Seeing the people at the table, Nicole's gaze lingered on Justin in faint confusion, but without much reaction.When she saw Bella however, her face lit up as she gushed, "This must be Bella right? My how you've blossomed into a beauty! Sister-in-law, am I right? I could tell since she was little that Bella was a natural beauty. Just look at her now, a refined graceful lady far exceeding those TV starlets!""Bella, do you still remember auntie Nicole? You used to love the scallion pancakes and osmanthus cakes I made, remember?"Bella did have some vague impressions, so she promptly stood and affectionately called her Auntie, immediately delighting Nicole as she fluttered around excitedly, makeup almost shaking off from her thrilled motions.During all this, Justin kept eating without pause, completely indifferent towards this woman, not even bothering to get acquainted. Rather than waste time exchanging pleasantries with two strangers, he'd prefer to eat more mouthfuls. Mm, this brais
"Yes, we must be courteous," Marcus smiled coldly. "Tell me, brother, what do you think of my gift? Is it adequate to your discerning eye?""I have no opinion on the matter," Justin replied amusedly. "It's your gift to give as you see fit. It makes no difference to me. But since you insist, I'd say it fits the description of 'more money than sense'. Yes, that summarizes it perfectly."The mother and son glowered at Justin's blunt assessment. But they swallowed their anger and forced out icy laughs."From your attire, you clearly aren't from a wealthy family yourself," the woman simpered. "Ah, the curse of poverty - it limits so many imaginations. Yet the ignorant persist in pretending knowledge. A true mark of poor character."Now it was not just Justin roaring with laughter, but Bella too hiding her smile behind a hand. Garcia's parents looked utterly mortified.They dared mock Justin for lacking money? Hilarious! The scion of Nova City's foremost tycoon family being ridiculed as poo
Just then, Justin finished his meal and lazily drawled, "How do you know I didn't bring any gifts? Who said I don't have valuable presents? Shoving gifts at you the moment I entered would be tacky. I prefer to wait until after dinner to present my gifts. What can you do about it?""Keep up your arrogant act, boy. We can all see your empty hands. Where could you be hiding any gifts? Don't embarrass yourself trying to save face. Just admit the truth. Uncle here won't laugh at you for it."Marcus was still sneering coldly.But in that instant, Justin produced several boxes out of nowhere, as if by magic. They were plain boxes that looked rather casual."Hahaha! Those are your gifts? What rubbish! You bought them from a roadside stall, didn't you? To think you'd actually present such trash with a straight face. Hahahaha! This is too funny."Justin ignored him and selected three small boxes. They seemed to contain nothing large inside.He respectfully offered the boxes to Bella's father, s
When they saw the company valuation, they plopped down on their rears in shock. Over $100 billion! Even for a large Libertas firm, that figure was astronomical. And it had doubled under Justin in just half a year! Insane growth! This kid was a monster.Seeing the duo so flabbergasted satisfied Justin greatly. Some Cambridge University elite - just an idiot second generation only capable of deceiving others with fakes. I may not have attended Cambridge, but Nova City University didn't turn out too shabby either.In the end, the disgraced mother and son slunk away without another word about marriage proposals. After losing face so utterly today, staying would be sheer humiliation. Besides, with Nova City's tycoon already welcomed like family and favored by Bella, the implications were obvious. This was practically the fiance meeting the in-laws! Their meager connection meant nothing before this magnate. Even if they spoke up, it would only invite ridicule.After the pair left, Justin c
"New mission alert: life-threatening danger detected near Master, immediate medical intervention required. Reward for successful rescue: 10,000 points. Failure has no penalty." The System had spoken - though even without its prompt, Justin would have stepped in to help. But the mission notice made him even more vigilant. The System no longer triggered missions casually, so this was no trivial matter. One look and Justin knew things were seriously wrong.Bella hastily grabbed a medicine bottle, only to find it completely empty. This was her friend's lifesaving medication, and now there was none left - further delay could prove fatal.As Bella panicked, Justin stepped over to check the girl's pulse. He was shocked to find her body filled with an inexorable icy energy, almost freezing her blood solid. No wonder she was so cold - it was this inner chill wreaking havoc.Wasting no time, Justin immediately took out silver needles and inserted them at critical points on her head and back. T
"Well well, fresh meat! Boss, let's take her to a motel, I'm dying for a woman. Look at that body and face - I'm hard just watching her. I ain't had a woman for ages, let me enjoy this one good!" A punk with dyed green hair leered crudely at Bella, as if ready to grab her with just a nod from the boss.Three Blades ogled lustfully too. They had indeed sampled countless women, but never one as flawless as Bella. That face, that figure - she seemed divinely sculpted in perfect proportions. Her pitiable look especially - it maddeningly tantalized them. Three Blades cuffed his underling's head. "Keep your filthy thoughts to yourself, pigface! How dare you speak that way before this lady? We are civilized gentlemen here. A gentleman is cultured and charming to attract fair maidens, not a brutish buffoon like you. No wonder you can't get a girl, boorish fool! You're doomed to eternal bachelorhood!"After dressing down his man, Three Blades preened pretentiously, primping his hair into an a
The terrified girls screamed and huddled in the corner, pale and shaken. But the lackeys weren't done. One thug swung a baseball bat at Justin's leg with force enough to cripple a normal man. But for Justin, it was child's play.With a grappling hand, he grasped the thug's wrist and twisted it into an unnatural, impossible position. A sickening crack rang out as the bones snapped. The gangster let out a bloodcurdling squeal as his hand contorted into a gnarled knot behind his back. Though the hand itself remained intact, the tendons and joints were ravaged.Such excruciating pain was more than most could endure. The thug's face drained of color. Beads of sweat streamed down his forehead and he nearly fainted from the agony. His eyes glazed over, almost driven mad by the torture. Justin shoved the man forward into the flurry of fists from the other gangsters. Blow after blow rained down, battering his face until it swelled up like a pig's head.Then, one punk seized the chance to smas
Seeing the flustered assassin's hasty exit, Justin had to stifle a laugh. Though Blood Wolf called himself a subordinate, Justin regarded him as a brother. Witnessing his awkward behavior now sparked an idea in Justin's mind - perhaps it was time to play matchmaker and find Blood Wolf a woman to thaw his frozen heart.But that was a matter for later. The girls had gone to change, leaving Justin boredly flipping channels until a news report caught his interest. Sunshine Orphanage, the city's largest, was being sold off due to financial troubles.The plight of the parentless children struck a chord in Justin. The orphanage had been doing well just a couple years ago - why the sudden downturn?"Master has triggered a quest," intoned the System. "Take over Sunshine Orphanage and resolve its difficulties. Quest completion condition: all children thank Master. Time limit: one week. Rewards: 100 Prestige Points. Failure: one year deducted from lifespan."The System sure was getting stricter,