"I don't know what tricks you used to fool President Ye, but I advise you to stay away from her."
"It hasn't been easy for Qingcheng Group to reach where it is today. If the company's going public is ruined because of you personally, I, Gu Anqi, will never let you go."
"Besides, before you try to eat swan meat, you should figure out whether you're even qualified. If you're nothing more than a toad, you'd better stay honestly at the bottom of your well and stop dreaming about reaching the stars in a single bound."
Gu Anqi chattered on and on, her tone dripping with contempt and disdain for Liu Yun.
She despised good-for-nothing parasites who were utterly impractical and only knew how to resort to underhanded schemes.
"Are you even listening to me?"
Gu Anqi stamped her foot in anger.
She had said all that precisely in the hope that Liu Yun would show a little self-awareness. Yet Liu Yun just stood there with an expression of complete indifference, like a wooden post.
Of course Gu Anqi was furious.
It wasn't until the elevator doors opened that Liu Yun calmly replied, "Gu Anqi, I understand how you feel, but it's not your place to boss me around about how I do things."
"What did you say?"
Gu Anqi was stunned for a second before a surge of anger rushed to her head, making her chest heave violently.
She chased him out of the elevator, ready to give Liu Yun a thorough scolding, but the figure walking toward them caused her expression to change instantly.
Gold-rimmed glasses, a Versace suit, a Cartier diamond watch—an unmistakable aura of a wealthy young heir washed over them.
And the owner of all these expensive accessories was none other than Xu Kai, the young master of the Xu Family.
"Anqi, I heard Qingcheng brought some freeloader back with her. Is that true?"
Xu Kai was an obsessive admirer of Ye Qingcheng and had plenty of informants inside Qingcheng Group. The moment Ye Qingcheng brought someone back, he received the news.
His purpose in coming was practically a crusade.
Gu Anqi's expression shifted slightly as she said, "Where on earth did Young Master Xu hear such a rumor? You know what President Ye's personality is like—how could she possibly take a fancy to some ordinary man?"
Hearing this, Xu Kai breathed a sigh of relief. "I knew it. Qingcheng wouldn't do something so absurd."
Watching them, Gu Anqi felt a bitter taste in her mouth.
How could her heart not flutter for a dashing, elegant young master like Xu Kai? But alas, his heart belonged to President Ye.
With that thought, Gu Anqi glared at Liu Yun with even greater annoyance.
She couldn't imagine what was going on in President Ye's head to actually fancy this guy. Compared to Young Master Xu, he wasn't worth a damn!
Just as Gu Anqi glared at Liu Yun, a single sentence from him instantly drained the color from her face.
"I'm the freeloader Sister Qingcheng brought back."
Swish!
Xu Kai's gaze instantly locked onto Liu Yun, and the temperature around them seemed to drop by several degrees.
Gu Anqi snapped out of her shock and snapped harshly, "Liu Yun, what the hell are you babbling about? President Ye has nothing to do with you!"
She frantically signaled to Liu Yun with her eyes.
Yet Liu Yun acted as if he didn't notice, continuing on his own, "Some things can't be hidden. When Sister Qingcheng and I walked in together, plenty of people saw us."
Boom!
Gu Anqi's mind reeled as if struck by an earthquake, her face turning pale as a sheet.
It was over.
It was completely over now.
This damned Liu Yun was trying to crash Qingcheng Group into the ground!
With a gloomy expression, Xu Kai stared at Liu Yun and said, "I'll give you one more chance. Reiterate your relationship with Qingcheng."
"Sister Qingcheng is the person I'm going to protect for the rest of my life," Liu Yun answered truthfully.
"Stop talking nonsense!"
Gu Anqi was driven completely out of her mind. Unable to help herself, she swung her palm toward Liu Yun's face, only for Liu Yun to catch her wrist with a backhand grip.
"Don't think that just because you're Sister Qingcheng's friend, I won't hit you."
Liu Yun swept a cold glance over Gu Anqi. That single look sent a chill straight to her bones, leaving her speechless for a long moment.
Xu Kai sneered and said, "Kid, you probably have no idea who I am, do you?"
"Indeed, I don't."
"Then let me tell you now—my surname is Xu, and I have the Jiangcheng Xu Family backing me."
"So what?"
"So what?!"
Xu Kai looked at Liu Yun as if he were an idiot.
"I'll tell you what. Our Xu Family is Qingcheng Group's biggest distributor. How do you think Qingcheng Group will fare if I cut off their distribution channels?"
Hearing this, Gu Anqi's slender body shuddered violently. The thing she feared most had happened after all.
This Liu Yun was nothing short of a plague upon Qingcheng Group!
Yet soon, Gu Anqi realized this wasn't even the worst of it—something far worse was coming.
She heard Liu Yun say calmly, "Leave aside Jiangcheng; even the elite families of the Capital wouldn't dare act so presumptuously in front of me. Who do you think you are, a mere Xu Family, to dare?"
They were merely a distributor. With just a single word from Liu Yun, countless factions a thousand times more powerful than the Xu Family would come crawling on their knees to beg for a partnership.
He truly didn't take a mere Xu Family seriously at all.
Yet when these words reached Gu Anqi's ears, they made her think Liu Yun had completely lost his mind. He wasn't just trying to ruin Qingcheng Group—he was trying to make sure it never rose again!
"Immediately! Right now! Kneel and apologize to Young Master Xu!" Gu Anqi ordered.
Slap!
Her answer was a sharp blow to the face.
"I said, don't boss me around in my presence."
Gu Anqi was utterly dumbfounded. Where on earth did President Ye pick up such an arrogant and savage barbarian?
"I want to see Qingcheng!"
With that, Xu Kai headed toward the elevator, intending to find Ye Qingcheng and demand an explanation.
Before the doors could open...
Ye Qingcheng happened to be coming down.
While in her office upstairs, she had already learned of the situation via the internal phone line and hurried down, though it seemed she was still a little late.
"Qingcheng, you're just in time. Tell me, what is this brat to you?" Xu Kai demanded loudly.
Ye Qingcheng had originally intended to explain, but hearing Xu Kai interrogate her in such a manner made her face freeze into ice.
"What Liu Yun is to me is hardly any business of yours, Young Master Xu, is it?"
Xu Kai's face stiffened.
Then came...
rage.
*Bitch! She usually puts on such a pure and icy act, yet here she is keeping a kept man. Truly shameless!*
Furious, Xu Kai snapped, "Ye Qingcheng, don't forget that Qingcheng Group wouldn't be where it is today without my Xu Family's help. Are you trying to force me to cut off our cooperation?"
"Do as you please."
It wasn't as though Ye Qingcheng didn't know that severing ties with the Xu Family would deal a heavy blow to Qingcheng Group, but she simply could no longer stomach Xu Kai's attitude, as if she were a woman already claimed by him.
Moreover, the most important point...
Ye Qingcheng glanced at Liu Yun, thinking to herself: *I've acknowledged this single younger brother for the rest of my life; if I don't spoil him, who will?*
***
The entire Qingcheng Group was in an uproar.
Their icy president, Ye Qingcheng, had actually fallen out with the young master of the Xu Family over some freeloader?
Had she lost her mind?
The Xu Family was Qingcheng Group's largest distributor!
It just went to show that once a woman was blinded by emotions, she lost all reason.
Even someone as formidable as Ye Qingcheng couldn't escape this law of nature.
Rumors flew everywhere in an instant.
Ye Qingcheng couldn't be bothered with them. She grabbed Liu Yun and pulled him straight out of Qingcheng Tower. Unfortunately, as they stepped outside, they ran straight into Wang Gang.
Wang Gang was still the same old wretch, completely unchanged.
The moment he caught sight of Ye Qingcheng, he dropped to his knees. "Big Sister, I'm begging you, give me another two hundred thousand! This really is the last time, I swear!"
As it turned out, instead of using the two hundred thousand Ye Qingcheng had previously given him to pay off his debts, Wang Gang had tried to win it back at the tables, only to lose every last cent.
"Get lost! Looking at you makes me sick!"
Ye Qingcheng was in a foul mood, and Wang Gang had walked right into the line of fire, so naturally, he wouldn't get off easily.
The Porsche let out a roar and sped away.
On the ride home, Liu Yun looked at his eldest sister's stern profile and said guiltily, "Sister, I'm sorry!"
To cause his eldest sister so much trouble on the very first day back—Liu Yun had to admire himself.
Ye Qingcheng's expression softened as she said, "Little Luyun, what are you talking about? This isn't your fault."
She had long since grown sick of Xu Kai's pestering, tolerating him only because of his status as a distributor, which kept her from burning bridges.
Even without Liu Yun today, this conflict would have erupted sooner or later.
"Sister, I've thought about it seriously. The position of Personnel Manager really doesn't suit me."
Screech—
Ye Qingcheng slammed on the brakes, turned her head to glare at Liu Yun, and said angrily, "Do you care about those rumors too? You and I walk the straight and narrow—why should we be afraid of what people say behind our backs?"
She was truly angry this time.
No matter what people in the company whispered, Ye Qingcheng didn't care at all, but Liu Yun's words hurt her deeply.
"No, Sister, you misunderstood me."
Liu Yun hurriedly explained, "I'm just used to freedom and genuinely not suited for managing a company. It has nothing to do with the rumors."
Ye Qingcheng fell silent for a moment before finally sighing. "Fine. As long as you're happy."
"Oh right, Sister, doesn't your company have a new product launch the day after tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I'm a bit worried now. I have a feeling Xu Kai and Liren Group won't just let it go."
Qingcheng Group was planning to hold a new product launch right before going public to highlight the company's latest offerings, and reporters had already been contacted in advance.
Yet judging by the recent troubles, this launch likely wouldn't go smoothly.
Ye Qingcheng had a headache just thinking about it.
***
Luyin Villa.
Ye Qingcheng's usual residence was surrounded by gardens where butterflies flitted among the flowers.
Whenever she pushed open the courtyard gates and the fragrance of flowers washed over her, all of Ye Qingcheng's worries would be swept away.
Liu Yun looked around in surprise and asked, "Sister, you live in such a huge house all by yourself?"
"Yeah, your other sisters have been pretty busy lately and rarely come home. If you hadn't told me to keep your return a secret, I definitely would have called them to come home tonight."
Ye Qingcheng had already changed into loose homewear—a top printed with a cute little white rabbit cartoon pattern.
It gave her the instant transformation from a cold goddess into a girl-next-door sister.
"Little Luyun, watch TV in the living room for a bit. Sister's going to go make dinner," Ye Qingcheng said.
"Don't go to so much trouble, Sister. Just whip up a bowl of noodles."
"This... wouldn't that be too simple?"
"Not at all. Remember when we were little and didn't have many snacks? You used to sneakily use Grandpa Wu's pot to cook noodles for us all the time. I've been wanting to taste that childhood flavor again."
"Well... alright then!"
Ye Qingcheng instantly transformed into a dainty chef, bustling about the kitchen for a while before emerging with two steaming bowls of noodles topped with eggs.
Liu Yun wolfed down his food while praising it endlessly. "Mmm... Sister, your noodles taste just like they used to. I haven't had this in so long."
"If you like them, Sister will make them for you for the rest of your life."
Watching Liu Yun slurp down every last drop of the noodle soup, Ye Qingcheng's eyes curved into crescent moons.
As she prepared to clear the bowls and chopsticks, Liu Yun beat her to it, standing up and saying, "Sister, let me do it. Your hands are so delicate and smooth—the dish soap will hurt them."
"Well, look at that. Little Luyun actually knows how to care for his sister."
A gratified smile appeared on Ye Qingcheng's face. She didn't fight him for the chore, saying, "Then Sister's going to go take a shower."
With that, she stepped into the bathroom.
However, once she finished showering, Ye Qingcheng suddenly froze in horror.
She had forgotten to bring her nightgown.
No man had ever set foot in her house before; Ye Qingcheng always walked right out after a shower, and not just her—the other sisters did too.
Looking at the dirty clothes she had already tossed into the washing machine, Ye Qingcheng fell into deep thought.
To wear or not to wear—that was the question.
In the end, Ye Qingcheng grabbed a white bath towel, intending to sneak quietly back to her room while Liu Yun was watching TV. But halfway there, her feet suddenly slipped.
"Ow~"
"Sister, are you alright?"
"Don't co—"
Before Ye Qingcheng could finish the word *come*, Liu Yun had already appeared right in front of her, and her pretty face instantly flushed bright red.
Liu Yun was stunned too.
What was going on?
Hearing his eldest sister's cry of alarm, he had rushed right over—and then found his eldest sister collapsed on the floor.
?
Liu Yun stood frozen for a moment. When he came to his senses, he suddenly stepped forward and scooped Ye Qingcheng up in his arms.
"Little Luyun, you..."
Ye Qingcheng's face was flushed crimson, her heart pounding frantically.
Though the two of them were as close as siblings, they weren't actually blood-related. Little Luyun couldn't possibly be planning to...
Ye Qingcheng was extremely nervous.
At that moment, Liu Yun suddenly asked, "Is there any iodophor in the house?"
"——Yes, in the cabinet under the television."
Carrying his eldest sister to the bed, Liu Yun immediately turned and left the room to fetch iodophor and cotton swabs.
Taking advantage of the brief window, Ye Qingcheng hurriedly slipped into her nightgown.
"Your knee is hurt. I'll help you disinfect it with iodophor."
Dipping a cotton swab into the iodophor solution, Liu Yun began earnestly cleaning the scrape on his eldest sister's knee.
"I... I can do it myself!"
Ye Qingcheng's voice trembled slightly.
Though she had already put on her nightgown, it was still relatively thin, and facing Liu Yun in such a posture felt rather humiliating.
"Don't move around!"
At that moment, Liu Yun gave a low, stern command with a serious expression.
Ye Qingcheng was slightly startled.
Then, blushing intensely, she buried her head deep into the bedding.
How mortifying!
Yet...
this younger brother of hers seemed a bit domineering!
***
That night, Liu Yun slept soundly.
When he woke up the next morning, his eldest sister had already gone to the company. Breakfast was waiting in the living room, along with a sticky love note.
*Little bad boy, eat your breakfast nicely!*
Followed by a smiley face drawn at the bottom.
Liu Yun's heart overflowed with a profound sense of happiness.
Don't let her outward chill fool her—once she was home, his eldest sister was absolute warmth personified.
Therefore, he had to make sure she didn't suffer even the slightest grievance.
With that thought, a flash of cold, sharp light crossed Liu Yun's eyes. He took out his phone and dialed a special number.
***
"Your Highness, what are your orders?"
The call connected, and an extremely respectful voice came through.
"Help me hack into a private network. I want all the files and photos on his computer, as quickly as possible."
"Understood!"
Liu Yun was concise. After hanging up, he sent the other party a personal resume.
The owner of the resume was none other than Liu Zhifeng.
When Ye Qingcheng fired Liu Zhifeng yesterday, Liu Yun had been right there on the scene. Through observation, he realized Liu Zhifeng was not a simple man.
First, faced with Ye Qingcheng's questioning, he hadn't even bothered to offer a defense, directly admitting his collusion with Liren Group.
Second, when he left, a distinct sneer had curved across the corner of his mouth, as if he were plotting something.
Combined with Qingcheng Group's recent moves, Liu Yun figured the most likely target for trouble would be tomorrow's new product launch.
Hence, he had copied Liu Zhifeng's personal resume from the company database.
As long as he had someone hack Liu Zhifeng's computer, he was bound to dig up some dirt to stop him from pulling any stunts at the launch.
This was Liu Yun's insurance policy.
After finishing breakfast, Liu Yun decided to head downstairs for a walk. As he reached the villa garden, he saw a figure standing rigidly upright outside the courtyard gates.
It was a man in his forties with a square jaw, short facial stubble, and a rather dignified expression.
His name was Lei Ao.
The people of Jiangcheng preferred to call him the Prince of Nanjiang.
"Lei Ao, the Prince of Nanjiang, pays respects to His Lordship the Divine Lord!"
Lei Ao's voice boomed. The moment he caught sight of Liu Yun, his body bent sharply at a ninety-degree angle.
He had been waiting here for over an hour.
His spine had remained straight the entire time, as if a single moment of laxity would fail to convey his utmost respect.
Only when Liu Yun appeared did he bow at a full ninety degrees.
"Your information network is quite sharp."
Liu Yun glanced at Lei Ao and said indifferently.
He didn't know any Prince of Nanjiang, but he could tell the man had some foundation in martial arts.
"I have an elder brother who serves under General Tianji, and he specifically instructed me to take good care of His Lordship the Divine Lord."
"Take care of me? Sounds more like you were sent to butter me up!" Liu Yun snorted coldly.
"Lei Ao wouldn't dare!"
Cold sweat poured from Lei Ao like a waterfall, and his chest felt as though it had been crushed beneath a massive mountain, leaving him breathless.
The aura of the Divine Lord Yuntian was simply too terrifying.
Ordinary people might find his demeanor ordinary, but anyone with even a slight understanding knew that the more ordinary he appeared, the more terrifying he was.
Lei Ao was a case in point.
Had he not known Liu Yun's identity in advance, he would have thought Liu Yun was just an unremarkable young man. But once aware of who Liu Yun was, every word and action carried immense, crushing pressure.
"No need to be nervous. Call it caring or call it buttering up—either way, you've arrived at just the right time."
Just as Lei Ao felt he was on the verge of suffocation, Liu Yun's single sentence granted him a new lease on life.
"I await Your Lordship's commands!"
"Good."
Liu Yun nodded.
"There are a few things I need you to do for me."
"First, that fire at the Sunshine Orphanage fifteen years ago—I suspect it's connected to Zhuoyue Real Estate. Focus your investigation on their person in charge."
"Second, tomorrow my sister's company, Qingcheng Group, is holding a new product launch. I'd like you to make an example of someone."
"Third..."
After Liu Yun finished giving his instructions one by one, Lei Ao departed respectfully, his heart pounding with excitement.
Being able to perform tasks for Divine Lord Yuntian was something countless people dreamed of. He, Lei Ao, felt blessed to receive such an honor, and he had no idea how many people would look on with burning jealousy.
Not long after Lei Ao left, Liu Yun received a notification tone from his email.
Returning to his room, he used his eldest sister's computer to log into the email and downloaded the compressed archive inside.
Unzipping it, he found it packed with explosive content.
A cold smirk involuntarily surfaced at the corner of Liu Yun's lips. "You sure know how to play, huh?"
It would be fine if Liu Zhifeng didn't cause trouble tomorrow, but if he didn't know what was good for him, these files alone would be enough to utterly ruin him.
The next day.
The 13th-floor conference hall of Qingcheng Tower.
The media arrived one after another.