Lin Xia's eyes, wide with youthful awe, suddenly narrowed. "Wait... you know my sister? Lin Xuerui? The one who only talks about market shares and uses 'synergy' as a greeting?"
The revelation hit her like a surprise pop quiz. For Xia, her sister was a distant, impossibly successful, and utterly terrifying figure. The idea that this "Sovereign of Salted Fish," in his mismatched outfit and flip-flops, knew her formidable sister, was almost too much for her teenage brain.
"Indeed," Chen Feng said, stifling a yawn. "She's trying to upgrade her emotional 'hardware,' but she keeps having firewall issues. Very inefficient."
Before Meiling could verbally dismember Chen Feng for this latest diplomatic blunder, a sleek black Rolls-Royce pulled up outside, its tinted windows reflecting the morning sun like a dark mirror.
The Grand Entrance of the Ice Queen
The apartment door, which Meiling had conveniently left ajar, swung open. Lin Xuerui stood framed in the doorway, a vision of icy perfection in a bespoke power suit. Her gaze, usually sharp enough to cut diamonds, was currently frozen solid with a terrifying mixture of worry and righteous fury.
"Xia!" Lin Xuerui's voice was like frost on a windowpane. "What are you doing here? Your phone was off for eight hours! I had the city's private security network searching every café and library!"
Lin Xia, usually fearless, visibly gulped under her sister's intense stare. "I... I got mugged. He saved me. And then his vacuum made me tea!"
Xuerui's eyes, even colder than usual, slowly swept from her cousin to the rumpled "I ❤️ NY" hoodie Xia was wearing, then to the shirtless Chen Feng casually leaning against his bedroom doorframe, and finally to the "Heaven-Defying Toast" still glowing on the coffee table.
A single, fragile teacup in Xuerui's hand (filled with a rare herbal infusion) clinked ominously.
"Chen Feng," Xuerui said, her voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "Is there something you would like to explain about your... 'childcare services'?"
Meiling, sensing a potential alliance, quickly chimed in. "He just arrived! I found them like this! And he tried to pass himself off as a 'Sovereign,' when clearly he's just a pervert!"
"Meiling, your internal 'Qi' flow is chaotic," Chen Feng calmly observed. "And your accusations lack any basis in fact. Xia needed shelter. I provided it. It's called 'hospitality.'"
The explosive argument was cut short by a series of frantic phone calls. Meiling's phone rang, then Xuerui's. Both women listened, their faces draining of color.
"The board just held an emergency meeting," Meiling gasped. "Director Zhao just revealed 'evidence' of financial impropriety connected to my father! He's calling for a vote of no confidence!"
"And my corporate security just reported a hostile takeover attempt targeting my family's subsidiaries," Xuerui added, her eyes now burning with a different kind of fire. "Zhao just moved against both our families simultaneously!"
"See?" Chen Feng said, shrugging. "I told you that man had bad energy. He's trying to consolidate power. Very boring. Very predictable. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to take Xia to school before she misses her calculus exam."
Both Meiling and Xuerui stared at him, utterly dumbfounded.
Chen Feng, ignoring the two furious corporate titans, gently nudged Lin Xia towards the door.
"Calculus is important, Xia. It teaches you how to calculate the trajectory of thrown objects. Very useful for avoiding angry directors."
He led her out to the waiting purple Lamborghini. As they pulled away, the two powerful women watched, utterly speechless, as the gleaming supercar sped through the morning traffic.
At the prestigious Imperial High School, the scene was chaos. Students, usually engrossed in their phones, stopped dead. A collective gasp rippled through the courtyard as the purple Lamborghini purred to a stop directly in front of the main entrance.
Lin Xia, red-faced, tried to duck down, but Chen Feng was already opening her door.
"Have a productive day, Little Disciple," Chen Feng said loudly, his voice carrying across the courtyard. "Remember what I taught you about the 'Dao of Quadratic Equations.' And if anyone bothers you, tell them the 'God of Purple Thunder' will be back at 3 PM to pick you up."
He winked, adjusted his sunglasses, and then executed a perfect donut in the school parking lot, leaving a cloud of tire smoke and a lingering scent of high-octane fuel.
As the purple beast roared away, the entire student body stared at Lin Xia. A legend was born. The new kid, the quiet Lin Xia, was apparently being chauffeur-driven by a mysterious "God of Purple Thunder" in a Lamborghini.
Lin Xia, mortified and secretly thrilled, buried her face in her hands. "I'm going to kill him," she whispered.
Back at Chen Feng's apartment, Meiling and Xuerui exchanged a look. Their families were under attack, their businesses were crumbling, and the only man who could help was currently driving around in a purple car, trying to be a high school legend.
"We need a plan," Meiling said, her voice grim.
"No," Xuerui corrected, her eyes narrowing. "We need to find out where he buys his flip-flops. We might need them to survive."