Outside the door.Li Jia blinked, her expression utterly bewildered. ‘Wait, why was she sent out?’ ‘Hadn’t she come to find Fire Finch precisely so Fire Finch could introduce her to Xiao Jiu?’ ‘She hadn’t even managed to speak a word before being thrown out?’ The door slammed shut with a resounding bang.The President’s office door crashed heavily against the wall.Yet, the Fire Finch who had been seated in the executive chair was now nowhere to be seen.A sign reading “President Out on Business” hung conspicuously on the desk.
****
Heavenly Mandate Apartment
Aya Tone skillfully braided little Aya Jiu’s hair. “So, you went back to clock in first thing this morning, and then returned?”
“Well, I remembered I hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.”
Fire Finch shot Big White a look that clearly stated, ‘If you dare utter a word, I’ll tear you apart.’
Big White’s expression was a simple, bewildered stare.
‘What a terrifying older sister.’
“Yay, let’s eat breakfast together~” Little Aya Jiu, clad in her adorable Pikachu pajamas, bounced with joy.Having just woken up, she had rushed into the room only to find an empty bed, and her disappointment had been profound.Now, hearing that Fire Finch had returned, her spirits soared.
“Xiao Jiu, don’t fidget so much; your hair is getting messy again.”
“Aww~”
Gazing at the heartwarming scene of father and daughter, Fire Finch offered a knowing smile.’How wonderful it would be if I could be a part of that.’
Aya Tone tilted his head. “?” ‘Surely he wasn’t imagining things just now? The President actually smiled so beautifully!?’
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. It’s just that you look quite good when you’re not talking.”
“Go to hell!”
‘Heh, it seems what he saw earlier was indeed nothing more than a fleeting illusion.’
At the dining table.
“Oho, you’re done for.”
Fire Finch opened her phone’s messaging app, glanced at it, then handed the device to Aya Tone, who was quietly eating his porridge.
“I didn’t realize you were so bold. Aunt Bai usually doesn’t do something like this. You must have offended her quite deeply. Impressive.”
“?”
Aya Tone set down his spoon and took the phone.A single glance was all it took.Suddenly, his world came crashing down.The latest chat message displayed a single, concise sentence.
“Tell your family member that their salary will be confiscated, and the repair fees will be deducted from their last payment!”
‘His money… it was gone?’
Disbelieving, Aya Tone tapped on Bai Xiao’s profile picture, repeatedly checking to ensure Fire Finch wasn’t playing a trick on him by having someone impersonate her.But no matter how many times he scrolled, all signs indicated that this was indeed Bai Xiao.’Why?’
“President, may I borrow your phone to ask her something?”
Fire Finch made a gesture inviting him to proceed.She was quite curious herself about what Aya Tone had done to provoke Bai Xiao.Having received permission, Aya Tone eagerly typed into the chat box: [Auntie, what happened?]
Perhaps Bai Xiao was free, for a reply arrived within minutes.
Bai Xiao: [You know very well yourself.]
Seeing the “you” in the message, Aya Tone realized Bai Xiao knew he was using Fire Finch’s phone.’But…’ ‘I know well myself?’ ‘How could I possibly know?’
[Auntie, I truly don’t know.]
Alas, that message sank into the abyss, and no matter what Aya Tone sent afterward, Bai Xiao offered no further replies.’It’s over…’
“President~ My money’s gone…” Aya Tone said, his face a picture of misery, as he looked at Fire Finch, who was watching the drama unfold.To wake up early in the morning only to be told that two days of arduous dungeon clearing had yielded absolutely nothing.How could Aya Tone possibly accept this fate!Even the porridge before him now seemed to have lost its flavor.
“Er… so tell me, what exactly did you do on your business trip?” Seeing Aya Tone’s distraught face, Fire Finch struggled to suppress her laughter.A man with his rugged appearance making such an expression truly gave off the impression of a tough guy shedding tears.’No!’ ‘I mustn’t gloat.’
“I…” Aya Tone, his voice tinged with a sob, recounted everything he had done in the Imperial Capital, item by item.He cleverly substituted certain words, but the overall meaning remained unchanged.After listening to Aya Tone’s confession, Fire Finch wore a look of sudden realization.
“No wonder… serves you right… ah, no, that’s truly pitiful.”
‘Disobeying Bai Xiao’s words, forgetting them as soon as they were spoken.’ ‘That part’s fine.’ ‘She’d done it too, and only ended up with a sore butt that ached for an afternoon; no big deal.’ ‘Then releasing magic at a comic convention, tsk tsk tsk.’ ‘That was certainly bold; at least she didn’t have the guts to do such a thing on Bai Xiao’s turf.’ ‘And finally, during Bai Xiao’s summary meeting, not only did he not show up, but he just ran straight back home?’ ‘Hmph hmph hmph.’ ‘Bury him; he’s beyond saving.’
“So my money…” With his money gone down the drain, Aya Tone felt like dying.
“Hmm! It’s basically gone. If you rush back to the Imperial Capital now and beg Aunt Bai while clinging to her leg, there might still be hope.” Fire Finch offered a remarkably sensible suggestion.
“I’ll pass on that, then.”
The thought of having to transform into his female form and act coquettishly immediately diminished the importance of that money in Aya Tone’s mind.’It’s fine; he still had the money Miao Qingzhu paid him for academic credits.’ ‘Most likely, he wouldn’t need money anytime soon. It was just working for free, working for free…’
“President, if I were to sue Aunt Bai, would the court even accept the case?”
“Hmm… logically speaking, Aunt Bai is a high-ranking military official. Unless she committed a major crime that endangered the country, the courts wouldn’t be able to do anything to her.”
‘So, he was thoroughly screwed, then.’
Suddenly.Little Aya Jiu, perched on Aya Tone’s lap, lifted her chubby little head.
“Papa, it’s okay. Xiao Jiu can buy fewer toys. Don’t be sad, Papa.”
Although she didn’t understand what Papa and Sister Fire Finch were saying, she still grasped the concept of money.In little Aya Jiu’s understanding, their conversation… …meant that Papa had no money.If they had no money, they wouldn’t have food to eat. Papa worked very hard when he went out, so she couldn’t waste money.
“Xiao Jiu~”
Aya Tone looked down at his sensible daughter, and a wave of guilt suddenly washed over him.
“Xiao Jiu, our family has money. What Papa and Sister Fire Finch were saying just now was just a joke, not real, okay?”
Fire Finch, standing nearby, chimed in, “That’s right. Even if Xiao Jiu’s papa runs out of money, come to me, and I’ll take care of you both.”
“Really?”
“Really, really. When has Papa ever lied to Xiao Jiu?” Aya Tone hadn’t expected such thoughts to be swirling in his child’s tiny mind.’It seemed the milk powder hadn’t been bought in vain after all.’To completely reassure little Aya Jiu, Aya Tone even specifically pulled up his bank balance on his phone.
“Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands… Wow, so many zeros!”
Ultimately, little Aya Jiu was only a four-year-old child; anything beyond a thousand became incomprehensible to her.But seeing so many zeros, she finally believed the fact that their family still had savings.
“Oh, and Sister Fire Finch, if Papa and I run out of money, can we really come to you?”
“Of course you can. Big Sister loves Xiao Jiu the most.” Fire Finch gently took Xiao Jiu from Aya Tone’s arms.’This little darling, so small yet already so prone to worrying.’ Mm~ snuggle snuggle~Watching the two beauties, one large and one small, cuddle, Aya Tone’s mood, soured by the loss of a million, slowly began to mend.’If time could restart, he would still return without hesitation, the moment the S-rank dungeon was successfully cleared!’
“Aya Tone, you should rest for a few days. Don’t worry about the comp… company matters for now.”
Li Jia’s sudden visit today and her words had put Fire Finch on alert.If she and Aya Tone truly developed that kind of relationship, Aya Tone’s identity would inevitably be exposed.Perhaps, for now, letting things continue as they were was for the best.As for the clan meeting, she would deal with that when the time came…
Aya Tone: “Alright.”Since his boss had said so, it was a perfect opportunity to spend a few days playing with Xiao Jiu.
****