Seeing the awkward look on Walter's face, Zhou Zhuang waved a hand.
"It's fine. Whatever the issue is, just say it. The company isn't some heartless monster."
But even after hearing that, Walter still found it hard to speak. After all, what he was about to ask was a bit much.
Seeing that Walter still would not open his mouth, Zhou Zhuang changed his expression and put on a stern face.
"Walter, how am I supposed to know what problem you have if you don't say it? If there's an issue, say it clearly. If you don't, then we'll assume there's nothing important. And if there's no issue, then naturally the company won't take your difficulties into account. So for the sake of both the company and yourself, hurry up and say what you need to say."
Faced with Zhou Zhuang's serious tone and expression, Walter finally gathered his courage. He looked at Zhou Zhuang firmly and blurted out his request in one breath.
"Manager, I want to ask… may I bring my daughter with me to the company?"
After finally hearing Walter state what he wanted, Zhou Zhuang crossed his arms over his chest and listened carefully.
"Oh, that's all? I thought it was going to be— ...wait, what?!"
Only after processing Walter's request did Zhou Zhuang widen his eyes and stare at him.
"I heard that right, didn't I? You want to bring your daughter to the company with you?"
Looking at Walter's weathered, rough face and the seriousness written on it, Zhou Zhuang pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose with a headache coming on.
"Old Walter, you should be in your fifties by now, right?"
Walter nodded at the question.
"Yes, Manager. I'm fifty-one this year."
"Then by normal logic, your daughter should be around my age, maybe twenty or so, right? A twenty-year-old ought to be independent already. Don't tell me your daughter is still freeloading at home?"
"Ah, no, no, no, Manager. My daughter is only eleven right now." Seeing Zhou Zhuang frown at his own guess, Walter hurriedly explained.
"Hiss, eleven? Then you really did become a father late in life." After learning the girl's age, Zhou Zhuang patted Walter's broad back and offered the words in a congratulatory tone.
Hearing that, Walter quickly added the part he had not yet said.
"Manager, my daughter was entrusted to me by a colleague who went to war with me back then."
"Ah. So that means…" The moment he heard the word entrusted, Zhou Zhuang immediately understood the fate of those two colleagues. Looking at Walter, whom he had accidentally reminded of painful memories, Zhou Zhuang smacked his lips inwardly.
"Hold on a second. Let me go ask the secretary. This is the first time I've run into something like this."
"Yes, thank you, Manager."
Still unsure how to handle this unexpected situation, Zhou Zhuang headed back toward Angela, who was sitting and resting, while frantically brainstorming in his head.
When he reached the table, he sat down beside Gregor and explained the situation to Angela across from him.
"Angela, can company employees bring their family members to live at the company?"
"It's that old man Walter's daughter, right?" Gregor immediately identified the source of the issue as soon as he heard the question.
"Yeah." Zhou Zhuang acknowledged him, then kept looking at Angela, waiting for her answer.
Angela recalled the company regulations in her mind, then replied,
"Manager, in principle, the company does not allow unrelated personnel other than employees to enter."
"But if you join a Wing and become a Feather, don't you get to live in the Nest?" Zhou Zhuang asked, puzzled.
"If you want your family to live in the Nest, the Feather has to work for the Wing, earn enough money, and then purchase residential rights for their family members inside the Nest," Gregor explained from beside Zhou Zhuang, leaning on the table with one hand propping up his cheek, educating his rather sheltered manager.
"Becoming a Feather only grants you the right to live there, and that's all. And life in the Nest isn't something an ordinary Feather can really afford. On top of that, there are all kinds of taxes piled on in the Nest. So before they rise high enough to actually afford it, some Feathers who came from the Backstreets still choose to keep living there in the end."
Gregor lit another "mosquito coil," took a drag, and continued,
"Living in the Backstreets does make commuting more troublesome. But at least you can save your salary."
After hearing Gregor's explanation, Zhou Zhuang looked disappointed.
"Huh? So there's basically no solution? But with how the City is right now, leaving an eleven-year-old girl to survive alone in the Backstreets is like tossing a frog into a pot of boiling oil."
Hearing Zhou Zhuang mention the state of the City again, Gregor grew curious.
"Manager, what exactly do you mean by 'how the City is right now'? Hasn't the City always been like this from beginning to end?"
Zhou Zhuang glanced at him.
"You remember the twenty-four-hour daylight for the first three days, right?"
"Yeah, so what's the issue?" Gregor asked casually. "It was just three straight days of daylight. Back during the Smoke War, whole regions were covered in blood mist for ages—couldn't see people, couldn't see light."
"After that come four days of darkness. And there's a pretty high chance the people around you will turn into bizarre monsters called Distortions. If you're lucky, they might switch back in the next second. If you're unlucky, then they'll start killing over a wide area like raving lunatics. And if it gets bad enough, maybe not even a Color can stop them."
After hearing Zhou Zhuang's explanation, Gregor forced a smile.
"Hahaha, Manager. A joke like that only works once. Try it a second time and I'm not falling for it."
In response, Zhou Zhuang simply looked at him expressionlessly.
"Sigh, just kidding." Zhou Zhuang decided not to put any more pressure on Bug Uncle. Too much pressure and the man might actually break.
"Manager, if the person in question is a child, then there is a way to bring her back to the company with us."
Angela, who had remained quiet for quite a while, finally spoke and took over the conversation.
Hearing that the all-purpose Angeli-doraemon had a solution, Zhou Zhuang instantly perked up.
"Oh? What is it? What can we do?"
"Enrollment," Angela said.
"Enrollment? Our company has that function too?" Zhou Zhuang muttered in confusion after hearing Angela's answer.
Seeing that Angela was about to explain, Zhou Zhuang hurriedly stopped her.
"Ah, ah, ah, no need to explain, Angela. It's already late, and dragging this out any longer would be rude. Just tell me who's in charge of the company school."
"Tiphereth A," Angela replied, naming the department head in charge.
Hearing that name, Zhou Zhuang desperately searched through his memory for the people in the company.
"Hmmm… why can't I remember anyone in the company with that name?" He wore an expression like a man straining in the bathroom, frantically digging through his memory for anyone by that name.
Looking at the thoroughly undignified expression on his face, Angela sighed.
"Manager, that's Charge-on Rush."
The moment Zhou Zhuang heard the familiar nickname, he smacked his right fist into his left palm.
"Oh, so it's her. That little shorty."
Angela immediately warned him after hearing that description.
"Manager, please do not call her that to her face. Unlike Malkuth, Tiphereth A really will hit people."
"Okay, got it. Since there's a solution, I'll go explain things to Walter right now."
Now that he knew Walter's daughter could be taken care of, Zhou Zhuang sprang to his feet and hurried off toward Walter.
....
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