Chapter 156: The Charm Killer

Xiao Ran quietly returned to Hong Kong. No one knew he had left at the beginning of the summer battle with Hai Le, except for a few high-ranking members of Shadow, and even Lin Qingxia didn’t know where he had gone.
Back in Hong Kong, Xiao Ran continued to handle his work as if nothing had happened. Sometimes he attended parties among celebrities, other times he went to various banquets, appearing extremely relaxed. Two days later, it was time for the auction Xiao Ran needed to attend in person.
This time, Lin Qingxia didn’t accompany him; instead, Tang Yan went with him. As the manager of the investment department, Tang Yan aimed to acquire a piece of land expected to double in value over five years. It was located in the North District of Hong Kong Island, not particularly large, with a starting bid of just 300 million—making it Shadow’s largest real estate investment so far.
According to the investment department’s calculations, the land could be acquired as long as the bid didn’t exceed 500 million, as it wasn’t particularly sought-after. The starting bid for the detached house Xiao Ran wanted was 35 million, with a maximum bid of 70 million.
However, Xiao Ran was quite interested in this detached house as well. In his memory, Li Zekai had spent 120 million on one such house, demolished it, and rebuilt it with rosewood. Eight years later, its value had exceeded 500 million—it was said to be the most expensive mansion in Hong Kong at the time.
In fact, Xiao Ran already owned quite a few properties, including two villas worth over 20 million each, as well as a significant stake in two promising stocks, worth around 100 million. Adding in his 15% stake in Microsoft, his total assets were quite substantial.
After several plots of land were sold one after another, it was finally time for the detached house. According to the introduction, including the garden and swimming pool, the total area of this detached house was over 40,000 square feet. Though not as large as House No. 12, it was still quite impressive.
After the auctioneer called the starting bid of 35 million, others bid a few times, reaching 40 million. Only then did Xiao Ran increase the bid by 5 million. Clearly, this wasn’t enough to deter others. Finally, a familiar voice called out, “50 million…”
Xiao Ran was stunned. He turned his head and saw it was Zheng Jiacun. After another moment of hesitation, he remembered what Zheng Jiacun had said that day and couldn’t help but smile. It turned out Zheng Jiacun was referring to this detached house, not the land the company wanted to invest in.
Taking advantage of the others’ hesitation, Xiao Ran smiled at Zheng Jiacun and said, “60 million!”
Zheng Jiacun was taken aback. He walked over to Xiao Ran and muttered resentfully, “President Xiao, can’t you leave me a way out? With such high bids, who can afford them?”
Xiao Ran smiled mysteriously. He wasn’t deliberately teasing Zheng Jiacun; he had promised Lin Qingxia to acquire this mansion, so he naturally had to fulfill his promise. “If you can guess my starting bid, I’ll back off. Otherwise, if we both want it, it will end badly for both of us. Let me tell you something—I want this house for my marriage.”
Zheng Jiacun was stunned again. He stared at Xiao Ran, confirming that he wasn’t joking, before smiling. He gave Xiao Ran a firm pat on the shoulder and said, “I never thought the woman-shy Xiao Ran would secretly keep a lover. Impressive. I won’t compete with you. Consider it a wedding gift for you!”

Xiao Ran smiled. This Zheng Jiacun was well-known in the circle for his loyalty, and he really liked such people. He nodded at him in thanks, and after that, no one else competed with Xiao Ran, allowing him to win it smoothly for 60 million.

However, this was Xiao Ran’s first time experiencing bidding. The feeling of spending tens of millions or even hundreds of millions at a glance was truly amazing, easily making one indulge in the pleasure of squandering wealth. No wonder he saw Tang Yan so excited—after all, having hundreds of millions in hand was almost like holding the power to decide people’s lives and deaths.

A few days later, some gossip about the Miss Hong Kong competition appeared in the newspapers. Xiao Ran originally didn’t want to pay attention to such trivial matters, as they always revolved around things like plastic surgery and family background, and such news forced many contestants to withdraw every year.

But this time, the news was serious—it was about Li Jiaxin. The article claimed that the top favorite, Li Jiaxin, was being kept by a local tycoon named Liu Yixiong. It also said that someone was manipulating the outcome secretly to ensure that number seven would win.

Strictly speaking, Xiao Ran didn’t believe the second rumor much, as the Miss Hong Kong competition wasn’t some meaningless beauty pageant; it was watched by everyone in Hong Kong, and it was obvious at a glance who had a chance and who didn’t.

But as for the first rumor, Xiao Ran believed it to at least 70%, because in his impression, such a thing had indeed happened. Still, Guan Meiren hadn’t yet become the prey of Liu Yixiong, known as the “star killer.” Perhaps Liu Yixiong still didn’t know that Li Jiaxin was part of the Shadow Group, otherwise he might not be so arrogant.

That day was the costume competition. Xiao Ran, Yang Guang, and Monkey all appeared in the dressing room. Seeing the two staring at the beautiful contestants with wide eyes, Xiao Ran couldn’t help but laugh loudly, “It’s time for you guys to find girlfriends. With such high salaries, there’s no excuse for not having enough money!”

“We don’t have time!” Monkey almost drooled, showing just how curious he was about these beautiful women. “We spend all our time with you—where would we get time?”

“That’s simple!” Xiao Ran shook his head, thinking it wasn’t an unsolvable problem. “You can take turns working shifts, then you’ll have time. I think no one in Hong Kong dares to kill me now—things are different from before!”

Yang Guang and Monkey thought about it briefly before eagerly agreeing. Monkey was even eager to shout, “Beautiful ladies, here I come!” Watching the two’s playful behavior, Xiao Ran laughed and glanced around. After asking the staff, he found out that Li Jiaxin was using a dressing room by herself.

Frowning, Xiao Ran knocked on the door and entered. Fortunately, Li Jiaxin had just put on her swimsuit, so nothing awkward happened. Upon seeing Xiao Ran, Li Jiaxin greeted him happily and showed off her slender figure. Seeing no reaction from Xiao Ran, she sat down dejectedly.

“A Xin, has there been someone named Liu Yixiong who’s been very close to you lately?” Xiao Ran glanced at Li Jiaxin’s exposed skin, so delicate it made one want to bite it. Her youthful and calm beauty was truly unforgettable.

Li Jiaxin was stunned for a moment before hesitantly saying, “Yes, Liu Yixiong seems to want to pursue me!”
Xiao Ran let out a long sigh. Why did these celebrities always want to get something for nothing? Wasn’t the money he earned enough for them? Just to mention, Fa Ge’s net worth had already reached three million—enough for an ordinary person to buy a villa. Wasn’t that enough?
Xiao Ran indeed had the ability to stop others from targeting the company’s people, but if the person in question wanted to go through with it, he couldn’t interfere. With that in mind, he could only sigh and say earnestly, “A Xin, do you really think Liu Yixiong wants to pursue you? He just wants to toy with you. If you’re willing to sell yourself for a little gain, I have nothing to say.”
“President Xiao, I understand what you mean!” Li Jiaxin hesitated for a moment. She had originally thought she might have a chance with Xiao Ran, but he seemed like a block of wood, completely unaware of her beauty. Now that Liu Yixiong had come to her, it was no wonder she had to consider it: “But I don’t think he’s that kind of person!”
Xiao Ran smiled bitterly. It wasn’t just that he didn’t think so—it was that he simply wasn’t willing to give up this opportunity. However, according to Guan Xin’s investigation, Liu Yixiong seemed to have some connections to the underworld; he just couldn’t remember which gang they belonged to.
There weren’t just one or two people who had earned hundreds of millions through acting. As long as they didn’t live extravagantly, the money they made as celebrities was enough to last a lifetime. Xiao Ran really found it hard to understand these people’s thoughts. But from his perspective, he still hoped to do his best to save Li Jiaxin’s fate.
“How about this? When he arrives, I’ll ask him if he really wants to be with you,” Xiao Ran said casually, though his expression turned stern. “If not, I hope you won’t be with him. If you want to succeed in the entertainment industry, it’s not Liu Yixiong who will help you—it’s your own skills and luck.”
Li Jiaxin fell silent. Sometimes, it was really hard for women to make decisions. It wasn’t that she was greedy for money; it was that Liu Yixiong offered her an easy way to get what she wanted, along with pressure due to her social status. At that moment, Li Jiaxin suddenly thought—her boss was quite powerful, much richer than Liu Yixiong. It shouldn’t be hard to get rid of this pest.
Whether it was hard or not would be clear soon enough! The door suddenly opened, and a young man holding flowers rushed in. He was at least four or five years older than Xiao Ran. Xiao Ran stared at him calmly, while Liu Yixiong turned around after closing the door and was shocked to see a man there.
Upon closer inspection, he immediately recognized him—it was Xiao Ran from Shadow Company! Thinking that Xiao Ran had also come to tease Li Jiaxin, he walked up laughing, “President Xiao, I didn’t expect you to have an interest in A Xin too…”
Liu Yixiong couldn’t finish speaking because he noticed Xiao Ran’s eyes fixed on him, conveying ominous signals. Thinking of Xiao Ran’s influence in the underworld, he trembled slightly and quickly changed his tone: “President Xiao, I’m sorry. I think I’ve entered the wrong room!”

“You’ve come to the right place…” Seeing Liu Yixiong turn to flee, Xiao Ran calmly shifted his gaze to Li Jiaxin’s face. Noting her determined expression, he immediately felt relieved.
Liu Yixiong, groaning in frustration, forced himself to face Xiao Ran: “What do you want to tell me, President Xiao?”
“Do you really want to pursue Jiaxin, or are you just playing around?” Although Xiao Ran’s tone was playful, the hostility beneath it was quite evident. “Tell me!”
“Well… of course it’s just for fun!” Liu Yixiong glanced nervously at Li Jiaxin, who was pale with anger, and said awkwardly, “Actually, I’ve never touched her. President Xiao, I’ll just give her up to you!”
“Which gang is backing you?” Xiao Ran stepped forward abruptly, forcing Liu Yixiong to retreat a few steps. His seemingly cheerful tone now carried a sinister edge. “Don’t you know my rules? Jiaxin belongs to Shadow. Do you really want to mess with her?”
Liu Yixiong was terrified. He had no idea Li Jiaxin had already signed with Shadow. Filled with rage, he glared at her fiercely before looking at Xiao Ran with flattery. “President Xiao, I really didn’t know. Please forgive my ignorance. It won’t happen again!”
“Go ahead!” Xiao Ran ignored Liu Yixiong further—his abilities were nowhere near enough to threaten him. As Liu Yixiong reached the door, Xiao Ran suddenly called out to him, scaring him so much that sweat poured down his forehead. “Never touch anyone from Shadow again. Remember, my rules—no one is allowed to break them!”
Liu Yixiong promised repeatedly that it wouldn’t happen again before rushing out of the room. He didn’t even know where the bouquet of flowers had gone. How could he compete with Xiao Ran? In the underworld, Xiao Ran was now like a godfather. In terms of reputation, not to mention him, even super-rich figures like Li Chao Ren might not surpass Xiao Ran. As for wealth, joking aside, who in Hong Kong didn’t know Shadow was one of the most promising companies there?
Li Jiaxin stared at Xiao Ran’s back, speechless. She had always thought he was just rich. But she never expected that even someone like Liu Yixiong, worth sixty or seventy million, could be scared away with just a few words from Xiao Ran. It was utterly absurd. Especially that last line, “My rules—no one is allowed to break them,” was so domineering and powerful—it was something only someone with real power would dare say.
Xiao Ran glanced at the door before turning to Li Jiaxin with a kind expression. “Now you understand. It’s not that you can’t get to know rich people, but you must keep your distance. People like you, with good looks, are easily played with. Got it?”
“President Xiao, rest assured. This kind of thing will never happen again!” In that moment, Li Jiaxin almost regarded Xiao Ran as an idol to worship.
Xiao Ran smiled, his warmth reaching deep into her heart. He reached out to help her up. “That’s good. Once you become a leading actress, your income will surely rise. In my company, I don’t interfere in everyone’s personal life, but I still hope everyone can stay pure. That’s the best way to take care of yourself.”

As they were talking, the door suddenly opened, and a head poked in. It seemed to recognize Xiao Ran; after a moment of hesitation, it shouted, “Li Jiaxin, are you done dressing up? It’s time to go on stage!”