Chapter 15: The Male Lead with X-Ray Vision vs. Five Female Leads (15)
The recording pen contained the conversation between Liu Chengpei and Huo Xian, where Liu Chengpei tempted Huo Xian to conspire against Liu Xuxue.
[System, aren’t my every move under your surveillance?] Huo Xian asked.
System: […]
It seemed the system wasn’t monitoring him 24/7. Whether it was incapable, or had temporary matters to attend to, remained to be explored; in any case, the system wouldn’t tell him.
However, silence was the best form of default. Huo Xian wasn’t in a hurry; he now had a plan. Perhaps he could extract some information from Liu Chengpei before Liu Chengxiang killed him.
“Beep——”
Huo Xian paused his hand reaching for the car door and glanced at the car next to him. This glance happened to meet the eyes of the person inside, whose window was rolled down.
Huo Xian: …
Sure enough, the female leads all revolved around the male lead. No matter where he went, he would run into them.
“Mr. Huo, what a coincidence,” Qiao Yixuan greeted politely.
You don’t hit a smiling person, and Huo Xian’s impression of her wasn’t as bad as Qiao Yirong’s. He nodded in return, “Miss Qiao, hello.”
Qiao Yixuan got out of the car. The distance between the two cars wasn’t far, and after getting out, she was only about two meters away from Huo Xian. She asked, “Mr. Huo, is there no room for negotiation regarding Happy Garden? Our Qiao family is sincere in wanting to acquire it.”
Huo Xian curled his lips and said frankly, “Miss Qiao, I went to the meeting with sincerity that day.”
Hearing this, Qiao Yixuan frowned slightly, “I don’t think Mr. Huo was sincere.”
“In that case, there’s no need for us to talk further. Farewell,” Huo Xian said, turning around to open his car door again to get in.
“Wait…” Qiao Yixuan called out to him again, softening her tone, “This isn’t the place to talk. Mr. Huo, if you have time, why not sit down and we can discuss this further.”
Huo Xian looked at her and said earnestly, “Miss Qiao, 3 billion is my bottom line. If you still want to discuss the price after we sit down, then I’m sorry, I don’t see the need to sit down.”
“3 billion isn’t a small sum,” Qiao Yixuan thought he was being too insistent.
Huo Xian shrugged, “Business deals require mutual willingness. Today I’m quoting 3 billion, but maybe in a few days I’ll double it. Miss Qiao can think of me as greedy, or you can give up on the residential complex. If the deal doesn’t go through, neither of us will lose anything, and there’s no need to force it.”
Qiao Yixuan pursed her lips. After a long while, she said helplessly, “Then I should at least know why Mr. Huo is quoting 3 billion,” pausing before Huo Xian could speak, she continued, “Whether it’s the Qiao family or other companies, if Mr. Huo wants to sell Happy Garden, there should be a ‘product information and introduction.'”
She thought that after saying this, Huo Xian would agree to sit down and chat with her. However, she was wrong again.
Huo Xian calmly said, “Whether Happy Garden is worth 3 billion isn’t based on my introduction, but on whether my future buyer will see its value. I believe Miss Qiao should be even more aware of this.”
Buying a residential complex, or rather, buying land, isn’t like buying candy or crackers, where you just pay or scan a QR code and it’s done. For a transaction involving at least nine figures, market research, evaluation, and other steps are necessary. Huo Xian didn’t want to be a self-praising salesperson. Qiao Yixuan’s willingness to chat with him here was enough to illustrate one thing – she clearly understood the future value of Happy Garden.
Of course, this didn’t mean that Huo Xian could fully grasp the true value of Happy Garden. The exorbitant 3 billion was merely a test.
Obviously, although the amount was high, it was within the Qiao family’s expectations.
In other words, the future value of Happy Garden would be even higher than 3 billion.
Huo Xian waved at her, leaving behind a “Miss Qiao, contact me after you’ve considered it” before getting into his car and leaving, his demeanor relaxed and composed, as if he wasn’t worried about Happy Garden not selling.
Was he confident or just putting on an act? Qiao Yixuan was somewhat doubtful.
[Host, why did you reject Qiao Yixuan?] The system asked only after the car drove out of the parking lot.
Huo Xian didn’t answer but instead asked a question: “System, I’m curious about the original owner’s strengths.”
The system didn’t understand his meaning: [Strengths?]
“A spoiled brat who was useless, promiscuous, and a playboy. After jumping off a building, he unexpectedly obtained the X-ray vision ability. With the original owner’s personality, besides using the X-ray vision to gamble and become rich, its biggest use would be to peep at women. How could Qiao Yixuan, Liu Xuxue, and Anna fall for such a waste?” Huo Xian said unhurriedly.
System: […]
Huo Xian didn’t wait for the system’s answer, which was usual for him, and continued, “So I have two guesses. Do you want to hear them?”
The system knew it shouldn’t respond, but it couldn’t peek into the host’s thoughts. After a moment of silence, it finally asked: [Which two guesses?]
Hearing its question, a flash of amusement quickly crossed Huo Xian’s eyes. His tone was natural: [First, the female leads didn’t fall for the original owner himself, but for his ability. I’ve personally experienced the X-ray vision ability. In the jade gambling world, this ability is a super cheat. As long as they are interested in profit, they won’t want to miss it; as for the second…] He stopped here.
System: [What’s the second one?]
“I won’t say the second one for now. I’ll exchange information with you when you’re willing to be open and honest with me about this world and the world bug ‘An Chun’,” Huo Xian left it hanging.
System: […] He suspected Huo Xian was deliberately digging a pit for it to jump into.
But the system would never do anything self-destructive. Since Huo Xian was so capable, let him guess on his own. Even if he guessed correctly in the end, he was destined to escape…
=v=
Huo Ting and Huo En’s business plans were stillborn, the reason being that they offended the Qiao and Liu families. The Liu family could explain it by saying that Huo En had cuckolded Liu Chengpei, damaging the Liu family’s reputation. But the Qiao family? Miss Qiao made it clear that unless Huo Xian apologized to her with a cup of tea, the Huo family real estate company, even if rebuilt, would have no future in City A.
Thus, the siblings naturally sought out Huo Xian. They still loved their younger brother and didn’t come to accuse him immediately, but first sought to understand what happened.
Huo Xian wasn’t afraid either and briefly explained how the Qiao family wanted to buy Happy Garden for 300 million, which he rejected. After listening, the siblings frowned. Although the government previously denied the rumors about the demolition of Happy Garden, with several months passing, those with foresight could see that the demolition of the old residential area where Happy Garden was located was inevitable; it was merely a matter of time.
Once the future demolition plan for Happy Garden was finalized, the value of the entire Happy Garden would skyrocket. With the Qiao family’s connections and background, they would get inside information earlier, making their judgment of value more accurate.
To put it bluntly, 300 million was like giving alms to a beggar.
However, this was also the problem. The Qiao family was financially powerful in City A. Not giving them face or even going against them would only bring trouble to the Huo family.
“Brother, Second Sister, why don’t you go abroad?” Huo Xian suddenly said when his siblings were troubled.
The two were stunned, “Abroad?”
Huo Xian nodded and said seriously, “The Qiao and Liu families’ influence doesn’t reach overseas, but in China, with their vast network of connections and power, targeting a small Huo family is a piece of cake. If you go abroad, no matter what industry you do, it won’t be more difficult than staying in China, and you can also take Father abroad to find a doctor.”
Huo Ting and Huo En looked at each other. Huo Ting said, “But we don’t have a foundation abroad…”
Huo Xian waved his hand, “Foundation doesn’t matter, money does.” Then he looked at Huo En, “Second Sister, before going abroad, divorce that scum, Liu Chengpei.”
Hearing Liu Chengpei’s name, Huo En involuntarily showed disgust, “I definitely need to divorce him, but I must investigate this matter of him framing me!”
“Do you have any leads?” Huo Xian asked.
Huo En nodded, “I’ve already found out who Liu Chengpei bribed,” she sneered, “That waste never considers the aftermath of his actions; it’s too easy to catch his tail.” She paused, seemingly puzzled, “Liu Chengpei shouldn’t have that much power to shut down our company. His older brother, Liu Chengxiang, always looked down on him. It’s quite surprising that he stepped up for him this time.”
Huo Xian: …
The Liu family’s reason should be his and Liu Chengpei’s “scheme” against Liu Xuxue. However, explaining it now would only worry them, so it’s better to keep it hidden.
As with his previous suggestion to apply for bankruptcy, he proposed that Huo Ting and Huo En go abroad. After a brief hesitation, the siblings decided to follow his suggestion, of course, taking him with them.
[Host, you can’t go abroad.] The system timely jumped in again.
Huo Xian didn’t plan to go abroad, but this didn’t stop him from extracting information from the system: [Why?]
The system’s mechanical voice coldly asked: [Host, have you forgotten your mission?]
Huo Xian raised an eyebrow: [To marry five wives? I can tell you clearly that this is impossible in this life. I suggest you change hosts early.]
System: […]
Huo Xian continued, [But I’m quite interested in the ‘world bug’ you mentioned.]
The system immediately responded: [The host has already found out the relationship between An Chun and the female lead Anna. You can approach An Chun through the female lead Anna.]
Huo Xian asked with a half-smile, [And after getting close to him? If my computer had viruses and vulnerabilities, I’d just kill the virus or fix it. An Chun is a world bug. You wouldn’t want me to kill him, would you?] He paused before adding, [Before choosing me as a host, didn’t you investigate my background or my personal character at all? I am a good young man who grew up under the red flag, with upright values and who abides by the law. I don’t do illegal things.]
[The host doesn’t need to kill anyone. The host only needs to drain his luck.] The system said.
[If a person loses their luck, I guess even drinking water will cause them to choke, and eating could cause them to choke on rice grains, right?] Huo Xian narrowed his eyes.
The system seemed impatient with his questions: [The host has one month left. If neither the main nor side missions are completed, the system will kill the host. Please don’t question the system’s words, and please actively complete the mission.]
After saying this, the system disappeared, but it also revealed a piece of information: the system was in a hurry.
From the moment the system first contacted him, Huo Xian had been suspicious of its origin and existence, so he didn’t agree to the binding but participated in the so-called missions as an “intern” after being locked up in a small dark room for three days.
Aside from his experiences in this world full of loopholes, during those three days in the small dark room, he had subtly sensed that although the system could trap him, it wasn’t easy for it to harm him. If he guessed correctly, the system likely found it difficult to implement the “kill” function, or rather, the system lacked energy, it needed some kind of energy to maintain its operation, which is why it would enter a “standby” state at certain times, as can be inferred from the fact that the system didn’t know about Huo Xian’s recording of the conspiracy with Liu Chengpei.
And the so-called killing was more likely a threat, otherwise, the system could have directly taken action to change hosts during this time.
One month… The system confidently gave him a month, perhaps trying to pressure him with a casual remark, or perhaps within this month, it would absorb enough energy to kill him.
It seemed he needed to be more careful.