Ye Tong and Ye Yu were sitting on the sofa, chatting.
Xu Ningbing stood alone by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the darkening sky outside.
After a moment of hesitation, she turned and walked toward Xu Shou’s study.
She felt that these matters shouldn’t be shared with Xu Mu.
They had invested too much in this pharmaceutical company.
If someone else reaped the benefits, it would only hasten the decline of the Xu family.
As Xu Shou had once said, in their industry, once you started going downhill, it was nearly impossible to climb back up.
If that happened, forget Jiangbei—they might not even hold onto their position as the top family in Jiang City.
Xu Ningbing pushed open the study door, intending to explain everything to Xu Shou. But the moment she stepped inside, she froze at the sight before her.
Wang Weiliang was sitting with Xu Mu, the two conversing like old friends.
What shocked her even more was that Wang Weiliang had taken out his reading glasses, borrowed paper and a pen from Xu Shou, and was diligently jotting down Xu Mu’s words.
Xu Ningbing stood there, listening to their conversation, utterly bewildered.
She couldn’t understand a thing.
Not a single word made sense to her.
They were speaking the same language, using words she knew, yet when strung together, it was like listening to an alien dialect.
Xu Shou, seated in his chair, gave Xu Ningbing a knowing look—he felt the same way.
It was all Greek to him.
"Excellent! Absolutely excellent!"
Wang Weiliang excitedly closed his notebook and stood up, turning to Xu Shou. "Chairman, I’m afraid I’ll have to skip dinner. I need to get to the lab right away."
"Lao Wang, it’s late. At least have a meal before you go," Xu Shou said, rising from his seat.
"No, no. This information is too crucial. If we can make it work, I guarantee our drug production costs will drop by another 30%."
Wang Weiliang’s face was alight with excitement. "And the extraction methods Young Master Xu mentioned—I have to test them immediately. If they succeed, we can even feed Qian Gang some misleading techniques."
Xu Shou reached out, about to insist he stay, but Wang Weiliang was already on his way out.
After a quick farewell to Chen Bei and Ye Tong, he rushed to his car and sped off toward the lab.
Xu Ningbing stared at Xu Mu, speechless.
Could Xu Mu really understand all this?
"Now do you believe me?"
Xu Mu handed Xu Shou’s phone back with a smile.
"Are you really my son? Did someone possess your body? When did you study traditional medicine?"
Xu Shou was dumbfounded, firing off questions one after another.
"Can’t you tell if I’m your son or not?"
Xu Mu rolled his eyes. "I never studied traditional medicine. I just read pharmaceutical books in my free time, that’s all."
Xu Ningbing’s jaw dropped.
Xu Mu… reading medical texts?
She couldn’t even picture it. The idea felt absurd.
"Hahaha! Kid, you’ve really surprised me. I actually doubted you earlier—my apologies."
Xu Shou laughed as he stood up.
From the way Xu Mu and Wang Weiliang had been trading expert insights, it was clear this wasn’t something he’d picked up overnight.
Xu Mu must have been researching this for a long time.
His gaze drifted to a framed photo on the bookshelf, and he sighed.
He’d always thought he knew his son well, but it turned out he didn’t understand him at all.
He had no idea Xu Mu had been quietly studying so much on his own.
As they left the study, Xu Shou headed straight for Chen Bei, eager to share the good news.
When Chen Bei heard what Xu Shou had to say, his jaw nearly hit the floor. He stared at Xu Mu in disbelief.
How was this possible?
Wasn’t this guy supposed to be a spoiled rich kid? How did he know so much about pharmaceuticals?
He wondered if he was dreaming.
Ye Tong and Ye Yu, still seated on the sofa, overheard Xu Shou’s words.
A faint smile touched Ye Tong’s lips.
She’d misjudged Xu Mu before.
He wasn’t some good-for-nothing playboy—he was actually highly knowledgeable.
[Affection Points +10]
Xu Mu noticed the black text floating above Ye Tong’s head and smirked.
His wife really knew how to warm his heart. Without lifting a finger, just hearing someone praise him was enough to earn affection points.
Then again, Xu Ningbing and Ye Yu’s affection levels were still in the negatives, so they wouldn’t react the same way.
Dinner that night was a joyous affair for Xu Shou.
If even one of the theories Xu Mu had proposed succeeded—improving efficacy while cutting costs—it would be a game-changer for their corporation.
Over the meal, Xu Shou noticed how well Xu Mu and Ye Tong got along. He’d clearly misjudged their relationship before.
He realized he hadn’t paid nearly enough attention to his own son.
"Xiao Mu."
Xu Shou suddenly set down his chopsticks and looked at Xu Mu. "Have you ever thought about taking on more responsibility?"
"What do you mean?"
Xu Mu was in the middle of enjoying a piece of braised pork rib. The flavor was decent, though the other dishes paled in comparison to what he could whip up as a master chef.
"When I assigned you to the HR department, it was basically just to keep you busy—give you something to do."
Xu Shou paused. "But now, I feel like that’s wasting your talents. How about I put you in charge of our pharmaceutical company?"
Xu Ningbing, listening quietly, adjusted her glasses but said nothing.
If Xu Mu truly had expertise in pharmaceuticals, it made sense.
"I think my current position is fine for now. Let me think about it," Xu Mu replied with a smile.
He had more pressing matters—accumulating justice points, strengthening himself, protecting the Xu family from Lin Yang’s schemes, and preventing the returning Dragon King from taking everything.
He wasn’t ready to dive into such a demanding role yet.
"Alright." Xu Shou nodded with a smile.
After dinner, Chen Bei took his leave.
Xu Shou emphasized that today’s discussions were top secret.
He told Chen Bei to wait for updates—if the counterfeit drug production went smoothly, he’d deliver it personally.
---
The crescent moon hung brightly in the night sky.
Xu Shou and Xu Mu sat side by side in the garden of the estate, both gazing upward.
Xu Mu suddenly remembered his divine power. He needed a plausible explanation—he couldn’t just magically elevate Xu Shou to the realm of ancient martial arts without reason.
He activated his Divine Eye to inspect Xu Shou. It occurred to him that he’d never actually checked his father’s stats before.
Name: Xu Shou
Identity: Chairman of Jiangbei Xu Corporation
Affection Points: (Maxed)
Fate Level: 1 (Max: 10)
Note: The upper limit of affection points varies by individual. Once maxed, it signifies that this person is willing to do anything for the host, including sacrificing their life.
For some reason, reading that note made Xu Mu’s nose sting, his vision blurring slightly.
Perhaps this was what they meant by "a father’s love is as deep as a mountain."
A father’s love wasn’t as overtly emotional as a mother’s. It didn’t come with constant concern or doting words.
It was silent, almost invisible.
But it was no less profound.
Xu Mu took a deep breath. Having lost his own father in a car accident in his past life, he’d never experienced paternal love. Seeing those words stirred something unexpected in his heart.
He checked Xu Shou’s detailed stats, and the numbers appeared before him.
Strength: 46
Speed: 49
Endurance: 45
Defense: 48
The moment Xu Mu saw the data, he froze.
What the hell... this can't be right!
Is this really my father's stats panel?
This is clearly the foundation of an ancient martial artist. That Xu Shou guy must be hiding something.
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!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
+ Slow Paced + Main Character Thrives Together with His Disciples】 Transmigrated into a cultivation world, Chu Xingchen awakens a discipleship system that reveals the tags of his disciples! Starting from scratch, he builds the strongest sect. Disciple One: Li Yingling 【Gold Tag: Genius Cultivator】【Purple Tag: Extremely Lucky】【Blue Tag: Bewitchingly Beautiful】 Disciple Two: Li Hangtian 【Gold Tag: Reincarnated】【Purple Tag: Ruthless and Decisive】【Blue Tag: Loyal and Noble】 Disciple Three: ??? 【Orange Tag: Alluring Demoness】【???】【???】 Thus, in the cultivation world, an unremarkable little sect appears out of nowhere, but little do others know that each member of this sect is a powerhouse in their own right. The book is also known as: Cultivation? It's Exactly Like This!
