Chapter 19: Astonishment (Please Vote)

No words were spoken throughout the night. The ghost that had followed Dou Dou yesterday was cautious and did not reappear. Although Dou Dou had spent the entire night watching cartoons, her spirit remained lively and bright.

As soon as Shen Siyuan got out of bed, she hurried over to him.

“Sweet Potato Guoguo~ Will I get to see Mommy today?” she asked, her face full of eager anticipation.

“Yes, you will,” Shen Siyuan assured her with certainty.

The little one immediately erupted into joyful cheers, hopping and bouncing around the room. The flames atop her head flickered with her movements, lending her an endearing charm.

After freshening up, Shen Siyuan grabbed the keys to his electric bike and stepped outside, with Dou Dou quickly following behind.

At first, she sat behind him on the bike, holding onto his waist. But soon she discovered she could transform into a gust of cold wind and fly alongside him, which was both faster and more exhilarating.

So she darted left and right around Shen Siyuan, stirring up chilly breezes.

“That’s quite refreshing. When it’s hot, I’ll just have you fan me,” Shen Siyuan joked with a smile.

Dou Dou took him seriously, puffing out her little chest proudly to declare her prowess.

Along the way, they encountered many ghosts loitering by the roadside. Whenever they saw Dou Dou, they hastily kept their distance.

It’s often said that ghosts fear sunlight, but that’s not quite accurate. Whether in the wilderness or the modern world, ghosts are not truly afraid of sunlight; it merely makes them slightly uncomfortable, without much impact.

Since ghosts exist within the natural order of the world, just like humans, it’s impossible for them to fear the moon.

If ghosts truly feared the sun, then the power of the Nine Nether Demon Lords in the wilderness would be greatly diminished, limiting their appearances only to the night.

These ghosts who do not fear sunlight, however, are terrified of Dou Dou because of the flames she bears. Even from afar, the fire makes them uneasy—this is an instinctive dread born from the soul itself.

“Wow, there’s a huge monster over there!” Dou Dou exclaimed from her flight, descending to hide behind Shen Siyuan.

Shen Siyuan looked over and saw a humanoid creature resembling a toad lurking in the shadows of a tree, peering cautiously in their direction.

He was not surprised to see such a being, as it was one of those ghosts struggling to maintain human form.

Since encountering ghosts, he had seen countless grotesque shapes: long-tongued ghosts with tongues dangling to their chests, faceless spirits, multi-eyed ghosts covered entirely in eyes, and even one that resembled a giant hanging root...

“You don’t need to be afraid; they should be afraid of you,” Shen Siyuan said with a hint of helplessness. Thankfully, he didn’t have to rely on his little companion to fight.

“Why are they afraid of me?” Dou Dou asked, puzzled.

“I’m so cute, not a bad kid at all.”

“I think you’re a silly kid,” Shen Siyuan teased. “Haven’t you noticed that all these ghosts avoid you on this journey?”

Dou Dou shook her head in confusion and floated back into the air.

“That’s because you’re different from them,” Shen Siyuan explained seriously.

Dou Dou blinked her big eyes and looked down at her small hands. Suddenly, blue flames burst forth from her palms, licking the air, and a chilling coldness spread around them.

“Am I really powerful now?” she asked, looking up at Shen Siyuan.

“Yes, you’re very powerful now, which is why they fear you.”

“But I’m a good kid—I don’t fight,” Dou Dou said earnestly.

Shen Siyuan sighed inwardly. It seemed this little one was destined only to be a mascot, utterly useless in battle.

“Shen Siyuan.”

At that moment, a voice interrupted their conversation. It was Zhou Zhengdao, riding an electric bike, catching up from behind.

“Morning,” Shen Siyuan greeted him.

“How’s it going? Have you finished the plan?” Zhou Zhengdao asked eagerly.

Since Ding Youguang had discussed a lucrative project with Shen Siyuan some days ago, Shen Siyuan had wasted no time and sought out Zhou Zhengdao to talk it over.

He hadn’t expected Zhou to be even more enthusiastic, confident that the plan was feasible and had a high chance of success.

According to Zhou, the monotony of daily work was boring, and now that there was an opportunity to make money, he wasn’t going to miss it.

“It’ll be ready today. But did you talk to Li Qunfang yet?” Shen Siyuan asked.

He hadn’t approached Li Qunfang himself—not because he didn’t want to, but because Zhou Zhengdao had taken the initiative to handle it.

Zhou had a closer relationship with Li Qunfang than Shen Siyuan did.

Shen Siyuan only interacted with Li Qunfang during holiday events, whereas Zhou communicated frequently with her due to project development, naturally fostering a better rapport.

Moreover, Li Qunfang undoubtedly regarded Zhou’s opinions more highly.

Within the company hierarchy, programmers stood at the top, while operations staff, who were responsible for revenue, were at the bottom—channels even outranked operations.

Therefore, Zhou had a better chance of persuading Li Qunfang.

“I’m on it. She’s already agreed to join us,” Zhou said confidently.

“That’s great. Without her, we can’t get this done. Set up a group chat today, and we’ll all discuss it,” Shen Siyuan breathed a sigh of relief.

“All right. When I get to the office, I’ll create the group. Make sure to add Ding Youguang too—he’s the one pushing this forward, and I haven’t even spoken to him yet.”

Zhou’s words expressed his trust in Shen Siyuan.

“Yeah, we should meet in person too. Let him treat us to a meal.”

“How about tonight?”

“Tonight won’t work; I have plans.”

“Then next week. Three grown men calling out a single girl on a day off would be awkward anyway. Plus, I’ll be home resting the next couple of days, so I can finish the fishing demo…”

“But you’d better get me the plan this morning. I want to review the logic this afternoon; otherwise, I might have to bother you over the weekend.”

“No problem.”

Zhou was meticulous and thoughtful—if he weren’t a programmer, he would make an excellent leader. His coordination was flawless, rarely missing a detail.

As they spoke, Dou Dou floated down and sat behind Shen Siyuan on the bike, wrapping her arms around his waist, curiously eyeing Zhou Zhengdao.

They parked downstairs at the company building and hadn’t yet reached the entrance when they ran into Ding Youguang.

“Good morning, President Shen, President Zhou,” he greeted from a distance, waving familiarly.

He knew Zhou Zhengdao but wasn’t as close to him as Shen Siyuan was.

Zhou smiled and nodded in return.

Shen Siyuan teased, “You call me ‘President,’ but you won’t even call me ‘brother.’”

“If this works out, forget brother—I’ll call you ‘dad,’” Ding Youguang joked shamelessly, his gaze flickering between the two before looking to Shen Siyuan for confirmation.

Shen Siyuan nodded. “Zhou Zhengdao has agreed to join us, and he’ll handle the art as well.”

“Really? That’s fantastic! Brother Zhou, you’ve been a huge help. With you on board, this will definitely succeed. Have you eaten breakfast? I’ve got some here...” Ding Youguang stuck close to Zhou, his enthusiasm almost overwhelming.

“Why don’t you ask me?” Shen Siyuan asked.

“Go away, don’t interrupt me bonding with my bro...” Ding teased.

The three laughed as they reached the elevator. When it opened, Jiang Wenxin stood inside. She had driven up from the garage.

Upon seeing Shen Siyuan, her eyes lit up. “Siyuan, have you eaten breakfast? I have plenty here.”

Ding Youguang and Zhou Zhengdao both turned to Shen Siyuan, their eyes wide with surprise.

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Note: Chapter Eight has been slightly revised. The four gold bricks—our protagonist took one, which makes more sense.