The dessert area.
The "small banquet" gradually evolved into a "medium-sized banquet," with the number of attendees about to break into double digits. People from this floor were all drawn over, and even those from the floor below paid extra to temporarily "upgrade" and run upstairs, unwilling to miss out on this excellent opportunity for networking and business negotiations.
"I didn't expect this, Brother Lin. I thought you had retired, yet here you are, making a comeback. I was quite surprised when I heard the news today. I thought it was just nonsense from unscrupulous media," Shen Ming said with a smile.
Lin Tianxiong shook his head. "Sigh, I had no choice. My daughter said she wanted to further her studies, so my old bones had to step up, didn't they? You know our family's situation, Brother Shen. I just don't feel at ease leaving it to anyone else."
Shen Ming nodded.
It was true. Lin Tianxiong's case was quite a classic in Dahai City, a modern-day example of "enduring hardships to plot revenge" and the very benchmark of a ruthless man. Many families took it as a cautionary tale, sounding the alarm for themselves.
The more formidable the descendants, the less one should push things to the absolute extreme; otherwise, the Lin family was the prime example.
The relationship between the Shen and Lin families was fairly good. After all, the two families originally belonged to the same echelon, both positioned just below the top-tier "Big Three."
The Shen family could be considered the cream of the crop below the "Big Three." At that time, the Lin family was not yet managed by Lin Tianxiong and could only be considered a mid-level first-tier family beneath the "Big Three," incomparable to the Shen family.
But now, the Shen family had managed to elevate themselves into the ranks of the "Big Three" in their own way, breaking away from the first-tier category. Meanwhile, under the elite management of Lin Tianxiong and Lin Baizhi, the Lin family had taken over the Shen family's former position, becoming the leading head of the first-tier families!
Unfortunately, taking another step forward was like crossing an insurmountable chasm. It wasn't something that could be achieved merely through good management; it required a stroke of luck and opportunity.
As for when that opportunity would appear, no one knew.
Just like the Shen family, who had been a first-tier family for years, their opportunity appeared in the form of Shen Ming. He was crowned with numerous titles: the Qilin Son, the Child of Revival, the Housewife Killer, Doudou...
Shen Ming and Lin Tianxiong were similar in age and had comparable family backgrounds, but their life trajectories were worlds apart.
One was propped up by his entire family, becoming the most dazzling pearl, suffocating his peers with his brilliance. The other was plain and ordinary. Of course, that was only the first phase of Lin Tianxiong's life.
There was also a second phase. The second phase was equivalent to a boss monster entering its enraged form: losing his wife and children, forcing a rapid ascent, revealing his talents, exposing his sharp edges, and emerging as a formidable schemer...
Geniuses always have common topics with other geniuses, and heroes naturally connect with other heroes. It was inevitable that the two would develop a rather good relationship.
Once they started chatting, they completely lost track of time and space. Neither of them noticed that Ye Cheng had disappeared.
"Brother Shen, did you come here alone? Would you like to sit at my place for a bit?" Lin Tianxiong invited.
Shen Ming smiled and politely declined. "I came with our Hanhan to treat her classmate to a meal. As parents, we always have to worry a bit more about our children's affairs..."
As Shen Ming spoke, he tried to point out the "classmate" he was referring to, but after scanning the area, he realized Ye Cheng was gone!
Shen Ming: "..."
Boom!
A bolt from the blue! Brother Doudou's sky was falling!
Oh no, the kid ran away!
Shen Ming gasped, breaking out in a cold sweat. He frantically searched the crowd for any trace of Ye Cheng. Where was he? How could such a big person just vanish?
Seeing Shen Ming suddenly dart off, looking panicked as if searching for something, Lin Tianxiong froze for a moment. He suddenly remembered that he seemed to be missing something, too.
What was it?
Lin Tianxiong entered the same state Shen Ming had just been in, frowning as if pondering something.
Hiss... what on earth was it?
On the ground, yellow, chubby... Da Huang.
Lin Tianxiong: "..."
Wait, Da Huang!!!
Lin Tianxiong's eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost. Like Shen Ming, he began frantically searching the surrounding crowd for Da Huang. The only difference was that Shen Ming was looking straight ahead, while Lin Tianxiong kept his head down, searching the floor.
It was only then that the two men, who had been so engrossed in their chat, seemed to "recover a crucial memory": Ye Cheng and Da Huang, one person and one dog, had been eating next to them, and now both were gone!
Shen Ming: "..."
Lin Tianxiong: "..."
"Brother Lin, is your dog... missing?" Shen Ming broke the silence.
"Brother Shen, not only is my dog missing, but the 'classmate' you brought seems to be missing as well..." Lin Tianxiong added.
The two exchanged a glance and split up to search!
Meanwhile.
In the private room where the eldest young lady was.
"Young Master, I'll go see if the mistress got lost!" The short-haired woman finally couldn't withstand the immense pressure and chose to take the initiative to look for her mistress.
Didn't he say he would be back in a bit?
How long has it been, and why hasn't he returned?
Shen Qinghan nodded. "Mm, go ahead."
Receiving permission, the short-haired woman breathed a sigh of relief. She hastily got up and headed toward the dessert area where Shen Ming had gone. In the private room, only the eldest young lady remained, accompanied by the crisp clinking of a knife and fork.
The number of people was dwindling.
On the other side.
In another private room, Lin Baizhi was looking at her phone out of boredom. Her phone kept buzzing with incoming messages.
They were from her little secretary.
She kept asking if Lin Baizhi had any more photos of Ye Cheng, completely rendering Lin Baizhi speechless. Her intuition as a sister told her something was off.
Did this dummy of a secretary... also have a crush on her brother?
Lin Baizhi looked at the barrage of messages from the little secretary, remained silent for a moment, and then tap-tap-tap, started typing.
Lin Baizhi: "Classmate Mengmeng, you don't happen to like my brother, do you?"
Little Secretary: "Yeah! Could you please not tell him? I'm shy, it's quite embarrassing, hehe..."
Lin Baizhi: "???"
Lin Baizhi was dumbfounded. Having seen all sorts of high-level mind games in palace drama shows and various acts of tsundere behavior, she was completely caught off guard by the little secretary's direct punch!
Whose subordinate is this, to be so brave!
"Cough, cough..." Lin Baizhi choked on the sip of water she had just taken, spitting it all out because of the little secretary's words.
What did she mean by "I'm shy, it's quite embarrassing, hehe..."?
Hehe my foot! Where in the world is the embarrassment in this? Come on, tell me, what exactly are you embarrassed about? Are you embarrassed to send this message?
This hamster's intentions are known to all.
Just ask two questions, and she'd volunteer her bank card password.
Facing this opponent who had suddenly appeared out of thin air, Lin Baizhi was out of tricks. After briefly sorting out her emotions, she prepared to strike back at the little secretary.
She wouldn't make the rookie mistake of holding back just because the little secretary looked a bit dim!
The more critical the moment, the more decisive she had to be. Let alone an idiot, she wouldn't even let a child off the hook. She had already investigated and found out there was another kid named Duoduo whom she needed to watch out for, or perhaps she would have to handle her personally.
Lin Baizhi gathered her thoughts and started sparring with the little secretary again—or more accurately, throwing verbal elbows at her.
Lin Baizhi: But... my brother doesn't seem to like your type of girl...
Little Secretary: Eh, is that so?
Lin Baizhi: ...
You blockhead, what are you confused about? Give me a real reaction, hey, don't just sit there wondering!
The little secretary's level of denseness was almost making Lin Baizhi want to give up. She was too stupid, so dumb and clueless. Lin Baizhi couldn't even fake this kind of vibe; it felt like it would gross her out for a whole night.
Little Secretary: Then what kind of girls does the chief like?
The corners of Lin Baizhi's mouth curled up wildly. It was finally her turn. Take this!
Lin Baizhi: Hmm... I'm not too sure either. When I was with my brother as a kid, I never saw him play with other girls. He just liked staying with me. I don't know what type of girls he likes either.
Reading between the lines, this was Lin Baizhi dropping a heavy hint to the little secretary, implying that the person Ye Cheng liked was her type of girl.
In a sense, Lin Baizhi wasn't lying. It was true that Ye Cheng didn't play much with girls when he was little. Given the looks and intelligence levels of those kids in the orphanage, just communicating with them was a struggle, let alone them being pretty.
Ye Cheng's favorite thing to do was to trick those little "Pokémon"...
As for Lin Baizhi's claim that he "just liked staying with her," that wasn't wrong either, because Lin Baizhi would always cling to Ye Cheng, wishing she could even follow him into the bathroom to keep him company.
By slightly swapping the order of things, didn't it mean "he liked staying with her"?
It was just a "slight" swap of the primary and secondary roles, nothing major. Round it up, and she wasn't lying at all!
After this message was sent, the little secretary's side went quiet for quite a while. The corners of Lin Baizhi's mouth curled up wildly; her plan had succeeded!
Even if she was stupid, she should understand what this meant by now, right?
Back down in the face of difficulties, idiot, otherwise... don't force me to use more ruthless tactics!
Little Secretary: From what I see, he must treat you as a good bro. You don't have to worry about the chief not liking you!
Lin Baizhi: ???
Lin Baizhi froze for a moment when she read this. She read it over several times in disbelief before finally confirming what nonsense the little secretary had just sent her—saying her brother didn't like her, and telling her not to worry...
Lin Baizhi: ???
Before Lin Baizhi could "prove" anything for herself, proving that Ye Cheng was highly likely to like her, the little secretary sent another message.
Little Secretary: The chief should like my type!
Even through the phone, Lin Baizhi could still feel the sheer foolishness hitting her in the face, along with the little secretary's unparalleled confidence!
She firmly believed that what she thought was the absolute truth!
Lin Baizhi: ...
This idiot is hopeless.
Lin Baizhi smiled disdainfully, feeling that her earlier urge to take an idiot seriously was somewhat laughable. Just a fool, what was she even worrying about? Daydreaming, just a delusional fangirl.
Lin Baizhi sent over a smiling emoji, essentially ending the conversation with the little secretary. She had lost her patience.
She felt that the chances of her brother falling for Da Huang were higher than him liking the idiot in front of her. Instead of wasting time on the other party, it would be more practical to keep her guard up against Da Huang.
She was about to turn off her phone and continue eating when she saw the other side constantly showing "typing...". She raised an eyebrow and waited a little longer, wanting to see what the little secretary would send.
Buzz, buzz.
The phone vibrated. What came through was a photo, a photo... of them lying in bed. A picture of two people with their heads resting together, wearing couple outfits on the same bed.
The people in the photo were none other than the little secretary and Ye Cheng. One in a white rabbit onesie, the other in a gray rabbit onesie, heads leaning against each other while watching mind-numbing short videos that supposedly boosted intelligence.
During the time they were leaning together, the Madam President was still taking a shower in the bathroom...
This photo was secretly taken by the little secretary.
Everyone called her stupid, but she was actually very smart. She had kept a trump card; if Ye Cheng stopped teaching her ways to get smarter, she would use this as a bargaining chip to negotiate and secure her qualification to continue getting smarter...
Unexpectedly, this photo didn't end up being used for getting smarter, but it came in handy during this chat to prove that Ye Cheng liked her type of girl.
Lin Baizhi: ???
Classmate, when did you take this? This must be photoshopped, right? This isn't good. My brother will be angry if he sees it. Doing this is wrong, just delete it...
The photo the little secretary sent shattered the delicate balance between the two of them.
A one-hit knockout, the little secretary brutally beat Sister Lin!
Multiple sixty-second-long voice messages were sent over to the little secretary. Before one could finish playing, the next one arrived, each more frantic than the last...
Bang!
Lin Baizhi slammed her palm onto the table, as if unable to feel the pain, her eyes completely red. Li Meng!!!
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
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."
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
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.”
