The news caused a huge stir across Shuangyang County. Everyone at Xuyu was ecstatic, especially since many of them had recently taken out loans to buy houses. This was a massive win for them!

Amid their joy, excitement bubbled over into questions:
“Boss, when are we starting to sell the school district houses?!”
“Wait a little longer.”

Right now wasn’t the best time. The policy had just been announced, and most people were still confused or skeptical. Some were even standing by, ready to watch the policy fail.

When Cheng Xin heard about the news, the smile on her face never faded. At this moment, she was deeply thankful for asking Meng Suihuan for advice back then.

Time flew by, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye. Not only was the policy not retracted, but the government had rolled out additional supporting measures. Most notably, welfare housing would soon be reclaimed. This sent everyone into a panic.

Meng Suihuan seized the moment and launched the long-prepared advertising campaign. The promotional materials prominently featured model homes meticulously designed by Lu Xiuhe and her team. Coupled with terms like “school district housing” and “discounts,” the campaign was a smashing success.

The ad copy was personally crafted by Meng Suihuan and Jiang Chengxuan. Key details were highlighted using bold fonts and bright colors, ensuring the most important information popped out at first glance.

The discount section was particularly innovative. In addition to offering time- and price-based reductions, they introduced a group purchase discount scheme, offering even greater savings than before. They didn’t overlook the appeal of a lottery either. The first prize? A completely custom interior design tailored to the winner’s tastes.

The phrase “one of a kind” instantly struck a chord with countless women, all of whom dreamed of being the lucky exception.

As a result, the school district housing project in Xicheng District sold at lightning speed, even with prices higher than competitors. In just half a month, revenue exceeded 5 million yuan!

Within a little over a month, a third of the school district homes had been sold, generating more than 20 million yuan in revenue!

Everyone at Xuyu was over the moon. Their eyes were red with excitement as they repeatedly checked the figures on the report.

“Hiss—”
“Quick, someone slap me! Am I dreaming?”

Lao Zhou obliged with a hefty slap, nearly knocking the other person to the ground! But Lao Sun was too ecstatic to care about the force of the slap. His mind was racing with a single thought:

This wasn’t a dream. It was real!

Jiang Chengxuan grabbed the report and flipped through it over and over. Finally, he couldn’t hold back his laughter any longer.

“Hahaha! I’ve never seen so much money in my life!”
“There really are eight zeros!”
“…”

When the pricing was first set, everyone thought it was a risky move. Some even worried whether the houses would sell at all. After all, the price set by their boss was 50% higher than that of competitors!

What they didn’t expect was that not only did the houses sell, but within just two months, they had earned over 20 million yuan!

While the rest of the team was basking in their joy, Meng Suihuan quietly opened the system, silently muttering in her heart, “System, quick, check how much my lifespan has increased!”

Her voice trembled with excitement as she spoke. In both this life and her past one, this was the first time she had ever earned so much money! The joy completely enveloped her, making her feel as if she were a fish swimming blissfully in water, ready to blow bubbles of happiness.

The system responded:
[Host, congratulations! Your lifespan has now reached 23 years, with the progress bar at 24%.]

Tsk. She recalled the days when her lifespan could only be measured in days. Now, it was counted in years!

But she soon noticed something seemed off. “System, why is it that last time, when I earned a few million, my lifespan increased by over ten years, yet this time, after earning over 20 million, it didn’t even increase by ten years? Are you malfunctioning?”

[Host, not at all! Each stage has different conversion rates for lifespan. The higher the stage, the greater the difficulty, and the less lifespan money can exchange for.]

Meng Suihuan: “…”

It seemed she had oversimplified things in her mind.

Still, she quickly adjusted her mindset. She now had a lifespan of 23 years, and as for that progress bar, she was confident she could push it to 100%!

Suddenly, she remembered she had never asked about what would happen after completing the progress bar. Carefully, with a mix of apprehension and hope, she asked, “System, if the progress bar reaches 100%, does that mean my mission is complete? And if so, what happens to me afterward?”

[When the progress bar reaches 100%, you will have a chance to return to your original world.]

Boom—

It was as if something in Meng Suihuan’s mind had snapped. Tears welled up in her eyes uncontrollably.

Even though she usually acted indifferent and disguised her vulnerability with strength, only she knew how many nights her pillow had been wet with tears.

She missed her family and friends in the 21st century. She missed the moon, the sun, and every inch of land she once walked on. But she also knew those memories were all she could hold on to because she had left that world forever.

Now, however, the system was telling her that if she could reach 100% progress, she could “go home.”

Trembling, she asked again, “Are you telling the truth?”

[Yes. According to the system’s records, a host once successfully returned to their original world.]

Plop. Plop.

Over the year she had been in this world, Meng Suihuan had rarely cried. She had suppressed her emotions for so long, avoiding even asking this question out of fear. Fear that it was all just a delusion.

But now, she could finally let it all out.

Even though she knew this hope was slim, it gave her something to look forward to.

Meanwhile, her team, still immersed in their own celebrations, suddenly noticed something unusual. One of them nudged a colleague and whispered, “Hey, look! Why is the boss crying all of a sudden?”

Everyone fell silent and turned to look in her direction, slowly gathering around her.

The system immediately sensed the shift and hurriedly warned Meng Suihuan:
[Host, I’ve detected people heading your way~~]

Still lost in her emotions, Meng Suihuan reflexively looked up and found herself staring into dozens of curious eyes.

Meng Suihuan: “…”

Is it too late for her to play dead now?

The others, seeing her like this, offered a few consoling words, though it was more for show. However, Old Zhou, who lacked tact, continued laughing and joking, “Hahaha! I was just saying how the boss didn’t react at all earlier. Turns out she was secretly celebrating here on her own!”

“Boss, what’s there to hide? You don’t need to feel embarrassed in front of us brothers—we’ve already lost all our face in front of you!”

Meng Suihuan paused for a second, then looked at him seriously. “Do you realize how punchable you are right now?”

The group burst into laughter, and Lao Zhou joined in, grinning. “If it makes the boss happy, what’s a punch or two?”

—

With such remarkable achievements under Xuyu’s belt, competitors naturally felt the pressure. But unfortunately for them, most were either still in construction or had only just invested and hadn’t even started selling yet.

Some attempted to imitate Xuyu’s success, raising prices on their unsold properties in hopes of replicating their results. But reality didn’t play along, and their houses didn’t sell at all.

Meanwhile, Xuyu, having seized the market, didn’t stop there. Instead, they took advantage of the momentum and “added fuel to the fire” by launching a supermarket in the commercial district. On its grand opening day, all goods were sold at a 30% discount!

In the past, Xuyu’s team might have worried about losing money with such a promotion. Now, however, they only had one thought: how much money could this supermarket make?

On opening day, half of Shuangyang turned up, and the supermarket was completely cleaned out. Every employee from Xuyu showed up to help on-site, and even now, thinking back to the chaos of that day, they couldn’t help but tremble.

Those normally mild and unassuming uncles, aunties, grandpas, and grandmas, who usually strolled leisurely, suddenly became as fierce as tigers when it mattered—each more aggressive than the last!

Though they couldn’t help but complain, the ever-increasing sales numbers left grins stretched across their faces. If they could, they’d want these customers to shop at their supermarket every single day!

—

With the supermarket up and running, the commercial district’s storefronts were officially available for lease. The news caused another frenzy, especially among those who had missed out on the housing opportunities earlier. They had been waiting eagerly for another chance, and now it had arrived. They didn’t hesitate—just charged in headfirst!

Meng Suihuan’s string of strategic moves firmly imprinted the name “Xuyu” in the minds of every resident of Shuangyang. Her efforts singlehandedly spurred the economic growth of the entire Western District.

Now, whenever anyone mentioned the Western District, the first thing that came to mind was Xuyu.

—

Lao He, looking at the near-perfect results, was grinning so widely that his wrinkles seemed to disappear. Higher-ups, impressed by the district’s economic growth, had issued new development targets. When Lao He received them, the first person he thought of was Meng Suihuan.

He had faith she wouldn’t let him down, but even he didn’t expect her latest project to surpass the previous one. The city’s rewards for her achievements were piling up so high that he could barely keep up.

Of course, Meng Suihuan wasn’t left out either. Old He followed the standard procedure, pulling a document and data sheet from his pocket.

“This is the reward from the higher-ups.”

“Ah, please pass on my thanks to the leadership,” Meng Suihuan said calmly, her gratitude evident but restrained.

Her composed reaction made Lao He chuckle. “If you’d seen this amount of money last year, your reaction wouldn’t have been this calm.”

Though she was trying to remain composed, Lao He could still see the excitement and desire in her eyes back then. But now, it seemed like she didn’t even care.

Hearing this, Meng Suihuan couldn’t help but laugh. “People grow, don’t they?”

She’d already seen accounts with eight zeroes. Seeing six zeroes now hardly fazed her.

—

“By the way, there’s another good piece of news I wanted to share with you today,” Lao He said.

Casually, she asked, “What’s that? Another promotion?”

To her surprise, she was right. Lao He had indeed been promoted—this time transferred to the city.

Hearing this, Meng Suihuan couldn’t help but feel happy for him. “Look at you! Your promotion speed is unmatched!”

Lao He laughed heartily. “I owe it all to you.”

“Come to think of it, my last two promotions have been thanks to this young lady here.”

“I remember a fortune teller once said I’d meet a benefactor in the next two years. I didn’t believe it at the time, but now it seems they were right.”

Meng Suihuan joined in his laughter.

While Lao He called her his benefactor, he was just as much hers. Without his unwavering support, particularly during the approval processes that could have taken months, she wouldn’t have been able to seize the perfect timing for her projects.

“This Ning City has everything, but life without you, the resident troublemaker, will probably get a little dull,” Lao He teased, eyes full of warmth as he looked at her. “So, when are you planning to come to Ning City? Don’t keep this old man waiting too long.”

He didn’t believe for a second that this young woman would stay in Shuangyang County forever. This place was just a temporary stop for a hidden dragon preparing to soar into the vast sea.

Meng Suihuan chuckled. “I’ve been considering it recently.”

“If I move quickly, I might even beat you there.”

Lao He: “…”