Ning Fengqing had no idea what her brother Ning Fengchi was thinking at that moment.
By now, she and Su Ming had already left the Su family estate.
A sleek Mercedes glided out of the driveway.
"Su Ming, where are we heading? A hotel?" Ning Fengqing asked, breaking the silence.
"Would that be okay?" Su Ming smirked, his voice laced with playful anticipation.
"Pfft!" Ning Fengqing instantly caught herself, her cheeks flushing pink. "What are you thinking about? I—I was just joking earlier, alright!"
"Haha... Just teasing. Let's head to Royal View Estates."
Su Ming chuckled softly. He couldn't deny it—Ning Fengqing looked absolutely adorable when she blushed.
"Alright!"
Ning Fengqing quickly agreed, her gaze fixed straight ahead as if she were a nervous new driver afraid to look away from the road.
Su Ming noticed but kept his amusement to himself.
The rest of the drive passed in companionable silence until they arrived at Modu's most prestigious villa community: Royal View Estates.
"Are we visiting one of your friends here?" Ning Fengqing asked as they entered the gated neighborhood.
"Uh, no. I own a place here," Su Ming replied casually.
Ning Fengqing nodded without pressing further—it wasn't surprising for someone like Su Ming to have property in Modu.
"Which villa? I'll drop you off."
Her question caught him off guard.
"Which one? Ugh, the system didn't say which one!" Su Ming muttered under his breath, trying to communicate with the enigmatic system in his mind—but it remained frustratingly silent.
"What's wrong?" Ning Fengqing finally asked after a prolonged pause.
"Oh! Uh… actually, I'm not sure myself. Today's visit is partly to figure that out," Su Ming said, masking his awkwardness with a grin.
"Oh! Did you bring the keys? They should have the address on them," Ning Fengqing suggested.
Su Ming fished out the keys and examined them closely. Sure enough, there was an inscription: "Royal View Estates 108."
"108! Alright, let's go there," Ning Fengqing confirmed, stepping lightly on the accelerator.
Soon, they pulled up in front of Villa 108.
"Su Ming, this is where I leave you. I've got some things to take care of back home. When we return to Jiangzhou in a few days, do you want me to call you?" Ning Fengqing asked, her tone tinged with unease as she watched him step out of the car.
"Sure thing. I was going to invite you inside for a bit, but since you're busy, go ahead and handle your errands. Just give me a call before you head back," Su Ming replied nonchalantly.
He wasn't planning to leave immediately anyway. There were still those three hundred mu of wasteland to inspect—perhaps Hongda Construction could develop it into something profitable. After all, land in Modu was worth its weight in gold. Developing even a small portion could easily net tens of billions. And given Lin Yixue's ambition, expanding Hongda beyond Jiangzhou to cities like Modu or Di Capital was inevitable.
But for now, Su Ming set those thoughts aside. Instead, he focused on exploring the villa.
The villa was luxurious, though smaller than Yunshang Mansion. Still, its price tag would likely exceed hundreds of millions. It boasted three floors, a garage, dual spiral staircases leading upstairs, and even an indoor swimming pool accessible via a staircase from the third floor.
After touring the premises, Su Ming returned to the living room and picked up a stack of documents left on the table.
"Yulin Village?"
A quick search revealed the location—a rural area on the outskirts of Modu.
"Maybe it can be turned into a resort-style villa district. Then again, these decisions are better left to Yixue," Su Ming mused, preparing to put the papers down. But then he remembered the upgraded personal space feature of his system. With a mental command, the documents vanished from his hand, reappearing in the mysterious void within his consciousness.
"Wow, this is impressive," Su Ming murmured, retrieving the files once more to test the system's capabilities. For the next ten minutes, he experimented by storing and retrieving various objects, thoroughly enjoying the process.
"This is perfect for discreet operations," he remarked with a satisfied smile.
Once he'd grown comfortable with the system, Su Ming stepped outside into the courtyard. There, he found a small pond surrounded by decorative rocks and a miniature mountain sculpture.
Focusing his energy, Su Ming extended his index finger. A nearly invisible thread of condensed qi materialized at its tip.
"Condensing energy into threads…"
His eyes gleamed as memories surfaced in his mind. Drawing upon the mysterious power within his dantian, Su Ming manipulated the translucent thread, extending it outward.
"It can stretch up to ten meters," he estimated before retracting it slowly.
With another surge of energy, he flicked the thread toward the rock formation.
Swish!
A chunk of stone split cleanly, its surface as smooth as glass.
"Not bad," Su Ming muttered, impressed. The thread coiled around the fragment, lifting it effortlessly despite its weight.
"This isn't ordinary human ability anymore. If the system keeps upgrading, will I become something akin to a cultivator?" Su Ming wondered aloud.
After testing the thread's strength by attempting to overturn the heavy rock sculpture, he concluded his experiments and retreated indoors. Picking up his phone, he sent messages to Lin Yixue and Fan Qianqian.
Meanwhile, Ning Fengqing had returned home. As she entered the main hall, she was greeted by the sight of her father Ning Cangyun and other family members gathered together. Their unusually warm expressions made her uneasy.
"Fengqing, come sit," Ning Cangyun beckoned gently, his voice uncharacteristically soft.
Ning Fengqing froze. Was she hallucinating? Her father, usually stern and authoritative, was acting completely out of character.
Glancing around the room, she saw everyone else wearing similarly tender smiles.
"What… what's going on?" she stammered, unable to contain her confusion.
"Sister, they want to arrange a marriage between you and Su Ming. I—I don't want to lose you!" Ning Fengchi suddenly burst out, tears streaming down his face.
Ning Fengqing stared at him in disbelief.
"Don't be ridiculous. This isn't about marrying her off—it's an honor if Master Su agrees to accept her!" Ning Cangyun interjected.
His words struck Ning Fengqing like a thunderbolt.
"What does that mean? Are you saying no one else wants me?"