[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati":3,"chapter-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-168":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Harem Startup : The Demon Billionaire is on Vacation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1410579,1864,"Chapter 168: Money is Just a Tool","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-168",168,"\u003Cp>Chapter 168 – Money is Just a Tool\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know,\" Lux said after a beat, \"most people who thank me end up doing it with contracts or soul bonds.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles looked alarmed and confused. \"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smirked. \"But if it were, you’d be passing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles laughed again. Awkwardly. \"That’s good. I guess?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You’d be surprised how cheap they go these days,\" Lux murmured.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced at the cracked vinyl floor. At the flickering light above. At the kid across the table who had no idea who he really was. Or maybe did—and didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You should keep investing,\" Lux said finally. \"Not just in stocks. In people. In yourself. Don’t chase fast returns.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles tilted his head, eyes narrowing slightly in curiosity. \"Is that... rich people’s advice?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Demonic CFO’s advice.\" Lux chuckled softly. \"Or... Just general financial survival tips. From someone who’s been at both ends of the spectrum.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t bother correcting that ’demonic CFO’. Miles wouldn’t believe him. And honestly, he didn’t need to.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles grinned. \"Still helpful.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another silence settled between them. But it wasn’t awkward. It wasn’t loaded with expectation or small talk. It was just... quiet. Normal. Strangely human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux sipped the last of his Americano, the paper cup warm in his hand. The bitterness on his tongue grounded him in the present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You know,\" he said after a beat, \"this was the best meeting I’ve had all week.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles blinked. \"Seriously?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux leaned back in his chair, tone dry but real. \"You didn’t ask me for anything. That’s rarer than you think.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles looked a little embarrassed again but smiled anyway. \"Well... I guess sometimes saying thank you is enough.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux set his empty cup down on the table. \"What are you doing next?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles straightened a little. \"Gonna reinvest. That influencer video might get me a bit more reach, so I’m putting some into music stocks like you suggested. Nothing big, just testing things. Then... maybe a camera. Or a better phone. Something I can use to record my performances. I figured I should finally make a proper social account. Promote my stuff like an actual musician, y’know?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux nodded once. \"Good. Smart move. Build a brand. Keep your face on screen and your fingers on strings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles laughed. \"You really are good at this stuff.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux smirked. \"You’d be surprised what people learn when they stop sleeping for a few decades.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up, brushing a speck of lint off his dark slacks, and extended his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles blinked, startled. \"Huh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Take it,\" Lux said, eyes sharp but amused. \"My turn to say thanks. For the coffee.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles hesitated, glancing down at his hand like he expected it to glow or bite him. But eventually, he reached forward and shook it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a simple gesture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Lux’s fingers tightened slightly—and a subtle, silent pulse flowed from his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Skill Activated: Wealth Rewrite – Boost]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Target Selected: Miles Carter]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Net Worth: $203 -> $100,312]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Financial Potential Buffed: +180% Growth Forecast Over 6 Months]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Reputation: Minor Influencer Perception Activated in Local Radius]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Passive Effect: Luck Enhancement – Market Algorithm Favor +1]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To Miles, it was just a handshake. A warm one, sure. But no sparks, no bells, no glowing nonsense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To the System? It was a financial blessing wrapped in a metaphysical grenade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux didn’t let the expression on his face betray anything. Just a smooth pull away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It was a nice coffee,\" Lux said, brushing his coat sleeve down again. \"Hope you’ll have good days ahead.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles stood there for a moment, still surprised, still thinking he might’ve dreamed this entire meeting. \"Thank you. Really.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux turned to leave but stopped near the doorway, glancing back over his shoulder with that same casual menace that made billionaires sign dotted lines and angels look away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Money is just a tool,\" he said softly. \"Use it well, and it builds you something worth having. Let it consume you... and you’ll find yourself somewhere far worse than broke.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tapped the side of his temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And don’t lose your heart. That’s what people sell first. Usually without knowing it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles just stared, mouth open, words caught somewhere between reverence and confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux offered him one final smirk. \"You’ll be fine. Just don’t make me regret the upgrade.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then he walked out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Back into the cool night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wind tugged at his coat as he stepped onto the sidewalk, the city lights flickering like distant signals from satellites watching silently above.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The warmth of the coffee lingered in his chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was the weight of that small moment—of giving, not taking—that made his steps just a little lighter than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was still the demon of greed. Still Lux Vaelthorn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But tonight... he didn’t mind being someone’s lucky break.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lux lifted two fingers, whispered something under his breath, and vanished in a ripple of distorted light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like that, he was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No flashy magic circle. No thunderclap. Just silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the cheap bell above the café door jingled faintly as Miles pushed it open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Wait...!\" he shouted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He jogged out onto the quiet street, scanning left and right, breath visible in the cold air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crap,\" he muttered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sidewalk was empty. No footsteps. No coat tails. Not even a distant silhouette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Damn it,\" Miles muttered again, brushing a hand through his hair. \"I didn’t even get his name...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood there for a second longer, clutching the warmth of the memory rather than the cold in the air. Whoever that guy was—he’d stepped into his night like a storm dressed in a tailored suit, dropped advice, fortune, and something weirdly like kindness... then blinked out like he’d never been there. He looked like an angel to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miles exhaled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Guess I’ll call him Mr. Americano,\" he murmured with a smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he slipped his hands into his jacket pockets and turned toward the subway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had stocks to study.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Songs to finish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And, for the first time in a long time, hope that didn’t feel like a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>",1008,"2026-06-05T23:57:11.778Z",1,"novelbin.me","575eb075cfbeeb231c73c8b0672f5dcab6ad3c7e1e4e016daf24f4a7b3ba8ebf","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-169","harem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-chapter-167",878,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fharem-startup-the-demon-billionaire-is-on-vacati-cover.jpg"]