The office was immersed in an almost ceremonial silence, broken only by the whisper of scrolls and the golden glow of lanterns reflecting across the crystalline surfaces of spirit stones. Adrián reviewed balance sheets and projections, but his mind was far from numbers: the adrenaline from the previous day, the kiss with Lin Yue, the lingering tension with Ye Chen… everything blended with administrative monotony.
The door opened.
Adrián did not look up immediately. It was the voice, soft and unexpected, that forced him to react.
"Adrián…"
Su Meilan entered without her veil.
He raised his gaze… and froze.
There was no possible comparison. Her face held an unsettling perfection: the serene shape of her eyes, the delicate curve of her lips, the faint glow that seemed to emanate from her skin. For a moment, balances, figures, and plans vanished as if they had never existed.
She sat beside him naturally, as if nothing extraordinary had just happened.
"The spirit stones," she commented, pointing at the documents. "Profits have increased more than expected."
Her tone was calm, professional.
Adrián inhaled slowly and forced his mind back onto familiar ground.
"Good," he said. "But money must not remain idle. It needs to move. We should create a bank… or something similar. Low-interest loans are dangerous in the cultivation world—if the debtor dies, you lose everything. But a purchase and pawn house… tangible collateral. That works."
Su Meilan nodded thoughtfully.
"And not only that," Adrián continued. "We can build an investment empire. Provide capital and let others assume operational risk. Everything becomes scalable if properly structured."
Without realizing it, the distance between them shrank. It wasn't intentional; it simply happened, as if the space had yielded to a silent force. Their shoulders brushed. Their hands barely touched.
The conversation lost importance.
They were too close.
Their lips met first in a timid, almost curious brush. Then the kiss deepened—slow, steady, natural.
Su Meilan pulled back slightly.
"No…" she whispered.
But her body did not retreat. Her eyes did not turn away.
Adrián held her by the waist, drawing her closer again. The kiss lengthened, intense and inevitable, as if everything that had grown since their first meeting had waited for this moment to bloom.
Time ceased to exist.
Then, the sharp crack of the baseboard opening shattered the world.
"What is going on here?!" a rough voice roared.
Su Meilan's father filled the office with his presence before even crossing the threshold.
Adrián tensed immediately. His hands still rested on Su Meilan's waist. His heart pounded violently, aware that a single mistake could turn that moment into catastrophe… financial and personal.
Su Meilan straightened instantly. The warmth in her gaze cooled, tempered now by respect and nervous tension. Without her veil, her father could see his daughter's face completely. His stare was calculating, protective, and dangerous.
"Father," she said firmly. "Nothing is out of control. We were reviewing balances and investment proposals."
Adrián stepped back, releasing her waist, but not moving too far away. His posture was alert, almost defensive. When he met the old man's gaze, he understood he would need more than diplomacy.
"Ah, of course…" the man replied with a crooked smile. "Balances, investments… and rather suspicious proximity, don't you think, boy?"
Adrián cleared his throat.
"No, sir. We were simply discussing projects and expansion strategies."
Su Meilan slightly frowned, maintaining her composure.
"I trust Adrián and his professionalism," she added. "There is no reason for alarm."
The manager of the Chamber of Commerce observed them silently. His eyes, sharp as market blades, read beyond their words: the flush on his daughter's face, the tension in Adrián's body, the electricity still lingering between them.
Finally, he spoke, his voice low and dangerous.
"Tell me, brat…" he said. "You're not thinking you can have two women, are you?"
Adrián stared into the void for a second longer than socially acceptable, ignoring Su Meilan's father's piercing gaze.
Inside his mind, a blinking red interface exploded into life.
Messages appeared with violent, almost aggressive speed.
[DING! DING! DING!][REGIONAL ECONOMIC COLLAPSE ALERT]
System:"Listen carefully, you piece of—! Your damn 'optimization' has pulverized the local ecosystem! Traditional merchants can't compete with your prices, the herb market has collapsed, and spirit stone inflation is out of control. You've triggered an economic depression in the middle of the tournament arc!"
"That isn't my fault," Adrián replied mentally, with a calmness bordering on offensive. "It's simple inefficiency. If they can't adapt, the market eliminates them. Financial natural selection."
System:(Furious static)"Son of—! Don't quote Adam Smith to me! If the economy collapses, the Second Heroine—the young master of the Southern Alchemist Clan—will go bankrupt before the Hero can 'rescue' her by buying her debt. The entire heroic rescue subplot collapses!"
A new window violently unfolded.
[MANDATORY MISSION ACTIVATED]Name: The Heroine Economic Rescue PlanObjective: Prevent Li Xiao, the Second Heroine, from going bankrupt.Required Action: Inject liquidity or create a business model that does not destroy her clan.System Warning: I don't care how you do it. Do it or DIE. And it won't be quick: I'll give you a soul cramp that lasts three reincarnations.
The interface shut down.
Adrián blinked and returned to the office.
Su Meilan's father was still there, arms crossed. Su Meilan watched him carefully, sensing—without fully understanding—that something had changed within him.
"Sir," Adrián finally said firmly, "regarding your earlier comment… I have no intention of playing lightly with personal alliances."
He paused briefly, as if recalibrating priorities.
"But I've just identified a market opportunity we cannot ignore."
That caught both of their attention.
"The price adjustments we triggered are pressuring several high-level producers," he continued. "Some clans are not prepared to operate under margins this tight. If we act now, we can absorb their production, secure strategic supply lines, and consolidate positions without resorting to force."
Su Meilan slightly frowned.
"Alchemist clans?" she asked. "From the south?"
Adrián looked at her. He neither confirmed nor denied. That was enough.
The name appeared on its own in her mind.
Li Xiao.
The Pearl of Alchemy.
Too much talent, too much pride… and a fragile financial structure.
Su Meilan's eyes sharpened.
"You're talking about turning a crisis into control," she said slowly. "Entering while they still believe they can resist."
Su Meilan's father released a low, dangerous laugh.
"Well now, boy…" he said. "You don't just break markets—you want to own them without them realizing it."
Adrián shrugged calmly.
"It isn't ownership," he replied. "It's strategic investment. Support in exchange for future equity. They survive. We gain stability."
Silence.
Su Meilan observed him with a new mixture of unease and understanding.
"And if they refuse?" she asked.
Adrián did not smile.
"Then someone else will seize the opportunity," he said. "The market does not wait."
The old man studied him for a long moment, as if evaluating a weapon he had not yet decided to wield.
"You are dangerous," he declared. "Not because you take women… but because you make difficult decisions seem inevitable."
Adrián slightly inclined his head.
"I simply make the world function, sir."
And while Su Meilan thought about Li Xiao—her beauty, her pride, and how close she must be to collapse without realizing it—Adrián was already one step ahead.
Not as a savior.Not as a villain.
But as someone who turns crises… into assets.