Meng Wanyue slipped through the narrow window and climbed inside.
Xu Mu rolled down the car window and leaned out to observe, realizing that his towering 185 cm frame wouldn’t make it through such a tight space.
Once inside the room, Meng Wanyue confirmed it was empty.
She first scanned the area with her equipment, finding no surveillance cameras.
However, she did notice a dismantled socket on the wall facing the sofa—with a pinhole camera still attached.
Meng Wanyue was puzzled. Had someone secretly installed it before, only for Feng Yue to discover and remove it?
She didn’t dwell on it. Quickly, she planted a listening device beneath the sofa.
After securing it, she pulled a cloth from her backpack and wiped away any footprints.
“Wanyue.”
A voice suddenly called from outside the window, and Xu Mu’s head popped into view.
“Holy—”
Meng Wanyue jumped, startled by his sudden appearance, and let out a curse.
Then she snapped, “Boss Xu, how’d you get up here?”
“Hurry! Feng Yue’s already on the stairs!”
Xu Mu urgently warned. His heightened senses had never wavered, and he’d clearly seen Feng Yue and Qian Gang enter the bar through the front door.
A phone call would’ve been too slow—so he came up himself.
“Got it.”
Meng Wanyue abandoned tidying the floor—most people wouldn’t notice anyway—and swiftly wiped down the area near the window.
She then climbed out, using her tools to reattach the window lock securely.
The moment Meng Wanyue leaped down from the second floor, Feng Yue pushed open the door.
She slid into the driver’s seat and sped off.
Before leaving, she glanced up at the window and asked curiously, “Boss Xu, how did you get up there?”
“I’ve always been athletic. Climbed, of course.”
Xu Mu chuckled.
“Impressive. Where to now?” Meng Wanyue asked.
“Park somewhere close to the bar,” Xu Mu replied with a smile.
Meng Wanyue nodded, pulling over near another intersection. She took out her phone and logged into the cloud.
Feng Yue’s voice soon streamed through the speakers.
Xu Mu extended his senses again, finding that Feng Yue’s room was just within range—he could even visualize the scene inside.
……
“Feng Yue, Lin Yang dragged me in today. He forced me to hand over the data, so I gave him the fake files you gave me yesterday.”
Qian Gang sat on the sofa, reporting.
“He’d dare? Next time he pulls that, call the police.”
Feng Yue narrowed her eyes, then smirked. “Why the rush to meet today?”
“News about Xu Corporation. Rumor has it their approval’s come through—they’re going public soon.”
Qian Gang leaned forward. “If they list first, we’ll be infringing on their patents.”
“Relax. You think I’ve been idle today? In Jiang City, Xu Corporation outmatches us. But over in Yang City? Different story. I’ve already negotiated with local officials. Barring surprises, production starts in a few days.”
Feng Yue’s smile was cool and assured.
“How’s that possible? The timeline’s too tight.” Qian Gang frowned.
“I filed ours as a health supplement. Xu Corporation applied as a pharmaceutical drug. Different standards, different speeds.”
Feng Yue shot him a look. “Lay low for now. Once our weight-loss product hits the market, it’ll shake up the entire nation—maybe even the world.”
Xu Mu listened, shaking his head faintly.
Feng Yue was in for a disappointment.
Since the recording uploaded to the cloud, they could access it from anywhere—even Xu Mu’s home.
The only catch? No visual feed.
According to Meng Wanyue, the bug had about ten days of battery life.
To Xu Mu, that was more than enough.
They returned to the office, where Xu Mu sat at his desk, doing nothing but listening to the feed from Feng Yue’s room.
He had a feeling Lin Yang would soon realize Qian Gang’s “formula” was a sham.
……
3:00 PM.
Flavor Foods Factory, R&D Department.
Lin Yang and Li Feipeng stood grim-faced.
“What’s the status of the five test subjects?” Lin Yang asked, his voice tight.
“Mr. Lin, they’re still… suffering from diarrhea. One’s reportedly dehydrated.”
Li Feipeng’s tone was grave.
“Boss Li! We may specialize in food, but with the right materials, ratios, and process, we can manufacture anything.”
A bespectacled man in a lab coat interjected. “And I produced batches separately. No way every batch was wrong.”
“It’s not your team’s fault.”
Lin Yang’s expression turned icy. “The problem lies in the formula itself.”
“What? Are you saying Qian Gang deceived us?”
Li Feipeng inhaled sharply. Thank goodness he’d followed Lin Yang’s advice and held off on mass production—otherwise, the losses would’ve been catastrophic.
"Either Qian Gang lied to us, or the Xu Corporation gave us fake information."
Lin Yang narrowed his eyes before saying, "I’ll go find Feng Yue."
...
Meanwhile, Xu Mu was still eavesdropping, but Qian Gang had clearly left, and the sounds from Feng Yue’s room had also stopped.
Just then, a knock came at Xu Mu’s door.
"Come in."
Xu Mu called out.
The office door opened, but instead of Meng Wanyue, it was Xu Ningbing in uniform, her presence imposing, with two particularly striking features at her chest.
Adjusting her glasses, Xu Ningbing walked in calmly.
"Sis, what brings you here?"
Xu Mu was surprised.
Xu Ningbing cursed inwardly. Over the past two days, aside from the company’s weight-loss drug issue, one thing had been weighing on her mind—
Becoming a martial artist.
Xu Mu had promised to show her what the rare spiritual herbs looked like, but he still hadn’t delivered.
With only the names to go by and no results from online searches, she couldn’t even begin her search.
Ahem! "Did you forget something?"
Xu Ningbing approached Xu Mu’s desk, clearing her throat.
"What did I forget?" Xu Mu asked.
"You said you’d give me sketches of the rare herbs." Xu Ningbing cut straight to the point.
"Oh, I’ve been busy with company matters. I’ll draw them for you now."
Xu Mu pulled out a sheet of A4 paper.
"Let me do it. I’ve studied sketching before."
Xu Ningbing stepped closer, doubting Xu Mu’s artistic skills. What if his drawings were inaccurate?
"Don’t worry, I know a thing or two about drawing."
Xu Mu picked up a black pen, his tone casual.
Xu Ningbing’s eyes widened in disbelief.
"By the way, am I handsome?" Xu Mu asked.
"You… yes, very handsome!"
Xu Ningbing gritted her teeth.
"Have I treated you well?" Xu Mu began sketching but kept talking.
Xu Ningbing froze for a moment.
Xu Mu was incredibly capable, yet since childhood, he had pretended to be weak.
And if he could make Xu Shou a martial artist, chances were he was one himself.
Yet he’d let her win, even letting her hit him.
Xu Ningbing felt a pang of genuine emotion.
[Affection +10]
"Yes, you’ve treated me very well."
This time, her voice was calm—because it was the truth.
As she spoke, Xu Mu swiftly sketched three plants, meticulously labeling their colors and distinctive features.
Xu Ningbing stared at the lifelike drawings, stunned.
He’d done this with just a pen? They looked almost like photographs.
Just who was her little brother?
Then, a woman’s voice came from Xu Mu’s phone: "What are you doing here?"
A man’s voice followed: "I missed you. Came to see you."
Xu Mu smiled. Lin Yang had finally met Feng Yue.
g Yu was preparing for retirement when her organization decided to eliminate her. She transmigrated to a zombie apocalypse world. However, a tiny unexpected situation occurred: She somehow transformed into an adorable little girl?!
Heart] Chen Yi traversed the cultivation world for eight hundred years, charging his way to the Tribulation Transcendence stage. Just as he was outwitting his 81st Heavenly Tribulation to ascend to immortality, he was suddenly pulled into a chat group called the "Multiverse Transmigrators Support Group." To his surprise, the group was filled with nothing but fresh-faced newbies who had just transmigrated. [Help! I transmigrated into a disgraced concubine in the cold palace, and the tyrant emperor is about to execute me!] [I ended up as a cannon-fodder villain, and the protagonist is still chasing me—WTF!] [I woke up as the protagonist’s father, but I’m about to be sacrificed in a ritual! What do I do? Urgent!!!] Chen Yi stared at the chaotic flood of desperate pleas in the group and fell into deep thought. "Seriously? You drag me into a newbie transmigrator chat group… only after I’m one step away from becoming an immortal?"
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?"
th】 【No prior gaming knowledge required】【The First Cultivation + Game Design Novel on the Platform】 In a world where the righteous path dominates and crushes the demonic sects, Lu Ze unlocks the "Son of the Demon Path" system. Killing righteous cultivators now grants him power-ups. Wait—deaths in illusions count too? As a former game designer, Lu Ze decides to give the cultivators of this world a little—no, a massive—shock... Sect Elders: "What is this 'Escape from the Demon Sect' game? Why have all our disciples abandoned cultivation to play it??" Elite Disciples: "You're saying... mastering 'Demon Slayer' can help us counter demonic schemes?" Reclusive Masters: "Why did I leave seclusion? Ask that backstabbing rat who ambushed me in 'Eternal Strife' yesterday!" Rogue Cultivators & Civilians: "'Immortal Abyss Action' is addictive! You can even earn spirit stones by loot-running..." Sect Prodigy: "My Dao heart is unshakable... except for that cursed black hammer." Royal Scions: "Can skins have stat boosts? I’ll pay 10,000 spirit stones for one!!" Sect Leader: "WHO IS CORRUPTING MY DISCIPLES?!!!"