Chapter 153
Xing Nuo’s busy day ended with him reviewing company documents.
He struggled with the thick reports, many of the characters unfamiliar to him, his eyes blurring.
Assistant Ke, finishing his work, turned around and saw Xing Nuo asleep on his desk.
The little one, no longer as chubby-cheeked as before, his long, dark eyelashes, a few tears clinging to them, his face flushed, his mouth slightly open, his breathing shallow, looked incredibly peaceful.
Assistant Ke’s heart melted.
“So cute,” he murmured.
A secretary, about to leave, chuckled and teased him:
“That’s because Xing Nuo is good-looking. Imagine if it were any other kid, annoying and badly behaved. You’d be furious.”
Assistant Ke’s nephew was one such annoying child, and he shuddered, thinking of the little hellion.
“Truly terrifying.”
Just then, Shen Yan, having finished his work, came to pick up Xing Nuo.
Seeing the little one asleep on the desk, he smiled and gently picked him up.
He expertly patted Xing Nuo’s back, letting him lean against his shoulder, a more comfortable sleeping position.
He turned to Assistant Ke.
“Thank you for your hard work today, taking care of Xing Nuo while also working. I’ve already talked to the finance department. You’ll receive double pay for these few days.”
Assistant Ke, his eyes widening in surprise, Jackpot!, quickly thanked Shen Yan.
Shen Yan nodded and carried Xing Nuo to his office, placing him on the sofa, then carefully packed his little backpack: his water bottle, his lunchbox, and his ID card tucked safely inside.
He slung the backpack over his arm and was about to leave when he received a message from his company in the other world.
He paused, his brow furrowed, then, not wanting to trouble anyone else with taking Xing Nuo home, decided to take him to the other company.
Xing Nuo, exhausted, would probably sleep soundly until morning.
Xing Nuo did wake up briefly, but, seeing his brother carrying him, he just nuzzled his neck and went back to sleep.
Having drunk a lot of water during the day, he woke up again, needing to use the restroom, and, still half-asleep, walked down the hallway, his mind foggy, not quite sure if he was at home or at his brother’s company.
The hallway looked exactly like the one in his brother’s company, the same decor and color scheme, even the signs on the doors were identical.
The hallway was brightly lit, the tiles reflecting the light, making it seem like daytime.
Xing Nuo, knowing the restroom was at the end of the hallway, hurried towards it.
The restroom also looked exactly the same, even the sink was at the same height.
He washed his hands, dried them with a paper towel, then, looking in the mirror, saw a strange, kelp-like creature behind him.
He turned around, but there was nothing there.
He looked back at the mirror, and the kelp creature was also gone.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he took a deep breath, his sleepiness gone.
Now wide awake, he left the restroom and walked towards his brother’s office.
He heard voices as he walked:
“My performance review sucks again! Why?! What’s wrong with my ‘Human Intimidation’ proposal?!”
“I’m the one who should be complaining! My ‘Snow Mountain Dungeon Expansion’ plan has been rejected fifty times! What, are snow mountains not worth developing?!”
Xing Nuo, hearing the familiar yet strange conversation, tilted his head and hid behind the wall, looking around.
This was definitely Big Brother’s company!
Lost in thought, he didn’t notice the approaching voices, and the next moment, he was surrounded by a group of strange creatures.
A humanoid monster covered in tumors, a crawling creature with seven or eight arms and legs, a human-like figure with scales…
The group of monsters, their appearance grotesque, startled Xing Nuo, who froze, unable to move.
The monsters, seeing him, also jumped back, their faces filled with fear, more scared than he was.
“Ahhh! He saw us!”
“Run! Run! If the Boss sees us like this, we’re doomed!”
Company rules strictly forbade them from using their monster forms during work hours.
But they couldn’t help it. Wearing human clothes was too constricting, and they would often revert to their true forms when Shen Yan wasn’t around.
And now, they had been seen by the Big Boss’s little brother!
If Shen Yan found out, they would be devoured.
So, before Xing Nuo could even react, they vanished, as if they had never been there.
Xing Nuo, his mouth open slightly, speechless, his mind blank for a moment, then slowly started walking back to his brother’s office, still confused.
He sat on the sofa, his mind still reeling.
Must have been seeing things. Big Brother’s company can’t have monsters.
He stood up, wanting some water, but the water in the carafe was a thick, viscous red.
Startled, he dropped the cup, the red liquid spilling onto the floor.
His heart pounding, feeling like he had stumbled into some strange and dangerous place, he ran to his brother’s desk, searching for something, anything, that could explain what was happening.
He found a document titled “Global Business Expansion Plan,” filled with incomprehensible words and charts, and a map.
He looked at the map, which wasn’t of any country he recognized, its shapes strange and unfamiliar, different areas marked with different colors.
The most prominent feature was a city in the center, circled in yellow, labeled—
Central City.
The other locations were also strange, a mix of modern city names and Western-style manor names, the entire world seemingly pieced together from different scenarios.
Xing Nuo, unable to make sense of it, put it down and looked for a way to contact his brother.
He crouched down, searching the drawers for a phone or his smartwatch.
A rustling sound echoed through the quiet office.
Xing Nuo froze, sensing something, and hid under the desk.
“Be quiet! This is that monster’s office!”
“It’s okay. Those high-level players are distracting him in the other dungeon. We can sneak in and get the information without being noticed.”
“Hurry up! That monster is too powerful for us. I don’t know what the Guild Leader is thinking, sending us to such a high-level dungeon. This is a suicide mission!”
“Just get the map and let’s go!”
Xing Nuo, his hands covering his mouth and nose, instinctively hiding his presence, listened to their conversation.
He crouched there, his ears perked up, listening to them rummaging through the office.
“Where is this map the Guild Leader wants?”
“I don’t know. He wasn’t very clear. But it’s supposed to be a map.”
“What’s so important about a map? Does the Guild Leader want to invade the horror world? That would be insane!”
Xing Nuo’s ears twitched. A map?
Was it the one I just saw?
But why would Big Brother leave such an important document on his desk?
Before he could figure it out, he heard them say:
“Here it is! In this drawer!”
And then, a familiar voice sounded from the doorway:
“Found something? Trying to steal from me?”
Xing Nuo peeked out from under the desk and saw his brother, dressed in his usual suit.
Shen Yan, looking at the two players holding the map, his face darkening, waved his hand, and a cloud of gray smoke enveloped them.
But the players, their abilities seemingly related to stealth and concealment, dodged and weaved, then finally collapsed to the floor, the map falling from their hands, landing on the spilled red liquid, most of it now soaked.
Shen Yan, not wanting them to take the map, destroyed it.
The two players quickly used their props and vanished.
Xing Nuo, his eyes wide with shock, having just witnessed his brother use magic to defeat the thieves, stared, speechless.
Then, Shen Yan’s voice sounded above him:
“What are you doing under there? The floor is cold.”
Shen Yan picked him up, gently ruffled his hair, his familiar scent calming Xing Nuo’s racing heart, and he sighed in relief.
“Big Brother, bad men…steal your things!”
Shen Yan pinched his nose and said:
“It’s okay. It was just a fake.”
Xing Nuo gasped, about to ask what he meant, when he suddenly felt drowsy and his eyes closed.
Shen Yan carried him to the nap area, then returned to his desk and, taking out several more fake maps he had hidden in the drawers, tossed them in the trash.
