"Well, just do it then." Jiang Lukang said after a brief, contemplative pause. He ultimately decided not to think too deeply about such a trivial request and dismissed the matter casually.
"Yes, Master." Butler Jun acknowledged with a polite nod.
Jiang Lukang then turned his attention back toward his dinner, though the atmosphere surrounding the table remained noticeably tense, thick, and uncomfortable.
"Lan-er, you truly need to learn to control your temper better. Do not be so quick to scold that girl in public." Jiang Lukang reminded Feng Lan firmly after a long moment of silence.
"But she is just so incredibly rude, cold, and ungrateful." Feng Lan complained bitterly, her brow tightly furrowed with lingering, sharp resentment.
"Remember exactly why we brought her back here in the first place. If she feels cornered, pressured, or triggered by your hostile behaviour, she might decide to run away again. If that happens, everything we have so carefully planned until now will be completely ruined. Do you really want that to happen?" Jiang Lukang asked meaningfully, his eyes locking onto hers.
"I understand. I will be much more careful in the future." Feng Lan replied with a reluctant, stiff nod, though the resentment burning in her heart clearly had not faded at all.
Feng Lan silently promised herself that she would make a concerted effort to better control her volatile emotions whenever she faced the girl in the future. This girl was technically her own biological daughter, the child she had personally carried inside her womb for nine long, arduous months. Yet, despite that undeniable physical connection, Feng Lan felt absolutely no maternal warmth, affection, or emotional attachment toward her whatsoever.
"Great. Let us continue eating then." Jiang Lukang said firmly, his voice echoing with a finality that signalled the absolute end of the discussion.
He left no room for dissent, effectively barring anyone from resurrecting the unpleasant topic further.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yanna sat in her seat with a poised, quiet dignity, though her mind was racing through a labyrinth of calculations. She felt a pressing, urgent need to take decisive action regarding Qiao Meixia as soon as humanly possible. She truly had not anticipated that this girl would be so frustratingly stubborn, emotionally detached, and fundamentally difficult to manipulate. At this precise moment, Jiang Yanna could not even determine whether the girl was genuinely obtuse or simply refusing to react as a calculated, purposeful provocation.
Back in the sanctuary of her room, Qiao Meixia carefully turned the lock behind her, ensuring her privacy remained completely undisturbed before she crossed the floor to open her laptop once again. After powering it on, she logged into a heavily restricted website with practised, rhythmic ease. A familiar, glowing symbol immediately materialised at the centre of the display, shining with a sharp, neon brilliance against the dark background. Almost instantly, a notification chime signalled an unread message popping up inside an encrypted chat box in the bottom corner of the monitor.
MadDog: QX, do you want to accept this new task? The reward is 5 million dollars.
QX: What kind of task are we talking about?
MadDog: Breaking through a high-level, military-grade defence system.
QX: And who exactly is the client?
MadDog: Nine Hell.
Qiao Meixia stared at the glowing screen in a heavy, contemplative silence for a long, drawn-out moment. She knew perfectly well that Nine Hell was a notorious, shadow-dwelling mercenary organisation that operated deep within the lawless fringes of the underground black market. Their reputation was exceedingly dangerous. They were infamous for handling the kind of high-stakes, illegal operations that ordinary people would never dare contemplate, let alone involve themselves in.
QX: No.
MadDog: Are you absolutely certain about that? That's a lot of capital to walk away from.
QX: Yeah.
MadDog: Fine. You are the boss, after all. Your call.
***This novel is a work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If it is not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, then it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***