Apart from the frog-like croaks when attacking enemies and the need to squat in corners when sleeping at night, President Jiao San of the dark web was otherwise unremarkable.
In other aspects – his physique, appearance, way of thinking, speech, and manners – he was no different from a normal person. As one of the older single women, it was perfectly normal for Jiao San to have inappropriate dreams at night. Especially since she started interacting with Li Qianfan. She would have one every few days.
Previously, her good dreams were always about being with Li Qianfan. And after waking up from those dreams, she would notice a change in the moisture of her sheets. But never before had the moisture been as exaggerated as it was tonight!
She even – Jiao San inexplicably thought of a circular groove. Give her another ten to fifteen minutes, and she would have filled that circular groove completely.
What surprised Jiao San even more was that the good dream she had just interrupted wasn’t just about her and Li Qianfan. It also involved that beautiful Empress who had twice been at the center of gossip since the end of last year!
It was one thing for the proud President Jiao San to be with the beautiful Empress. But on top of that, Jiao San was helping the Empress! This was going too far –
Muttering something under her breath, Jiao San got out of bed, pulled off the sheet, yawned, and walked into the bathroom on her bare, snowy white feet.
After tossing the sheet into the washing machine, she sat on the toilet and listened for a moment to the "big pearls and small pearls falling on a jade plate" before standing up with her eyes squinted and walking out of the bathroom.
So tired. She couldn't be bothered to go back to sleep. After all, she couldn't lie down; she had to squat in a corner. What corner couldn't she squat in? She went to the bedside cabinet, squatted down, pressed her forehead against the ninety-degree angle of the wall, and quickly fell into a deep sleep again. The soft light from the night lamp soon enveloped the naked, white jade frog.
Dawn broke. For many people, dawn meant getting up, going to work, or going shopping. But for Li Qianfan and the others, who had stayed up all night, dawn meant returning to their own homes to sleep. They didn't stay at Victoria. Even though Zhang Bao and Han Meng repeatedly urged them to stay, saying the guest rooms were ready. But it was daytime now, and this wasn't their "doghouse," so they couldn't sleep soundly. At least, Old Man Su and Mother Lan felt that way.
Li Qianfan, on the other hand, could sleep anywhere. But seeing Old Man Su's vacant eyes and Mother Lan also dozing off, he drove them home, worried about any accidents on the way back.
"My son-in-law, you haven't slept all night either. Yawn, go get some sleep." Old Man Su patted Li Qianfan's arm, yawned, and turned around. Ignoring his son-in-law standing right in front of him, he put his arm around Mother Lan's waist and walked into the master bedroom, locked the door with a click, and settled in.
"Old Man Su is getting more shameless. Does he really want Mother Lan to be a mother again?" Li Qianfan muttered and walked into the second bedroom.
Opening the door – the distinctive scent of his wife Ziyu greeted him, instantly making him feel at ease. Sleepiness also washed over him. After collapsing on the bed, without even taking off his shoes, he hugged Ziyu's pillow and soon began to snore softly.
At half-past two in the afternoon, Li Qianfan finally woke up. After washing up, he walked out of the second bedroom, yawning. Old Man Su and Mother Lan had woken up at noon, eaten lunch, and then gone to their respective workplaces. The lunch prepared for him was on the coffee table. There was also a package. This was brought up from downstairs by Old Man Su after he received a text notification from Dafeng Express. He thought it was his package, but when he saw it wasn't, he realized it was for his son-in-law. Since it was for his son-in-law, he naturally wouldn't open it and left it on the coffee table.
Li Qianfan sat lazily on the sofa, not paying much attention to the package. It was only when he was about to eat that he noticed the words "Dafeng Express." He was stunned. His sleepiness vanished! He instinctively looked around to confirm that Old Man Su and his wife were not home, then he opened the package. Inside was a 250ml bottle of drink. There was also a note attached: "Heat with hot water, and it's ready to consume." Li Qianfan held the bottle, looked at the milky white liquid inside, and was silent for a long time. Then, resisting the urge to pour it directly into the sink, he opened the cap. He didn't even heat it with hot water. He lifted it and took a sip. Sweet and delicious, like drinking nectar! Unconsciously, Li Qianfan gulped it down in one go, reluctant to leave even the last drop. It was truly fragrant, with a lingering aftertaste. The feeling of languor and decadence he had upon waking up completely disappeared.
In fact, Li Qianfan had a distinct illusion that after swallowing these 250ml, he had immediately become several months younger!
*Ding!* The sound startled Li Qianfan, who had been staring blankly at the empty bottle for a full half hour. Ru Hua texted: "How did it taste?" He replied truthfully: "Very good." Ru Hua replied again: "It's available every day. Remember to notify me promptly if you change the delivery address." Li Qianfan replied: "Okay." He put down his phone, pursed his lips, and walked to the back window, looking north. That direction was towards Siji!
White clouds drifted lazily – Sunrise and sunset. One day after another passed. Today was the second day of the second lunar month, the day of the Dragon Head Raising! In the days that had passed, Li Qianfan had fulfilled his duties and responsibilities, which was to be Old Man Su's chauffeur, constantly running around and participating in various acquisition activities. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, he had transferred ten billion yuan to Old Man Su to expand the scale of his business.
As long as he had money, Old Man Su was very confident. The critical point was that ever since the vampires ran rampant – the already grim global economic situation had become even more severe, leading to an even more difficult survival environment for many small and micro-enterprises. According to incomplete statistics, in Tiandong province alone, dozens of small and micro-enterprises had to close down or go bankrupt every day. The harder it was to earn money, the less people wanted to spend. The more people didn't want to spend, the more sluggish the consumer market would become. Without a market, even if a company could produce the best quality products, who would buy them?
Companies struggling not to close down could only lay off employees or reduce their salaries to survive the current difficulties. When people lost their jobs or had their salaries cut, they had even less money and were even more reluctant to spend. The consumer market became sluggish again. This formed a vicious cycle. Then came a wave of defaults on car and housing loan repayments.
It was in this severe environment that many small and micro-enterprises, originally valued at tens of millions, were selling for only a few million. And yet, no one wanted them!
Old Man Su's companies were different. One was a fashion factory that was currently still madly producing disposable medical gloves (for export). The other was a pharmaceutical factory with terrifying security forces (specializing in producing Qianfan No. 1). The products produced by these two companies were precisely the most sought-after products in the current market. Coupled with his son-in-law's newly established connections overseas, there was no worry about the products being unsalable. Old Man Su would simply use his money to acquire those small and micro-enterprises. After the Chinese New Year alone, Old Man Su had acquired more than ten enterprises in Qingyun. The number of employees under him had also soared to eight thousand.
While an enterprise with eight thousand employees couldn't compare to those with hundreds of thousands, Old Man Su had thus become one of Qingyun's most famous CEOs. When he first learned that Old Man Su had developed to such a scale, Li Qianfan was truly startled: "Can this old man who wants to go to a foot bath as soon as he has some money manage so many people?"
Ironclad facts proved – Li Qianfan had underestimated Old Man Su! After all, Old Man Su was the formidable figure who founded Guangming Hospital. The reason he handed over the hospital to Su Ziyu and went to work in a fashion factory before was purely because of a medical accident that had struck him too hard; coupled with Ziyu's capabilities and Mother Lan's wishes for him to retire, Old Man Su then became an employee.
It was different now. With his son-in-law as his greatest backing, Old Man Su had both money and people. His ambitions could soar to the heavens, and his entire spirit was vastly different from before. Moreover, he had the loyal assistance of Wei Wan, Xie Wenxiu, Chen Dong, and others! Even the two girls, Zhai Hua and Zhai Xin, who were transferred by Li Qianfan to protect Mo Hongti and Dai Paipai but became "unemployed" after they left Qingyun, were not overlooked by Old Man Su. They were all given important positions and became general managers of subsidiaries in the newly acquired enterprises. Those two girls also demonstrated their abilities in their respective roles. Li Qianfan was very happy to learn of this. He sincerely hoped that the four beauties and three others who grew up with him could do what they loved and realize their true life values.
To put it in a nutshell – Li Qianfan had been very busy these days, but also very fulfilled, and in a great mood, temporarily forgetting those bothersome worries. When a person's mood is good, their complexion naturally improves.
"Master, I've noticed you look at least three to four years younger now than when you first arrived in Qingyun a few days ago." An Ran, Chen Dong's wife and Old Man Su's secretary and apprentice, said this as she entered Li Qianfan's office to make him tea.
"Really?" Li Qianfan was taken aback. He beamed with joy, "Quickly, get Master a mirror, I want to have a good look." Who doesn't like being young? Especially Li Qianfan, a monster who was rapidly aging due to the activation of the original 209. Seeing that Li Qianfan was genuinely happy, An Ran cheerfully ran out and quickly brought him a mirror.
"Indeed, I am exceptionally handsome and dashing." Li Qianfan looked at himself in the mirror, admiring himself with deep narcissism. An Ran chuckled, "Master, perhaps the environment in Qingyun is particularly nourishing."
"Yes, you are right." Li Qianfan nodded, "It seems I will have to spend more time in Qingyun in the future." An Ran nodded vigorously. She and Chen Dong were the ones who most hoped Li Qianfan would stay in Qingyun. Although Old Man Su had already considered them his right-hand men, their relationship was ultimately that of superior and subordinate. It couldn't compare to the relationship between a disciple and a master. With Li Qianfan around, Sister An Ran felt exceptionally at ease.
After indulging Li Qianfan's vanity for a while, An Ran happily left the office with the mirror. She happened to run into Zhai Hua, who had come to report to Old Man Su: "Oh, An Ran, what are you doing with a mirror?"
"For Master," An Ran said joyfully, "I found that after Master came to Qingyun, in just a week, he seems to have gotten several years younger."
The young master has gotten several years younger? Zhai Hua's heart stirred. She found an excuse to report to the young master and observed carefully. She confirmed that what An Ran said was true. After leaving the office, Zhai Hua found a secluded spot. She took out her phone and dialed a number. As soon as the call was connected – Zhai Hua bowed and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, the young master is starting to look younger."