Xu Mu was momentarily dazed by Xu Ningbing's smile.
Normally, she was cold and expressionless, but when she smiled suddenly—it was breathtaking, enough to topple kingdoms.
"Sis, when you smile like that, you're actually quite beautiful," Xu Mu praised.
"Only quite beautiful?"
Her smile vanished immediately, but above her head appeared a line of text:
[Favorability +5]
"I thought you weren't the type to care about appearances."
Xu Mu took out a manual. "Here—use your phone to take a picture. This is a cultivation technique."
"A technique?" Xu Ningbing blinked in surprise. "You got this from that elder?"
"That's right. I traded some fine wine for it." Xu Mu nodded lightly.
Her reaction didn't surprise him.
For someone who had just stepped into martial cultivation, she couldn't possibly know how precious a cultivation technique was.
Meng Wanyue was already a martial artist, so her response had been very different.
"Alright!"
Xu Ningbing immediately took out her phone and photographed the Yellow-Rank technique.
"Don't try to practice it on your own," Xu Mu reminded her. "After work, ask Dad to guide you. For someone who just started, even a Yellow-Rank art will be difficult to grasp."
He didn't plan to give her a Profound-Rank one yet—he'd wait until she reached the Hidden Force stage.
With that done, Xu Mu took his leave.
Back in his office, he sat in the executive chair and closed his eyes to think.
His current situation wasn't bad.
Both Ye Yu and Xu Ningbing's favorability had turned positive.
Ye Yu had a Fate Level 9, while Xu Ningbing had Fate Level 10.
His own cultivation was steadily improving, but there was one major weakness: he lacked strong allies.
Beyond Lin Yan's lingering threat, the Xu family still faced potential danger from the Dragon King and the hidden clans.
As he pondered this, his phone buzzed.
He glanced at the screen—it was Feng Yue.
He answered, "Hello."
"Brother Xu, did you forget about me? I already said I'm willing to follow you, but you didn't even give me a reply."
Feng Yue's voice came through the receiver, teasing yet faintly resentful.
"I've been busy preparing things. Come meet me at the company," Xu Mu said.
In truth, he'd completely forgotten about her while focused on Xu Ningbing—but of course, he couldn't admit that.
"I'm already outside your company," Feng Yue replied.
Xu Mu smiled faintly. So, she finally understood her position between them.
He left his office and went downstairs.
Using his perception, he quickly located her—waiting at the same spot she had last time.
That place immediately brought back certain memories of what had happened between them.
This time, instead of sitting in the back seat, he took the front passenger seat.
Feng Yue, wearing sunglasses, turned to him. "Brother Xu is sitting in the front today—looks like we've gotten a little closer."
"Not a little closer. We've already been at negative distance," Xu Mu said, folding his arms.
Feng Yue gave a sultry smile. "That's right—negative seventeen centimeters, wasn't it?"
Xu Mu was speechless for a moment, then looked at her. "When I said that, weren't you supposed to blush and cover your face shyly?"
"I'm not that kind of woman," she said with a smirk. "But if Brother Xu prefers it, I can act the part."
She started the car and drove toward the outskirts of the city.
"No need," Xu Mu replied calmly. "Just be yourself."
As she drove, he took out his phone and sent her a message.
Feng Yue didn't check it yet—her hands were on the wheel. "What did you just send me?"
"The formula and manufacturing process for the Beauty Pill," Xu Mu said evenly. "It's effective for skincare and clearing acne—visible results after a single use."
Hearing that, Feng Yue nearly lost control of the steering wheel.
She steadied herself, heart pounding. The Xu family producing a slimming pill was already impressive, but now this—beauty pills? It fit their pattern perfectly.
"Brother Xu, why are you giving this to me?"
She forced herself to calm down. To her, this was a gold mine—just like the weight-loss medicine, a guaranteed hit.
"I need you to start a beauty company," Xu Mu said lazily, hands behind his head. "Use this pill to gather wealth."
"So… you want me to run a subsidiary of the Xu Group?" she asked.
"No," Xu Mu replied. "It has nothing to do with the Xu family. You'll only have one boss—me. The company's yours. I just take a royalty."
He gave her a sidelong glance. "We'll split the profits 30–70."
"Brother Xu, won't your father question you for giving this formula to me?"
By now, they'd driven past the city limits. Feng Yue parked by the roadside and turned to him.
"This medicine is mine—it has nothing to do with anyone else," Xu Mu said calmly. "So, do you have confidence in making this company succeed?"
"As long as it works as you say, I'm confident."
She opened the message and examined the formula—pure Chinese herbs again. "Brother Xu, the slimming pill you released made one big mistake."
"Oh? What mistake?" Xu Mu asked.
"This world runs on comparison."
Removing her sunglasses, she smiled. "Say you have a hundred yuan—you'd feel poor. But if everyone around you only has one, you'd suddenly feel rich."
"I get it," Xu Mu said with a laugh. "You're saying beauty itself is born from comparison."
"Exactly. When everyone can buy slimming pills and lose weight anytime, there's no urgency."
She waved her phone. "But if I limit production of Beauty Pills each month, people will fight to buy them. Whoever gets one first will be prettier a month earlier—and that sense of competition will drive sales."
Xu Mu chuckled. "You think the Xu family didn't consider that? We just wanted quick cash flow to stabilize our operations."
"I see. My apologies, I spoke out of turn," she said with a small laugh.
"But your company can adopt that approach," Xu Mu continued.
He then forwarded her the collection of videos Meng Wanyue had compiled—the ones involving victims of honey-trap scams. "Take a look when you have time. You might find them useful."
"Alright," she nodded.
"If that's all, take me back. Start preparing your company plans," Xu Mu said calmly.
Feng Yue looked at him in surprise. A faint text floated above her head:
[Favorability +?]
"Brother Xu, just how deep is your mind?" she asked softly.
"What do you mean?" Xu Mu frowned slightly.
"I mean—I'm your woman now. I've already benefited from you. And we've even… been together once."
She stared at him. "I thought you'd be like every other man—asking me to 'repay' you again."
She could hardly believe it. Was this really the same Xu Mu as before?
It seemed he'd never truly been interested in her. His approach back then was purely to expose the mole in the Xu Group.
Feng Yue prided herself on understanding men—but the one before her, she couldn't read at all.
"Thanks for the reminder," Xu Mu said lightly, glancing at her. "I almost forgot—you're actually quite attractive yourself."