Volume Six: What She Lost, What I Gained
Yu He had only drunk half of his coffee when he suddenly paused. He smiled slightly, then finished the cheap instant coffee and put down the pen he had been using to review documents.
Then,
With a whoosh, he swept all the documents on his desk onto the floor, then stood up from his swivel chair and walked nonchalantly over the papers covered with numbers in the hundreds of millions.
"Lord Yu He?" Ankri was startled by Yu He's sudden action.
"It's about time; they should make their move... Phew."
He stretched lazily, rubbed his eyes, rolled up his sleeves, and checked his watch: 8:28 a. m.
It was during the working hours of the frontline employees.
They had no idea that the Gray Starling Group was about to suffer its biggest blow ever.
"Ankri, notify all employees of the entire Gray Starling Group, including all branches and subsidiaries across the four continents and one sea, that today is a day off, and it's a paid holiday."
"President!?"
As for you...
Yu He opened the drawer, took out a slightly worn file folder, and pulled out a piece of paper.
Do you remember this?
"Ah, this is... mine..."
"Do you remember? The employment contract you signed when you officially became a member of the Grey Starlings?"
"Of course I remember, how could I possibly forget..."
Ankri will always remember her hometown ravaged by drought, the people who looked like skeletons, watching helplessly as her parents cooked the body of her younger brother who had starved to death, then the caravan that happened to pass by, and the young man who shared fresh toast with her.
"Your name is Ankri, right? I just spent some money to verify your value to me. You'll definitely make a good employee. So, how about becoming my secretary?"
That seemingly joking remark completely changed Ankri's life.
After that, Ankri made up her mind to dedicate herself to Yu He.
But--
"Well, you've really worked hard all these years. Goodbye, you've been fired."
Yu He tore up the employment contract right in front of her.
"... President?"
"Well, of course you'll get your share of the money. Go to the finance department at headquarters to settle things, then find a place to settle down and marry into a good family."
"President, President!"
"Don't call me President anymore."
Yu He shook his head.
"I've always been someone who sits behind the scenes, but things are different now. I must step onto the battlefield as a warrior... and at the same time, sit at the gambling table as a gambler. My comfortable life is over. There's no point in you following me anymore."
"But I'm not afraid!"
Ankri clenched her fists, her eyes filled with tears.
"President, you must be worried about my safety if you fire me at this time! But it's alright, I... I've already made up my mind to give my life for you! Please, at least let me face the enemy with you! I hope to die as your secretary!"
"... Why? What makes you so determined?"
"Because... because... because..."
Ankri's face flushed red, and she shouted at the top of her lungs—
"Because, I've liked you President, for a very long time!!!"
Silence.
Inside the office, only Ankri's panting could be heard.
After a long silence, Yu He responded.
"Do you like me...? Like me enough to be willing to die for me?"
"Certainly!"
"It seems so, love, oh love..."
He reached out to her, gently cupping her face in his hands. The touch was soft and warm, the skin of a young woman. Ankri looked at Yu He with teary eyes, as if expecting something.
Yu He smiled.
That was the smile of a cunning merchant.
"Since that's the case, let me squeeze every last bit of value out of you."
The next moment,
Ankri's body disintegrated.
It turned into countless banknotes, scattered on the ground.
In the spiritual space constructed by the anthropomorphic personalities of the six materials--
A transparent shadow sways on the sleeping white-haired cat-eared loli today.
Givinia had lost count of how long she had been waiting there.
It's not as simple as inserting consciousness into a projection; it's about transferring consciousness entirely out of the body and attaching it to the Truth Incantation, leaving the empty shell of the body to be cared for by Anubas and Silver in turn.
The Leader comes to the storage room almost every day, always accompanied by Gustav. They often talk about some of the organization's secrets, but none of them can be described as "enough to overthrow the organization".
And now--
(Here it comes...)
The door to the storage room opened again, and Huang Huo and Void Realm flashed past in the doorway before being shut out. Although Huang Huo and Void Realm were the gatekeepers of the storage room, they were not allowed to enter directly without the Leader's permission, so only the Leader and Gustav were allowed in each time.
The two of them still exuded a terrifying, overwhelming pressure, as vast as the ocean, every moment. Even without consciously releasing any pressure, their aura was already so terrifying. Givinia couldn't even imagine what would happen if they really got serious. Bathing in their pressure every day, and constantly facing the risk of being discovered, Givinia sometimes felt like she was going insane.
(Hopefully, they'll talk about what I want to hear today. Please, if this keeps up, even for A Ye's sake, I can't take it anymore!)
However, the very first thing the Leader said caught Givinia's attention.
Although it wasn't a secret, it still made her heart tighten.
"Did you know, Gustav? Yu He just sent some interesting new information."
"Please explain, Leader."
"They say they found traces in Business Capital, ha, 'found traces'? Don't be ridiculous!"
"Forgive my bluntness, Yu He must have been aware of it long ago, and may even have captured him at one point. I just don't know why he's been holding back his report until now."
"That's right, it's really annoying! But... oh well, his little schemes won't affect the big picture!"
Jili's expression remained sour, but at the same time he looked extremely excited.
"Gustav, in a little while... I'm going to summon the Void Realm here!"
"Summoning the Void Realm... you mean...!"
"What are you thinking? I've already figured out how to handle this. Don't worry, I have a way to kill two birds with one stone!"
(What the hell?)
Givinia was a little confused.
"Traces discovered?" "Summoning to the Void Realm?" "Killing two birds with one stone?"
What does the Leader want to do?
At this time--
"Leader lord, I have a favor to ask."
"Huh? It's rare to hear you say that. So, what's this trivial matter?"
"Your subordinate hopes—"
Then, Gustav stated his request.
Upon hearing this, Givinia was so frightened she almost revealed herself.
No way?
Is this guy serious?
The Leader seemed a little surprised. He frowned his well-shaped eyebrows, his slender, white fingers resting on his chin as he pondered silently.
"... Let me hear your reasons."
"It's a personal matter of mine, insignificant, but if it's your order—"
"--Fine, fine, whatever you want!"
The Leader tossed his hair, turned around impatiently, and
"I approve, consider it a day off for you."
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This month started off poorly; maybe the big shots are busy with the college entrance exam or the CET-6 (College English Test Band 6).
If you have a bad feeling after reading this chapter... meow meow meow?