The First Day of Paid Leave

"If you've never done anything wrong, you won't be afraid of ghosts knocking at your door in the middle of the night."

Sing Sing slung his phone over his stomach and hummed along to a Peking Opera tune playing from the Bluetooth speaker on the low stool.

Today is my first day after being discharged from the hospital.

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, in the sunny little courtyard, an old jujube tree stretched out half of its branches at an angle.

Lao Zhou was slumped in that old rattan rocking chair.

He was wearing a bathrobe with the collar open, tinted sunglasses perched on his nose, and a pipe dangling from his lips.

This is the life of an immortal...

What is the highest level of achievement for working people?

That's definitely not about becoming an outstanding key member.

Bearing the title of "injured on duty," one should rightfully take paid leave in the courtyard assigned by the unit!

On a small stool next to it, a Bluetooth speaker was playing Mr. Ma Lianliang's "Borrowing the East Wind," with a melodious and gentle tune.

The thermos is filled with goji berries, the soup is reddish-brown and steaming hot.

Lao Zhou took down his pipe with one hand and placed the other on his slightly undulating belly, his fingers gently tapping along the rhythm of Peking Opera.

"Special-level work injury compensation will be doubled, special bonuses will be calculated separately, and a daily hospitalization meal allowance of 500 yuan will be provided."

"Seven more days of paid leave, no shifts, no attendance, hehehe..."

He smacked his lips contentedly, tilted his head back on the soft cushions of the wicker chair, closed his eyes peacefully, and prepared to take a nice nap in the warmth.

In the blink of an eye, the eyelids closed in less than three seconds.

A cool, refreshing fragrance suddenly filled the air.

A tall, slender shadow descended from above, completely obscuring the rattan chair and most of Sing Sing's body.

"Who is it? Don't you have any sense of public decency so early in the morning?"

"Can't you see that I, the director, am busy with photosynthesis? Is anyone in the department unable to find their office?"

Sing Sing muttered something, stretched out his index finger, pulled down the sunglasses on his nose, and glanced up sideways.

A young woman stood in front of the rocking chair, her long, dark purple hair reaching her waist.

Her face was slightly lowered, hidden by strands of hair, as she quietly met his gaze.

Upon seeing that face, Sing Sing's rattan rocking chair lurched backward, almost causing the back of his head to hit the flowerbed.

He grabbed at the rattan armrests with both hands and kicked his heels twice to flatten the rocking chair.

"Bukushima-kun?!"

Sing Sing pushed his sunglasses back up on his nose and craned his neck to peek at the gate of the courtyard.

"Where did you come from? When did the bureau grant visa-free access to overseas martial arts clans?"

"Did Lao Li, the gatekeeper, and those Sentry all get poisoned while drinking soy milk at the alley entrance? How did you get in?!"

Saeko Busujima bent her knees at a 30-degree angle and performed a standard Japan bow towards the rocking chair.

"Good morning, Master. Your disciple has not done anything out of line or forced his way in."

She straightened up and pulled out a card. "This disciple arrived in Beijing yesterday and contacted Senior A Le immediately."

"Senior A Le verified my background check upon entry and, under the guise of friendly exchange of special martial arts from overseas and family visit, expedited the application for an internal family visit and inspection permit for me."

"The security guards at the gate were very dedicated; they checked the data repeatedly before letting us through."

A Le!

You traitorous, big-eyed double agent!

You must have received quite a few benefits from them again, right?

Damn it!

Even his paid leave security measures can be sold off in a package. Looking back, I'll replace all the bottled water in your office with Da Vinci's secret laxative tea!

Saeko Busujima was completely unaware of Sing Sing's inner rage and roar.

She carried a food box and gently placed it on the stone table in the courtyard.

"I learned from international news and internal channels that a major war has broken out in North America, Silver Peak Consortium has been completely wiped out."

"The report was vague about the details of the casualties, but I know my master's character well."

"In such a fierce battle that overthrew a multinational giant, Master must have been at the forefront, perhaps even suffering indescribable and extremely severe internal injuries."

"This disciple dares not delay for a moment, and sets off overnight, just to be by Master's bedside to serve him."

Sing Sing chuckled twice and shrank further into the rattan rocking chair.

"Ahem... ahem! Um, Busujima-kun, I'm very pleased that you have such a respectful attitude towards your teacher."

Lao Zhou adopted the kind and benevolent demeanor of a government official having a heart-to-heart talk, and earnestly advised:

"However... our 749 Bureau is a legitimate socialist national security agency, and its medical security system is the best in the world."

"There are both unfathomable, long-established, and highly skilled physicians who can bring the dead back to life, and foreign doctors who bring vital energy to the patients' side."

"I'm brimming with energy right now, I have a great appetite, and I can climb five flights of stairs without even breaking a sweat."

"You really don't need to come all this way to serve tea and water. Go back to your hotel and get some beauty sleep. You can buy a couple of bags of dried fruit to take back home tomorrow."

Saeko Busujima listened quietly to these excuses, then naturally bent her knees and squatted down, her skirt spreading out, and looked up at Sing Sing, who was sitting upright.

"Master, there's no need to use such platitudes to appease your disciple."

"According to the ancient precepts of the Busujima Family, if the head of the family and his teachers return home after a perilous battle, it is a grave offense for the direct disciples not to personally remove their clothes to examine their wounds and attend to them as they change their dressings."

"Even if Master possesses extraordinary abilities, I must personally confirm that Master is safe and sound before I can feel at ease."

"Stop! Stop!"

Sing Sing's hair stood on end. "What do you mean by 'take off your clothes to check for injuries'? Don't give me that!"

"Let me reiterate: we are a public service organization, where discipline and civilized conduct are paramount. We do not tolerate your feudalistic, aristocratic practices of master-servant subservience!"

"Besides, what I suffered was an internal injury, a shock to the Inner Qi my Dantian. Do you even know what it means for Pure Yang True Qi to circulate in the eight extraordinary meridians?"

"They're all hidden under the skin; you could search the whole world and you still wouldn't find a single flower!"

"Since the injury is internal, it cannot be taken lightly."

Saeko Busujima suddenly reached out with her right hand, her five fingers grabbing at Sing Sing's waist belt.

"Hey you... Holy crap!"

Sing Sing was terrified and pulled the hem of his bathrobe together.

"Stop! Busujima-kun, calm down!"

"Men and women should not touch each other; I am a proper Deputy Division-Level cadre in the state!"

"Stripping a leader naked in broad daylight is a mistake!"

Seeing him shrink back, Saeko Busujima tried to grab Sing Sing's swaying right wrist with her left hand.

"If Master wasn't hiding his internal injuries, why wouldn't he even let his disciple examine his pulse?"

"I was afraid that the Pure Yang Inner Qi within me would shock you!"

"Let go of my belt, and let's sit down on this little stool and talk things out!"

The two of them were entangled in a tangled mess inside the rattan rocking chair, one sitting and one squatting.

Just as Lao Zhou was about to use a Loach Kung Fu to slide off the side of the rocking chair, the hairs on the back of his head stood on end.

Murderous look!

What kind of monster would dare to attempt such a move in the 749 Bureau?

The tin watering can at the base of the courtyard wall and the weeding shovel by the tree both bounced on the ground at the same time.

The magnetic core of the Bluetooth speaker on the stool was pulled off course by the strong magnetic field, and the sound inside turned into a piercing electrical noise.

Lao Zhou remained pinned to the rocking chair by Saeko Busujima, his neck stiffly turned to look at the doorway.

Polaris stood there, her long green hair flying wildly in the air without any wind.

She carried a thermos in her left hand and a bag of packaged ginseng in her right, her face frighteningly gloomy as she glared at the two of them.

Without uttering a word, Polaris slowly floated into the courtyard.

The shovel and kettle by the courtyard wall flew into the air, all turning their pointed ends towards Sing Sing.