pjbooks Chapter 15: The Older Sister's Betrayal of Her Brother and the Mining Crisis
Chapter 15: The Older Sister's Betrayal of Her Brother and the Mining Crisis
"Xixi, I heard from Mingming that you awakened the Void Sword Maiden? That's a super S-rank class, your future is limitless."
While peeling an orange for Lin Xi, Su Qing tentatively asked.
Lin Xi humbly replied, "I was just lucky. But the Void element is indeed quite difficult to cultivate, requiring constant practical experience."
Speaking of practical application, Su Qing changed the subject, "What do you think of my Mingming? I thought you two got along quite well just now."
Su Ming rolled his eyes.
"Harmonious? She's torturing me, okay?"
Lin Xi glanced at Su Ming, pondered for a moment, and gave a fair assessment:
"Su Ming's talent... is quite unique. His base attributes are very high, and his control over weapons has exceeded my expectations. But..."
Su Qing raised an eyebrow: "But what?"
Lin Xi sighed:
"But he's too lazy. Despite having such good resources and talent, he chose the path of a freelancer and has no ambition whatsoever."
"If he were to use the time he would spend drinking milk and taking back moves on cultivation, even as a free spirit, he might still achieve something great."
Upon hearing this, Su Qing not only didn't get angry, but instead covered her mouth and laughed.
"Xixi, you may not know Mingming very well."
Su Qing looked tenderly at her younger brother who was watching TV, and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.
"He's always been like this since he was a child. He seems unreliable, but he's actually more shrewd than anyone else."
Su Qing leaned closer to Lin Xi and whispered:
"You know what? He chose the unaffiliated class not because he was lazy, but because he felt that the god-level class was too restrictive."
"His ambition is not just to be a strong person bound by the rules. He wants to break the rules."
Lin Xi was slightly taken aback.
"Breaking the rules?"
"That guy who's always talking about wanting to give up and even takes back his moves in chess, does he really have this kind of ambition?"
Su Qing patted Lin Xi's hand:
"You'll understand later. By the way, now that you're here, please keep an eye on him for me."
"This kid is easily provoked. You're his childhood friend, and sometimes your words carry more weight than mine."
Looking at Su Ming's profile, Lin Xi recalled the stunning powerful shot she had fired that morning.
"Perhaps Sister Su Qing is right. He's hiding his true abilities?"
"it is good."
Lin Xi nodded, a hint of inquiry in her eyes.
"I will keep a close eye on him. In exchange, I hope Su Ming can be my sparring partner before the assessment."
Su Ming, who was drinking water, almost spat it out.
"A sparring partner?"
"You want me, a random player, to be a sparring partner for Fiora? Isn't that just making me a punching bag in front of this human-shaped cleaver?"
"Sister! You're betraying your brother for personal gain!"
Su Ming protested.
Su Qing ignored his protests and made the decision directly:
"It's settled then! Xixi, don't hold back. As long as you don't kill her, train like crazy! We have plenty of healing potions at home!"
A faint smile appeared on Lin Xi's lips:
"Don't worry, I'll know my limits."
Su Ming collapsed onto the sofa, feeling utterly hopeless.
This isn't a divine assist; it's practically pushing him into a fire pit!
..................
Before we knew it, it was evening.
The dinner was as lavish as ever.
Su Zhiguo is a typical doting father to his daughter and son. He should have been very happy to see his family all together, including the daughter of his old friend.
But Su Ming keenly noticed that his father was acting a little strange tonight.
Although Su Zhiguo was still laughing and drinking heavily, there was always an unyielding sorrow between his brows.
Moreover, his phone was always by his side, and the screen would light up from time to time. Every time he glanced at it, his brows would furrow even more.
"Dad, this braised lion's head meatballs taste bland."
Su Ming suddenly said.
"Huh? Really?" Su Zhiguo came to his senses, picked up a piece and tasted it.
"No, it's fine, it still tastes the same."
Su Ming put down his chopsticks and looked at his father: "Dad, you seem to have something on your mind."
The atmosphere at the dining table instantly fell silent.
Lin Xi stopped what she was doing and looked at Su Zhiguo with some concern. Su Qing frowned, clearly having noticed it as well.
Su Zhiguo was taken aback for a moment, then waved his hand and laughed:
"Hey, what could be bothering you? It's just some company stuff, a few old fogies won't listen to me, I'll give them a good scolding tomorrow. Come on, let's eat, Xixi, eat more."
"dad."
"Su Ming's voice rose a few decibels. 'I'm an adult now, and a professional.'"
"Furthermore, I still own a mine. If something happens to my family, I have the right to know."
Su Zhiguo looked into his son's clear yet determined eyes and remained silent for a long time.
He sighed, put down his wine glass, and the smile on his face gradually faded, replaced by the composure and solemnity of a business tycoon.
"I didn't want you to worry about this," Su Zhiguo rubbed his temples. "It's the Li family."
"The Li family?" Su Qing's eyes turned cold.
"That Li Hao's family? The Li family from the Shanghai mining company?"
"right."
Su Zhiguo nodded.
"That kid Li Hao got humiliated in the dungeon, and he'll definitely exaggerate and complain when he gets back. That old fox Li Tiancheng from the Li family has always been eyeing our Su family's position as the richest family in Shanghai."
"This time, they found an excuse."
Su Ming narrowed his eyes: "What did they do?"
Su Zhiguo sneered:
"It's just a business tactic. They colluded with several upstream material suppliers to cut off the rare metal supply to our equipment manufacturing company under the Su Group."
"Especially the refining catalyst for Star Iron, which is Fire Cloud Crystal, they directly monopolized the supply and raised the price tenfold."
Su Qing slammed her hand on the table: "Ten times? They're robbing us!"
Su Zhiguo said helplessly:
"It's not just about raising prices. They've also spread the word that anyone who dares to sell us Fire Cloud Crystals is going against the Li family."
"Several of our high-end equipment production lines have already been shut down. If we breach the contract, we will face huge compensation claims and damage to our reputation."
Lin Xi listened from the side. Although she didn't understand business, she knew the seriousness of the matter.
"Uncle Su, do you need my father's help?" Lin Xi asked.
Su Zhiguo shook his head: "No need. This is business competition, and it's inappropriate for your father to interfere as the principal."
Su Ming remained silent, his fingers lightly tapping the table.
"Fire Cloud Crystal...a catalyst for refining Star Iron..."
He suddenly remembered that among his mountain of skill books, there seemed to be a "Basic Alchemy" book for life professions and a "Guide to Ore Refining".
"Dad, if we don't have Fire Cloud Crystal, is it impossible to refine Star Iron?" Su Ming asked.
Su Zhiguo nodded:
"Yes. Star Iron is too hard and can only be smelted using the high-temperature flames generated by Fire Cloud Crystal. Without it, we can't turn our mines into equipment."
A mysterious smile suddenly appeared on Su Ming's lips.
"Dad, you said the Li family monopolizes Fire Cloud Crystals? What if... we don't need Fire Cloud Crystals?"
Su Zhiguo was taken aback: "What do you mean? The current process is fixed. What else can we use if not Fire Cloud Crystal?"
Su Ming stood up, walked to Su Zhiguo's side, and placed his hand on his father's shoulder:
"Dad, have you forgotten what my profession is?"
Su Zhiguo answered subconsciously: "A freelancer."
"Yes, a freelancer." Su Ming's eyes gleamed with confidence.
"Not only can independent people fight, but they can also do scientific research."
"As far as I know, the chef's 'High Temperature Cooking' combined with the mage's 'Flame Amplification' and the alchemist's 'Matter Transformation' are all combined."
"It seems possible to synthesize a better alternative than Fire Cloud Crystal..."