For a top-tier cruise ship like the "Deep Sea," the guests attending its banquet were naturally all people of prominence. To ensure the safety of these important figures, the ship was certainly equipped with medical staff.
Inside the luxurious suite, Feng Sheng sat on the sofa with a grim expression, while beside him, a doctor tended to his wound in silence, not daring to even breathe too loudly.
The sharp pain radiating from his hand only fueled his rage. As the chairman of "Starlight Entertainment," Feng Sheng had played with countless women. Or rather, with his status and background, there were plenty of small-time starlets desperate to climb the ladder, scheming to attach themselves to him—whether they even got the chance to share his bed depended entirely on his mood. When had he ever been rejected so mercilessly?
In the entertainment industry, men and women alike were playthings of capital. When encountering such an ungrateful wretch, the proper move was to blacklist her and be done with it.
But… he had seen countless beauties, yet never one as stunning as this, ethereal like a fairy.
Recalling that face—like a begonia drunk on the sun, like snow gathered under the moonlight—his heart itched with renewed desire.
Fine. If she came back and knew her place, willing to obediently become his mistress, then giving her some resources to boost her into a minor starlet wasn't out of the question.
Just as he was thinking this, the door suddenly burst open. His assistant and several bodyguards walked in, but behind them, there was no sign of Xia Cheng.
"Where's that little bitch?"
"I'm sorry, Chairman, we—"
Seeing their cowering demeanor, Feng Sheng hurled a teacup at them, bellowing furiously, "Useless! I send you to grab a woman and you can't even do that! I might as well feed your salaries to the dogs!"
The assistant quickly explained, "Chairman, it's not that we couldn't grab her—Miss Xia suddenly rushed into the top-floor elevator, and we were blocked by people, so—"
"Cowards! Useless!" Feng Sheng cut him off, cursing, "Can't you adapt at all?! When they blocked you, why didn't you drop my name? Who on this ship would dare not show me some respect? Would they really make trouble for you over a woman?!"
The assistant looked uneasy. "But, those people all wore gold-trimmed badges on their chests…"
"So what if they wore badges?! A lousy badge scares you that much?!" Feng Sheng, now at the peak of his fury, slammed the table. "Go bring that little bitch back right now! If you don't bring her back, you useless bastards are all fired!"
"But that's not an ordinary badge…" A flicker of fear passed through the assistant's eyes, and he lowered his voice. "Chairman, the emblem on those gold-trimmed badges is a lion and chains. I've heard of it before—this kind of badge seems to be… seems to be, it's…"
He didn't have the courage to say that final name, but Feng Sheng no longer needed him to.
A lion and chains.
A gold-trimmed family crest.
Combined, these elements were enough to make him think of one family.
The Duan family.
At that thought, before Feng Sheng's furious expression could even fade, the fleshy folds of his face trembled violently.
In ancient times, the distinguished noble houses of the Eastern Continent had a tradition of designing family crests. In the modern era, especially in high society, family crests had become symbols of status and standing.
A family without sufficient depth of heritage wouldn't design its own exclusive crest, because if one wore a crest that others didn't recognize, wearing it would only be an act of self-humiliation, and the crest would merely become an ornament that invited ridicule.
In the Eastern Continent, there were very few families qualified to possess a crest, and even fewer—only four—whose crests inspired fear at a single glance.
The Duan family was one of them.
The Duan family was an ancient clan passed down through many generations. Ordinary people might never hear of the "Duan family" in their entire lives, but if one mentioned "Huanxing Group," or "Golden Lion Bank"—those conglomerates that monopolized and controlled media, pharmaceuticals, finance, energy, weapons, and every other sector—few would be unfamiliar with them.
And to the Duan family, these were merely the surface of their vast family power.
They were like icebergs beneath the sea—a colossal shadow lurking beneath the Eastern Continent, unseen and unheard. The people living within their sphere might not even feel their presence on a daily basis, yet every decision they made tangibly affected everything in the Eastern Continent.
In the Eastern Continent, being merely wealthy wasn't enough to reach the pinnacle of the pyramid. So-called conglomerates, so-called financial empires, could sometimes be fragile, because wealth often crumbled before power.
But the Duan family was different. It was a top-tier aristocratic house of immense influence—one could even say the power it wielded far surpassed the wealth it displayed outwardly.
To the stars of the entertainment industry, the chairman of Starlight Entertainment was already a figure not to be trifled with. Even a world-renowned director like Director Qin had to yield to him somewhat.
But to the Duan family, let alone the chairman of Starlight Entertainment, even Starlight Entertainment itself was nothing more than an ant that could be crushed underfoot at will.
However, the Duan family was such a behemoth, with countless collateral branches and distant relatives, that not everyone was qualified to wear the family crest. Receiving the crest meant gaining the recognition of the main family—only then could one be considered a true member of the Duan family. Many members of the branch families devoted their entire lives to the clan, only earning a gold-trimmed crest symbolizing their status in middle age or even their later years.
In fact, the vast majority of mediocre collateral members would never even catch a glimpse of that emblem in their entire lives.
"You're saying… every single one of those people you saw was wearing the crest?"
When he said this, Feng Sheng's voice carried a tremor he himself hadn't even noticed.
"Yes," the assistant replied in a low voice. "But they all seemed to be bodyguards, constantly on high alert, protecting the young man at the very center. They wouldn't let us get anywhere near him. That young man looked very young—around twenty-something. Strangely enough, he wasn't wearing the crest on his clothes. Instead, he was holding it in his hand, playing with it… as if he wasn't being very respectful."
…Twenty-something?
What kind of person could receive such treatment in the Duan family at such a young age, and even casually toy with the crest that symbolized status and identity?
Cold sweat dripped down his clammy skin one drop at a time. Feng Sheng suddenly recalled a rumor he'd heard before.
Apparently, the next generation's heir to the Duan family, Duan Mingxuan… was said to be just barely over twenty years old.
His throat went dry, and he suddenly felt as if he couldn't catch his breath.
As a player, the first thing she noticed was the gleaming UR identifier floating above the young man's head. Seeing that he was the highest-ranked UR-Rank Card in the game, Xia Cheng immediately and eagerly tapped open his personal profile.
[Name: Duan Mingxuan]
[Rank: UR]
[Identity: Heir of the Duan family, one of the four most powerful families in the Eastern Continent.]
[Character Bio: ****** (Note: Affection level not yet met—this person does not permit you to view his private information.)]
The entire character bio section was filled with encrypted symbols. This was a common occurrence in games—when affection levels weren't high enough, cautious NPCs would often refuse to let players view their personal histories.
But players always insisted on forcing it!
Xia Cheng began furiously tapping on his character bio. After dozens of attempts, finally—
[Your persistent and enthusiastic behavior has touched the NPC's heart. Duan Mingxuan's affection level -1.]
[Forcibly picked melons aren't sweet—please respect the NPC's personal privacy~]
Xia Cheng: "…"
This NPC was so stingy! Not only did he refuse to show his personal history, but he also deducted affection points at the slightest thing! She was going to sell him off sooner or later!
The player thought indignantly.
UR-Rank Cards also had the most top-tier character models. The black-haired young man wore an exquisitely tailored silver-gray suit, with a black shirt and champagne-colored tie that clearly cost a fortune. The buttons on his folded cuffs were set with gleaming cornflower-blue sapphires, perfectly matching his status—looking noble and refined without being overly flashy.
The young man was tall and slender, around twenty years old, with features like a painting—a high, straight nose and a delicate, handsome profile. His appearance wasn't particularly aggressive, but the coldness between his brows perfectly balanced the delicacy of his features. He carried an air of being untouchable, as if he dwelled among the clouds.
The moment she saw the NPC's character model, the dog-loving player's fury vanished into thin air.
A new husband had appeared—how could she possibly stand still!
She immediately decided to add him to her harem.
Given that he'd had the audacity to deduct her affection points, the position of empress was out of the question. She'd reluctantly grant him the rank of a lowly concubine for now.
The black-haired young man seemed equally surprised that someone had suddenly crashed into his arms. He was startled for a brief moment, then furrowed his brows slightly. A slender hand fell onto her shoulder, gripping it to push her away and create some distance between them.
The moment he clearly saw the young woman in his arms, the hand on her shoulder seemed to pause almost imperceptibly.
The bodyguards Feng Sheng had sent had already chased them here, but the black-haired young man's security detail outnumbered them several times over. Besides, judging by the setup, it was obvious the other party's identity was no simple matter. They didn't dare offend him recklessly. Someone even directly recognized the Duan family crest, and his face immediately paled several shades.
Wanting to get close to the UR card and successfully add him to her harem, the people Feng Sheng had sent actually became an advantage to her instead.
A thought crossed the player's mind, and she immediately put on a pitiful, delicate expression, speaking in a panicked voice: "Please! Save me! They're the people Feng Sheng sent to capture me—if they take me back, I'm done for!"
"Feng Sheng?"
The young man repeated the name with a calm expression, but the unfamiliarity in his tone betrayed the fact that he had no idea who this nobody was.
A subordinate beside him said in a low voice: "Mr. Duan, Feng Sheng is the chairman of Starry Entertainment. Starry Entertainment is a subsidiary of Starlight Group."
There was no need to say anything more, because Starlight Group was one of the conglomerates under the Duan family's control.
In other words, Feng Sheng could be considered the subordinate of Duan Mingxuan's subordinate's… subordinate.
Duan Mingxuan's gaze fell upon the young woman before him. She wore a plain white long dress, the fabric and quality unremarkable—clearly not from any expensive brand, and hardly befitting the temperament of this cruise ship's guests.
She seemed utterly terrified, her eyes rimmed red, tear droplets still clinging to her long black lashes. She looked pitifully delicate, which only made her lotus-like face appear even more exquisitely beautiful.
Given Feng Sheng's status, combined with the girl's panicked expression… no explanation was needed. Duan Mingxuan immediately understood what she had endured.
His stern expression softened slightly.
[Your beauty and your ordeal seem to have reminded him of something. His protective instinct toward you has increased. Duan Mingxuan's affection +5.]
[The bodyguards sent by Feng Sheng dared not provoke a conflict with the Duan family and could only slink away in defeat. To ensure your safety, Duan Mingxuan brought you back to his own room, planning to arrange for someone to escort you home once the ship docked.]
[His attitude toward you is polite yet distant. Helping you seems to be merely a passing gesture, with no intention of forming a deeper connection.]
[But from the deference of those around him, to the decor of the room, to his speech and bearing, you can vaguely sense that his identity is far from ordinary. If everything ends here, perhaps you will never again encounter someone of this privileged class… Faced with this situation, what do you plan to do—]
"A. Get into his bed, sleep with him. An opportunity to climb the social ladder must never be missed. I intend to latch onto the most prestigious patron and be the most arrogant resource-rich player. (Note: Choosing this option will unlock the 'Black Lotus' route, adding the 'Scheming' trait. Your 'Morality' attribute will continuously decrease, but your resources will increase dramatically.)"
"B. Relying on others is never as good as relying on yourself. Better to stay grounded and work hard honestly. (Note: Choosing this option will unlock the 'White Lotus' route. You will more easily gain the audience's favor and passersby's goodwill, but your path to advancement will no longer accept any 'unethical assistance.')"