OFR – Chapter 299 Viral-like speed of spread

At this moment—

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Mu Bai pressed the gas pedal again, and the Bugatti Veyron roared forward with its signature low growl, racing away like the wind.

Now that it was nearing midnight on Nanjing’s main roads, there were few cars on the road. This allowed the Bugatti Veyron, for the first time, to truly unleash its full power.

As the speed reached its peak, anyone who had ever questioned the car’s multi-million price tag would instantly understand why the Bugatti Veyron was hailed as one of the world’s three greatest hypercars—truly worth every cent of its astronomical price.

Its full-throttle acceleration was so fast, so intense, it could leave ordinary people gasping for breath.

There was once a saying online about this supercar—not necessarily just about the Veyron, but it highlighted its unmatched speed:

“Everyone knows the Bugatti Veyron is the fastest production car in the world. But its speed still can’t outrun time… nor can it escape fate—or the ending that’s already been written.”

This alone was enough to show that even among luxury hypercars, the Veyron stood at the absolute pinnacle.

Now, as Mu Bai’s mind drifted between thoughts, the car sped toward Xuanwu Zhongshan Villa District.

The Zhongshan Villas weren’t far from the Zijin Pavilion, and it didn’t take long before he returned home.

It was just past 10:00 PM, and his personal assistant Li Xiaoqing was still awake, relaxing in the living room, watching her favorite drama.

Although Li Xiaoqing was very well-educated and attractive, she was still just an ordinary girl. The drama she was watching was a popular romantic series loved by many women, “Across the Ocean to See You.”

The moment she saw Mu Bai return, she jumped up happily, her beautiful face glowing with a smile.

“Mr. Mu, you’re back? Have you eaten yet? If not, I’ll make you something.”

“I’ve eaten. No need to trouble yourself.”

Mu Bai casually waved his hand at her warm and thoughtful greeting.

With that, he turned to head toward his bedroom to rest.

Though he had only had a couple of glasses of red wine at the Zijin banquet, and the wine had little effect on him, the kind and attentive Li Xiaoqing smelled the alcohol on him and quickly got up to say softly:

“Mr. Mu, why don’t you sit for a bit? I’ll make you a cup of hangover tea.”

Just as she finished, seeing that Mu Bai was about to wave her off again, she bit her lip and added:

“Mr. Mu, I’m your personal assistant. It’s my job to do these things for you. You’ve barely let me help with anything… I don’t even know how to do my job properly.”

Her sincere words made Mu Bai smile a little. Seeing that it was still early, he sat down on the sofa.

“Alright. Go ahead.”

Indeed, with his physique, even several bottles of wine would have no effect on him. But with time on his hands, he figured he might as well enjoy life a little.

Li Xiaoqing, seeing that he agreed, beamed with joy and went off to prepare the tea.

Mu Bai, now with nothing else to do, glanced at the drama on the TV.

The series “Across the Ocean to See You” wasn’t purely a romantic soap opera—it included plots about family business inheritance, power struggles, and corporate scheming.

These elements were clearly designed to attract some male viewers as well, but Mu Bai couldn’t help but laugh at how naive and unrealistic those business subplots were. Anyone familiar with the real business world might even call it “brainless.”

Real corporate warfare and business takeovers were nothing like what’s shown in those romanticized dramas.

What is war?

To quote a great leader:

“War, no matter its form, once it carries that word ‘war,’ it is nothing like hosting a dinner party, nothing like writing essays, nothing like painting or embroidery, and certainly nothing like falling in love.”

“It cannot be that elegant, that leisurely, that refined or courteous.”

War is war—a brutal, bloody act. It is the violent upheaval of one class or faction by another.

In this kind of battle, to lose often means permanent defeat, with no chance to recover—where would one find time for moonlit walks and poetic sentiments?

So while Mu Bai did not agree with the drama’s portrayal, he simply gave a wry internal chuckle and didn’t comment further.

A few minutes later, Li Xiaoqing returned with the hangover tea and handed it to him.

He took a sip and found it quite delicious.

Just as he was about to praise her skills, however, a breaking news broadcast flashed across the digital TV—completely capturing his attention and swallowing the compliment he was about to give.

Li Xiaoqing, noticing his gaze, also turned toward the screen. Even she, someone who usually didn’t care for current events, couldn’t help but open her mouth in shock.

Even if she wasn’t familiar with Nanjing’s political scene, some names in the report were famous across all of Jianghai Province:

Yu Youxiong, head of Baiyun Group.
Li Shaofeng, eldest son of the Li Trade Corporation.
Pulwen, China regional chief of the British Yingshou Conglomerate…

Who could’ve imagined that these once-untouchable names had all fallen on the same day?

At the same time, a previously unremarkable name was spreading like wildfire—across every TV station, newspaper, social media outlet, and digital news platform in China.

Cold.

This name—“Cold”—appeared in front of the general public for the first time.

And the unprecedented power struggle that was broadcast alongside it etched that name into the memory of the entire nation.