Could it be that Tang Ao is really the Dragon King?

Mother Tang was shocked, covering her mouth. What she had meant to say was, "Xiao Ao said he wants all four of those girls!" But what came out instead was that Tang's father liked Zhou Qiao'er!

What was going on!?

At the same time, Tang Ao, who had just drifted off into a dream, suddenly heard the system's voice in his mind:

[The Eternal Secret has been activated]

Tang Ao jolted awake: "Huh? What's going on!?"

[...]

Not receiving any reply from the system, Tang Ao closed his eyes again, ready to resume his sweet dreams.

After a few seconds, just as Tang Ao was about to fall back into slumber again...

[The Eternal Secret has been activated]

"Damn it, are you going to let me sleep or not!?"

[...]

Back in the master bedroom of the Tang family, Mother Tang was in a panic.

"That's not what I meant! What I'm trying to say is... Xiao Ao told me you also have feelings for Zhou Qiao'er, and that you want to make her Xiao Ao's stepmother!"

"Whaaat!?!!"

Father Tang was so shocked he jumped out of bed, staring at Mother Tang in disbelief. "Wife, what nonsense are you talking about!? Qiao'er is the daughter-in-law we've chosen for Xiao Ao! How could I possibly want to make her his stepmother!?"

Mother Tang was on the verge of collapse. Seeing how terrified Father Tang looked, she almost burst into tears.

She clearly wanted to tell Father Tang that their son, Tang Ao, had said, "I want them all," but somehow, the words that came out were entirely unrelated.

It was absurd—utterly absurd!

Seeing Father Tang's horrified expression, Mother Tang quickly said, "I must be too tired... dear, I didn't mean that... don't worry..."

[...]

Father Tang tossed and turned the entire night, unable to sleep.

As for Tang Ao... after that, he heard nothing more from the system and slept soundly.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the ocean, dawn had already broken. Exhausted from staying up all night, Father Zhou stretched and accepted a report from his assistant.

"Chairman, the general managers of the Sakura Nation and Eagle Nation branches have invested all their available liquid funds into Zhou's Miracle stock. So far, they've suffered a loss of over sixty percent. Based on last year's profit margins, the losses already exceed thirty percent of their annual earnings. Additionally, the other branches... have suffered varying degrees of losses, but those are generally under twenty percent."

Father Zhou nodded indifferently.

The assistant couldn't help but feel surprised. "Chairman, was this within your expectations? Did you already know they would lose money?"

Father Zhou nodded again. The assistant, shocked, asked, "Chairman, why didn't you stop them? This involves... hundreds of billions of funds!"

"If we hadn't done this, there wouldn't have been anyone to take over Zhou's Miracle stock... the subsidiary would have been finished, with no chance of recovery. This company has been built over twenty years."

Father Zhou sighed deeply.

For someone to make money, someone else must lose. In such critical moments, the gains from losses far exceed the benefits of making a profit—that's what's called having a grander perspective.

Years ago, it was through his far-sightedness that Father Zhou managed to turn himself into a billionaire by strategically 'losing money' during several key moments.

The assistant nodded, understanding. Having worked with Father Zhou for many years, he quickly grasped the concept. "Chairman Zhou, as always, your strategic foresight is impressive. This time... you not only managed to clean out the troublemakers but also saved Zhou's Miracle from delisting during the crisis. Brilliant!"

The assistant's flattery didn't make Father Zhou's expression any less grim. He asked coldly, "What about the investigation into Tang Ao? Have you found anything?"

The assistant quickly pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "I was just about to report that. According to our investigation, Tang Ao was born in Longquan City and has never once left the city. In the three months before Miss Zhou Qiao'er arrived in Longquan City, he did nothing out of the ordinary except for obsessively pursuing Lin Ruoxue ninety-nine times. There is no record of any unusual behavior. His life... is like a gilded sheet of gold—his material life is extremely extravagant, but according to reliable sources, he is still a virgin and has never frequented any unsavory places."

"The report also shows that Lin Ruoxue once agreed to Tang Ao's courtship but later rejected him again due to a misunderstanding." The assistant clenched his fist as he spoke, "What's most infuriating is that Tang Ao has repeatedly and without hesitation turned down Miss Zhou Qiao'er's advances, as if he doesn't care about her at all!"

After contemplating for a few minutes, Father Zhou finally spoke: "So, you're saying that, based on this report, Tang Ao appears to be as clean as a sheet of paper?"

The assistant nodded firmly. "A person like him... I find it hard to believe he could be the Dragon King."

Father Zhou narrowed his eyes and looked at the assistant. "Yesterday, you said something similar."

The assistant's body trembled violently. "Chairman... are you saying my analysis... was wrong again?"

Father Zhou took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. "Think about it. If you were a top-tier second-generation rich kid with endless wealth and luxury, would you have stayed in a small place like Longquan City for over twenty years without ever leaving?"

The assistant shook his head confidently. "I would have taken my private jet around the world or done something to bring myself pleasure or excitement."

"But based on the information you just provided, he hasn't even visited any disreputable places. Do you really think his life story... is normal?"

The assistant suddenly slapped his forehead. "It's definitely not normal! Are you suggesting his entire life story... is a façade?"

"It has to be! I know about that misunderstanding—it was all orchestrated by the Dragon King Hall!" Father Zhou stood up, staring eastward. "This Tang Ao has been deliberately hiding his true self. He knew that Qiao'er would soon arrive in Longquan City, so he put on a show of obsessively pursuing Lin Ruoxue, playing a clever game of push and pull. He's already set his sights on Qiao'er!"

"What a Dragon King... he's hidden so well!"

The assistant's eyes widened in realization. At this moment, Father Zhou's words had completely convinced him. Upon closer examination of Tang Ao's life story, it did indeed seem off.

There was no way this resume was real. After all, a second-generation rich kid with billions in pocket money and a reputation as a spoiled brat... how could he still be a virgin after more than twenty years!?

"So... Tang Ao is really the Dragon King. Doesn't that mean Miss Zhou Qiao'er is in danger, staying with the Tang family right now!?"