My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

Qin Ning certainly wouldn't quit the game.

Giving up this hard-won "game link" to Chen Xiao's world? Absolutely not! In Qin Ning's dictionary, there is no such thing as "giving up in the face of difficulty," only "fortune favors the bold"! What are these difficulties compared to the potential for immense wealth?
"Xiaoxiao, I'm going back to my room to try out the challenges... no, I'm going back to my room to sleep."

Xie Xiaoxiao looked at the closed door and shook her head helplessly. After a while, she saw Qin Ning sneak out again, grab the phone charger on the coffee table, and quickly disappear back into the room.

"Hmm?" Xie Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow in confusion. She clearly remembered that Qin Ning's phone was fully charged just now. Why was he in such a hurry to charge it? Could it be...? She had a vague guess in her mind, but she was too tired after a long day to delve into it, and went to take a shower and go to bed.

I was only halfway through my live stream when I was bombarded with messages from Chen Xiao, which ruined my mood for the stream.
The next morning, bright sunlight streamed into the living room through the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Xie Xiaoxiao yawned as she walked out of the bedroom and immediately saw Qin Ning with dark circles under her eyes, looking like a wilted flower, listlessly curled up on the living room sofa. Her once radiant face was now ashen, and her carefully styled hair was a mess.

Xie Xiaoxiao looked at Qin Ning, who looked exhausted, and asked curiously, "Didn't you go to bed early last night? Did you go out to steal something in the middle of the night?"

"Huh?" Xie Xiaoxiao walked over in surprise. "Didn't you say you were going to bed early last night? This state...did you sneak out to be a thief in the middle of the night?" she teased.

Qin Ning lifted her heavy eyelids, let out a huge, listless yawn, her voice filled with drowsiness and deep frustration:
"Ha—...Xiaoxiao..." she drawled, her whole body seeming to have lost its bones. "This damn game...how is it so hard..." She held up her phone, the screen still stuck on the game's despairing level page. "I...I spent 2 yuan yesterday! I played until the wee hours of the morning...and...and I only got to level 100...I...I just can't go on...I can't progress at all! The monsters are like they're made of iron!"

Xie Xiaoxiao suddenly realized! It turned out that this aunt had been playing the game all night long, spending real money! Looking at Qin Ning's miserable state after being ravaged by the game all night, she was both angry and amused.

"And there's more!" Qin Ning exclaimed, her voice rising as if she'd just recalled an even bigger blow, filled with disbelief and grievance. "That President Chen! That [Reign Supreme]! He... he's already reached level 260! It's clearly on the leaderboard! He's only been playing for a few days! How did he do that?"

These words were like a needle, piercing Xie Xiaoxiao's heart with pinpoint accuracy! Her lips twitched involuntarily.

Of course he rushed forward quickly!

Because he had a powerful figure behind him called the "Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue," who spent 150 million Chinese yuan to pave the way for him within a few days!

Those 260 levels were all paid for with my hard-earned money!

Just thinking about it makes my heart ache so much I can't breathe! Xie Xiaoxiao even felt a surge of intense guilt—she had never been this "filial" to her own father! Out of this belated "filial piety" and a sense of compensation, the first thing she did when she woke up in the morning was to transfer 20 yuan to her father's bank card, with the note: "Dad, spend it however you like!"
It's unacceptable! They'd readily spend money on in-game purchases for "outsiders," yet be stingy with their own father? Is that even reasonable?!
She walked to the dining table, picked up the breakfast sandwiches delivered by the hotel, gave one to the listless Qin Ning, took a bite of one for herself, and mumbled:

"Let's eat first, replenish our energy, and our minds will clear." Looking at Qin Ning's distraught state, she analyzed the situation with the air of someone who had been there:
"The first 100 levels of the game are actually... you can slowly grind through them without spending money, it just takes time. If you spend 2 yuan, and you play slowly and plan your resources reasonably, it's not impossible to reach level 200 within a month."

“But! Further on, especially if you’re impatient and want to reach level 300 within a week…” Xie Xiaoxiao shook her head, her eyes filled with pity for the “abyss ahead,” “that’s basically a bottomless pit! No matter how much money you throw in, you might not hear a sound!”

She looked at Qin Ning's face, which instantly crumbled, shrugged, and made a helpless gesture:
"Anyway... you chose this path yourself. Good luck, Marshal Qin."

The last phrase, "Marshal Qin," was like a small hammer, gently striking Qin Ning's already fragile heart.

Qin Ning mechanically chewed the sandwich, finding it utterly tasteless. A wave of immense regret washed over her like a cold tide.

stupid!
I was so stupid!

It's just a lame name! What's wrong with calling myself "Crossing the River Pawn"? Will it cost me a piece of flesh? Will it affect my grand plan to get close to President Chen?
He just had to show off! He insisted on using the title "Grand Marshal of the Army and Cavalry"! Now look what's happened...

The price this "majestic" name has come at... is so heavy... so very heavy...

Qin Ning silently and heavily swallowed the last bite of her sandwich, feeling the bread lodged in her chest, heavy as a shadow over her hopeless future.

Xie Xiaoxiao's trip to Jiangzhou during her vacation was at Zhang Ziqian's invitation. Therefore, in addition to the family dinner at the Chen family yesterday, Zhang Ziqian also invited Xie Xiaoxiao to dinner separately today.

Her chosen venue for today is [Xiao Restaurant].

Junxiao Hotel is nice, but I eat there every day and want to try something different.
Qin Ning drove his Range Rover, carrying Xie Xiaoxiao, to [Xiao Restaurant]. The restaurant's entrance wasn't large, but it exuded sophistication and a sense of design. As soon as they parked, Qin Ning's attention was drawn to the slightly "congested" scene in front of the restaurant.

A low-key yet undeniably luxurious black Mercedes-Maybach S-Class sedan, like a silent black knight, stood steadily at the restaurant's main entrance. Closely following behind was a stately, imposing new model luxury MPV. The two vehicles, one in front of the other, occupied prime positions, signifying the distinguished status of their owners.

As soon as Qin Ning and Xie Xiaoxiao got out of the car, they heard a slightly noisy commotion coming from the restaurant. Immediately afterward, a well-dressed middle-aged man, his face plastered with an almost obsequious smile, quickly came out to greet them. He bowed repeatedly to the guests who had just stepped out of the Maybach and MPV, his voice almost exaggeratedly enthusiastic:
"Oh! Welcome, welcome! President Wang! President Wang! President Qin—! We are so sorry for not welcoming you sooner!" Liu Gang's voice was particularly clear on the quiet street.

Qin Ning and Xie Xiaoxiao also got out of the car and passed by. They happened to hear the man called President Qin pointing his finger at Liu Gang's nose and cursing loudly and aggressively right there in the street.
"Liu Gang! You bastard! Stop trying to fool me!" He pointed to a young man beside him, a man of reserved yet authoritative bearing (Wang Lun), and then to another young man of similar stature but with an unpleasant expression (Wang Jian). "Today I've invited both President Wang and President Wang! You'd better explain yourself properly in front of these two bosses! We were discussing things so well before, why did your company suddenly back out of our investment in that movie at the last minute?! Are you playing us?!" Liu Gang cursed inwardly, "Why didn't you want it? Isn't it because you're being pretentious? After I got on President Chen's big ship, why would I care about your little bit of funding?"

He could think about it in his heart, but he dared not say it out loud. He couldn't afford to offend any of these three.

He knew that the man at the front, Wang Jian, was the heir of Huadi Automobile Group; the other Mr. Wang, whose prestige in China was once much higher than Wang Jian's, was none other than Wang Lun, the heir of Wansheng Group.

Liu Gang still doesn't understand why Wang Lun was so unwilling to leave the capital for a while. What's going on now? Not only has he left the capital, but he's also come to Jiangzhou.

Wang Lun dared not leave the capital, of course, because he smashed Jun Xiaocheng and almost injured Zhao Xiangjun with Wei Ming, so he was too scared to leave the base camp.

Especially after he learned how badly Wei Ming had been beaten, he became even more afraid to come out.

At this moment, Wang Lun, though still the heir apparent of Wansheng, was no longer as arrogant as he once was. Standing at the restaurant entrance, listening to President Qin's roar at Liu Gang, his face remained expressionless, his eyes calm, even carrying a hint of barely perceptible aloofness and... low-key demeanor.

He only nodded slightly when President Qin pointed at him, without saying a word the entire time. Having arrived in Jiangzhou, a place that had once filled him with fear, he only wanted to keep a low profile and dared not cause any more trouble.

Qin Ning and Xie Xiaoxiao stood not far away, taking in the entire "reprimand" that took place in front of the upscale restaurant. They weren't particularly sensitive to business gossip, but they sensed the tense atmosphere.

Xie Xiaoxiao and Qin Ning intended to pretend they hadn't seen them and discreetly slip past these bigwigs into the restaurant. However, things didn't go as planned.

Just as they brushed past Wang Jian and his group, Wang Jian's voice, tinged with surprise and a hint of amusement, rang out:

"Hey! Isn't this Qin Ning and Xie Xiaoxiao? What a coincidence!"

Having been called out, the two had no choice but to stop and turn around. Their faces instantly lit up with professional, impeccable, sweet smiles as they bowed slightly to Wang Jian: "Hello, Mr. Wang—" As top car models, they had naturally met this young master when he inspected the large-scale auto shows that Huadi Group had previously undertaken.

Wang Jian's shout also caused President Qin and Wang Lun, who were originally staring at Liu Gang with hostility, to turn their attention to the two beautiful car models who suddenly appeared, as bright and radiant as summer flowers.

A look of amazement flashed across Wang Lun's eyes! With his status as the Crown Prince of Wansheng and his aesthetic sense, he had seen countless beauties, but these two were absolutely top-tier in terms of figure, temperament, and appearance! In the past, he would have already gracefully stepped forward to strike up a conversation, and might have even exchanged contact information.

but!

Things are different now! This is Jiangzhou! Wang Lun's nerves tensed instantly! An indescribable sense of fear surged into his heart like a conditioned reflex! He almost immediately sounded the alarm in his mind: Keep a low profile! You must keep a low profile! You absolutely cannot cause any trouble!

His recent "big blunder" in Jiangzhou was all because of "beautiful women," wasn't it? If it weren't for that Zhao Xiangjun, whom he and Wei Ming were instantly captivated by at first glance in Junxiao City (though they didn't know her identity at the time), how could they have been so bewitched that they almost... provoked that ruthless Chen Xiao?! And how could they have been so thoroughly humiliated that they almost didn't dare leave the capital, ultimately having to rely on their father sacrificing his own flesh and offering "Wansheng Film and Television" as a pledge of allegiance to escape?!
In Jiangzhou, every top-tier beauty is likely connected to Chen Xiao! This has almost become an ironclad rule and an inescapable shadow in Wang Lun's mind!

Therefore, at this moment, Wang Lun forcibly suppressed the amazement and impulse in his heart, quickly looked away, and tried his best to maintain a calm and composed expression, as if he did not see the two beauties. However, his hands in his pockets unconsciously clenched slightly, showing his inner tension.

Wang Jian had already introduced several people to Qin Ning and Xie Xiaoxiao—General Manager Wang from Wansheng and General Manager Qin from the Rice Group.

After the introductions, Wang Jian casually extended an invitation, his tone carrying an undeniable air of superiority: "We happen to be having dinner here tonight to discuss some matters. If you don't have any plans for tonight, why don't you come along? It'll be more fun with more people!"

In his mind, it would be boring for a group of grown men to discuss business. With top-notch "flower vases" like Qin Ning and Xie Xiaoxiao present, they could both lighten the mood and showcase his status. Why not? Moreover, given his status and the resources he could provide, such an invitation was an opportunity that car models would be eager to seize!
If it were in the past, Qin Ning would definitely have been tempted! Wang Jian's status in the automotive industry is beyond doubt. Getting in touch with him would mean a constant stream of top-tier business deals and exposure opportunities! She would definitely have readily agreed and even tried to make a good impression.

but!

Now! Qin Ning's mind was completely occupied by a taller and more dazzling figure—Chen Xiao! The man of the Junxiao Empire, who could turn the world upside down with a flick of his wrist! Having witnessed the true "cloud in the sky," Wang Jian, this "little hill," instantly became...not so appealing in her eyes.

Qin Ning barely hesitated, maintaining a polite but distant smile, and gently shook her head, her voice clear and firm:
"I'm sorry, Mr. Wang. Thank you for your kind offer, but... we already have plans for tonight, and our friends are waiting for us."

Wang Jian never expected that a car model would dare to disrespect him, a big shot in the automotive industry. His expression immediately turned serious, and he was about to lose his temper.

"friend?"

As soon as Qin Ning finished speaking, Wang Lun, who had been forcibly remaining silent and trying to minimize his presence, seemed to be stung by those two words! He almost reflexively raised his head, his gaze sharp as he looked at Qin Ning, his voice slightly tense, and blurted out:
"Friend? Your friend... is he/she male or female?!"

Wang Jian and Qin Jun were both taken aback, and somehow, they both understood Wang Lun's meaning at the same time. Wang Jian composed himself slightly, almost forgetting that this was Jiangzhou, and he needed to be careful here. (End of Chapter)