The chubby Zhou Yihang standing nearby watched the two before him, thinking they made quite the golden couple.
But Zhou Yihang knew Li Dong must have cursed him a thousand times in his heart by now.
[Good brother, take this hit for me. I'll try my best to help you get out of this,] Zhou Yihang silently prayed in his heart.
Compared to Li Dong's resentful curses, Zhou Yihang feared facing his aunt even more—she was far too nagging.
His cousin Lin Yu had graduated less than half a year ago, yet his aunt had already arranged multiple blind dates for her.
The reason? Zhou Yihang's aunt suspected her daughter might be a lesbian and was utterly frantic. From childhood to adulthood, Lin Yu had never shown interest in any boy, and even by the time she graduated college, she had never had a boyfriend.
Yet there were plenty who adored Lin Yu—enough to form a line stretching from Shanghai to Pengcheng.
This time, Lin Yu had come to Pengcheng precisely to escape her mother's blind date arrangements.
And so, Zhou Yihang, being in Pengcheng, had been roped into this mess by his aunt.
As for Li Dong, if this meeting had been about planning their next party venue, playing some card games, or enjoying some Metal Mayhem, it would have been fine.
But what Li Dong never expected was that this damn fatty would dump a ticking time bomb on him.
The worst part? In their social circle, if someone's child started dating another family's daughter, it would spread like wildfire—there was no hiding it.
Besides, with the Lin family's background and resources, investigating where Li Dong had been living recently, how many girlfriends he'd had, or what he'd been up to would be child's play.
After all, nothing in this world stayed completely hidden.
A family capable of forming marriage alliances with Zhou Yihang's—how bad could they possibly be?
Just thinking about the chain of consequences made Li Dong's scalp tingle. This damn fatty had saddled him with such a massive headache.
Beautiful women meant trouble—especially those with powerful backgrounds.
At the moment, Li Dong was explaining the historical background of the firearm family in his hands to Lin Yu, covering aspects like caliber, disassembly, and safety.
But he quickly noticed that while the girl wore an expression of earnest attention, her big, beautiful eyes kept blinking up at him—who knew if she was actually listening?
Still, Li Dong gritted his teeth and continued the explanation, culminating in demonstrating how to release the safety and fire.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ten consecutive shots.
Every single one hit the bullseye.
"Brother Dong, you're amazing! Teach me how to shoot like that!" Lin Yu exclaimed sweetly, peering through the binoculars at the bullet holes in the distant target before grabbing Li Dong's forearm in admiration.
Zhou Yihang nearly choked hearing his cousin's sickeningly sweet tone—was this really the same fierce, violent girl he knew?
Let it be known that Lin Yu was a martial arts champion. Most men couldn't even beat her in a fight. Firearms weren't her forte yet, but she was already training.
But Zhou Yihang immediately received a sharp, warning glare from Lin Yu.
Though Li Dong felt somewhat pleased by the praise, his wariness only grew.
This girl was acting way too cutesy—almost like she was his natural kryptonite, and it all seemed deliberately put on.
Li Dong shot a glance at Zhou Yihang nearby, hoping for some assistance.
Zhou Yihang could only give him a look that said, "You're on your own." There was nothing he could do.
...
But the following hours turned out to be the most exhausting day Li Dong ever had at the outdoor shooting range.
There was no helping it.
This girl seized every opportunity to bombard Li Dong with endless questions, even exchanging contact information—he had no choice but to comply.
She was practically on the verge of asking what color his underwear was, as thorough as a census taker.
Enthusiastic, straightforward, pure, lively, full of energy...
Even if these traits were just an act Lin Yu was putting on, they still managed to unsettle Li Dong, because his body seemed to react to her in a certain way.
No, more accurately—it was genetic selection.
She affected him more than any girl he'd met before, giving him an almost intoxicating illusion.
Beautiful women with great looks and figures weren't uncommon for Li Dong, but few could evoke this kind of feeling in him.
Fortunately, two hours later, a phone call came to his rescue. A factory manager called, saying there was an issue with the equipment that required his immediate attention.
And so, under Lin Yu's resentful gaze, Li Dong made his exit.
"Cousin, what was that about just now?" The chubby Zhou Yihang stared at his cousin, who had reverted to her usual icy demeanor, utterly baffled.
"I don't know either. Don't ask." Lin Yu touched her face, still feeling the lingering warmth, equally bewildered by her own behavior.
She couldn't understand why she had acted that way.
It was as if she'd been bewitched, like those characters in movies under a Bewitchment Spell cast by a sorcerer.
"By the way, tell me everything you know about your good friend Li Dong."
"No problem."
Zhou Yihang sold out Li Dong without hesitation—after all, better him than me.
...
Back at the factory, Li Dong resumed handling various matters.
Lately, more and more people had been reaching out to him.
Mostly managers, executives, and bosses from different companies.
There was hardly any time to rest. Li Dong had even turned down invitations from many beautiful women, only attending business dinners with these bosses.
Within the circle of wealthy heirs, Li Dong was becoming increasingly enigmatic.
He'd grown harder to approach. Most of the idle rich kids knew Li Dong had risen to prominence, now doing business with self-made veterans.
By late October, Natural Disasters around the world were growing more frequent.
The global volcanic and seismic belts were constantly active. Even magnitude-8 earthquakes began striking regions or countries that had never experienced them before.
Many small neighboring countries of Great Xia suffered greatly.
Several magnitude-7+ earthquakes hit northwestern Great Xia, affecting hundreds of thousands. Fortunately, the nation's strong infrastructure and rapid emergency response kept casualties low, though the affected areas were reduced to ruins.
Other countries fared much worse.
Delayed rescue efforts led to massive death tolls.
Magnitude-8 earthquakes, especially in densely populated areas, claimed lives by the thousands. The Far Star Union also endured multiple magnitude-7+ quakes, with nearly a million people in disaster zones.
The relentless catastrophes across Blue Star pushed government agencies worldwide to their limits. Administrative fatigue peaked, efficiency declined, and there wasn't even a moment to catch their breath.
Some countries were hit by floods, others by wildfires, earthquakes, or tsunamis, while some were battered by super typhoons.
Vast nations, in particular, faced a relentless rotation of Natural Disasters.
Coupled with the ongoing extreme heat and drought, it was impossible to predict how many more lives would be lost.
Li Dong had donated tens of millions and emergency relief supplies for the earthquake in the northwest region of Daxia.
"This is just too much," he sighed that evening, watching the disaster relief reports on the news.
What a year of relentless calamities.
No—this was only the beginning of the Natural Disasters.
The destruction would grow more severe, the disasters more frequent.