Xu Mu returned home to find Ye Tong already in the bedroom.
After a long day out, he took a shower first.
Deep down, he knew that Feng Yue was just like Ye Tong had been back then.
But Xu Mu couldn’t understand—judging by the look in her eyes, she clearly didn’t like him either.
Her favorability rating hadn’t even turned positive.
"Forget it."
Xu Mu shook his head lightly and stopped dwelling on it.
This whole situation felt so haphazard that he wondered if he was dreaming.
Approaching Ye Tong, he noticed she was still scrolling through her phone.
"You’re back," Ye Tong greeted him with a smile.
"What are you looking at?" Xu Mu asked as he lay down beside her.
"Chemical formulas. The weight-loss drug was a success, bringing massive new capital to the Xu Family. We’re planning to develop a new drug now."
Ye Tong glanced at Xu Mu with a grin.
"Don’t work at home."
Xu Mu wrapped his arms around her, took her phone, and tucked it under the pillow.
This was his woman. As for Feng Yue, he’d let her fade into the past.
As a pianist, Xu Mu was adept at duets—it was second nature to him.
He’d played one for Feng Yue earlier.
But that didn’t affect his ability to perform a duet. A master like him believed he could even handle a trio or a quartet.
Though he hadn’t tried it yet, having only performed duets with Ye Tong so far.
Pulling off a trio, he figured, would be much harder.
...
Early the next morning, Xu Mu woke up before dawn.
After yesterday’s busy schedule, he still hadn’t gathered enough for a "ten-draw."
Neither Mu Qingying nor Feng Yue had positive favorability ratings, so there was no multiplier bonus.
Noticing Xu Mu was up, Ye Tong quickly got out of bed too. After a quick wash, she went to make breakfast for him.
Once they finished eating, they left the villa together and headed to the company.
Xu Mu reminded Ye Tong again to stay cautious—even though Lin Yang was lying low for now.
Ye Tong agreed.
Instead of going straight to the office, Xu Mu found himself inexplicably detouring to Feng Yue’s bar.
Just like yesterday, the place was locked tight, with a "For Sale" sign plastered on the door.
He pulled out his phone and found Feng Yue’s contact, hesitating before ultimately deciding not to call.
Back at the company, Xu Mu slumped into his executive chair, lost in thought until his phone buzzed, snapping him out of it.
He checked the screen—it was a message from Xu Shou, summoning him upstairs.
Xu Mu stretched, then got up and made his way to the chairman’s office, where Xu Ningbing was also present.
"What’s up? Why’d you call me here?" Xu Mu asked, sinking into the black leather sofa.
"People climb higher, water flows lower. Our weight-loss drug is a huge success, so I’m planning another push into Yang City’s market."
Xu Shou smiled at Xu Mu. "What do you think?"
"Nothing to think about. It’s a done deal. Yang City’s economy is stronger, and we already have a company there anyway."
Xu Mu had seen this coming—the Xu Family’s business was bound to expand back into Yang City.
"Ran into trouble yesterday?" Xu Shou lit a cigarette and said softly, "In the past, you’d have called me the second something went wrong."
"I could handle this one myself, so I didn’t bother you." Xu Mu chuckled.
Xu Ningbing shot him a glance. In the past, no matter how big or small the problem, Xu Mu would always run to Xu Shou first to clean up his mess.
Now, faced with something serious, he’d dealt with it alone.
Her little brother really had changed—grown unfamiliar somehow.
"Lin Yang kidnapped Feng Yue and Mu Qingying to force you into a trap. Weren’t you afraid for your life?" Xu Shou frowned, taking a deep drag. "Next time, don’t take risks like that."
"Got it. But I’m fine, aren’t I?"
Just as Xu Mu spoke, his phone rang. He checked the screen—it was Meng Wanyue.
"Wanyue, what’s up?"
"Director Xu, officers from the Jiang City Police Department are here. They want to speak with you."
Meng Wanyue’s voice came through the phone.
"What? Didn’t they already question me yesterday?"
Xu Mu was puzzled but replied, "I’ll be right down."
"What’s going on?" Xu Shou asked.
"Probably about yesterday. I’ll go check."
Xu Mu pocketed his phone and left the office.
When the elevator reached his floor, he spotted two people waiting outside his office.
One was a man in his thirties, dressed in a police uniform.
The other was a younger woman in a black casual outfit, her long hair loosely framing a strikingly sharp profile.
She stood with her hands in her pockets, blowing occasional bubbles with her gum.
Xu Mu quickly scanned them with his "God’s Eye."
The man was ordinary, but the woman made Xu Mu’s eyes widen in shock.
Name: Jiang Huihui
Identity: Cleaner for the Dragon Nation, female lead of The Master Returns: My Seven Senior Sisters Are All Stunning Beauties.
Favorability: -20
Destiny Level: 9 (Max: 10)
Xu Mu was stunned—another female protagonist had appeared.
This was bad.
Though he hadn’t read that particular novel, he was familiar with the genre.
To put it simply, the male lead's senior sister is impressive, but the male lead is even more so.
"What can I do for you two?" Xu Mu walked over calmly.
"Xu Mu, here's my badge."
The thirty-year-old male officer first flashed his police ID, then introduced, "This is Jiang Huihui, the captain of our department. Just cooperate fully with whatever she asks you."
"Got it."
Xu Mu nodded. As expected of the Cleaners—their authority was indeed substantial.
The man said a few more brief words before leaving, leaving only Jiang Huihui behind.
Jiang Huihui glanced at Xu Mu and said, "Let's talk in the office."
Xu Mu agreed and headed toward the office.
Inside the office.
Xu Mu sat in the executive chair, while Jiang Huihui stood with her hands in her pockets, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
"Ms. Jiang, what did you want to ask me?"
Noticing her prolonged silence, Xu Mu took the initiative to speak.
"This Cadillac Escalade—it's yours, right?"
Jiang Huihui placed her phone on the desk, displaying a photo.
Xu Mu checked the image—the license plate matched—and nodded. "That's correct."
"You said you received the criminal's call in the morning yesterday. Why did you only report it in the afternoon? What were you doing in between?"
As she spoke, Jiang Huihui circled around to Xu Mu's side, one hand resting on the desk while the other pulled open a drawer.
"Even if you're the captain, you can't just rummage through personal belongings, can you?" Xu Mu's expression darkened with displeasure.
"I have a search warrant. If you don’t believe me, I can have it delivered!"
Jiang Huihui shot him a cold look. "Move aside!"
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]
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
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?
m back to his original world. In the end, he realized he had overthought things. [Hey, why is Shen Manni, the female lead, acting strange? Shouldn't she be fawning over the male lead at this point?] [Zhou Qiaoqiao, are you sick? Weren't you supposed to break off your engagement today?] [Damn it! An Youyi, please do your job as an undercover agent and sell my information to the protagonist, you idiot!] ... At this moment, Xu Mo himself didn't know that these female leads had already heard his inner thoughts. Then they decided not to play by the rules. Xu Mo: Please respect my profession as the big villain!