The atmosphere in the dining room the next morning was subtly tense.
Lu Qianqian was absent. After Lou Mengling personally went upstairs to persuade her, she had stopped crying but buried herself under the blankets, refusing to see anyone.
At the table sat only Lu Chenyuan and Lu Chenjin, the latter sporting faint dark circles under his eyes from a sleepless night.
Lu Chenjin kept his head down, silently sipping his porridge without a word.
His elder brother’s words from the night before had seared into his mind like a brand—leaving him ashamed, shaken, and yet stirring a faint, unfamiliar longing he hadn’t even recognized in himself.
The feeling of being seen, understood, and even having his future mapped out was something he had never experienced in his twenty years of life.
"Made up your mind?" Lu Chenyuan set down his utensils, dabbing his lips with a napkin before speaking calmly.
Lu Chenjin’s grip on his spoon tightened, though he still didn’t look up. "About what?"
"Whether you’ll keep wasting your talent underground or step into the spotlight and fight for a real championship."
Lu Chenyuan’s tone was utterly indifferent, as if discussing the weather.
After a long silence, Lu Chenjin finally spoke, his voice hoarse. "I… can I really do it?"
For the first time, his usual defiance was absent, replaced by a fragile uncertainty.
Underground racing was thrilling, but deep down, he knew it was nothing more than a dead-end thrill.
Professional racing was another world—one he had secretly yearned for yet deliberately avoided out of sheer rebellion.
"It’s not about whether you can. You must." Lu Chenyuan’s gaze bore into him with unshakable authority.
"The coach I’ve hired for you is Hand, former technical director of an F1 championship team. Your physical trainer is a retired top expert from the national team. Your support staff will meet world-class standards."
Lu Chenjin’s head snapped up, disbelief flooding his eyes.
Hand—a legend in the racing world!
Countless elite drivers would kill for even a single piece of advice from him.
"You…" His lips parted, but no words came.
He had assumed his brother just wanted to drag him out of the gutter and keep him on a short leash somewhere.
But instead, Lu Chenyuan had struck like lightning, paving a golden path straight to the top.
"I’ll lay the road, but you’re the one who has to walk it." Lu Chenyuan watched his stunned expression before continuing, his words carrying deeper weight.
"And what I need from you isn’t just racing."
"Then what?" Lu Chenjin asked instinctively.
Lu Chenyuan’s fingers tapped rhythmically against the table, as if sketching out a grand blueprint.
"Have you ever considered what determines the outcome of a race—besides the driver?"
"The car itself. The engine, chassis, aerodynamics, tires… and data analysis."
The answer spilled from Lu Chenjin’s lips without hesitation—these were things etched into his bones.
"Exactly." Lu Chenyuan nodded approvingly.
"A few days ago, I reviewed a report on new energy vehicles. Current battery and electronic control systems still have massive room for improvement."
"Racing is the ultimate testing ground for automotive performance. Many cutting-edge civilian technologies are born on the track."
He locked eyes with Lu Chenjin, speaking slowly and deliberately.
"What I need isn’t just a champion driver named Lu Chenjin."
"I need you to become a leader in Xia Country’s future automotive industry. Your talent shouldn’t just be used to surpass opponents—it should drive technological innovation."
"I’ll establish an independent new energy technology lab, initially led by you, dedicated to R&D and testing for racing applications. Winning races is your short-term goal. Your ultimate mission is to see the technology we develop installed in cars across the nation."
The dining room fell into silence.
Lu Chenjin was utterly speechless. His mouth hung open, his mind blank.
Champion driver… Leader of Xia Country’s automotive industry… Driving technological innovation…
Each phrase detonated like a thunderclap in his mind.
He had never imagined that his "frivolous" hobby—the one his elders dismissed as a waste of time—could be tied to something so monumental.
He had always assumed his brother looked down on his passion for cars.
Now he realized Lu Chenyuan didn’t disdain it—he simply thought Lu Chenjin was playing at too low a level.
A surge of fire erupted from the depths of his heart, scorching through his veins and raising goosebumps across his skin.
It was the electrifying thrill of purpose—of being handed a mission and a value greater than himself.
"I… I’ll do it!" Lu Chenjin nearly shouted the words, his eyes burning with exhilaration. All his confusion, rebellion, and resentment had finally found an outlet—one fierce enough to incinerate them all.
Watching his brother’s ignited determination, the faintest trace of a smile tugged at Lu Chenyuan’s lips.
The most unruly "knight" on his chessboard had finally been pulled back within the boundaries—and given a clear direction to charge.
……
In the study, Lu Chenyuan stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the gardeners at work in the courtyard below.
Lu Chenjin’s issue was temporarily resolved, but another, deeper and more insidious problem demanded immediate attention.
His father—Lu Mingye.
In the original storyline, Lu Mingye’s infidelity and illegitimate child were the sparks that crushed Lou Mengling, severed the Lu family’s maternal support, and gave the Li family an opening to sow discord within the household.
This ticking time bomb had to be defused—before it exploded beyond control.
He dialed Lin Yuan’s internal line.
"Lin Yuan, I need you to investigate something."
"Of course, President Lu." Lin Yuan’s voice, as always, was steady and efficient.
"Pull all records of my father Lu Mingye’s personal account transactions over the past eighteen years. I need to know where every non-routine expenditure exceeding 100,000 yuan went—especially any long-term, fixed transfers to specific recipients."
Lu Chenyuan’s tone was calm, but the request would unsettle anyone.
Investigating one’s own father was taboo in any family.
Yet Lin Yuan didn’t hesitate—not even his inflection wavered.
"Understood. What level of confidentiality?"
"Highest clearance." Lu Chenyuan’s voice hardened. "No third party can know. Use our most reliable overseas team—no internal channels within the group."
"Copy that. Results within three days."
"Appreciate it."
Hanging up, Lu Chenyuan’s gaze deepened further.
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.”
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!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
