Can You Bark Like a Dog for Me?

The fact that Su Lin lived with Xu Shi was hardly a secret to many of Serpent Coil's veteran employees.

After all, everyone knew she was a retainer of the Xu Family. Xu Cheng had adopted her when she was young, and she had received elite training as a butler.

Before joining the company, she had also appeared before everyone in the role of a maid.

Clearly, the old chairman had known all too well how unreliable his son was, so he had arranged this in advance to ensure someone could take care of him in the future.

However, Gu Yi clearly knew nothing about this, and she inevitably began coming up with all sorts of strange ideas.

An office romance between a spoiled young villain and his icy female subordinate? Or perhaps... failing to borrow money and repaying the debt with her body?

Realizing that this older sister seemed to follow Bastard Xu around everywhere, even words like Star Fury flashed through her mind several times.

Oh my god, that was a lot to take in.

That only made her panic more. She had already been extremely reluctant to move into Bastard Xu's house, and now this happened too...

I won't become like that too, will I? Anything but that!.jpg

However, those emotions were quickly pushed aside by everything before her.

Xu Shi's home was far more luxurious than she had imagined—a three-story duplex mansion, furnished and decorated with the most advanced and expensive amenities. Every inch of the place reeked of money.

The various collections displayed everywhere struck just the right balance, dispelling any sense of vulgarity and perfectly blending classic elegance with technology.

Though Gu Yi had no eye for such things, she could tell these items were worth a fortune.

A hundred-million-yuan thimble. Certified filthy rich.

Xu Shi had no idea what she was thinking. To him, all of this was perfectly ordinary.

He was even unusually generous, letting her choose any room she wanted except for the three at the far right end of the third floor.

Those rooms were occupied. One belonged to Su Lin, and one belonged to his parents—after they died, no one had entered it again.

The remaining one was naturally his own... though that was negotiable. If Miss Black Rabbit really wanted it, he could consider it.

But she clearly had no such intention. Instead, she chose the basement, the room farthest from his.

It was probably the most suitable place Gu Yi could find for herself.

Not only was it as far from Bastard Xu as possible, but more importantly, it contained all sorts of high-end electronic equipment. The moment she saw them, she could not look away.

"I'll take this room. Is that okay?"

"As long as you like it."

Xu Shi smiled but did not tell her that it was actually his gaming room.

Back then, he had spent more time here than anywhere else.

Miss Black Rabbit probably had not expected that although she thought she had chosen the farthest room, it was actually the closest.

Once she was fully settled in, she shut the door and wanted nothing to do with anyone.

Xu Shi also sat on the sofa and let out a long sigh. Su Lin promptly handed him a cup of hot tea, then sat beside him and began handling work.

Aside from the times Xu Shi had stayed out all night in the past, this was probably the most common way the two of them spent time alone together.

Although he had always treated her like a servant, he had basically never subjected her to excessive behavior like humiliation or beatings.

At least, such things had rarely happened so far. In the story, the original Xu Shi had only begun venting his anger on her after being driven mad by his paranoia.

So how could things be as complicated as Gu Yi imagined? His relationship with Su Lin was simply that of a normal master and servant.

"Come to think of it, how long have I known you? Twenty years?"

Xu Shi took off his glasses, closed his eyes, and asked casually.

"Twenty years, four months, and sixteen days."

Without even looking up, Su Lin answered immediately.

"Has it been that long?" Xu Shi was even a little surprised.

"Yes."

Su Lin nodded. Perhaps the young master did not remember, but she remembered it vividly.

After all, the one who had suggested adopting her back then had not actually been the master, but five-year-old Xu Shi.

To Xu Shi, perhaps it had merely been something he casually said as a child.

But to her, it had marked the beginning of a new life.

That was also why her loyalty had never wavered in all these years.

And things were better now, too.

Whether he had been hiding his abilities before or had suddenly come to his senses did not matter to her. But seeing Xu Shi undergo such a change, she was genuinely happy for him.

"Mm..."

"What's wrong?"

Seeing her hesitate, Xu Shi asked curiously.

"...It's nothing."

Su Lin smiled and sighed. "I just wanted to say that no matter what happens in the future, I will always stay by your side, Young Master."

Xu Shi paused, then laughed helplessly.

It was not as though he had suddenly transmigrated here. He had merely awakened the memories of his previous life recently.

Would that be called reincarnating into a fetus?

No matter what, he would not treat the people and things around him as two-dimensional characters on a page. Naturally, such a declaration made him happy.

But then again, this really was the most classic trope of all.

—No matter how brainless or how much of a bastard the villain was, there would always be a loyal dog by his side who never abandoned him, with both competence and intelligence constantly online.

So...

"Su Lin, can you bark like a dog for me?"

"Huh?"

Miss Su Lin tilted her head. She had not heard what Xu Shi said.

"...Never mind."

Suppressing his laughter, Xu Shi waved a hand and turned to business. "Did you send anyone to Gu Yi's old dormitory?"

"Everything has been arranged. They're all mechanical soldiers from the Field Operations Department."

Su Lin nodded. "If Lin Wenhua truly intends to assassinate Miss Gu, he will definitely..."

Before she could finish, new information arrived on her wristband.

It contained photos of an assassin lying in a pool of blood, along with a brief recording of his interrogation.

"I'll talk, I'll talk! It was Old Lin—no, no, no, that old bastard Lin Wenhua sent me! He told me to kill everyone here and deal with them! Don't kill me... urgh..."

"Good."

Xu Shi was quite satisfied. "Keep it for now. We'll settle the score with that old man altogether later."

I already knew what you were planning, old bastard.

And according to his estimate, news of Xu Anbang's unexplained disappearance would soon reach the ears of everyone at Serpent Coil.

Anyone with even a little sense would surely guess that he was responsible, but that was exactly the effect he wanted.

Before thoroughly reshuffling the company, this sort of killing-the-chicken-to-scare-the-monkeys tactic would surely motivate every department to work much harder.

(＾?＾) If you don't work properly, you might die, you know?

And if it could make some undecided shareholders feel afraid, that would be even better.

In any case, he was not afraid of being exposed. Did they have any evidence...? He had great confidence in Xia Wuyou's abilities. She would not leave behind any loose ends.

"Then that's settled."

Xu Shi yawned. "Come to think of it, what's on the schedule tomorrow?"

"At the company?"

Su Lin pulled up her memo and checked. "...There is one matter. The Inspection Bureau sent me an email saying they wanted to speak with you in person, Young Master."

Hm?

The Inspection Bureau?