By the time the morning sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains and spilled into the dining room, the clock had already reached 9:30 a.m.
Wang Xiaodong leisurely sliced his bacon. Beside him lay a freshly opened document envelope.
After returning from the orphanage last night, he discovered that Zheng Yiyun had somehow returned to the villa.
That seductive woman had teased him until his face burned red, forcing him to spend half an hour under a cold shower before he finally calmed down.
She had wanted to give Wang Xiaodong something, but unfortunately, her period had arrived.
Even so, she insisted on inspecting his “granary” to see how much he had in reserve.
She made him choose between biting and wrestling.
The result was that Wang Xiaodong had overslept this morning. He had even deliberately waited until she left before daring to come downstairs.
Several photographs slid out of the document envelope. In the top photograph, Lin Chen stood beneath a bridge, clutching a business card so tightly that he looked like a starving dog that had just spotted a meaty bone.
It was completely different from his usual aloof and righteous facade.
“Lin Chen saved Zhou Mingyuan’s father?” Wang Xiaodong lightly tapped the photograph with his fork, a trace of mockery flashing through his eyes.
The report detailed what had happened at 5:17 that morning. Beneath a bridge in the southern part of the city, Lin Chen had used an ancient acupoint technique to save Zhou Mingyuan’s father after the elderly man suffered a sudden heart attack. The Mayor of Yangzhou had given Lin Chen his business card on the spot and promised to reward him generously.
“Heh, the Protagonist Halo.” Wang Xiaodong took a sip of black coffee. Lin Chen could casually save some old man and somehow run into the mayor’s father.
His assistant added at the appropriate moment, “Mayor Zhou is currently promoting the medical industrial park in the eastern part of the city. He urgently needs an authoritative medical expert to endorse the project.”
Wang Xiaodong turned to the final page.
The photograph captured the exact moment Lin Chen turned around, his fingers repeatedly rubbing the inner pocket against his chest.
The greedy smile curling across his lips completely shattered his hypocritical facade.
Wang Xiaodong put down the report and lightly tapped the three characters forming the name “Zhou Mingyuan.”
“Connect me to the Royal Capital.” He picked up an encrypted phone, his voice as calm as if he were discussing the weather. “It’s time for Zhou Mingyuan to be moved.”
The other end of the call remained silent for several seconds before a voice asked, “Reason?”
“There are several stages in the approval process for the medical industrial park where conflicts of interest need to be avoided.” Wang Xiaodong’s lips curled slightly. “Have the supervisory authorities investigate. They’ll always find something.”
After ending the call, Wang Xiaodong leisurely wiped the coffee stain from the corner of his mouth.
Power was meant to be used. If he did not use it, what was the point of having it?
Who would bother fighting the protagonist fairly?
He was not some villain from a hot-blooded action comic. Did he really have to fight the protagonist one-on-one?
Some time later, Wang Xiaodong was bored out of his mind playing a tile-based game while listening to his teammates repeatedly shout, “Healer! Healer! Healer!”
CS veterans would never do that. They would only say, “Godfather, drop me a rifle.”
When someone knocked on the office door, Wang Xiaodong did not even raise his head. “Come in.”
The footsteps were light, carrying an unusual hint of excitement.
Wang Xiaodong frowned and looked up.
A girl stood in the doorway. She looked no older than sixteen or seventeen and wore her hair in twin ponytails.
A pink backpack dangled from one hand. No matter how Wang Xiaodong looked at her, she resembled a high school student who had secretly run away from home.
The girl snapped to attention. Her posture was surprisingly proper and precise, but her voice was as crisp and bright as a wind chime. “I’m your personal bodyguard, codename Tuzi. Reporting to Master!”
The system had already rationalized everything.
Wang Xiaodong had simply never expected the bodyguard to be such a petite little girl.
‘Do I look like someone who’s into little girls?’
Just as he was about to speak, Tuzi suddenly moved.
Her figure blurred, sweeping past the office desk like a shadow. In the next instant, she was already standing behind him.
Between her fingers was a tiny strand of hair she had plucked from his shoulder. She waved it with a cheerful smile. “My reactions are pretty good, right? A mosquito was trying to bite you just now.”
Only then did Wang Xiaodong notice a faint pink scar on the forearm barely visible beneath the cuff of her hoodie.
It was not the kind of scar an ordinary child would have.
“Tuzi?” Wang Xiaodong stared into her unusually bright eyes. “Where’s your weapon?”
Tuzi pointed toward her pink backpack and unzipped it.
Inside lay a modified miniature crossbow, its arrowheads gleaming with a dark blue light.
“And there’s this.” She pulled a lollipop from her pocket, unwrapped it, and stuffed it into her mouth. Speaking around the candy, she said, “I eat these when I fight. Gives me more energy.”
Wang Xiaodong leaned back in his chair and studied the petite girl before him. She was sucking on a lollipop, yet a cold glint lurked deep within her eyes.
Suddenly, he felt that the bodyguard sent by the system was actually pretty good.
“All right.” Wang Xiaodong stood up. “Starting today, you’re coming with me whenever I go out on business.”
Tuzi nodded vigorously, her twin ponytails bouncing happily. Her military boots struck the floor with a crisp sound. “Understood! Mission guaranteed to be completed! By the way, Master, can I get an extra chicken leg for lunch? I’m still growing.”
The corner of Wang Xiaodong’s mouth twitched. “No problem. You can have two!”
“Yay!”
Tuzi jumped 3 meters into the air in excitement.
Wang Xiaodong suddenly wondered whether he should find someone else to drive.
Were this little girl’s legs even long enough?
Three days later, Yangzhou’s political circles were shaken.
Due to a “work reassignment,” Zhou Mingyuan was transferred to an idle position in a neighboring province. Although his official rank remained unchanged, he was completely stripped of any real authority.
The transfer order came so suddenly that even Zhou Mingyuan himself had been caught completely off guard, much less Lin Chen, who was still waiting to latch onto him.
When the Shadow Guard delivered the news, Lin Chen was still in his rented apartment ironing a newly purchased shirt as he waited for Zhou Mingyuan’s “generous reward.”
The instant he learned that Zhou Mingyuan had been transferred away, the iron slipped from his hand and crashed onto the table, scorching a black mark into the surface.
[Detected that Lin Chen has lost external support. Destiny -50.]
Meanwhile, when Wang Xiaodong received the system notification, he was sitting in his office reading the latest personnel appointment documents. This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
His assistant stood nearby and reported, “Mayor Zhou’s successor is Deputy Mayor Zhang, whom we’ve dealt with before. He has always been very enthusiastic about Wang Group’s cooperative projects.”
“Mm.”
Wang Xiaodong pushed the document aside.
Power was an interesting thing. When used properly, it could turn every so-called “opportunity” into nothing more than an illusion.
Lin Chen wanted to climb using a ladder?
Then Wang Xiaodong would simply tear the ladder apart and see how he intended to climb.
That evening, Wang Xiaodong had barely stepped through the front door when he heard Zheng Yiyun laughing in the living room.
Tuzi followed behind Wang Xiaodong while happily eating strawberries from a plate. Her twin ponytails bounced from side to side whenever she spoke.
“Oh? So this is CEO Wang’s new little ‘tail’?” Zheng Yiyun walked over carrying a cup of coffee.
Her gaze swept over Tuzi before finally settling on Wang Xiaodong. Mischief danced in her eyes as she said, “No wonder you’ve been avoiding me lately. So you’ve gotten interested in this type?”
Tuzi immediately jumped up from the sofa and stood properly at attention. She greeted Zheng Yiyun in a crisp voice, “Hello, Sister! I’m Master’s bodyguard. My name is Tuzi!”
“Master?” Zheng Yiyun raised an eyebrow and deliberately drew out the word. “Wang Xiaodong, you’re really something. You’ve started playing this kind of game now?”
She was beginning to get a little angry.
Wang Xiaodong paused while taking off his coat and gave her a cold glance. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
“I’m not talking nonsense.” Zheng Yiyun put down her coffee and reached out to pinch Tuzi’s cheek.
Tuzi nimbly dodged her hand.
The young girl was still smiling sweetly, yet without making a sound, she shifted her position and placed herself between Zheng Yiyun and Wang Xiaodong, like a little beast protecting its food.
Zheng Yiyun froze for a moment before bursting into laughter. “All right, you certainly know how to protect your master.”
She turned toward Wang Xiaodong and rested an elbow on his shoulder. “Seriously, though, this girl doesn’t even look eighteen yet. What happened to your taste? Did you suddenly decide your aunt is too old to capture your heart anymore?”
Tuzi blinked from the side, leaned toward Wang Xiaodong’s ear, and whispered, “Master, is this Sister a bad person? Do you want me to throw her out?”
“No need.” Wang Xiaodong pushed Zheng Yiyun’s arm away. “She’s… a friend.”
“Listen to that. Just a ‘friend.’” Zheng Yiyun placed a hand over her chest and pretended to sigh. “You certainly didn’t call me that before. What, now that you have a younger one, you’ve forgotten the older one? If I’d known, I would’ve worn twin ponytails and a hoodie too.”
Tuzi only half understood what she meant. She reached into her bag, pulled out a milk candy, and offered it to Zheng Yiyun. “Sister, have some candy. It’s sweet. Master says people stop being angry after eating something sweet.”
Zheng Yiyun accepted the candy. Looking at the young girl’s serious expression, she finally could not suppress her laughter. “All right. Since your bodyguard is this adorable, I’ll stop teasing you.”
She gently pinched one of Tuzi’s ponytails. “But your skills are impressive. The way you dodged just now was slipperier than an eel. Where did you learn that?”
Tuzi was about to answer when Wang Xiaodong stopped her with a glance.
She could only reply vaguely, “My master taught me.”
Zheng Yiyun did not press the matter. She merely gave Wang Xiaodong a meaningful look. “Fine. I won’t disturb your touching little ‘master-servant bond.’ I have things to do.”
Only after Zheng Yiyun left did Tuzi poke Wang Xiaodong’s arm. “Master, that Sister doesn’t seem to like me.”
“Ahem, it’s fine. She’s just like that.” Wang Xiaodong felt somewhat awkward.
‘Looks like Aunt Zheng misunderstood. I’ll have to explain it to her later.’