Under One Person: The End of Technique, Company Building

The moment Zhuge Qi stepped through the door, it was as if an invisible wave of energy surged in with him, gently stirring the calm air in the room.

The wooden door closed silently behind him, making a soft "click" sound, like the lingering echo of an old bell being struck.

Zhuge Gong did not turn around; he remained with his back to the door.

Zhuge Qi stood at the door, not in a hurry to go inside.

He stood properly in place, his hands hanging naturally at his sides, his back straight.

He knew his uncle's temperament; Zhuge Gong wasn't the type to wear his emotions on his sleeve. You could only glean his true attitude little by little from his speaking speed and word choice.

"Sit down," Zhuge Gong finally spoke, his voice flat.

Zhuge Qi walked to the wooden chair opposite the desk and sat down.

The chair was an old-fashioned armchair made of hard wood, which was uncomfortable to sit on, but he sat very steadily. His back was not completely against the backrest, but only partially against it, which made him appear relaxed yet proper.

Zhuge Gong turned around. He looked thinner than when they last met, with more defined cheekbones and deeper eye sockets, but his eyes were still incredibly bright, like two extremely deep wells with calm surfaces but turbulent undercurrents.

He was wearing a dark blue Chinese-style jacket with the top button fastened neatly.

A set of Yixing clay teaware was already laid out on the table. The water in the pot must have just been boiled, as wisps of white steam were still rising from the spout.

Zhuge Gong sat down opposite Zhuge Qi, picked up the teapot, and began to scald the cups, warm the pot, add tea leaves, and rinse the tea.

"How's things going at work?"

Zhuge Qi watched as the clear tea soup was slowly poured into the cup, then raised his hands from his knees and accepted the cup of tea from his uncle.

He took a sip, nodded, and said, "President Zhao has been good to me."

"Hmm." Zhuge Gong poured himself a cup, picked it up and smelled it. He didn't drink it right away, but placed the cup in his palm and slowly turned it around. "I've dealt with Zhao Fangxu a few times. He's a mature and prudent person."

"Uncle, don't worry, Mr. Zhao is indeed someone worth following." Zhuge Qi put down his teacup and bowed slightly. "Mr. Zhao took responsibility for everything I did in Tianjin this time, and didn't let me take the blame. He also shielded me from the pressure from the head office."

Zhuge Gong glanced at him, his gaze lingering for a moment on the character "担" (dān), but he remained silent.

He picked up the teacup, took a sip, and then put it down, the movement so light it barely made a sound.

"You've made quite a stir in Tianjin this time." Zhuge Gong's tone remained the same, neither too loud nor too soft. "Lu Ci and Feng Zhenghao, the two Ten Elders, have been forced to submit by you. The supernatural world is now spreading rumors that the Zhuge family has produced a 'Little Zhao Fangxu,' who dares to challenge the Ten Elders at such a young age."

Zhuge Qi chuckled, his smile carrying just the right amount of humility. "The matter of Lü Ci was something the company had planted long ago; I was just the one who went to close the net. As for Feng Zhenghao, I gave him a way out, and he naturally accepted it. It wasn't my doing, nor was it entirely my skill."

"You don't take credit for yourself," Zhuge Gong said.

Zhuge Qi picked up his teacup and took another sip. "I've learned a lesson over the years at the company: when you have something to show for your work, give it to your superiors and colleagues; when you have something to say, take the blame yourself. But when you do take the blame, make sure everyone sees you doing it. Only then can you be considered to have truly made a contribution."

Zhuge Gong looked at him for a few seconds, and the corner of his mouth twitched almost imperceptibly. The movement was so small that it was impossible to tell whether it was a smile or something else.

"You did learn some skills at the company," he said.

Two teacups sat on the table, the tea gleaming warmly under the lamplight.

A brief silence flowed between them, its pace unhurried, like a plate of snacks already laid out on a tea table, not something to be rushed to finish.

Zhuge Gong reached out and picked up the teapot, refilling Zhuge Qi's cup.

"Do you know how many people have contacted me recently?"

Zhuge Qi leaned forward slightly. "I've guessed some of it, mainly from the north, right?"

Zhuge Gong picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then slowly began to speak: "The people from the Jiangnan Water and Land Assembly came last month with generous gifts, saying they were there to congratulate the Zhuge family on the completion of their new ancestral hall. Halfway through the tea, they turned their attention to you, implying that you had caused too much trouble outside and disrupted the peaceful situation in the world of supernatural beings. As your ancestral home, the Zhuge family should have someone say something to restrain the young man's arrogance."

Zhuge Qi nodded without interrupting.

"The northern families also sent people," Zhuge Gong continued. "The Wang family, the Lu family, and even some smaller families that are close to the Lü family have all come. They all spoke politely, but their meaning was similar—the Zhuge family has a 'troublemaker' young man, and the Zhuge family plans to deal with this."

Zhuge Qi picked up his teacup and took a sip. The tea had cooled slightly, but the temperature was just right.

"What does Uncle mean?"

Zhuge Gong did not answer this question directly.

He reached for a black wooden tea box on the desk, opened the lid, pinched a small amount of tea leaves into the teapot, poured in hot water, closed the lid, waited a few seconds, and then slowly poured the tea into the fairness cup.

As Zhuge Gong poured tea, he said in a flat tone, "The affairs of the Zhuge family are naturally none of the concern of outsiders."

"When you left, the clan had already reached a consensus. I made it clear to the clan elders that since we let you leave this gate, the Zhuge family will accept everything you do, as long as it is not treason. This is what the clan promised you when you left, and we have not forgotten it."

"Uncle, you've worked hard," Zhuge Qi said, his voice a little lower than before. "I know the family has taken on a lot of pressure for me."

"Pressure is inevitable." Zhuge Gong waved his hand, as if it were a trivial matter not worth mentioning. "Since you are working for the family, it is only natural for the family to shield you from some outside troubles."

That's how it is in the world of supernatural beings; whoever stands out gets attacked. If you don't step up, people will gossip about you and call you a coward.

He spoke in a calm tone, but Zhuge Qi could tell that beneath that calmness lay a deeper meaning: "Go ahead and do it; your family won't hold you back."

"However," Zhuge Gong changed the subject, his tone carrying a faint hint of admonition, "doing things is one thing, but you still need to be careful about the limits. I've heard the gist of what happened to Lü Ci."

"It's your skill to have leverage over the Lü family's Soul-Brightening Technique, but have you considered what you would have done if Lü Ci hadn't accepted your offer and had directly turned against you?"

Zhuge Qi sat up a little straighter. "Isn't that quite simple? It's just one of the Ten Elders. The world is no longer one where extraordinary families can do whatever they want."

"If the Lü family is not satisfied, then we will have no choice but to expel them from the family."