A few days prior, an inexplicable sum of ninety billion, nine hundred and thirty million had appeared in her account. At the time, she had been consumed with discussing the space station progress with E'si and hadn't paid it any mind. Only after wrapping up that demanding period did she finally have the time to check.
The result was rather surprising: the transfer came from Tang Wen.
Completely bewildered, she bypassed the usual channels and initiated a direct call.
Tang Wen’s smile was gentle. “That’s the profit from kidnapping Bobo.”
Ziye paused, then belatedly recalled the incident. “…Weren't we supposed to extort ten million, and you’d return three million to me? How did it become this much?”
Tang Wen chuckled lightly. “The rest came later.”
The Tang Clan’s secure takeover of the Fei Hua and Fei Pu galaxies was virtually guaranteed. It was all thanks to her initial plan to abduct Bobo that those two galaxies had switched allegiances so smoothly. One hundred billion was used to pay the Teuton Mercenary Group seven million as retribution for the kidnapping of Bobo, leaving over ninety billion remaining. He wasn't lacking funds, and since Ziye was momentarily short of cash, he decided to just send it over as pocket money. Regardless, this amount was a mere drop in the ocean compared to the capital required to seize control of the Fei Hua and Fei Pu systems—it was negligible.
An inexplicable wave of guilt washed over Ziye. If Bobo ever learned she made over ninety billion off him, would he go mad?
After much deliberation, she couldn't decide what to do with the money. She ended up allocating half to Ling Yin for her operational expenses and donating the other half to the Wolf’s Den Legion to establish a university.
After seeing the money distributed, she sighed inwardly. It truly wasn't the income from honest labor, and she felt a slight unease.
The Legion accepted the money without question, assuming she had a surplus. Had they known she was acting out of discomfort, they would likely have burst out laughing. How much of the Wolf's Den's wealth was actually earned through legitimate channels? Probably less than a fifth.
Just as Ziye finished arranging the funds, she washed her face and lay down on the temporary rest cot when An Junlie arrived at the office door.
An Junlie intended to surprise Ziye, so he hadn't called ahead. He simply carried a massive bouquet of roses and rang the doorbell upon reaching the office.
The G-series receptionist girl rushed out to meet him, greeted by the enormous sheaf of purple roses.
The G-series girl was originally trained to be a flower girl for a certain pervert, so she had a special protocol regarding roses. Seeing the roses activated her protocol, and she happily moved to receive them. “So beautiful! Thank you for bringing me flowers.”
An Junlie’s eye twitched. “They aren’t for you. They’re for Ziye.”
The G-series girl glared. “If you’re not giving them to me, you’re not coming in!”
An Junlie: “…”
He considered for a moment, then plucked a single rose from the bouquet and offered it to the girl. “Could you please open the door? I’m looking for Ziye.”
Hale, who had been resting with his eyes closed on the sofa, opened them upon hearing the voices. “Who’s here?”
The G-series girl turned around. “It’s An Junlie, Commander of the Angel Legion.”
Hale’s body instantly went rigid. He stood and walked to the door, confirming the face matched Red Hair’s description exactly.
He still remembered Red Hair’s parting words after describing An Junlie’s appearance: An Junlie is not the right match for Ziye.
To Hale’s ears, this translated to one thing: An Junlie was not a good man.
If he wasn't a good man, why would he try to get close to Ziye? No way!
Hale narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “You can enter, but first, you have to defeat me!”
An Junlie had never been blocked at a door before, especially not by Ziye’s security. He didn't care about the G-series girl’s antics—she was just a robot, no need to argue with her—but this strange man was intriguing. This person appeared at Ziye’s office and, upon learning he was An Junlie, still barred his entry? Could this be a rival for her affection?
An Junlie immediately sensed pressure but kept his outward composure. “Let me get inside and give the flowers to Ziye, then we can fight.”
Hale glared at him. “Can’t you understand human speech? Defeat me before you enter!”
Hearing the aggressive tone, An Junlie became even more convinced this was a rival. He decisively handed the bouquet to the G-series girl. “Hold these for me first.” With that, he unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, rolled up his sleeves, and prepared for a brawl.
Hale snorted heavily through his nose and threw a punch straight at An Junlie’s face.
Seeing that Hale was serious, An Junlie countered without hesitation.
The two began fighting right at the office threshold.
An Junlie had been extremely busy lately, making his movements slightly rusty. However, with ten years on Hale, his fighting experience and fundamental skills were far more solid.
After ten moves, Hale was clearly at a disadvantage, barely hanging on with sheer brute force.
An Junlie didn't press him hard. At the opportune moment, he kicked the tendon behind Hale’s knee, causing Hale to collapse instantly. However, An Junlie held back; he didn't injure him or follow up with another strike, merely stating, “That’s enough for today. We can fight again when we have time. Where is Ziye?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Hale scrambled back up and blocked his path again.
An Junlie was intent on seeing Ziye. Seeing Hale’s persistent obstruction, he finally grew annoyed. “Who exactly are you? What is your purpose here?”
Hale stood his ground righteously. “I am Ziye’s assistant. Who are you?”
An Junlie’s face darkened. “I am her boyfriend.”
Hale held his hand up to block the door. “I’m sorry, Ziye never mentioned having a boyfriend. Also,” he paused, “you do not have an appointment.”
An Junlie didn't bother arguing further. He pulled out his comm device and dialed Ziye’s number.
The moment the light screen activated, Hale slammed his fist into it, sending the device flying. “Ziye is taking her nap. Do not disturb her!”
Even a clay figurine has a temper, let alone An Junlie.
When anger flared within him, his entire aura pressed down like a drawn sword—one that had tasted countless foes’ blood. Without a single gesture or glance, it compelled others to tremble.
Even though Hale had witnessed Red Hair’s killing intent, he couldn’t help but flinch in shock.
An Junlie looked terrifyingly fierce!
But how could he let himself be scared away simply because his killing intent was so heavy? Hale believed the most crucial qualities in a man were courage and dignity. No matter the situation, one must not show fear. Therefore, despite his apprehension, he showed no trace of cowardice, meeting An Junlie’s gaze head-on, though he kept his hands tucked into his pockets—until his fingers finally steadied and stopped shaking.
The argument unfolded right at the office entrance, attracting a crowd of passersby eager for a show. Soon, E’si arrived upon hearing the commotion and frantically dialed Ziye’s silver comm line.
Hale was just preparing to throw himself into a full-blown fight with An Junlie when a voice rang out from the office doorway. “What are you two doing?”
Hale instinctively shouted back, “Fighting!”
“Are you too idle? If you’ve got the energy, run three laps around the space station!”
Hale opened his mouth to retort when the voice suddenly sounded familiar. He whipped his head around to see Ziye standing at the office threshold, her face dark with displeasure, staring at them.
-RS