Chapter 238

「Hmm?

Just as the black goat suddenly reneged and demanded Li Ang immediately take it back, in the editorial room of the Sun Newspaper, a female reporter wearing a wide-brimmed wool hat suddenly tensed, reached back to pat her rear, and her dark, glossy eyes flashed with surprise.

「Nicole?

Though her movement was large, the woman made no sound—not even the rustle of fabric—so no one noticed, except the colleague beside her, whose sleeve had brushed against her; he tilted his head and whispered a warning:

「Watch it, the boss is itching to yell—don't let him lock onto you!

「Yeah yeah, but don't worry, he won't be bossy much longer.

She gave the well-meaning colleague a slight nod, then habitually pulled down her wool hat to flatten a small tuft of hair sticking up at her temple; secretly, she snorted at the boss scowling as he lectured, then turned her head and smiled sweetly as she murmured:

「Old Martin's status at home is pathetic—he can't even stand up to his two-hundred-pound shrew of a wife. All he can do is vent on us during meetings.

「So getting scolded a couple times now doesn't matter—I'll be head of the News Force next month, and meetings like this, which only help impotent old men blow off steam and serve zero purpose, will never happen again!

「Mmm…」

The colleague beside her, amused by Nicole's words, bit her cheeks raw, face flushed, barely holding back a laugh.

After taking several deep breaths to recover from her laughter, the female colleague couldn't help whispering in complaint:

「Nicole, don't get me in trouble—if I'd laughed out loud just now, Old Martin would've pointed at my nose and yelled for an hour!

「Sorry, sorry.

With zero sincerity, she apologized, then flipped her wrist and pulled out a theater ticket, slipping the real apology into her colleague's hand.

「This is my apology—how's that?

This… is a ticket to the Morning Star Troupe's performance? And it's the special edition signed by Master Wang Erde, granting access to the backstage to shake his hand after the show!

Lowering her head to glance at the ticket in her palm, the colleague's eyes lit up with joy—but quickly she snapped back, wary, staring at the smiling reporter with suspicion:

「Not good enough! You suddenly give me such an expensive ticket—you've got some trouble you want me to help with, or worse, take the blame for!

「Bingo! You're so smart!

She winked playfully, then slightly clenched her thighs, her delicate face flushing as if powdered, bashfully twisting her expression:

「Um… I slept late yesterday, and this morning I was afraid I'd collapse, so I drank a few extra cups of coffee. Old Martin's nonsense today was unusually long—he's been droning on for over an hour and still hasn't finished. So… could you…」

Got it—you're desperate to pee and need someone to cover for you.

But today's a story-planning meeting—when it's time for everyone to stand and pitch their news topics, if Nicole hasn't come back, I'll probably get double the yelling.

Double the yelling… Master Wang Erde's ticket… Fine, worth it!

After hesitating a moment while clutching the ticket, the colleague sighed, slipped it into her pocket, then slid her chair forward to block most of the reporter's body.

「Hurry back!

「Yeah yeah yeah, you're the best, Maggie~ua~」

After blowing her friend a heartfelt kiss, the reporter leaned back slightly, using her colleague's body to shield her from others' view, then stealthily extended her foot, clad in calf leather boots, and gently hooked open the slightly ajar back door of the meeting room.

「Squeak~」

With a soft creak from the old hinge, the reporter, who had just been sitting upright at her desk, shifted slightly and slipped out of the meeting room without a sound—no one noticed her departure.

……

Has she already left?

Having escaped the meeting room and hurried to the newspaper's entrance, the reporter felt the fluctuation vanish—she frowned, then asked, as if speaking to no one:

「Didn't you just tell me you sensed another part of your own presence? Where did it go?

Long silence.

Just as the reporter's patience neared exhaustion, a voice, as if half-asleep, finally droned out slowly:

【It ran off.】

Obviously! I came all the way here and didn't see a trace—it's already gone! The question is, where to?!

The reporter's face darkened; she snorted irritably:

「Direction! Location! Features! Spit it out! Don't make me ask! Where the hell is the other seventh of you?!

【…】

「…」

【Don't know.】

「…」

That damn lazy demon!

She'd used a precious signed ticket just to come out here and find nothing—furious, she stomped her foot, but had no power over the lazy demon fragment; gritting her teeth, she trudged back into the newspaper building.

Annoying demon! I'll never speak to you again—I'll turn into a pig if I do!

【By the way.】

As the reporter seethed inwardly, a fluffy, invisible goat tail floating behind her rear slowly spoke:

【Someone from the Cleanup Bureau is waiting in your office.】?!?!

Hearing the tail's warning, the reporter's brows lifted slightly—she immediately ignored her own oath, eyes sharp with suspicion:

「Who's waiting? How many? Are they here to arrest me or what?

【…】

「Talk, damn it!!!

【Male. One. Your fan.】

「Huh?? 」

……

「This is Mr. Li Ang, who collected three years' worth of dual-issue seals and earned our newspaper's access pass.

After introducing Li Ang's identity, the smiling guide gestured toward the woman in the wool hat and added:

「This is Nicole of the News Force. In six years with us, she's written over four hundred general news pieces and more than a hundred in-depth reports—deeply loved by our readers.

「Whether in the mass edition or the quality edition, Nicole's reporting has a loyal following—but readers like you who've subscribed to both versions continuously for three full years? That's rare… You two chat—I won't disturb you.

After clearly elevating both parties' status, the guide rose and exited the office without lingering.

Once the guide left, the two, each now guessing the other's identity, fell silent for a moment—then the reporter spoke first:

「Mr. Li Ang, you…」

「I came to ask you a few questions.

As he spoke, Li Ang pulled out pre-prepared newspapers from his shopping bag and laid them one by one on the desk.

《Charl's Department Store Mega Sale—Man Hospitalized After Being "Crushed by Cash"》

《Shocking! The Lyon Family Massacred Last Night—The Killer Is This Person》

《Duke Can't Beat Cabbage? A Full Review of the Lyon Family Crisis!

《Publicly Slaps the Prince—New Lyon Duke Suspected of Manic Disorder!

《Beauty Over Power? Lionheart Duke Suspected of Becoming a Royal Son-in-Law!

《…》

「I just want to ask you.

Pointing at the newspapers on the desk, Li Ang watched her expression closely, his face full of irritation:

「You've written about me eight times in the past month—and none of it's flattering. What's your grudge against me? When you hunt for news material, do you have to keep picking on me alone?