I'm a Year Older Than Your Mother!

Xu Shi was having good luck today. Everyone he wanted to see was in this hospital.

When he pushed open the ward door, Xia Wuyou was sitting beside Xia Ke'an, chatting and laughing with her.

There was also a plate of freshly cut watermelon at her side.

It was clear that now that she no longer had to worry about hospitalization fees, her quality of life had improved considerably—after all, in Night Sin City, fresh meat, vegetables, and fruit were all luxuries.

Rust Fog had a terrifying impact on livestock farming and agriculture. It blocked out the sun and moon, disrupting crop growth conditions, while the corrosive rain and snow it brought were equally deadly... Less than a year after this phenomenon first appeared, the original agricultural and livestock industries had nearly withered away.

By now, only the Six Great Conglomerates had the resources to construct simulated breeding environments. The land left barren by Rust Fog had been purchased by them at low prices and repurposed for commercial use.

This watermelon alone probably cost an ordinary worker more than a month's wages, and few people would actually spend that much—at most, they might occasionally buy a slice or two to satisfy their cravings. Any missing nutrients could be made up with various affordable pills.

Even more people could not afford the pills. According to surveys, from District 12 downward, the staple food of at least 65+% of residents was protein blocks made from cockroaches.

Those things did nothing more than sustain the bare minimum of life.

"...Chairman Xu."

Hearing the movement and seeing who had arrived, Xia Wuyou hurriedly stood and greeted him respectfully. She even brought over a stool for him. "Please, have a seat."

"I was just stopping by to take a look. Team Leader Xia, there's no need to be so nervous."

Xu Shi sat down with a smile and spoke half-jokingly. "It looks like Miss Ke'an is recovering quite well... I'm not disturbing you two, am I?"

The white-haired loli was far livelier than when he had first met her—her face had regained a healthy flush, and she no longer gasped for breath after every sentence. Clearly, she had been receiving excellent care.

At least compared to the pale porcelain doll she had once been, she looked more like a real person now.

"Not at all. It's all thanks to you, Chairman Xu."

She was even more welcoming than her young niece. Smiling, she handed him the fruit plate. "This watermelon is very sweet. Would you like a piece?"

"Sure."

Xu Shi did not stand on ceremony. He speared a piece with his fork and put it into his mouth. "...Mm, it really is sweet. Where did you buy it?"

"At the fruit shop near the company."

Xia Wuyou answered, unable to hide the emotion in her voice.

She could not even remember the last time she had eaten fresh fruit, and this was also the first month she had not needed to send her entire paycheck to the hospital.

When she passed the shop during a visit, she hesitated again and again before finally finding the confidence to walk in. She had even extravagantly bought an entire watermelon.

"If you like it, I can have someone deliver some every day."

Xu Shi was fairly satisfied with her behavior. It seemed Xia Ke'an's guidance had gotten through to her.

Or perhaps her circumstances were steadily improving, so her resistance toward him was naturally diminishing... Who knew?

Though he could still catch that faint resentment hidden in the girl's eyes, there was no doubt that she was sinking deeper little by little.

"That won't be necessary. How could we trouble you with everything, Chairman Xu?"

Xia Ke'an clasped her hands together. "You've already helped us so much... Wuyou, could you step outside for a moment? There are a few words of thanks I'd like to say to Chairman Xu alone."

"Ah... oh, okay."

Xia Wuyou's reaction was still somewhat slow. Once she came to her senses, she hurriedly agreed.

In truth, she was not very willing to do so. How could she leave her little aunt alone with Xu Shi...? No matter what, she was worried.

But she did not dare disobey Xia Ke'an, so she could only leave the room hesitantly with Su Lin.

Only Xu Shi and Xia Ke'an remained in the ward, making it much easier to talk. "What did Miss Ke'an want to say?"

"I truly didn't expect things to turn out this way."

Xia Ke'an leaned back slightly and sat up straighter. Though she still wore a smile, there was a hint of complaint in her tone. "Making Wuyou a wanted criminal... Was that something you had planned from the start, Chairman Xu?"

Though Xia Wuyou never told her about these things, with her abilities, she could still piece together everything she wanted to know from those evasive fragments.

"What I mean is, choices run through one's entire life."

Xu Shi did not answer her question directly. "Once Team Leader Xia made her choice, she should have known what she would have to pay for it."

"...Yes. That's why I won't stop it, nor do I have the ability to."

Xia Ke'an neither agreed nor disagreed. How could she not understand that principle?

But as an elder, although she had long known such things were unavoidable, when she truly saw her niece appear in the news as a wanted criminal, the white-haired loli still felt rather troubled.

So she still wanted to fight for something. "But if possible, I still hope you can treat her a little better, Chairman Xu... Even just a little."

"Compared to what she once wanted to do to me, I think I've already been very lenient, haven't I?"

Xu Shi grew serious. "At the very least, I'm still willing to give her a chance to prove her worth."

"And an S-rank wanted criminal whose identity cannot be verified is safer than the publicly known 'Xia Wuyou,' isn't she?"

"Perhaps."

Xia Ke'an did not deny it, and she understood the meaning behind Xu Shi's actions.

The more things like this happened, the more securely he would be able to control Xia Wuyou.

And combined with what her niece had told her recently—less work, yet higher pay—it was obvious that he intended to cultivate her into Xu Shi's personal subordinate, like Su Lin, rather than the Team Leader Xia of Serpent Coil's field operations team.

Sigh.

The white-haired loli sighed helplessly, then probed, "Then to you, Chairman Xu... am I considered part of that 'value'?"

"...After saying so much, Miss Ke'an must be thirsty."

Hearing her ask that, Xu Shi merely speared a piece of watermelon and held it to her lips. "Come on, open your mouth. Ah—"

That gesture had already made his attitude clear.

Only children made choices.

"...Don't really treat me like a child."

Xia Ke'an paused, then complained softly. "By age, I'm even a year older than your mother... Mmph!"

Before she could finish, Xu Shi shoved the watermelon into her mouth without giving her any choice.

"Focus on recovering, Miss Ke'an."

Xu Shi stood with a smile. "You should know very well what I want."

She knew, but not completely.

Savoring the sweetness in her mouth, Xia Ke'an silently played with the fork in her hand, her thoughts in turmoil.

Of course she knew Xu Shi had taken an interest in her abilities. Otherwise, there was no reason for him to genuinely go to such lengths to treat her.

But... was it only her abilities?

That was what she could not be certain of. Xu Shi's attitude was impossible for her to read.

Clearly, Miss Xia Ke'an did not understand one principle.

Some things were often bound together. Once you obtained one of them, the other would come along as well.

Gulp...