A job

"Night Owl..."

While Luo Hongyun excitedly hugged his daughter, Xia Xu sank into thought.

He hadn't expected Night Owl's plot to unfold so quickly.

Originally, the period before Luo Hongyun's daughter arrived should have been a lull before the plot began. It should have been the safest time to be around him.

Unfortunately, that safety hadn't lasted even a single day. Xia Xu had only moved here yesterday, and Night Owl's plot had already officially begun.

That left Xia Xu hesitant, unsure whether he should keep living here. Staying meant he might get dragged into Night Owl's plot again.

But if he left... Hunter's plot had already claimed three lives.

"It looks like there's really nothing to agonize over."

He looked at Louise's attribute panel again and read the new plot synopsis he hadn't had time to check. Then he shook his head with a bemused chuckle.

["Night Owl": ...With the arrival of his daughter Louise, Luo Hongyun's entire life underwent a dramatic transformation. He seemed to have found something to live for again.

He abandoned his dispirited, hard-drinking ways and became motivated and proactive. Gradually bringing his temper and aggression under control, he found a steady job. Getting off work and picking his daughter up from school became the moments he most looked forward to each day, and the laughter and joy she brought into his life slowly healed his PTSD.

However, fate seemed unwilling to let this ferocious beast in his prime settle into retirement.

One day, after stepping out briefly for his morning workout, Luo Hongyun returned to find that the door to his rented apartment had been forced open. His daughter, who had been sleeping soundly in bed, was nowhere to be found.

Enraged, he chased out of the residential complex, only to watch helplessly as a black sedan sped away.

At last, the resting beast bared his fangs once more, and all the evil in the city would fall victim to his wrath...]

This was the additional portion of Night Owl's plot revealed through Louise's supporting-character fate.

It was broadly consistent with his guesses. In fact, elite-soldier and superhero movies generally followed this pattern. Their main selling points were action scenes and pursuits like saving the world or fighting evil. The actual storylines were usually simple, straightforward, and very easy to predict.

Judging by this newly revealed portion of the fate synopsis, the danger wasn't particularly great, at least for an outsider like him. The period when Luo Hongyun reunited with his daughter and lived peacefully with her was absolutely safe. After that, he only needed to watch out for the turning point when Louise was kidnapped.

The kidnappers in this plot were targeting Louise, and snatching his daughter from under Luo Hongyun's nose while he exercised nearby would be anything but easy. They certainly wouldn't dare create unnecessary trouble or draw attention, so the chances of Xia Xu being caught up in the danger while living in the neighboring building were slim.

In fact, quite the opposite: this might be the best opportunity to earn Luo Hongyun's favor. If a timely warning could get Luo Hongyun to return and save his daughter, Xia Xu could easily max out the affection of this elite soldier, who was clearly about to become a doting father.

"Come on, come on. Daddy's taking you home."

While Xia Xu pondered, Luo Hongyun finally came to his senses after hugging Louise and grinning foolishly for a while. He composed himself, took his precious daughter's hand, and headed home.

Xia Xu quietly followed him to apartment 201 in the building opposite.

The door opened to reveal a complete mess.

Bowls, plates, liquor bottles, and scraps of paper lay everywhere. Clothes reeking of sweat had been casually tossed onto the washing machine by the bathroom door. Old, battered furniture, some of it with peeling paint, filled the space haphazardly. Both the living room and the bedroom looked terribly cramped.

"It's a little messy."

Luo Hongyun flushed slightly, let go of Louise's hand, and hurriedly began cleaning.

"Uncle Luo, let me sweep up. You should take a shower, and shave while you're at it."

Xia Xu walked over with a smile and pointed at Luo Hongyun's chest.

"Sorry for the trouble."

Luo Hongyun lifted his collar and sniffed it. After an embarrassed word of thanks, he hurried into the bathroom to shower.

He had just finished his morning workout, after all. He was covered in sweat and still smelled of last night's drinking. Louise had certainly put up with a lot while he held her for so long.

Xia Xu tidied the apartment a little, while Luo Hongyun finished his shower as quickly as possible and emerged in clean clothes. He had even shaved off every trace of stubble. He looked like a new man, several years younger.

The more obvious change was that he smiled more. Even an ordinary chat with Louise left him positively beaming.

Honestly, this was the first time Xia Xu had ever seen him smile.

No, that wasn't right. The first time had been when he hugged Louise just now. Before that, though, Xia Xu had never seen a smile on this elite soldier's face. He had always looked expressionless, cold, or grim.

"Uncle Luo, are you planning to keep living like this?"

During a lull after Luo Hongyun and Louise had gotten to know each other, Xia Xu posed the pointed question.

"What?"

Completely immersed in his giddy happiness, Luo Hongyun failed to catch his meaning.

"You're not alone anymore. You have a daughter to raise. Are you really planning to keep living with Louise in a place like this?

"And she needs to go to school. She needs food, clothes, a home, and transportation-good ones, even. They say sons should be raised frugally and daughters generously. You can't let her have less than her classmates and other children her age..."

With his words, Xia Xu dragged Luo Hongyun back to reality just as he was floating toward heaven.

Aside from fighting, Luo Hongyun could be said to have no marketable skills whatsoever. After his PTSD cost him several jobs, he had spent his days drinking, despondent and aimless. Other than a small allowance, he had no source of income.

That small allowance barely kept him fed. Supporting another person would be a struggle, especially a little girl who needed money spent on her at every turn. The cost of food, clothes, and schooling was enough to give any ordinary family a headache.

"..."

Silence.

Dragged back to reality by Xia Xu's words-or, one could say, plunged into hell-Luo Hongyun fell into a long silence.

He reflected on how he had been living lately, then looked around the old, cluttered, cramped apartment.

Did he really want Louise to live like this with him?

Was he really ready to be a father?

Clearly, the answer to both questions was no.

The daughter who had appeared so suddenly had caught him off guard, but he would never willingly let her suffer, turning the dazzling little princess, the little angel who had arrived here, into an ugly duckling.

"So, Uncle Luo, you need a job, right?"

Smiling, Xia Xu finally revealed his true aim and glanced at Luo Hongyun's attribute panel.

[Affection]: 45

In this brief span of time, his affection had already more than doubled.