The sound of the punch echoed so loudly that the world was stunned.
Alexander staggered back, his head snapping to the side. For a brief moment, the world seemed to stand still. Everyone was too stunned to move or speak.
The secretary stood rooted behind him, with eyes wide, the colour drained from his face. 'Did his boss just get punched like that?'
A servant passing by mistakenly dropped the porcelain pot she was carrying, it shattered the moment it touched the ground, yet the noise seemed to be swallowed.
Alexander slowly straightened his back. His hand came up to his cheek, his fingers trembling as they brushed over the assaulted spot. 'Why… why does it feel like I was punched by a wall?'
The pain came only moments later, dull and sharp at the same time, but what stunned him more was disbelief.
He looked up at the woman he had despised from the moment he set eyes on her… or so he thought. She was so different from that woman.
The Laurel in front of him flexed her hand as if she had swatted off a mere fly. There was no apology in her eyes, no fear either.
"What… did you just do?" Alexander asked hoarsely.
Ling Xuan didn't answer, she had already turned away. 'So men these days are as soft as congee, even the bread from my time is stronger than him.'
"Come back, I'm not done speaking." His calm voice was long gone, now his voice was hoarse and angry, his pride and ego had taken a huge blow.
Ling Xuan didn't bother to spare him another glance. When she got inside the mansion, she went straight to her room.
"What? You don't like the way I punched him?" Ling Xuan spoke after she didn't hear from Laurel. "I can go back and beat him into a pulp."
"I liked it," Laurel said, but she didn't sound very enthusiastic. "I liked the look of shock on his face."
Ling Xuan sighed. "Your body is too weak, it needs tempering, I'll create a training plan suitable for it."
"Whatever you want, as long as you do it in your own time." Laurel quietly said.
[Soul Sync compatibility: 56%… 58%… 59%]
Ling Xuan stared blankly at the screen in front of her, clearly not impressed.
…..
Meanwhile in another part of the city.
A lone figure stood at the glass wall, his hands tucked in his pockets. His back view emanated a strong aura of charisma.
His calm expressionless eyes stared down at the city bustling below him.
"Boss, are you sure you were not scammed? The debits show the money was used for foodstuffs and a warehouse." His secretary said in a calm voice.
A smile formed on Chris Lennox's lips. "Is that so?" His lips barely moved. "Let's see what tricks she will pull tomorrow."
He walked back to sit in his luxurious chair. His eyes glanced at his wrist watch before moving to Dylan, his secretary. "Have you confirmed it?"
"Yes, Mr. Lennox. The drugs had been swapped for something similar to the real ones. However, it is very dangerous and it will slowly worsen your condition." Dylan said, handing him the test paper result.
Chris slowly nodded his head, only a glint flashed through his eyes. "I want you to keep an eye on Camile. Swap the drugs to the real ones for now. Don't do anything to alert her, I want to see what she is up to."
"But…"
"I know," Chris interjected. "She won't go free, there is no harm in playing a little bit."
Dylan nodded his head. "I'll do as you say, boss."
Chris waved his hand, and Dylan immediately excused himself and walked out of the room.
"Laurel…what are you up to?" He muttered under his breath as he glanced back at his wrist watch.
....
[Mission 002: Secure the field
Time remaining: 40:08:12]
Ling Xuan groaned, already hating the idea of farming. "We can pay workers to get the job right?"
"I don't think that is acceptable. And besides we want to keep it a secret, too many people means less secrecy." Laurel said. "We will do it by ourselves."
"System, can we trade now?" Laurel asked.
Before the blink of an eye, they were already in the system space.
Both Ling Xuan and Laurel stood side by side.
[Hosts haven't completed a lot of missions yet, so you have 25points. What do you want to trade the point with?]
"We want a power tiller and a bush cutter." Laurel hoped the points would be enough.
[Host, the equipment you desire costs 60 points, you can't afford it now.]
"Is it possible for us to take other missions?"
[No, not until hosts have gotten to the intermediate level.]
Ling Xuan rolled her eyes.
Laurel turned to face her. "Our only choice now is to go buy one."