America: The neighbor's wife is so incredibly hospitable!

In Montana, springtime weather is always like a temperamental young girl.

Yesterday was sunny and bright, but this morning a thin layer of fog rolled in, and the temperature dropped to single digits.

But this slight coolness made the earthy and resinous scents in the air at Titan Manor even more invigorating.

On the spacious balcony on the second floor of the main house.

Chen An was wearing a dark gray cashmere cardigan and holding a cup of steaming black coffee.

He leaned against the solid wood railing, quietly overlooking the farm that was transforming at an astonishing pace.

"drop--"

A request for an encrypted video call popped up on the tablet computer placed on the small round table next to me.

It's Robert White.

Chen An pressed the answer button, and Robert's face, though wrinkled, appeared on the screen, looking radiant at that moment.

He was sitting in a luxurious New York office, with the Manhattan skyline visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows behind him.

"Good morning, Chen. Or should I call you, 'Wall Street's new devil'?" Robert burst into laughter as soon as he opened his mouth.

"It seems Mr. Richard Sterling did quite a bit of publicity for you after he went back?" Chen An took a sip of coffee, his tone languid.

"He's more than just a promoter! He's practically your most enthusiastic salesman!"

Robert waved his cigar excitedly. "You know what? When Richard went back to New York, he wasn't angry at being extorted for two million dollars by you. Instead, he felt it was a recognition from the top circles."

He would boast to everyone that he had eaten the only 'white pearl' in the world, and that the taste had cured his neurasthenia.

"Right now, the entire East Coast's wealthy community has gone crazy."

Robert sent an electronic list to Chen An's screen: "This is the list of applications for 'Titan Club' that have been submitted to us in the past 48 hours."

"They are all billionaires with assets of over a billion dollars, Silicon Valley tech upstarts, and a few top Hollywood producers."

"They were holding checks for a million dollars, lining up and begging us to accept them. Just to buy a box of strawberries, or a pound of that legendary Wagyu beef."

Chen An glanced down at the list and saw several names that he often saw on the Forbes list.

"That's human weakness, Robert."

Chen An's eyes remained calm. "The more unattainable and expensive something is, the more they think it's a good thing."

"Tell the review team that we'll only approve fifty members in the first batch. What we need is their resource network, not just the one million yuan membership fee."

"I see, it's scarcity marketing. You're a genius at this."

Robert smiled knowingly. "By the way, regarding the security system for your large estate halfway up the mountain, I've already had someone order the top-of-the-line equipment from Israel..."

Take your time, there's no rush.

Chen An hung up the phone.

For him now, making money has become an automatic background process. He cares more about his current life.

……

10:00 AM.

The morning mist gradually dissipated, and the sunlight once again took over the high ground.

Chen An strolled over to the grassy area near "Devil's Throat" on the back mountain.

Because of the geothermal activity, the grass here grows more lushly than in other places.

Not far away, a crisp laugh and the buzzing sound of a bowstring vibrating came from nearby.

Today, Aya changed into an extremely form-fitting black sports vest and shorts, with a pair of lightweight tactical boots on her feet.

She was holding a high-tech composite recurve bow, aiming at a haystack target fifty meters away.

"Whoosh—snap!"

The arrow flew like a meteor, striking precisely the red heart drawn in the center of the haystack. The fletching was still trembling slightly.

"Wow! That's so cool!"

Jessica, standing to the side, clapped and cheered.

Today, this girl wore a very figure-hugging yoga outfit, with a short pink windproof jacket over it.

Ever since witnessing Aya catch fish with her bare hands by the river, Jessica has developed an inexplicable admiration for the Indian princess's martial prowess and has been insisting on learning archery.

"What's so cool about that? It's just a skill for making a living."

Aya tossed her black hair, which was braided in dread, and turned to look at Jessica. Her wheat-colored skin glowed healthily in the sunlight. "It's your turn. Don't just watch and do nothing."

She handed Jessica the compound bow that required a 60-pound draw weight.

Jessica excitedly took the bow.

"Ouch...it's so heavy!"

She was holding the bow in one hand when she felt her arm suddenly drop.

"Stand still. Feet shoulder-width apart." Aya began instructing like a strict coach. "Left hand grips the bow handle, right hand holds the arrow nock and bowstring."

Jessica awkwardly struck a pose.

"And then what? Just pull it open?" She took a deep breath, gritted her teeth, and pulled back sharply with her right hand.

"Don't use brute force! Use your back muscles!" Aya shouted urgently.

But it was too late. Jessica felt a sharp pain in her fingers; the bowstring had been pulled less than a third of the way before it slipped from her grasp with a "snap."

The arrow flew out weakly, not even touching the grass five meters away, before plunging headfirst into the mud.

"Ouch! My finger!"

Jessica dropped the bow, clutching her fingers which were red and raw from the bowstring, tears welling in her eyes from the pain.

"So stupid."

A deep, chuckled voice came from behind.

Chen An stepped forward, bent down, and picked up the composite bow that had fallen to the ground.

"Boss..." Jessica looked at him with a pitiful expression, "This thing is too difficult, harder than operating an excavator. It must be because the bow is too stiff!"

"The bow itself is not wrong; the person using it is."

Chen An walked behind Jessica.

"Turn around and look at the target."

He commanded.

Jessica obediently turned around.

The next second, Chen An's broad, solid chest pressed directly against her back.

A strong sense of oppression, imbued with masculine hormones and a faint smell of tobacco, instantly enveloped her.

Chen An's left hand reached over her shoulder and grasped her left hand that was holding the bow; his right hand enveloped her small hand that was pinching the fletching of the arrow.

"Drawing a bow isn't done with your arm, it's done with the strength here."

Chen An lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against Jessica's earlobe. He deliberately nudged her back gently with his chest muscle.

"Relax. Let me carry your weight."

Jessica's face instantly turned bright red. In this position, she could even feel the rhythm of Chen An's heartbeat.

Her already tense body became even stiffer, not because of the arrow shooting, but because of the tingling sensation coming from her back.

"Ann...don't press so close...Aya is still watching..." Jessica's voice was barely audible.

"She does her thing, I teach her mine."

Chen An ignored him and suddenly exerted force with his right hand.

"Squeak—"

The composite bow that Jessica couldn't draw even with all her might was instantly drawn to its full length under Chen An's guidance.

"Aim. Align the three points in a straight line."

Chen An took her hand and focused his gaze on the haystack fifty meters away.

"put!"

Chen An loosened his fingers.

"Whoosh—Bang!"

The arrow tore through the air and landed firmly just centimeters from the bullseye.

"I won!" Jessica jumped up excitedly, completely forgetting her earlier shyness. She turned around and hugged Chen An's neck. "Boss, you're amazing!"