They entered together with a smile, then took a seat to each side of me.

Gehenna looked at me and chuckled, “Sis, I want to follow you. Do you want…” He trailed off, staring at my neck as though he found something. “Oh my goodness! Who did this? He is even wilder than I am!”

I immediately covered my neck. Only now did I realize that He Lei had left a mark on my neck. Ah Zong’s gaze landed on my neck too, and his smiling face turned cold as he narrowed his charming eyes.

Gehenna chuckled awkwardly, “Er… Cough…” He retracted his gaze unnaturally and looked aside. He blinked vigorously at Ah Zong opposite him.

Ah Zong’s face grew glum. He averted his gaze and didn’t look at me again.

Gehenna felt even more awkward and he held his head, “Psst! I had too much to drink last night. My head is still aching…” He covered his face and pretended that he had a headache.

I knitted my eyebrows and let down my bunned-up long hair to cover the dark red mark that couldn’t be wiped away. It felt like a burn mark from the churning fire in He Lei’s body. Even when I touched it now, it still burned faintly.

Harry walked in with Uncle Mason from outside.

Uncle Mason patted his shoulder and sat down with him next to Gehenna. Harry didn’t look at me, instead fixing his eyes on the other side while he supported his head on one hand.

I continued to sit in silence glumly. I glanced at the empty seat next to Ah Zong. Only one person had yet to arrive.

The meeting room was filled with awkward silence.

“Why aren’t any of you talking?” Uncle Mason finally noticed the awkwardness and looked at everyone.

Gehenna chuckled drily and licked his lips, answering, “Er… I have yet to sober up. My head is still aching. I am having a rest.” Ah Zong held his forehead as he pretended to massage his temples.

Harry stole a glance at Ah Zong sideways while Ah Zong refused to meet his eyes.

Harry then continued to look at the table. The entire office became quiet again.

Uncle Mason glanced at them one by one and then at me. He was confused. He asked Ah Zong who was next to him, “Why is He Lei not here yet?”

Suddenly, a black figure appeared on the seat. He was almost lying flat on the chair. He rested the back of his hand on his forehead, covering half of his face. He stopped at the edge of the table and Ah Zong’s body blocked him entirely.

Ah Zong stole a glance at him glumly while he didn’t move an inch.

Harry looked sideways again. He didn’t look at me but at He Lei. He seemed confused.

“What’s wrong with you, He Lei?” Uncle Mason asked in confusion and glanced at everyone again. “What’s wrong with all of you…”

“Alright. Let’s begin!” I cut off Uncle Mason and kickstarted the meeting.

I swept my hand across the table. The surface of the table immediately fluctuated and created the 3D model of Nubis’ livable zone. “Xiao Ying found this map in the system in Nubis’ spacecraft…” Everyone maintained their posture as I spoke.

He Lei continued to lie on the chair and hide behind Ah Zong.

“There are a total of sixteen cities in Nubis’ livable zone, which shares borders with Napoleon and Gehenna’s. We will be pressing in from four directions: east, west, north and south. We will conquer Nubis’ territory successively and wipe out the man-eaters to save the people there.”

“Bing, we have Nubis’ spacecraft.” Uncle Mason leaned forward. He was the only one listening attentively during the meeting. “We can use the same method you used last time. We can pretend to be Nubis returning to his capital using his spacecraft and launch a surprise attack on them. We can just take over the capital city directly, no?”

I looked at him for a while, before I supported myself with my hands on the table. “Moto, bring Underworld Ghost in.”

“Yes!”

During the time when Moto went to fetch Underworld Ghost, the meeting room sank into awkward silence again. Time itself seemed to have frozen, tormenting us all.

Harry, Ah Zong and He Lei didn’t say a word in their seats.

Ah Zong glanced at He Lei coldly, maintaining the posture of supporting his head single-handedly. He began to fiddle with his pink long hair.

Harry seemed to notice something and he turned to look at He Lei and Ah Zong but he just wouldn’t look at me.

Uncle Mason became awkward too in the stiff silence. He began to look for a topic to talk about. He asked, “Bing, give Ah Duo’s baby a name.”

“Butterfly,” I replied straight away.

“Oh.” Then, Uncle Mason had nothing else to say. He clasped his hands together and sent Harry an eye signal.

Harry pretended that he didn’t see anything, instead continuing to hold his helmet. He would blow out bubbles occasionally.

Time seemed to freeze again. It felt like Moto was taking very long.

Uncle Mason began to send an eye signal to Gehenna, but Gehenna blocked his face with his hand. He seemed to gesture Uncle Mason to look in my direction.

Uncle Mason smiled at me and said, “Bing, what’s wrong? Everyone was fine last night. Hehe, did Harry bully you?! I will beat him up for you!” Uncle Mason immediately seized Harry’s neck. He slapped Harry like how he’d used to. “Say it! Did you make Bing upset?! Hurry up and apologize! How did I raise you? You have to make a woman happy if you love her! She is always right! Even if she is wrong, she is right!”

“Dad! I am a grown-up!” Harry pushed Uncle Mason away angrily. Then, he subconsciously combed his hair like he’d used to. However, he was only rubbing his slippery helmet now.

His hand paused and he looked distressed. He lowered his head quietly, his chest undulating. As though he was taking a deep breath before he turned to me. “Bing, I admit that I am avoiding you… I…”

Gehenna’s hand that was blocking his face suddenly moved as though he was sending Harry and Uncle Mason an eye signal.

Uncle Mason looked confused again when he saw it.

“But how could you make me…” Harry lifted his head anxiously. He wanted to say something but he stopped. He thought I was angry at him. Yes, I was angry at him too!

“I’m afraid it is because of someone else…” Ah Zong fiddled with his pink hair as he casually cut off Harry.

Harry was stunned. Uncle Mason was stunned too. They immediately looked at Gehenna because Gehenna had entered the meeting room before they had.

Gehenna immediately lay on the table and waved as though he was saying: You shouldn’t ask.

Finally properly receiving Gehenna’s signal, Uncle Mason zipped his mouth awkwardly. He leaned back like He Lei and hid behind Harry.

Harry immediately looked at Ah Zong while Ah Zong glanced coldly at He Lei next to him. “Lieutenant He Lei, are you in heat recently?” 

Harry was shocked because of Ah Zong’s comment about in heat.

He Lei’s chest heaved up and down. Then, he suddenly retracted his legs and sat straight. He clasped his hands tightly on the table. His face was terrifyingly glum as he stared at the map before him.