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Chapter 9: Help! I'm Surrounded by Directors!
The next morning, after a night of rest and Ruan Mei's previous conditioning, my body finally recovered for the most part.
However, warm family time is always short-lived.
Ruan Mei and Big Herta seemed to have reached a consensus on the next research direction and decided to leave this villa for a place more suitable for their precision experiments.
Parting is always sad.
I walked to the door, first hugged Ruan Mei tightly, and printed a kiss full of reluctance on her soft lips.
She responded to me gently, her eyes also carrying a trace of attachment.
"Take care of yourself, and also take care of... our child," I whispered.
Then, I turned to Big Herta on the side.
To be honest, my heart was still drumming a bit, not knowing how this tsundere genius would react.
But I still plucked up the courage, gave her a hug as well, and quickly kissed her on the cheek.
But unexpectedly, Big Herta didn't explode like usual.
Her body seemed to stiffen for a moment, and I even saw an extremely faint blush creep onto her fair cheeks.
She suddenly took a step back, somewhat flusteredly lowering the witch hat on her head to hide her expression, and just waved her hand, her tone carrying a hint of imperceptible awkwardness: "Alright, alright! I get it! Go back, go back! So cheesy!" Looking at her rare, somewhat shy tsundere appearance, I couldn't help but laugh.
Having sent off these two "wives" who also occupied an important position in my heart, although I felt reluctant, I was also full of expectations for the success of their research.
I turned around intending to go back inside, mentally calculating how to arrange life in the villa next.
Unexpectedly, the moment I turned around, the corner of my eye seemed to glimpse something on the roof.
I subconsciously looked up—only to see a figure standing quietly on the highest eaves of the villa!
Because the morning sun happened to be shining from that direction, it was a bit dazzling. Under the backlight, I couldn't see the person's face clearly at all, only a slender and upright silhouette edged with gold by the sunlight.
Who is it? Could it be some uninvited guest? Or...?
Just as I was feeling suspicious and uncertain, the figure on the roof suddenly moved.
I saw the person seem to throw something shiny upwards, was it a gold coin? Immediately after, that figure, like a hawk, leaped down from the several-meter-high roof!
In the air, the figure caught the falling gold coin with an extremely agile and graceful posture, and then, with feet like a cat's, landed incredibly lightly in front of me without making a single extra sound.
At the same time, a round, money-bag-carrying Warp Trotter ran over at some point, affectionately rubbing against her feet.
Only then did I finally see the visitor's appearance clearly, and my eyes couldn't help but widen.
That valiant heroic bearing, those eyes shimmering with the confident light of sapphires, that bright smile always hanging at the corner of her mouth that seemed capable of lighting up everything, and that signature, capable silver short hair highlighted with a few strands of vibrant red... She was wearing that familiar, sleek red, black, and gold uniform, her whole being radiating a unique charm of shrewdness and capability, yet without losing liveliness and cheerfulness.
Isn't this Topaz, the Senior Manager of the "Strategic Investment Department" of the Interastral Peace Corporation?!
Why would she suddenly appear here?
She skillfully flipped the caught gold coin around her fingertips once, then gave me a familiar, hearty smile, and said:
"Long time no see, Trailblazer."
"Ma- Manager Topaz!" Seeing this unexpected visitor, I hurried to adjust my surprised expression, trying to appear as polite as possible, "I didn't know you were gracing us with your presence today, may I ask what brings you here?"
Topaz put away the gold coin she was playing with, approached me with light steps, and a smile that was a mix of shrewdness and playfulness, making it somewhat unpredictable, appeared on her face.
She tilted her head slightly, sized me up for a while, and then said slowly: "It's nothing major, just following company procedures to deliver your bill."
"Bill?" I froze for a moment, an ill premonition rising in my heart.
"Yes, the bill." Topaz nodded with a smile, but her tone carried a matter-of-fact quality, "Trailblazer, don't you know? The high-end research project regarding 'Paths' being conducted here by Ms. Ruan Mei and Ms. Herta is a key project sponsored by our IPC Strategic Investment Department."
She pointed to this sprawling, elegantly decorated villa: "Although to show support for the two top talents, the company has decided to grant the permanent right of use for this villa to Ms. Ruan Mei. However... the site occupation, property management, high energy consumption, domestic AI services, special waste disposal, etc., generated before this... according to the agreement, these expenses need to be handled by the research participants themselves."
As she spoke, she pulled out what looked like a high-tech holographic calculator terminal, her fingers tapping rapidly on it, while she muttered: "Let me see... property fees, gas fees, water and electricity fees, domestic AI rental and maintenance fees, high-precision environment maintenance system operation fees, special experimental waste disposal fees, security system upgrade fees, hmm... and courtyard vegetation maintenance fees..."
Listening to her list more and more items, each sounding expensive, cold sweat started to pop up on my forehead again.
Suddenly, Topaz stopped calculating and turned a holographic screen towards me, which clearly displayed a long string of dizzying numbers.
"Mhm, the calculation is complete." Topaz still wore that harmlessly bright smile, her finger pointing to the astronomical figure on the screen, saying in a light tone, "Exactly 134,253,562.78 Credits. May I ask, Trailblazer, will you be paying by card or cash?"
One hundred and thirty-four million credits?!
Looking at that string of numbers that almost blinded my eyes, my head felt a "buzz," and I nearly fainted on the spot! This number... even if I sold myself to the company, I couldn't pay it off!