Xu Mu had just returned home.
Ye Tong and Ye Yu were relaxing on the sofa, watching TV together.
When Xu Mu entered, Ye Yu was the first to shout, "Brother-in-law! I was gossip-scrolling all day! I didn't expect you to be such a kind person—you've been donating money nonstop!"
[Favorability +10]
[Favorability +10]
Ye Tong smiled. "Well, whatever the case, the truth is finally out."
Xu Mu sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulder. "That was only the first wave. The enemy will definitely launch a second and third. We can't drop our guard yet."
Both Ye Tong and Ye Yu nodded in agreement.
That night, Xu Mu and Ye Tong were once again "renovating the house" with enthusiasm.
Across the hall, Ye Yu buried her head under a pillow. She didn't know why, but she kept daydreaming that someday she and her sister would join forces and "slay Xu Mu beneath their blades."
But of course, that would remain only a fantasy.
Lying in bed afterward, Xu Mu stared at the ceiling. Sure enough, Ye Tong's Favorability had hit the cap.
Normally, "renovating" would earn him a huge amount of Fate Points,
but tonight—not a single one.
It would slightly slow his progress, but it wasn't a big problem.
After all, there were plenty of people whose Favorability he could still raise.
And Ye Tong brought an incredible aura with her—
if one day the whole family lived under the same roof, she had the ability to double everyone's Favorability gain.
The next morning, Xu Mu got up early.
After washing up, he saw Ye Tong just waking. He playfully patted her peach-soft curves, then went downstairs smiling.
He settled on the sofa and scrolled through the morning news.
The Xu Corporation's publicity wave had finally cooled down—
until one headline caught his eye:
"Muyue Group's new Beauty Pill sells out instantly upon release."
He opened it. The article already had tens of thousands of women commenting about it.
Still, the Xu Corporation's story had overshadowed everything yesterday, so hardly anyone noticed this product.
"Muyue Group, huh? That Feng Yue really knows how to name a company," Xu Mu muttered, closing the phone and stretching lazily.
"Morning, Brother-in-law!"
Ye Yu came bouncing down the stairs, waving with a dimpled smile.
"Xiaoyu, it's about time you got your driver's license. You'll be graduating soon. When you pass, I'll buy you a car."
Xu Mu grinned.
He had almost forgotten—Li Yun had just mentioned buying one too, which reminded him of the same promise he'd made to Ye Yu.
[Favorability +10]
[Favorability +10]
From upstairs, Ye Tong appeared, gently patting Ye Yu's head. "It's still a bit early for a car."
"Sis, it's not early! Why else would the law let adults get licenses?" Ye Yu said, looking up.
"Well, fine—when the time comes, I'll buy you a steamed-fish-head-in-chili-sauce model," Ye Tong teased.
"As long as it moves, I don't care!" Ye Yu laughed. The heat lately made her dread riding her electric scooter—her arms were already getting tanned.
After breakfast, Xu Mu headed out to check on the company.
Before, Ye Tong's Favorability alone gave him steady Fate Points every night.
Now that hers was maxed, he had to "harvest" from other sources.
Top of the list was Xu Ningbing—a Level-10 Destiny character. Every ten Favorability points from her equaled one lottery draw.
When he arrived, his senses told him Xu Ningbing was already in the elevator heading for the top floor—probably to see their father again.
Xu Mu decided he should visit too, to express some thanks.
In the chairman's office, he knocked and entered.
Xu Shou lit a cigarette and smiled. "What's this? You actually dropped by on your own?"
"Came to thank you, Dad—for paying my 'protection money' and flipping my loser image," Xu Mu said with a grin as he sat down.
"It's just public-relations cleanup. Everyone in Jiangbei's business circle knows I was the one who made those donations." Xu Shou shook his head, taking a drag before continuing, "Actually, I was just about to call you."
"What's up?"
"The Dai family and the Nangong family both reached out—they want me to continue the investment talks."
He smiled at his son. "What do you think?"
"Same as before: we eat the meat, they drink the soup," Xu Mu replied without hesitation.
"That's what I was thinking." Xu Shou nodded approvingly. Then he asked, "Have you heard about the newly founded Muyue Group? They've developed that Beauty Pill—apparently it works really well."
"I just saw the news."
Xu Mu didn't reveal that he already knew—it was Feng Yue's project. He wanted to see how far she could go on her own.
"According to what I found, the company's boss seems to be a Feng-family illegitimate daughter," Xu Shou said with a chuckle, flicking his ash. "Anyway, that's all for now. I'll look for a good opportunity soon to launch our Yangqi Pill too."
Xu Mu and Xu Ningbing left the office together.
Xu Ningbing shot him a sidelong glance. "I really don't get you. Why pretend to be a spoiled brat? Are you some kind of masochist who enjoys being scolded?"
"I just want Xu Ningbing to become the pillar of the family—Father's pride."
Hands in his pockets, Xu Mu smiled brightly.
Xu Ningbing froze in place.
Could it be… he'd seen through everything all along?
From as far back as she could remember, she'd always envied Xu Mu.
Even as children, they could tell who their parents loved more—
and it was always him.
She'd studied hard, matured early… but no matter how perfect she was, their parents still favored Xu Mu.
She still remembered: when Mother greeted them both, she always hugged Xu Mu first.
So maybe Xu Mu had realized that, and deliberately acted like a useless son to give her the spotlight?
She couldn't deny it—ever since Xu Mu became a "wastrel," she had indeed become the family's pillar.
Their father confided only in her.
Only recently, after Xu Mu dropped the act, did Xu Shou start calling him over again.
[Favorability +20]
Xu Ningbing's heart began to race. She couldn't understand—why would Xu Mu make such a huge sacrifice for her?
What was he thinking?
Even if they were siblings… wasn't this a bit too much?
"The elevator's closing. You coming or not?"
Xu Mu stood inside, watching her still frozen outside.
Startled, she hurried in—her thoughts spinning.
Could this guy be trying to play at something forbidden?
The notion made her flustered.
When the elevator opened, she stepped out quickly, heels clicking as she rushed off.
Xu Mu blinked, confused. What did I say wrong?
Well, her Favorability had risen—maybe she was just shy.
He didn't return to his office. Instead, he planned to go out and gather more Favorability elsewhere.
From Ye Tong's feedback, he knew that a single person's daily gain eventually slowed down, so it was better to develop multiple "connections" in parallel.
Just as he got into his car, his phone rang.
He checked the caller ID—Feng Yue.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"Brother Xu, something's happened," Feng Yue's voice came, anxious and trembling.