You got your marriage certificate and then abandoned me? I'll feed the richest woman in the wor

"bite--"

A crisp email delivery notification sound.

It emanated from a specially made military-grade flat panel that was inverted on a marble countertop.

It was completely submerged amidst the bubbling sound of the clay pot boiling.

That bankruptcy declaration, which could have ruined half of Europe's wealthy families, was reduced to a string of emotionless data and entered the servers across the ocean.

Chen Yuan didn't even linger his fingertips on the device for a second longer.

He took a piece of pure white heat-insulating cotton cloth.

His large, well-defined hands steadily lifted the scalding hot clay pot.

The milky white broth was bubbling in the pot, producing fine bubbles.

The rich, sweet aroma of codonopsis pilosula mixed with the mellow, meaty fragrance of old hen dominated the entire kitchen.

Even the air was filled with a warm feeling that made one's bones feel soft.

Shen Wanzhou stood beside him.

Two small, fair hands gripped the strap of his black apron around his waist.

Her shimmering, peach-blossom eyes stared unblinkingly at the pot of soup.

A clear swallowing sound came from his throat.

"It smells so good," she muttered softly.

Warm breath sprayed onto Chen Yuan's arm, bringing a slight tickling sensation.

Chen Yuan turned his head away.

Looking at her fair and rosy face, a pool of warm water melted in her deep black eyes.

"Go and sit down in the restaurant."

The man's voice was deep and husky, carrying an undeniable air of indulgence.

"Standing here inhaling the cooking fumes, I'm going to start coughing again soon."

Shen Wanzhou obediently released her grip.

I walked towards the restaurant in those fluffy bunny slippers.

She sat in a large mahogany dining chair, her hands neatly placed on the table.

It's like a Persian cat waiting for its owner to feed it.

Chen Yuan carried the soup pot over and placed it steadily on the cork heat-resistant mat.

At the same time.

On the other side of the world, in Frankfurt, the financial center of Europe.

The piercing red air raid sirens echoed mournfully beneath the domes of major stock exchanges.

Old Philip slumped onto the cold floor tiles of the underground air-raid shelter.

The three giant curved screens in front of him had turned completely lifeless gray.

The asset curve represents the family's century-old legacy.

It was like an artery that had been severed with a single stroke, crashing straight through the bottom line of the limit-down.

The debt figures are still rising at an alarming rate of tens of millions of euros per second.

"No...this isn't real..."

Old Philip made a hissing sound that seemed to leak air from his throat.

His hands, covered in age spots, flailing wildly in the air.

It's as if they're trying to grasp those numbers that are evaporating into thin air.

The wealth that was forcibly drained from Xingchen Venture Capital's overseas funding pool was completely wiped out, leaving not a single drop.

The dozen or so chaebol executives dressed in bespoke suits looked like a bunch of spineless rotten mud.

Some people huddled in a corner, covering their heads and pulling out clumps of hair.

He was completely unaware that blood was seeping from his scalp.

Someone knelt on the ground, frantically kowtowing to the flickering black screen of the computer.

His forehead struck the marble with a dull thud.

boom!

A muffled gunshot pierced through the heavy soundproof door.

Outside the door, the family's treasurer shot himself.

Blood trickled down the cracks in the door, filling the multi-million dollar bunker with a strong smell of rust.

This is not a close business battle at all.

This was a one-sided physical crushing defeat.

The man hiding in the East didn't even mobilize any physical army.

It only took three minutes of keyboard typing.

They cut off all their power supply, logistics, and offshore funding.

The pride of the century-old Qian family was crushed into mud in the gutter by this emotionless string of code.

They threw it down the drain, along with their proud Freemason badges.

The rooftop of the tallest skyscraper in Frankfurt.

The gale, carrying the cold night rain, scraped across people's faces like blades.

A dozen or so tycoon leaders who once wielded immense power in Europe.

Arranged in a row.

My leather shoes were on the edge of the puddle, my feet dangling in the air.

The wind blew through their soaked shirts, and they were so cold they were shivering to the bone.

They looked down at the street, which stretched hundreds of meters below like an abyss.

All the traffic lights on the street were out of order, vehicles were crashing together, and flames were shooting into the sky.

That was Chen Yuan's masterpiece in cutting off the underlying power grid.

Without any hesitation.

Thump, thump.

The black figures looked like bags of weightless garbage.

It crashed straight down onto the cold asphalt road.

Under the influence of gravity, they plunged into boundless darkness.

Those who attempt to challenge the limits of the abyss will ultimately pay the price in this way.

There were no screams, only deathly silence.

At Cloud Top Manor, thousands of miles away, the sun shines brightly.

The long mahogany table in the restaurant was covered with a snow-white lace tablecloth.

Chen Yuan took a pure silver ladle and ladled the milky white broth into a gilded porcelain bowl.

He pulled out a chair and sat down next to Shen Wanzhou.

"Drink the soup first, then eat the meat."

He scooped up a spoonful of piping hot chicken soup, brought it to his lips, and gently blew on it.

Until the heat dissipates and the temperature is just right.

He then carefully placed it to the girl's slightly parted red lips.

Shen Wanzhou obediently leaned over and drank the rich soup.

The delicious flavor exploded on the tip of the tongue.

The warmth slid down my esophagus and into my stomach, soothing all the emptiness.

She smiled contentedly, her eyes crinkling, revealing shallow dimples on either side of her cheeks.

"This soup is really delicious."

Shen Wanzhou's voice was soft and sweet, with a touch of naivety from having eaten and drunk her fill.

"You added one more slice of angelica root than yesterday, right?"

Chen Yuan put down the soup spoon and took out a disinfectant wipe.

His rough fingertips wiped away a drop of grease from the corner of her lips through a tissue.

"His nose is incredibly sensitive."

There was not a trace of the ferocity that had just been displayed in Chen Yuan's eyes after slaughtering a century-old conglomerate.

It was all due to his favoritism towards the girl in front of him.

"Dr. Su said you've been deficient in qi and blood lately, so I'll give you angelica root to replenish your blood. Go buy some fresh bamboo shoots to eat with it tomorrow."

He casually tucked a strand of her long hair that had fallen across her cheek behind her ear.

Shen Wanzhou ate until her nose was slightly sweaty.

She held the bowl in her fair hands, her nails round and clean.

Seeing her completely unguarded appearance, Chen Yuan's murderous intent subsided completely.

No matter how blood is shed in the outside world, as long as she can protect the peace of her little corner of the world, it's all worth it.

He would never allow that filthy capital to taint even a speck of her clothing.

Shen Wanzhou swallowed a piece of stewed chicken that was cooked until tender.

She turned her head to look at him.

A hint of worry was visible in those shimmering, peach-blossom eyes.

Although she didn't care about the mess at Star Ventures, she knew that anything that Chen Yuan was personally handling was no small matter.

"You were looking at your tablet just now. Is there an urgent matter at the company?"

Chen Yuan picked up the glass of water in front of him.

I took a sip of warm water.

The bottom of the cup landed back on the solid wood table with a soft thud.

"fine."

His voice was steady, as if he were talking about a light rain that had fallen the night before.

"Just a few clowns, they've already been taken care of."

That's trillions of dollars in short-selling funds.

The bodies that jumped from the rooftop.

In this man's eyes.

It really was just firewood to enhance the flavor of this pot of broth.

He wasn't even allowed to say another word.

As long as Wanzhou can finish this bowl of soup in peace.

Even if the outside world is engulfed in chaos, he can still hold up the sky.

He wouldn't allow even the slightest trace of blood to drift into this manor filled with the aroma of sandalwood and food.

Shen Wanzhou had no doubts.

She continued to work on the pieces of meat in her bowl.

Occasionally, he would pick out the leftover lean meat and naturally put it into Chen Yuan's bowl.

Chen Yuan didn't even frown; he picked it up and ate it directly.

The tacit understanding between the two was ingrained in their very bones.

The image looks as if it has been forcibly cut off by a rusty iron saw.

The deepest part of an abandoned underground air-raid shelter somewhere in Europe.

This place is perpetually shrouded in darkness, and the stone walls are covered with slippery, dark green moss.

The air was thick with the sour stench of rotting rat carcasses, mixed with the tarry smell of cheap tobacco.

Several fat black rats scurried along the corner of the wall, making a sickening squeaking sound.

Water droplets seeped from the cracks in the stone, dripping and falling into the rusty iron bucket.

Every drop of water felt like a tap on the taut nerves of these stray dogs.

Several poorly connected incandescent light bulbs crackled overhead.

The stark white light shone on the faces of several men sitting around a broken wooden table.

They are the last remaining branch leaders of the energy conglomerate.

His once expensive suits were now covered in mud and engine oil.

Everyone's eyes were filled with spiderweb-like red blood vessels.

Fear and despair gnawed at their sanity like venomous snakes.

"All our publicly disclosed assets have been frozen, and transnational police are arresting people everywhere."

A bald old man held his head in his hands, his ten fingers digging into his scalp.

His voice trembled as if he were running naked in the cold wind.

"That devil Chen Yuan, he didn't even leave us a way out!"

He pulled hard on his thinning hair.

"My family...three hundred years! Gone in three hours!"

The person sitting in the main seat was a one-eyed man.

In his perfectly good left eye, a desperate madness surged.

Like a wild beast driven to the brink of despair.

He forcefully pushed a black metal combination lock box to the center of the table.

The metal base made a screeching sound as it rubbed against the rough wooden board.

"Clatter".

The latch popped open.

A whole box of old, unregistered US dollars, bright green and smelling of ink, was exposed to the dim light.

This money was the last bit of savings these desperate criminals had scraped together.

The one-eyed man stared intently at the scarred man sitting across the table.

"Chen Yuan is a heartless monster; in a head-on confrontation, no one can defeat him."

"But that Chinese woman is his Achilles' heel! His only weakness!"

His voice became sharp with jealousy and resentment.

"Once we win over that woman, Starry Sky Ventures will be nothing but an empty shell!"

Sitting across the table.

He was a man wearing a black tank top and with a hideous, centipede-like scar across his face.

His military boots were stepping on the carcass of a dead rat.

He was toying with a butterfly knife coated with blue poison in his hand.

The blade flashed between his fingers, bringing with it bursts of chilling light.

This person is a top-tier mercenary active in the border region between the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

They only care about money, not fate.

The scarred man glanced at the box of US dollars.

A cruel smile twisted at the corner of his mouth, and the scar on his face contorted in pain.

Several desperate remnants of a tycoon huddled in a dark basement, shoving a box of US dollars at the scarred man opposite them: "Go, plant the highest-grade listening devices and miniature bombs in Shen Wanzhou's car!"