It has to be said, Ning Wei's arrival was perfectly timed.

"It's lunchtime, would you like to have a meal together?"

Smelling the delicious aroma of food behind him, Xu Shi politely extended an invitation.

"I won't eat. Would it be convenient for Chairman Xu to talk privately?"

Ning Wei shook his head, clearly not in the mood.

"……Oh well."

Xu Shi hesitated for a moment, then led him to his study—or rather, his father's study. Boss Xu himself didn't have such a leisurely and refined habit.

Anyway, there's still a while before dinner, so if I don't eat, I don't eat. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever seen Ning Wei eat since I met him. He probably really doesn't need to eat.

"Why are you in such a hurry? Is something important?"

Looking at the other person's expression, he couldn't help but feel a little curious.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to ask... what's the deal with the person the master brought back?"

Ning Wei frowned and subconsciously lowered his voice to ask.

Oh, so that's why.

Xu Shi was a little confused. Had the old man not explained this to him?

Grandpa Wen returned early, at least a month and a half ago, and brought Cheng Gujian with him. He thought these matters had been resolved long ago.

"...As you know, Mr. Xu, if the master doesn't want to talk about something, no one can get it out of him no matter what they try."

Ning Wei also looked distressed and shook his head helplessly. "Originally, I didn't think anything of it, but these past few days, as that guy surnamed Cheng's injuries have slowly healed, I have a vague feeling that he is in some danger."

“He never says a word every day, but he's always trying to find out what's going on in Night City. I just don't think he's a good person…”

His tone was tinged with worry, "The master said I shouldn't get involved, but how could I really not? That's why I thought I'd come and ask you..."

Seeing his constipated look, Xu Shihao almost burst out laughing.

To be honest, Ning Wei must be the most miserable leader among the four major conglomerates.

Yes, that's right. Wen Shengkui, the one in power, retired several years ago. Apart from showing his face for some necessary matters, Ning Wei basically handles everything else.

Nominally, he was still a secretary, just like Su Lin, but in reality, everyone knew that he was no different from the chairman of "Feather Pen"—because Xu Shiyuan was originally a hopeless case, and the old man had to find a reliable person to cultivate.

Ning Wei himself was very loyal and had no intention of rebelling against him in the face of his absolute strength.

But despite delegating authority, Wen Shengkui's eccentric temperament was well-known, often leaving him feeling helpless—like with Cheng Gujian, who felt there was a problem but couldn't ask questions and ultimately had to come to Xu Shi.

"Asking me questions is very expensive, Brother Ning."

Xu Shi suppressed a laugh and kept everyone in suspense, "How about this, you agree to one condition, and I'll tell you."

"...As long as it's not too outrageous, it's fine."

Ning Wei didn't hesitate and agreed after thinking about it.

"So readily agreed?"

Xu Shi was a little disappointed. Dealing with serious people is so boring. He had planned how to keep the other person in suspense, but now it was all useless. Tch.

But he was also a man of his word, so I explained the whole story to him in detail.

"...So he really is SS-rank?"

Ning Wei was greatly shocked. He had only guessed, but he didn't expect it to be true. He also didn't expect that this was the former Grand Duke of the Hualan Empire. No wonder he always had an imposing aura.

The ingrained superior attitude is not so easy to shake off.

But thinking about it carefully, it makes sense. If the other party didn't have something special about him, the master might not have valued him so much... Although this person doesn't seem to appreciate it much. He's been here for so long, and he hasn't softened his attitude at all, nor has he said more than a few words to me.

As for other matters, Xu Shi doesn't need to say anything; he can understand all the details on his own.

Xu Shi shrugged. Is an SS-rank really worth all this fuss? Haven't you seen that I have another one here... or rather, half one?

The old pope can only be considered half a pope, because only Xu Ying could control him.

He had really gone to great lengths to deal with this—when she was still a saintess, she could control the old pope as if he were a real person, but now she struggles to even take care of herself, let alone be like before. He would have to guide her slowly from now on.

Therefore, the old Pope's body, or rather, his puppet body, was temporarily put aside. Although the Holy Maiden must have taken precautions herself, Xu Shi still soaked it in formalin just to be on the safe side.

Otherwise, we might end up with a situation where "the old Pope's body has already rotted."

And we also need to figure out how to get Xu Ying to keep him by her side in a reasonable way. We can't just carry a corpse around like a doll, can we?

How about making a small backpack? Like Tanjiro and Nezuko? It sounds kind of cute.

Or could we just modify it and make it semi-mechanical? Then we wouldn't have to worry about it rotting and smelling bad...

While he was brainstorming, Ning Wei had other concerns.

"So... Master used his abilities when he went to sea, is that right?"

He gritted his teeth, "Why didn't any of you tell me about this? The master's health isn't good enough right now..."

"My suggestion is, Brother Ning, you should try not to adopt such a humble attitude in the future, okay?"

Xu Shi was both amused and exasperated. "Always acting like a superior and subordinate, and still trying to control Grandpa in every way, no wonder he's unwilling to tell you."

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