Otto narrowed his eyes. "I've noticed something—wherever you go, everything seems to turn sour."
Fyren hurriedly interjected, "Sister Cora, stop! This isn't the kind of joke you should make!"
Cora looked at Fyren with a gloating expression. "Tell me yourself—did you bully me or not?"
Fyren pulled Cora aside. "Big sister, you can't joke about this kind of thing! It could get someone killed!"
"Oh? So there's someone you're actually afraid of?"
"You need to explain this to him right now, or I'm really screwed!"
"Then promise to take me to dinner and a movie."
"Are you insane?" Fyren hissed through gritted teeth, keeping her voice low. "We already broke up! Bridge to bridge, road to road—you were the one who wanted to split in the first place, so let's keep it that way!"
"Well, now I want to win you back with true love. Is that okay?"
Fyren nervously glanced over at Otto and Eason, who were now exchanging cigarettes and chatting.
She was torn between worrying that Cora was digging her own grave and fearing that Eason—that reckless idiot—might provoke Otto into a rage.
"Fine. One movie, one meal, and then we go our separate ways."
"You hate me that much?"
"How could I hate you, big sister? You're gorgeous! I just want to stay alive!"
"What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"
"Just... be nice to Otto. Get along with him, and in the future, put in a good word for me. He might end up being your brother's worst enemy."
"What else do you know?"
"That's all I can say. If I say any more, I'm dead."
Cora nodded. "So the meal and the movie—they're happening, right?"
"A gentleman's word is his bond."
"Good." Cora walked up to Otto, suddenly adopting a mature and composed demeanor. "Mr. Long, thank you for helping us earlier."
"It was nothing. And let me tell you—it's not bragging when I say that even if those were elite fighters from beyond the borders, they'd still be kneeling and begging for mercy if they crossed me."
Cora nodded. "I can see you're truly exceptional."
"Want me to teach Fyren a lesson? Or should we grab coffee first, and I'll deal with him later?"
Cora laughed. "I was just joking. I can't stand it when boys fight."
"Oh... So, about that coffee—"
"Coffee won't be necessary. I don't drink much of it anyway, and I already have plans with Fyren for dinner and a movie. Another time."
With that, Cora turned and left, grabbing Fyren's hand and yanking her toward the stairs.
Fyren tried to pull free, but Cora shot her a cold glare and whispered, "If you dare break loose, I'll let him beat you to death."
Fyren thought to herself:
[You're absolutely ruthless!
After all these years knowing you, I never saw this side of you!
When a tough woman gets serious, she's truly terrifying, isn't she?]
Fyren was genuinely afraid Cora might ruin everything. She didn't understand the gravity of the situation and could actually get herself killed.
If she didn't break free now, she'd just be putting on a show for Otto.
Fine, if I can stall her for a while, I'll stall her.
Fyren grabbed the chubby Eason. "You're coming with us too!"
"Why bring him?" Cora asked, displeased.
"We need to talk."
As they walked out, Cora couldn't stop giggling.
Fyren said irritably, "And you're still laughing? That almost got us killed!"
"Hey! Why are you so scared of that Otto guy?"
Fyren thought to herself, If I could have told you the truth, I would have done so long ago.
"Anyway, he's the natural enemy of both me and Eason's destiny. You'd better protect your brother. This 'Dead Fatty' will likely die by his hands - don't say I didn't warn you."
Eason asked, "That's it?"
Fyren looked at him with deadly seriousness. "Eason, do you trust me?"
"Of course I do, you're my brother!"
"Then remember - if you want to live, don't provoke him. You saw his fighting skills just now. He's on a completely different level from punks like us who learned a few moves at martial arts school. What's more, this guy is ruthless and ambitious - he'll do anything to achieve his goals. He won't go easy on you just because you're the Chen family's eldest grandson. This guy would do anything... including but not limited to beating you to death."
Fyren deliberately phrased it harshly, hoping to shock some sense into Eason.
Eason nodded grimly. "You're right. That guy really shook me today. If you hadn't stopped me earlier and I'd fought him, I'd probably be in the hospital by now."
"Exactly! The only smart approach with him is caution, not force."
Eason nodded. "That bastard has his eyes on my sister, just like Hogan did. We can't let him have his way."
Fyren thought to herself, This storyline is damn hard to shake off.
"You'd better stay out of whatever happens between him and your sister. If you don't interfere, he probably won't bother with you. But if you try to stop him from picking up girls, he really might kill you!"
Cora chimed in, "So you're saying I'm fated to be with him, is that it?"
Fyren replied, "I don't care about your business, and I can't afford to. I just have one goal - keeping Eason and myself alive. This guy would absolutely kill for a girl."
Cora huffed, "What if I ignore him and just keep bothering you instead?"
Fyren stared at her. "You..."
Eason laughed. "Relax, it's just Otto. I'll handle him."
Fyren nearly collapsed. "Did either of you actually listen to what I just said? All that talking... was it just hot air?"
"Fyren, when did you become such a coward?"
"I'm not being cowardly—I'm strategically weighing our options in this scenario!"
"What do you mean?"
Fyren looked at the large man wrapped only in a bathrobe. "Just get in the car. I don't want to talk to you anymore."
...
In the back of the car, Otto scanned the newspaper with a grim expression.
Sherry sat across from him. "Young Master, Fyren has repeatedly interfered with your plans. Why don't we just eliminate him?"
Otto lifted his head. "Are you telling me what to do?"
"This subordinate wouldn't dare. It's just... seeing the Young Master suffer each time pains me."
Otto hummed. "The situation isn't developing as I expected. For some reason, events seem to be taking a... strange turn."
"Is it because of what happened when you fell into the cesspool?"
Otto glared at Sherry. "Never mention that cesspool to me again! Never!"
"Yes!"
Otto took a deep breath. "We can't kill Fyren yet. Things have changed. My original plan was to deal with the Leng, Xu, and Chen families sequentially, then unite their forces against the most powerful Zhang family. But now all three families are proving problematic."
"The problem is Fyren!"
Otto nodded. "However, while we can't finish him off now, we can still make him suffer."
"Should I contact Sabrina? It's time for her to step in."
Sherry said, "I could handle that kind of mission!"
Otto laughed. "No, some missions require Sabrina specifically."
Sherry flushed. "She only seduces men."
"Hahaha!" Otto burst out laughing. "You... you lack flexibility. I originally intended to have Chloe gather intelligence as my mole, but who knew that wretched woman would be despicable enough to pledge loyalty to Fyren? Sabrina answers to me, and Fyren is a womanizer... Once I uncover his weaknesses, taking down the Zhang family will be effortless."
"Does the Young Master plan to target the Zhang family first?"
Otto shook his head, his eyes darkening. "The optimal approach remains the Leng family."
...
Fyren jolted awake, suddenly clear-headed.
Why am I always Otto's opponent? Because I'm still positioned here!
Aside from the heroines, Otto's ultimate goal was to consolidate Crystalpeak City's four major families. As long as his own family remained one of the four, they would inevitably be targeted for takeover by the protagonist—that fact wouldn't change.
Unless the Zhang family declines to the point where the protagonist loses interest - becoming a second-rate family, or even a third-rate enterprise.
This way, the Zhang family would fade into an inconspicuous background element of the story's main plotline.
Consequently, my social connections would shift, and my interactions with the heroines would decrease.
Exactly!
Lose a few deals, let several of the Zhang family's secondary businesses fail, sell off a bunch of them, and retain only a few core profitable ventures.
This approach would maintain the family's living standards without significant decline while ensuring absolute safety for myself and my family!
I can be truly brilliant sometimes.
The shantytown renovation project - that's the first step, a perfect starting point. Who knows, it might solve all our problems.
Dasheng Group
Fyren sat at the head of the conference table, smiling at the two rows of subordinates before him.
"Gentlemen, having reviewed the financial statements, I must commend everyone's excellent work. The Ministry of Internal Affairs will reward employees who have recently contributed - all subsidiaries, departments, and outstanding staff involved in profitable projects will receive bonuses. Furthermore, company-wide salaries will increase by no less than twenty percent."
This single declaration caused an immediate uproar in the room.
Fyren had earned notoriety for being stingy - Dasheng Group's salaries had consistently ranked among the industry's lowest.
His philosophy was simple: pay just enough to prevent employees from leaving, and not a cent more.
Fyren pursued profits aggressively externally while pinching pennies internally. He himself lived lavishly, spending nights in revelry and throwing money around as he pleased - but when it came to others earning his money?
Forget about it!
Salary complaints had long circulated within Dasheng Group.
Yet Fyren cleverly manipulated the situation, employing every tactic to bind top management to the company.
For those considering leaving: the salary, while unimpressive, wasn't terrible. Plus, Dasheng's booming business offered unmatched opportunities for professional growth and personal fulfillment compared to competitors.
For those staying: the compensation remained uninspiring, and the boss continued squeezing every possible saving.
Ultimately, most companies had similar flaws - even generous ones had their drawbacks. The result? Employees stayed, but salaries never became competitive.
Today, however, Fyren's announcement stunned everyone - voluntarily proposing a substantial wage increase.
Deputy Executive President Maggie appeared particularly shocked.
"Fyren, shouldn't we discuss this internally first? A twenty percent increase represents a significant commitment. Once implemented, our future operating costs would rise substantially—"
"No discussion needed."
Fyren knew exactly what he was doing.
If others were tightening their belts, they would have to do the same.
Lose money externally while spending internally - a dual-pronged strategy. Once Dasheng Group's operations deteriorated, the peripheral subsidiary companies would collapse and shut down, forcing them to sell assets at bargain prices...
He needed to accelerate his plans. Otto wouldn't give him much time - he had to disappear from Otto's radar as soon as possible.
"It's settled!" Fyren declared firmly. "Execute my decision."
Maggie frowned, utterly baffled about what had gotten into her boss today.
Her first thought was: Could he have discovered my plans? Is he really that formidable? Damn it, I've severely underestimated Fyren's capabilities!
Maggie distinctly sensed that today, her boss inspired genuine fear in her for the first time.