The morning after the successful acquisition of the Red Star Textile Factory, the air inside the old Li family apartment was thick with the suffocating stench of cheap tobacco and utter desperation. Auntie Mei and Li Lulu were huddled in the cramped kitchen, whispering in frantic panics. They had already received the official commercial court notice: Li Hua had completely bought out the factory deed, and her 10,000 Yuan state deposit was securely sitting in her account. Their submissive "money tree" had transformed into an apex predator.
The rusted iron security door groaned open.
Li Hua stepped into the entryway, but she bore no resemblance to the girl who used to hunch over to squeeze through the tight corridor. At 72 kilograms, her newly refined silhouette was striking, her posture radiating an effortless, high-fashion grace. She wore a premium white linen shirt tucked into structural black trousers—a minimalist aesthetic that projected supreme authority.
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[Ding! Final Household Mission Triggered: The Clean Sweep.]
[Objective: Reclaim 100% of your biological mother's stolen assets and evict the parasites with zero capital.]
[Reward: S-Tier 'Spatial Storage' (1 cubic meter), +10 Spatial Perception, -2kg Weight Loss.]
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"Oh, Hua-hua! You're finally home!" Auntie Mei scrambled out of the kitchen, her face contorting into a grotesque, flattering smile. "We heard about your contract victory at the Bureau! We always knew our girl was an industry genius. Come, sit. Lulu spent the morning steaming fresh bread with extra lard just for you!"
Li Hua didn't grant the plate a single glance. Her upgraded Vogue Vision map interface was fully active, tracking the structural composition of the apartment to locate the illicit wealth her stepmother had hoarded over the decades.
"I'm not here for leftovers, Auntie," Li Hua said, her voice dropping like ice into a still pond. "I am here to reclaim the legal deed to this apartment, my father's original life insurance policies, and the translucent jade bracelet you stripped from my mother's jewelry box ten years ago."
Auntie Mei's false smile shattered instantly, her skin turning an ashen grey. "Hua-hua, what nonsense are you speaking? The property deed belongs to the household! And that bracelet... I am merely keeping it secure for your wedding day!"
"My wedding day was bartered away for a kickback, remember? By the very woman who pushed me into a den of wolves so she could pocket a hidden dowry." Li Hua stepped forward, her +30 Business IQ reading the frantic micro-expressions twitching across Mei's features. She pointed a gloved finger directly toward a heavy, reinforced wooden wardrobe in the corner of the master bedroom. "The double-bottom false drawer. Open it."
"There is nothing in there!" Li Lulu shrieked, throwing her body in front of the wardrobe, her eyes wild with panic. "You can't just march in here with your capital backing and act like a common bandit!"
Li Hua didn't waste her breath arguing. She simply signaled the hallway behind her. Old Chen stepped into the apartment, followed by four burly, uniformed logistics handlers from her newly acquired factory.
"Director Chen, move the wardrobe," Li Hua commanded calmly.
In this era of rapid transition, raw, uncompromising leverage was the singular metric people like Auntie Mei respected. The factory laborers stepped forward, hoisting the massive piece of oak with a deafening, scraping thud. Li Hua knelt down over the exposed floorboards, her Spatial Perception highlighting a concealed copper latch. She pressed the knot firmly.
Click.
A hidden storage tray popped open, revealing a dusty tin lockbox. Li Hua lifted the lid, exposing the original municipal apartment deed, several thick stacks of uncirculated 50-Yuan bank notes totaling at least 2,000 Yuan, and the brilliant, glowing green radiance of her biological mother's heirloom jade bracelet.
"You thieving bitch!" Auntie Mei roared, lunging forward with her nails clawing out.
Li Hua didn't flinch. Utilizing her enhanced agility, she effortlessly clamped her hand around Auntie Mei's wrist mid-air, her grip like an iron shackle.
"I am the thief?" Li Hua's eyes flashed with a lethal, predatory light that made the older woman instantly wither. "This apartment was purchased entirely with my biological mother's family dowry. This cash was systematically skimmed from the factory workers' medical pensions. And this..." She slid the cool, translucent jade ring onto her slender wrist, where it adjusted perfectly against her skin. "This is my bloodline. Hand over the keys."
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[Ding! Asset Reclamation: 100% Complete! The parasites are entirely dismantled.]
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Li Hua turned a cold gaze toward Old Chen. "Load everything that carries my father's signature. The original books, the fabrics, the premium tailoring tools. If it wasn't purchased with Auntie Mei's black-market margins, it leaves this building today."
As the uniformed handlers stripped the apartment bare, a large crowd of neighbors gathered in the concrete hallway, whispering in absolute awe. They watched the once-scorned, helpless daughter stand like an empress in her cream-and-black wardrobe, while her tyrannical stepmother wailed helplessly on the bare concrete.
"Wait!" Li Lulu wept, her voice trembling as she clutched her mother's shoulders. "If you take the property deed, where are we supposed to live? You are leaving us on the pavement!"
Li Hua paused at the threshold, her leather briefcase slung elegantly over her shoulder. She looked down at Lulu—the girl who had spent a winter's communal heating budget on a single imported dress while Li Hua shivered in an unheated storage room.
"You still possess that floral boutique dress you love so much, don't you, Lulu? And Auntie has her health," Li Hua said, her lips curving into a cold smile completely devoid of warmth. "I have officially settled the building utility fees for the remainder of the month. After that, I highly suggest you apply for a manual sorting position at the textile mill. I hear the new owner is exceptionally ruthless regarding laziness."
"You are a monster, Li Hua!" Auntie Mei sobbed into the dust.
"I had the absolute best instructors," Li Hua replied smoothly.
She turned on her heel and stepped out of the dark tenement complex into the brilliant morning sunshine. Waiting at the curb was the pristine black Hongqi limousine. Ye Feng stood by the open rear door, his hands tucked into his charcoal trench coat, the corner of his lips lifted in a rare, deeply approving smirk.
"Is the ledger settled?" he asked, his baritone smooth and low.
"Everything that carries value is packed," Li Hua said, looking back at the dark windows of her childhood cage one final time as the last tether of her past life snapped cleanly.
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[Ding! Household Quest: The Clean Sweep successfully complete!]
[Rewards Issued: S-Tier 'Spatial Storage' initialized, +10 Spatial Perception.]
[System Calculation: 72kg - 2kg = Current Weight: 70kg! Optimal model contours unlocked.]
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A sudden, sharp tingle vibrated in her consciousness as a pocket of invisible space materialized in her mind. With a single thought, she transferred her mother's phoenix lacquer box into the Spatial Storage, watching it vanish instantly from physical space.
"Next destination, Boss Li?" Ye Feng asked as the heavy door clicked shut, the powerful engine purring to life.
"The Capital," Li Hua declared, her sharp gaze fixed entirely on the highway horizon. "I intend to occupy a flagship storefront on Wangfujing Street before the winter snows fall."
Ye Feng let out a deep, rich chuckle, the sound vibrating through the luxurious cabin. "Wangfujing? You truly do not comprehend how to aim low, do you? Most provincial designers begin with a small wholesale stall in the suburbs."
"I have spent my entire existence in the suburbs, Mr. Ye," Li Hua said, her reflection in the glass window revealing a flawless, porcelain-skinned tycoon with eyes of pure flint. "It is time the Capital learned exactly what an empire a girl from the provinces can build."