80: The broken secretary-general

The floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides filled the entire room with the glow of the setting sun. From here, one could overlook the bustling streets and the lively cityscape below.

Especially when night fell and the lights began to flicker on.

The brilliant lights were like scattered Stars adorning both sides of the street, forming a dazzling galaxy that was truly intoxicating.

On the spacious desk sat several gaming laptops, a stack of documents, and some office supplies.

Shang Wan Ning sat at the desk, her slightly curled long hair draped casually over her shoulders.

On the bridge of her nose rested a pair of silver-rimmed glasses she had swiped from Ling Qi, giving her an air of nobility and elegance.

At this moment, Shang Wan Ning was focused, holding an exquisite fountain pen. The nib glided smoothly across the paper, as if she were writing some important—"talisman."

[What should I do if I broke her?]

[Should I go and apologize to Ling Qi?]

[I really didn't know the "base of the tail" was the most sensitive spot for a Six-Tailed Demon Fox!]

[Argh! Who told that fox girl to be so tempting? I just couldn't help myself!]

[Besides, the Secretary-General is a "fox girl"! Holding back for even a few more seconds—I'd feel like I was disrespecting her race.]

Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted Shang Wan Ning's internal monologue.

She quickly put away the A4 paper and, without looking up, her cool voice rang out: "Come in."

The door slowly pushed open, and Chief Assistant Lin walked in, carrying several thick sets of documents.

She walked up to Shang Wan Ning, placed the documents gently on the desk, and said respectfully, "BOSS, here is the latest information on the 'Earth God Temple Surrounding Town Construction' project. Please take a look."

Shang Wan Ning nodded slightly to acknowledge her.

She extended her pale fingers, picked up the file, and began to flip through it carefully.

Her gaze was focused and sharp, not missing a single detail.

A few minutes passed. Shang Wan Ning's brow furrowed, and her gaze fixed on a certain page in the document; she had clearly discovered some issues.

"The budget on page 43 is overspent. Take it back and re-evaluate." Then, she handed the document to Lin Ran and continued, "Also, notify the project manager, You Wu, and tell him to call and report on the project's progress as soon as possible."

Chief Assistant Lin nodded and tactfully turned to leave. [I haven't seen the Secretary-General for two days. Could she have been... by the BOSS... No, no! Stop imagining things, my legs are going weak again!]

[This Old Lady doesn't want to have to get up in the middle of the night to change her panties again.]

Shang Wan Ning leaned back in her chair and gently pinched the bridge of her nose. [Drained! I'm completely drained! My sea of consciousness is empty and weak... even looking at a document is exhausting.]

Just then, the phone rang. Shang Wan Ning opened her eyes and saw the name "You Wu" displayed on the screen. She pressed the answer key and asked in a serious tone, "How is the project?"

You Wu's voice came from the other end of the line: "BOSS, regarding the 'Earth God Temple' project, your Subordinate has some urgent matters to report to you!"

"Speak!" Shang Wan Ning said.

"According to the preliminary statistics from the Information Department, the surrounding towns can accommodate over eight million ghosts at once. Once the Earth God Temple opens, the Wandering Souls produced by those who have died across Xia Country in recent months will be guided by the Ghost Messengers to..."

"Currently, the Underworld has not yet launched reincarnation services, so all the ghosts will be crowded into the surrounding towns."

"Furthermore, wouldn't starting operations at the Earth God Temple on October 10th be too hasty? After all, the Eight Sights of the Underworld haven't all been completed yet..."

"Enough, I understand what you mean." Shang Wan Ning interrupted him.

"Before the Earth God Temple opens, I will resolve the issues with the Bridge of Helplessness and the funding," Shang Wan Ning stated with full confidence.

You Wu scratched his head in excitement, feeling refreshed from head to toe as if he had just drunk an ice-cold cola.

He asked with a smile, "Then BOSS, does the commercial street of the Earth God Temple need to be put up for lease? There are many virtuous ghosts asking me about the annual rental fees."

"Don't ask me about such trivial matters anymore. You all can discuss and decide for yourselves. Also, notify the Engineering Department to speed up the progress of the project." Shang Wan Ning rested her chin on her right hand, looking somewhat dejected.

"Understood, BOSS. Your Subordinate will see to it immediately." You Wu hung up and went to carry out his orders.

Shang Wan Ning rubbed her temples, feeling a wave of irritability. [Sigh! Life is so hard without the Secretary-General, and Minister You Yu isn't here either...]

She couldn't help but sigh and threw herself onto the sofa, trying to alleviate her "excessive fatigue."

At this time, Xiao Si suggested while chewing gum, "Host, why don't you summon Ox-Head and Horse-Face to help out in the emergency!"

Hearing this, Shang Wan Ning frowned. "Tsk! A Demon-Underworld Envoy costs 120 million, Lady Meng costs 3 billion, and the Bridge of Helplessness is 88.8 billion... Are you sure I dare to spend right now? I'm practically wishing I could split one bit of incense offerings into two."

After saying that, she continued to complain, "88.8 billion for the Bridge of Helplessness—don't you think that's ridiculously expensive?"

Xiao Si quickly explained, "Host, anything involving the Law of Reincarnation is expensive! At least it's the real deal, right? Hehe..."

Shang Wan Ning shook her head helplessly and put her hands on her hips to calm her anger.

Seeing this, Xiao Si hurriedly continued to comfort her, saying, "Host, don't you still have 68,796,685,580 RMB in your account?"

However, Shang Wan Ning replied with a bitter smile, "Heh, can I afford the Bridge of Helplessness? There's only half a month left before the first phase of the Underworld's operation begins, and the funding is still short by over twenty billion."

"Host, there's still half a month left, what's the rush? Let Star do a 24-hour livestream to sell goods, have You Pan make his debut in the mortal world through voting, and then arrange for the Ghost Messengers to go on overseas assignments... In just three or four days, tens of billions will come rolling in."

"Do you think I don't want to? Except for the first one, the others have to wait until the Xia Country market is saturated. If I act now, wouldn't that be like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs?"

Shang Wan Ning knew clearly in her heart that if she did those things now, future development would be at risk.

"Besides, foreign countries aren't within the Underworld's service range. If they want to catch ghosts or demons, they should go find Osiris, Hades, Yama... or whoever!"

"That makes a lot of sense!" Xiao Si chimed in supportively, but secretly muttered in her heart, "Tsk! Such a black-bellied Host. The myths and legends of foreign countries have nothing left. Not going now is just because she wants to increase her bargaining chips later!"

[This System can already imagine Shang the Skin Flayer's prayers in foreign countries in the future.]

English Version:

The Empress of the Netherworld's grace is vast like the boundless sea, bestowing upon us the luster of life.

Her grandeur is unparalleled, granting us health and safety.

The Empress loves all beings, like a gentle spring breeze, selflessly contributing, rescuing the distressed, her greatness is truly admirable.

Her radiance is like the warm sun of spring, shining upon all lands, bestowing grace upon all things, for which all people praise her.

Her wisdom is like the resplendent Stars, guiding the way, bestowing upon us strength and hope.

Her love is eternal and unextinguishable, her grace enduring through the ages, long-lasting, we shall forever revere her!

The grace of the Underworld Empress is like the vast sea, bestowing upon us the luster of life.

The greatness of the Empress is unparalleled, granting us peace and health.

The Empress loves the people of the world, like a gentle spring breeze, contributing selflessly and rescuing those in distress; her greatness is truly admirable.

The radiance of the Empress is just like the warm sun of spring, shining upon the earth and bestowing grace upon all things; everyone praises her.

The wisdom of the Empress is like the brilliant Stars, pointing the way and giving us strength and hope.

The love of the Empress is eternal and inextinguishable, her grace lasting for thousands of generations, flowing long and far; we shall revere her forever!