TYMIMA Chapter 81

After getting Adrian’s feedback, Zhan Pingchuan found a windy platform and, facing Harbor Tan’s brilliant sunset, eagerly called Lance.

 

The phone rang only once before Lance answered.

 

He still couldn’t fully digest this absurd news—he was actually going to Tasman with Ghost Eye Guild to compete against his own family for this contract.

 

Zhan Pingchuan guiltily tapped the balcony with his fingers, sea wind making him barely able to keep his eyes open.

 

“Baby.”

 

“Mm?”

 

“Just letting you know, I seem to be going on a business trip to Tasman with High Tower Guild—that pirate nation where all the Awakened ones are seafood-shaped.”

 

“…” Lance thought: I know, this is what I arranged for you, little idiot.

 

“What a coincidence. Someone in Ghost Eye Guild’s bidding team took leave, so I was arranged to replace him for Tasman.” Lance propped his chin, staring at small whirlwinds rising from distant wind-eroded ridges.

 

“Oh, then we can meet in Tasman!” Zhan Pingchuan feigned great surprise at this news he already knew.

 

Lance chuckled softly: “Right, what a coincidence.” This was probably the only good thing about this trip.

 

Zhan Pingchuan thought: Little fox is so naive, completely unaware that this meeting was deliberately arranged by him.

 

“When do you depart?” Lance asked knowingly.

 

“The 21st. What about you?”

 

“Also the 21st.”

 

Zhan Pingchuan smiled: “That means we can meet on the evening of the 21st.”

 

Lance tucked his red hair behind his ear, fingers inadvertently brushing his gland: “Yes.”

 

“Have you tried Desert City’s spicy beef?”

 

“I have. It’s spicy.” Lance recalled the taste, his nasal cavity involuntarily tingling. It was delicious, but he had to drink a large glass of water after each bite, getting full from drinking before long.

 

“Tsk, Desert City’s chefs are so behind the times. Next time I’ll have them develop a non-spicy version.” Zhan Pingchuan complained.

 

Lance’s eyes curved as he watched the distant whirlwind gradually subside: “Is your dad abandoning the electric vehicle business to invest in restaurants?”

 

Zhan Pingchuan made it up: “I’ll suggest it to him—it’s not impossible.”

 

“See you the day after tomorrow.” Little idiot.

 

“See you the day after tomorrow, baby.” Silly fox.

 

Lance hung up, the tenderness in his eyes gradually fading. He immediately called Dream Witch.

 

The subsided whirlwind suddenly swept up again, carrying away sand and soil along its path, rising at an unpredictable speed.

 

“Desert City passport IDs begin with DT, led by Mad Clown’s adoptive brother Adrian. Find someone to bribe Tasman’s passport verification officer and secretly throw their passports into the sea.”

 

Without passports, they couldn’t board Tasman’s cruise ship, and Tasman’s lease of Federation ports was time-limited—when time was up, the ship had to leave.

 

If Ghost Eye Guild couldn’t board, he’d have to represent them in bidding alone, and it was perfectly normal for an intern to fail at bidding.

 

Dream Witch praised admiringly: “Worthy of being my little brother—such a quick mind.”

 

They didn’t need to scheme against Ghost Eye Guild at the bidding conference. The real trade war would begin the moment they boarded.

 

Mad Clown squeezed in to interject: “What quick mind? Clearly just cunning.”

 

Lance raised an eyebrow: “What, feeling sorry for your adoptive brother?”

 

Mad Clown laughed exaggeratedly twice: “Ha, ha, me feel sorry for him?”

 

Lance said meaningfully: “Good that you don’t.”

 

Mad Clown bristled angrily, swearing viciously: “Of course not! I’d love for him to drown immediately, get hit by a car, get stabbed to death. Too bad that guy—”

 

“Why are you so agitated?” Lance interrupted, puzzled.

 

Whenever Mad Clown truly wanted to kill someone, he was elegant, enjoying, and smug—like when he dealt with Erdiff. He’d never been frantic before.

 

“—Who’s agitated? How am I agitated? What joke are you making? Hahaha…”

 

Lance propped his chin, smiling silently.

 

Having made the plan, Lance finally accepted this sudden situation.

 

Though as someone who grew up by the sea, he had no interest in Tasman, being able to vacation on a cruise with little idiot wasn’t bad.

 

He could take Zhan Pingchuan on small boats to chase dolphins, fish for squid, and teach him diving and surfing.

 

The landlubber from Desert City would definitely find it fresh, wanting to lie on deck in the wind daily, whilst he’d lie in Zhan Pingchuan’s arms with eyes closed, sunbathing.

 

As darkness completely fell, Lance was about to pack up and return to his apartment when he received a meeting notice.

 

This was his first overtime since interning at Ghost Eye Guild.

 

After taking the free shuttle to another Ghost Eye Guild branch and following directions to the conference room, he found Adrian already waiting inside.

 

Just as Lance was about to greet him, Adrian waved his hand, making a gesture to wait quietly, then began working on his computer.

 

Lance pulled out a chair and waited aside.

 

Soon, three more people arrived.

 

The leading Alpha woman wore small round glasses, had flaxen braids, a cute doll face, and was much shorter than other Alphas.

 

The second person was a burly Omega with prominent muscles and a robust build, nearly bursting his shirt.

 

He’d tanned his skin dark and shiny, with obvious colour layers at his collar, showing his original skin was very pale.

 

The third Alpha was older, with a thin, long face, a moustache around his philtrum, and black hair slicked back with pomade.

 

He was also tall, his head nearly touching the door frame. His clothes hung loose like on a coat rack—it looked like the second Omega could easily knock him out with one punch.

 

Adrian closed his laptop: “Everyone’s here.”

 

He introduced Lance: “First, Fulunla from Marketing. Second, Wu Peng from Logistics. Third, Mudeli from Energy.”

 

Lance thought: So this is the endure-hardships-to-build-strength group.

 

He quickly stood up, introducing himself: “Hello seniors, I’m Lance, this year’s intern.”

 

Fulunla nodded: “No need to be polite—we need fresh blood.”

 

Adrian clasped his hands, tapping the table: “We’re going to Tasman the day after tomorrow. What preparations has everyone made?”

 

Fulunla pushed her small glasses, pulling out a stack of documents from her backpack. Clearing her throat, she read seriously: “For this cruise bidding, I’ve formulated the following plan—”

 

Lance curiously leaned forward, hands clasped on the table, wanting to hear how spectacular this painfully formulated plan would be.

 

“—First, we must bring our own drinking water aboard to avoid High Tower Guild putting laxatives in the cruise ship’s water dispensers, causing collective diarrhea during our bidding period.”

 

Wu Peng led the applause.

 

Fulunla nodded to Wu Peng in thanks.

 

“Second, as everyone knows, the Manxing Sea is a giant cruise ship over 70,000 tons. Besides bidding guilds, there are many tourists vacationing in Tasman waters. Tourists are mixed—High Tower Guild spies could easily infiltrate. I suggest we avoid contact with any strangers before contract signing.”

 

Wu Peng applauded again. Mudeli praised: “Worthy of being our Marketing Department’s backbone—so comprehensive.”

 

Fulunla blushed, cupping her cheeks: “Thank you everyone.”

 

“Third, cruise door locks are a major vulnerability. As everyone knows, the Manxing Sea uses QR code entry, and High Tower Guild seems to have advanced hackers who might completely lock our doors to prevent us from going out. I suggest we break the locks first upon boarding—better unlocked than locked in.”

 

Adrian frowned.

 

He still preferred private space. Destroying locks completely would make it hard for him to sleep.

 

“Fourth, cruise food requires even more caution. High Tower Guild might research our preferences in advance, then bribe chefs to tamper with foods we love. I suggest we endure this ten-day cruise and only eat things we dislike, catching High Tower off guard.”

 

…

 

“Two hundred and eighth, the sample display segment is crucial. We must guard against the High Tower Guild swapping our red parrot crystal ore. For this, I plan to arrange for an employee to pose as a tourist with backup crystal ore, just in case.”

 

Lance initially listened seriously to Ghost Eye Guild’s countermeasures, but when Fulunla seriously read the seventy-eighth point, he couldn’t control himself and started spacing out.

 

He took the opportunity to observe others, finding they all listened quite seriously and would discuss with Fulunla to perfect the plan.

 

Lance couldn’t help reflecting: bribing chefs was completely against his style—why did Ghost Eye think they were so cunning?

 

Fulunla: “Finally, I deeply reflected on our last failure. I believe high morals created mental shackles. Before encountering High Tower, I’d never seen such shameless people. Henceforth, I’ll strive for downward compatibility—without destruction, there’s no construction—nipping High Tower’s schemes in the bud.”

 

Lance couldn’t help but laugh.

 

His shoulders shook lightly, his eyes curved into crescents—he looked quite adorable.

 

If he could reveal his identity now, he would kindly and gently inform Fulunla that a workplace overachiever who could write plans like graduation theses and deeply reflect on herself over small matters could never break through any mental shackles.

 

Fulunla looked at Mudeli, spreading her hands: “See? He doesn’t believe it.”

 

Mudeli shrugged helplessly: “He’s just an intern after all—hasn’t experienced workplace treachery yet.”

 

Fulunla turned to Lance: “If you suffer once, you’ll know everything we’re saying is true. Since commercial activities don’t allow ability use, everyone can only show their skills. High Tower Guild got an early start in this area—they’ve truly achieved having no bottom line.”

 

Lance fully accepted the praise from his rivals, smiling: “Understood, senior.”

 

At this moment, the most robust-looking Wu Peng suddenly clenched his fists and wiped away tears. His strong muscles heaved violently before he cursed through sobs: “No one is more despicable and shameless than them!”

 

Fulunla sympathetically patted his shoulder, explaining to Lance: “Last time, the crystal ore samples were on him.”

 

Mudeli added: “When Wu Peng was using the toilet, High Tower Guild people reached a hook from the next stall and hooked away the toilet paper and phone from the shelf. This move caught us completely off guard, disrupted our morale, and we lost the big contract.”

 

Lance bit his tongue hard, using pain to suppress his laughter.

 

“I see.”

 

Mudeli: “Kid, here’s advice from someone experienced—on the cruise, anyone could be a High Tower Guild spy. Never trust easily.”

 

Lance had an epiphany, nodding vigorously: “I understand. Thank you for the guidance, senior.”

 

Adrian said gravely: “No need to pressure him too much. The task still rests on us. That’s all for today. Everyone pack tomorrow, depart the day after.”

 

Ghost Eye Guild’s meeting atmosphere was as serious as always. Meanwhile, High Tower Guild’s bidding team was sitting together playing mahjong.

 

Mad Clown’s emotions were written all over his face. He curved his lips high, eyes gleaming: “Hurry up, what are you waiting for? Can’t handle losing?”

 

Dream Witch crossed her long legs, a lychee sea salt ladies’ cigarette between her lips.

 

She glanced down at her tiles, then took the cigarette between two fingers, gently exhaling milky white smoke. She gazed at Mad Clown with alluring eyes, breathing softly: “Darling, tell me what you’re going for?”

 

Mad Clown’s smile gradually faded. He stared blankly at Dream Witch, honestly saying: “I’m going for a pure suit.”

 

“Oh~” Dream Witch smiled, then played an East Wind tile.

 

Abaddon rubbed his thick palms, glancing at his tiles before muttering in his deep voice: “This… this… what should I play?”

 

Zhan Pingchuan watched as the air behind Dream Witch split open, a ghost emerging. It whispered in Dream Witch’s ear, carefully memorising the tiles, then slipped under the table to Abaddon’s side, rustling.

 

Abaddon secretly lifted his eyelids, glancing at the oblivious Dream Witch, then played a one-bamboo.

 

Zhan Pingchuan thought: You sly bodyguard uncle, looking honest but quite scheming.

 

Mad Clown finally snapped out of Dream Witch’s enchantment, slamming the table furiously: “You’re using abilities to cheat! Lan Qi, you can’t handle losing!”

 

Dream Witch smiled: “Why so angry? It’s just a game.”

 

Abaddon raised his hand, blocking the bristling Mad Clown: “Oh, everyone calm down.”

 

Mad Clown sneered: “You think I didn’t see the spirit you summoned? You saw all three of our hands completely!”

 

Dream Witch’s smile froze. She turned to Abaddon, grinding her teeth lightly: “Liao Wuliang! You summoned spirits to peek at our tiles? And I trusted you were honest.”

 

Abaddon shrank his neck, drooping his eyelids, his large body like an innocent little hill.

 

“This… this…”

 

To avoid collateral damage, Zhan Pingchuan secretly moved his chair back, but Mad Clown slapped his shoulder, threatening viciously: “Newbie, considering I listened to your love story for free, pass me a three-character tile. I won’t take your losing money!”

 

Zhan Pingchuan naturally wouldn’t be threatened, but was tempted: “Oh? Uncle Lu means if I feed you tiles, you’ll keep listening to my and Lance’s love story next time?”

 

“…Yeah.” Mad Clown endured the humiliation.

 

Since this round was already chaotic, Zhan Pingchuan had no psychological burden feeding Mad Clown a three-character tile.

 

Mad Clown quickly grabbed the three-character, inserted it into his hand, then stood up and pushed—the mahjong tiles neatly revealed on the table, all the same suit.

 

Mad Clown was triumphant: “I won! Pay up, pay up!”

 

On the meeting room sofa, Lily had her physics winter homework spread on her knees. She held a pencil in her mouth, fingers rubbing the homework paper’s corners, secretly glancing at the mahjong table.

 

She quickly pulled her notebook from under her bottom, hid it in her homework, then wrote a line—

 

[Lucas decides to give all his mahjong winnings to Lily.]

 

Mad Clown was frantically taking money from Dream Witch and Abaddon’s pockets. Just as he clutched the money, he suddenly paused.

 

He murmured: “What use is this money to me? I should give it to Lily who has to work hard on homework during vacation!”

 

Lily bit her tongue tip, grinning: “Yes, yes!”

 

Mad Clown, as if disgusted by money, quickly ran to Lily and gave her all his winnings plus his own money.

 

Lily dumped useless physics and math papers from her bag and started stuffing money.

 

Mad Clown: “Phew, so relaxing without money.”

 

“Idiot.” Dream Witch picked up a mahjong tile and threw it at Mad Clown, hitting his bottom.

 

Mad Clown spun around, coming to his senses. Before he could settle accounts with Dream Witch, he immediately turned back.

 

Lily grabbed her bag and ran like a loach, slipping out of the meeting room.

 

“Come back here!” Mad Clown gritted his teeth. “Lily, someday I’ll send you to the Arctic to keep polar bears company!”

 

The meeting room that should have been discussing bidding procedures was in chaos, mahjong tiles flying.

 

Zhan Pingchuan understood.

 

No wonder these people could think of so many wicked schemes—their bottom line was truly low, even scamming their own people.

 

Zhan Pingchuan interjected: “Tsk, seniors, I’m a bit confused. Our meeting title today seems to be ‘Tasman Bidding Rally’?”

 

Instantly, the meeting room quieted.

 

Dream Witch pulled out another stack of money, gave it to Mad Clown, then raised her chin: “Go call Lily back. You don’t need to participate in our rally.”

 

They weren’t sore losers, just habitually pranking each other—playing games without tricks was impossible.

 

But once they started discussing serious matters, everyone could immediately get into the zone.

 

Mad Clown pocketed the money without bristling. He threw a soul fragment at the sofa, then snapped his fingers. Lily, who had run far away, instantly appeared in the room, plopping onto the sofa.

 

Mad Clown said lazily: “Meeting time, little loli.”

 

Then he went to pick up his anchor point and stuffed it back into his body.

 

Just as Lily was about to reach out and mess with him, hearing these words, she quickly composed her expression and sat properly.

 

Mad Clown pushed open the door and strutted out.

 

Zhan Pingchuan raised an eyebrow, couldn’t help asking: “Excuse me, seniors, is it appropriate to display your abilities to me like this?”

 

Dream Witch said carelessly: “What’s inappropriate? We’ll all be family in future.”

 

Zhan Pingchuan: “Huh?” I’m actually the rival’s sister.

 

Abaddon coughed heavily.

 

Dream Witch’s eyes trembled, instantly showing a perfect smile: “I mean, since you saved Old Bang’s squad, you’ll be High Tower family from now on.”

 

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)