Lu Mingshi’s face flushed crimson as he screamed hysterically at his secretary and the gathered executives:
"Investigate! Find out which bastard is spreading these rumors! And the PR department—are you all dead? Issue a statement immediately! Deny everything! Sue them—take every damn media outlet spouting nonsense to court!"
His response was the same old arrogant "might makes right" logic he always relied on.
Yet, this feeble denial, in the face of detailed exposés and a panicked market, seemed utterly laughable.
Far from calming the storm, it was interpreted as "guilt" and "a desperate cover-up," only accelerating the stock’s plunge.
Lu Mingshi stared at the glaring red numbers on the screen, his heart twisting in his chest.
He had fought so hard to claim this position, barely warming the seat before disaster struck.
Why? Everything should have been smooth sailing. How had it come to this?
Barging into the boardroom, he faced the ashen-faced elders and directors, his voice a brittle roar:
"What are you all gawking at? This is just some underhanded scheme to short our stock! Panicking now? Hold steady! Anyone who dares sell shares at this time is declaring war on me, Lu Mingshi, and the entire Lu Corporation!"
But no one paid his bluster any heed.
When real money was at stake, familial loyalty and the chairman’s authority meant nothing.
The infighting erupted in full force.
"Mingshi! What the hell is going on with your brother? The rumors are everywhere—give us a straight answer!"
"Exactly! Since you took over as chairman, Lu Corporation has been in chaos! First, Lu Chenyuan walked out with his team, now this scandal! Are you even capable?"
"The stock’s lost half its value! Our investments aren’t charity! Lu Mingshi, you will answer for this!"
Cornered, Lu Mingshi lashed out:
"How is this my fault? Blame my worthless brother for not keeping his pants on! Blame his wife for airing dirty laundry! Go take it up with them if you’re so brave!"
Lu Corporation descended into utter bedlam.
......
At the Western Hills ancestral estate, Lu Chengsi hurled a blue-and-white porcelain teacup to the floor, shattering it.
"Disgrace! You’re all a disgrace!"
He pointed a trembling finger at Lu Mingye, who knelt before him, face drained of color.
"I told you to keep it quiet! How did you fail so miserably?!"
"Father... I... I didn’t... I never said a word..." Lu Mingye’s weak protest was barely audible.
"You didn’t? Then did the rumors fall from the sky?" Lu Chengsi struck his back with a cane.
"A century of our family’s reputation—destroyed by your incompetence!"
After punishing Lu Mingye, he dialed Lu Mingshi, unleashing his fury the moment the call connected:
"Lu Mingshi! What kind of CEO are you? A crisis hits, and all you do is issue a useless statement? Look at the state of the company! Do you even care about the stock price?"
Already seething, Lu Mingshi snapped back:
"Father! This isn’t on me! Eldest Brother caused this mess! I’m drowning here, and instead of support, you berate me? If you’re so capable, why not summon Lu Chenyuan to clean it up?"
"You—!"
Lu Chengsi nearly collapsed, vision darkening with rage.
Hanging up, he slumped into his chair, breathing heavily.
It was over.
The family’s unity was shattered. The house was crumbling.
The second son was arrogant and inept; the eldest, a reckless fool; the third and fourth only watched and fanned the flames.
Not one among them could salvage this disaster.
No—there was one.
The thought rose unbidden in his mind.
Lu Chenyuan.
Only his exiled grandson had the skill and ruthlessness to quell this storm.
But...
The humiliation of begging him back after everything—after his own silence, after Lu Mingshi’s betrayal—
Lu Chengsi’s heart churned with shame, regret, and defiance.
He had never bowed to anyone in his life.
......
At Yuanlong Technologies’ top-floor office, sunlight streamed through spotless windows. The quiet hum of the air conditioning was the only sound.
A world apart from Lu Corporation’s chaos.
Lu Chenyuan calmly reviewed a report on the future development of the "Integrated Sciences" program—a document he intended to deliver personally to Professor Chen Jingzhi.
Zhang Qi entered, barely containing his excitement.
"President Lu, everything is proceeding as predicted."
He handed over a tablet displaying Lu Corporation’s nosediving stock chart and media deep-dives into the scandal.
"The divorce leak triggered market panic. Lu Mingshi’s blunders worsened the infighting. Their market cap has dropped 40% since your departure, and the decline continues."
Lu Chenyuan’s gaze skimmed the data, unmoved, as if reviewing a stranger’s financials.
"Second Uncle’s competence barely suffices in peacetime. Facing a crisis, he might as well douse a fire with gasoline," he remarked mildly.
"Then... when do we detonate the ‘Shengtian Real Estate’ bomb?" Zhang Qi asked, eager to see Lu Mingshi and Li Xiujian’s reactions when their secret ledgers went public.
"Not yet." Lu Chenyuan turned to the floor-to-ceiling windows, surveying the city he meant to conquer.
"A downpour alone won’t break a dam. But what if, after the rain, comes an earthquake?"
His voice was quiet, deliberate.
"Grandfather’s resolve will crack soon. He’ll come to me. But I don’t want a salvage operation. I want Lu Corporation broken, abandoned by all, ripe for my terms."
"As for Shengtian—that’s the final straw. It will explode when the Lu family is most desperate, shattering their last delusions."
He spoke to Zhang Qi, yet also to himself.
His goal was never destruction.
It was rebirth—by cutting out every trace of rot, no matter how painful, until the family emerged unshackled from its bloody power struggles.
Outside, storm clouds gathered. The tempest was just beginning.
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!"
orn and Humiliation】【Forced Love】 In his past life, Lin Ran was betrayed and murdered by his girlfriend and family, while the yandere female aristocrat, who had treated him as a mere plaything, avenged him by doing in his enemies. Upon seeing the yandere female aristocrat lying in the same coffin, ready to die with him, Lin Ran realized how profoundly mistaken he had been. Reborn, he abandoned the fickle campus beauty and wholeheartedly embraced the yandere female aristocrat's arms. "Ran! If I dig out your eyes and turn them into a specimen, you'll only be able to look at me!" Lin Ran: "Darling, kiss me!" "Ran! If I break your legs, you won't run away anymore, right?" Lin Ran: "Love, hold me tight!" "Ran! If..." Lin Ran: "Hush now! Love me more!" Luo Yao: ... Seeing his scumbag dad: "Take him out!" Seeing his stepmother: "Get rid of her!" Seeing his brother: "Eliminate him!" Seeing his white moonlight: "Send that to Southeast Asia!"
Explosive Plot Song Gua crossed over into another world, bringing along a whole crew of his doppelgangers—all of them mischief-makers. This was a world where everyone could choose a class. Song Gua became a "Bondweaver," capable of borrowing power, while his doppelgangers took on a wide variety of classes, covering just about everything. The number of doppelgangers grew day by day, each one a talented individual with a charming way of speaking. Under Song Gua's brilliant leadership, they would "greet" each other daily and engage in friendly "sparring," pulling off one major scheme after another on Earth. Sometimes they were bandits—stealing bosses, plundering mines, snatching resources. Sometimes they were saviors—descending like divine warriors to face world bosses threatening to massacre cities. Sometimes they even went undercover, infiltrating various major factions to stir up trouble from within, keeping their enemies constantly on edge. To prevent their doppelganger abilities from being exposed, Song Gua made them wear masks with mahjong tile patterns and don Taoist robes in various colors. "Remember, in front of outsiders, call me 'The Dice.'" "Got it! Boss!" "Not 'Boss'—it's 'The Dice.' Think about the vibe, pay attention to the vibe." "Yes! Boss!" "For crying out loud..." From then on, whenever they appeared, they would have their own theme song playing: ~Hey~ paying respects at the mountain stronghold at night~ whose arm is draped over whose shoulder~ gather your courage and follow along...
u serious?" Chen Feng watched helplessly as his painstakingly trained disciple, fresh off a championship victory, publicly abandoned him. "You had your chance, but you didn’t appreciate it. Now, face the consequences of your choice!" Chen Feng possessed the "Master System," a treasure trove of supreme martial arts techniques, capable of molding ordinary individuals into peerless prodigies. "Legs like yours? A shame not to train in the Crippling Kick." "Ever heard of a palm strike that descends from the heavens?" "Auntie! I see extraordinary bone structure in you—a martial arts prodigy, one in ten thousand." The once-defiant senior disciple, now watching her juniors rise to fame one after another, dominating the internet, was consumed by endless regret.
