Just as the two men were talking, the study door opened again, and Chen Cai, wearing a dress, appeared.
"Honey, it's so late—who are you talking to?"
"Of course, my good friend."
Seeing her enter, Feng Kang turned to Lin Yan and said, "Let's head out."
Lin Yan nodded.
Moments later, the study lights went out once more.
Xu Mu cursed under his breath. Damn that Chen Cai—always ruining things! If she hadn't shown up, I might've learned what Feng Kang was planning.
He kept watching his phone feed for a while, but since they didn't return, he finally shut it off.
Across the room, Ye Yu and Ye Tong were still laughing together at funny videos.
Xu Mu walked over and said, "Xiao Yu, time to sleep—you've got school tomorrow."
"It's still early! I'll just be on my phone if I go back anyway. Might as well hang out with Sis," Ye Yu said cheerfully.
"But I'm sleepy," Xu Mu replied.
"Then you can sleep in my room, Brother-in-law. I don't mind your stinky body."
Ye Yu clearly had no intention of leaving. She seemed determined to stay until at least ten.
"Not leaving, huh?" Xu Mu narrowed his eyes.
"Nope! Even if you hit me, I'm not leaving!"
Ye Yu hugged Ye Tong's arm tightly, puffing out her cheeks.
"Honey, it's still early. Why not let Xiao Yu stay for a while—"
"Piano duet!"
Xu Mu cut her off instantly.
Cough! Ye Tong's expression froze. "Xiao Yu, maybe you should go to bed after all. I have to get up early tomorrow—big experiment at the company."
Joking aside, even a solo performance was exhausting enough; a duet? Impossible.
"Go!"
Without another word, Xu Mu scooped Ye Yu up in a princess carry and marched out.
"Sis! Don't give in to his tyranny! Show the pride of our Ye family!"
Despite her struggles, Ye Yu was carried out of the room.
Xu Mu opened her bedroom door, dropped her onto the bed, and immediately dashed away.
Ye Yu quickly chased after him, but by the time she reached his room, the door was already locked.
"Stupid Brother-in-law!" she muttered—yet thinking about that sudden princess carry, a smile crept across her face.
[Favorability +10]
Meanwhile, Xu Mu was already fast asleep.
Ye Tong curled up beside him, whispering softly, "Honey, no more duets—they sound too good…"
"That depends on your performance," Xu Mu replied with a smirk.
——
The next morning.
Xu Mu woke early and began his daily lottery draws.
He already knew his "piano duet" technique was too powerful—naturally, any man's duet would be far stronger than a solo.
He tapped "Draw." The spinning wheel lit up.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host—20 Cultivation Points obtained.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host—Title acquired: Veteran Driver.]
Xu Mu frowned. What the hell? I already drive perfectly fine—who needs this?
[Ding! Congratulations, Host—10 Attribute Points obtained.]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host—30 Cultivation Points obtained.]
…
[Ding! Congratulations, Host—Grade-3 Spiritual Herb acquired: Spring Night Grass.]
Xu Mu: "...?"
His eyes twitched. System, what are you trying to imply?
What did he, a righteous man, need with something called Spring Night Grass?
——
After all eleven draws, he ended up with one "Veteran Driver" title and one Spring Night Grass. The rest were standard items.
In total, he gained 110 cultivation points and 60 attribute points. As usual, he distributed them all.
Suddenly, a dark system text flashed before his eyes:
[Congratulations, Host—advanced to the Early Stage of the Mystic Art Realm!]
A smile tugged at Xu Mu's lips. Finally.
The Mystic Art Realm.
He immediately got up, dressed, and went to the bathroom.
Closing the door, he circulated the Qi in his body and raised his arm.
Tiny red sparks shimmered from the pores on his skin.
"So this is Qi…" he murmured.
At the Mystic Art Realm, all of one's meridians were fully connected. When releasing power, the body's Qi radiated outward through the pores, shining like stars—hence this realm's nickname: Stellar Stage.
"Good… my internal energy's gotten much stronger. Definitely worthy of the Mystic Art Realm."
He opened his personal status panel:
Name: Xu Mu
Identity: Villain's Holy Body; HR Manager, Xu Group
Realm: Mystic Art (Early Stage)
Physique: 600
Spirit: 600
Cultivation Points: 70 / 800
Fate Power: 177
Xu Mu nodded. As expected, with each major breakthrough, the required cultivation points doubled. Entering the Mystic Art Realm now required 800 points.
Still, it didn't matter much—his system guaranteed steady progress. Unlike others, he didn't need to exhaust spiritual resources to advance.
Next, he checked his new Veteran Driver title—instantly, a new ability surfaced in his mind.
Apparently, this skill allowed him to perfectly drive anything—from bicycles to trucks and even trains.
Previously, Xu Mu could drive decently, but his handling wasn't as smooth as Meng Wanyue's. Drifting? Forget it.
Now, with the new "muscle memory" ingrained in his mind, he could drift a car—or even a bike—with perfect control.
He nodded, satisfied. Not bad. At least it's useful.
——
During breakfast, the three sat together. Ye Yu kept stealing glances at Xu Mu, occasionally huffing coldly.
"What's wrong?" Xu Mu asked, patting her head.
"Nothing." She pouted, still eating in silence.
Still mad about last night, huh?
"You angry, my little Ye Yu?" he teased. "I was only thinking of you. You've got school in the morning."
"So many excuses!" she muttered.
"How about this—on Friday night, I'll let you sleep with your sister again. Deal?" Xu Mu said.
"Yay!" Ye Tong lifted her head, smiling before realizing what she'd implied. Meeting Xu Mu's gaze, she blushed and lowered her head, pretending to focus on breakfast.
"That's better!" Ye Yu grinned triumphantly.
——
After breakfast, the three went their separate ways.
When Xu Mu arrived at the office, Wang Biao immediately greeted him respectfully.
He still couldn't believe it—just two pills from Xu Mu had boosted his power this much.
"Brother Xu, you've given me this strength. I won't let you down!" Wang Biao said fervently.
"Good," Xu Mu nodded. "That's what I like to hear."
He waved him off, then habitually opened his phone to check the cloud feed—monitoring Feng Kang's study for any new developments.