The Billionaire's Multiplier System
Chapter 68 - 69 – Smoke in Glass: Ji Haoran’s Next Move

Chapter 68: Chapter 69 – Smoke in Glass: Ji Haoran’s Next Move

Location: Jianye Tower, Top Floor – Ji Haoran’s Private Study

The lights in the room were dim. Not for mood, but for control.

Ji Haoran didn’t need light to think. Only silence, precision, and the right kind of pressure.

A screen glowed before him — rotating through reports.

– Lin Feng bypassed the South Pearl auction

– Crimson Circle prestige reclassification successful

– Zhou Anliang... compromised

His fingers, long and pale, tapped slowly on the desk.

"He’s not just moving forward," he said.

"He’s insulating."

Across the desk sat a woman in a dark plum blazer — eyes sharp, unreadable.

She didn’t speak yet.

"He’s using art. Legacy. Emotion."

"He’s forcing power structures to look... human."

Still, the woman said nothing.

Haoran leaned back.

"That’s where you come in."

Her name was Wen Ruoxi.

Former behavioral analyst for the Huang Consortium.

Disgraced after a project collapsed — publicly blamed for "emotionally poisoning negotiations."

Privately, it was known she was too effective.

She had watched Lin Feng from the shadows for months.

And she didn’t look impressed.

"Your obsession with him is making you reactive," she said coldly.

"He’s not trying to beat you. He’s trying to disappear from your line of sight."

Haoran raised an eyebrow.

"Go on."

"Lin Feng’s strategy is not growth. It’s ghosting.

He lets others shine. Xu Shanyue. Ye Yuyan.

So when he strikes, it feels like a ripple — not a wave."

She stood and walked to the window.

"You’ve been throwing knives at water."

Haoran folded his hands.

"Then what do you suggest?"

"We stop aiming at him directly."

She slid a folder across the table.

"We go after the people who made him invisible."

The Folder

Haoran opened it slowly.

Inside:

An image of an abandoned school building.

A file marked "L.F. - Guardian File 13."

And a list of past known associates from his pre-wealth life.

"Your empire has records on everyone who matters.

But Lin Feng came from nowhere," Ruoxi said.

"Wrong," she added, voice softening to a blade’s whisper.

"He came from somewhere. Someone just paid to bury it."

Haoran’s fingers tightened.

Ruoxi smiled faintly.

"Let me dig into the past while you keep him dancing in the present."

"And if you find something?"

She turned to go.

"Then we erase him backwards."

To: "Director of Dust"

Subject: Operation Ashframe

"Target: Lin Feng’s undocumented past.

Primary goals: Uncover, isolate, invert.

Begin surveillance at Old West School, Zone 4."

"Do not confront. Not yet. Let the memory rot before it burns."