GLOBAL ASSET: REBIRTH OF THE RUTHLESS SCHOLAR
Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 3: Tʜᴇ Cʜᴀɪʀᴍᴀɴ's Sᴇᴀᴛ
The air at Sheng-Hwa University felt different today. Usually, the morning was filled with the arrogant roar of supercars and the chatter of heirs discussing their weekend trips to Paris. But as the clock struck 9:00 AM, a heavy, suffocating silence began to spread from the North Gate.
Xun Long stepped out of the Black Badge Rolls-Royce Spectre. The sound of the door closing was a sharp, expensive "thud" that echoed like a gavel in a courtroom. He adjusted the sleeves of his charcoal-grey suit, the Italian silk shimmering with a subtle, dark luster. On his wrist, the Patek Philippe Nautilus caught the sunlight, a piece of engineering that cost more than the tuition of half the students watching him.
He didn't look like the boy who had been pushed into lockers just forty-eight hours ago. His "Celestial Physique" had finished its first stage of integration. He was taller, his shoulders broader, and his face was a masterpiece of cold, lethal perfection. His silver-tinted eyes didn't just see people; they saw data points, bank balances, and the hidden fears of every person in his line of sight.
As he walked toward the main hall, the students parted like the Red Sea. Those who used to laugh at his faded hoodie now looked at the ground, unable to withstand the "Charm Radiance" and sheer pressure of his presence. He wasn't walking like a student. He was walking like a landlord inspecting a slum.
Tʜᴇ Lᴇᴄᴛᴜʀᴇ Hᴀʟʟ Pᴏᴡᴇʀ Pʟᴀʏ
Xun Long pushed open the heavy oak doors of Lecture Hall 4-B. Inside, the room was packed. At the front stood Professor Wang, a man known for his brilliant mind and his even more brilliant ability to kiss the feet of the rich. He was mid-sentence, explaining a complex economic theory about market stability, when the doors slammed against the wall.
Wang looked up, his face reddening with anger. He didn't recognize the man in the $15,000 suit immediately. "You are late! This is a sanctuary of learning, not a fashion show. Identify yourself or leave!"
Xun Long didn't stop walking. His black leather shoes clicked against the marble floor with a rhythmic, predatory pace. He walked past the rows of stunned students, past the heirs of billionaires, and stood directly in front of Wang's podium.
"My name," Xun Long said, his voice a low, resonant baritone that filled the hall without him even trying, "is Xun Long."
The hall went so silent you could hear a pen drop. Professor Wang's eyes nearly bulged out of his head. He adjusted his glasses, leaning in closer. "Xun... Long? The orphan? The scholarship charity case? This is a joke. Where did you get that suit? Did you steal a credit card? Guards! Someone call security!"
Wang reached out to grab Xun's arm to drag him out, but he was too slow. Xun's hand moved like a blur, catching Wang's wrist mid-air. The grip was like a titanium vice.
"Professor," Xun whispered, leaning in so only Wang could hear the chill in his voice. "The world you knew ended at 8:45 AM today. You talk about market stability, yet you didn't notice a $10 hostile takeover of this entire university. 'Long Corporation'—my corporation—now owns every brick of this building, every book in that library, and every second of your remaining career."
Wang's face went from red to a ghostly, sickly white. Just then, his phone vibrated in his pocket. He fumbled for it, his hands shaking. It was an emergency memo from the Board of Directors.
Subject: Change of Ownership. New Chairman: Xun Long.
Wang's knees buckled. He collapsed into his chair, the legal document on his screen confirming that the "beggar" he had spent years humiliating was now his Master.
Tʜᴇ Iᴄᴇ Gᴏᴅᴅᴇss's Sᴜʙᴍɪssɪᴏɴ
In the front row, Li Mei felt as if the floor had disappeared beneath her feet. She was the "Ice Goddess," the daughter of the Li Tech Group empire. But her phone was currently a graveyard of desperate messages from her father. Their stock had hit zero. Their assets were frozen. The Li family was dead in the water.
She watched as Xun Long turned his gaze toward her. For the first time, he didn't look at her with the hidden longing of a poor student. He looked at her as if she were a piece of furniture he was considering throwing away.
After the lecture ended in a chaotic daze, Xun walked out into the corridor. Li Mei chased after him, her high heels clicking frantically.
"Xun Long! Stop!" she cried out. Her voice, once full of command, was now broken and desperate.
Xun stopped but didn't turn around. "You have sixty seconds, Li Mei. My time is currently billed at a million dollars a minute. Don't waste it."
Li Mei caught up to him, her chest heaving, tears blurring her vision. "Why did you do this? We gave you everything! My father gave you that scholarship!"
Xun Long finally turned, his silver eyes flashing with a cold, dark amusement. "Your father didn't give me a scholarship out of kindness. He saw a genius he could buy for cheap. He wanted me to build his algorithms so he could make billions while I lived in a room with a leaking ceiling. He didn't 'give' me anything. He was trying to own me. I simply decided to own him instead."
Li Mei's pride was shattered. She realized that the power dynamic had inverted so completely that there was no way back. She sank to her knees right there in the hallway, in front of the students who used to worship her.
"Please," she whispered, her forehead almost touching the floor. "My father is an old man. This will kill him. I'll do anything. I'll be your secretary, your servant... just give us a way to survive."
Xun Long looked down at her. The most beautiful girl in the university was at his feet, begging. He felt the "Charm Radiance" from the System pulse through him.
"Ten o'clock tonight. My penthouse at The Dragon's Peak," Xun said, his voice devoid of any mercy. "If you impress me, I might leave your father enough money to buy a small apartment in the suburbs. If not... You can learn what it's like to sleep in a dormitory with no heat."
He walked away without looking back. Li Mei stayed on the floor, her body trembling. She knew what he meant. She was no longer a goddess. She was an acquisition.