Thus concludes the chapter on the world of "Joy of Life," and a new journey is about to begin.
...
A flash of light, and Zhao Tianhao found himself in a luxurious room.
The oppressive feeling from a moment ago had vanished; he had clearly arrived in a new world.
Zhao Tianhao looked around; he figured he was probably in a high-end apartment, a villa, or even a hotel presidential suite.
It seemed he was in the modern world. Relieved, Zhao Tianhao communicated with the system.
"System, what world is this?"
"This is a world fused with urban dramas."
"Do you know exactly what kind of world it is?"
"Ode to Joy (欢乐颂), To Be a Better Man(好先生), The Golden Years (My Best Friend's Story 流金岁月), iPartment (爱情公寓), etc."
"What does 'etc.' mean?"
"This world is somewhat unstable. It might be another world, or it might not. It's uncertain right now. And because of this instability, the time it takes for the system to absorb the world's origin might be slightly longer."
Zhao Tianhao didn't care about the time issue. After all, with his mid-stage ninth-rank power, he could basically do whatever he wanted in this world.
Of course, nuclear bombs, atomic bombs, hydrogen bombs, etc., would be deadly. Besides, strictly speaking, he was now a human, and even a RITF would be more expensive.
However, he could simply dodge them. Most importantly, the system could help him control this world.
While Zhao Tianhao was still pondering, the system activated again. "Due to unknown reasons, only two worlds have appeared so far: *Ode to Joy* and *Mr. Right*."
"The timing of subsequent world appearances is unknown."
"The host did not impersonate a character in the drama this time. The host has four opportunities to hypnotize the protagonist, currently only two remain. The other two will be used in the latter two worlds."
"Because the host did not conquer the previous world, there is no chance to draw a prize."
"Considering the host's failure to draw a prize, the identity and background from the *Twenty-Thirty* world will be inherited by this world."
The system had answered all his questions and concerns.
Zhao Tianhao had nothing more to say, only regretting that he had directly arrived in the new world and hadn't had time to comfort those two worlds.
"Will the system notify me if a new world appears?"
"Yes, but it will only notify you if the host encounters a character in the drama."
"Okay."
Zhao Tianhao had no more questions. The system, seeing this, went to sleep.
Seeing himself all alone, Zhao Tianhao felt a little uncomfortable. It seemed he would have to raise two pets next time. "Otherwise, I'd always be alone wherever I go," Zhao Tianhao thought.
After grumbling, Zhao Tianhao began to organize the identity information transmitted to him by the system.
It was pretty much the same as in the 20th and 30th centuries.
Zhao Tianhao was the chairman of Haotian Group. The company's market value was over a trillion yuan. His personal wealth was in the hundreds of billions, and basically all the well-known companies in Shanghai were under Haotian Group's control.
Netizens called him the "Emperor of Shanghai."
Of course, there were a few companies that Haotian Group hadn't acquired, but still controlled.
There was no other way; except for those that Haotian Group didn't want, they were either acquired or dissolved—there was no third option.
That's how domineering they were. (This is not a case of monopolistic practices in film and television.) Therefore, companies like Jiang's Group and Shengxuan Group were both held by Haotian Investment.
So the "Emperor of Shanghai" nickname online wasn't just a joke; it seemed more like a fact.
Especially for those working, commuting, or living in Shanghai. After sorting out his thoughts, Zhao Tianhao left the luxurious master bedroom.
"Young Master," the nanny greeted him hurriedly upon seeing him emerge. "Hmm," Zhao Tianhao replied, his guess correct; he was indeed in the villa. This Tan Palace Villa, located on Hongqiao West Road, was one of his many private villas.
Zhao Tianhao was curious about the current show's time.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Tianhao called his assistant.
"Check if there's a residential complex in Shanghai called 'Ode to Joy'."
Zhao Tianhao took the coffee from the nanny and went to the sofa, checking the news on his phone while waiting for a response.
Unfortunately, he found nothing of value online.
Soon, the assistant called Zhao Tianhao back to China.
"Chairman Zhao, I found it. There's such a residential complex."
"Could you check the status of apartments 2201 and 2203 in building 19?"
"Chairman Zhao, both 2201 and 2203 are currently for sale."
"Buy 2201. Also, could you check if there are any other residential complexes called 'Apartments'?"
"Yes."
Although Zhao Tianhao knew that the two worlds hadn't merged yet, he still wanted to confirm and see if he could find the location of the complex.
That way, even if they merged, he could know the situation immediately. It seemed that An Di and Qu Xiaoxiao hadn't returned to China yet, meaning the drama hadn't started. Next, he needed to confirm the timeline of the "Mr. Right" world. Thinking of this, Zhao Tianhao took out his phone and searched for Jiang Haokun.
However, there was still no useful information. He didn't see any news online about Jiang Haokun stealing his best friend's friend.
It seemed Lu Yuan hadn't returned to China yet.
Having made up his mind, Zhao Tianhao had his assistant book a flight to Seattle for her, and then he flew there.
The trip was naturally to find Peng Jiahe.
Those long legs. Who wouldn't?
After landing, a car was already prepared by the company in the US.
Zhao Tianhao went to the hotel first. At the same time, he instructed his subordinates to find a Western restaurant run by a chef named Peng Hai.
Although Seattle is large, with the power of money, they quickly found it.
Zhao Tianhao didn't bother them, just sent someone to keep an eye on them.
Through a day of surveillance, Zhao Tianhao not only learned where Peng Hai lived, but also where Peng Jiahe went to school.
On Mother's Day, Peng Jiahe skipped school.
Because the school required each student to give a speech in class with their mother, and Peng Jiahe's parents divorced when she was young, her mother abandoned her father and remarried.
Therefore, Peng Jiahe didn't have a good impression of her mother. And she couldn't give the speech.
Unwilling to face this situation, Peng Jiahe simply skipped school.
When Zhao Tianhao arrived, his subordinate pointed to Peng Jiahe, who was listening to street music.
He reported to Zhao Tianhao that Peng Jiahe had come here after leaving school.
Zhao Tianhao gestured for her to leave first. Then, pretending to be attracted by the beautiful singing, he sat down opposite Peng Jiahe.
After enjoying the music for a while, Zhao Tianhao looked at Peng Jiahe, who had dreadlocks, wore a leather jacket and pants, and sported a lip ring, dressed like a black rapper, and asked in English, "Are you Chinese?"
Immersed in her world of sadness, Peng Jiahe looked up at the tall, handsome man opposite her and said in Chinese, "Yes."
"Me too, I'm here on vacation. Do you study here?" Zhao Tianhao said with a smile in Chinese.
"Hmm," Peng Jiahe replied, not really wanting to talk.
If Zhao Tianhao hadn't been Chinese and handsome, she wouldn't have bothered with him at all. "You look a little sad. How about I show you a magic trick?" Peng Jiahe looked at Zhao Tianhao without speaking.
Zhao Tianhao took a coin out of his bag, showed it to Peng Jiahe, then placed it in his left hand and clenched his fist.
Seeing that Peng Jiahe was attracted by his actions, Zhao Tianhao continued his magic trick. He blew on his left hand. Then he opened his left hand to Peng Jiahe, clearly the coin was gone.
Peng Jiahe's eyes lit up; she was interested.
Zhao Tianhao extended his right hand, opening it; the coin was in his right palm.
"You have coins in both of your sleeves," Peng Jiahe said smugly, as if she had seen through his magic trick.
Zhao Tianhao didn't speak, but held out both hands, gesturing for her to check.
Peng Jiahe touched Zhao Tianhao's large hands, constantly searching his sleeves. After searching for a long time, she still couldn't find the second coin.
Peng Jiahe was a little annoyed. Zhao Tianhao performed for her again, this time holding the coin in his right hand and blowing on it.
His right hand opened, but the coin remained in his left, which held the coin in his palm.
"Teach me, teach me!" Peng Jiahe pleaded with Zhao Tianhao, but unfortunately, he didn't know magic. He had simply put the coin in his spatial pocket and then retrieved it.
Naturally, he couldn't teach her. Of course, he could demonstrate it using hand gestures.
With Zhao Tianhao's movements—opening the coin, tossing it to his other hand, and then clenching it again—Peng Jiahe's eyes simply couldn't keep up.