RETURN OF THE DRAGON: Made 100 Trillon in A Day

Chapter 6: The Secretary’s Choice

The air in the VIP lounge of the Grand Hanhai was thick with the scent of ozone and the heavy, suffocating pressure of a dying empire. Su Qinghe stood before me, her silver hair shimmering like frost under the dim LEDs. She was the "Ice Queen," a woman who had never known the meaning of the word "subordinate."

"You’re bluffing, Qin Ming," she hissed, though her eyes were darting toward the digital ticker tape scrolling across the wall-mounted monitors. "The Su Group is the foundation of this city. You can't just 'liquidate' a fifty-year legacy because of a yellowed piece of paper."

"Bluffing?" I sat back in the leather armchair, spinning my phone on the mahogany table. "Secretary Su, you’re still thinking in terms of paper and bank loans. My System doesn't negotiate with banks. It consumes them."

I tapped the screen and slid the phone toward her.

[System: Liquidating 'Su Family' Debt...]

[Su Group Stock: -14%... -28%... -45%...]

[Status: Hostile Takeover in Progress.]

"Look at the numbers, Qinghe," I said, my voice cold. "That’s not a market crash. That’s me erasing you. Every second you spend arguing with me, another thousand employees lose their pensions. Every breath you take in defiance costs your father another ten percent of his holdings."

"Stop it!" she screamed, lunging for the phone. I didn't even move. A golden pulse of energy threw her back, her heels skidding on the carpet. "You’re a monster! You were a househusband! A nobody! Where did this power come from?"

"The bottom of the ocean is a great place to find yourself," I replied. "Now, are we going to talk about your grandfather, or should I wait for the 'Critical Failure' notification on his life support?"

Su Qinghe froze. Her face went from pale to translucent. "How do you know about his medical suite? That’s a private facility. It’s off-grid!"

I flicked a finger, and the giant screen in the lounge changed. It showed a high-tech hospital room. A frail old man lay hooked to a glowing machine. A red light on the monitor was blinking.

[System: Remote Override Active. Life Support Battery: 12%. Shall I initiate 'Debt Collection' on the Heart Rate?]

"No!" Su Qinghe collapsed to her knees, her pride finally shattering like the ice she was named for. "Qin Ming, please! He has nothing to do with this! He’s ninety years old!"

"He signed the contract, Qinghe. He bought the Su family’s glory with Qin blood. I’m just balancing the ledger." I leaned forward, my golden eyes boring into hers. "You have sixty seconds. You can be the Ice Queen of a graveyard, or you can be my secretary. Which is it?"

"You want to humiliate me," she whispered, tears of pure rage spilling over. "You want to turn the most powerful woman in Hanhai into your errand girl."

"Humiliate you? No. I want to use you. You’re efficient, you’re ruthless, and you know where every body is buried in this city. You’re the perfect tool for what comes next."

"And if I say yes? The debt is cleared? My grandfather lives?"

"The debt is managed," I corrected. "As long as you’re useful, the Su Group stays afloat. The moment you fail a task, I sell another floor of your headquarters. The moment you lie to me, I pull the plug on the old man."

Su Qinghe looked at the screen—the battery was at 8%. She looked at me—the man who was supposed to be dead. She saw the 100 Trillion Spirit Coin aura radiating off me, a wealth so vast it made the world look like a toy store.

"I’ll do it," she choked out, her forehead touching the floor. "I’ll be your shadow. I’ll be your secretary. Just... give him back his life."

[System: Life Support Restored. Debt Status: Deferred.]

I stood up, the pressure in the room vanishing instantly. I reached into my jacket and pulled out a thick, black file. I tossed it onto her back as she knelt there.

"Good choice, Secretary Su. Stand up. Dry your eyes. Your first day starts now."

She rose slowly, her legs shaking, clutching the file like a liferaft. "What is this? A list of your favorite coffees? My work schedule?"

I smiled, and it was the most terrifying thing she had ever seen.

"That’s the Chu Group’s payroll," I said. "Go to their headquarters. Use the Hanhai authority I just gave you. I want a complete purge. Every executive, every manager, every janitor with the last name 'Chu' is to be fired by noon. No severance. No references. If they resist, call the police—I bought them this morning too."

Su Qinghe opened the file, her eyes widening as she saw the names. "This will trigger a total collapse of the Chu Corporation. Thousands of people—"

"I didn't ask for a consultation, Secretary," I cut her off, walking toward the door. "I asked for a result. Do it, or I’ll find someone who will. And remember... the old man is watching the clock."

[: As Su Qinghe rushed out to execute the order, my phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number: "The Chu family was just the appetizer, Qin Ming. The 'God-Body' belongs to the Sect. We are outside the hotel. Come out and die, or we bring the building down."]

[System: Warning! 12 'Heaven-Realm' Assassins have surrounded the Grand Hanhai. Survival Probability: 14%. Would you like to spend 100 Billion on 'System Guard' summons?]

I looked at the elevator doors. My "secretary" was gone to destroy my enemies' business. Now, I had to deal with their gods. "100 Billion?" I whispered, a dark thrill running through me. "Make it 200 Billion. I want them to suffer."