Yes, the man standing confidently on stage, delivering his presentation with eloquence, was none other than the scoundrel who abandoned the original host on their wedding night.

Despite this, Meng Suihuan had to admit that while he might be morally reprehensible, his talent and good looks were undeniably rare. At this stage, his presentation of future possibilities was ahead of its time—concepts that had already become reality in the 21st century.

For instance, he envisioned a future where the internet would connect the entire globe, fostering communication and development between nations. He imagined the internet becoming an integral part of everyone’s lives, making daily tasks convenient and indispensable.

Although many people in the audience likely found his ideas unrealistic, Meng Suihuan knew everything he described would eventually come true. In the future, the internet’s influence on the world would be even greater than his current vision. Beyond facilitating communication from the comfort of one’s home, it would evolve into the Internet of Things, connecting national economies, people’s lives, and various aspects of society.

Watching him speak so passionately on stage, Meng Suihuan couldn’t deny that he had the makings of a protagonist. At least in terms of professional expertise and visionary thinking, he had her completely captivated. She felt her heart stir as her mind filled with images of a 21st-century utopia: lounging at home while enjoying food, entertainment, education, and earning money. Using a phone to shop for beautiful clothes and jewelry. Browsing the internet to admire countless faces as striking as Lu Linshen’s, ensuring she’d never tire of the view. Staying informed about domestic and international news from the comfort of her couch.

The thought left her gazing at Lu Linshen with a newfound fervor.

This man was practically a walking money-making machine!

At the same time, Lu Linshen, standing on stage, seemed to sense something. His gaze shifted toward Meng Suihuan. The moment he saw her, his pupils contracted, and he nearly stumbled over his words.

Fortunately, he recovered quickly. His presentation was nearing its end, sparing him from an irreversible mistake. Even so, his voice carried a barely noticeable tremor, and a layer of cold sweat formed on his palms.

Once he finished, his eyes returned to Meng Suihuan, filled with shock and disbelief.

This time, he saw her clearly—it was unmistakably his wife, Meng Suihuan.

What was she doing in Ning City? And why was she sitting in that seat?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but none offered any answers. He exhaled deeply, suppressing the surge of emotions and quickly shifting his gaze elsewhere.

Meanwhile, he overheard the nearby investors discussing his performance. Initially, many had been intrigued by his ideas. However, after reviewing his company’s profile and name, their comments took a different tone. Investors who had shown interest moments ago now wore cold expressions.

He knew exactly why.

It all stemmed from the prior controversy surrounding him.

Still, his expression remained composed—after all, he had come today with someone specific in mind.

At that moment, his friend Qin Yu’s voice reached him loud and clear.

“We did it!”

“Huh?”

“Wait, there’s another one!”

Hearing the first part, Lu Linshen felt a sense of control over the situation. But Qin Yu’s second comment left him stunned. He quickly looked up and saw an unexpected sight.

His wife, Meng Suihuan, had raised her paddle.

What’s more, she was smiling at him—a dangerous and alluring smile.

Lu Linshen: “…”

Why did he suddenly have a bad feeling about this?

—

After Lu Linshen’s presentation ended, he remained in a dazed state. Meanwhile, his friends buzzed with excitement around him.

“I told you Lao Lu wouldn’t have any problems!”

“But I was surprised. Besides the boss of Feiyun Group, someone else took an interest in our project. And she’s a young, beautiful woman!”

“You don’t understand! My heart nearly leaped out of my chest earlier!”

Their astonishment was understandable. After all, the proposal had been tailor-made for the boss of Feiyun Group. They had spent nearly half a month preparing for this moment.

They hadn’t expected anyone else to recognize the potential of their company.

“Oh, come on,” someone teased. “Every time you see a pretty woman, your heart races. You don’t need to emphasize it—we’re all well aware.”

Qin Yu: “…”

—

Qin Yu: “Xu Xuanyi! Are you even my brother? Can’t you leave me a little face?”

Xu Xuanyi snorted. “Now you remember we’re brothers? Back then, when you abandoned me for a woman, did you think about that?”

Qin Yu: “Why are you so naggy? That was ages ago!”

Xu Xuanyi: “I’m just stating the facts.”

Seeing that the two were about to start arguing again, Xie Zhixin, who had been quietly observing, quickly swapped seats with Xu Xuanyi.

Xie Zhixin: “Enough. Today, we’re only discussing business. If you want to bicker over trivial stuff, save it for later!”

At this, the two who had been at odds immediately formed a united front.

Xu Xuanyi said seriously, “We were discussing business.”

Qin Yu: “Exactly!”

Xu Xuanyi: “That earlier situation was surprising, but it’s not without its benefits. At least it gives us more options to choose from.”

Xie Zhixin: “…” As long as you’re happy, I suppose.

At that moment, Qin Yu seemed to realize something. He poked Xu Xuanyi beside him with his finger.

Qin Yu: “Hey, have you noticed? Lao Lu has been acting weird this whole time.”

Not only had he stayed out of their discussion, but his brows were furrowed, and there wasn’t a trace of a smile on his face.

Seeing this, Qin Yu strode forward, slinging an arm around Lu Linshen’s shoulders. His tone was filled with relief.

Qin Yu: “Lao Lu, what are you thinking about? Still dwelling on what happened on stage? To be honest, when you suddenly paused earlier, my poor heart was thumping like crazy. You almost scared me to death! Luckily, you recovered quickly and got back on track. Heh, and in the end, we even had two investors raise their paddles for us.”

“But what’s the deal with that beautiful woman? She wasn’t in any of our prior research.”

They had thoroughly investigated all the investors attending this event—not to the finest detail, but they had a pretty solid grasp of who was who. If someone like her had been on the list, he would definitely remember.

After all, she was so stunning! It’d be impossible to forget her!

Lu Linshen finally snapped out of his daze and turned to Qin Yu.

Lu Linshen: “What were you saying just now?”

Qin Yu: “…” Guess I’ll repeat myself.

After recounting his earlier words, Lu Linshen responded, “It’s nothing. I just spaced out for a moment.”

Spaced out? That was an understatement. Lu Linshen had nearly been scared out of his wits. Never in his wildest dreams had he expected to encounter Meng Suihuan in a setting like this.

Especially with that smile of hers. The mere thought of it now sent chills down his spine and left him inexplicably uneasy.

Qin Yu: “Hey, Lao Lu, what do you think our chances are of collaborating with that beautiful woman?”

“Heh, what a dumb question. With your earlier performance and that face of yours that appeals to everyone, this deal is as good as done!”

“So, should we consider changing strategies on the spot? Forget Feiyun Group and go with the perceptive, beautiful young lady instead!”

Lu Linshen didn’t hesitate to burst his bubble.

Lu Linshen: “Meng Suihuan isn’t genuinely interested in investing in us.”

Lu Linshen: “Don’t kid yourself.”

Qin Yu immediately protested. “Lao Lu, this doesn’t sound like you at all. Where’s your confidence?”

Lu Linshen: “…” It was precisely because he knew better that he was saying this.

Qin Yu: “Hey! You just mentioned ‘Meng Suihuan.’ So that’s her name? Wow, what a beautiful name!”

Xu Xuanyi: “You accused me of wishful thinking, but look at you! You even remembered her name!”

Qin Yu: “Ha! Back then, it took you three tries to remember my name correctly. Even now, you can’t name more than five female classmates from our class. If you can, I’ll admit defeat.”

Lu Linshen: “…”

Lu Linshen: “Since you’re so enthusiastic, why don’t you take charge of the second round of negotiations?”

Qin Yu immediately wilted, making a practiced zipping gesture over his lips.

Seeing this, Xie Zhixin and Xu Xuanyi couldn’t help but laugh.

Indeed, only Lu Linshen could keep Qin Yu in check.

Meng Suihuan wasn’t idle either. She immediately pulled out the system and bombarded it with questions, trying to figure out if investing in Lu Linshen to work for her and earn money would actually work.

The system went to analyze the situation and eventually gave a definitive answer: this approach was feasible. Moreover, there were occasional chances to earn double rewards.

Hearing this, Meng Suihuan was thrilled. If she had known this earlier, why would she have bothered with real estate? Wouldn’t it be much easier to just invest in others and earn money while lying down?

However, the system’s next statement quickly crushed this idea.

[The opportunity to earn double rewards is exclusive to Lu Linshen. This is a privilege unique to the male protagonist. Oh, and as mentioned before, emotional value can also be exchanged for life points. Let me add a new detail: the emotional fluctuations of male protagonist Lu Linshen toward you have an exchange ratio of 100 to 1. It’s a rare opportunity, don’t miss it~~]

A 100-to-1 ratio? Was that a high exchange rate? She hadn’t paid much attention to this detail before, as she usually just looked at the numbers directly. Now, she couldn’t help but ask the system, “What’s my current exchange rate?”

[Let me check. Currently, your exchange rate has dropped—it’s 10,000 to 1.]

Meng Suihuan: “…”

So low?! No wonder that while she had been earning a lot of money recently, the growth in her life points had slowed down significantly compared to before. So this was the reason!

However, comparing the rates made her sigh in amazement. No wonder he’s the male lead of this world—Lu Linshen is truly valuable! A 100-to-1 exchange rate? How is that even fair?

Meanwhile, she was out there working hard to earn money, and her rate couldn’t even come close to a fraction of his.

This realization only strengthened her determination to milk him dry. From head to toe, inside and out, she was going to squeeze every bit of value from Lu Linshen until there was nothing left!

Time to go home early!