Bursting Tomato 16

When she saw Dongye He again, he was a far cry from the man he'd been before. The bruising on his face was from the fall during the earlier chaos. His wounds had been treated and the bleeding had stopped, but his clothes hadn't been changed.

He probably had never worn anything so dirty or tattered in his life; it was as if ants were crawling all over him, and he couldn't stop fidgeting.

Dongye He still carried that arrogant haughtiness typical of the chaebol family, but when he saw Lu Mingqiu, he immediately rose from his chair. When she said they could leave, he promptly agreed, "Okay."

It was like him, and yet not like him.

Yan Xianchuan glanced at him sideways. Sensing her gaze, Dongye He frowned, clearly displeased, but said nothing.

On the way back to Quhai Tower, Yan Xianchuan browsed the internet and saw that all hell had indeed broken loose. The top ten trending topics were variations of "Dongye He Suspected of Being Attacked."

Many of the stable staff had recorded videos, but Hei Ge had hacked the network and deleted them all with viruses.

At the time, flames had shot into the sky and the explosions had sent dust and smoke billowing. Everyone had been disguised, and with the naked eye, nothing could be discerned.

All one could see was a group of tightly wrapped people fighting a few mechanically modified cyborgs, and afterward Dongye He had vanished, leaving a mess behind.

Less than a month had passed since Dongye Zhengqi's death, and now Dongye He had encountered danger; all sorts of conspiracy theories were surfacing.

But the official account had recently issued a statement saying that Dongye He had escaped danger unharmed and that he would hold a press conference that afternoon to prove it.

They said the words, but few believed them.

When they arrived at Quhai Tower, the car drove directly into the underground garage, where his assistant Jin Zaishun was already waiting. Only when he saw Dongye He get out of the car did he relax.

There were also two unfamiliar women who got out with him. Who were these two? How had Dongye He returned after the attack? What exactly had happened during the whole incident?

Though a thousand questions swirled in his mind, he didn't ask a single one.

A competent subordinate knew when to keep his mouth shut.

Dongye He gave orders as he walked, "Have the journalists been found?"

Jin Zaishun followed behind him, speaking with utmost respect, "Everything has been arranged, boss. The press conference is in an hour."

"I've always trusted your work," Dongye He said. "These two are my saviors. They'll be staying here recently. Make sure to have the lower floor prepared."

"Understood," Jin Zaishun acknowledged.

He accompanied Dongye He all the way to the top floor before taking the elevator back down.

Dongye He's living room was much the same as it had been in the earlier video broadcast, except the sofa and carpet had been replaced. The intricate hand-woven carpet had been swapped for a tiger-skin rug.

Yan Xianchuan took a deliberate look. It was real fur.

That was a rare protected animal, but presumably the conglomerates didn't care about such legal niceties.

Dongye He went into his bedroom himself and didn't come out again.

Yan Xianchuan stepped over the tiger-skin rug and sat down on the sofa. "So we're here to keep an eye on him?"

"Sort of," Lu Mingqiu said. "I need to confirm his condition and observe him for a few days, and also take over the Dongye family's assets."

"Sounds like a hassle," Yan Xianchuan said, looking around the enormous living room. "Good thing I don't have to think."

"You have a task too," Lu Mingqiu suddenly said, her eyes curving. "You need to train, mainly in shooting."

Facing the reluctant expression on the other's face, she added, "And one more question: during this morning's operation, you had the ability to easily deal with the enemies. Why didn't you offer any suggestions or plans?"

Yan Xianchuan's attention was caught by an antique mechanical bird on a display cabinet, and she answered without thinking, "Because you said run."

I told you to run, so you ran?

Lu Mingqiu's expression turned peculiar; she couldn't refute that for a moment. Praising her for being obedient was hard, criticizing her for being inflexible wasn't quite right either, and she hadn't exactly done anything wrong. Besides, when it came to Yan Xianchuan, she always extended a great deal of tolerance.

"Next time, you can bring up your own thoughts," she added, "but it should be a suggestion that's relevant and beneficial to the mission."

At these words, Yan Xianchuan's mouth, which had opened in excitement, closed again, and her eyes turned mournful, as if Lu Mingqiu had said something utterly unforgivable.

Her face showed no expression, but her gaze was incredibly plaintive, like a wronged wife. After waiting a while and Lu Mingqiu still said nothing, she finally spoke. "How long will the training take? I think my marksmanship is already good enough."

"It depends on your progress," Lu Mingqiu said with a smile in her eyes. "Before we finish things here, this is your only task."

"And if I haven't finished by then?" Yan Xianchuan's eyes lit up, testing the waters.

"You can continue at the next branch," Lu Mingqiu said.

"Fine," Yan Xianchuan said.

"Dongye He doesn't seem changed much," she said, turning to another matter that interested her. "I thought he'd become especially dull."

"Then wouldn't everyone discover his abnormality?" Lu Mingqiu shook her head and said, "My power plants a single idea in his brain, making him obey my commands unconditionally. It doesn't alter his personality."

"His speech and mannerisms remain the same as before."

"Mm... what if you told him to strip and dance?" Yan Xianchuan asked curiously.

Lu Mingqiu glanced at her and said unhurriedly, "He'd be like you learning shooting—reluctant, but he'd do it."

Yan Xianchuan: "..."

She decided to keep staring at the antique bird and pretend she had just gone deaf.

An hour later, the press conference began on schedule in the first-floor conference hall of Quhai Tower. Dongye He sat at the head, with Jin Zaishun standing beside him, facing rows of seated journalists.

Though many had come, who would speak had been arranged in advance, as had the questions they'd ask. Everything was pre-scripted.

Yan Xianchuan and the other sat behind the curtains on the second floor.

After the opening remarks, a journalist stood up and asked, "What would you like to say about the attack this time?"

Dongye He's facial bruising had not yet faded, making it clear he had indeed suffered. "Some people did attempt to kidnap and extort me at the northern suburbs stable, but fortunately, my bodyguards arrived in time. Those involved have been handed over to the search team, and a prison term awaits them."

He sat down, and another journalist rose to ask, "Have the identities of the attackers been determined?"

Dongye He replied, "No leads at present."

A third journalist asked, "How do you view this attack?"

"I express my deep regret," Dongye He said. "That group was clearly well-prepared, with superior weaponry and precise objectives. They demanded the formula for the Consciousness-Separation Serum and a billion credits outright."

"How did they know my whereabouts? And who supplied their weapons and equipment? I don't believe a team like that can be pulled together off the street." Dongye He sighed. "Our family is dedicated to the pharmaceutical industry, to ensure that more people no longer suffer from illness and have a chance to live."

"Before I took over as head, I did a lot of charity work. Ten welfare homes and nursing homes in Night City were built by me personally, and I hold two large fundraising auctions every year. The proceeds go to alleviating the financial burden of those with severe illnesses."

"With great power comes great responsibility. That is my life creed, and I live by it. Sitting here, I can say I have a clear conscience."

"The research on the Consciousness-Separation Serum has spanned decades, and the cost in manpower and resources has been incalculable. The person behind the attackers coveted it, wanting to reap without sowing. But what they don't know is that our family has never profited from it. The sales of the Consciousness-Separation Serum only broke even, and in the early years, it was always running at a loss."

At this point, he seemed to have a thousand words surging in his heart, which finally condensed into a sigh. "Let's end today's press conference here. Thank you all for coming."

With that, he nodded to the crowd and walked out of the hall.

Throughout the entire speech, aside from the matter of the attackers demanding the Consciousness-Separation Serum, almost nothing else was true.

What life creed, what charity work. The Dongye family did indeed engage in charity, but it was not personally overseen by Dongye He; he was just the one giving orders.

And his purpose in doing charity was not to uphold any creed but merely a necessary part of maintaining his public image.

Though clever people knew the conglomerates were no good, they still needed a fig leaf.

And it had to be a shiny, beautiful fig leaf.

As for the personnel being handed over to the search team—they were probably in a crematorium by now.

If the hall hadn't been so crowded, Yan Xianchuan would have applauded him. That disappointment and anger at being misunderstood, the emotion when talking about ideals, that convincing performance without a flicker of guilt—he truly deserved a Best Actor award.

"Did you teach him all that?" she asked, turning her head to the person next to her.

"No, I only told him not to reveal anything and to keep things quiet," Lu Mingqiu denied. "That was his own improvisation."

"Let's go," she said. "The press conference is over; time to get down to business."

Lu Mingqiu wasn't particularly studied in business herself, but Spark had specialists for that; she was only the one making overall decisions.

"I've arranged a training instructor for you. It starts the day after tomorrow. As for tomorrow..." she said softly, "tomorrow we'll see Atmore off one last time."

"I've picked out a cemetery plot and sent messages to all his friends."

"Shouldn't we go buy some black clothes?" Yan Xianchuan considered. She remembered that one should wear black when paying respects.

"No need," Lu Mingqiu said. "We don't have such strict customs now. But if you want to buy some, you can go yourself."

The next day was cloudy, with thick white clouds piled high, their edges tinged with leaden gray, heralding rain.

The wind swirled through the grass as Yan Xianchuan, dressed in a black suit and holding a black umbrella, walked slowly along the stone path.

Atmore had not been religious, so there was no pastor here to speak words about finding peace by the Mother Goddess's side.

He had been a bounty hunter with a good personality and a wide circle of friends; people from nearly every walk of life had come.

There were twenty or thirty people total, but only Yan Xianchuan was dressed with such solemnity and gravity. She also carried a ranunculus, which she placed on the porcelain-white urn.

She wasn't bound by flower language; she simply thought its bold, unrestrained appearance suited Atmore's character.

No one spoke while the grave was filled. Amid the crowd, Yan Xianchuan noticed someone weeping silently.

It was Hill.