The subordinate's eyes lit up with a trace of anticipation as he hurriedly opened it.
This…
Seeing the contents, his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Ling… didn’t come after all.
If Ling cared so much about Lin Xuan, she would never have ignored the fact that he was in their hands.
That left only one possibility—Jiang Qing hadn’t told Ling about this…
How dare Jiang Qing, as Ling’s subordinate, keep this from her?
"Speak!" Zhao Long’s voice was laced with murderous intent.
"Boss, I’m sorry. We called Ling, but her phone was turned off the whole time. So we contacted her secretary instead. I thought her secretary would inform Ling about Lin Xuan being in our custody."
"But…" The subordinate’s palms were slick with sweat. "Ling never came to save Lin Xuan."
"Idiots!" Zhao Long’s face twisted in fury. "The moment Ling finds out Lin Xuan is with us, she’ll rush over. That Jiang Qing, for Ling’s safety, would never tell her!"
"Why wasn’t this reported immediately? Do you have any idea how much time you’ve wasted ruining my entertainment?"
Not to mention, the longer this dragged on, the higher the chance of unexpected complications.
"Boss, we’re sorry. Next time, we won’t make the same mistake." The two subordinates dropped to their knees with a thud.
Their bodies shook violently with fear.
"You know what? I don’t like people who think they’re clever." Zhao Long pulled out a gun, coldly pressing the muzzle against one of the subordinates. "Since you dared to act on your own, I have no use for you anymore."
The two subordinates jerked their heads up in horror.
The boss was going to kill them…
"Boss, we truly know we were wrong! Please, give us another chance, just one more!" They desperately kowtowed, begging for mercy.
Zhao Long let out a chilling laugh.
His eyes were devoid of warmth.
He pulled the trigger.
Two loud bangs echoed.
A bloody hole appeared in each subordinate’s forehead.
Their burly bodies collapsed heavily backward.
Without a flicker of emotion, Zhao Long put his gun away.
"Go," he ordered the remaining subordinates. "Find any way possible to inform Ling that Lin Xuan is in my hands."
The other subordinates glanced at the corpses on the floor, shuddering.
"Yes," they replied obediently.
---
United States
Inside a hotel room, Su Hua remained seated on the sofa, her delicate brows furrowed as she stared intently at the surveillance feed of the sleeping figure in the other room.
"President Su," Jiang Qing entered, bowing slightly. "It’s almost time. We should leave for the negotiation."
Su Hua didn’t respond immediately, her gaze still fixed on her phone.
Curious, Jiang Qing leaned in. "President Su, why are you so focused on watching Young Master Lin sleep?"
"Jiang Qing," Su Hua finally spoke, "don’t you think he doesn’t quite look like Ah Xuan?"
Jiang Qing’s heart skipped a beat.
Had President Su noticed something?
"President Su," she forced a smile, "why would you think that suddenly?"
"Ah Xuan is slimmer and paler," Su Hua murmured.
And the way this person felt… it wasn’t like Ah Xuan at all.
Jiang Qing: "!!!"
How could she tell?
Jiang Qing had thought the difference between Lin Xuan and Cheng Da’s complexion and build was negligible. She glanced back at the screen, racking her brain to recall Lin Xuan’s exact appearance.
Her conclusion?
They were practically identical. Otherwise, Young Master Lin wouldn’t have chosen this man to impersonate him.
"President Su, you must be overthinking it. That’s clearly Young Master Lin’s face. As for the complexion and build, maybe it’s just the difference between surveillance footage and reality that’s giving you this impression," Jiang Qing reasoned.
Su Hua’s frown deepened.
She wanted to message Ah Xuan to confirm.
But he was sick and resting—she didn’t want to disturb him.
Fine.
She’d wait until he woke up to talk to him.
With that, Su Hua put her phone away and followed Jiang Qing out of the hotel.
A team of bodyguards surrounded Su Hua, ensuring no one could harm her.
The remnants of the Shang Organization in the U.S. were few, so they had hired outsiders to relay messages to Su Hua. Success meant a hefty reward.
Kristy, a fifteen-year-old boy, lived with his gravely ill younger sister. With no money left for her medicine, he was desperate.
He needed that payout.
From a distance, Kristy stared at the stunning woman at the center of the entourage.
No—he had to get to her!
Once she entered the hotel, he’d have no chance. His mission would fail, and the reward would slip through his fingers.
"President Su! I need to speak with you!" Kristy shouted.
Jiang Qing’s guard instantly went up.
"Cover his mouth," she ordered a bodyguard.
"Yes."
The nearest bodyguard moved swiftly.
Kristy sensed the danger.
If they caught him, he’d never escape!
Thinking fast, he changed tactics. "Lin Xuan! Lin—"
Before he could finish, the bodyguard clamped a hand over his mouth.
"Mmph—!"
He thrashed wildly, but the towering bodyguard’s grip was unbreakable.
Jiang Qing tensed at the mention of Lin Xuan’s name.
Sure enough, Su Hua halted, her gaze locking onto Kristy and the bodyguard.
"President Su," Jiang Qing stepped forward, "that man was causing trouble, so I had him removed."
Su Hua narrowed her eyes. "I could’ve sworn he called Ah Xuan’s name."
"Did he?" Jiang Qing feigned surprise. "He doesn’t even know Young Master Lin. Why would he shout his name? President Su, you must have misheard."
Outwardly calm, Jiang Qing’s palms were sweating.
An hour ago, after that call from the Shang Organization, she knew they’d stop at nothing to inform President Su that Lin Xuan was in their custody.
She had taken precautions to block their attempts.
But she never expected them to resort to something this direct.
"Really?" Su Hua’s piercing stare bore into Jiang Qing.
"Why would I lie to you, President Su? I truly didn’t hear anything."
Jiang Qing kept her head bowed, her voice lacking conviction.
She had forgotten one thing—Su Hua’s obsession with Lin Xuan. Anything related to him, no matter how trivial, she pursued relentlessly.
Even if it was false, she would dig to the bottom.
---
Thank you to 15ww51 for the super gift!
And to the lovely supporters: Slothful Capybara, Redamancy Love, Midnight Geng, and others!
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!
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.
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."
villain is the number one simp for the book's leading female protagonist, Shen Wan'er. As expected, he later becomes a tool for the main character to show off and slap faces, ultimately meeting a tragic end with his family ruined and his life in shambles. Fortunately, he awakens the [Universal Pure Love System], which allows him to earn points by performing acts of pure love. To change his fate, Gu Yan makes a decisive choice to seek warmth and companionship with the book's biggest villain—Cold Qingqiu. ........... My name is Leng Qingqiu. To find the murderer who killed my parents years ago, I deliberately blinded myself so that everyone would lower their guard around me. Just as I was secretly accumulating power and capital according to my initial plan, a man walked into my world. "Lengleng, Qingqing, Qiuqiu, which nickname do you prefer?" I don't like any of them. You'd better leave quickly! "Why aren't you saying anything? How about I call you my baby wife?" Leng Qingqiu thinks to herself, this man is truly annoying! (Stubborn pure love warrior + single female lead + true pure love + 1v1)
