Affection System: I have everything the goddess wants.

About half an hour later, Zhou Lei hurriedly took a taxi to the private room. As soon as he entered, he bowed and apologized, his face full of guilt: "I'm sorry everyone, I've spoiled your fun. There's really nothing I can do, I have to coax you properly during the pursuit period."

After speaking, he looked at everyone with a hint of anticipation: "You've all met Qianqian today. To be honest, what do you think? Isn't she exceptionally innocent, gentle, and sensible?"

The room fell silent instantly upon hearing this.

Cao Xu put down his wine glass, his expression serious, without a trace of perfunctory comfort: "Not so good."

"Lei Zi, we have no grudge against her. This is our first meeting. There's no need for us to deliberately smear her, much less to insincerely flatter you."

We've been brothers in this dorm for four years, our bond is there. I'll be frank, all of us have a terrible impression of her. Be careful, don't let yourself be manipulated too much.

Zheng Bowen chimed in, "That's right, we all think something's off about her. She's too good at pretending. Wake up!"

But Zhou Lei, blinded by love, wouldn't listen to reason and kept shaking his head to argue, "No, she's really great. She's gentle and considerate, and she even cares about my health. You must have misunderstood her."

Seeing the atmosphere was about to become tense, Su Manqi immediately stepped in to smooth things over, generously defused the situation: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about personal matters anymore. Everyone has their own life to live, and only they know the joys and sorrows. It's no use for outsiders to say anything. Don't let this affect your brotherhood."

She picked up the beer on the table and gestured towards Zhou Lei, saying, "Lei, don't take it to heart. Your brothers are just concerned about you. Come on, let's drink!"

Zhou Lei instantly felt relieved, smiling as he raised his glass: "I understand! Sister Qi, we guys are all doing this for my own good, I definitely won't overthink it! Come on, let's show off with a bottle!"

"Who's afraid of who? Let's do it!" Su Manqi was not intimidated at all and raised her head to clink glasses.

Seeing this, Zheng Bowen quickly advised, "Drink slowly, don't drink too much!"

Su Manqi immediately raised an eyebrow and retorted, her aura exuding confidence: "Stop talking nonsense! If you can't drink, go sit at the kids' table!"

The entire audience burst into laughter instantly.

No one expected that Zheng Bowen, the notorious playboy of Xianlin University Town, who drove luxury cars into the campus in his freshman year, with a different beautiful woman in the passenger seat every time, having dated all kinds of girls and seen countless people, would be completely dominated by a carefree and straightforward senior from Northeast China today, without even a hint of temper.

In the past, the girls he had met were either deliberately trying to please him with ulterior motives, or pretending to be obedient and gentle to gain favor. He had never met a girl as straightforward, frank, outspoken, and dignified as Su Manqi. It was precisely this authenticity and uninhibitedness that completely tamed the cynical Zheng Bowen.

The group indulged in fun, drinking and singing at the karaoke bar until after 1 a.m.

Cao Xu paid the bill and left, then suggested that he take everyone to his large apartment in Xinjiekou to continue the party.

After arriving at the mansion, the group showed no signs of sleepiness. They brought out drinks and snacks from the refrigerator and sat around in the living room to continue drinking and chatting, reminiscing about campus life, discussing future plans, and sharing stories of their daily lives with their brothers.

Inside the brightly lit mansion, laughter and chatter filled the air. The group drank from late at night until dawn. As the sky outside the window gradually turned from pitch black to a pale white, they began to feel sleepy and went back to their rooms to rest.

The room allocation was just right: Cao Xu and Xu Niannian shared the master bedroom, Zheng Bowen and Su Manqi shared the second bedroom, and Zhou Lei and Xu Haoran each had their own guest room. The spacious single-level apartment was enough for everyone to rest comfortably.

------

The following morning, sunlight streamed gently through the sheer curtains of the French windows, filling the entire luxurious master bedroom.

Suffering from a hangover, Xu Niannian nestled softly in Cao Xu's arms, her long legs casually draped over his waist and abdomen. She was breathing evenly and sleeping soundly.

In the tranquil atmosphere, a crisp cell phone ringtone suddenly broke the silence of the room.

Cao Xu slowly opened his eyes, the sleepiness in them gradually dissipating. He picked up his phone and glanced at the screen, where the contact name was clearly the secretary of the board of directors of Yaoyuan Technology.

He moved gently and carefully to remove Xu Niannian's long legs that were draped over him, then sat up and leaned against the soft headboard.

He lit a cigarette between his fingers, and as pale white smoke slowly rose, he held the cigarette between his fingers with a relaxed and languid posture, and pressed the answer button.

A calm, polite, and professional male voice came from the other end of the phone, respectfully saying, "Hello, Mr. Cao, this is the board secretary of Yaoyuan Technology. We spoke on the phone before, but our chairman, Mr. Liu, would like to speak with you personally this time. Is this a convenient moment for you?"

"Okay." Cao Xu's tone was flat, revealing no emotion.

After a brief two-second silence, a deep, resonant middle-aged male voice, carrying the weight of years of experience in the business world, answered the call. His tone was magnetic and steady, seemingly gentle, but in reality, it concealed the pressure and probing of someone who had long been accustomed to the game of capital.

"Mr. Cao, you're quite formidable at such a young age."

Chairman Liu began with a seemingly complimentary remark, his tone perfectly measured, a polite expression concealing deep apprehension.

"I just received a report from the risk control and securities departments in the last two days that you have quietly increased your holdings of our Yaoyuan Technology's circulating shares by another 10%."

They acted swiftly and decisively, without letting a word slip, which really gave us old guys a fright.

These words, though seemingly complimentary, are actually full of criticism.

The increase of circulating shares of A-share listed companies is never a trivial matter. A large-scale purchase in one go will inevitably alarm the board of directors and management.

Cao Xu already held 5% of the shares, and this latest increase doubles his stake, which would make anyone wary.

Cao Xu exhaled a puff of smoke, his tone frank and composed, without the slightest hint of unease: "Chairman Liu, you flatter me."

Under your leadership, Yaoyuan Technology has a clear strategy, operates in a high-quality market, and possesses a solid core competitive advantage in live-streaming e-commerce and digital marketing. Its performance is steadily growing, and the market outlook is promising.

I genuinely believe in the company's long-term prospects and am simply making a value investment.

"Pure value investing?"

Chairman Liu repeated it in a low voice, his tone meaningful, the probing intent becoming increasingly clear.

"Mr. Cao, your publicly disclosed shareholding has now reached 15%, making you the largest individual shareholder and the largest circulating shareholder in the company."

"If this is just a financial investment, this shareholding ratio is a bit too heavy."

This statement perfectly revealed his core concerns.

In the capital market, there is never a large increase in holdings without a reason.

A 15% stake, in any A-share listed company, is enough to shake up the board structure and has the potential to challenge management and seize control, leaving him no choice but to be wary and test the waters.

Chairman Liu continued to slow his speech, subtly exerting pressure and probing the situation step by step:

"I've been in the capital market for decades and have seen too many cases where investors start as financial investors, gradually become strategic investors, and eventually seek to take over the board of directors and fight for control of the company."

"Mr. Cao, you're so young, yet your actions are so decisive and composed. I really can't fathom your strategy, so I can't help but have some suspicions."

Cao Xu understood perfectly and knew exactly what was going on.

This chairman of a listed company, seemingly chatting casually and gently, was actually probing his own hand and ambitions with every word. He was worried that the company's huge shareholding might be a covert plot to seize control and shake his long-standing and stable position.

......