Weekend at the Mo family residence.
Unlike the solemn grandeur of the Lu family estate, the Mo residence resembled more of a traditional Chinese garden.
With small bridges over flowing water, pavilions, and towers, every corner exuded refinement and elegance.
Lu Chenyuan, carrying carefully prepared gifts, walked beside Mo Qingli along the bluestone path.
He had changed into a dark gray Chinese-style casual suit with knotted buttons, softening his demeanor considerably.
Yet inwardly, he was far from as composed as he appeared.
In the Mo family’s living room, a refined middle-aged man was brewing tea.
Dressed in a casual suit of the same hue as Lu Chenyuan’s, his movements flowed effortlessly, carrying the ease of a man tempered by time.
This was the chairman of the Mo Group, Mo Qingli’s father—Mo Zhenbang.
Though nowadays, nearly all affairs of the Mo Group were under Mo Qingli’s control.
Mo Zhenbang seemed more like a hands-off patriarch.
Beside him, a gentle-mannered woman smiled warmly toward the entrance.
She was Mo Qingli’s mother, Lin Shuhan.
"Dad, Mom, we’re back," Mo Qingli said, her usually cool and regal voice now carrying a hint of girlish sweetness.
"Welcome back," Lin Shuhan greeted them, her gaze immediately settling on Lu Chenyuan.
She looked him up and down, her eyes brimming with the satisfaction of a mother-in-law appraising her future son-in-law.
"Chenyuan, come in and sit. It’s been so long since we last saw you at the old master’s birthday banquet—you really should visit more often."
"Uncle, Auntie, it’s good to see you," Lu Chenyuan greeted politely, presenting the gifts.
"You didn’t have to bring anything, but thank you," Lin Shuhan said warmly as she accepted them, ushering him to sit.
Mo Zhenbang glanced up at Lu Chenyuan, giving a slight nod in acknowledgment before returning his focus to the tea set.
But Lu Chenyuan could feel a sharp gaze lingering on him—scrutinizing, probing, with a trace of something else… wariness.
He knew this wouldn’t be an easy hurdle.
Though Mo Zhenbang was of a younger generation than Lu Chengsi, he had been a contemporary of the Lu family patriarch.
Despite his mild appearance, the fact that he had elevated the Mo family to its current stature spoke of a mind and skill far beyond the ordinary.
The Mo family’s approach to nurturing successors was indeed unique.
Not only had Mo Zhenbang competed on equal footing with Lu Chengsi, but while Lu Chenyuan and Mo Qingli had taken over their respective family businesses around the same time, Lu Chenyuan faced constant constraints within the Lu Corporation, whereas Mo Qingli had long since consolidated absolute authority in the Mo Group.
The difference was stark.
"Tea," Mo Zhenbang said, sliding a freshly brewed cup toward Lu Chenyuan.
The aroma was rich and inviting.
"Thank you, Uncle," Lu Chenyuan said, taking a sip.
"Yuanlong Tech’s recent moves have been… bold," Mo Zhenbang finally spoke.
He didn’t ask about personal matters—his opening salvo was strictly business.
"Open-sourcing the 'Nuwa' model is like giving away a gold mine. Many say you’re too idealistic, that you don’t understand commerce."
"The business world is a battlefield. A poor general exhausts his army. If you hand out the blueprints to your most advanced weapons, how do you expect to fight future wars?"
His question was deceptively soft, yet it struck at the heart of the matter.
Lin Shuhan shot her husband a concerned glance, but Mo Qingli remained composed, silently watching, trusting Lu Chenyuan to respond.
Lu Chenyuan set down his cup, his expression unruffled.
"Uncle, the wars of the future won’t be won by a single advanced weapon."
"They’ll be won by standards. By ecosystems."
"What I’ve given away isn’t a weapon’s blueprint—it’s the philosophy behind its creation. When everyone builds weapons using my philosophy, they’ll never escape the standards I’ve set. I’ll decide what steel they use, what caliber, even when they’re allowed to fire."
"What I’ve surrendered is a single city. What I want is the entire world."
His voice was quiet, yet every word carried weight.
The room fell silent.
Mo Zhenbang studied Lu Chenyuan, surprise flickering in his eyes for the first time.
He had expected Lu Chenyuan to justify himself with market potential or commercial value.
Instead, the young man’s vision was even broader than he’d imagined.
He wasn’t aiming to be a tycoon—he wanted to be the architect of the rules themselves.
After a pause, Mo Zhenbang pressed further.
"Aren’t you afraid of nurturing a rival? A country like A Nation’s Strahl isn’t to be underestimated. Pave the road for them, and they might outpace you."
"No," Lu Chenyuan answered without hesitation.
"Setting everything else aside, the most crucial point is this," he met Mo Zhenbang’s gaze squarely,
"Future competition won’t be between one company and another. It’ll be between one ecosystem and another. Yuanlong and the Mo Group—together, we represent Xia Nation’s most advanced ecosystem in new energy and artificial intelligence. That ecosystem can withstand any external challenge."
He had deftly drawn the Mo family into his vision.
This wasn’t flattery—it was fact.
Mo Zhenbang’s gaze finally softened.
He lifted his own teacup and took a sip.
"Qingli’s judgment comes from me. Good."
The seemingly offhand praise sent a ripple of relief through the room.
It was recognition—the highest form of approval from the Mo family’s patriarch.
Lin Shuhan beamed, quickly interjecting,
"Enough about business! Let’s eat. Qingli, I made your favorite—sweet and sour ribs."
Dinner was warm and harmonious.
Mo Zhenbang asked no more about commerce, instead chatting about everyday things—Lu Chenyuan’s hobbies, whether work was taxing.
Like any ordinary father getting to know his daughter’s partner.
Lu Chenyuan answered each question, though the warmth felt unfamiliar.
In his past life, he had been an orphan.
In this one, Lu Chengsi’s regard had been one of expectation and duty, while Lu Mingye saw him only as a tool.
Aside from Lou Mengling, this was the first time Lu Chenyuan had experienced such pure, familial care.
By the meal’s end, a quiet warmth had settled in his chest.
As they prepared to leave, Mo Zhenbang escorted them to the door.
"Qingli has always been strong-willed. Once she sets her mind to something, no one can change it," he said, his words weighted with meaning as he looked at Lu Chenyuan.
"I’ll leave her in your hands."
"You have my word, Uncle," Lu Chenyuan vowed solemnly.
In the car ride back, Lu Chenyuan felt an unfamiliar lightness.
It was as if a missing piece of his life had finally slotted into place.
"So? Did my father give you a hard time when I wasn’t looking?" Mo Qingli teased.
"No," Lu Chenyuan shook his head. "Your father… is a good man."
Gazing out at the city lights, he realized Jingzhou’s nights didn’t feel quite so cold anymore.
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
iaobai: "Councilor Dad, front me some funds. I want to hire ten thousand professional miners for a project!" [Five-Star Mission Issued: Capture the leader of the Blood Heaven Pirate Gang, who is on the run in the Radiant Star Sector. It is said the gang has over a hundred members. Proceed with caution.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, lend me the family's hundred-thousand-strong Lu Army!" [Seven-Star Mission Issued: Subdue a juvenile Void Dragon Beast.] Lu Xiaobai: "Councilor Dad, I'm taking your tamed Void Dragon Beast King out for a family reunion!" I said, System, don't you have any slightly more challenging missions? You're just not up to par! [Nine-Star Mission Issued: Become the Human Councilor.] Lu Xiaobai: "Dad, there's a small matter I'd like to discuss with you..."
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, 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?"
