Seventy-nine. The Empress Mother's Strange Behavior

All the tangled and oppressive emotions in Su Zhijiu’s heart vanished in an instant. She felt that today had truly been a great success, her fox ears standing up straight with excitement. If Pei Xiunian were to learn of such a matter, he would surely cast her an exceedingly strange look—was she actually pleased after a bout of groping, rather than upset? Could it be she harbored some peculiar inclination? But the princess herself was oblivious to all this. Instead, she believed that if she could catch a glimpse of her own fortune, it would surely be overflowing at this moment.

At the dining table, Shen Xinli did not immediately mention the issue of acquiring land. She began by reminiscing, chatting about the past, warming the atmosphere with familiarity and sentiment, before finally steering the conversation toward the topic at hand.

Qi Nan, hearing this, sensed trouble. Before the gathered guests, if Madam did not offer some form of reprimand, it would only confirm the rumor that she was incapable of raising her child properly.

Qi Nan fell silent. She was a shrewd and intelligent woman; since she saw that Song Jue was struggling, she refrained from pressing him further. Though she still felt some discomfort, she consoled herself that, as a wife, surrendering her heart was a burden she ought to bear.

"Ruide Group holds considerable influence. The entry point must be chosen carefully, or else it will be difficult to advance and may even alert them," Xin Anxue said, catching her breath before seizing the conversation. In such situations, she always took the initiative, striving to display and reinforce her own authority.

Of course, Shen Xinli had not come merely to offer thanks. As a businesswoman, she sought to further expand her operations—not just focusing on the Songyang Garrison, but setting her sights on the Provincial Military District.

"I don’t blame you. If I put myself in your shoes, I would have done the same," Duan Gaohang said, lowering his voice, hands clasped behind his back as he paced to the window.

Shi Bin laughed heartily, "So you don’t know yet—well, we’ll discuss it again once you do. For now, please return and convey my regards to Leader Zhang." Shao Xing and the others hurriedly bowed and prepared to leave downstairs.

After careful verification, everything appeared seamless. Five years ago, Deng Rumei had indeed undergone artificial insemination here.

Tang Jin felt a sudden warmth in his heart at her concern. After bidding farewell to Wang Rui, he walked out of the office.

June 22nd. Xiao Zhengping, the mayor of Donghai, began inspecting the city’s major real estate developers and raised some pointed questions.

"What happened?" Mu Bingfeng’s summit was startled by the commotion. Suddenly, a slender figure leapt forth, standing in mid-air, gazing intently at the source of the disturbance.

Gao Qing’s vision of happiness was to spend a lifetime with his beloved in a secluded paradise, though he hoped for conditions a bit more comfortable than his current forest retreat. Surely, it wouldn’t always be like this, with mosquitoes and ants as neighbors. Of course, he now refused to leave someone else’s territory.

Due to the doctrine of survival of the fittest it followed, the sect had never been large. Within the cultivation world, its numbers were always among the lowest, yet every member possessed strength so formidable it struck fear into others.

By the time they returned to Beigong Manor, dawn was breaking. Gongsun Yu tiptoed as he opened the door, but the sight of a dark, hulking figure lying on the foyer floor startled him.

Blood sprayed, and the Sovereign Tianyou’s shoulder was pierced, a burst of scarlet erupting, but he charged forward without turning back.

Thus, ever since he began working as a tour guide—a job others envied, imagining it to be nothing but traveling and leisure—in truth, he had never tasted the joys of “traveling and leisure,” except for the occasional backaches.

"Thank you. Without you, our race might still be struggling in Fenglong Plain, awaiting extinction," the necromancer said, his tone heavy.

Sun Quan, though he strove to win over the generals, some still cherished the glory of Sun Ce’s era, when he dominated Jiangdong. They obeyed Sun Quan, but in major matters, they followed Zhou Yu’s lead.

By noon, Dari suggested ordering takeout from Violet Restaurant, but Sili disagreed, saying Lulu and the others had not fully recovered and shouldn’t eat those high-calorie foods. It would be better to have her homemade fare. Seeing Sili so resolute, Dari had no choice but to comply.