Forced to Marry a Female Billionaire CEO

Within the Zhou Family, Zhou Qingzhi was considered second only to Zhou Hongsheng. It wouldn't even be an exaggeration to call him the future successor.

Yet here he was, personally waiting at the entrance for him.

How could this not leave him feeling surprised and flattered!

Zhou Qingzhi chuckled. "No worries, I just came out for a stroll."

Hearing this, Ouyang Hao, who stood behind Zhou Qingzhi, couldn't help but roll his eyes. Who gets dressed up in a crisp suit just to take a stroll? And drags someone else along, at that?

Xu Ke couldn't help but laugh. "That's quite a coincidence."

"Yes, yes," Zhou Qingzhi nodded.

Xu Ke turned to Ouyang Hao. "President Hao, good evening."

Ouyang Hao laughed heartily. "Just call me Brother Hao. Xiao Ya said to treat you like a real younger brother."

Zhou Qingzhi was not pleased. Doesn't that mess up the entire seniority?

Ouyang Hao shook his head. "You call him Dr. Xu as you wish, and I'll call him what I wish. We're too old to be fussing over such things, aren't we?"

Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang listened with a smile.

"Let me make some introductions," Xu Ke said. "This is Elder Tang, Tang Yingchang."

Then, indicating the others to Tang Yingchang, he continued, "This is President Zhou, Zhou Qingzhi, and this is Patriarch Ouyang, Ouyang Hao."

Tang Yingchang nodded with a polite but composed smile. "A pleasure to meet you both."

If Xu Ke hadn't been there, Tang Yingchang, his power now restored, wouldn't have even bothered to greet these two. An expert at the Innate Great Perfection realm had every right to look down on any family.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingzhi and Ouyang Hao smiled in unison. "A pleasure to meet you, Elder Tang."

By now, everyone knew that an Innate Great Perfection expert like Tang Yingchang was at Xu Ke's side, and they had long wanted to make his acquaintance. There were only so many masters at that level, and fostering a good relationship with one more was always a boon.

Just then, Zhou Xiuyun's dissatisfied voice called out from inside, "How long do you all plan to stand at the entrance?"

Everyone quickly replied, "We're coming in right now."

...

After everyone was seated, the Zhou Family's servants began to serve the dishes.

During a pause between courses, Zhou Xiuyun suddenly spoke to Xu Ke. "My dad said that I must give this to you whenever you had time to come over. He said you should be interested."

As she spoke, Zhou Xiuyun produced an invitation card. It was gilded with gold foil, exuding a feeling of quality and prestige, but the cover was completely blank.

Startled, Xu Ke subconsciously took it. "What is this invitation for?"

"My dad said it's for an auction. The finale's medicinal herb should be of great help to you, so he specifically wanted me to give it to you." Zhou Xiuyun smiled slightly. "If Dr. Xu wants it but is worried about the cost, our Zhou Family will definitely lend our full support."

Xu Ke nodded and opened the invitation.

"Mr. Zhou Hongsheng, we sincerely invite you to attend the auction to be held on March fifteenth. We..."

At the bottom, a line of small text read, "This invitation may be transferred, but the recipient must present proof of financial capability."

The third page of the invitation contained a list of the auction items.

When Xu Ke saw the list, his pupils contracted, and his eyes filled with ecstasy.

The grand finale item was the Jade Mountain Lotus!

Xu Ke recognized that name. Back when he was treating Duan Chongfeng's injuries, he had mentioned that three types of medicine could serve as a powerful aid when a martial artist was breaking through from the Acquired Great Perfection realm to the Innate realm. Besides the Blood Jade Monarch that Duan Chongfeng had already consumed, another one was the Jade Mountain Lotus.

Xu Ke knew Zhou Hongsheng was aware of his cultivation level, which is why he wanted to give him this invitation.

But it wasn't the Jade Mountain Lotus that truly shocked him.

The bottleneck between Acquired Great Perfection and the Innate realm might be a major hurdle for most martial artists. But for Xu Ke, who had once reached the pinnacle of Innate Great Perfection, it was merely a matter of retreading an old path. What difficulty was there in that?

What truly made him ecstatic was another item on the list: the Haojing Imperial Mausoleum Relic!

Xu Ke took a deep breath, steadying his racing heart. Although there's no way to know if this thing actually contains Dragon Essence or if it's just an ordinary antique, it's hope!

Dragon Essence was incredibly difficult to find. The problem wasn't having the money to buy it, but the fear of never finding it in the first place. Now that an opportunity was right in front of him, Xu Ke knew he had to seize it.

After carefully putting the invitation away, he looked up at Zhou Xiuyun and expressed his sincere gratitude. "Aunt Yun, thank you. And please thank Elder Master Zhou for me."

Seeing the clarity and sincerity in Xu Ke's eyes, Zhou Xiuyun understood that the medicinal herb her father had mentioned must have been exactly what he needed. She had no idea his attention had already been captured by something else entirely.

She smiled in satisfaction. "Doctor Xu, there's no need to be so polite. The relationship between you and our Zhou Family is far from ordinary."

"Indeed," Xu Ke nodded.

Hearing this, Zhou Xiuyun's smile grew even wider.

Beside them, Zhou Qingzhi was secretly ecstatic. Xu Ke didn't say anything more, but they all understood. He had clearly taken the Zhou Family's kindness to heart.

The sight filled Ouyang Hao with envy and jealousy. Why don't I have an invitation to offer him?

"Alright, alright, it's just an invitation," Zhou Qingzhi said, feigning indifference after his initial excitement. "Dr. Xu, if you want one, I could get you a few of those invitations in minutes."

Ouyang Hao shot him a cold glare. "Alright, stop showing off."

Seeing Ouyang Hao's undisguised jealousy, the others couldn't help but burst out laughing.

As they were joking, the sound of a car engine suddenly drifted in from outside.

VROOM.

Zhou Qingzhi instinctively glanced at the security monitor.

A pure white Mercedes-Benz.

His expression shifted slightly. "Why is my younger brother here?"

Zhou Xiuyun was also stunned. "Didn't Second Brother say he was staying in Long Capital and wasn't coming back?"

Hearing this, a name flashed through Xu Ke's mind.

Zhou Qingyong. That had to be Zhou Qingzhi's brother.

Footsteps approached from outside, and a voice arrived before the person did.

"Big Brother, Little Sister, how could you have guests over without waiting for me?"

Zhou Qingyong walked in. He bore a slight resemblance to Zhou Qingzhi and also had a beard, but his head was completely bald and shiny. His custom Armani suit somehow failed to look like a luxury brand on him, and his worn leather shoes were even cracked.

Xu Ke was surprised. Is this really what the second-in-command of a medical conglomerate is supposed to look like?!

"Qing Yong." Ouyang Hao was the first to acknowledge him, his nod somewhat detached.

Zhou Qingzhi, however, smiled. "I never imagined you'd come back." He gestured toward his guests. "Come, let me introduce you. This is Divine Doctor Xu, and this is Elder Tang, Tang Yingchang."

Zhou Qingyong walked further in, his gaze sweeping over Xu Ke and Tang Yingchang. He extended a hand with a smile. "Hello, Divine Doctor Xu. Hello, Elder Tang."

Xu Ke rose and shook his hand, using the same form of address as he had for his brother. "Hello, President Yong."

As their hands met, Xu Ke was inwardly shocked. Zhou Qingyong's strength is actually quite impressive! They released their grip.

Zhou Qingyong sat right down, remarking with a hard-to-read sigh, "Divine Doctor Xu, a true hero emerges from the youth!"

Zhou Qingzhi was taken aback. "What do you mean by that?"

"Your strength is quite impressive," Zhou Qingyong said. "Much stronger than that good-for-nothing son of mine! Your medical skills are astonishing, and your cultivation makes you a leading figure among the younger generation. You've even caused the Ye Family, the Huang Family, and Wong Ting to suffer significant losses. Even the Tianhai Martial Alliance now implicitly looks to you as its leader."

"If Yihe Pharmaceuticals were also in your hands, wouldn't all six major families be completely within your grasp? The younger generation is truly to be reckoned with. Your future is boundless!"

As his words fell, a chill settled over the room. Everyone's expression darkened.

What absolute nonsense was this?