Thoughts surged like an ebbing tide. Zhang Lexuan felt as if a giant boulder were pressing against her heart, weighing her down so heavily she couldn't utter a word.
In her daze, she raised her hand and knocked on the office door before her.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Come in."
The voice came from inside. Zhang Lexuan pushed the door open and immediately saw Huo Yuhao sitting at the desk, seemingly recording something.
"Dean Skydream..."
Zhang Lexuan's tone was slightly respectful.
"Ah, it's Sister Lexuan," Huo Yuhao responded with a light smile.
"Sister... Lexuan?" Zhang Lexuan froze. Perhaps because of the various titles Huo Yuhao held publicly, or because the image of him using a Soul Saint cultivation to suppress the Rank 98 Elder Xuan was too terrifying, she had subconsciously assumed Huo Yuhao was older than her.
Only now did she suddenly remember that Huo Yuhao wasn't older at all; in fact, he was significantly younger.
"Is my form of address too forward? If Sister Lexuan is unwilling, I can change it." Huo Yuhao began his traditional specialty: farming favorability.
He respected this Eldest Senior Sister, especially since she had already signed the contract and was fully considered one of his own. One could say he was eager to hand over a portion of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda's affairs to her so he could focus all his energy on research.
"No... it's fine." Zhang Lexuan shook her head, her expression a bit strange.
Huo Yuhao nodded, then habitually pulled out some documents and placed them on the desk.
"I promised Elder Mu that I would make you my assistant. Naturally, the assistant to the Pagoda Master of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda is the Vice Pagoda Master.
"I trust Elder Mu, and I also trust Sister Lexuan's abilities. Therefore, I hope you can quickly familiarize yourself with the affairs of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda and then attempt to take over."
As Huo Yuhao spoke, he pointed to the various documents:
"These are materials regarding the Spirit Transmission Pagoda's operations. This is last month's expenditure for the various laboratories under our banner. This is the personnel structure, including the names and general profiles of key personnel—these people will all be Sister Lexuan's subordinates in the future.
"Beyond that... there are the benefits of being Vice Pagoda Master. Setting aside things like the 100,000 Year Artificial Soul Ring for now, as the Vice Pagoda Master, Sister Lexuan, you can enjoy all of our current cutting-edge inventions."
Zhang Lexuan's expression was quite a sight, especially when she saw titles like "Soul Ring Age Advancement Project," "Possibility of Integrating Artificial Soul Bones with Soul Tools," and the "Innate Soul Power Post-Natal Interference Project."
Almost every single one of these would cause a global sensation if leaked!
And now, these materials were laid out before her for her to read at will...
"Are... aren't you afraid I'll leak secrets?" Zhang Lexuan looked at Huo Yuhao with hesitation.
However, Huo Yuhao simply shook his head gently:
"I trust Sister Lexuan."
Leaving aside the fact that she had no reason to leak secrets, the contract she signed included explicit clauses prohibiting leakage by any means. Of course, that was just insurance; since everyone joining the Spirit Transmission Pagoda signed essentially the same contract, there was no special treatment. He wasn't worried.
"Thank you..." Zhang Lexuan felt complicated, unsure how to respond.
"Mhm. Next, I'll have someone lead you to familiarize yourself with the operations as quickly as possible. I hope Sister Lexuan can also find something in the Spirit Transmission Pagoda that she can strive for."
Huo Yuhao spoke with practiced ease.
When Zhang Lexuan heard the phrase "find something she can strive for," she dazed slightly. In the past, she had worked tirelessly for the sake of Shrek. But what about now?
What did she have left to strive and work for?
At this moment, Zhang Lexuan fell back into a state of confusion.
...
Handing over part of the Spirit Transmission Pagoda's affairs to Zhang Lexuan proved to be the right decision.
In just over a month, Zhang Lexuan had fully mastered all the operations and organized everything flawlessly. Whether it was the allocation of funds or the expansion of the Pagoda, she handled it exceptionally well.
Even when some of the former Sea God Pavilion elders came to her to fish for news about the 100,000 Year Artificial Soul Rings or other information, she remained tight-lipped, leaking nothing. She was the definition of dutiful, proving herself worthy of the Vice Pagoda Master position Huo Yuhao had given her.
"Wooohoo~ This feeling of sleeping until I wake up naturally without having to manage anything is truly wonderful!"
On the bed, Skydream stretched her body. The early morning sunlight filtered through her oversized pajamas, making her graceful figure shimmer in the light.
Unfortunately, this obviously intentional behavior failed to seduce a certain someone.
Turning her head, she saw Huo Yuhao leaning against the headboard, his azure eyes lowered, almost all his attention focused on the notebook he was writing in.
Skydream blinked. She wasn't angry; instead, she involuntarily broke into a satisfied smile.
Hehehe... Yuhao and Bingbing, my dream is finally fulfilled!
Over half a month ago, the Ice Emperor had awakened from her slumber. Shortly after, being as bright as she was, Skydream noticed the change in the Ice Emperor's attitude toward Yuhao... and of course, those eyes that were clearly looking at him differently!
In that moment, how could she not see that her Yuhao had successfully "conquered" the Ice Emperor!
Though this change made her feel like an outsider in a strange way, Skydream fully utilized her talent for being shameless and successfully crawled onto Yuhao's bed!
Even though Yuhao and the Ice Emperor really hadn't done anything beyond nourishing their bodies, for her, this was a massive step toward her ultimate dream of "monogamy" (with the three of them)!
"Hehehe, Bingbing..."
"Get lost."
A flash of chilliness crossed the Ice Emperor's golden eyes. Under the manifestation of the Ultimate Ice aura, Skydream momentarily saw visions of the Ice Emperor hunting her down in the past.
Danger!
With the star of death shining over her head, Skydream decisively followed her heart. "Uh... you guys must be hungry, right? I'll go grab breakfast for you!"
With that, Skydream scrambled off the bed and quickly fled the room.
Only after Skydream closed the door did the Ice Emperor slightly restrain her Ultimate Ice power.
Looking at Huo Yuhao, who was still writing seriously beside her, the Ice Emperor didn't disturb him. She bit her lip slightly, hesitated, and then cautiously snuggled into Huo Yuhao's embrace.
This is just to better absorb the Ultimate Ice aura to nourish my body, it's definitely not because of other thoughts...
Definitely not.
However, although Huo Yuhao was aware of the girl now in his arms, he had no time to react. At this moment, nearly all of his energy was being projected through a mental link toward a certain blacksmith shop in Shrek City.
Master Tang, who had been forging iron for over a month straight, finally had results!