Leng Qingqiu Prepares for Serious Business

The Leng Family.

"Ugh... I really said it."

Leng Qingqiu buried her face in her hands, her cheeks burning with embarrassment as she slumped over her desk.

She was so mortified that words could hardly describe how she felt at that moment.

When Leng Qingqiu had kissed him, she had been in a daze, realizing that she had acted on impulse.

And then she had said those things and done those things.

Especially... sticking out her tongue...

Darn it... Gu Yan probably thinks I'm a pervert now...

[Other me, you did well. Your perception has improved significantly again.]

[Of course, you don’t need to feel like what you did was inappropriate.]

[Because I think the furnace definitely liked it.]

[He liked your French kiss.]

[After all, he’s a pervert too.]

Little Leng suddenly chimed in.

"Take back that 'too'!"

"I’m not a pervert!"

Leng Qingqiu exploded, her hair practically standing on end.

Whatever, there’s no point getting mad at Little Leng. She doesn’t understand anyway.

Calm down, calm down.

Leng Qingqiu took a deep breath, forcing her shameful emotions to settle.

Then, she began to assess the progress of her perception.

When she noticed it had improved once more, a hint of joy flickered in her heart.

Hehe, just eating, drinking, and playing around with Gu Yan can boost my strength. How delightful.

Wait...

No, no, no.

Leng Qingqiu shook her head.

Leng Qingqiu, Leng Qingqiu, you’re being way too lazy. How can you think like that?

You have to remember, you’re not improving your strength by playing around.

You’re playing around because you have to improve your strength!

This is all for revenge, revenge, revenge!

Alright, now that my strength has improved and I’ve had my fun...

It’s time to get back to business!

Leng Qingqiu calmed herself and thought about the group of mediocre martial artists she had encountered at the café earlier.

They had approached Gu Yan out of the blue, clearly trying to cozy up to him.

Considering what they had said before leaving...

That "thing"...

It must be the ancient energy that’s been the talk of the martial arts world lately!

Hmph, the appearance of ancient energy means another successor will emerge.

Rather than letting someone else get it, I might as well intercept and absorb it myself.

"If I absorb the ancient energy, it might boost my perception even further."

"But... what if I give it to Gu Yan and let him become the successor..."

Leng Qingqiu shook her head again at the thought. "No, no, the successor of the ancient energy would become my enemy..."

She clenched her fists. "This is my destiny..."

As she lost herself in her thoughts, Little Leng popped up again, offering a gentle reminder.

[Other me, you really don’t need to worry about this ancient energy thing.]

[Just let it play out. We mustn’t forget our main plan, which is to infiltrate the Night Organization into the righteous faction.]

[If we meddle in this, all our previous efforts could go to waste.]

Hearing this, Leng Qingqiu snapped out of her thoughts and asked suspiciously, "Huh? Little Leng, you’re acting strange. Didn’t you used to say you’d never join the righteous faction?"

"That we should aim to become the one and only Night King, unrivaled under heaven."

[.........That was then, this is now.]

[In any case, don’t get too involved with the ancient energy.]

Little Leng’s voice was calm but carried a hint of mystery.

If it weren’t for the deal with the furnace, I wouldn’t be giving you so many reminders.

"Is that so?"

"You seem to know a lot about this ancient energy. Where did you hear about it?"

Leng Qingqiu grew wary. Could it be...

Little Leng had been active without her knowledge?

[.......Idiot, you can find plenty of information about ancient energy online these days.]

[After the Night Organization’s raid a month ago, martial artists have been blending into the general population.]

[While you were busy having fun with the furnace, I’ve been keeping an eye on everything happening around you.]

[The martial artists, their conversations—I’ve heard it all.]

[Meanwhile, other me, have you even thought about the organization this past month?]

Little Leng’s tone was calm as she explained everything.

"......"

"Wait, really?"

Leng Qingqiu was stunned. Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t really managed the organization much this past month.

She felt a pang of guilt. "Anyway! From today on, I’ll definitely focus on the important tasks!"

[You’d better...]

"Trust me!"

After saying this indignantly, Leng Qingqiu suddenly remembered something.

That was...

The Gu Family’s annual gathering.

"Hmm, I should probably help Gu Yan deal with some of his troubles first."

[.......]

......

......

Evening.

After finishing his work for the day, Li Minghui returned to his cozy little home.

He was the CEO of Huaxiangyuan Technology Group, a subsidiary of the Gu Family.

Every year, he was invited to the Gu Family’s annual gathering.

The first purpose was to report on the company’s performance over the past year.

The second purpose was the Gu Family’s annual [Successor Voting System].

The goal was to vote for the next successor of the Gu Family.

Of course, he didn’t understand the point of this voting system, considering it just a quirk of wealthy families.

Still, he didn’t want to get too involved.

After all, he had a loving wife, a well-behaved child, and a happy family.

All he needed to do this year was cast a veto vote against Gu Yan, the eldest son of the Gu Family, and his task would be complete.

However...

Something was different from his usual homecoming.

Li Minghui noticed the slightly ajar front door and frowned.

Why is the door open?

"Linlin? Why is the door open?"

Li Minghui stepped inside, immediately sensing something was off.

Even though it was evening, the area from the entrance to the living room was unusually dark.

In the past, his wife and daughter would always come running to greet him the moment he got home.

But now...

A series of giggles came from one of the rooms. Li Minghui turned to see a sliver of light spilling out from a slightly open door.

Thud!

A bad feeling settled in his chest.

He hurried over and pushed the door open.

What he saw inside made his heart sink.

"Daddy’s home!"

"Daddy, this big brother gave me a new toy!"

A cute little girl, upon seeing Li Minghui, happily waved the new toy in her hand.

Across from her sat a figure whose presence made Li Minghui’s heart skip a beat.

"Nice to meet you, Li Minghui."

Gu Yan rested his hands on the little girl’s shoulders, a faint smile on his lips as he looked at Li Minghui with an unreadable expression.

"Forgive me for not bringing a gift on my first visit."

"I hope you won’t hold it against me."