Seeing that Guanliang didn't say anything, Zero casually swept a glance at Hua.
This was a great opportunity to win over the heir.
He thought over his usual work content, polished it a bit, and quickly drafted what he wanted to say in his head.
Zero put on an expression of hating iron for not becoming steel and spoke earnestly to Guanliang, "Guanliang, don't work overtime day and night anymore in the future. I've said it already, our Xianzhou is on a four-on, three-off schedule now, only four hours of work a day..."
He shook his head and sighed, "See? Now your body's having problems, right?"
Guanliang stayed silent. His face flushed red as he raised his hand, clenched his fist, and at an extremely slow speed, lightly punched Zero once.
Zero slowly lowered his head. Then Guanliang clenched his fist again and bumped it into his chest once more.
The Strategist… was he trying to hit him? But with that amount of force, it didn't seem like it.
Could it be that the Strategist's eyesight was failing? Maybe he wasn't trying to hit him, just wanted to bump fists?
Uh, that didn't seem right either.
Zero couldn't make sense of it no matter how much he thought.
Hua, standing to the side, first looked at Guanliang, then at Zero.
She suddenly understood and immediately returned "Feather Crossing Dust" to Zero.
After freeing up her hands, Hua rolled up her sleeves and nodded at Guanliang.
"I get it. You want to hit him, right? It's fine, I'll help you..."
Zero, "???"
He reacted quickly. Just as Hua rushed toward him and was about to throw a punch, he swiftly reached out, scooped her up, and slung her over his shoulder.
Zero automatically ignored the brat struggling with all her might and occasionally sneaking in extra hits, pounding hard on his back.
He put "Feather Crossing Dust" back into his system backpack and turned to look at Guanliang.
Zero asked, "How much do you still remember?"
Guanliang rolled his eyes and let out a cold laugh.
"Heh. I still remember that I was on one-on, one-off."
He was definitely not on four-on, three-off.
This was clearly the boss trying to make him work overtime.
Guanliang still remembered everything that had happened before Hua used "Feather Crossing Dust."
But he didn't know which memories he had lost.
It was like something placed at home that suddenly went missing for no reason, unless one day you urgently needed it, you'd never realize you'd lost that thing.
Of course, even if he'd lost part of his memory…
That didn't mean he'd forget the idiot boss who'd tormented him for thousands of years.
And it definitely didn't mean he'd believe whatever that guy said.
He'd originally planned to take advantage of the amnesia, pretend he didn't know the boss's identity, and seize the chance to beat him up.
Who could've imagined that after putting all his strength into punching the boss's chest twice in a row, the other party showed no reaction at all, not even a frown.
Guanliang pulled his thoughts back and looked at the boss again, only to find him carrying Hua, who was still trying hard to hit people.
His expression gradually turned horrified.
"Hurry up and put Hua down."
Zero glanced at his subordinate and maintained the one-handed carry of the kid, rejecting Guanliang's suggestion with his actions.
Put her down? What was there to put down?
This brat was clearly dead set on throwing hands with him.
If Hua were a few years younger… if she were a boy, Zero would've already smacked her.
Unfortunately, Hua was a ten-year-old girl.
At this age, she should already be taught gender awareness.
So even if the brat was causing trouble, Zero couldn't bring himself to hit her, and could only punish her by carrying her.
Guanliang paced anxiously at the side, urging the boss nonstop.
Zero considered himself a considerate and understanding good person, so he followed his subordinate's wishes and put Hua down.
The brat hadn't even steadied herself yet before she rushed up to Zero again and viciously bit down on his still-extended hand, the one wearing a leather glove.
Zero froze for a moment.
This scene… was way too familiar.
Back then, when he first met Lan, the other party had also bitten his hand.
Zero couldn't help but start questioning his life.
Did he really look that much like a bad guy?
Lan or Hua, one god and one human, why were both of them so fond of biting people?
Zero quickly came up with a way to deal with the brat.
He pulled his hand back and glanced at the leather glove. It was completely intact, with only clear bite marks left on it.
Zero feigned surprise. "Oh my, you even bit through my glove."
He leisurely took off the glove and held it high.
Zero smiled at the brat, his tone extremely cheerful, "Looks like your teeth are in great shape. I'm going to keep this pair of gloves and, on the day of your twentieth birthday ceremony, show this masterpiece of yours to all the guests..."
He paused, recalled her nasty behavior just now, and added, "Oh, and my medical expenses will be deducted from your future New Year's money."
Hua, "..."
Her face flushed red as she stood there, completely stunned.
'How could there be such a vile adult?!'
Veins throbbed at Guanliang's temple.
While blocking Hua, who wanted to snatch the glove, he angrily scolded the boss.
"Why are you competing with a child?!"
Zero responded perfunctorily, completely half-hearted, "Hua, did you hear that? He only sees you as a child. Come on, hit him."
Guanliang, "..."
He stopped blocking Hua and withdrew his hand with a cold face.
Unfortunately, Hua was no match for the boss and was once again hoisted onto his shoulder.
With one hand, Zero put the glove into the system backpack. With the other, he restrained the brat.
Ignoring the child struggling on his shoulder, he let out a deep sigh and said, "You should be glad you're a girl. Otherwise, I really would've smacked your butt."
Guanliang spoke without expression, reminding the boss, "Marshal, if you keep carrying this child, she'll probably throw up on you in a bit."
As a subordinate, he knew the other party had an extremely severe cleanliness obsession.
Sure enough, that one sentence successfully stopped the bear boss from messing around.
Zero didn't say a word. Like he was throwing away a hot potato, he quickly put the brat on his shoulder back down.
Very soon, Hua rushed over again and bit his hand with deadly accuracy.
This time, he wasn't wearing gloves.
Zero, "..."
Countless Xianzhou curse words exploded in his mind. He forcibly suppressed the urge to fling the brat away and endured it until Guanliang came over and pulled Hua off him.
Hua stood behind Guanliang, silent for a long time, before finally squeezing out a retort, "Do whatever you want."
Zero closed his eyes and used all his strength to suppress the anger in his chest.
Forcing himself not to look at the bite marks on his hand anymore, he asked Guanliang, "…Where's the bathroom?"
Guanliang raised his hand and pointed in a direction for the boss, watching him stride quickly toward the restroom.
He and Hua waited quite a while before the boss finally came back.
Zero wasn't angry anymore, he laughed instead, showing the same warm, friendly expression he usually wore.
He smiled and asked Hua, "What month and day is your birthday?"
Hua subconsciously looked up at Guanliang beside her.
Compared to the vile Xianzhou marshal, she was more willing to trust Guanliang.
After seeing the encouraging look in his eyes, she finally answered.
Zero's eyes widened slightly as he exclaimed in amazement, "What a coincidence, we're born on the same day."
He smiled even more kindly and, ignoring Hua's attempts to dodge, raised his hand and ruffled her hair into a messy chicken's nest.
"Don't worry, I'll prepare a big surprise for you, the kind of surprise you'll never forget for the rest of your life..."
Guanliang had a very bad feeling. He lowered his head and exchanged a look with Hua.
Over the next few days, Zero and Guanliang chose an academy closest to their residences for Hua and sent her to school.
Guanliang was terribly afraid the boss would pull something on Gratitude Day.
She was the next heir... The next boss...
She absolutely couldn't be angered into quitting by the marshal.
Guanliang deliberately went through the letter he'd left himself before his memories were erased and, combined with its contents, tried to fish for information.
But he was no match for the boss at all, so he had no choice but to take another route and personally make a trip to deliver Gratitude Day–related documents to him.
Gratitude Day had originally been a holiday specially set to celebrate the boss's birthday.
By now, most Xianzhou people no longer remembered the holiday's true origin, only that it was a day to honor the sacrifices of their predecessors.
People would spontaneously go to the Forest of Supreme Loyalty to offer flowers and letters to the heroes who had defended against foreign enemies.
In addition, the Xianzhou Alliance's annual conference was also set on Gratitude Day.
For marshals and generals busy with official duties, and for the Vidyadhara High Elder who sealed the "Plague of Immortality," it was simply unrealistic to have them gather in one place every year to attend the conference.
Thus, the conference was held every ten or twenty years.
As for the organizers, they were the various Xianzhou generals.
As for the location, it was mostly chosen on the different Xianzhou ships.
Of course, although it was called an annual conference, in practice it didn't really resemble one much. Most of the time was spent letting the Xianzhou upper management draw prizes, then eating a meal together, and that was it.
This time, it was Yaoguang's turn.
Thanks to the astonishingly high efficiency of the Xianzhou, the Yaoguang general submitted multiple alternative plans for the conference just half a month in advance, for Zero to choose from.
While delivering the documents, Guanliang weighed his words, thinking about how to ask the boss.
Before he could figure anything out, he heard the other party suddenly say, "Take a look. Which one's suitable?"
Guanliang took the documents and skimmed through them at high speed.
The Yaoguang general had prepared three plans.
The first plan lasted one month.
The venue was set on the most famous resort planet in the star sea.
At that length… it could no longer be called an annual conference. It was clearly a group tour.
The next two plans were both in Yaoguang.
The second plan lasted seven days and six nights.
The venue was a cruise ship making its maiden voyage.
The third plan lasted only one day.
The venue was a luxury hotel on an artificial island.
These three plans, whether the resort planet or the extremely lucrative cruise ship and hotel, would be closed to the public, with no outsiders besides the attending Xianzhou executives and background-checked, vetted staff.
Without thinking, Guanliang quickly chose the third plan.
There was no other reason, the boss was a miser.
He'd rather let the resort planet and cruise ship make money than book them out and lose the expected profits.
According to him, instead of booking out venues, it was better to turn the revenue into conference raffle prizes.
As expected, the boss also chose the third plan.
Guanliang casually said, "Honestly, don't you plan on moving?"
"The hotel chosen for this conference, their presidential suite is bigger than the place you're living in now."
Zero, "…There's no need."
He was a hardcore homebody. On normal days, he'd at most appear in the study, the bathroom, the tea room, and the courtyard.
Oh, and add a walk-in closet.
No matter how big the house was, he'd still just be circling around a few rooms.
After talking about housing, Guanliang hesitated, then couldn't help asking about the arrangements for Gratitude Day.
Zero smiled and replied with just two words, "Guess."
Guanliang was left speechless.
The boss was definitely going to pull some stunt again.
Feeling uneasy, he waited and waited, and finally Gratitude Day arrived.
Zero and Guanliang led Hua together to the top floor of the hotel, where they met the Xianzhou generals and the Vidyadhara High Elder.
They crowded around, first greeting the boss and Guanliang, then unanimously turning their gaze to the child holding Guanliang's hand.
They were extremely enthusiastic, calling out to Hua all at once.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess..."
"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Princess!"
Hua, "..."
This really was… unforgettable for a lifetime.
Her face flushed red as she let the adults around her tease her.
The generals exchanged knowing smiles, then took out the gifts they'd prepared long ago and presented them like treasures.
"Your Highness the Crown Princess, this is the birthday gift I prepared for you. Take a look, do you like it?"
"Your Highness the Crown Princess, I don't know what girls your age like, so I just prepared a red envelope."
For a moment, Hua didn't know what to do. One hand kneaded the corner of her clothes, the other tugged at Guanliang's sleeve.
At a loss, she could only pin her hopes on a reliable adult to help her out.
After waiting a bit, Zero, who had just finished chatting with his subordinates, spoke up at just the right time, redirecting everyone's attention in a few short sentences.
After speaking, Zero looked down at the brat from above, wearing a gentle, harmless smile.
He wasn't there to help the brat out.
Zero always did what he said.
If he said he'd deduct Hua's New Year's money, he would absolutely not go easy.
Zero smiled as he intercepted the New Year's money prepared by his subordinates for Hua. After collecting over a dozen red envelopes, he leisurely walked away under Hua's shocked gaze.
Hua, "..."
Guanliang, "..."
Guanliang rapidly accepted the gifts on Hua's behalf and expressed thanks. After dealing with his colleagues, he handed the gifts over to the hotel staff for safekeeping.
He said dryly, "It's fine. Let's go to the dessert table and get something good to eat."
On the other side, Zero put all the intercepted red envelopes into his system backpack.
Soon, the annual conference officially began.
Everyone present subconsciously looked toward Zero.
For a raffle, the marshal had to draw first.
The Yaoguang general came up to Zero and handed him the raffle box.
With one hand holding a wine glass and the other drawing lots, Zero drew three times in a row without checking the results.
After so many raffles, he and his subordinates already knew the outcome.
Don't ask, just participation prizes.
This time, however, he'd deliberately had the Yaoguang general rig things, leaving only three participation prizes.
Zero watched the Yaoguang general walk toward Hua.
He thought, this time, she should finally escape bad luck and strike it rich, right?
Zero watched as Hua, surrounded by everyone, drew the raffle.
The subordinates played along enthusiastically, applauding and shouting, "A whole building! As expected of Her Highness the Crown Princess..."
Hearing this, Guanliang quietly left and quickly walked to the boss's side.
With a shocked expression, he asked in a low voice, "No, what are you doing?"
Zero raised his wine glass, using the motion to hide the smile on his face.
"As the saying goes, you don't take rewards without merit. The Xianzhou has already given Hua so many assets..."
While smiling at the subordinate who met his gaze, he lowered his voice and said to Guanliang, "Do you think she'd still have the nerve to refuse the position of Xianzhou marshal?"
Guanliang, "..."
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