"Chairman, what should we do now?"
The head of the gaming department still believed Lin Chang could come up with a solution this time.
But to his surprise, Lin Chang remained pale-faced, shaking his head. "There's no way. There's absolutely no way to handle this."
Their company's accounts were nearly empty.
Lin Xuan owned the largest short-video platform, and even those microblogging platforms were likely under his control through hacking threats, which was why they always sided with him.
Lin Xuan had mastered the direction of public opinion. No matter what they did, it would just be a waste of money.
He should have realized it sooner.
Lin Chang slumped weakly onto the sofa, his face ashen.
He should have seen it coming—their gaming division had been running too smoothly lately.
If he had stayed vigilant, maybe Lin Xuan wouldn’t have exploited them so thoroughly.
Lin Xuan had seen everything clearly from the start. People driven by greed had little rationality left.
"Chairman, are we just going to admit defeat like this?" the gaming department head asked with a frown.
"What else can we do besides surrender?" Lin Chang suddenly snapped at him. "Tell me, what can we possibly do to fight against Lin Xuan and Starlight Group?"
The gaming department head fell silent.
Indeed, there was nothing they could do against Lin Xuan and Starlight Group now.
"Leave me alone for now," Lin Chang said weakly, rubbing his temples.
"Yes, sir."
The gaming department manager left the chairman’s office.
Lin Chang stayed alone in his office for two hours, ignoring every knock on the door.
Finally, the door opened.
"Dad!" Lin Qingwan and Lin Li, who had been waiting outside, rushed forward anxiously. "Are you okay?"
"I’m fine," Lin Chang forced himself to say. "Disband the gaming department."
The words seemed to drain the last of his strength.
"Dad, is there really no other way?" Lin Li clenched his fists, his brows furrowed.
"There’s no way," Lin Chang shook his head. "Given Lin Xuan’s nature, he won’t allow us to recover. Struggling further will only waste more money."
After spending hours alone in his office, he had finally understood.
Lin Xuan’s goal was to drive the entire Lin family into poverty. The more money they invested, the more Lin Xuan would revel in it.
He had to preserve some funds—he couldn’t fall into Lin Xuan’s trap again.
Cutting off unprofitable business ventures was the best choice now.
He would focus on developing their hotels, completing their current real estate project, and nurturing their already-popular artists.
Just these ventures alone could bring him hundreds of millions in profit annually. That would have to be enough.
Lin Li tightened his fists, resentment burning in his eyes.
Lin Chang was truly useless—a decades-old fox in the business world, yet he had been outmaneuvered by Lin Xuan to this extent!
If things continued like this, their remaining money would inevitably be drained by Lin Xuan’s schemes.
Lin Li’s mind began racing.
He had to secure an escape route for himself—he couldn’t just sit and wait for disaster.
"Dad," Lin Li forced a comforting tone, stepping forward. "Don’t be too hard on yourself. The company will recover. No matter what happens, Mom, my sisters, and I will always stand by you."
Lin Chang looked at him with relief.
"Li, you’re the most thoughtful."
Once again, he felt grateful.
At least he had Lin Li as his son. The only regret was that Lin Li was now a eunuch—sterilized and unable to carry on the family line.
Night Garden
Lin Xuan sent the prepared evidence to Lei Hui.
[Lei Hui]: ??? Boss, what’s this?
[Lin Xuan]: Enough scandals to get Starlight Group’s artists blacklisted.
A crooked tree bears crooked fruit. In the cutthroat world of entertainment, Starlight Group was already corrupt—how could their artists be any better?
Digging up these scandals had been effortless.
[Lei Hui]: Boss, is there anything else besides the artists’ scandals?
[Lin Xuan]: Just the construction site and hotel scandals tied to Starlight Group.
Lei Hui’s excitement surged—this was gold.
[Lei Hui]: When should we release this, Boss?
He couldn’t wait to see Starlight Group collapse.
[Lin Xuan]: In two days. Contact all major platforms and make sure this blows up as big as possible.
[Lei Hui]: Got it.
Lin Xuan stared at the chat log, his eyes narrowing dangerously.
Starlight Group had been strutting around for too long. It was time to reel them in and shut them down for good.
After ending the chat, Lei Hui immediately opened the files Lin Xuan had sent.
As he scrolled through the contents, his excitement grew.
Perfect. With this, Starlight Group would never recover.
A shiver ran down his spine.
Honestly, opposing their boss was a death wish.
Lei Hui felt grateful once again—he was lucky to be on Lin Xuan’s side, not his enemy.
The Next Day
Su Hua went to the company again, while Lin Xuan stayed in Night Garden, entering his private space to research her treatment.
After some time, he emerged.
The medicine for Su Hua was making significant progress.
He just needed two more medicinal ingredients. Once he found the right ones, formulated them into pills, and combined them with acupuncture, Su Hua might finally recover.
Lately, Su Hua hadn’t been clinging to him as much.
Lin Xuan had gotten proper rest, and his body had fully recuperated.
He glanced at the wall clock.
Only 10:30 AM.
Perfect timing to cook a meal for Su Hua.
As he stepped into the kitchen, he saw Butler Wang brewing something—a strong medicinal scent wafting from the pot.
"Butler Wang, what are you making?" Lin Xuan asked curiously.
"Young Master Lin, didn’t you give me a recipe for a tonic soup? I’m preparing it now," Butler Wang replied respectfully.
Lin Xuan coughed awkwardly. "Ah, right. Thank you for your trouble, Butler Wang."
"No trouble at all," Butler Wang chuckled. "If you really want to thank me, hurry up and have a baby with Miss Su so I can help raise the little one."
"Butler Wang," Lin Xuan raised an eyebrow. "Don’t you have a girlfriend? And aren’t you about to get married? Once you’re busy with your wife, you won’t have time to babysit for us."
At that, Butler Wang’s stirring hand paused.
(Psst, dear readers, where’s the love? Where are my little gifts?)
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!
ose... to cooperate with the protagonist! Shen Yuan: I have a system! Protagonist: What? System: Holy crap, you're just spilling it out like that? Shen Yuan: Let's team up, we'll split the system rewards! Protagonist: Fifty-fifty split? Shen Yuan: No way! Protagonist: What!? I'm the one getting beaten up, and I don't get half? Shen Yuan: Forty-sixty split, I get forty, you get sixty! Protagonist: Deal! Big brother, come on, hit me! As long as it doesn't kill me, beat me like you mean it! Shen Yuan: Don't worry... I will definitely protect all of you! No one but me can lay a finger on you! Guard our Heaven's Chosen Ones! I'm the only one allowed to bully them!
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)
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?
