The Billionaire's Multiplier System
Chapter 104 - 105 – The Stirring Storm

Chapter 104: Chapter 105 – The Stirring Storm

The dusk light dripped like oil across the skyline of Shenzhen as Lin Feng sat alone in the high-rise office of the Apex Circle headquarters. The normally quiet air between his thoughts was now disrupted by Cassandra’s words from earlier in the week, her smile laced with veiled meaning.

"Sometimes, people don’t need to be enemies to become obstacles."

He had replayed that line a dozen times since she’d said it—part charm, part warning, and entirely strategic. Cassandra had not made a single overt move, but her influence had rippled quietly through several of Lin Feng’s extended networks. Soft influence—anonymous invites, subtle donations, whispered promises. She wasn’t here to confront. She was here to make others waver.

And she was doing it well.

Lin Feng leaned forward and tapped the touchscreen embedded in his desk. A graph flared to life—public sentiment surrounding Apex Circle’s latest education-tech initiative. The baseline was still strong, but anomalies were appearing. Disinformation campaigns. Redirections. A coordinated effort, but distant—no single point of origin.

Worse, one of the newer influencers Lin had brought into the council, Mei Shuyin, had gone dark for two days. No replies. No forwarded press materials. Just a muted absence, and a few rumors surfacing on tech WeChat groups about her "reconsidering her affiliations."

Another data point blinking red.

His phone buzzed—a secure line.

"Lin Feng," he answered crisply.

A familiar voice, calm but with tension beneath. "Boss, it’s Qi Zhan. You told me to watch the regional startup grant forums and college panels. You were right. Something’s brewing."

Lin’s eyes narrowed. "Go on."

"There’s a new fund backing underdog accelerators. Quiet, but well-connected. No PR splash, just direct-to-founder contact. They’re outbidding Apex-backed grants in three regions already, offering no equity and matching all mentoring resources."

"That’s financially irrational," Lin replied. "Unless it’s coordinated sabotage."

Qi Zhan exhaled. "Exactly. And I got a look at their anchor LP list through an ex-legal at Changhong Capital. You won’t believe the names showing up."

There was a pause.

Lin spoke with precision. "Who?"

"The Gu family. Not directly, but through two separate shells. Also, a known asset pipeline tied to TitanEdge."

TitanEdge. A mid-sized American VC firm with a reputation for aggressive buy-ins and deep political ties. And the Gu family? That name hadn’t appeared in Lin’s proximity for months—until now.

"Pull everything. Structure, board members, sister entities. Get me all indirect investors, and look for Cassandra’s fingerprints."

"Already on it. But boss—there’s more. Their next event is in three days. Guess who they invited to keynote?"

"Who?"

"Guo Yuwei."

Silence hung between them.

Lin leaned back slowly, exhaling once. The girl who had once stood against Zixuan’s pressure, who’d nearly been broken by it, was now climbing back into the public eye—on someone else’s platform.

"Thank you, Zhan. Keep eyes on that keynote. And make sure Mei Shuyin is safe. Use discretion."

By the time Lin Feng stepped out of his office, it was nearly 10 p.m. The lobby was quiet save for the faint whir of a cleaning robot. But outside, on the private balcony overlooking the financial district, someone was waiting—arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Wen Qian.

She turned without needing a cue. "You’re still trying to do it alone."

"I’m trying to do it quietly," he said, joining her.

"You’ve ignored five of my calls," she replied, her tone even but tinged with irritation.

Lin gestured. "I knew you’d find me eventually."

"You underestimate how many people are watching us. Watching you."

Lin looked over the edge of the building. "Then let them watch. The moment they act, we’ll know their angles."

Wen Qian stepped closer. "But what if they don’t act? What if they seduce? Bribe? Whisper? That’s Cassandra’s game. And now you’ve got people like Guo Yuwei reappearing in the arms of your enemies."

"She’s not my enemy," Lin said quickly. "But someone’s pulling her back into play."

"She’s your unresolved thread. And Cassandra knows how to play threads."

Wen’s tone softened.

"Stop keeping your allies in the dark, Lin Feng. Or one day, they’ll stop being allies."

The following day, Lin made a rare appearance at the youth entrepreneurship campus—one of Apex Council’s most visible initiatives. Cameras weren’t allowed this time. He wasn’t there for PR.

He was there for reconnaissance.

The startup floor buzzed with prototype demos, mentorship pods, and clusters of students pitching to mid-tier VCs. And quietly, seated near the glass-walled AI lab, was Qin Xue.

Wearing a minimal white blouse and soft-toned pants, she looked completely unlike the ruthless dealmaker who had blindsided Lin weeks earlier. But she wasn’t alone.

A woman in a navy power suit sat across from her. Blonde. Foreign. Elegant posture. Sharp green eyes.

Lin’s gaze locked in. He didn’t need introductions.

Cassandra had just stepped into his stronghold.

They noticed him at the same time.

Qin Xue nodded with polite surprise. Cassandra smiled, as though she’d known he would come.

"Chairman Lin," Cassandra said, her voice honey-smooth. "I was hoping to run into you."

Lin didn’t smile. "Exploring our ecosystem, are you?"

"Only admiring the craftsmanship," she said, motioning around. "The way you built a culture—one that encourages loyalty, passion, idealism. It’s... rare. But idealism is fragile, you know."

"Only to those who exploit it."

Cassandra’s smile never faltered. "Is that what you think I do?"

Qin Xue stood. "Shall we take this somewhere more private?"

They moved to a sealed meeting room. No windows, no surveillance. Lin sat across from the two women, hands clasped.

"I know you’re funding the rival grant program," he said.

"I’m not denying it," Cassandra replied. "Competition is healthy."

"Undermining isn’t."

Cassandra tilted her head. "I don’t need to undermine anything. Your people come to me. Your allies falter because your circle is too tight. Too centralized. It doesn’t scale, Lin Feng. And now others are offering options."

Qin Xue finally spoke. "She’s not wrong. You’re too insulated."

Lin looked at her, then at Cassandra.

"So what’s the endgame? You build an alternative ecosystem, bleed mine from the edges, and wait for collapse?"

"No," Cassandra said. "I want to collaborate."

That caught him off guard.

She continued, "Your system is powerful, but fragile. Mine is adaptive. We combine, we stabilize. You can’t dominate every narrative, Lin. Not anymore. The world is watching."

Qin Xue added, "The real war isn’t with Zixuan. It’s with perception. Control the middle ground, or someone else will."

Lin didn’t speak immediately. The silence lengthened.

Then he stood. "Thank you. I understand your position."

He left without shaking hands.

Back at Apex HQ, Lin Feng entered a rarely used sublevel—the strategic war room. Screens, charts, AI-based forecasting modules. Here, the fluff was stripped away.

He tapped a panel. The system interface shimmered into life—still invisible to all others.

Favorability Levels:

Wen Qian: 78%

Tang Ruoyi: 83%

Qiao Liying: 69%

Qin Xue: 48%

Cassandra: 42%

The system rewarded influence with clarity. But influence wasn’t always love.

A new notification blinked:

"You’ve unlocked a pending cash return: ¥92 million available.

Favorability bonus activated: +15% skill unlock.

Choose one:

• Crisis Negotiation

• Strategic Forecasting

• Social Engineering"

He stared at the options. One of them might decide how well he could hold Apex together in the next stage.

He selected Strategic Forecasting.

The system processed the request. Instantly, new probabilities surfaced. Cassandra’s influence trajectories. Council member shift potentials. The probability of internal collapse—now 27%, up from 9%.

Cassandra hadn’t just stirred chaos.

She had opened a third front.