67: Three women, three plays

[I originally only intended to give You Lin a small warning, to stop him from wagging his tongue like a busybody.]

[Who would have thought that digging deeper would uncover such a mess that it could give This Old Lady breast hyperplasia from sheer anger!]

[It’s absolutely loathsome! These guys simply have no conscience at all!]

“Yes, yes, yes! Your Subordinate will handle it immediately.” You Lin responded, but his legs seemed to have lost all strength; he had to exhaust all his effort just to barely stand up from the ground.

“Wait!” Shang Wan Ning raised her hand, extending a slender finger to unconsciously rub her fingertip. She said thoughtfully, “That Li He, do you still have an impression of him?”

Hearing the BOSS suddenly call out to him, You Lin’s body jolted violently, trembling uncontrollably. He nodded his head frantically like a woodpecker. “I... I know him.”

“There is an important mission to give you now. You understand what needs to be done, right?” The smile on Shang Wan Ning’s face vanished instantly, her brows furrowing slightly, a hint of majesty in her eyes.

“But Li He is a heterosexual!” You Lin smiled fawningly, looking exactly like a lapdog trying to please an empress.

“Don't tell me you don't even know how to pretend to be a woman?” Shang Wan Ning’s tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

“If you don't know, then learn quickly!” she continued, her voice rising slightly.

“Consult Star more! Just treat it as mastering a new skill!” After saying that, Shang Wan Ning rolled her eyes at You Lin, seemingly disappointed in his performance.

“I! Do not keep useless ghosts!”

“Understood! Your Subordinate will certainly not fail the Empress’s expectations!” You Lin promised solemnly.

A few days later, You Lin appeared before Li He dressed in women's clothing. Mimicking Star, he swayed his hips and winked at Li He—but that’s a story for later... “Ling Qi! Is the treatment provided by the Underworld really that bad?” Shang Wan Ning’s expression remained unchanged as she fixed her gaze on the French window not far away.

Ling Qi habitually pushed up the gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of her nose. “BOSS! The Underworld’s benefits are at the top of the industry; it’s they who don’t know what’s good for them.”

Shang Wan Ning idly twirled her pen, looking at Ling Qi and saying, “You only know how to pick the nice things to say to me. Top of the industry?”

She let out a few chuckles, her voice slightly deep and charming. “A refined scoundrel... fawning and flattering...”

Ling Qi teleported close to the desk, leaning down slightly, her red lips vivid as if inviting someone to pluck them.

“Doesn’t BOSS like this type? Or have you grown tired of me after tasting me a few times?”

Shang Wan Ning took in every movement of the Secretary-General, the heat in her heart intensifying.

This ghost was simply like a [censored] ripened Daji incarnate—heart-stirring.

“I don’t want to argue with you. Move aside!”

Ling Qi blinked at her words, her dark eyes instantly turning a crimson red. “Yes!!!”

Knock, knock, knock... The sound of Chief Assistant Lin knocking on the door.

“Come in.” Shang Wan Ning straightened her clothes and sat up straight.

Chief Assistant Lin pushed open the door and noticed the strange atmosphere in the room. She froze for a moment, then quickly returned to normal. “BOSS, here are the documents you requested.” After speaking, she placed the documents on the table and sat upright on the sofa closest to Shang Wan Ning.

[Heh! The Secretary-General eats so well. BOSS has a faint fragrance on her, like the scent of Gloriosa lilies...]

Shang Wan Ning opened the documents and began to read them seriously.

Ling Qi watched Lin Ran quietly, thinking to herself that this woman was becoming more and more interesting... [Trying to steal my home? No way.]

After a while, Shang Wan Ning put down the documents, leaned back leisurely in her office chair, and looked at Lin Ran. She smiled and said, “When Chief Assistant Lin handles things, I am at ease.”

“I’ve approved all of these. Next week, twenty thousand Ghost Guards will be deployed to the Northern region.”

Lin Ran nodded. “Yes! BOSS. I will inform the Special Affairs Bureau later.”

“Mhm!” Shang Wan Ning nodded.

Seeing the corners of Lin Ran’s lips curled up and her eyebrows slightly raised, Ling Qi playfully uttered the words ‘Officer Lin.’ No matter how one heard it, the Secretary-General seemed to have ill intentions, trying to badmouth her to the BOSS.

Lin Ran couldn't help but glare at her, turning her head away and ignoring her.

Ling Qi: “ᕙ(`▿´)ᕗ”

“I heard the situation in the Northern region is severe. BOSS has sent both the Black and White Ministers there.”

“The Special Affairs Bureau has been applying for twenty thousand Ghost Guards to provide support, but BOSS refused every time.”

“Why did BOSS agree today?”

“Oh? Officer Lin’s vintage-style suit is really beautiful! With a white V-neck top underneath and those thin high heels... you have quite a strong and heroic aura...”

Ling Qi let out a string of sarcastic remarks in one breath.

Shang Wan Ning coughed a few times and glared at Ling Qi. “That’s enough!”

“I agreed today because Bai Xuan submitted an application with a several-hundred-page PPT.”

Lin Ran was indignant but had no way to vent, so she could only bury all her dissatisfaction deep in her heart and grumble silently.

“You two can argue all you want! But can’t you at least consider my feelings a little? What is the point of dragging me into this dispute for no reason?” Lin Ran roared internally.

“If it weren't for this damn mission from the Special Affairs Bureau, This Old Lady wouldn't be pretending to be the delicate and affected Chief Assistant Lin! Being all whiny and pretentious all day long—I’ve really had enough!”

At the thought of the role she had been playing these days, Lin Ran felt a wave of revulsion wash over her.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind: “Wait... BOSS and the Secretary-General are arguing. This might be a perfect opportunity for me! Maybe I can take this chance to infiltrate the inner circle.”

“Then I’ll find a suitable time to whisper some pillow talk to the BOSS. That way, I won't have to be an undercover agent on the front lines anymore. And the Empress is so beautiful, hehe... Honestly, after pretending to be a sharp female detective for several years after graduating from the police academy, my legs are sore from holding back. It’s time to change my style.”

...Ling Qi was stunned for a moment after being glared at by the BOSS. But to the ghost's surprise, she didn't feel angry because of it.

On the contrary, a strange sense of amusement rose from the bottom of her heart.

She only felt that those glares had no deterrent effect at all; instead, they made the BOSS look like a Maine Coon throwing a tantrum.

Ling Qi spent a few seconds recalling last night—the way the BOSS curled up in her arms like a kitten in the back seat of the car.

[Sigh! Such a tsundere BOSS! She’s clearly trying to provoke me on purpose!]

[At worst, next time... I won't let the BOSS taste me anymore!!!]

Shang Wan Ning lowered her eyes, her legs crossed elegantly. Her brows furrowed slightly as she asked in confusion, “Xiao Si, what is with them today? Every one of them seems so strange.”