among them were: Xia Lengyue, the unfaithful immortal wife who chased after powerful men and discarded her husband like trash. Ye Qingcheng, the Demonic Venerable of the Joyous Union Sect, who appeared pure and innocent but was, in reality, promiscuous. Wu Lingxiao, the Empress of the Great Xia Dynasty, who lusted after men and loved maintaining a harem. Bai Qiangu of the Endless Demonic Sect: a bloodthirsty mass murderer. However, when the protagonist transmigrated into the game world, he made a horrifying discovery. Eight hundred years had already passed. The bad women he had conquered had now each become deities and revered ancestors. Faced with the endless stream of toxic women coming for him, Ye Xuan could only rely on his god-tier acting skills to carve a path of survival through this world of treacherous women.
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!
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!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
