[Chapter 543: Xu Qing's Rising Status, Merit Harvest]
At 9 a.m. on the 20th, Linton and his entourage boarded a Boeing 737 chartered by the White House, departing Washington. Due to the time difference, they arrived at Hong Kong Airport at 10:30 a.m. local time. Received by the Chinese diplomatic staff, the group smoothly checked into the hotel.
Once settled, Linton granted Li Xiaoran a two-week leave to reunite with her family. Afterwards, he greeted his aunt, and with her assistant-translator, two bodyguards, and two Secret Service agents, they descended to the lobby.
There stood Xu Qing, radiant as a blooming flower, poised elegantly alone at the center of the grand hotel lobby. Spotting Linton exiting the elevator, she suppressed her excitement and gracefully approached to shake his hand and greet him. Linton introduced her to Aunt Kelly.
They then proceeded to the parking lot, splitting into two vehicles.
...
The moment they got in the car, Xu Qing couldn't contain her feelings any longer. She threw herself into Linton's arms and planted a passionate kiss on him. "Darling, I missed you so much."
"Baby, I missed you too."
...
Back at Xu Qing's villa, the housekeeper had prepared a lavish lunch. Linton, Xu Qing, and Aunt Kelly sat at the main table, while the others dined in a separate room.
During the meal, Linton gave Aunt Kelly a detailed introduction of Xu Qing. Upon hearing that this was Xu Qing's home and seeing how inseparable and affectionate the couple seemed, Aunt Kelly shook her head silently at Linton's womanizing ways. Crossing an entire ocean couldn't stop him from chasing women; in fact, his boldness was only amplified as he openly visited a girl's home immediately after arriving.
Xu Qing admired Aunt Kelly's years of dedication to charity work, especially her efforts lifting impoverished rural regions out of poverty. But what made her prouder was knowing that the generous man who donated tens of millions of dollars annually without asking for anything in return -- that man was her beloved Linton.
When Xu Qing learned that Aunt Kelly was his only blood relative, she naturally greeted her warmly as "Auntie." Aunt Kelly was delighted. She had wanted to bring a gift but, having no prior notice, searching fruitlessly through her handbag, she felt a twinge of embarrassment.
"Xu Qing, it's all Linton's fault for not warning me earlier. I wasn't prepared with anything. We'll go shopping this afternoon and I'll pick out something you like."
"Auntie, we haven't seen each other for so long, but she probably won't have time to accompany you this afternoon," Linton said quickly, handing Aunt Kelly a bottle of Beauty Pills. "Why don't you start with this?"
"You little scoundrel, fine. You guys will be busy this afternoon. Xu Qing, take this now and we'll go shopping together another time."
"Thank you, Auntie," Xu Qing responded shyly, but gratefully accepted the gift.
...
The meal ended with everyone in high spirits. Xu Qing and Aunt Kelly hit it off, embracing their new family connection and promising to shop together whenever time allowed.
Linton was pleased; if everything went well with the merit harvest, his philanthropic focus would be expanding to other countries. His aunt might be spending quite sometime in China in future, so, it would be good to have a friend there who knew her well.
Involving Xu Qing moderately in charity work was also beneficial for her.
"Xu Qing, are you travelling with us tomorrow to inspect the newly built roads and schools in South Columbia?"
"Auntie, I'm sorry. I can't go with you tomorrow. I'm still shooting a TV series. Today I managed to get a day off."
"That's fine. Work comes first."
"Auntie, Xu Qing has to rush back to the States with me soon to act in a Hollywood film, so she's currently hustling on her TV series," Linton explained.
Earlier this year, Xu Qing had accepted the female lead role in the TV drama Coming and Going. The original filming was scheduled for May 10 to August 25 -- three and a half months.
After returning for early May shooting, Xu Qing began as planned. But shortly after, Linton called to ask if she wanted to join the Hollywood production of Final Destination 2. Though not the lead role, it was a substantial supporting character. Such a golden chance wasn't something she'd even be considered if not for Linton's involvement. Naturally, she agreed.
The production team promptly sent a fax inviting her to join.
Landing a Hollywood movie role meant the opportunity to break into the international market and possibly become a global star.
Everyone in the domestic entertainment circle coveted such a break.
So, her status in the local industry soared overnight. Established stars and industry veterans awkwardly sought her out, trying to curry favor and fish for insider secrets about how to get a Hollywood part.
Xu Qing chose to cloak the truth in vague "luck" whenever asked.
Actually, as a "Beautiful Angel" starlet promoted heavily in the West, she already had a decent fan base in Europe and America. But separated by the Pacific and with no Internet, information flow was slow. She hadn't planned to capitalize on the buzz, and the domestic market remained mostly unaware.
As time passed, media outlets captivated by America's "Land of Opportunity" myth, naturally began focusing on the buzz around Vitality Pills and Beauty Pills. Some reporters even traveled to a supplier's shop in LA to take photos for their stories.
Their surprise peaked when they learned that among the Western-celebrated "Beautiful Angels" was actually a Chinese star, Xu Qing -- proof that her beauty had conquered America's shores.
This was sensational news, warranting extensive coverage. Several media outlets ran follow-up stories that spread Xu Qing's fame across the country, skyrocketing her popularity.
Rumors of each Beautiful Angel earning a $10 million annual endorsement fee were met with skepticism -- $10 million in U.S. dollars converts to over 80 million RMB, an astronomical amount no local media dared publish.
Her signature cheongsam style became the trend set by many top socialites vying to emulate.
The most tangible proof of her rising influence was her rapid ascension as the production's core. Both the producer and director had begun revolving around her storyline.
Later, after confirming his itinerary, Linton decided to arrive a few days early to leave with Xu Qing on August 3rd's chartered flight to the U.S.
After treating the crew to several lavish dinners, director and staff agreed to her accelerated filming schedule.
So despite her deep wish to spend the entire trip by Linton's side, she was compelled to hustle overtime on set.
Even their reunion today was a rare, precious day off she'd managed to negotiate.
...
After lunch, Xu Qing arranged rest quarters for Aunt Kelly and the entourage, then eagerly pulled Linton up to the third floor.
More than two months apart had left both aching for each other's company. An intimate game soon began...
The air filled with joyous and passionate melodies.
To keep the noise from disturbing Aunt Kelly's rest downstairs, Linton cleverly cast a silent barrier spell.
As expected, during their intimate encounter, Linton noticed Xu Qing's popularity had clearly risen since two months before.
...
The next morning, Linton's group parted ways with Xu Qing.
She returned to the studio to hustle on Coming and Going, while Linton's party headed to the airport and met Li Bingbing, who was waiting there. They boarded a flight to Colombia.
Since Xu Qing was busy filming, Linton planned to tend to two other "fish" in his pond.
He notified Li Bingbing in advance to act as his special assistant accompanying him to Colombia to inspect the philanthropy projects.
Li Bingbing arrived in professional attire: a crisp white chiffon blouse, black knee-length skirt with stockings, and classic black pumps. She was both youthful and sharp -- a perfect urban professional, fitting the special assistant image.
Yet, upon seeing Linton, she promptly threw herself into his arms, shattering Aunt Kelly's pristine vision of a composed assistant.
Kelly silently understood: Linton was obviously using the "special assistant" title as a guise to flirt. She found his womanizing exasperating.
Thinking of Xu Qing, she wanted to scold Linton but held back -- it was a public setting, and with Linton's growing fame, maintaining his image was paramount.
...
Upon landing in Popayán, Colombia, the city officials greeted them with full respect. Two leading local leaders met Linton personally, thanking him for his ongoing contributions to Puelenje.
Including this year's latest $50 million donation, Linton's total charity investment in Puelenje had surpassed $80 million. This had immeasurably improved infrastructure and education in the most impoverished areas.
More importantly, according to philanthropy coordinator Kelly Clayt, provided the rebuilt roads and schools truly benefited the needy and met Linton's quality standards, more charitable projects would steadily follow.
That afternoon, escorted by the city officials, Linton's group inspected five newly completed roads and twenty schools.
Since his grandmother's hometown county's roads and schools had been mostly finished, this charity work targeted the other five poorest counties under his care.
As anticipated, upon entering the first county, Linton sensed the power of merit -- he clearly felt it gradually seeping into his body in subtle waves. His internal cultivation automatically activated, greedily merging the merit energy with his own magical power.
The closer he approached the new roads, the stronger the merit energy became. Standing on the fresh pavement, it flowed in like a gentle stream, and his cultivation was a like hungry tiger, voraciously integrating the merit energy.
The local government had arranged for numerous residents and donors to line the roadside in appreciation. Banners expressing thanks waved at various points.
At the far end of the new road, Linton stepped down to chat with locals, learning firsthand how the road had boosted their livelihoods.
It was clear the new highway played a vital role in lifting residents out of poverty. Their heartfelt gratitude and hopeful outlook for the future deeply touched him.
Half an hour later, the merit energy in the area had been mostly absorbed. Linton returned to the vehicle to continue absorbing residual energies along the route.
He spent the entire afternoon steeped in the pleasure of cultivating with merit energy, fully drawing the energy from the road corridor.
As he'd predicted, charitable merit power was strongest shortly after completion when beneficiaries' gratitude burned brightest.
In just one afternoon, the merit energy coverage within his power grew nearly 0.7%.
That evening, after a simple dinner, he declined further entertainment offers and naturally retreated to his hotel room with Li Bingbing.
Joyful, sweet melodies once again filled the air...
...
After a silent night, the next morning Linton, accompanied by the city and local government representatives, visited the four newly built schools.
In gratitude, all the teachers and students were present.
At each school, Linton spent around thirty minutes exchanging warm conversations with teacher and student representatives, though the core purpose was absorbing merit energy.
The four schools yielded him a vast amount of merit energy. Combined with the previous day's intake, this county's roads and schools granted him an additional 1% merit power coverage within his cultivation.
He could distinctly feel his supernatural power and divine perception becoming purer, with his spiritual awareness radius expanding from 35 kilometers to 38 kilometers.
Without pause, accompanied by the officials, he inspected another four roads and sixteen schools.
The officials were deeply impressed with his dedication and felt compelled to intensify oversight of ongoing projects to ensure quality.
Linton, meanwhile, gained enormously: the golden light of merit power brilliantly infused the center of his cultivation, with coverage rising to 7.5% of his total supernatural power.
His power and spiritual perception were further refined; his awareness radius now astonishingly stretched to 50 kilometers.
This meant that from downtown Los Angeles, his spiritual perception could effortlessly cover the entire metro area.
It was an overwhelming gain, thoroughly breaking his cultivation bottleneck and strengthening his resolve to start philanthropic investments in other countries.
He firmly believed that once his cultivation was fully enveloped in merit power, overcoming the Astral Dominion tribulation would be no challenge at all.
To test his theories on merit energy, he ended the day visiting his grandmother's hometown to see his great-uncle's family out of genuine affection.
As expected, the merit power there was virtually nonexistent.
It seemed merit energy from charity could only be harvested once -- and only when locals' gratitude was fresh and strong shortly after benefit began.
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