Chapter 20

[Lu Xiangcai] President Yan has woken up. Who told you this news?

Xie Xubai glanced at the notification messages popping up frantically at the top of his phone screen, which kept ringing incessantly.

It seems that the news of "President Yan waking up" has had a significant impact within the company, plunging countless colleagues into a state of excited celebration.

Lu Xiangcai seemed to have noticed the activity in the company group chat as well, and before Xie Xubai could reply, he said: 【I saw it, it's quite lively, hehe.】

Xie Xubai looked at the word "hehe" and wasn't sure if the other person knew that it had a sarcastic or mocking meaning in internet slang.

If it was truly a sneer, then things get a bit complicated, since Lü Xiangcai is a high-ranking executive in disguise who knows a lot about the company's inner workings.

[Lu Xiangcai] Why did you ask me about President Yan's situation? You wouldn't happen to be a fan of that guy and want to get his autograph, would you?

Xie Xubai's eyelashes drooped slightly.

[Xie Xubai] No, it's just that the boss will probably inspect the company when he wakes up. Is it not appropriate for an intern like me to stay at home and slack off?

[Lu Xiangcai] Don't worry, don't worry, your situation is special, President Yan will definitely understand. However, knowing his personality, he'll definitely need to clean up the company's unhealthy practices. He'll notify all employees to attend, and then you can come back to work. It might be as early as a day or two?

No matter how much the company reforms its current 086 work schedule, things won't get any worse. (P.S.: Overtime until midnight, occasional all-nighters, clocking in at 8 AM, 6 days a week.)

The premise is that the boss is an ordinary human being, and he uses normal organizational methods.

Xie Xubai instinctively felt it was unlikely, frowned, and thought, perhaps...

"Woof?" The little dog in front of Xie Xubai tilted its head in confusion when it saw Xie Xubai suddenly looking over.

When they are not acting with any malice, their eyes seem to glow, full of trust and innocence, round and bright.

Surrounded by the fluffy fur and a sense of happiness, the human couldn't help but feel a little smug, and subconsciously smiled and said, "Good boy."

Next, he tapped the calculator on his phone and roughly calculated the monthly expenses for feeding these little guys.

Then, Xie Xubai could no longer laugh.

As if a bucket of cold water had been poured over his head, he stared at the "astronomical figures" on the calculator and fell into a deathly silence.

It's not surprising, really. Most families struggle to keep two or three pets, but Xie Xubai has to keep dozens.

Although monsters don't get sick and don't need litter boxes, they still need to eat fresh meat and blood to supplement their nutrition. Ancient books record that beef, mutton, and pork are the best, followed by chicken, duck, and fish, which is quite an expense.

In addition, Ping An is a refined Ghost King, and ordinary food cannot satisfy its hunger. Xie Xubai alone is not enough to feed it, so we must buy more blood bags for backup.

—I wonder if it's even possible to buy blood through legitimate channels these days; it probably wouldn't be cheap. This has made things even worse for our already impoverished family.

"Meow?" "Woof?"

The kitten and puppy knew nothing, but seeing the young man who was smiling normally suddenly become expressionless and look depressed, they immediately clung to him with some concern.

Dozens of them rubbed against him together, making sweet, squeaky noises as they did so, trying to make their human happy.

"Meow~" "Woo woo woo—"

Has someone been bullying you? Tell us and we'll help you deal with them!

"..."

Xie Xubai looked at the "astronomical figure," then at the cats and dogs, and his unfocused gaze suddenly hardened.

[Xie Xubai] May I ask, does CEO Yan have a habit or hobby of cannibalism? Will the promotion rules change after the company reorganization? How long does it take for interns to receive their confirmation of becoming full-time employees?

Seeing this barrage of questions, the person on the other end remained silent for a few seconds before quietly uttering a sentence.

[Lu Xiangcai] You suddenly disappeared and didn't reply to messages. Are you thinking about quitting? If Boss Yan eats people, you'll run away?

Xie Xu, his thoughts exposed, remained calm and composed, replying: "How could that be?"

The whole company is a den of monsters, so you should never rush to leave. You should at least understand the boss's character first.

If it's a vengeful monster who can't tolerate even the slightest injustice, then he'll wait patiently and find an opportunity to run away without getting burned.

Lu Xiangcai probably didn't believe it, but didn't investigate further: "Don't worry, that guy thinks people's bodies are full of viruses; he'd rather starve than eat a single bite."

Before Xie Xubai could even breathe a sigh of relief, the other party added another sentence.

But never assume he's gentle and harmless. Like a company group chat, don't be fooled by the current merriment; when the reckoning comes, who knows how many people will be left?

Xie Xubai's breath hitched.

As he read this straightforward text, images of his colleagues, some familiar and some unfamiliar, flashed through his mind.

An indescribable sense of fear, like a venomous snake, slowly crept up Xie Xubai's spine and up his neck, sending chills down his spine.

—If I remember correctly, that was a group of three thousand people.

On the other side, at the top floor of the Shengtian Group building.

Lu Xiangcai stared intently at the top of the chat box without blinking.

The words "[Typing in progress]" kept flashing, revealing Xie Xubai's extremely conflicted feelings.

About two minutes later, the text disappeared completely, and there was no more fluctuation.

The smile in Lü Xiangcai's eyes vanished completely. He frowned and clicked his tongue.

Oh no, did I scare him? What if he actually resigns?

Just then, a deep and magnetic voice came from the side, its tone neither warm nor cold: "I just woke up and don't know much about things. I want to confirm first that Secretary Lü of Shengtian has not yet defected to the rival company?"

The moment the last word was uttered, the room temperature plummeted by tens of degrees, and in the blink of an eye, the windowpane was covered with fine, white frost, resembling an ice cave.

Lu Xiangcai looked in the direction of the voice and met the man's cold, scarlet eyes. He quickly smiled and bowed, saying, "How could that be? I will always be loyal to you."

As he spoke, his right hand rested on his heart, emphasizing the word "loyalty".

Then, changing the subject, he said, "It wasn't that I meant to ignore you. We have a new and interesting intern at the company. He's very capable and hardworking, and I couldn't help but chat with him for a while."

If it were a normal boss, hearing his secretary ignoring him while chatting happily with an insignificant intern, he would probably fly into a rage on the spot.

But the man only glanced at him before turning his gaze back to the company's financial report in his hand.

With one hand supporting his chin, his eyes and brows languid, he exuded a sharp, unsheathed aura, making him hard to ignore simply by sitting there.

Lu Xiangcai knew that Yan Shuo didn't care whether the person he was chatting with was an intern, a department head, or even someone from the board of directors with higher power.

Because in their eyes, those people are all living beings, nothing more.

Yan Shuo didn't care if he would slack off. As long as he was serious and efficient at work, responded promptly when called upon, and showed absolute loyalty, he could tolerate all his little tricks. He was well-paid with generous benefits, holidays, and an eight-figure annual salary.

It sounds like they're getting great treatment and are easy to please...

Before Lü Xiangcai's smile could even fade, he heard a rustling sound.

A large, dense shadow spread outwards from the center of his feet, surging like the undulating sea, making a cold, slippery sound.

The shadow quickly moved from under Lü Xiangcai's feet to beside Yan Shuo, and with a loud bang, it rose up from the ground, finally revealing its true form.

It was an incredibly thick tentacle! Judging from its shape, only a tiny tip was visible, yet it was already so tall it reached up to the four-meter-high ceiling. It was entirely black, its interior covered with enormous, menacing suckers.

The tentacles were extremely agitated, twisting their massive bodies repeatedly at the expressionless Yan Shuo, their hard suction cups scraping off a layer of grayish-white skin from the ceiling.

Seemingly annoyed by the tentacle, Yan Shuo finally spoke: "You said you wanted that intern, but not only was Secretary Lü unwilling to give it to you, she also stepped on your feet a few times?"

Lu Xiangcai's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't try to refute or defend himself, and remained silent.

The next second, Yan Shuo lifted his eyelids and said coldly, "As my body, you can't even beat a mere Secretary Lü, yet you dare to complain?"

He stretched out his hand as he spoke, his fingertips pointing lightly into the air.

The tentacle froze in place for a moment, countless fine cracks splitting open from the middle, before bursting open like a punctured balloon.

Bang!

The pitch-black blood, like blooming flower stamens, splattered all over the ground. The shattered remains of the tentacled body writhed wildly in mid-air, crashing into the walls and the floor, as if one could hear a silent but painful roar.

Finally, the half-crippled tentacle retracted into the ground, and the huge bedroom returned to silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Lu Xiangcai silently wiped his face, then opened his palm, which was covered in splattered black blood and bits of flesh from his tentacles.

Yan Shuo closed the company's financial report.

He had read through all the contents and roughly understood what the company's situation was like during his hiatus.

He rubbed his temples: "Same as last time, employees from floors 5 to 31, those on floors 13, 16, and 17 stay, the rest are all killed. As for those below floor 5..."

Ding-dong.

Just then, Lu Xiangcai's phone suddenly beeped with a message notification. He took it out from his leg, swiped the screen with his finger, and looked over.

[Xie Xubai] If I want to know the inside story of the company, how much are you willing to tell me?

"Secretary Lü."

Lu Xiangcai looked up and saw Yan Shuo's scarlet eyes slightly downcast, his gaze fixed on his phone screen, revealing no emotion.

"Judging from what you just said, is there an extra intern this time around?"

Author's Note:

Apologies for the late update. 20 small red envelopes will be given away in this chapter as compensation.