Lin Xuan casually came up with an excuse to brush him off.
[Lin Xuan]: "Yeah, I had it all prepared beforehand. The details I asked you for were just to verify whether my plan had any flaws."
Wang Ba nodded.
So that was it.
He had been wondering—how could the gang leader possibly have drafted an entire strategic plan in just over three minutes?
Even if the gang leader had supernatural abilities, that would still be impossible.
Wang Ba went back to studying Lin Xuan’s meticulously laid-out plan.
A trusted subordinate peeked over curiously.
Frowning in confusion, he asked, "The gang leader made this?"
"Right," Wang Ba confirmed with a nod.
The subordinate grew even more puzzled. "I’ve never seen the gang leader write such a lengthy strategic plan before. Why is it so detailed this time?"
Wang Ba replied, "We’re going up against Night Rose for this arms deal. Of course it has to be detailed."
Wait.
Wang Ba’s brow furrowed as well.
The gang leader had only just learned about Night Rose’s interference in the arms deal—how could he have prepared such an extensive plan in advance?
Unless he had prior knowledge.
At that thought, Wang Ba nodded to himself. Given the gang leader’s almost omniscient capabilities, it wasn’t impossible for him to have gotten wind of it early.
Just like that, Wang Ba had conjured up a perfectly reasonable explanation for Lin Xuan, sparing him any need for further justification.
"Wait, Night Rose?!"
The subordinate’s eyes widened in shock.
He had been dealing with a sudden stomachache and missed the earlier conversation between the gang leader and Wang Ba. They were actually discussing something this serious?!
"Second Boss," the subordinate gulped nervously, "are you sure we should be going head-to-head with Night Rose?"
Wang Ba nodded. "That’s the gang leader’s arrangement. The odds must be in our favor."
"But even if we win this time, Night Rose is notorious for holding grudges. What if they retaliate?" The subordinate voiced his concerns anxiously.
Wang Ba felt both anticipation and unease.
The worry was that provoking Night Rose could backfire—if the Golden Dragon Gang couldn’t withstand their counterattack, what then?
But if they succeeded, the Golden Dragon Gang would rise to become the top underworld faction, untouchable and feared by all.
"Do you think we stand a chance against Night Rose?" Wang Ba asked, his voice laced with worry.
"I don’t know," the subordinate admitted, shaking his head.
"But the gang leader never fights a battle he isn’t confident in. If he’s made this move, he must believe we can win."
"True."
Wang Ba felt somewhat reassured.
---
On a chair adorned with intricate serpent patterns sat a man with long silver hair. His fingers, which had been idly turning prayer beads, suddenly stilled.
His cold eyes snapped open. "What’s the delay? Has that bastard who seduced Ling still not been captured?"
"No," a subordinate answered, head bowed.
"Useless!"
Zhao Long clenched his fist, snapping the prayer beads in his grip. They scattered across the floor with a sharp clatter.
"All of you—worthless!" he hissed through gritted teeth.
"How long has it been? And you still can’t even catch one man!"
"Boss," the subordinate stammered nervously, "he’s always in crowded areas or stays within the Night Garden. Besides, he’s not only guarded by personal bodyguards but also has hidden protection. We haven’t found an opening yet."
Zhao Long’s fists tightened.
He couldn’t wait any longer.
With Shadow’s influence waning, he needed Ling back to restore its former glory.
He had to capture Lin Xuan as soon as possible—to crush Ling’s hope, to make her heartless again, to mold her back into the perfect, obedient assassin who followed only his orders.
"Keep hunting Lin Xuan down!" Zhao Long commanded in a low, dangerous voice. "I’m giving you two more weeks. If you fail, you’d better take care of yourselves!"
The subordinate shuddered and hastily nodded. "Understood, Boss."
"Ling," Zhao Long murmured to himself, "come back to me. Shadow is your home."
"Boss," another subordinate suggested cautiously, "perhaps we could intensify Ling’s sense of urgency. It might be more effective."
"Explain!" Zhao Long’s piercing gaze locked onto him.
The subordinate hurriedly continued, "We could make sure Ling keeps reliving that day. If she knows what awaits Lin Xuan if he regains his memories, the betrayal will hit her even harder."
Zhao Long let out a chilling chuckle.
"Good. Very good," he said, pleased. "Do as you’ve suggested."
"Yes."
"Also," the subordinate added after a moment, "we could arrange for beautiful women to surround Lin Xuan. No man resists temptation. If Ling sees him indulging, her despair will deepen."
Zhao Long smirked. "Fine. Find him some beauties. Let him enjoy one last fling before his end."
This Lin Xuan had lured Ling away, filling her head with foolish notions of love, making her refuse to return to Shadow. He deserved nothing less than a thousand cuts.
---
Inside the CEO’s office, Su Hua stared at the message on her phone.
Shadow.
Zhao Long.
Her fingers clenched around the device, her eyes burning with murderous intent—and unease.
"President Su."
Jiang Qing knocked and entered.
Su Hua calmly switched off her phone.
Jiang Qing bowed slightly. "The dance instructor has arrived. She’s waiting in the studio."
The studio had been custom-built for Su Hua’s dance practice.
Originally, she had only dabbled in contemporary jazz before abandoning it.
But after reading somewhere that dance improved flexibility and poise, Su Hua had Jiang Qing hire an instructor. Now, whenever she had free time at the office, she practiced.
With the date of her performance for Lin Xuan approaching, she had Jiang Qing bring back the jazz instructor for refinement.
Su Hua moved gracefully across the studio, her every motion exuding an alluring charm.
The instructor watched in admiration.
She fought the urge to recruit Su Hua as a full-time dancer, reminding herself repeatedly: She’s the CEO of Su Corporation. She won’t abandon everything for dance.
As the music faded, the instructor sighed in amazement.
"President Su, even after all this time, your skills haven’t faded at all."
"I don’t think there’s anything left for me to teach you."
Su Hua cut straight to the point.
"Are there any dance moves particularly effective at seducing men?"
iemie, male, Race: Moon. Hobby: Collecting anomalies. At first, he thought he possessed two systems: the Crimson Rainbow Moon and the Clear Cold Frost Moon. One day, he discovered that he himself could also become a system for others, holding the chessboard of fate. The Eighth Epoch, also known as the Eternal Moon Epoch. Humans, witches, elves, bloodline descendants, specters, demons, and spirits together compose a new history. Walking the path on behalf of the moon, before he knew it, Chen Miemie's footsteps were followed by all manner of strange and wondrous anomalies. As time passed, many titles circulated about him—The King in Yellow, Lord of Anomalies, Heart of the Eternal Moon, and more. "Me? I'm just a traveler who enjoys collecting interesting creatures," Chen Miemie said.
] 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.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
