My CEO Harem Cultivation System

Who did this guy think he was?

Yuan Gen's thoughts were evident in his scrunched up expression—because this Li Yang guy was being impudent right now. 

That look on his face was blank and his tone was quiet… but there was an edge to it.

Forgoing formalities?

That was the most polite threat that Yuan Gen received, but it somehow felt more dangerous than those who told him that they would bash his skull into rocks. Whenever you upset quiet people, they somehow appeared more intimidating than the loud ones.

It was one of those moments where you couldn't help but wonder if you fucked up.

Still, Yuan Gen held his ground with this guy. If he couldn't have balls and courage in his own shop—then where would his pride ever be? He managed a small laugh, a friendly one and hopefully not exactly grating, as he then settled into giving this Li Yang a smile.

The kind of smile that told others that 'Hey, no need to be that angry—we're on the same side. You just haven't seen it yet.' that merchants and other people were familiar with and employed regularly.

"Make me do it? Are you going to attack me and risk angering the entire city? I know you're a CEO, a former CEO but that title does not offer anything here in the black market. Everyone is supposed to play nice with a smile. Attacking fellow cultivators happens outside of the black market and not here," Yuan Gen said. "How about we talk about this properly?"

There were certain types of people who were hot headed and did not care about the dangers that might occur, but Yuan Gen was pretty sure that this man was reasonable—

His surroundings started dropping in temperature as Yuan Gen felt qi surround him. If one could even call it qi at this point… the energy that Li Yang was exuding was way too potent for someone who was supposed to not even have ascended into a proper cultivation realm.

"From the change in your tone, it seems like I am correct in assuming that you can get me to this Liu Group," Li Yang spoke slowly in a way that almost felt patronizing. "I'm only here for one thing alone and that is to retrieve a person from your organization."

"A person?" 

"Her name is Ying Yue He and according to my sources, she may have gotten entangled in your organization by accident." Li Yang crossed his arms. "I don't care for whatever your organization does as it does not bother me, but I want to find Ying Yue He and then have her cut off from your group."

The man's explanation was curt, prompt and brief—he looked like he'd rather prefer to be anywhere else than be in the same room as Yuan Gen and that was slightly off-putting. Did he think that he was disgusting or a no-good person? 

No, not just Gen but the organization as a whole.

Yuan Gen thought that as a successful businessman, this guy would understand that there was a lot more nuance to the organization, but it seemed like he failed to do so. Probably the Shen Society made him adopt a more nihilistic point of view.

"Entangled? You make it sound like a terrible thing when the Liu Group offers only the best for those that it meets and who agrees to work with them."

"She doesn't need that," Li Yang said. "She has… me backing her up."

"You compared to an organization that has been around for more than a thousand years?" Yuan Gen tried to bite back the sound of a scoff that came from his throat, so he coughed loudly. "I would have believed it more if you told me that Shen Society and other organizations that have alliances with it are going to back her… but you're comparing your resources to that of ours?" 

Li Yang's expression twitched for a moment.

Yuan Gen thought that he was finally able to make the guy see reason. 

"I understand that you may have gotten your hands on some very interesting items and resources that our sources cannot pinpoint. The drink that you provided to me is still being studied as we're trying to replicate it—but that's not enough to run a small organization. It took the Liu Family at least a thousand years to get where they are today, but you've only been in the cultivation scene for a year." 

"I'm not trying to make an organization," Li Yang said.

"Oh, but this… woman that you tell me is someone from our organization right?" Yuan Gen decided to pull up his phone and started checking for a list of any new recruits in the database. "A Ying Yue He… she's probably a cultivator. There we go." 

Somehow, Yuan Gen belatedly realized that he was revealing too much information now that an ordinary shopkeeper shouldn't have been able to say… but there were just people that had an aura that made you do things without even thinking about it.

Maybe it was the way that this former CEO exuded an aura of authority that expected people to do things for him—or it was the potent energy that Li Yang was also exuding… maybe just a mix of those two that made Yuan Gen already let the slip-up happen.

Thankfully, this guy didn't seem to gloat at all.

"How is Miss He?" Li Yang asked. "Is she doing fine and alright—I haven't been in contact with her for the past few months so…"

Yuan Gen looked at the short profile and assessment. There was even a small entry on how Ying Yue He had ended up with them which was actually quite fascinating—although Li Yang probably didn't need to know that.

If he put it into perspective, getting on this guy's good side was better than animosity. If this Ying Yue He entered the organization to get stronger and somehow was involved with Li Yang in the first place—then it meant that this guy had a strong connection network.

Was Yuan Gen good with convincing people to join them? Not really.