Lin Li sensed the danger and immediately turned to run back to his car.
Just as his hand touched the car door handle, a bodyguard kicked him from behind, sending him sprawling to the ground.
"Trying to run? Don’t even think about it!"
Sitting on the ground, Lin Li glared at them, gritting his teeth. "Who the hell are you? What do you want?"
"Who we are isn’t something you need to know."
The bodyguards wasted no time on further words. One of them swiftly pulled a burlap sack over Lin Li’s head.
"Let me go!"
"Help! Someone help!"
Lin Li struggled violently, shouting at the top of his lungs.
One of the bodyguards frowned and asked, "Do we have tape or a rag or something?"
"No," another replied, shaking his head.
None of them wanted to tear their own clothes to gag him, so one simply delivered a sharp chop to the back of Lin Li’s neck, knocking him unconscious.
Before darkness took him, despair flashed in Lin Li’s eyes.
His mind replayed scenes from the two previous times he’d been locked in a basement and tortured—each experience worse than death.
He never wanted to go through that again.
He should have hired bodyguards, but he was broke now. He couldn’t afford any.
Was he really about to endure that unbearable agony once more?
The first time, they’d forced him to drink a potion that rendered him a eunuch.
The second time, they’d ripped out his fingernails and toenails.
So what would they do to him this time?
After Lin Li passed out, the bodyguards dragged him into the trunk of a car.
Then, they called Feng Weimin.
Feng Weimin listened to the report on the other end of the line and nodded. "Good. Understood."
He hung up.
"Dad, who was that? Someone from the company?"
Feng Yaya was sulking as she picked at the bland meal in front of her—plain boiled greens, hard-boiled eggs, and tasteless chicken breast.
It was disgusting.
If not for her determination to become someone worthy of Lin Xuan—to make him notice her—she wouldn’t be forcing this down.
Feng Weimin answered, "Yaya, my secretary just called. They’ve captured Lin Li."
"So soon?" Feng Yaya’s eyes lit up.
Feng Weimin nodded. "Didn’t you say you wanted to teach him a lesson yourself? Still interested?"
"Absolutely." Feng Yaya’s gaze darkened.
If Lin Li dared to scheme against her, he’d better be ready to face the consequences.
She wasn’t someone to be trifled with!
Meanwhile, Su Hua had people keeping tabs on Lin Li. The moment something happened, Jiang Qing immediately called her—right in the middle of a heated kiss with Lin Xuan in the movie theater.
The ringing shattered the intimate moment.
Su Hua pressed the phone to her ear, her voice icy. "This better be important."
Jiang Qing shivered.
She rubbed her arms.
Damn, the boss was in a foul mood today. Had she swallowed explosives or something?
Wait.
Su Hua was with Young Master Lin Xuan. Those two were always all over each other.
If Su Hua was this pissed… had she interrupted them in the middle of—
Jiang Qing shuddered.
Disturbing Su Hua’s fun? She must have a death wish.
She rushed to explain, "Boss, you told us to monitor Lin Li and report any developments immediately, right?"
So she had a valid reason for calling.
This wasn’t her fault.
Jiang Qing continued, "I just got word—the Feng family knocked Lin Li out and stuffed him in a sack."
Su Hua’s voice remained frosty. "Unless it involves Xuan, don’t bother me with his affairs again."
She hung up.
Jiang Qing exhaled in relief.
The boss was terrifying.
Especially when her… activities were interrupted.
Even though Su Hua hadn’t punished her, Jiang Qing feared retaliation later.
Back in the theater, Lin Xuan asked curiously, "Hua, what happened to Lin Li?"
Su Hua replied, "The Feng family took him."
"No way!"
Lin Xuan stroked his chin, intrigued. "After all the lies he fed them, Lin Li’s in for a world of pain."
He smirked. "This’ll be fun to watch."
Then he turned to Su Hua. "Hey, Hua, can your people record whatever the Fengs do to him?"
Su Hua nodded. "I’ll arrange it."
She typed out a message to Jiang Qing:
[Su Hua, the Demon Boss]: Get footage of Lin Li being tortured. Xuan wants to see it.
[Jiang Qing]: Understood, Boss.
Jiang Qing finally relaxed.
So Young Master Lin Xuan was interested in Lin Li’s suffering. If he was happy, Su Hua’s anger would fade.
Looks like she’d survive this interruption after all.
Lin Xuan really was her savior.
Lin Xuan mused, "I wonder how the Fengs will mess him up this time."
Whatever they did, he just hoped they didn’t kill Lin Li outright.
That would ruin his entertainment.
Seeing Lin Xuan’s eager expression, Su Hua’s cold aura vanished completely.
As long as Xuan was happy.
"Hua." Su Hua leaned closer, her voice low. "Jiang Qing will contact us once there’s footage. Let’s finish the movie, hm?"
"Sure." Lin Xuan nodded.
Su Hua rested her head against his chest as the film played on.
The romantic leads on-screen shared passionate kisses before tumbling into bed together.
The scene cut to a shot of their clothes scattered on the floor, the rest left to the imagination.
After a while, Lin Xuan couldn’t resist stealing a glance at Su Hua’s lips under the dim theater light. He swallowed hard.
The sharp-eyed beauty noticed instantly. A smirk curled her lips as she whispered in his ear, "If you want me, Xuan, I’ll gladly oblige."
Truthfully, she wanted him too.
Su Hua tilted her head up, pulling Lin Xuan down into another deep kiss.
Meanwhile, Lin Li found himself in a familiar nightmare—dragged into yet another basement.
He remained unconscious until Feng Yaya arrived.
Lin Xuan and Su Hua had already returned to Night Garden. The live feed from the basement streamed directly to Su Hua’s phone.
She had the staff project it onto the TV.
Su Hua remembered Feng Yaya all too well.
Lin Li’s bride-to-be.
The same woman who’d once set her sights on Xuan.
Su Hua’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
Lin Xuan, however, sounded thrilled. "Here we go. It’s starting."

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.”

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."

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…

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?!”