Chapter 271: with translation of chapter title

At the critical moment, the legislator's subordinate tackled the M Guo official.

A dagger swept past the ear of the Sangbota Guo legislator, almost disfiguring him.

The M Guo legislator and his subordinate got into a scuffle, the scene descended into chaos, and by the time police arrived, both were covered in blood.

This naturally provided the reporters on site with plenty of news material.

The legislator watched as his subordinate and the M Guo official were taken away by police, the reporters were also driven off, his heart felt no ripple, and a pair of eyes like those of a living dead slowly turned toward the sunlit window outside.

A few minutes later.

A large group of reporters forcibly ordered by police to leave the hospital had just reached the lobby when they ran into a large crowd that had come to demand answers, which included many Sangbota Guo political heavyweights and various celebrities.

Outside the hospital gates, traffic was gridlocked and paralyzed, while crowds surged and clamored noisily in front of the inpatient building.

Bang!

A loud, abnormal thud rang out, and the noisy chatter suddenly fell silent.

Everyone turned toward the sound.

They saw the legislator lying in a pool of blood, his obese body having sunk the soft lawn slightly.

His limbs were twisted, blood flowed from his seven orifices, and his face was frozen in an expression of relief.

"Ah!"

A scream shattered the silence.

Only after coming to their senses did the crowd realize that this legislator, who once dominated Sangbota Guo politics, had jumped to his death……

A few days later.

Bis Pharmaceutical Group announced bankruptcy.

Several major families and enterprises linked to the Sangbota Guo legislator successively teetered on the brink of collapse, and the M Guo official, after returning to M Guo, ended his life with a pistol.

Immediately afterward, the Sangbota Guo parliament fell into an unprecedented fiscal crisis: on one hand, the heavily invested stocks turned out worthless; on the other, Bis's sustained-release drug, which accounted for nearly half of foreign trade revenue, became useless—adding insult to injury.

The severe consequences of Bis Pharmaceutical Group's collapse kept toppling over like dominoes.

The head of Sangbota Guo urgently sought help from M Guo, but was met with a cold refusal; M Guo said the mess was too big to handle, and they could do nothing.

Thus, the nation entered its darkest hour.

For Huaxia Guo, this not only resolved a major headache but also further bolstered its positive international image; Sangbota Guo's self-inflicted woes and M Guo's indifference to its plight caused some states that, like Sangbota Guo, depended on M Guo to subtly shift their attitudes.

……

On M Guo's side,

Sangbota Guo collapsed overnight, causing M Guo's senior leadership to grow increasingly worried.

Although losing a minor pawn caused no apparent immediate loss to M Guo, in the long run it is not a good thing.

The competition between M Guo and Huaxia Guo is all‑sided; over the past decade or so, many attempts to suppress and blockade Huaxia Guo have been broken through by Huaxia Guo one after another.

Moreover, the pace is getting faster and faster.

The Bis sustained-release drug incident is just a tiny part of that.

But if such small matters keep piling up, they can amount to a big issue.

M Guo's rulers watched their global grip weaken while Huaxia Guo's influence and comprehensive strength grew, an invisible pressure leaving them ill at ease.

This pressure quickly passed on to the secret project they relied on most.

A urging document issued by M Guo's higher-ups soon appeared before Ning Hai.

Ning Hai was a bit annoyed.

The spacetime‑travel project he oversaw was already progressing at breakneck speed, yet those in power upstairs kept pushing him.

"Damn, a bunch of people who talk while standing without getting a backache!"

Ning Hai cursed, crumpled the document and tossed it into the trash bin beside his desk, then rose and walked to the huge floor‑to‑ceiling window, gazing out at the already efficiently operating transfer platform and the thousands of research experts bustling around it.

Only by watching his masterpiece continually upgrade each day did his mood improve a little.

After calming himself, he turned back to his office chair, picked up the document, and read it through carefully once more.

"Hmm… seeing this wording, it feels like all hope is being pinned on the spacetime‑travel project," Ning Hai curled the corner of his mouth, a smile appearing on his face, "Since they're pressing me so hard, why not take the chance to make a bit extra? After all, as long as the project moves forward, those guys are willing to fork out money."

"Hahahaha!"

Ning Hai burst out laughing, opened a report on his computer.

It was something he had finished yesterday and was about to submit.

It involved the funding that this experimental base would need going forward.

He added a zero to the estimated funds for a whole bunch of the categorized items at the back.

All told, the original request of several billion US dollars instantly shot up to over ten trillion.

Staring at that frightening figure, Ning Hai felt a twinge of guilt, his fingers trembling slightly, but then he thought, M Guo is filthy rich—many of its major scientific projects routinely pour in tens of trillions.

So, for a project that concerns M Guo's future destiny, needing more money is entirely justified.

After revising the funding figures, Ning Hai took a deep breath and sent the document out.

Less than half an hour later.

He received a reply from M Guo's higher‑ups, who directly agreed to his funding request.

This thrilled Ning Hai to the point of almost jumping up; he immediately took the previous batch of funds that hadn't been used up, ran a series of shell‑game‑like maneuvers, and funneled the whole amount into his own account.

All told, it came to roughly ten‑plus billion US dollars.

Anyway, the new funding was about to arrive, so there was no point wasting the leftovers; given his skill, this maneuver would be hard for higher‑ups to trace, and even if they did discover it, M Guo's leadership couldn't touch him.

After all, worldwide, only he could lead this project.

"Tsk tsk… gripping M Guo's lifeline, I can snap my fingers and rake in money I never dared dream of—this feeling is awesome!" Ning Hai bounced around his office, releasing his unstoppable excitement.

Afterward, he called Lin Lina: "Hey? Honey, what are you up to?"

"I'm getting a beauty treatment," Lin Lina's lazy voice came through the phone, "Honestly, as long as the money is spent right, my face shows no trace of disfigurement and actually looks younger than before. What's up, honey? You called me for something? Your tone sounds really happy."

Ning Hai laughed and said, "You were looking at a private island a few days ago, weren't you? How much does it cost?"

Lin Lina said, "That one? It's a high-end island—location, scenery, and supporting facilities are all great; I really like it, but… it's really too expensive. Even though your income is high now, you still can't afford it."

"Tell me, how much?" Ning Hai raised his head, puffed out his chest, his face full of confidence.

"Let me see… The island covers about twenty thousand square meters, the current price is around seventy million US dollars, and the estimated annual basic maintenance fee is about twenty million US dollars, plus other expenses, such as——"

If this were before, those numbers Lin Lina just mentioned would have made Ning Hai break out in a cold sweat.

But now he doesn't care at all; without waiting for Lin Lina to finish, he said directly, "As long as you like it, just buy it. Go ahead and contact them to handle the transaction—I'll pay."

On the other end of the phone, there was silence for over ten seconds.

Ning Hai shouted, "Honey? Can you hear me?"

After a few more seconds, Lin Lina's trembling voice came through: "Husband… you… you aren't… joking, are you?"

Ning Hai said gently, "Of course not. When have I ever lied to you? Anyway, I have money now, and I'll have even more later—enough to let you buy anything you want in this world."

The next second, Lin Lina's excited shriek came from the phone.

Ning Hai looked at her with indulgent affection, listening with a smiling squint.

"Husband, I love you! I love you to death! The luckiest thing in my life is marrying you!" Lin Lina, excited, declared her love wildly.

Ning Hai felt incredibly happy inside; he lingered with Lin Lina for a while before hanging up.

Afterwards, he made another internal call, asking the secretary to bring coffee in.

Not long after, a beautiful blonde secretary in work uniform knocked on the door.

Ning Hai pressed the button on his desk to open the protective door and said with a smiling squint, "Are you on duty today?"

That's right—he has more than one secretary.

This secretary has a hot figure; even her neat work uniform can't hide her alluring curves.

After she entered, Ning Hai closed the automatic door, lowered the huge curtains of the floor-to-ceiling window, and the office filled with soft, hazy light.

"Mr. Ning, your coffee," the blonde secretary said naturally as she sat on his lap, "The temperature is just right—I'll feed it to you."

Ning Hai sipped his coffee with one arm around the blonde secretary's slim waist, the other hand exploring between her thighs.

From their extremely intimate and practiced posture, it was obvious they had been involved for a while.

Ning Hai treats his wife Lin Lina well, but he doesn't miss the chance to seek some personal perks now that he's wealthy and powerful.

After downing a cup of coffee, Ning Hai could no longer hold back; he lifted the blonde secretary and pressed her hard against the desk……

……

Half an hour later.

Ning Hai, satisfied, slumped into the chair.

The blonde secretary first tidied him up, then put her clothes on properly and left holding the coffee cup.

Just as she stepped out and turned around, she bumped into Ning Yao, who happened to be coming over.

"Miss Ning, hello." The blonde secretary greeted her.

Ning Yao immediately noticed something off about this secretary.

Her cheeks were flushed abnormally, her gaze a little unfocused, her hair and clothes, though tidied, were still somewhat messy, and there were some red marks hidden on her neck between the collar and hair strands.

All these signs indicated she had just done something not suitable for minors.

And she had come out of Ning Hai's office……

"Is my dad in there?" Ning Yao narrowed her eyes and asked coldly.

The blonde secretary avoided her gaze, lowered her head, and said, "Yes, Mr. Ning is inside busy with work; I just finished bringing him coffee."

Ning Yao glanced at the empty coffee cup and sneered, "What a dedicated secretary—she brought the coffee in and waited until Dad finished drinking before coming out."

The blonde secretary said nothing more and walked away directly.

Ning Yao shoved the not-yet-closed office door open and strode inside.

At that moment, Ning Hai was still leaning back in his chair, savoring the aftertaste, when suddenly he heard a slap sound right in front of him.

Opening his eyes, he saw his daughter flinging a stack of documents from the desk onto the floor, glaring at him angrily.

Ning Hai jumped, hurriedly sat upright, and said, "Yao Yao, how did you suddenly come……"

"Hmph!" Ning Yao crossed her arms over her chest, looked down at him, and said, "I've sensed it for a while—you've been flirting with a few of your secretaries. This time I caught you red-handed, Dad! Does this behavior justify you to Mom?"

Ning Hai's face changed slightly, embarrassed, he said, "What are you talking about!"

Ning Yao kicked over the trash can, and some used tissues rolled out. "Dad, should I have someone test these? See if we can find your and that secretary's bodily fluids in them?!"

"Shut up!" Ning Hai slammed his hand on the desk, his old face flushing redder, "Yao Yao, you… you're a young lady—can't you watch your language!"

Ning Yao retorted tit-for-tat, "Oh, I should watch my speech, but you don't need to when you're fooling around with women behind Mom's back?!"

Slap!

Ning Hai, furious from shame, raised his hand and slapped.

The slap wasn't light; Ning Yao was knocked back two steps and fell to the ground.

"Daughter… daughter!" Ning Hai panicked, rushed over, helped her up, and said, "Sorry! Daughter, I… I didn't mean to, I just… got impulsive for a moment!"

Ning Yao stared for a while, covered her face, tears welling in her eyes, "Dad… you actually hit me? You've never hit me before!"

Ning Hai regretted it deeply, kept apologizing, even slapped himself twice, then begged Ning Yao to keep his secret, even getting down on his knees in desperation.

Ning Yao's expression was complex as she looked down at her father kneeling before her, "Dad, I just want to ask you: how can you justify this to Mom? Aren't you feeling guilty? Do you still have the face to face her? Have you stopped loving her?"

Ning Hai slowly rose, both hands resting on Ning Yao's shoulders, gritted his teeth and said, "I have always loved your mother; that has never changed. But Yao Yao, you need to know: my work pressure is too great, I need to occasionally release it, I haven't developed feelings for any other woman. And……"

He went on, his expression growing more embarrassed, paused a while, then continued: "Well, you're grown up now, let me tell you… it should be fine. Your mother isn't really interested in that sort of thing, and she prefers gentleness, whereas I… ahem, my tastes are the complete opposite. I love her, but I don't want to be too rough in our marital life and hurt her, so using other women to bear the burden is also… to protect her."

Those words left Ning Yao dazed; she couldn't speak for a long time.

Seeing her state, Ning Hai shifted gears, "Daughter, Dad just came into some money, planning to buy Mom a private island—what do you want? I'll get you one too!"

Ning Yao snapped out of it, "I want a car."

"All right, all right!" Ning Hai replied eagerly, "Go ahead and buy it; dad will pay for you!"

Ning Yao said, "I can't buy it; I need you to help."

Ning Hai was a bit puzzled, "What vehicle still needs my help?"

"What I want is— a tank," a strange excitement flashed in Ning Yao's eyes, "preferably the newest model from M Guo!"

Ning Hai was shocked, "No, why do you need a tank?!"