Christine had defined herself as Yang Chen's classmate from overseas, which was understandable considering Yang Chen had a Harvard diploma he had almost forgotten how to obtain.
Dinner with the family was more challenging with the addition of an international superstar who would occasionally utter "stunning" bold statents. Only Yang Chen knew how difficult this al truly was.
Helin could hardly conceal her adoration for her idol, yet was too shy to speak up. It was only with Yang Chen's help that she managed to take a few intimate photos with Christine. When Christine jokingly asked if Helin wanted so "insider tips" for the competition she was entering, it unexpectedly agitated the innocent girl, who was too embarrassed to retort to her idol, amusing the family with her adorable reaction.
By 9 p.m., Lin Ruoxi had not returned ho yet, but it was ti for Christine to leave, as her team had already arrived for the sumr and would begin the promotional campaign for "Star of Yulei" the next day.
Yang Chen accompanied Christine to the front of the house, walking along the quiet and tranquil path in the courtyard without speaking at first.
Under the night sky, the sporadic streetlights cast a glow on Christine's creamy, porcelain-like face, enchanting to anyone who saw it. However, Yang Chen was not in the mood to appreciate this rare beauty.
"Who is that Judy?" Yang Chen broke the silence after a while.
Christine appeared puzzled, thinking carefully before replying, "Who is Judy?"
"Don't play dumb with . That woman had your 'amulet'. Surely not everyone carries a divine amulet, do they?" Yang Chen frowned.
Christine then laughed lightly, "Oh, you an her. Her real na is actually Yuna, a stubborn yet pretty girl."
"She was killed by ," Yang Chen stated bluntly. "Because she tried to kill twice, I didn't hold back the second ti."
Christine slightly opened her mouth in surprise, showing a hint of resignation but no anger, "You don't need to worry too much. Although she was related to , it could also be said there was no relation. In my previous life, about 590 years ago, I was a lady of the Anderson family in England. Back then, my husband was the grandfather of Judy, or Yuna, I suppose. You could say Yuna was a descendant of mine. Once, when an organization tried to kidnap , the Blue Storm sent people to protect . Knowing her family, I felt a connection. Thinking that a descendant of mine had joined the Blue Storm, I gave her an amulet as a concern of a great-great-great-grandmother."
Christine sighed, "Unfortunately, that kid just wouldn't listen. It seems when it's ti for soone to die, nothing can stop it."
Yang Chen's mouth twitched, "Don't just hand out amulets, and with a descendant so many generations apart, don't you find that a bit boring?"
"If it weren't for us few immortals, ah excluding you, whether I give amulets or not makes no difference," Christine said indifferently, though her face betrayed her dejection, "It's really depressing to think that there are so few of us immortals left."
"Don't drink, don't go crazy," Yang Chen said worriedly.
Christine giggled, "Are you that worried I'll cause trouble for you?"
"You've already caused plenty of trouble for . Now, to my family, I'm practically a beast."
"You always were," Christine retorted unsatisfied.
"That was in the past! Now, I even blush when I look at girls!" Yang Chen declared unabashedly.
Christine rolled her eyes at him, her allure ineffective against him, "Alright, but you need to answer one question for , seriously."
Yang Chen nodded, "Ask."
In fact, when Christine ca back to "mooch a al," Yang Chen suspected she had sothing to tell him, perhaps just taking the opportunity to tease him a bit, and it turned out to be true.
Christine's expression turned unusually serious, "Recently, that madman Ares ca to the States and asked if I had touched your divine stone. We fought, and only then did he believe I hadn't touched it. Tell the truth, do you really not have the divine stone anymore? Isn't it just a trick?"
Yang Chen gave a wry smile, "Ares may be brash, but he's no fool. Do you think I could easily deceive him? Since I dared to keep the divine stone with , there's nothing I need to hide. This ti, it's truly gone."
Christine's expression grew grave, "This is very mysterious. Soone was able to take the divine stone without you or Ares noticing, and left no trace. That person's power must be at least equal to ours, if not stronger."
Yang Chen suddenly thought of sothing and asked, "Is it possible that there are still mbers of your race on Earth, unknown even to the eleven of you?"
"Why would you ask that?" Christine responded in surprise. "How could that be? Even your predecessor, Hades, couldn't endure the endless cycles of reincarnation and loneliness, and destroyed himself. Do you think there are mbers of our race who are alive but do not want us to know?"
Yang Chen sighed and recounted the events at the Liu family banquet, where soone used spatial rules to snatch the Holy Grail and absorbed its energy, which turned Christine's expression sour.
"If it's really as you say, I don't know why either," Christine frowned deeply, "I will find ti to discuss this with the other few awakened old tirs. For now, it's good news that the divine stone isn't in that madman Ares's hands, but we can't rule out the possibility that soone else might want to use the divine stone for sothing terrible."
"Do you think the others will be interested in investigating this?" Yang Chen chuckled. "They've long since lived as if nothing matters anymore."
Christine's face showed a hint of sadness, "Yes, not to ntion the divine stone, even the end of the world would seem trivial to so of them, wouldn't it?"
"Since we can't find that person, all we can do is wait for them to appear. No matter what, if soone wants to use the divine stone for sothing unacceptable, I will stop them, after all, it was lost from my hands," Yang Chen said earnestly.
Christine managed a strained smile, but the worry in her eyes did not diminish.
If outsiders were to overhear Yang Chen and Christine's conversation, they would likely dismiss them as two lunatics babbling in the night.
Yet, what most people were focused on this evening was the fierce battle in the stock market involving Yulei International, a rising titan in the sumr fashion industry, facing off against the Nasdaq and international financial syndicates.
The battle garnered imnse attention as soon as the stock market opened. Many insiders had already anticipated a grim outco for Yulei at a ti when its coffers were at their lowest, making this battle a matter of life and death.
So well-inford sources, learning from company employees, revealed that the company had failed to secure loans from banks. This additional hardship prompted a frantic sell-off of Yulei's stocks.
However, in the early hours within the country of Yanzhao, Yulei International's counterattack began, stunning all who were ready for a spectacle or believed a major shift was underway, leaving them speechless and their expectations shattered.
Yulei International, seemingly weak and defenseless, fought back with the ferocity of a nouveau riche, engaging in a wild struggle that showcased streams of cash as vast as floodwaters to the public.
Was Yulei really in the business of making clothes, or were they printing money? This question popped into many people's minds.
anwhile, at a resort base, Lin Ruoxi silently watched the stock indices climb on a large screen, managing a slight smile after a sleepless night. mbers of the Athena team worked tirelessly below her. For them, these were the few days of the year when they truly worked, tackling the toughest challenges without rest or respite.
They did not question where their boss, Lin Ruoxi, had sourced such vast amounts of capital. Their job was simply to keep expanding the resources at hand, further and further!
With the situation largely under control, Lin Ruoxi did not linger; she had more pressing matters to attend to at the company.
Once the financial battle was over, Yulei's funds had not only been preserved but had multiplied several tis over. This outco ant that Lin Ruoxi needed to redraw and adjust many aspects of her future business developnt plans.
As Lin Ruoxi left the resort, all the staff mbers looked at her with a mix of awe and fervor, as if an army always has an indomitable spirit, and for the employees of Yulei International, the CEO who consistently brought them victories was their pillar of support.
Lin Ruoxi didn't feel anything special herself. "Grandma, I finally did not let you down. I kept Yulei from falling, although it mostly depended on that man. But that must have been your blessing from heaven, right?" Her reflections and mories were what preoccupied Lin Ruoxi the most.
Also closely watching this smokeless war was Ning Guodong, who sat in a high-end single-floor apartnt in Zhonghai, sipping red wine in his pajamas.
As Ning Guodong watched the display screen show Yulei slowly turning the tide, seizing the initiative and then crushing its opponents with the ferocity of a tiger pouncing down the mountain, his hand clenched the wine glass, trembling uncontrollably.
Gradually, Ning Guodong turned his head to look at a tightly sealed docunt bag beside him.
At that mont, an assistant dressed in a suit hurried into the hall, approached quickly, and bending slightly, said, "Director, it's no longer possible to get in touch with Maogong as you requested."
"Hmm?" Ning Guodong frowned.
"Maogong, he—" the assistant said hesitantly, "we just received news that Maogong was executed on the spot by a governnt official yesterday morning for committing certain cris. That official is currently under investigation. The allegations linking Maogong to financial cris in collaboration with business associations in Singapore and Malaysia are likely confird."
Ning Guodong narrowed his eyes and waved his hand to dismiss the assistant.
Looking again at the docunt bag, Ning Guodong scoffed coldly, "Maogong, Maogong, no wonder you handed such useful things over to soone you barely knew; it seems you were still one step ahead."
He reached for the docunt bag, weighing it in his hand, sneering with a hint of ruthlessness in his eyes, and muttered to himself, "So what if I was used by you, I can't wait any longer anyway."
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