In The Superstar’s Secret Husband Is a Hundred-Billion CEO, the first two-thirds of the novel focused on the romance between its bottom lead, Chen Jiahe, and its top lead, Xiao Ji.
A sick mother, a gambling father, a younger sister still in school, and a young man barely holding himself together—Chen Jiahe came with the full tragic package. After entering the entertainment industry, he weathered setback after setback without giving up.
Then, unfortunately, he caught Xiao Ji’s eye.
Xiao Ji had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth and an uncle who controlled the entire Xiao Group. His career was a charmed ascent, while his love life consisted of one casual conquest after another, none of them leaving a mark.
When Chen Jiahe rejected him, he cut off the young man’s opportunities and industry backing, leaving him nowhere to turn. With no other choice, Chen Jiahe accepted an arrangement as his kept lover, only to suffer torment of both body and heart.
The novel’s ultimate villain, Xiao Yi, did not properly enter the story until its later stages. Throughout the earlier chapters, he existed largely in the background.
Head of the Xiao family. Chairman of Xiao Group. A ruthless business titan whose calculations ran unfathomably deep.
Whenever the narrative introduced Xiao Ji and the powerful family behind him, Xiao Yi was brought out for another impressive display, as though he were the novel’s most prestigious seal of approval.
Yet opinions of this illustrious figure were sharply divided.
Some called him a prodigy who had achieved greatness young. Others described him as cold-blooded and merciless. An illegitimate son whose mother’s identity was unknown, he had supposedly sacrificed his own siblings for power, leaving nearly every branch of the Xiao family bereaved or crippled.
Such rumors were everywhere.
Only those who truly understood Xiao Yi knew—
Every word was true.
Deaths, disabilities, suspicious accidents: Xiao Yi had a hand in almost all the misfortunes that befell his siblings across the family’s various branches.
And yet this same man cherished his nephew, Xiao Ji.
Years earlier, after Xiao Ji’s mother died in a car accident following her husband’s infidelity, Xiao Yi had defied every objection and taken the boy into his care. He had then raised him as his successor.
Had their ages not been so close, people might well have assumed Xiao Ji was his biological son.
Although they eventually became enemies, Xiao Yi genuinely treated Xiao Ji as his own child in the early part of the story. He had even risked his life to save him, nearly perishing in a fire.
That affection was clearly more than a performance.
Which was why Song Liang had never intended to return the Emperor’s Tear to Xiao Yi, nor had he ever trusted the man’s promises.
Compared with an old fox like Xiao Yi, the future domineering CEO Xiao Ji would be much easier to handle.
Get Xiao Ji under control, and he would effectively have Xiao Yi under control too.
Two problems solved at once.
Song Liang considered his plan flawless.
3085, however, could not help asking, 【…Host, isn’t this plot taking a slightly wrong turn?】
Song Liang: 【What’s wrong with it?】
3085 hesitated.
In its version of events, the host would recover the Emperor’s Tear and return it to the top lead. When the top lead offered a reward, the host would immediately insist that he wanted nothing in return—that being able to help was enough.
A perfect opportunity to earn some affection.
Now the host was indeed offering the Emperor’s Tear to the top lead.
But how had a heartfelt gesture turned into blackmail?
【Do you really think this will make the top lead like you?】
Song Liang: 【Why do I need him to like me?】
【???】
【How are you supposed to marry him if he doesn’t like you?】
Song Liang: 【Who cares? Let’s get engaged first. Don’t you want some plot progress?】
3085 had no answer.
Fair enough. They had been in this scenario for a month, and plot completion was still at zero. Worse, the main mission had grown harder along with the scenario’s upgraded difficulty.
If they made no progress before it ended, they might not earn a single point.
And that would be the end of its internship.
【What if the top lead refuses to play along?】
Song Liang replied, 【Then I’ll have antagonized Xiao Yi for nothing.】
He had barely finished when Xiao Ji called.
Song Liang declined again and sent a message telling him to add him on WeChat. A friend request arrived almost immediately.
He accepted, found a video in his gallery, and sent it over.
The video was simple: an antique-style brooch set with flawless, top-grade imperial green jadeite. Under the light, the stone glowed with a rich, lustrous sheen.
It was breathtaking.
The moment the video went through, Xiao Ji called again.
This time, Song Liang answered.
“Hello?”
“…”
There was a long silence before Xiao Ji spoke, his voice tightly controlled around his excitement.
“Where did you get that?”
Song Liang answered at leisure.
“You don’t need to worry about that. Either marry me, or I sell it.”
“Don’t you dare!”
Xiao Ji snapped, then gave a cold laugh.
“That belongs to the Xiao family. Even if you dare to sell it, who would dare to buy it?”
“Oh. I’ll smash it, then.”
“Don’t you dare!”
“I’ll livestream it for you.”
“You—”
Xiao Ji was practically grinding his teeth.
“Do you have any idea what it’s worth? Three billion!”
“That much?”
Song Liang laughed.
“Then consider it my betrothal gift to you.”
“Song Liang! Do you have a death wish? That belongs to the Xiao family! Return it before I lose my temper!”
Song Liang hung up before he finished.
Inside Songlan Mansion, Xiao Ji gripped his phone so hard he nearly cracked the screen.
His assistant, Yu Hang, watched in alarm, scarcely daring to breathe.
“Yu Hang.”
Xiao Ji stared at the darkened screen, his expression grim.
“I remember Hengyu Real Estate has a partnership with one of Xiao Group’s subsidiaries.”
Yu Hang quickly recalled the relevant information and nodded.
“Yes. A major amusement park development in the southern district. Hengyu has recently entered the financing stage.”
“Call the bank. Have them hold up the approval process.”
“…”
Yu Hang felt a chill.
“Development is about to begin. If the bank funding doesn’t come through, Hengyu’s cash flow will collapse. When that happens—”
He stopped at the sight of Xiao Ji’s unnerving stare.
“I want the Song family bankrupt.”
Song Liang, you brought this on yourself.
Yu Hang bowed his head.
“Understood.”
A week later, Song Liang received a call from an unfamiliar number.
A middle-aged man was on the other end. Song Liang had barely said hello before the abuse began.
“You little bastard! Have you lost your mind? What the hell have you been doing out there? You even dared to offend the Xiao family! Are you insane?”
“…”
Song Liang hung up.
3085 hurried to remind him, 【That was the original owner’s father, Song Zhicheng!】
“I know.”
He had never considered himself the former Song Liang. Naturally, he felt no attachment to the original owner’s family.
“Xiao Ji must be putting pressure on the Songs.”
He was the top lead and a future domineering CEO, after all. Song Liang would have found it stranger if he had obediently complied.
But threatening him through the Song family was a serious miscalculation.
The original owner couldn’t bear to let that family go.
Song Liang could.
3085 spoke with pointed restraint.
【Have you forgotten there’s a main mission objective involving the original owner’s family?】
Song Liang paused.
“There is?”
He remembered reading the main mission thoroughly. Wasn’t it simply to win Xiao Ji over, marry him, clear his own name, and escape his destined death?
【Those were the objectives before the beginner scenario was upgraded. Try reading them carefully again.】
A transparent interface appeared before him.
Song Liang found the main mission section and examined it closely.
At some point, a scrollbar had appeared along its right-hand side.
He dragged it down.
An additional line of small text came into view:
Gain your father’s approval.
Song Liang: “…”
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