Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Hong Dali was rather famous now because of his previous fight with Bei Yuanqing. Hence, nobody dared to mock him now—of course, the most important reason was still Gu Feifei’s presence…
The two of them continued along the road that led them outside the campus. After a short while, Gu Feifei led Hong Dali into a small restaurant.
It was indeed tiny—around the size of a fast-food restaurant.
Hong Dali sat down with Gu Feifei and glanced around. There were only a few people inside the tiny restaurant when they entered. Most of them were students from poorer backgrounds within the Royal Family. Once they saw Gu Feifei and Hong Dali walk in, they instantly turned around and finished up their food as soon as possible before paying and leaving.
The restaurant was instantly empty…
“Hm, alright.” Gu Feifei looked at Hong Dali without any expressions. “Since you’re in the same room as me, as the old member of the room, I have to welcome you properly. However, I have no money. Hence, I can only afford to treat you to a random bite here. Any objections?”
Hm, Hong Dali was certain now. He did not dare to show any dissatisfaction, as that would definitely result in him being thrown out.
Of course, where he would land was not certain…
“No objections. None at all!” Hong Dali shook his head ferociously. “We’ll eat whatever you decide. I’m not picky at all!”
“Good.” Gu Feifei nodded lightly. She was quite satisfied with Hong Dali’s behavior. She called the boss and said, “Boss, two ramen, small ones. No need to put anything. The cheapest one will do.”
Hong Dali: “…”
Aren’t you a little too frugal? Ramen is fine. But no toppings at all?!
Hong Dali wanted to order some mains to add on. However, once he thought about Gu Feifei’s unwillingness to accept help… Forget it, I still want to live for another few years.
“Alright!” The boss heard Gu Feifei’s order and went into the kitchen.
Although they were also called noodles, the noodles here were very different from the ones found on Earth. After all, the original ingredient was not normal white rice. Instead, they were supposedly made from some decent flour found in the universe. After some processing, they were shaped into noodles for consumption.
After all, one Shenglong Dollar was equivalent to 10,000 Galaxy Dollars. It was impossible for the quality of the ingredients to be too low.
“Hm, just try and eat some.” Gu Feifei sat in a relaxed manner. Her expression did not reveal any specific emotions. “I can’t compare with you financially, so don’t look down on me. You can eat whatever good stuff you want when we go back. As for this meal, I can only treat you to noodles.”
“No problem.” Hong Dali beamed with delight. “If we’re rich, we eat well. If we’re poor, we eat noodles. What matters most is the intention.”
…
On the other side, in the Hong Family estate.
Hua Yueling stood in the main hall of the Family Control Center. At this moment, the main hall was already filled with technicians. Shockingly though, the only members of the Hong Family present were Hong Weiguo and Lan Ruoxi. Liu Yihui and Mu Tie, who followed Hong Weiguo here, were allowed to be present. Finally, an unexpected person was seen here as well—the incorrigible, scheming Hong Jianye.
“Conduct full surveillance on all the businesses under the Bei and Zhu families. Report any anomalies immediately.” Old Madam Hua Yueling ordered all the technicians. “You’re not allowed to miss any piece of information. Otherwise, I’ll personally hold you responsible!”
“Yes, Mistress!” All the technicians replied in unison.
The Marriage Annulment Challenge was already made. The Bei and Zhu families had made their moves on Hong Dali in the Divine College. Naturally, the Hong Family would not just sit back and watch. As the longest-lasting head of the three main families, nobody knew about the hidden powers that the Hong Family possessed. However, everyone was aware that if they decided to strike, it would definitely be a devastating blow that exceeded everyone’s expectations.
“Weiguo, come and sit here.” Hua Yueling sat on the sofa and waved at Hong Weiguo and the rest. “We’re all family. There’s no need to be reserved.”
Hong Weiguo and the rest immediately sat down. Hua Yueling asked, “You are aware of the entire situation. What recommendations do you have?”
Hua Yueling already suspected that there was a high-ranking mole in the Hong Family since the time when Hong Dali broke into the Elixir Room. Hence, she did not bring anyone along this time apart from Hong Weiguo and the rest who had just recently arrived. Apart from them, she brought along Hong Jianye, the incorrigible man. When it came to strategizing against the Bei and Zhu families, Hong Jianye would definitely be a wild card.
“Judging from the current conditions,” Hong Weiguo touched his chin and thought for a while before speaking, “the Bei and Zhu families have been plotting a takeover of our Hong Family’s position for a long time. Hence, they must be better prepared than us. If we rush into things, we will just disrupt ourselves. My suggestion is therefore to use the rule of using no change to counter all kinds of changes. We must strengthen our defenses in all areas and form alliances with other large families.”
Everyone else nodded in unison. “Yes, that’s right.”
“In that case,” Hua Yueling said, “now that the Zhu Family has declared war against us, if our Hong Family blindly charges into the battle, we will be flanked by both families and suffer a great loss. By then, our old man will definitely be affected significantly and lose his life in the duel. Our Hong Family will cease to exist. Correct?”
“Something like that.” Hong Jianye was the scheming type. He nodded and said, “If everything is going as expected, those two families are definitely waiting on us to strike first. By then, their ambush will not only hurt our troops but also affect our Hong Family’s morale. A failed assault by us and a successful defense by them would result in huge differences. Hence, we cannot afford to be careless now.”
This was like how the Bei and Zhu families rushed over to embarrass the Hong Family, yet were sent back after being embarrassed. A failed mission by the assaulting side would hurt their confidence significantly.
“Yes. I was in no rush to act after witnessing the state they were in when they left here back then.” Hua Yueling agreed. “We must prepare well for everything. It’s more effective to chop off one finger than to damage all five. We must achieve tangible results when we strike. You’re called Jianye, right? Although I heard that you’re greedy and perverted, you seem to have some decent ideas. Then, let me ask you this. What good ideas do you have now? If it’s a useful one, I’ll give you all the money and women you desire!”
Hong Jianye was definitely one of Hong Dali’s main opponents as a senior in the family. He was boastful, greedy, and perverted. However, he had one distinct characteristic—he was incorrigible. Furthermore, his schemes were wild and he had no reservations even if they involved his allies…
“Ah? You really want me to say it?” Hong Jianye looked around and gulped. “Then, I’ll really say it…”
Everyone nodded. “Hurry and speak!”
“Hm, judging by our current level of strength,” Hong Jianye said, “our odds are only around 50/50 if we strike preemptively. Our Hong Family ranks at the top of the three main families and Old Master Hong is the strongest warrior in the entire Royal Family. However, there must be many warriors on a similar level as him in the Bei and Zhu families, right?”
“That’s right.” Hua Yueling nodded. “After all, we are the three main families. That Bei Yuanqing can only be considered as the number one genius under thirty in his family. For those above thirty years old, there are plenty of Fourth Order, Fifth Order, or even peak Star Sector-level warriors. They are all manning their respective families’ businesses outside. If this evolves into a full-blown war and they all return, our victory will come at great cost.”
“That’s it.” Hong Jianye nodded. “We have to obtain the biggest returns at the smallest cost. How do we do that? Hehe, I know just the person. If this guy was placed into the Battle of Red Cliffs, he would play the role of Zhu Geliang!”
During the Battle of Red Cliffs, Zhu Geliang’s performance was definitely a highlight. If someone was on the same level as him…
Hong Weiguo, Mu Tie, and Liu Yihui shared a glance. Then, they said in unison, “Hong Dali!”
“Fourth Brother, are you planning to involve Dali in this?” Hong Weiguo knew his fourth brother best. He instantly understood from his expression that he was plotting something. “No, no way. Our Dali is just a prodigal. You expect him to fight those from Bei and Zhu guys? What if something happens to him? What will we do then?”
Hong Dali was the doted child of the Hong Family. If anything happened to him, Hong Xingyu would definitely lose his temper.
Hua Yueling’s gaze turned cold. If her sweetheart Hong Dali really suffered an accident because of this, she would not mind murdering Hong Jianye’s entire family…
“Ah, don’t look at me like that. It’s not that serious.” Hong Jianye was relaxed. “Actually, I’ve been researching about Dali’s luck recently. I’ve discovered something very interesting.”
“Hm, speak.” Hong Weiguo was most concerned about his beloved son. He hurriedly said, “What’s wrong with his luck?”
“To put it simply,” Hong Jianye smiled and said, “the greater the crisis that he faces, the more terrifying his luck becomes. I think you’ve all felt that before. More importantly, there’s a crucial character by Dali’s side, a member of the Holy Grail, Lucifer.”
“Lucifer?” Hong Weiguo frowned. Soon, he remembered. “You mean that blonde heartbreaker?”
“Yep, that’s right. That’s him.” Hong Jianye nodded and said, “He’s the type to bring bad luck unto others. Dali, on the other hand, brings good luck. Now the problem is this. Our current goal is to obtain the best results with the least cost. If we throw Hong Dali and his team into the center of the storm while we tidy up after the mess he’s created and ensure his safety at the same time, that will be the best-case scenario.”
All the other things he said were fine. His final sentence about ensuring Hong Dali’s safety was well-received. The Old Madam nodded and said, “If that’s the case, it should be acceptable.” Then, she looked at Hong Weiguo and the others. “Do you think what he said makes sense?”
“I think it’s doable.” Hong Weiguo carefully thought for a while and said, “Dali doesn’t like to fight and kill. Hence, if we ask him to stir up some trouble and leave the fighting to others, it should be fine.”
“What about you?” Hua Yueling turned to look at Mu Tie and Liu Yihui.
Hong Dali had not been here for long, so Hua Yueling was not that aware of his actual strength. However, most of the people present here were Hong Dali’s seniors. They should be good judges for this situation.
“I think it’s fine.” Liu Yihui still rememberer how Hong Dali caused trouble for him. “This kid is amazing!”
Right on cue, a guard hurriedly walked in. After he greeted the Hua Yueling politely, he reported, “Mistress, we just received news from the Divine College. Young Master Dali fought with Bei Yuanqing from the Bei Family today at the foreign branch of the Divine College. Bei Yuanqing was completely defeated and Young Master Dali won easily.”
As expected, they fought!
Hua Yueling originally sent Hong Dali to the Divine College just to prevent him from facing attacks by people from the Beis and Zhus. However, they ended up fighting the moment they entered the Divine College! In the end, Hong Dali won in a dominant fashion!
Hua Yueling instantly relaxed. She smiled so widely that her mouth could not close up. “Hahaha, my sweetheart, not bad, amazing!”
This was great news. Hua Yueling immediately ordered a guard, “Hurry, pass this message on to the old man. Make him happy!”
“Yes, Mistress.” The guard instantly left.
Everyone else perked up as well. Hong Jianye laughed and said, “Since that’s the case, things will be easier. From now on, we just have to do this to ensure the demise of the Bei Family and Zhu Family!”
