Ye Chen's expression turned slightly unnatural upon seeing Xu Mu.
He deeply despised this man; in his heart, this person should have been dead long ago.
Yet, annoyingly, he was Ye Tong's man and also Xu Ningbing's younger brother.
Because of this status alone, Ye Chen couldn't openly move against him.
However, his patience had its limits. If Xu Mu dared to act arrogantly in front of him,
he wouldn't mind making Xu Mu disappear without a trace.
Xu Mu was currently sitting next to Xu Ningbing, facing Ye Chen. The camera of the phone in his shirt pocket could naturally capture the scene as well.
"President Xu, I've given you two days. What's your decision?"
Ye Chen asked with a calm expression.
Xiao Ran, standing behind him, kept her head down, still thinking about what Meng Wanyue had said yesterday.
"My senior executives and I have discussed it carefully. We decline the cooperation."
Xu Ningbing leaned back in her chair, arms crossed in front of her.
But two formidable assets nearly obscured her arms from view.
Ye Chen was utterly stunned. He paused for a long moment before snapping back to reality. "What did you say? You decline?"
"Correct."
Xu Ningbing replied indifferently.
"You don't think I'm lying to you, do you? The person on the video call before was a member of the Middle Eastern royal family, a major oil tycoon."
Ye Chen slightly frowned. "He personally stated he would invest in our new joint venture."
"We don't believe you are lying. It's just that our executives unanimously agree you can't become fat with one bite."
Xu Ningbing adjusted the plain glasses on her face. "Recently, our Xu Group has been expanding too rapidly. That's not a good thing."
Xu Mu glanced at Xu Ningbing. That was indeed a good reason.
"Opportunity knocks but once. Cooperating with you is me doing you a favor. I could easily partner with other companies."
Ye Chen's face showed displeasure; he didn't like being rejected.
"Suit yourself."
Xu Ningbing said coolly.
"When the time comes, your Xu Group will also be our competitor. I won't go easy on you just because Ye Tong married into the Xu family."
Ye Chen's expression turned unfriendly.
"Competition is a good thing."
Xu Mu chimed in from the side.
"What are you? I'm talking to Xu Ningbing. It's not your place to interrupt."
Ye Chen's expression gradually turned cold.
"I'm your brother-in-law, your elder. I'll interrupt you if I want. What of it?"
Xu Mu stared at Ye Chen.
"If Xu Ningbing weren't here, you'd already be dead."
Ye Chen's fists gradually clenched. He didn't know why,
but ever since he first saw Xu Mu, he had wanted him gone.
"This is a society governed by law. You still want to kill me?"
Xu Mu paused, then said, "Believe it or not, I'll call the police."
"Law? That's just a tool to restrain the lower classes."
Ye Chen's eyes were like those of a fierce tiger. "In a certain sense, I am the law, because I can decide your life or death."
"Ye Chen! We have no intention of cooperating with you. Please leave!"
Xu Ningbing's expression grew increasingly dark.
This man truly was unreasonable, daring to threaten her brother right in front of her.
"Xu Ningbing, you'll regret this. Let me make it clear to you: it won't be long before you come begging me to cooperate."
After saying this, Ye Chen stood up and walked towards the exit.
He stopped at the door. "Xu Mu, you really deserve to die, you snitching little man."
"Snitching? What do you mean?"
Xu Mu didn't catch on immediately.
"You told Ye Tong about our last conversation? I'll tell you, it doesn't matter!"
Ye Chen said flatly. "Trash like you isn't worthy of having Ye Tong. Only I in this world deserve her!"
"What about Ye Yu then?"
Xu Mu threw in a provocation.
"Whether she lives or dies, what's it to me?"
After saying this, Ye Chen opened the door and left.
Xiao Ran glanced somewhat awkwardly at Xu Mu, then followed behind Ye Chen.
After the two left,
Xu Mu took out his phone and ended the video call.
Xu Ningbing slammed a hand on the table. "Damn it! That bastard! If Dad hadn't said there's no need to clash with him, I would have cursed him out long ago!"
Xu Mu looked at Xu Ningbing's current expression, feeling somewhat surprised.
Then he laughed, "Don't you think he's very manly? Very domineering?"
"Dominate my ass! Manly? He's like a rabid dog!"
Xu Ningbing was so angry that her chest heaved up and down, the buttons on her office uniform bearing immense pressure.
Xu Mu couldn't help but laugh. At least for now, Xu Ningbing definitely wouldn't be close to Ye Chen as in the original story.
However, everything still required caution.
Just like Li Yun before; despite hating Fang Chu so much, she still almost went to his room last time.
For a first female lead like Xu Ningbing, there might be other events in the future. He had to be vigilant.
Speaking of Fang Chu, Xu Mu remembered he had Chai Wang pay to hire the sixth-ranked assassin on the death list, Hei Pao.
But he still hadn't made a move. Xu Mu was starting to doubt the authenticity of "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons."
"What are you spacing out for? Let's go!"
Xu Ningbing noticed Xu Mu sitting there motionless and gave his shoulder a pat.
"Oh."
Xu Mu snapped back to reality and got up from his seat.
"What? Scared by his threats? How disgraceful!"
Xu Ningbing gave Xu Mu a faint sidelong glance.
"No, I'm not afraid of anything except thunder, especially double thunderclaps. Too terrifying, I probably couldn't handle that."
Xu Mu glanced at Xu Ningbing and grinned.
Xu Ningbing looked at him with exasperation. "A grown man, afraid of thunder? Then you might as well lie down and play dead."
"Why?"
Xu Mu asked.
"To avoid the thunder by feigning death."
Xu Ningbing said expressionlessly as she walked out of the conference room.
"Hahaha! My dear sister, how can you tell a joke with a straight face like that?"
Xu Mu laughed and followed, putting an arm around Xu Ningbing's shoulder.
"Get off!"
Xu Ningbing pushed Xu Mu away. "Coward!"
"If I were a coward, I wouldn't have risked my life to save you before."
Xu Mu said calmly, hands in his pockets.
[Favorability +10]
Xu Ningbing adjusted her glasses and muttered, "Brat!"
...
Xu Mu returned to his office, and Ye Yu immediately threw herself at him.
"Brother-in-law! That damnable Ye Chen is utterly disgusting!"
Ye Yu wrapped her arms around Xu Mu's waist, looking up at him. Her eyes were slightly red.
All that joy she felt before upon learning Ye Chen was safe was for nothing.
He actually said whether she lived or died was none of his business.
What the hell does he think he is?
If her parents hadn't picked him up and brought him home back then, he might have died.
"It's okay. He's not worth getting angry over."
Xu Mu patted Ye Yu's head.
[Favorability +15]
Ye Yu wiped her eyes with her sleeve and nodded slightly.
Xu Mu understood very well that in the storyline, Ye Chen only had feelings for Ye Tong.
Ye Yu, because Ye Chen killed Xu Mu, admired him immensely and secretly did many things for him.
Only after Ye Chen found out did his attitude towards Ye Yu change.
Just then, Xu Mu's phone rang. He took it out and saw it was a call from Zhao Yingying.
He frowned slightly. Could it be that Fang Chu was bothering her again?

transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”

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!

pression Bureau] Transported to a fantasy world overrun by demons and monsters, Gu Qingfeng becomes a jailer in the Demon Suppression Prison of the Great Yan Dynasty's Demon Suppression Bureau. From this point on, bizarre cases frequently occur in the Demon Suppression Prison, once known as hell on earth and infamous for its gloomy, terrifying atmosphere! Why do the demons and monsters in the prison wail miserably every night? Why has the corpse demon, capable of transforming into various beauties, donned black stockings and switched careers to become a foot massage therapist? Why has the eye demon, expert in soul-snatching and illusions, turned into a VR headset? Why is the fox spirit performing otaku dances? Are all these occurrences a twisted expression of demonic nature, or a descent into moral depravity? After peeling away layer upon layer of mystery, all clues ultimately point to a jailer named Gu Qingfeng. Gu Qingfeng: "Hehehe... My dear demons and monsters, whose card shall we flip today?"

with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!