Chapter 143: The Rise of the East

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Tian Ni continued working every day, but now she was more devoted to her “home.” Finally having a place to call her own, she felt that some of Xiao Tianci’s changes were closely tied to this new home. She had never seen the Xiao family’s grand mansion, but she didn’t need to imagine—it must be vastly different. After all, even her original family’s mansions were luxurious; the Xiao family’s would be on another level.

Yet, in those grand estates, there was no warmth, no true family affection—only coldness, false smiles, ruthless competition, and scheming. Such places stirred a deep sense of aversion in her heart. In contrast, this modest villa gave her a real feeling of home, especially after she and Xiao Tianci confessed their feelings to each other recently. Though they hadn’t taken the final step, recalling that moment always sweetened her heart.

She began to immerse herself in the home’s surroundings—the flowers and trees—all planted by Xiao Tianci’s mother, her mother-in-law whom she never had the chance to meet. She cared for the house’s arrangement meticulously, constantly making subtle adjustments when things felt off. Sometimes, she would spend an hour just pondering the placement of a single bonsai.

Every day, she would chat endlessly on the phone with her “husband,” discussing trivial household changes that all required Xiao Tianci’s approval. As he said, he could walk around the house with his eyes closed and know exactly what was where.

Tian Ni glanced at the profiles of the two newly recruited employees. Feeling a bit tired, she checked the time—lunchtime was nearly over. “Oops…” she playfully stuck out her tongue. Oh no, she had lost track of time again. This was bad. Xiao Tianci had already warned her twice: if she didn’t eat meals on time...

Just then, a knock came at the door. She knew who it was. “Please come in.”

Her secretary entered with a smile. Everyone knew the boss was married now, though they’d never met the lady herself, but the daily flowers and other signs made it obvious.

Suppressing a laugh, the secretary teased, “General Manager…”

Tian Ni looked at her secretary, who had worked with her for years. Outside of business, they were like sisters, so she scolded playfully, “Hey, what are you laughing at, little girl?”

“Hehe… General Manager, you’d better hurry to lunch; there are clients to meet this afternoon!” The secretary gestured at the time.

Tian Ni couldn’t help but laugh. This was the third time something like this had happened.

The first time was when Xiao Tianci had returned home; she hadn’t eaten, so a group of chefs showed up at the office building to prepare food for her. Though such things were usually forbidden in the office, who dared say no to the young lady of the Xiao family? In fact, Xiao Tianci had long since arranged for the company to acquire the entire building since it was a listed company’s headquarters.

The second time, Xiao Tianci found out she had missed two meals straight and was suffering stomach discomfort, prompting him to come back and order the chefs to prepare a nourishing meal.

This time, she was about to head out for lunch when HR delivered the profiles of two new recruits. She casually glanced over them and found one quite promising, pondering how to assign the work, and before she knew it, time had slipped by.

“All right, all right, stop laughing! Let them wait in the conference room. If you keep laughing, I’ll dock your bonus,” Tian Ni pretended to be angry, looking at her giggling secretary.

“Hehe… I already sent them there,” the secretary replied.

Tian Ni could only get up and head to the conference room, silently vowing never to let this happen again. From now on, her secretary would have to drag her away on time, or it would be disastrous. She recalled Xiao Tianci’s words: if she missed meals three times, a housekeeper would be assigned to follow her around every day, and bodyguards and others would be on standby.

They would deliver her meals directly, and she knew if that happened, she wouldn’t have to continue working. But she wasn’t ready to change her life just yet, at least not for now.

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Though she knew all this would change sooner or later, she wasn’t ready yet—at least not while Xiao Tianci wasn’t always by her side.

She delicately enjoyed the dishes the chefs prepared—these were no longer ordinary cooks but the Xiao family’s top chefs. Even the simplest dishes tasted extraordinary. After getting used to their cooking, other food felt somewhat off.

She wondered what her husband was doing now. Was Huo Feng still by his side? Thinking of Huo Feng brought some displeasure, but more than anything, a sigh. Though they had known each other only briefly, Huo Feng was a good girl—so cheerful. Recalling how Huo Feng spoke and her zeal, Tian Ni almost laughed. She had told Xiao Tianci many times not to send Huo Feng away, though she didn’t understand why herself.

Her busy, tense life was like a constantly tightening rope, pulling her forward like a puppet—walking, walking, endlessly...

After a busy morning, Dongfang Yi had no appetite. He stood by the window, gazing outside. He looked much thinner than before, his eyes sunken and his face pale, as if recovering from a serious illness.

“Ba…by…what’s wrong?” came a voice dripping with seduction, as a soft, boneless hand rested on his shoulder.

Dongfang Yi frowned. It was her again. He didn’t understand how he had agreed to this in the first place, but now he knew there was no turning back.

“Hu Fei, you didn’t knock,” Dongfang Yi said expressionlessly.

This was Hu Fei, goddaughter of Hu Wu and a member of the Phantom Organization. She smiled happily, as if hearing good news, her laughter trembling with seduction.

“Well… you’re mine now, why would you speak to me like that?” She leaned close and blew a breath by his ear. “Tonight, you can punish me however you like.”

Dongfang Yi’s heart wavered. He cautioned softly, “Behave yourself—this is the company.”

Hu Fei purred, “What’s there to fear? No one’s here anyway. You’re so powerful, who else dares to barge in without permission? Right, baby?” Her hands roamed his body.

Dongfang Yi’s breath quickened, and he suddenly turned to embrace her—but Hu Fei laughed and slipped away.

“Heh… heh… wasn’t it just now that you said no fooling around in the office?” she teased, her eyes sparkling dangerously.

Dongfang Yi exhaled deeply. Since the first time he slept with her, he had fallen into a trap he didn’t want, pulled in by her despite his lack of feelings.

In such a short time, under these circumstances, his company had doubled in size and was growing astonishingly fast, with funds pouring in and wealth exploding. Yet, even he doubted if it could ever reach the level of the Xiao family.

But initially, to defeat Xiao Tianci, he had taken Tian Ni away and collaborated with the Phantom Organization. Did they really have that kind of power?

Dongfang Yi composed himself and said, “Fei Fei, this is the company. You need to be more careful.”

In a coquettish voice, Hu Fei replied, “Hmm… you think I don’t want to? I came because I missed you.”

Though he clearly didn’t love her, Dongfang Yi was always inflamed by her provocations. Seeing her like that, he hurriedly said, “Alright, alright, I’ll come over to your place tonight.”

Only then did Hu Fei smile, “You better keep your word!”

She then pointed to a lunchbox on his desk. “You never eat properly—this is homemade. Hurry up and eat.”

Dongfang Yi felt a warmth inside. “Fei… Fei…” He knew she was a tool, and he even more so, but he couldn’t bear the thought of Tian Ni being taken from him. He wanted to win her back.

Watching her, Hu Fei blew a flirtatious kiss and left with a smile. Dongfang Yi was left feeling confused. What was he doing? What about her? What about…

Suddenly, a violent coughing fit shook Hu Fei. She looked at the screen where her godfather was visible, coughing for several minutes. When he calmed a bit, she anxiously asked, “Godfather, how is your health?”

Hu Wu looked like he had just returned from the brink of death—his chest rising and falling, eyes closed, barely resembling a living person.

“Cough… I’m fine. Just the old ailment acting up. How’s the progress on your end?”

Hu Fei felt uneasy seeing her godfather’s condition. “Dongfang Yi is a good prospect. We’ve provided all the support he needs, and now the group is growing rapidly. As for his people, I’m controlling them slowly to avoid affecting his daytime work. So I just give some subtle suggestions and hypnosis. Heh… though at night, he always thinks he’s with me…”

“Hmm, Dongfang Yi is talented.”

With no outsiders present, Hu Fei pondered, “Godfather, I don’t really understand why we chose to back Dongfang Yi and put so much effort into helping him. Even with all our help, he can’t become a second Xiao family in such a short time.”

“It’s simple. Most of our funds are invisible—many, but we can’t use them recklessly. Through Dongfang Yi, we can launder money. He’s talented and, if managed well, can help us earn more. As for defeating Xiao Tianci, it’s not impossible. If our upcoming plans fail, he can still serve as a planted pawn. Most importantly, he has ties to Tian Ni and Xiao Tianci. Understand?”

Hu Fei thought it over. Although not fully clear, she grasped most of it. “Godfather, why has Xiao Tianci’s side stopped moving forward?”

Michelle had asked this countless times. Suddenly being ordered to halt all activity drove them nearly mad. Michelle’s men trained frantically every day, and he had disciplined them all, as they sparred but did not fight each other.

“Cough… hmm…” Hu Wu coughed, feeling slightly better, then said, “There aren’t many experts left in the organization. Most of my men were lost in that last incident. Do you think those few remaining can take down Xiao Tianci? Hmph, even a single Vajra, they can’t handle.”

Hu Fei had never heard her godfather mention this before. “Godfather, what incident? I’ve asked many times, and you never tell me. If only my senior brothers were still here… even the Vajra…”

Hu Wu suddenly opened his eyes briefly and glanced at Hu Fei. She was startled and quickly stopped. This was a taboo topic for her godfather. She lowered her head and said, “Godfather, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought this up and upset you.”

Hu Fei didn’t understand why her senior brothers, her godfather’s disciples, and others had suddenly disappeared. What had happened?

“You know the rules of the organization. Know what you should and don’t pry into what you shouldn’t. Never mention this in front of anyone.”

Did this incident relate to the organization? Hu Fei knew her godfather was deeply troubled. She couldn’t understand why her senior brothers and those powerful individuals had vanished without a trace.

Her godfather said to have her control Dongfang Yi. Actually, anyone could have been sent. Hu Wu must have known she was investigating the matter and sent her out.

What was this matter that scared her godfather so much? Why did he fear her touching it?

Hu Fei had long made up her mind to uncover the truth. Yet she still smiled and nodded, “Hehe… Godfather, rest assured, I won’t ask anymore. You take care of your health. I won’t be by your side, so please take good care of yourself.”

“Hmm.” He sighed inwardly. Oh, girl, your little schemes won’t fool me. But if you meddle in this matter, even I won’t be able to save you.