Lucas watched Liu Tianxiang's reaction, feeling a trace of uncertainty.
But that didn't last long.
Everyone who came out to make a living knew the rules. The door had already been opened—what happened next was simply a matter of whether one dared to step through.
Of course.
Lucas didn't particularly care.
As long as Liu Tianxiang could provide a bit of help during this period, there wouldn't be any major problems.
When the time came and things truly spiraled out of control, could Liu Tianxiang still turn the tables?
Lucas lit a cigarette and said lightly,"In short, I've handed you the handle. You know how to use it, right?"
"I'm not asking you to rebel right now," he added calmly. "But it's best to prepare in advance."
As he spoke, Lucas suddenly laughed in a low, unreadable way."After all, you never know which day Miao Youdao might discover what you've done to his women."
"When that time comes," Lucas continued evenly,"there'll be another corpse in the Tianjiang River."
"Which will further pollute the water quality."
Hearing this, Liu Tianxiang couldn't laugh.
He could only force out two dry chuckles.
Yet a chill crept into his heart.
How did Lucas know about this?
He hadn't even gone to a hotel to book a room himself.
When Lucas mentioned that Miao Youdao had leverage over him, Liu Tianxiang finally understood—
This man was serious.
He truly wanted to kill Miao Youdao.
And then take his place.
But why?
What was Lucas doing all this for?
After Lucas finished his cigarette and stubbed it out, he patted Liu Tianxiang on the shoulder and smiled faintly.
"Don't be nervous. I genuinely want you to sit in that position."
"Let you soar… and become the number-one underground force in Jiangcheng."
Number one in Jiangcheng.
The moment those four words left his mouth, Liu Tianxiang's body trembled.
He didn't even dare think about it.
People worth tens—or even hundreds—of billions wouldn't dare say something like this so lightly.
So why was Lucas saying it?
Yet when Liu Tianxiang saw the seriousness in Lucas's eyes—and recalled the clues Lucas had revealed—
He couldn't help but fall into fantasy again.
Maybe…
Is it really possible?
Liu Tianxiang's lips were dry. He swallowed hard, then forced a smile."Mr. Xu… I'll just follow you and make a living."
Lucas glanced at him calmly."This isn't you."
"Only you know your own ambitions."
"Do it well," Lucas added. "When the time comes, I'll naturally come to you to start planning."
With that, Lucas patted his shoulder twice, then turned around and reconnected the S600's dashcam and recording equipment.
He smiled openly."Mr. Liu, that's all for today."
"We'll talk about cooperation next time."
Liu Tianxiang froze for a moment, then burst out laughing."Alright. I'll be waiting for Mr. Xu anytime."
Lucas nodded and turned to leave.
Watching Lucas's retreating back, Liu Tianxiang pulled out a cigarette and took a fierce drag.
"This is something else…"
"Ruthless."
The ambition was terrifyingly large.
He stood there for a long time, then finally let out a long sigh.
There was a goal.
Someone worth a billion was already daring to scheme against people who didn't even bother thinking about tens or hundreds of billions.
You're the first.
Of course—
He was also a little excited.
After all, who didn't want to be the boss?
After leaving, Lucas took the elevator from the underground parking lot and returned to the restaurant.
"Hm? You still haven't eaten?" he asked with a smile, glancing at the untouched dishes.
Camille Laurent frowned slightly, clearly unhappy."You said you were just stepping out—and you ended up smoking for half an hour?"
That was a long time.
From the moment he left until now, it had been a full thirty minutes.
Lucas pulled out the chair and sat down, smiling apologetically."Sorry. I was talking about something important with a friend."
"Let's eat first. We can take a walk afterward—help digestion."
"…Alright."
The two of them finished their meal with relaxed smiles.
After settling the bill, Lucas walked Camille for a while.
Camille glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
She noticed that no matter what he was doing, there always seemed to be a faint smile at the corner of his lips.
It gave people a strangely comforting feeling.
"Lucas," she asked hesitantly, "are you really running your company all by yourself?"
Lucas nodded."Yes."
Seeing that Camille always tried to find a topic, Lucas felt a slight stir in his heart.
He couldn't help sighing inwardly.
My villain 'big brother,' Adrien Lefèvre, really had a chance back then.
If, when I was younger, I'd saved a female CEO by chance…
And yet, he's still obsessing over himself.
I really don't know if I'll feel even a shred of conscience doing this.
After all, saving someone was Adrien's deed—what does it have to do with me?
But now—
I'm the one taking credit for it.
Anyway.
Snatching the protagonist's opportunities—Isn't that exactly what a villain should do?
It really is.
Lucas sighed softly."Actually, I never thought that I—an orphan—would be able to build such a large industry in such a short time."
"Looking back now, I realize I was a bit lucky."
A billion.
To people worth hundreds of billions, this really wasn't much.
But for an ordinary person with no background, it was undoubtedly a huge success.
Camille fell silent.
That's so unfair.
Lucas hadn't had many good days since childhood, had he?
And yet—
He was well-dressed, well-fed, handsome, capable.
Most importantly—
He had saved himself.
"What should I do…?" Camille suddenly thought."I really want to tie Lucas up and take him home."
"Hey… why would I even think something like that?"
Her mind felt split.
One voice wanted to rely on Lucas.
Another couldn't let go of Adrien Lefèvre.
And the last one was—
Tie him up and take him home.
…Hiss.
Camille was stunned.
What was wrong with her?
Why would she have such thoughts—tying a man up and bringing him home?
That was something a beautiful woman shouldn't be thinking!
She turned her head to look at Lucas. Her voice became slightly hurried, though she tried to sound calm.
"Actually, I think you're relying on your own strength."
Lucas didn't react much. He only laughed quietly at himself.
"What kind of strength is just opportunism?" he said."If I truly had strength, I wouldn't need to be someone else's little brother to improve myself."
Hearing this, Camille suddenly blurted out,"Then you can be my little—"
"…!"
She froze.
What did I just say?
That was wrong.
Very wrong.
She'd never spoken like this before.
It was as if—
She'd once had the illusion of tying Adrien Lefèvre up and keeping him at home.
But now—
Two figures suddenly appeared in her mind.
One was Adrien Lefèvre.
The other was Lucas, standing right in front of her.
Am I sick?
That shouldn't be possible.
Lucas didn't care about her momentary confusion.
He simply walked on, smiling to himself.