The night was as dark as ink, enveloping the Lu family estate in a blanket of silence.
Inside the study, the lights burned brightly.
Lu Chenyuan hung up the phone, his fingers tapping lightly on the polished mahogany desk, producing a rhythmic knock-knock sound.
The air still carried traces of the shock and determination left behind by Lu Qianqian when she had stormed out earlier.
Lu Chenyuan’s gaze was deep, like an unfathomable abyss.
The stone that Lu Qianqian had unwittingly thrown into the water had not only stirred ripples around herself but had also accelerated the entire chess game, pushing it into its next phase ahead of schedule.
A soft knock sounded at the door, and Lin Yuan entered, his expression solemn.
"President Lu, Zhang Qi has been notified. He’s on his way."
"Good." Lu Chenyuan nodded and stood, walking over to the floor-to-ceiling window.
Outside lay the meticulously landscaped gardens of the estate, bathed in the glow of night lights, exuding a serene yet detached beauty.
"Lin Yuan," Lu Chenyuan suddenly asked, "how long have you been with me?"
Lin Yuan paused briefly before answering, "Since your second year of grad school, when I was a senior intern. Nearly five years now."
"Five years…" Lu Chenyuan murmured, his voice tinged with something complex. "Time flies. Have you ever thought about pursuing something truly your own?"
Lin Yuan’s heart jolted. "President Lu, I—"
Lu Chenyuan turned and raised a hand to stop him, his gaze both gentle and piercing.
"I’m not dismissing you. What I mean is, Lu Corporation is too small—and too murky—for someone like you."
"I’m planning to establish a new tech company, focused on new energy and artificial intelligence. That’s where my real ambitions lie."
"And I want you to take the helm there for me."
Lin Yuan froze, his mind reeling.
He had known Lu Chenyuan was quietly laying the groundwork for something, but he never imagined the man had the audacity to break away from Lu Corporation entirely and start anew.
This wasn’t just a business venture—it was a bold, earth-shaking ambition.
"I… accept!" Lin Yuan answered without hesitation, fire igniting in his eyes.
He was not a man content with mediocrity. Serving under Lu Chenyuan was one thing, but the chance to carve out his own path? That was an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.
"Good." Lu Chenyuan smiled. "But first, we need to wrap up the matter at hand. Zhang Qi will be your ideal successor."
Half an hour later, a tall, sharp-jawed young man was ushered into the study by the butler.
His steps were steady, his gaze alert. Though dressed in casual attire, the quiet competence and composure radiating from him were impossible to ignore.
This was Zhang Qi—the lawyer who had narrowly escaped death, pulled back from the brink by Lu Chenyuan.
"President Lu." Zhang Qi bowed slightly, his voice thick with genuine gratitude and respect.
His life had been saved by Lu Chenyuan and Dr. Lu Chenxiao.
Over the past weeks, Lu Chenyuan had not only provided him with the best rehabilitation but had also revealed the truth behind his car accident.
When Zhang Qi learned that the crash had been orchestrated by Sheng Tian Real Estate to silence his legal activism, fury and despair at the cruelty of the world had nearly consumed him.
But Lu Chenyuan’s words had cut through the darkness:
"Rather than be swallowed by the abyss, become the sword that pierces it."
From that moment, Zhang Qi had resolved to follow this enigmatic man.
He would wield his legal expertise like a blade, cutting down the corporate dragons who treated human lives as disposable.
"Sit." Lu Chenyuan gestured to the sofa. "Qianqian briefed me earlier. What have you uncovered?"
At the mention of business, Zhang Qi’s focus sharpened.
He pulled a thick stack of documents from his briefcase and spread them across the coffee table with methodical precision.
"President Lu, based on my covert investigations and evidence collected from previous cases, I’ve pieced together a nearly complete picture of Sheng Tian Real Estate’s operations."
His finger tapped one of the files, his voice steady and firm.
"Sheng Tian’s employment contracts, construction safety protocols, and material standards are all severely compromised."
"Master Zhang’s accident was no coincidence. I’ve secured testimony from multiple anonymous whistleblowers confirming that Sheng Tian cuts corners on multiple projects, violating laws and regulations. They’re trading workers’ lives for profit."
A suppressed fury simmered in his tone.
"Finally—the most critical issue—is their financial and tax records. But their firewall is impenetrable, maintained by a top-tier security team. I tried reaching out to former contacts, but infiltration is impossible. This is their weak spot—and our biggest hurdle."
Lu Chenyuan listened without reaction, as if everything aligned with his expectations.
"You’re right," he said slowly. "The evidence we have now could bury Sheng Tian in lawsuits and public outrage, but it’s not enough for a killing blow."
Zhang Qi nodded grimly. "Exactly. At best, this would cost them a fortune in fines and a few mid-level scapegoats. But the real masterminds would slip away untouched—maybe even use the chaos to rebrand."
"So we need a key." Lu Chenyuan’s eyes locked onto Zhang Qi.
"A key to their core database. Specifically, I need records of their ‘Project Incident Contingency Fund.’"
"Project Incident Contingency Fund?" Zhang Qi repeated, his legal training instantly decoding the euphemism.
This wasn’t a legitimate reserve—it was a slush fund for bribes, hush money, and dirty payoffs. Every illegal transaction would be logged there.
Obtaining that ledger wouldn’t just complete their case—it would be a nuclear bomb capable of annihilating Sheng Tian and its backers in one blast.
"But President Lu, their servers are a fortress…" Zhang Qi frowned.
"Even the strongest fortresses have cracks." A faint, knowing smile curved Lu Chenyuan’s lips.
"There are always those rare talents who can slip past any defense—without leaving a trace."
"Lin Yuan, have Su Yang give it a try."
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
ver to a world of cultivation and returned invincible. Modern medicine is child's play compared to elixirs; technological might crumbles before true cultivation. My name is Qin Ning, Earth's sole cultivator!
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
