"What the hell (????). Does it have to be this cringe?!"
"Do I have to shout out the skills name? System, I suspect you're messing with me?!"
After hearing the skills description, Lin Xuan's mouth twitched.
Fortunately, he was an intelligence-type character who valued peace, so he probably wouldn't need this skill...
"Looking at this, it seems that for every 100,000 Stickiness points accumulated, a special Stickiness skill is unlocked?"
"But if it's just sticking close to someone? Doesn't seem like there would be many good skills left, right?"
As for the special skills awarded by the system.
Lin Xuan didn't have high expectations; he felt the system couldn't come up with anything too amazing.
But perhaps sensing the host's disdain, the system surprisingly responded...
[Ding! Special skills come in various forms, the host can possess them once the conditions are met.]
[Such as "Stickiness Sharing," "Stickiness Copying," "Stickiness Healing," "Stickiness Heart Voice," "Stickiness Dream," "Stickiness Precognition," "Stickiness Teleportation," etc.....]
Damn!
The system is awesome!
A simple "Stickiness," and yet you can come up with so many variations (ΩДΩ)?!
Hearing those skill names in his head, Lin Xuan suddenly started to feel a bit excited.
Because some of these skills sounded like superpowers from Marvel movies, instantly sparking Lin Xuan's desire to obtain them...
"However, more importantly right now... I still need to handle the Lin family's situation first."
"Maybe tomorrow or the day after, once public opinion has spread all over the internet."
"When the Lin family's stock price hits rock bottom and no one wants to take over this mess, that's when I'll reclaim the Lin family's shares...."
"But by then I won't have time to manage the company, I'll need a subordinate to run things for me."
"......"
Lin Xuan lowered his head, deep in thought.
He was never going to devote his energy to managing a company or making money.
Now, he was only interested in "Stickiness," wanting to stay by Su Qingge's side and "Stick" all the time.
"Although I've never touched money and have no interest in it."
"But who would complain about having too much money? I have plenty of ways to make money, and since I can't do it myself, I'll just have others do it for me."
"As the boss, all I need to do is collect the money...."
At this moment.
Lin Xuan finally started to understand the sinful pleasures of being a boss.
As for the person who would work for him, he had already picked out the candidate.
Ma Yingzhe!
In the later stages of the plot.
Su Fan realized that fighting alone wouldn't work, so he recruited some subordinates.
This person had been an orphan since childhood, had a withdrawn personality, but he was a business genius.
Even though he couldn't attend school due to financial and other practical issues.
He relied on self-study in a series of business courses such as finance, economics, business law, behavioral science, accounting, financial management, and marketing.
In the later stages, he helped Su Fan build a massive business empire, remaining loyal, swearing to follow him to the death, and never betraying him.
If it weren't for him, Su Fan — who only knew how to "kill kill kill" and knew nothing about business — would've never achieved anything in the corporate world.
You could say!
Ma Yingzhe was a supporting character specifically designed by the author to assist Su Fan...
Sorry, big brother-in-law.
Looks like I'm going to snatch your right-hand man ahead of time.
"I remember Ma Yingzhe's childhood friend should be suffering from uremia now, waiting for a kidney transplant at a hospital in Magic City?!"
"And now, Ma Yingzhe is probably desperately trying to gather money for her surgery..."
"The reason why he became so devoted to Su Fan later on was because when they were at a dead end, Su Fan extended a helping hand and saved the person Ma Yingzhe loved the most."
"Tsk tsk tsk... so much talent, yet beaten down by reality. Only by becoming a lackey of the protagonist can he finally display his skills."
"This kind of novel setup... truly the classic of classics!"
...
Lin Xuan stroked his chin and smiled playfully.
But he also understood — if a supporting role could make it on their own, they'd have to be out of their mind to submit to the protagonist.
Only when the protagonist does them a great favor and the other person willingly devote themselves, does it align with human nature and logic.
Thinking this, Lin Xuan already had a plan in mind.
He decided to personally visit the hospital in Magic City tomorrow and find an opportunity to bring Ma Yingzhe under his control...
As Lin Xuan was contemplating, he had no idea that the outside world had already exploded over his public announcement of retirement of the identity [L].
Douyin, Weibo, Bilibili, Kuaishou, Toutiao, Ma Dou, and other self-media platforms, news platforms, and social platforms.
All of them were re-sharing [L]'s "disfigurement" statement, causing a massive internet-wide earthquake.
Even Lin Xuan himself may have underestimated just how fast information could spread in the digital age.
Now the matter of [Beauty Cream]'s side effects was practically known to every household.
Even forces outside of Magic City had heard of the Lin Group's existence.
And thanks to this incident, the Lin Group had gone viral, angering the masses.
People constantly flocked to the Lin Group's official pages, posting all kinds of nasty abuse, demanding Lin Jianjun commit seppuku to apologize.
"Give us back our entertainment savior [L]'s beautiful face! I demand that the chairman of the Lin Group die to atone for his sins!"
"Lin Group?! How can your hearts be so black? Do you even have a shred of basic decency left? Someone go to his house and 'take care of him' already!"
"My wife has been driven to the brink of suicide because of you! We couldn't stop her, and it's all because of your product that she was disfigured. You tell me, shouldn't you die for this?"
"Beasts! To make this black-hearted money, you don't care about the lives of others! A company like yours not going bankrupt is just unjust!"
"I heard Lin Jianjun, that black-hearted businessman! Is in the hospital emergency room right now? God! Why didn't that beast just drop dead?!"
"Which brave soul lives near the hospital? Any warriors living near the hospital? Join me tomorrow — storm the hospital and beat Lin the Dog to a pulp! Let's avenge our idol [L]!"
"Gather! Where are the 108 heroes of Magic City? Tomorrow, come with me to kill Lin Dog!"
"+1."
"+2."
"+10086..."
"......"
The whole internet was in an uproar!
Some were [L]'s fans, heartbroken over their idol's fate.
Some were victims and family members of those who used the [Beauty Cream].
Some were driven by a pure sense of justice.
...
But regardless of their motives, the netizens were united in their hatred, filled with righteous anger, and full of hostility towards the Lin Group.
Under this overwhelming wave of "malice"...
The company received all kinds of "curses" and "vicious threats" every day.
Panic and despair spread throughout the Lin Group — most employees were already mentally prepared for unemployment and the company's collapse....
First People's Hospital of Magic City.
VIP ward.
On a soft hospital bed.
Lin Jianjun wore a medical oxygen mask, lying unconscious.
Not far from him, Lin Hao and his mother were whispering to each other.
They had already turned off their phones and didn't dare turn them back on.
Because some bastard had doxed them, exposing their personal info online.
Now, people claiming to be "righteous" kept calling to cyberbully them — it was unbearable.
But compared to being harassed online, there was an even more urgent and pressing issue in front of them....
"Mom! The public opinion online is overwhelmingly against us! Is it true that the Lin Group is really going bankrupt?"
Lin Hao paced anxiously in front of the window.
He had finally become the sole heir to the Lin family.
He was dreaming of leading a booming Lin Group to the top of Magic City and ruling it like a king.
How did he suddenly become a rat that everyone wanted to beat up overnight?
He hadn't even had the chance to enjoy the admiration of the masses nor had he gotten his revenge on that damn Lin Xuan...
How could the Lin family already be on the verge of bankruptcy and collapse?!
"Ugh, this is all that damned singer [L]'s fault — a total scumbag."
"Doesn't he realize the kind of influence he has? Actually rallying netizens to cyberbully our Lin Group — how black-hearted can a person be!"
"He could have contacted us privately, we could have discussed compensation and an apology. But no, he chose to expose it directly, not even giving us one chance?!"
"If we're wrong, we could apologize, right? Why go so far? That bastard must be from a rival company, deliberately targeting our Lin family."
"........"
Beside Lin Hao, Bai Yuelan also had a grim expression, her face full of unwillingness.
In just a few days, the repeated blows had left her mentally and physically exhausted.
She didn't even have the energy to do her makeup, leaving her looking visibly haggard.
Damn, why are we so unlucky?!
Bai Yuelan was very unwilling to accept it, feeling that fate had been too unfair.
She had finally been announced as the mother of the Lin family at the press conference by Lin Jianjun, marking her moment of glory.
She had been looking forward to showing off in the Magic City high society, enjoying the envious gazes of her friends!
But it hadn't even started, and now it was all ending?! She was looking forward to appearing in Magic City's high-society circles, basking in the envy of her socialite friends!
But before any of that even began, how could it all be over already???
But Bai Yuelan also knew in her heart that the situation had escalated to this point, and the Lin family was basically beyond saving...
Perhaps... it was time to think about an escape plan...
"Mammy, if the company really goes bankrupt, what are we going to do?"
"Are we really going to live like ordinary people forever? No way, no way!"
Lin Hao tugged at his hair in frustration, sighing deeply.
As the saying goes: it's easy to go from frugality to luxury, but difficult to go from luxury to frugality.
He had long been used to the life of a rich heir — suddenly asking him to live like an ordinary person, struggling, was impossible for him!!!
Living in the dirty employee dormitory these days, with such a hard life, he was really starting to feel nauseous.
But thinking that it was just for a short period of time, and soon he would be back in his big villa, living a life of luxury, he gritted his teeth and endured.
It was that hope for a better future that kept him going.
But seeing that these poor days were about to become his permanent reality, just thinking about such a future made Lin Hao feel dizzy...
Thinking of this...
Lin Hao's expression became more and more anxious as he kept urging his mother to give him advice.
"Mammy, tell me! What should we do?!"
"I don't want to live a hard life! Mom! I still want to inherit the Lin Group and get revenge on those who looked down on me!"
"Come on, mammy! Say something! What are we going to do next? Give me a plan! Speak!"
"......"
Since childhood, Lin Hao had been coddled by Lin Jianjun and Bai Yuelan, always having his way and relying on whining to get whatever he wanted.
Now, for the first time, he was facing such a big problem.
Completely at a loss, he instinctively sought a solution from his mother.
But in the face of this sudden disaster, Bai Yuelan was also panicking — how could she have any ideas?
She looked at the unconscious Lin Jianjun in bed, instinctively wanting to ask him for help — in the past, she only needed to shout "Honey~~".
And Lin Jianjun would confidently handle everything for her.
But now, that man was still in a coma....
Useless bastard?!
Of all times to pass out, it had to be now...
Glancing at the man on the bed, Bai Yuelan couldn't help but curse him in her heart.
Especially hearing Lin Hao calling out "mammy" over and over again — it made her even more irritated.
Bai Yuelan couldn't control her anxious emotions for a moment and scolded Lin Hao a few times:
"Ask, ask, ask! All you do is ask me what to do! How the hell should I know?!"
"Do you have pig brains?! Can't you use your own brain to think a little? My head is pounding from your noise..."
"Useless thing!!!"
...
Especially when she lifted her head and saw her precious son's disbelieving expression — she was overwhelmed with guilt and shame.
What the hell was she doing?
It wasn't Xiao Hao's fault — how could she yell at him?!
"Xiao Hao~~ I'm sorry!"
"Mammy was just in a bad mood and said some harsh things! But I didn't mean it, can you forgive mammy?"
Facing Bai Yuelan's cautious apology.
Lin Hao snorted coldly and turned his head away angrily.
He never imagined...
His mother, who used to hold him in her palm and protect him like a treasure, actually dared to yell at him today!!!
"Mammy, you actually scolded Hao'er."
"Hao'er's not talking to you anymore! Hmph!"
"......"
Although he was very displeased.
Lin Hao also knew that now wasn't the time to blame his mother...
After Bai Yuelan's repeated apologies, he had no choice but to temporarily put the issue aside and continue asking his mother for a solution.
"Mammy, so what should we do now?"
Why are you asking me again?
If I knew, I would've fixed it already — why would I still be agonizing here?!
Hearing Lin Hao persistently ask what they should do.
Bai Yuelan's mouth twitched, and irritation and dissatisfaction welled up inside her.
For the first time in her life, she felt that her son, whom she had once been so proud of, was all show but no substance...