Forge a path to success.

Chapter 351 Unexpected
"You mean you built your own room for safety reasons?"

“Preparing the materials in advance isn’t difficult,” Vilbert gestured to the disguise house. “What do you think?”

Chu Hengkong looked the old wooden house up and down and nodded, saying, "There are no flaws."

Wilbert tapped her cane lightly, sending a signal. Chu Hengkong witnessed the house being "folded" up like origami. The walls of the old building became as thin as paper, folding from the outside in along pre-determined lines, eventually turning into a small box the size of a palm.

The person inside rushed out of the house carrying the small box. She was a young and beautiful woman in professional attire, with her blonde hair styled in a high bun, and her high heels clicking loudly on the ground.

“Congratulations, boss!” she said happily, then greeted Chu Hengkong, “Hello, I am Hill Winster. Miss Wilbert… current… secretary and assistant.”

“Hill and I met on the first Dust Isle,” Velbert added.

Chu Hengkong understood upon hearing this and stepped forward to shake hands with the secretary.

"I am Chu Hengkong, her assassin," he said with a smile. "Did she often make you work overtime?"

Hill was a little embarrassed: "It's not very frequent..."

"Do you often get those unreasonable demands suddenly thrown your way, with no explanation and just a rush to do it?"

Hill glanced at her boss discreetly: "Well... occasionally..."

“I think it’s every day. This job is very difficult.” Chu Hengkong let go of her hand. “After all, her personality is really terrible, and she needs someone to take care of her all the time. Thank you for your willingness to help her.”

“Not at all!” Hill said hastily. “I almost became a firefly corpse before, and it was the boss who saved me from that hell. It’s only right that I serve her!”

"Just be careful not to stop asking for a raise because of this."

“When did I give you control of HR?” Vilbert glanced at him sideways.

“I can learn. If there’s a shortage of staff, I don’t mind helping out in the office.”

He walked ahead with a grin, pulling Wilbert along. Hill breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that this Mr. Chu was clearly a pure martial arts fighter, and she, as an office worker, probably didn't have to worry about losing her job.

Where she couldn't hear, the assassins and gangsters whispered: "Your taste really hasn't changed in a million years, blonde hair, high heels, office lady outfit."

"Beauty is one of the means to maintain appearances; office attire is much better looking than the same old brass masks and fluorescent prosthetics."

"Wouldn't it be perfect to wear an evening gown to that kind of occasion and have both style and substance?"

"Even now you're still making fun of me."

Chu Hengkong pleaded earnestly: "I've told you a million times that your aesthetic sense has been poisoned by Western popular culture. Please, take your eyes off those fashion magazines. Not all men like big-breasted blondes!"

Vilbert returned a cold gaze: "Really?"

Chu Hengkong was completely unaware of his surroundings, still enjoying the pleasant atmosphere of teaching girls about aesthetics: "You should be confident in your own temperament. Being slender and slim is another kind of elegant style, for example, I really like this type."

“I see.” Wilber nodded. “Then perhaps you could explain Miss Ji’s matter?”

Chu Heng was speechless.

·
Meanwhile, a typical blonde woman with large breasts was wandering around the bookstore. Guli Bo's eyes followed her around and around, until after the 37th lap, he finally felt dizzy and collapsed into the pool.

"Are you out of your mind...?"

"Gulibo, stop bothering me, I'm thinking!" the blonde girl shouted, turning her head.

"Are you still worried about him even now?" Vande asked, twisting his tentacle with emotion. "As a brother, you're incredibly loyal!"

"Loyalty my ass! My gut tells me they've definitely met. Now I've done my duty as a buddy, and I'm feeling anxious as someone's girlfriend!"

Vande slapped his tentacles: "So conscientious. This is the first time I've seen someone start reviewing one minute before the exam starts."

"Is this some kind of exam? This is a challenge! This is an invasion!" Ji Huaisu roared. "My peaceful relationship is about to be invaded by a fifth party tonight!"

Lico, who was drinking hot chocolate nearby, suddenly sprayed it all over the animals' faces and heads when she heard this. She ducked to avoid a cup thrown by the carp manager and yelled, "What the hell? A fifth party?!"

Poison Otter started flipping through the dictionary: "This word is really new. This is the first time I've ever seen words arranged and combined like this in all my years of running this shop."

Ji Huaisu clutched his head and cried out in despair, "Shut up! I'm so nervous and you're still laughing!"

“I was going to comfort you, but the moment that word came out, my sympathy completely turned into a smile…” Lico patted her shoulder, “So how did you do that?”

Vande and Gulipo exchanged a glance: "To be specific, it's about a few people who have gone through countless life-and-death situations together, fighting side-by-side through hell, with an unbreakable bond..."

"And coincidentally, they both have feelings for the same person at the same time..." Gulibo chimed in.

"But we were too close to each other to have any friction over such a trivial matter..." Vande concluded, "and that's how it ended up like this."

"Didn't the man at the center of this bizarre relationship take any action?"

Van der thought for a moment: "As far as I know, his action was neither proactive nor resistant."

Li Ke exclaimed, "What a scumbag! Utterly scumbag! I never imagined that Chu would be such an absolute scumbag!!"

"My patience and magnanimity have their limits!" Ji Huaisu said passionately. "The limit of what I can imagine for a family is what it is now! Adding a fifth person who falls from the sky is simply outrageous!"

“Is it possible that she arrived ten years earlier than you?” Vande reminded her, “In Vilbert’s eyes, you are the one who came here.”

"Absolutely impossible! Once we get to New Dust Island, we'll have to start all over again!" "You're starting to argue illogically, aren't you?"

"I've made up my mind!" Ji Huaisu stood imposingly in the center of the hall, like a powerful gatekeeper. "Reason and emotion aside, status and status are separate matters. The battle lines for love have already been drawn to the bare minimum; I won't budge an inch further. I'm going to give her a taste of my power and make her realize my resolve!"

"Oh, oh," Vande read aloud.

"What a powerful presence!" Gu Libo read aloud.

Just then, the wind chimes at the bookstore entrance rang, and the large seal that had been watching the commotion immediately dived to the bottom of the pool, disguising itself as a harmless black stone. The smaller animals either ran or jumped, while those who hadn't yet left quickly followed the shopkeeper, remaining in place and pretending to be stone statues.

A second later, Chu Hengkong walked into the bookstore with a cheerful smile that swept away all his worries.

He stepped aside and said, "Let me introduce you all. This is Ms. Vilbert Velus, my former employer!"

Violet entered, leaning on her cane, nodding and smiling at the crowd. Her composed demeanor and elegant bearing made Ji Huaisu even more nervous. This person's looks were enough to rival his own, and her appearance, dressed in a way that seemed to be a perfect match for someone else, clearly indicated that she was not a friendly person!
Moreover, she seems quite intelligent, so ordinary methods probably won't work. If we don't go all out, she might be underestimated!
Ji Huaisu coughed heavily and stepped forward to get straight to the point: "Finally, we meet in real life, Miss Violet. I am Ji Huaisu, his girlfriend!"

“It’s been a pleasure working with you, Miss Ji.” Vilbert shook hands with her. “Akong has always been a child. He is powerful yet arrogant and eccentric, which makes it difficult for many people to stand on equal footing with him. I never imagined that he would have a love affair like an ordinary person. I’m glad you are willing to be by his side.”

(Holy crap, she's such a nice person, what am I going to do?!)
Miss Ji's initial resistance vanished the moment they made contact. She instinctively scratched the back of her head and chuckled, "It's not that bad... Ah Kong is still..."

She composed herself and said, "He was really going too far."

"I understand."

"It's really bad. When things happen, he tends to get stuck on the details. If you're not careful, he'll wander into some kind of dangerous place and come back covered in injuries."

“I understand,” Wilbert nodded repeatedly. “And he never asks for your opinion.”

"Right!" Ji Huaisu clenched her fist. "At this age, they don't even have a shred of common sense, and their self-care ability is so poor that they simply can't survive on their own!"

Vilbert sighed, "Does his room still feel like a 'nest' now...?"

"It was absolutely horrific, you know! I almost had a breakdown the first time I went to his dorm!"

“I can imagine and understand how you feel. But he’s much better now than before; at least he’s quit smoking.”

"My God, could things have gotten any worse back then?"

"Far beyond your imagination..."

Two seconds after meeting, the two girls began to enthusiastically list all of Chu Hengkong's misdeeds. They nodded or sighed from time to time because of their shared feelings. The lively discussion and harmonious atmosphere made Miss Ji completely forget her original purpose and immerse herself in the criticism meeting against Chu Hengkong.

The main target of the criticism completely ignored it, taking a glass of iced tea and listening cheerfully. He said to Vande, "At first I was a little inexplicably nervous, but then I thought, what does my girlfriend have to do with my boss?"

“Oh dear,” said Vande.

Chu Hengkong said happily, "After figuring this out, I'm not worried at all. It's great that they get along."

“Dude, if I were you, I’d better enjoy this while I can,” Vande said sincerely. “Once one of them comes to their senses, your good days will probably be over.”

Chu Hengkong was very carefree: "After this trip to the Thorn Flower Festival, we've all become comrades-in-arms. We're all loyal people, so how could there be any conflicts!"

“I didn’t say the two of them, I was talking about you, you.”

"So, Chu Hengkong found his boss safely, right?" Gu Libo interjected. "Can we celebrate now?"

"Of course we should celebrate!" Chu Hengkong disappeared from the bookstore. "I'm going to buy some wine—it's my treat today!"

He returned laden with a large case of whiskey and various non-alcoholic fruit juices in just three seconds. The little animals cheered and swarmed around him, opening firecrackers and drinking heavily under the guise of celebration. Chu Hengkong walked over with a grin, enduring a scolding from the girls, and introduced his friends to Vilbert one by one.

Wilbert wasn't quite used to the scene—these heartless guys and overflowing kindness made her feel like she was in a Disney fairytale. But she quickly warmed up to everyone; she was naturally eloquent, and dealing with these guys was much easier than dealing with terrorists and gangsters.

Soon after, jazz music started playing in the bookstore, and everyone comfortably settled into a sofa or chair, flipping through the newly arrived books. They turned on the water screen projection as background music for their conversation, skipping all the mainstream channels and choosing a niche channel that relentlessly aired sitcoms.

Ji Huaisu and Violet flanked the sofa, placing one on each side and sandwiching someone in the middle. This dangerous arrangement failed to arouse even the slightest alarm in the assassin; his senses and intuition had long been banished by bliss. In this vast world filled with joys and sorrows, he was undoubtedly the happiest person in the world at this moment.

“There couldn’t be a better day,” he said lazily. Ji Huaisu rolled her eyes at him, stepped over him, and asked, “By the way, why is your token in the thorn robe?”

“Because I have work to do,” Wilbert said. “I was already planning to go to the city of Thorns.”

Work. The word "work" stirred Chu Hengkong's nerves. Of course, she wouldn't be idle. Her boss probably had some important business to attend to, and she'd need to have a proper talk with him tomorrow… or perhaps tonight…

At that moment, the old sitcom projected onto the water screen froze. A prominent notice popped up above the still image, announcing that a surprise broadcast was about to begin. Before anyone could react, the scene changed, and a blond man in a white military uniform occupied the center of the water screen.

Chu Hengkong picked up the remote to change the channel. But the picture didn't change. All the channels he could receive were broadcasting the same scene, and the blond man's voice echoed in every corner of Jing Sha, reaching everyone's ears.

"All citizens of the Thorn City-State, residents of the Thorn Root City and its surrounding jurisdiction, and all people currently residing on the Outer Dust Island within the city-state's territory. Today is July 29th, 3001 of the Candlelight Calendar. I am Zan Van Pariman."

In my capacity as the Speaker of the Upper House of the City-State of Thorn Robe, I hereby inform you of the following:

Under the witness of the Sacred Tree of Thorns and the supervision of the Supreme Prosecutor's Office of Mansaxingburg, the results of this year's Thorns citizen referendum and the vote in the Thorns City-State Upper House have been tallied. Bill No. 368 passed with a majority vote in both polls. According to the Thorns City-State Constitution, the bill will officially take effect in 30 calendar days.

Parriman tilted his head slightly, conveying the final choice to hundreds of millions of living beings.

“Thirty days from today, the Thorn Sacred Tree City-State will no longer be responsible for guarding the front line of the desperate battle. All territories within the territory ruled by the Thorn Sacred Tree and the city-state will be separated from the Senluo Secret Realm and become independent dust islands with their own borders.”

(End of this chapter)