Chapter Ninety-Six: Chen Yanzi Appears Once More!

But the mind control prop card was considered an intermediate item, only available in the level-two shop. At present, the shop was still at level one, making it impossible to exchange for intermediate items. To upgrade the shop, he needed to raise his character level. Right now, his character remained at level one.

According to the system’s rules, there were thirty character levels in total. For every three goddesses he conquered, his level would increase by one. In other words, only after raising the favorability of three goddesses to one hundred could he level up.

Previously, he had already won over Gu Qingcheng and Zhu Ruoxue; only one remained. The other goddesses’ favorability scores had yet to reach the threshold. But now, he couldn’t act recklessly. With Su Qianlong and Bai Jiahao watching his every move, he could no longer indulge in wild nights or take women out on the town.

For the next two days, over the weekend, Lin Fan—quite unusually—stayed home, holed up in his villa, frantically cramming business knowledge. During this time, he tried using the Master Card, hoping to quickly master these subjects. But he discovered that this shortcut was a form of cheating; props were merely props. Once the card’s effect wore off, he forgot everything completely. He could only engrave this knowledge into his mind through diligent study.

Of course, he hadn’t been idle either. Whenever he had a break, he’d browse the major live-streaming platforms, searching for the fourth girl. The girl group he envisioned—Sweetheart Babes—was still one member short.

Over the past few days, Qiao Xinxin, Miao Tiantian, and Zhang Yichen had all recommended girls they thought were suitable, but Lin Fan had rejected them. His taste, and Su Juanmo’s, simply surpassed theirs. What they considered a nine out of ten in beauty didn’t meet Lin Fan’s standards. Some candidates had the looks, but in Su Juanmo’s eyes, they lacked intelligence or talent.

Su Juanmo had joined their group as well. She was barely satisfied with Qiao Xinxin and the others, which only made her requirements for the fourth member even higher. The new recruit had to be a consummate actress, stand out in style, be eloquent, and possess true talent. Only then would Su Juanmo approve.

According to Lin Fan’s plan, if the group was to become national goddesses, each of the four must have a distinctly different style. Qiao Xinxin’s label was the girl next door: naturally charming, pure, and radiant—a style that exuded innocence. Miao Tiantian was the talented one: eloquent, highly intelligent, and, as captain, her style was that of a cool, commanding goddess. Su Juanmo even suggested she learn more about business.

Zhang Yichen belonged to the cute, quirky type—adorable and lively, on the surface a drama queen, but in truth a consummate professional with formidable skills. The fourth member needed to be versatile—sweet or commanding as the occasion required, able to sing and dance, and, above all, a remarkable actress destined for a professional acting career.

After days of searching, Lin Fan still hadn’t found anyone who moved him. During this time, Su Juanmo even suggested Zhang Yi, someone she had met and felt matched the required style. But Lin Fan refused. He planned to marry Zhang Yi in the future and didn’t want her to get involved in the entertainment industry’s murky waters. Besides, with her temperament, she’d hardly want to be an idol.

As for Gu Qingcheng and Zhu Ruoxue, they were either too old or lacked the necessary talent and acting skills, making them unsuitable for cultivation.

Monday arrived.

At noon, as Lin Fan left his house, he once again spotted the two people who had been tailing him before. They were still stationed outside the complex, and though they had switched cars and concealed themselves well, Lin Fan noticed them immediately. He pretended not to see.

Upon reaching the office, Shi Jie approached him at once to report. After Lin Fan’s acquisition of Huan Shi Entertainment last week, he had instructed Shi Jie to prepare to take over their actresses. Although his revenge was complete, he hadn’t shut down Genesis Entertainment. On the contrary, he planned to expand it: new premises, more staff, and a complete overhaul of human resources.

Of course, Su Juanmo was overseeing all of this behind the scenes. Due to Shi Jie’s defection, most affairs over the past few days had been handled directly by him and Su Juanmo, coordinating remotely. Shi Jie was left only with the task of merging the two smaller companies. Sensing something was amiss, Shi Jie now came probing for Lin Fan’s intentions.

Also, Lin Fan’s failure to visit the twins in recent days had aroused Su Qianlong’s suspicion.

“President Lin, I’ve completed the tasks you assigned. Genesis Entertainment’s new office is in Jinghu District—the building has already been leased. Would you like to check it out?” Shi Jie asked.

Lin Fan glanced at the documents. The new office location was remote—obviously a setup.

But he knew he couldn’t refuse this time; he had to take the risk and put on a show. “All right, let’s go and have a look,” Lin Fan agreed.

As they left the company, Lin Fan received a text from someone named “Director Dai”: President Lin, Bai Jiahao has left Nianhua KTV with several trained fighters. Please be careful.

A cold smile flickered across Lin Fan’s lips. “Bai Jiahao lacks Su Qianlong’s patience—he really wants to teach me a lesson. How foolish... With your intelligence, you’d never guess I’m watching you too. Indeed, I’m lucky to look so unremarkable, or you’d never underestimate me like this.”

Director Dai, who had sent the message, was the head of the security team hired by Su Juanmo. They were also monitoring Su Qianlong and Bai Jiahao from the shadows, ready to alert Lin Fan and Su Juanmo at the slightest movement.

Soon, the two men arrived at Tianfu Tower in Jinghu District. Shi Jie had leased three floors here for Genesis Entertainment’s new offices, several times larger than before. Genesis Entertainment was still a relatively small streaming company under the umbrella of Starlight Entertainment, but as Lin Fan’s very first venture, it had yet to turn a profit. Still, he was determined to make something of it.

One of the reasons was that, when Zhang Yi introduced him to her parents, she had only mentioned that he was the owner of Genesis Entertainment, not that he had bought the Imperial Hotel or Starlight Streaming. He wanted to prove to her parents that he could accomplish something meaningful.

As for why Zhang Yi hadn’t mentioned his other acquisitions, one reason was Lin Fan’s desire to keep a low profile. According to Zhang Yi, her family had plenty of people with big ambitions and little ability; if Lin Fan flaunted his wealth, he might become a target for her relatives. Besides, their relationship wasn’t officially established yet—still just lovers, with no guarantee of a future together.

There was another reason: with Su Qianlong now watching him, Lin Fan wanted to avoid dragging Zhang Yi into trouble. Staying low-key was for her protection—and for the safety of the other women as well.

Though it was a workday, Tianfu Tower was nearly deserted. Jinghu District had just begun development, and most real estate projects in the area were still under construction. “Ghost town” would not be an exaggeration.

“So, President Lin, what do you think? Are you satisfied with this place?” Shi Jie led him on a tour, ending by the balcony.