CHAPTER 96: CHAPTER 97 – VEINS OF SILVER, SHADOWS OF INTENT

The air inside the Guojin Business Tower felt different today—not tense, not hostile, but measured, like something was quietly being evaluated. Lin Feng stepped into the penthouse-level meeting hall of RisenCore Capital, flanked by Li Shuang and Gu Qingxue. His recent exposure of Spectron’s covert operations had not only captured public interest but had stirred an unexpected countercurrent within the upper echelons of the financial sector.

Sitting near the head of the long conference table, casually sipping from a jade-colored ceramic cup, was the woman Lin Feng was here to meet—Qin Xue.

"Chairman Lin," she greeted, standing up with a warm smile that didn’t reach her eyes. "Or should I say, the young wolf shaking the mountain?"

Her voice was clear, magnetic—public-school articulation coated in aristocratic ease. Dressed in a slate-gray cheongsam with silver silk embroidery, she looked like a symbol of quiet dominance, a contrast to the more aggressive power players Lin Feng had previously encountered.

"I’m not interested in shaking mountains," Lin Feng said evenly. "Only in building something that won’t crumble when they fall."

Qin Xue let out a short laugh. "Then let’s talk about foundations."

The room was quiet, but not empty. Along the walls were her assistants—three men and two women—dressed sharply, holding no devices, their eyes trained on Lin Feng like a chessboard was already in motion. Li Shuang stiffened at his side, her instincts whispering danger, while Gu Qingxue remained outwardly composed, but she’d already subtly activated her smartwatch’s silent recorder.

Lin Feng took his seat opposite Qin Xue, his posture relaxed, eyes observant.

"Let’s not waste time, Miss Qin," he said. "You didn’t call me here to offer partnership. Not just that."

"No, not just that," Qin Xue agreed. "But you’ve disrupted too many plans recently. Spectron, Huayi Media, even the Fangzhou acquisition... all at once? Clever. But also clumsy. It forced some of us to come out earlier than expected."

Lin Feng didn’t flinch. "’Us’? So the net is bigger than Spectron."

"It always is," Qin Xue replied. "You’ve been fighting the front lines, Lin Feng. But while you were winning battles, others have been preparing the board behind the curtain. And unfortunately for you... you’re still new to this game."

"I make up for it in speed," he said. "And allies."

"That’s the part that makes you dangerous," she admitted, folding her hands. "The women around you—each more capable than the last. Not ornamental. Functional. Emotionally invested. The system has been watching."

Lin Feng blinked, just once. He hadn’t expected that term—"the system"—to come from her lips.

Qin Xue noted his reaction.

"You think I don’t know?" she said, voice low. "The funds you used to buy Jade River Technology? The way every investment aligns with a coincidental favorability increase from a female associate? The sudden mastery of negotiation, martial arts, even legal defense?"

The room chilled. Li Shuang leaned forward.

"You’re saying... you know about—?"

"I don’t need to know how it works," Qin Xue interrupted. "Only that it does. And that you’re not the only one chosen."

That turned the room.

For the first time, Lin Feng narrowed his eyes. "Another system user?"

"No," Qin Xue said simply. "A sponsor. A patron. And I’m their voice in this sector."

She leaned forward, her eyes now serious. "You’re disrupting a ten-year sequence that’s been carefully laid out. The Crimson Circle was only a single artery in a vast network of succession and dominance. You were a statistical anomaly. Now, you’re a contagion."

Lin Feng’s voice was calm. "So this is a warning?"

"No," she said. "This is a mirror. I want you to see that your rise is not without consequence. You’ve earned admiration from some, but hatred from many more. I’m here to offer you options."

Li Shuang shifted, her voice like steel. "Options?"

Qin Xue gestured to the folder in front of her. She slid it across the table.

"Inside is a proposal. You step back from public acquisitions. Focus only on your private ventures. In exchange, you’ll get access to a higher-tier investment circle—offshore platforms, inner-regime auctions, ghost-bid consortiums. Money won’t be your limit. Visibility will."

Gu Qingxue frowned, taking the folder and flipping through the contents.

Lin Feng didn’t even look. "And if I decline?"

Qin Xue’s smile vanished.

"You’ll force our hand. We’ll accelerate the reabsorption of Crimson Circle’s remaining networks. Guo Yuwei is already under pressure. Xinyue Designs? About to lose their Italian import license. Even Tianyu Media’s CFO received a foreign audit warning this morning."

She said it without emotion. As if merely reciting moves in a program.

Lin Feng looked around the room. "You think I’ll cave under pressure?"

"I think you care about people more than you admit," Qin Xue said. "That’s what makes you strong—and weak."

Gu Qingxue snapped the folder shut. "Your offer is poison. Dressed up as favor."

"It’s still a door," Qin Xue said. "Most don’t even get that."

Lin Feng stood. "I don’t take shortcuts. And I don’t step back."

He glanced at the folder again before turning.

"But thank you for confirming the size of the enemy."

Later That Evening

The rain hadn’t started yet, but the clouds over City South hinted at a storm. Lin Feng sat in his downtown penthouse, the lights off, only the skyline illuminating his contemplative face.

His phone buzzed. A message from Zhao Ruoxi.

"Shengyuan Real Estate just canceled our venue contract for the charity gala."

He didn’t respond. Another message came through—this time from Xia Bingbing.

"A private equity group tried to poach three engineers from our startup division. Offered double salaries."

Gu Qingxue walked in, holding two cups of tea. She placed one silently by his side.

"They’re coming faster now," she said.

"I expected this," Lin Feng said. "But the timing’s still annoying."

She sat beside him. "Qin Xue isn’t just a player. She’s a handler. Which means someone above her has eyes on you."

Lin Feng sipped his tea. "That means I’m climbing high enough to be seen."

"And therefore... dangerous," Gu Qingxue finished.

He turned to her. "We need to accelerate. Prepare a rebranding launch for the new luxury lifestyle app. Partner with Yulan Group and MeiZhu Cosmetics. Hit two markets at once."

Gu Qingxue raised an eyebrow. "You’re still planning expansions while they try to sabotage?"

"They want me scared," Lin Feng said. "But I don’t play defense."

There was a moment of silence before Gu Qingxue said, quietly, "And the system?"

He nodded. "It just triggered again."

[Favorability Update: Xia Bingbing - 81% (+1%)]

[Cashback: ¥3.2 million received]

[Skill Reward: Choose one of the following:

Advanced Digital Surveillance

Strategic Brand Architecture

Emotional Persuasion Techniques]

Lin Feng hovered over the options.

He selected Strategic Brand Architecture.

In that instant, a flood of data, global case studies, neural design principles, and marketing psychology entered his mind like a compressed zip file unzipping itself through instinct.

Gu Qingxue noticed the momentary change in his expression. "What did you gain?"

"The blueprint," he said. "To make them irrelevant."

She leaned back, thoughtful. "Then I’ll set the stage."

The Next Morning

A new banner spread across several major local business journals:

"Apex Circle" – Lin Feng’s Urban Vision Revealed

Luxury Lifestyle, Real-Time Ethics, and Female-Driven Market Disruption

Across the city, reactions varied. In boardrooms, eyebrows rose. On private chat servers, opposition scrambled. Within a government advisory forum, his name was brought up twice under the "Watchlist" column.

But to the people?

He was becoming a movement.

And for Qin Xue—watching from her glass office above Central Axis Avenue—he had just given his answer.