“Secretary Lu Yi, I was honestly scared to death.”
Bernett elegantly controlled the drone’s mechanical arms as box after box of luggage was moved into the apartment.
Lu Yi knelt on the living room floor, prioritizing the unpacking of daily necessities.
“…Sorry for worrying you.”
“Oh, I really was worried. I thought the department head position I finally managed to climb into was about to disappear.”
Lu Yi instinctively looked up at Bernett.
His mustache twitched upward slightly.
He was obviously joking.
It was already close to nine at night.
Feeling embarrassed, Lu Yi said softly,
“Sorry… even though I’m the president’s secretary now, you’re still the one helping me move.”
“What’s there to apologize for? If something happened to you and I didn’t step in, President Yalan’s entire life would turn into a disaster.”
The moment he finished speaking, Bernett quickly covered his mouth.
“Oops. Don’t let him hear me saying things like that!”
A disaster?
Lu Yi recalled Yalan’s villa.
Clean, organized, orderly.
He looked exactly like the kind of person who lived methodically.
“Okay.”
She nodded obediently before asking,
“It’s getting late. I’m going to make dinner. Would you like something to eat?”
Her small figure darted around the piles of boxes before arriving at the refrigerator.
She took out the ingredients she bought earlier.
“No need. I still have to return and report to President Yalan. Don’t trouble yourself.”
Bernett finished placing the last box before beginning to recall the transport drones.
But over there, Lu Yi had already swiftly assembled a ham sandwich, wrapping it up with the efficiency of a fast-food employee before stuffing it into his hands inside a paper bag.
“It’s not troublesome! It’s already done!”
“…That fast!?”
Shocked by her speed, Bernett shrugged helplessly and accepted it with thanks.
Back at the villa, while giving his report, the small paper bag immediately caught Yalan’s attention.
“Bernett, if I remember correctly, as an amateur gourmet, you never eat fast food.”
Yalan himself held a sandwich in his hand.
“It’s late, so I’ll reluctantly make do. Besides, it’s Miss Lu Yi’s thoughtful gesture…”
The moment Yalan suddenly raised an eyebrow, Bernett felt a vein twitch on his forehead.
“Reluctantly?”
“A thoughtful gesture?”
Yalan repeated his wording before adding:
“Lu Yi made this?”
“…Yeah.”
The boss’s expression still barely changed, but Bernett nevertheless sensed something strange.
Yalan’s gaze practically looked ready to pierce through the paper bag.
“I think the stomach of a professional gourmet is rather precious. Better not eat things like this.”
His cold voice sounded as sarcastic as ever.
Immediately afterward, a reservation notification from a noble private restaurant was sent directly to Bernett’s optical brain.
“The Golden Palm Restaurant is only five minutes away by car. I booked you the best private table. Order whatever you want tonight—I’ll reimburse it.”
As he spoke, Yalan’s eyes landed once again on the paper bag.
“As for this…”
“I’ll leave it to you, President!”
Bernett demonstrated exceptional awareness and immediately placed the bag on the table.
“I’m off to enjoy gourmet cuisine! Goodnight, President Yalan!”
The living room fell silent again.
Yalan’s fingers brushed against his lower lip as he stared at the paper bag for a long while.
Then, unexpectedly, he muttered to himself:
“…What exactly am I doing?”
The Sky Garden apartment suite was enormous.
The decoration was clean and comfortable, complete with fully integrated smart-home systems.
Compared to the old villa, it felt like several centuries apart.
That was simply the state of Planet Weimang…
Technology and poverty intertwined together.
Some struggled desperately to survive.
Others drowned themselves in luxury.
The original owner of Lu Yi’s body had been a commoner orphan.
Most orphans ended up joining gangs, becoming drifters, or dying forgotten in some unknown corner.
But she refused to accept fate.
Not only had she graduated with excellent grades while carrying massive student loans, she had even successfully passed the Paranormal Association’s interview.
Yet ironically, despite having the best academic scores, she had performed the worst socially among her classmates.
The only reason she entered the Association at all was because no other organization accepted commoners.
Lu Yi deeply admired the original owner’s resilience.
Because of that, she herself would never easily give up on hope for the future.
She carefully arranged her clothes by color.
But when she opened the second wardrobe, she discovered a black dress shirt hanging inside.
Clearly male clothing.
She took it down to inspect it.
On the chest pocket was black embroidery:
Alan.
“…Yalan?”
Why was Yalan’s shirt here?
A frightening possibility instantly surfaced in Lu Yi’s mind.
She hurriedly placed the shirt back.
Was this apartment actually Yalan’s?
Then why had he said it was an Association welfare benefit…?
By instinct, Lu Yi always imagined the worst-case scenario first.
She nearly scared herself.
But after another thought, perhaps Yalan simply wanted to avoid misunderstandings.
After all, he hadn’t charged her rent…
And with her current salary, if she had to pay rent, she would no longer be able to save money.
After thoroughly confirming there were no surveillance devices hidden inside the apartment, Lu Yi finally relaxed and continued unpacking.
The next morning, she went to work as usual.
Before leaving, she took a blood bag from the refrigerated cabinet and drank it with immense satisfaction.
Afterward, she carefully brushed her teeth three full times before finally leaving without worry.
An automatically guided hover vehicle was already waiting outside.
This was a route service exclusively provided to Sky Garden residents.
Although the route couldn’t be changed freely, it was more than enough for commuting.
Lu Yi cautiously climbed into the vehicle while listening to the morning news during the ride toward the Paranormal Association.
“Two days ago, an intense armed conflict and massive explosions occurred within gang territory. According to witnesses, members of the Paranormal Association Emergency Squad were seen entering the gang district around 3 PM. Our reporters have already conducted an on-site interview with Association President Yalan. Please watch—”
Lu Yi opened the virtual screen.
On-screen appeared the Association entrance packed tightly with reporters, alongside Yalan stepping out of a vehicle.
“President Yalan, was this operation related to the silver-haired female currently shaking the galaxy?”
“Did you participate in the Emergency Squad’s actions? Were there casualties during the gunfight?”
“Regarding the temporary press conference about to be held by the police department, does the Paranormal Association have any response?”
“Was this operation intended to cover up last month’s Science Center scandal? Gang territory has remained at peace for a long time. Will this sudden raid affect the safety of Planet Weimang?”
Reporters practically shoved microphones into Yalan’s face.
Wearing sunglasses, Yalan ignored every question and walked directly into the Association building, leaving the reporters blocked outside.
His refusal to answer instantly ignited uproar across the StarNet.
Speculation and conspiracy theories flooded the forums.
A new narrative rapidly spread among netizens—
The silver-haired female was a new type of monster created by the Science Center.
“That’s ridiculous…”
As one of the people directly involved, Lu Yi no longer trusted StarNet at all after everything she had experienced.
Their theories were completely off by a hundred thousand miles.
Messages continued flooding her mailbox.
Closing the StarNet forums, Lu Yi began checking her emails one by one.
After marking all work-related mail, she discovered an additional suspicious message.
[Miss Lu Yi! Congratulations on winning a super grand prize worth fifty million credits! Click meow for details—]
Lu Yi immediately blocked and deleted it in one smooth motion.
Nobody was going to scam her money.
When Hermoke woke up and discovered he had been blocked, his entire world shattered.
Staring at the newly appeared signal source within Sky Garden, his already terrible mood worsened further.
“She even moved houses?”
Hermoke narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the address displayed on the screen…