Boss-no, ultimate boss! I don't want to work hard anymore!

Yog smiled at Cheng Yu, who looked ready to drop to his knees before him.

"You don't need to be so scared. I'm not going to do anything to you. On the contrary, I'm offering you an incredible opportunity. Well? Want it?"

Cheng Yu looked at the smiling man before him, inwardly ranting.

Holy shit, a favor from an evil god? Who the fuck would dare accept that?

Yes, he had completely forgotten that the being before him had just heard him calling for his system in his mind.

Relax. It's not what you're imagining. You won't turn into a mass of flesh, and you won't go insane. Put it this way: I need an agent-or an apostle, perhaps? Does that make it easier to understand?

Cheng Yu stared at the man in disbelief. He had plenty of questions, but he asked the one he wanted answered most.

"Why? Why would you choose me?"

The man before him merely shrugged.

"No particular reason. It doesn't matter who it is. If someone else were here, it would be them. In timelines not so distant, countless people appeared, and all became my agents. Of course, you were among them. You were no exception."

Cheng Yu swallowed. Only then did he remember that this being's many titles included Ruler of Space and Time and the All-Knowing, All-Seeing One. Besides, only a madman would try to fathom an evil god's thinking with human logic. Anyway! His life was safe, and he seemed to have found himself a towering patron to cling to.

In a flash, Cheng Yu lunged forward and hugged Yog's lower leg.

"Big Shot—no, ultimate Big Shot! I don't want to work hard anymore! Don't worry, if you tell me to go east, I'll never go west! If you tell me to fart, I'll never shit! If you tell me—"

"Shut up." Those two softly spoken words instantly cut off Cheng Yu's torrent of flattery.

Cheng Yu stood up sheepishly. He, too, felt as though his brain had just short-circuited. Had the Big Shot's presence affected him and made him a little unhinged?

No. It's because that tightly stretched string inside you snapped. Over the past year, Lin Mo has relentlessly targeted you. You survived every time, but it was like walking a tightrope. Once you were certain I'd chosen you as my agent, you felt you had an enormously powerful backer, and that let your true nature out a little.

"Uh, thanks for explaining, Big Shot."

Cheng Yu readily accepted Yog's explanation without a shred of doubt. After all, if this being truly wanted to do something to him, he wouldn't need to explain anything.

He still had questions, but his brain finally came back online. He immediately started thinking about other things to distract himself. He didn't know whether it would work, but having someone know his every thought at every moment was genuinely uncomfortable.

Sure enough, when he looked up, Yog was watching him with an enigmatic smile. Cheng Yu was about to say something when Yog started toward the banquet hall.

"Come on. Save your questions for later. First, come watch the show inside with me. Oh, and I'll give you a mission while I'm at it."

The moment he finished speaking, the system was restored, and the familiar screen appeared.

Mission: Make Lin Mo thoroughly embarrass himself.

Reward: The Big Shot's appreciation.

Failure penalty: The Big Shot's contempt.

Cheng Yu's face fell at the system's abrupt change in style. Appreciation? Well, the Big Shot's appreciation could sometimes be enormously useful, though he had no idea whether it would help here.

When Cheng Yu returned to the banquet hall, drinks and conversation were flowing freely. It made sense. These influential figures always used one gathering or another to build connections, cultivate relationships, and discuss a little business along the way.

Cheng Yu glanced at Yog out of the corner of his eye. Sure enough, everyone seemed unable to see the Big Shot. That was fine, too. It saved him having to introduce the Big Shot, especially since he had no idea how to explain who he was. He checked the time. The gift presentation was about to begin.

I hope that idiot Lin Mo is still as stupid as ever. Otherwise, this humiliation mission will be hard to pull off.

For a young woman's birthday, gifts generally came down to jewelry, works of art, luxury goods, and the like.

When the emcee read out Lin Mo's gift, Cheng Yu knew this mission was in the bag!

The emcee stood onstage and announced,

"The gift from Mr. Lin Mo of the Lin Group is... uh... a jewelry box handcrafted by Mr. Lin Mo. Its value is... its value... its value, uh... none."

Cheng Yu sneered. "Heh, that idiot. He's acting up at a moment like this again. But that's good. If you didn't act up, how would I complete my mission so easily?"

The hall fell silent. Everyone was stunned. They had heard that President Lin's way of doing things was a little, well, unconventional. Seeing him today, they could certainly tell he was no ordinary man.

Of course, the lovestruck were always blind. Li Xuehong was a perfect example.

"Wow! Mo, did you make this yourself? Thank you! I love it."

Li Xuehong hovered around Lin Mo, speaking with pure delight.

Lin Mo smiled as well.

"Really? I'm glad you like it. It's a token of my feelings."

Then he turned to Cheng Yu.

"The emcee has finished reading the gift list, hasn't he? Why didn't we hear your name, Mr. Cheng? I wonder what gift you've prepared for Miss Li?"

Cheng Yu was ready. He walked slowly toward Li Xuehong, took out an exquisite jewelry box, and gently opened it once he stood before her.

"Of course. How could I possibly forget a gift for our princess? Xuehong, I hope you like this pendant."

Inside the open jewelry box lay a dazzling green gemstone, framed by decorative patterns sculpted in platinum. It was mysterious and beautiful.

There were knowledgeable guests among those present. One middle-aged man in the jewelry business asked Cheng Yu with some uncertainty,

"Could that gemstone you're holding be the Tear of the Green Forest, President Cheng? But isn't the Tear of the Green Forest in Old Wang's possession?"

Cheng Yu smiled and replied, "That's right. You have a good eye, President Qi. This is indeed the Tear of the Green Forest. I'm on fairly friendly terms with Old Wang. When he heard I was struggling to choose a birthday gift for Miss Xuehong, he gave it to me."

President Qi smiled too. "Hahaha, you flatter me. You're the impressive one, President Cheng. Old Wang is a renowned collector in our circles. Having a connection with him really makes me envious."

Everyone was happy to join in the flattery, and the other guests began praising Cheng Yu as well. After all, his connection with Old Wang alone was enough to help them choose sides between Cheng Yu and Lin Mo. Of course, they couldn't make it too obvious, since they couldn't afford to antagonize Lin Mo either. Still, they could certainly show Cheng Yu some goodwill.

After all, this was Old Wang. Who in Jiangcheng's business and political circles didn't know him? He had come from Capital City, and his children were all major figures in its business and political circles. Establishing a connection with him could bring benefits worth a generation of effort.

Li Xuehong didn't understand jewelry, but the gemstone's quality and the guests' reactions told her that this gift was extremely valuable.

Besides, Cheng Yu treated her very well. Although she didn't like him romantically, she didn't dislike him either. This birthday gift showed that he had genuinely put thought into it.

So she replied sweetly, "Thank you, Cheng Yu."

Cheng Yu smiled too. "No need to thank me. It's only right. Our little princess's coming-of-age celebration deserves to be taken seriously. If I brought out something too cheap, wouldn't that make you a laughingstock?"

As he finished, he gave Lin Mo a meaningful glance.

Li Xuehong caught his implication as well. As mentioned, there was no reasoning with the lovestruck. She immediately covered for Lin Mo.

"I love Mo's gift most of all. I can feel the thought he put into it. No amount of money can buy that."

Lin Mo smiled, the corners of his mouth twitching. "Really? I'm glad."

The guests said much the same to Lin Mo. It was the thought that mattered most, and the fact that President Lin had made it himself already gave it considerable value.

Looking at the system screen before him, Lin Mo kept smiling, but he wanted to grind his teeth to pieces. Fuck, he'd let his guard down.

Mission: Outshine Cheng Yu at the birthday banquet.

Mission reward: One randomly selected low-, mid-, or high-level skill, depending on completion rating. (X)

Failure penalty: One randomly selected skill will be revoked. (Master Artisan revoked.)

Exactly. How could a grown man be that stupid? Everything Lin Mo did was intended to create a dramatic contrast and earn the highest possible system reward.

When it came to gifts, there was nothing surprising about an expensive gift beating another expensive gift. Only beating an expensive gift with a cheap one would increase the difficulty.

Besides, this time he had made the jewelry box using Master Artisan, a skill he had drawn! But not a single fucking person present belonged to the art world. He might as well have been performing a striptease for the blind. All that effort had been wasted.

For some reason, though, he had failed many missions involving Cheng Yu. The more ruthlessly he went after him, the faster Cheng Yu rose. That had made him suspect Cheng Yu was heaven's chosen one, and wonder whether he'd been too aggressive toward him. It looked like he needed to change his strategy. From now on, he would prioritize playing it safe.

This outcome wasn't too bad. He'd only taken a small loss. After all, for a business owner, a skill like Master Artisan wasn't that important.

Li Ming came over to Cheng Yu and whispered,

"You put a lot of thought into this, Cheng Yu. I think very highly of you. That girl Xuehong doesn't know any better. Don't worry. You have my support."

Cheng Yu smiled wryly. "Uncle Li, it's really not what you think. I genuinely don't feel that way about Xuehong. I only see her as a little sister."

"I understand, I understand. Young people are shy and bashful. Don't worry. I'm no old stick-in-the-mud."

At that, Cheng Yu could only give another wry smile. Then he looked at his system screen.

Mission: Make Lin Mo thoroughly embarrass himself.

Reward: The Big Shot's appreciation. (√)

Failure penalty: The Big Shot's contempt.