Xiao Ran didn't know the reason herself. Perhaps deep down, she knew that Zhong Qianqian was innocent.
Lying in bed earlier, she had thought a lot.
She felt that what Ye Chen needed most right now was to calm down. From the time they first met up until now, Ye Chen's journey had been too smooth. He had barely suffered any setbacks.
But recently, ever since he crossed paths with Xu Mu, Ye Chen had suffered consecutive defeats.
His mindset was crumbling a bit; lately, he didn't even feel like his old self.
But Xiao Ran didn't know how to bring it up, because she could tell that the distance between her and Ye Chen was growing.
"Why aren't you saying anything?"
Ye Chen asked softly.
"You have so many subordinates, and almost all of them know about this new location. If Xu Mu really wanted to find it, it should have been easy."
Xiao Ran paused for a moment before continuing, "How do you know it was Xu Mu's doing?"
"I'm guessing. After all, Zhong Qianqian got into Xu Mu's car."
Ye Chen said with a calm expression.
"Dragon King, there is something I'm not sure if I should say."
"Speak. What is there between us that cannot be said?"
Ye Chen rolled down the window, feeling the night breeze outside.
"You need to calm down right now. The current you feels a bit like a stranger to me. So what if you tripped up a few times in front of Xu Mu? Just get back up and fight again."
After thinking it over, Xiao Ran still decided to speak her mind.
Ye Chen's eyes narrowed. He originally wanted to say something, but his throat bobbed a few times, and he swallowed his words.
"Setting everything else aside, let's just talk about Zhong Qianqian. Didn't she know you had informants planted outside the hotel? If she and Xu Mu were really in cahoots, would she have gotten into his car so directly, deliberately letting you know?"
Xiao Ran said softly, "She was obviously acting in a fit of anger. I still think we should trust her."
"Maybe she's just doing the exact opposite to trick us."
Ye Chen's expression remained indifferent.
"Perhaps."
Xiao Ran had already given her warning anyway. As for what Ye Chen thought, she couldn't control it.
Upon arriving inside the factory, everyone here was waiting outside to welcome them.
Ye Chen didn't say another word and directly led Xiao Ran into the factory's monitoring room.
Aside from the visible cameras, there were also a dozen or so pinhole cameras installed here.
Through the surveillance video, they saw a fat man in a black tracksuit break into the factory and rescue Zhong Qianqian.
Xiao Ran suddenly looked at the scarred middle-aged man over there. "What were you three doing going in there? Didn't I say that no one was allowed to touch her?"
The scarred middle-aged man said with a flat expression, "She insulted the Dragon King. The three of us just wanted to teach her a lesson."
"You three just wanted to teach her a lesson?"
Xiao Ran asked rhetorically.
She knew very well that Ye Chen had many killers under his command, and they were originally villains who would commit any crime.
It was only due to Ye Chen's prestige and methods that they were willing to work for him.
"Of course..."
"Enough. The most important thing right now is to find her whereabouts."
Ye Chen looked at Xiao Ran and said, "Send people to Jiang City immediately to monitor Xu Mu's villa and the Xu family manor. First, confirm whether Zhong Qianqian was rescued by Xu Mu. Oh, and also check Meng Wanyue's residence."
"Yes."
Xiao Ran nodded heavily.
...
Early the next morning.
Xu Mu looked at Ye Tong, who was still pretending to be asleep, and revealed a faint smile.
As his physical strength continued to grow, his endurance also increased.
He even had a thought in his mind, which was to help Ye Tong improve as quickly as possible.
It wasn't that he wanted her to fight, but rather he thought that once her physique grew stronger, she would be better able to handle his power.
After going into the bathroom to wash up, Ye Tong immediately got out of bed and got dressed.
When Xu Mu walked out of the bathroom, he found Ye Tong standing right by the door.
He smiled, gave her a pat on the rear, and walked downstairs.
Suddenly, Xu Mu's smile vanished. Through his perception, he noticed several mysterious individuals lingering around his villa.
He didn't even need to think to know they were sent by Ye Chen.
Xu Mu didn't care. Zhong Qianqian wasn't here anyway.
After eating breakfast, Ye Tong and Ye Yu left one after another.
As for Xu Mu, he also drove off, planning to find Chen Xuan.
The pill he refined for Chen Xuan yesterday was already finished, but the smaller pills for the others hadn't been refined yet.
He wanted to enter a state of deep focus again, but with Ye Chen's people around, he was afraid they might cause a disturbance. It was better to go to Chen Xuan's place.
With Chen Xuan there to protect him, he naturally had nothing to fear.
After he drove away, some of the people watching the area chose to follow him, while others took advantage of a blind spot to jump directly into the villa.
But after searching carefully and finding that Zhong Qianqian wasn't there, they could only retreat.
Xu Mu drove all the way out of the city. On the way, he had already sent a message to Chen Xuan, telling him to wait at home.
Parking his car outside the main gate, Xu Mu walked into the house.
"Brother Mu, you're here?"
Chen Xuan was sitting in the yard and smiled as he stood up upon seeing Xu Mu.
"I've successfully refined your half. Next, I need to refine the ones for the others. Since it's a divine medicine, I don't want to be disturbed during the process, so I came here."
Xu Mu took out a golden pill about the size of a ping-pong ball. "You eat this first."
"It's this big?"
Chen Xuan was somewhat in disbelief.
"I added several other rare natural treasures. Just eat it like a fruit," Xu Mu said with a smile.
Chen Xuan nodded. He swallowed the pill whole in three gulps.
Instantly, his face began to flush red, and sweat dripped down from his forehead. "Damn! This kick is strong!"
He immediately sat on the ground, closed his eyes, and steadied his breathing.
It took a full ten minutes for the medicinal power to slowly dissipate.
Chen Xuan opened his eyes wide in disbelief. "Brother Mu, I feel like the world in front of me is much brighter than before. Also, my Qi has increased significantly. I've directly reached the peak of the Divine Ability realm."
"It is a divine medicine, after all. Even if it doesn't have the explicit effect of raising cultivation, the powerful spiritual energy it contains can indirectly boost it."
Xu Mu smiled and said, "The people tailing me have arrived. As long as they don't break in, it's fine."
"Alright."
Chen Xuan nodded.
Xu Mu entered his focused state again. As for the rest, he refined them two at a time, which was faster.
This time, he refined a full ten pills. Although the efficacy was only one-tenth of Chen Xuan's, having some was better than nothing.
Coming out of his focus, Xu Mu put away the pill furnace and the pills.
"Brother Mu, how should we deal with those people outside the door?"
Chen Xuan had noticed them long ago.
"Ignore them. Just don't keep any valuables in your house normally."
"Don't worry about that. My entire net worth is in this woven bag," Chen Xuan said with a laugh.
"That's good. I'll be leaving first. I'm going to distribute these pills to the girls."
Xu Mu stood up.
"Alright, I'm going out to cultivate too. I feel like I'll be able to break through to the Grandmaster realm in a few days."
Chen Xuan laughed and hoisted the woven bag over his shoulder.
...
Xu Mu drove back home, but at his own front door, he saw a familiar face.
The person was wearing a JK school uniform with black stockings on her legs. Her pure and innocent look caused passersby to turn their heads constantly.
One food delivery guy even almost crashed into a streetlight.
Xu Mu parked his car in the garage. He walked over and asked, "Shi Fumeng, right? What are you doing here?"
"Brother Xu Mu, I didn't expect you to have quite the reputation. A playboy trust-fund kid, a nightclub regular, and an expert in street fighting. I really couldn't tell!"
Shi Fumeng smiled as she walked up to Xu Mu.
"If I don't hide it well, how am I supposed to score with the girls?"
Xu Mu stood with one hand tucked into his pants pocket. "What did you come looking for me for? Don't tell me you're looking for the Asteraceae plant, 'love-weed'?"

his freshman year, Su Bai accidentally bound the "Indulgence Tycoon System." 【Sleeping in? Reward: +$1,000】 【Spent $288 at a street barbecue stall? Cashback: +$2,880】 【Dropped $14,396 on in-game skins? Special reward unlocked: A brand-new Porsche Panamera!】 Luxury cars, penthouses, corporate shares, financial empires… College life was all about living freely and doing whatever he pleased! … When the adorably naive academic genius faced family medical bills and financial struggles, Su Bai waved his hand dismissively: "Your future is on me." "Wuwu~ Big Brother is so good to me! I’ll become a scientist to repay you!" When the genius girl got bullied by a shady professor? Su Bai casually dropped a billion-dollar investment, forcing the university to grovel and beg for her return. A company’s funding chain collapsing? Su Bai smirked—cash was the one thing he’d never run out of. Years later, when people traced the rise of the AI prodigy beauty, who was the man behind her success? Not just that—Su Bai also became the tsundere campus belle’s unattainable dream, the contrast senior’s daily necessity, and the beautiful counselor’s emotional anchor…

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?

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.”

close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"