"Useless! All of you are useless!"
"Can't even handle such a simple task! What good are you to me?"
Zhao Long, seething with rage, hurled a teacup at his subordinate.
The cup struck the man's forehead, drawing blood that trickled down his face.
"Boss..."
The subordinate's lips trembled as he spoke, "Their security is too tight. The target himself knows martial arts. We didn’t even get a chance to strike. In fact, he deliberately set a trap, waiting for us."
"No matter how well they defend, someone can still kill him," Zhao Long declared.
That someone was... Ling.
Ling was Zhao Long's trump card, a figure who had never failed him in completing missions. Tasks ten times more difficult than this had been accomplished by Ling. If Ling took on this job, success was guaranteed.
But Ling... was disobedient. For the sake of a man, Ling had been playing the role of CEO at the Su Corporation.
"Have you still not captured Lin Xuan?" Zhao Long's voice was icy with fury.
"We haven’t found the right opportunity yet," the subordinate answered, trembling.
"Useless!"
"It's been so long, and you still haven’t caught him!" Zhao Long roared.
"Boss, Ling has been protecting him too well. Ever since our last failed attempt, he hasn’t left Night Manor. Ling must be worried about his safety and keeping him inside," the subordinate muttered, head bowed.
If he never left Night Manor, how could they act?
The security at Night Manor was even tighter than that of a royal palace in Y Country. Anyone who tried to strike there would only meet death.
They had no chance at all.
"I’m giving you one more week. No matter what, you must bring him to me. Otherwise, none of you will be spared," Zhao Long said coldly.
"Yes, sir," the subordinate replied, voice shaking.
Even if Lin Xuan left Night Manor, capturing him would still be nearly impossible.
Unless he willingly walked into their hands.
The subordinate despaired.
Lin Xuan wasn’t a fool—why would he let himself be caught?
They were doomed...
Two days later...
Jiang Qing glanced at her watch and called Su Hua to remind her, "President Su, it's almost time. We should leave now."
"Alright, I know."
Su Hua hung up, then rolled over, pinning Lin Xuan beneath her.
"Hua Bao, what’s wrong?" Lin Xuan swallowed hard.
Without a word, Su Hua pressed her crimson lips to his, kissing him deeply, ignoring the incessant ringing of her phone.
Jiang Qing hung up again.
It seemed President Su was busy with Young Master Lin. She would just have to wait.
After a long while, Su Hua finally pulled away, breathless.
Her forehead rested against Lin Xuan’s. "A-Xuan, I’ll be away on a business trip for two days. Be good and wait for me at home."
"Okay," Lin Xuan agreed.
But... staying obediently at home was out of the question.
He still had to go out and deal with the Shadow Organization.
"And A-Xuan, remember to miss me," Su Hua added.
"Okay," Lin Xuan nodded again.
"Also, A-Xuan, make sure to clean yourself up at home," Su Hua said, her red lips curving into a smirk.
She had let him rest long enough. It was time to finally have him.
Lin Xuan: "..."
His kidneys!
He couldn’t help but wonder—Hua Bao had been holding back for so long, clearly struggling herself, yet she still refused to touch him.
Why wait two more days?
Was there something special about that day?
Lin Xuan personally saw Su Hua off as she boarded the private jet.
Now that Hua Bao was leaving the country, it was time to put his own plans into motion.
"Come in," Lin Xuan made a call.
"Yes," Cheng Da’s respectful voice answered.
"Just you. No one else," Lin Xuan added.
"Yes."
After hanging up, Cheng Da headed toward the villa.
Cheng Er followed him.
Cheng Da stopped. "Young Master Lin said only I should enter. You stay outside."
"Why?" Cheng Er protested.
"That’s his order. If you have a problem, take it up with him," Cheng Da replied.
Cheng Er deflated.
He wouldn’t dare confront the boss.
The boss might seem gentle, but his methods were ruthless. Crossing him meant suffering the consequences.
Inside Night Manor...
"Miss Xu," the servants greeted respectfully.
"Mm. Where’s my sister?" Xu Xiaoman asked.
"Madam just left for a business trip," a servant answered.
"A business trip?" Xu Xiaoman frowned. "For how long?"
"We don’t know," the servant admitted.
"Fine. I’ll come back another time," Xu Xiaoman said.
Butler Wang exhaled in relief.
Thankfully, Miss Xu hadn’t run into Young Master Lin. Miss Xu was a devoted admirer of Young Master Huo and firmly believed he was the only man worthy of her sister.
With her spoiled and willful nature, she would surely cause trouble for Young Master Lin if they met.
But as luck would have it, just as she reached the villa’s entrance, she spotted Lin Xuan walking toward her.
Xu Xiaoman’s eyes widened.
A well-dressed man in her sister’s villa?
His attire made it clear he wasn’t just a servant or bodyguard. That left only one possibility—her sister’s man.
No.
Her brother-in-law could only be Young Master Huo.
No other man was worthy of being her sister’s husband.
"Hey, who are you?" Xu Xiaoman blocked Lin Xuan’s path.
Lin Xuan narrowed his eyes.
Xu Xiaoman?
In his past life, after marrying Qin Ruoyao, this woman had harassed him a few times before disappearing.
Why was she here now?
Was she also connected to Hua Bao?
But Hua Bao would never hurt him. Why would she send someone to torment him?
Lin Xuan smirked. "Why am I here? Because I’m the master of Night Manor."
Xu Xiaoman’s pupils shrank.
Her sister had taken a man? What about Young Master Huo?
She only recognized Young Master Huo as her brother-in-law.
Only he was worthy of her sister.
"Master of Night Manor?" Xu Xiaoman scoffed. "You? Don’t make me laugh."
"Let me make this clear—you’re just my sister’s plaything. Don’t get cocky."
Lin Xuan checked the time. It was time to leave. He couldn’t waste any more time on Xu Xiaoman.
Coldly, he ordered, "Guards."
A group of security personnel entered. "Young Master Lin," they greeted respectfully.
"Tie her up and throw her out of Night Manor," Lin Xuan commanded.
Xu Xiaoman crossed her arms and sneered. "You think you can order people around? I’m my sister’s half-sister by blood. You’re just an outsider. Do you really think these guards would dare lay a finger on me? Ridiculous!"
Yet—
"Yes, sir!" The guards responded without hesitation, moving toward Xu Xiaoman.
Even as they bound her hands and feet, Xu Xiaoman’s widened eyes still held disbelief.
They actually did it?
d intelligence to keep the plot moving, and sometimes even the protagonists are forced into absurdly dumb decisions. Why does the A-list celebrity heroine in urban romance novels ditch the top-tier movie star and become a lovestruck fool for a pockmarked male lead? Why do the leads in historical tragedy novels keep dancing between love and death, only for the blind healer to end up suffering the most? And Gu Wei never expected that after finally landing a villain role to stir up trouble, she’d pick the wrong gender! No choice now—she’ll just have to crush the protagonists as a girl!
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…
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.
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.”
