Chapter 2: Guoguo

"Guoguo, guoguo…"

The little girl's voice was sweet and soft.

She trotted after Shen Siyuan on her chubby little legs, reaching out to grab him.

Shen Siyuan looked down at her, and she asked again: "Guoguo, can you see me?"

This time Shen Siyuan nodded firmly.

Shen Siyuan had expected her to be delighted, but instead she pouted, her lips trembling, tears swirling in her eyes, on the verge of crying.

"What's wrong? I can see you—why are you upset?" Shen Siyuan was baffled.

"When I talk to Mom and Dad, they ignore me… and Duoduo, they won't play with me… waaah… Guoguo can see me and talk to me, I'm so happy, but… but… waaah…"

The little girl seemed determined to pour out all her grievances, opening her mouth wide and wailing loudly.

"Don't cry… don't cry…"

Shen Siyuan was flustered—he rarely dealt with children and had no idea what to do.

"Waaah… I miss Mom and Dad so much… I just want to talk to them…" The little girl wiped her tears, sobbing.

But her tears seemed endless—no matter how much she wiped, more kept flowing.

"Talk to them? That's easy. Stop crying, big brother will help you." Shen Siyuan soothed.

Though he had no cultivation, he had inherited the legacy of a mighty demonic lord.

He might not be able to regenerate flesh from bone or resurrect the dead, but making a living person see a spirit? That was simple—just activate the Ten Thousand Souls Banner, bind a wisp of Nine Youmingjun's aura, and it would be done effortlessly, perfectly suited to the task.

Shen Siyuan decided to fulfill this small wish of hers.

"Here's what you do: go back home first. When your mom finishes work, go to that office and find me—I'll make your mom see you."

Shen Siyuan pointed to his own online game operations department.

"Really?"

"Of course it's real. Would big brother lie to a little brat like you?"

"Then let's pinky-swear~"

The little girl extended her short, stubby finger.

"Fine, fine~" Shen Siyuan sighed and bent down to pinky-swear with her.

"Pinky-swear, never break it, for a hundred years…"

At that moment, the little girl suddenly stood on her tiptoes and gave him a loud, smacking kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you, Guoguo~"

Then she turned, spread her tiny arms wide, made "woo-woo" sounds, and scampered off as happily as a little airplane.

Watching her retreating back, Shen Siyuan's gaze softened slightly.

Shen Siyuan was an only child, so no one had ever called him "Guoguo."

But in his memories, Nine Youmingjun had a younger sister.

Though Nine Youmingjun had unleashed torrents of blood and chaos, destroyed countless dynasties,

before becoming a demonic lord, he was merely the third son of an ordinary farming family, named Lin San—because he had an older brother, an older sister, and a younger sister.

His sister had married far away when he was very young; he barely remembered her.

His older brother, though of marriageable age, had never found a wife due to their family's poverty.

His younger sister was about the same age as this little girl, always clinging to his heels, calling him "Guoguo."

Life was hard, but they were all kind-hearted people, and they were happy.

Then one year, a terrible drought struck, the land turned barren, and not a single grain could be harvested.

Corpses littered the fields; people traded children for food. First, their mother starved to death, then their strong, healthy older brother.

To ensure Lin San survived, their father sold his younger sister, exchanged her for a little grain, gave every last morsel to Lin San, then left alone—just to save him one more bite.

When Lin San saw his sister again, it was on a mass grave—her head was rotting beyond recognition, her body reduced to gleaming white bones, not a shred of flesh left…

Later, Lin San learned the drought wasn't natural—it was caused by a senior elder of the Flame Sun Sect, who diverted the earth's veins to refine a magical artifact.

Lin San finally understood: in this vast wilderness, humans were as insignificant as ants—only cultivation, only power, was eternal…

So after achieving cultivation, Lin San's first act was to exterminate the entire Flame Sun Sect—and from then on, the Cultivation Realm knew the Nine Youmingjun…

…

Shen Siyuan pushed open the door to the operations department and walked in.

Instantly, someone switched their computer screen, others sat up straight, some pretended to casually put down their phones…

But when they saw it was Shen Siyuan, they immediately went back to what they were doing.

This was precisely why Shen Siyuan was willing to keep his monthly salary of just over five thousand, refusing to quit.

He only worked one day a week; the rest of the time he played. Even Manager Zhou Chuan did the same, so no one ever monitored them.

The entire operations department had eleven people: nine men, two women.

Shen Siyuan sat in the second row, directly across from Manager Zhou Chuan, with Li Kang to his right—nicknamed Kang the Pockmarked.

To his left was Wang Chao, nicknamed Super Brother, always sporting a buzzcut so short it clung to his scalp, looking like a thug—though he was short, he was loyal and righteous, just a bit reckless.

The reimbursement form in Shen Siyuan's hand belonged to him.

"Reattach it."

Shen Siyuan tossed the reimbursement form onto his desk.

"RTM, I've stuck it on three times already—still not good enough?" Wang Chao cursed.

Tian Yunrui, seated across the partition, chuckled: "Did you piss off Fu Accountant?"

The moment he said that, everyone who had been half-asleep suddenly perked up.

Li Kang: "It's definitely because last time we ate together, Super Brother toasted everyone in Accounting—except Fu Accountant."

Zhang Kaixuan, sitting opposite Li Kang, immediately laughed and said, "Brother Chao, you big idiot, you tried to flatter and ended up kicking a horse's leg. You think we, from the Operations Department, should toast the Finance Department? Do you expect them to give you a raise?"

Lu Ran, sitting with his back against Wang Chao's, turned around and said, "You guys know nothing. That day, he wasn't there to toast; it was just that Liu Xintong from Finance was wearing a deep V-neck that day, and he took the opportunity to look at her big breasts..."

"Damn... so that's how it is. Brother Chao, you really are inhuman, and you didn't even say a word."

Upon hearing this, everyone angrily scolded him.

"Alright, alright, there are female colleagues here; watch what you say..."

Zhou Chuan, as the Operations Department manager, had to say something, even if just for show.

Everyone didn't take it to heart. Lin Manzhi, one of the two female colleagues, said, "Sometimes I really don't understand you men. Why do you all like staring at girls' breasts and legs? What's so good about them?"

As soon as she said this, everyone shouted out.

"Sister Lin, that's not how you put it..."

"Sister Lin, you just don't get it..."

"Sister Lin, that statement is wrong..."

Upon hearing this, the entire department immediately howled.

"Sister, stop being silly. If men don't look at legs, buttocks, figures, or faces, are they supposed to look at internal organs?"

For a moment, the office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

"That's not what I meant. What I mean is, what's the use of just looking? If you like someone, just go for it."

Her words left everyone speechless.

Only Li Wenjuan, sitting next to her, giggled nonstop.

Guanghui Animation is a game company primarily engaged in mobile game development, so there are not many female employees, and even fewer beauties; yet Lin Manzhi happens to be a top-tier beauty.

Her face is pretty, her figure is slender, her fingers are like green onions, and especially the unique, gentle temperament she carries is even more charming.

Moreover, she particularly likes wearing those professional women's small blazers, which adds even more charm to her professional beauty.

Her long, slender legs are even more charming, so naturally she is the object of everyone's gazing; the only flaw is that she is already married. Her husband works at the design institute next door, and she gave birth to a son the year before last; her life is very happy and complete.

Indeed, once a woman gets married, changing from a young girl to a young married woman, not only does her mouth loosen below, but her mouth loosens above as well.

Everyone chatted and laughed; soon it was time to get off work. Some had already turned off their computers, others had already made plans with friends, waiting only for the time to arrive to punch out and rush off.

This is also the reason why Shen Siyuan, despite the salary clearly not being high, is reluctant to resign; because working here is very comfortable, and it would be hard to find such a job elsewhere.

Shen Siyuan did not leave because the little brat had already come looking for him, standing aside and looking at him pitifully.