The drive back to Dragon Bay was a quiet blur of streetlights and rain.
I leaned my head against the cool leather seat of the Maybach, letting out a long exhale. The metallic scent of ozone from the tribulation lightning still lingered on my coat. Lin Tian was dead. The first protagonist had been thoroughly crushed, his destiny plundered, and his plot armor shattered.
But the Heavenly Dao wasn't going to let me rest. A 'Dragon Sovereign' Returnee?
I almost laughed out loud in the quiet car. It was the classic sequel trope. A mercenary king or an underground emperor who spent years building a trillion-dollar empire abroad, only to return to the city to hide his identity, slap the faces of the local rich kids, and build a massive harem.
Usually, the local billionaire heir is the first stepping stone for the Dragon Sovereign to show off his wealth and power.
Not this time, I thought, my eyes narrowing as the heavy iron gates of my estate came into view. If a dragon crosses into my territory, I'll pull its tendons out and use them for shoelaces.
"We are home, Young Master," Old Chen said quietly as the SUV glided to a halt in front of the grand entrance.
I nodded, stepping out into the misty pre-dawn air. I unbuttoned my tactical coat, hiding the faint scorch marks on the cuffs, and pushed open the heavy front doors.
The foyer was completely dark, save for a single, warm reading lamp illuminating the massive leather sofa in the center of the room.
I stopped in my tracks.
Curled up on the sofa, still wearing her silk nightgown with a thick cashmere throw blanket draped over her legs, was Su Qingran. A tablet displaying financial reports had slipped from her hand and was resting on the rug. Her head was tilted against a pillow, her silver-blonde hair spilling over the dark leather. She was fast asleep.
On the coffee table next to her was a pristine porcelain teapot and two cups. The tea was completely cold.
She had waited up for me.
The Ice CEO of Jinghai City—the woman who had looked at me with absolute disgust just twenty-four hours ago—had brewed tea and tried to wait up for me to come back from a violent midnight errand.
A genuine, entirely unscripted smile touched my lips. I walked over, my footsteps completely silent. I reached down, gently picking up the tablet from the floor and setting it on the table. Then, I pulled the cashmere blanket a little higher over her shoulders.
The slight movement made her stir. Her piercing blue eyes fluttered open, glassy and unfocused for a second before they locked onto my face.
She instantly bolted upright, her face flushing a brilliant crimson.
"I... I wasn't waiting for you," Su Qingran said entirely too fast, her voice slightly raspy from sleep. She defensively grabbed the tablet. "I was reviewing the quarterly logistics reports and dozed off."
"Of course," I replied smoothly, not breaking eye contact. I reached over and touched the side of the porcelain teapot. "And you brewed a pot of Longjing tea at 3:00 AM to help you focus on the logistics?"
Her blush deepened, spreading down her neck. She opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn't find an excuse. The invincible Su Qingran was completely flustered.
[Ding!] [Su Qingran is experiencing intense embarrassment and relief that you are safe!] [Affection +5! Current Affection: 90 (Deeply Smitten).]
"Did you... did you clean up the mess?" she asked quietly, changing the subject as her eyes scanned my coat for any signs of injury.
"The garbage has been taken out. Permanently," I said softly. I didn't elaborate. She didn't need to know the gruesome details of the underground coliseum. "Go to your room, Qingran. Sleep in a real bed. Tomorrow morning, we have a war to fight."
She looked at me, her expression turning serious. "The Chu Consortium Board Meeting."
I nodded. "Your grandfather will have already called my Uncle, Chu Yun. He'll tell the board that the Su family merger is off, and my Uncle will use that as an excuse to trigger a vote of no confidence to strip me of my acting CEO title."
"I'll be there," Su Qingran said, standing up. The Ice CEO persona instantly snapped back into place, her eyes hardening with resolve. "I am the head of the Su family's operations. If I stand beside you and confirm the merger is secure, your Uncle has no leverage."
I looked at her, genuinely impressed. She wasn't just a pretty vase waiting to be rescued. She was a ruthless businesswoman ready to draw blood for me.
"Get some rest, partner," I murmured.
I watched her walk up the stairs to the East Wing before turning toward my own suite. The moment my bedroom door clicked shut, the warmth faded from my eyes, replaced by a cold, calculating edge.
System, I commanded mentally. I have 5000 Villain Points from Lin Tian's death. Open the store. The Dragon Sovereign is going to target my company tomorrow. I need to completely dominate that boardroom.
A glowing holographic interface materialized in the air.
[Ding! Accessing High-Tier System Store...] [Host currently has 5000 Villain Points.]
[Purchase Option 1: 'Absolute Insight Eye' - Cost: 3000 Points. Effect: Allows the Host to instantly see a target's loyalty level, their hidden net worth, and their deepest, darkest secret. Perfect for corporate warfare and blackmail.]
[Purchase Option 2: 'Aura of the Overlord' - Cost: 2000 Points. Effect: A passive, suppressive aura. Anyone with a lower willpower than the Host will feel an intense, suffocating psychological pressure when the Host speaks or acts. Completely nullifies the 'Protagonist's Charisma' effect.]
Buy both, I ordered without hesitation.
[Ding! 5000 Points deducted.] [Skills acquired and permanently bound to Host!]
A sharp, cooling sensation washed over my eyes, followed by a heavy, anchoring weight in the center of my chest. I walked over to the full-length mirror. Physically, I looked the same. But the air around my reflection seemed to warp slightly, radiating an invisible, terrifying authority.
I slept for exactly four hours.
By 8:00 AM, I was stepping out of my suite in a flawlessly tailored, charcoal-gray Tom Ford suit, a blood-red silk tie resting perfectly against my chest.
Su Qingran was waiting at the bottom of the stairs.
She took my breath away. She wore a sharp, tailored white business suit that hugged her incredible curves, her silver hair pulled back into a sleek, professional bun. She looked like a goddess of war preparing to conquer Wall Street.
When she saw me descending the stairs, enveloped in my new Aura of the Overlord, she physically shivered. Her eyes widened, completely mesmerized by the sheer, dominating presence I was projecting.
I offered her my arm. She didn't hesitate. She slipped her hand through the crook of my elbow, standing proudly by my side.
"Let's go clean house," I said.
Forty minutes later, the Maybach pulled up to the towering, eighty-story glass monolith of the Chu Consortium Headquarters in the center of Jinghai City.
The atmosphere in the lobby was electric. Employees whispered and scrambled out of the way as Old Chen flanked us, leading the way to the private executive elevator.
When the doors chimed open on the 80th floor, the tension was thick enough to cut with a knife.
The double mahogany doors to the central boardroom were already open. Inside, twenty of the most powerful billionaires and shareholders in the city were seated around a massive, polished obsidian table.
Sitting in the Chairman's seat—my seat—was my Uncle, Chu Yun. He was a slick, gray-haired man with a snake-like smile, casually tapping a gold pen against the table.
"Ah, Chu Feng. You're late," Chu Yun announced, his voice echoing in the silent room. He didn't offer to get up. He looked around at the board members, acting as if the company was already his. "I was just informing the board about the disastrous situation with the Su family. I'm afraid your little tantrum last night cost us the merger. As of this morning, we are calling a vote to relieve you of your duties."
He smirked, leaning back in the Chairman's chair.
But his smirk instantly vanished as I stepped fully into the room, pulling Su Qingran into the light beside me.
The entire boardroom gasped. The "broken" merger was currently holding my arm, looking at my Uncle like he was a piece of trash on the bottom of her heel.
But I wasn't looking at my Uncle.
I activated the [Absolute Insight Eye].
Instantly, glowing red text appeared over the heads of every single board member in the room. I saw offshore accounts, mistresses, embezzlement figures, and hidden gambling debts.
But what made my eyes narrow dangerously was the man sitting to my Uncle's right. He was a young stranger in a custom white suit, exuding a faint, arrogant aura.
Above his head, the system text flashed in bright, warning yellow:
[Target: Ye Fan's Proxy (The Dragon Sovereign's Vanguard)] [Secret: Carrying 50 Billion in offshore capital to forcefully acquire the Chu Consortium today!]
I let out a low, predatory chuckle that sent a shiver down the spine of every billionaire in the room.
The Dragon Sovereign had sent his dog to bite me.
"Uncle," I said, my Aura of the Overlord slamming into the room like a physical shockwave, making several board members choke on their breath. I walked directly toward the head of the table. "Get out of my chair."