Gu Lingfei froze, casting a puzzled glance at Jiang Che.
Her expression seemed to ask: Didn’t you explain our relationship to her?
Jiang Che shrugged, offering a helpless smile in response.
"Ugh, what a scumbag!" Gu Lingfei muttered under her breath.
"Ahem... Ningning, you’ve got it wrong this time. Jiang Che and I aren’t pretending to be a couple—we’re the real deal!"
Gu Lingfei had initially planned to brush it off, but after a moment’s thought, she decided to be honest. After all, there was no way to keep something like this hidden forever.
Better to lay it all out now than risk a messy confrontation later!
The moment Gu Lingfei finished speaking, Ji Ningxue on the other end of the call fell into a prolonged silence.
Even through the phone screen, Jiang Che could practically smell the brewing storm of a classic romantic showdown.
Not that it bothered him much. A little drama was nothing to a man bold enough to maintain a harem. What was one more confrontation to him?
After nearly a minute of silence, Ji Ningxue finally spoke.
"Feifei... is this true?"
Her voice carried a faint tremor, something entirely unfamiliar for the usually unshakable business magnate.
As a strong-willed woman, Ji Ningxue had absolute confidence in her judgment. She’d been certain that Gu Lingfei and Jiang Che were just putting on an act—which was why she’d allowed herself to indulge so freely.
But now... her scalp prickled with dread.
"Of course! Che and I have been official for ages~" Gu Lingfei teased, deliberately dancing on Ji Ningxue’s already frayed nerves.
"Oh... I... I see."
Even through the screen, the devastation in Ji Ningxue’s voice was palpable.
"Alright, alright, I’ll stop messing with you, Ningxue. I already know about you and Che."
Ji Ningxue’s heart lurched—like a thief caught red-handed by the owner.
"Feifei, I... I didn’t mean to..."
A whirlwind of possibilities flashed through her mind. Should she bow out gracefully? Or fight for what she wanted? The thought of stepping aside filled her with unbearable reluctance.
Even if her current role was that of the "other woman," Jiang Che was the first man who had ever truly broken through her defenses. No matter how wrong it was... she still wanted to fight for him.
But Gu Lingfei’s next sentence short-circuited her brain entirely.
"Ningxue, that waste Xiao Chen isn’t worthy of you. Only someone like Che is a match for you. Welcome to our big family~"
"Wha—what? Big family?" Ji Ningxue was utterly baffled.
She’d done some basic research on Jiang Che and knew he had plenty of admirers—a charming, flirtatious young man.
But this? This was beyond anything she could have imagined.
"Look, some things are too complicated to explain over the phone. Tomorrow, I’ll have Che pick you up and bring you to the Jiang family estate. You’ll understand once you see it for yourself."
Gu Lingfei sighed, rubbing her temples before shooting Jiang Che a glare.
[You little playboy, you handle the explanations tomorrow.]
Jiang Che smirked, taking the phone from her without hesitation.
What kind of man would hide behind a woman forever?
"Hey, Ningxue-jie? I’ll come get you tomorrow. Make sure to dress up nice, alright?"
"Jiang Che!!!"
Safe to say, Ji Ningxue wouldn’t be getting much sleep tonight.
------
Meanwhile, across the ocean...
Xiao Chen had arrived in his own domain.
"All hail the Dragon King!"
"All hail the Asura!"
"All hail the War God!"
A row of subordinates knelt before Xiao Chen, who now stood clad in a sleek black suit and sunglasses—exuding an air of untouchable dominance.
"Rise."
Gone was the desperate, lovestruck fool. In his place stood a man radiating confidence, his smirk sharp and unyielding—every inch the ruthless underworld kingpin.
"Lord Asura, we recently accepted a mission at the Asura Hall. Initial intel classified the target as Silver-tier, but we’ve suffered repeated failures. We escalated to Gold, then Platinum, even Diamond-tier assassins—all unsuccessful. The target is... formidable."
Xiao Chen frowned and waved a dismissive hand. "Send the five Master-tier assassins. That should settle it."
His tone brooked no argument.
As the Asura Hall’s King of Assassins, he couldn’t possibly dirty his hands with such trivial matters.
What would that do to his image?
"By the way, how many mercenaries are currently available in the War God Pavilion?" he asked.
"Reporting to the War God, we have roughly 1,000 deployable mercenaries at present."
Xiao Chen nodded, satisfied.
A private army of 1,000 was nothing to scoff at—even in volatile regions like the Middle East.
Of course, the War God Pavilion wasn’t his true trump card. That honor belonged to the Dragon King Palace!
Within its ranks lay his ten thousand elite warriors and a million-strong army!
"I intend to mobilize all my forces and bring them to China. Any objections?"
His announcement left the room stunned.
"My Lord... the Dragon King Palace’s registered personnel number in the millions. Transporting them all to China would cost a fortune in airfare alone!"
"At 20,000 yuan per ticket, a million men would cost 20 billion!"
Xiao Chen’s frown deepened. "A mere 20 billion? Are you telling me my Dragon King Palace—with its million-strong army—can’t scrape together that much?"
Long Xu, one of his subordinates, twitched. "Lord Dragon King... the Dragon King Palace is technically a security company. Most of our members are scattered worldwide working as security guards. Recalling them now would be... impractical."
"Besides, security work isn’t as lucrative these days. The majority are just registered in name—they’ve already quit. The actual number we can mobilize... is less than one-tenth."
Xiao Chen’s rage erupted. "What have you all been doing? I was only in China for three years! How could the Dragon King Palace fall so far without me?"
Clearly, without its Dragon King at the helm, the organization had lost its very soul!
"Please calm yourself, my Lord," Long Dan said, bowing deeply. "Your ten thousand elite warriors have already begun gathering upon hearing of your return."
The mention of ten thousand elite warriors soothed Xiao Chen’s fury slightly.
Those so-called million-strong army? Not even worth a single hair of his true elites!
Just then, a distant rumble shook the ground, as though an entire cavalry was charging forth.
They were here!
Finally!
As the dust settled, four towering figures—each nearly eight feet tall—stood before Xiao Chen.
Emblazoned across their foreheads were four bold characters:
‘Ten’ — ‘Thousand’ — ‘Elite’ — ‘Warriors’
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
shall grant"] ["Inscribing the glory of our race upon tombstones"] ["All that is threatened, I shall protect"] How his younger sister sees her brother: A brother who only makes eye contact once a day, mostly fading into the background as he tinkers with who-knows-what in his room all day. Their life paths should have remained largely separate. Until one day. Su Qi created an equipment card for his never-met "online girlfriend." His sister fell into silent contemplation upon receiving the "white stockings." [Card can be upgraded] [Upgrade by fulfilling any of the following conditions] [Condition ①: Consume one hundred higher-tier cards] [Condition ②: Complete one 'Heart-Pounding Adventure'] What constitutes a Heart-Pounding Adventure? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Beginner Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to admire it.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Easy Level): Equip the card, invite 'Su Qi' to touch it, and analyze the equipment's texture.] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Entry Level): Equip the card and invite 'Su Qi' to...] [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Challenge Level): Freely combine the words 'Brother' 'Out' 'Brother' 'Me' 'Please' into a complete sentence...] "Please help me analyze both teams' mistakes in this match, brother..." His sister exhaled in relief—surely... surely there couldn't be anything more difficult? [Heart-Pounding Adventure (Suicide Mission Level): Sneak a peek at the names of the galgames in 'Su Qi's' hidden E-drive folder]
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.
or! A blessing for those who struggle with love, a guidebook for dating novices. Quickly match with your dream goddess! Complete walkthroughs earn rewards, and perfect walkthroughs unlock limited achievements!】 Shen Yi, an ordinary office worker, accidentally downloads a mini-game called Dating Simulator. The mini-game is simple: randomly search for dating targets, simulate dates, and receive rewards upon successful confession. Rewards include but are not limited to money, attributes, and skills. The higher the evaluation, the better the rewards, with perfect ratings unlocking mysterious achievements. Shen Yi plans to use this mysterious mini-game to continuously pursue targets and improve himself, making his life better and better. ...... However, after several successful walkthroughs, Shen Yi suddenly notices something strange - the targets he previously simulated dating seem to be searching for him in real life?
