"President Lin." Jiang Manting glanced at the time on her phone and said, "Only five minutes have passed. President Lin, you said you'd give me forty minutes, so there are still thirty-five minutes left."
Lin Xuan: "..."
So she was waiting for him here.
Jiang Manting truly deserved her reputation as an old fox in the business world; even he had been tricked by her.
"Fine." Lin Xuan admitted defeat.
Forget it, he would just listen to what Jiang Manting had to say.
"President Lin, now that we've finished discussing business, I'd like to talk to you about some private matters."
Jiang Manting said, "I know your concerns about not wanting to acknowledge us. You are afraid of being hurt by family ties again, and you're worried about the trouble it might bring, right?"
Lin Xuan remained silent.
Those were indeed the two reasons.
There was another reason: he felt there was no real need to acknowledge the Jiang family.
He felt that his current life was pretty good.
"Little Xuan." Jiang Manting changed how she addressed Lin Xuan. "If you're worried about these things, you really don't need to be. You're an adult now. You can acknowledge us first without investing too much emotion into it."
"If we ever treat you poorly, you can just walk away in time. But we can guarantee that we will never treat you like the Lin family did."
Lin Xuan was silent.
Jiang Manting continued, "Also, Little Xuan, rest assured, we won't bring you any trouble. After you acknowledge us, you can do whatever you want. We will absolutely not interfere with your freedom."
"Little Xuan, you can really try to accept us," Jiang Manting said.
Lin Xuan did not reply to Jiang Manting right away.
What Jiang Manting said addressed exactly what he was concerned about.
He also seemed not to be so resistant to acknowledging the Jiang family anymore.
Jiang Manting was right. Even if the Jiang family treated him badly, he could leave at any time. The Jiang family couldn't restrict him.
Jiang Manting said, "Little Xuan, you don't have to give us an answer in such a hurry. You can think it over carefully."
"Also, Tongtong really hopes to get her brother back. As long as you don't agree, I'm afraid Tongtong won't give up."
Jiang Manting actually wanted to come over and pester Lin Xuan as often as Jiang Yutong did, but she was usually too busy with work.
She could only leave the task of pestering Lin Xuan to Jiang Yutong, though she often provided Jiang Yutong with financial support.
This was fine too.
Once Little Xuan was brought back to the Jiang family, his affection for her, his eldest sister, should be a bit higher than for Tongtong, right?
Su Hua knew that Jiang Yutong had been pestering Lin Xuan, so she sent someone to keep an eye on the entrance of the Tianmu Group.
If Jiang Yutong made any moves, she would be notified immediately.
Her subordinate also reported the news of Jiang Manting's arrival to Su Hua.
Su Hua gripped her pen tightly.
"Heh," a cold sneer tugged at the corners of Su Hua's lips. "This Jiang family really is relentlessly pestering Xuan."
She really wanted to kill them all...
That way, no one would be able to steal Xuan's heart away.
She hoped Xuan would only have her in his heart.
However, she couldn't stop Xuan from acknowledging the Jiang family; she could only find ways to delay the time of their reunion.
Su Hua stood up.
Jiang Qing entered the office and reminded her, "President Su, you have a meeting in fifteen minutes."
Su Hua said, "Cancel the meeting. The time is to be determined. I have something to do and need to go out now."
Jiang Qing asked curiously, "President Su, where are you going?"
Su Hua: "Tianmu Group."
The car drove to the Tianmu Group.
Because of a traffic jam, she arrived at the Tianmu Group thirty minutes later.
"President Su." Lei Hui's secretary saw Su Hua and asked respectfully, "Are you here to see President Lin?"
"Yes."
Su Hua nodded. "Where is Xuan?"
The secretary replied, "The boss is in the reception room discussing a partnership. I'll take you there."
Along the way, Su Hua heard the employees of the Tianmu Group talking about Jiang Yutong sending Lin Xuan twenty birthday gifts.
"You went out to discuss business today, so you didn't see it. Today, the second miss of the Jiang family hired drones to deliver gifts to our boss. She missed twenty-four of the boss's birthdays before, so today she made up for all twenty-four birthday gifts at once."
"Oh right, when the gifts were delivered, there was even a shower of flower petals. That scene was literally a real-life idol drama. It couldn't have been more romantic."
"Damn, that really happened! It seems the second miss of the Jiang family is truly madly in love with our boss. It's just a pity that our boss is already with President Su. This second miss of the Jiang family is destined to never win the boss over."
Hearing their conversation, the secretary felt uneasy and secretly glanced at the expression on Su Hua's face beside her.
Sure enough, Su Hua's face was covered in dark clouds.
The secretary desperately winked at them and kept coughing to remind them.
Those few employees were discussing so enthusiastically that they didn't notice the secretary at all.
Su Hua said coldly, "The employees of Tianmu Group really love discussing their boss's private matters. Is this how your company's management system works?"
"No, no, no."
The secretary hurriedly shook her head and said, "Our company has rules. If anyone privately discusses the boss's personal affairs, half a month's bonus will be deducted."
Su Hua glanced at the secretary and said, "Since this rule has been established, it should be enforced. Don't you think?"
"Yes, yes."
The secretary nodded quickly. "I'll go arrange it right away."
She had to follow the boss's lady's orders.
The secretary immediately picked up her phone and gave the instructions.
Only then did Su Hua withdraw her gaze from the secretary.
The secretary wiped the sweat from her forehead.
President Su's oppressive aura was simply too strong.
If she were stared at any longer, her legs would probably give out.
When Su Hua arrived at the office door, Lin Xuan and Jiang Manting just happened to be coming out of the reception room.
Lin Xuan saw Su Hua: "???"
Wasn't Hua busy at her company?
Why did she come over?
Jiang Manting recognized Su Hua, and her face was also full of surprise.
"President Su, why did you come to Tianmu Group?"
She remembered that the Su Group and Tianmu Group didn't have any partnerships.
Su Hua replied, "I'm here to find my future boyfriend."
Jiang Manting was even more surprised.
President Su actually had a boyfriend.
She had heard this rumor before and thought it was fake, but she didn't expect it to be true.
Also, her grandfather hadn't lied to her.
"President Su, you actually have a boyfriend," Jiang Manting couldn't help but ask. "When did this happen?"
Su Hua: "Two years ago."
Jiang Manting was slightly taken aback.
President Su actually started dating so early.
"President Su, is your boyfriend also an employee of Tianmu Group? You said you came to find him, I wonder where he is?"
Jiang Manting started looking around.
She was very curious. Su Hua must have great taste. Whoever she had liked for two years must be incredibly outstanding.
Su Hua didn't answer Jiang Manting. Instead, she walked up to Lin Xuan and kissed him on the cheek.
"Xuan, I missed you, so I came to see you."
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!
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
