"When I start making more money from the chip business in the future, I will continue to improve the treatment of the miners."
"I know you might still have concerns, but there's no need to say more. I am the chairman, and I make the decisions."
Yun You's voice was soft, but her tone was full of undeniable authority.
"As for your compensation...for now, each of you will receive 2.5% of the shares, and your annual salary will be deducted from profit dividends. You'll still end up with a hundred thousand or so, no matter what."
"Alright, if there's nothing else, the meeting is adjourned. All company matters, big and small, will be entrusted to you during this period. You have the authority to directly handle all affairs."
"Oh, one more thing... 'Tiger Head Heavy Industries' is an awful name! From now on, any business I own will be renamed 'Huangxing Group'!"
"Uh..."
Watching Yun You stand up to leave, Frost Moon was slightly taken aback and subconsciously asked, "What about you, boss?"
"I'll go home first."
Yun You took a few steps to the window, smiled suavely, and said, "Then I'll head to Floating Island for a three-month prison stay."
"See you in three months!"
With those words, she leapt through the window, disappearing into the moonlight, leaving behind a bewildered Hacker and Divine Chosen, dazed in the office.
"Is she really that excited about going to jail?"
The two looked at each other, wide-eyed, completely puzzled...
...
Lower City, S District, on the outskirts, a small garden.
In Nest City, finding a plot of pure, unpolluted soil is not an easy task.
As for flowers, they are practically extinct.
However, Yun You was fortunate.
Perhaps it was the blessing of her long-gone parents that during Yun You's hardest times, she found a tiny garden beside an abandoned hospital in S District.
The garden was small, only a dozen or so square meters. Since it was long unvisited, the soil was nearly unpolluted, allowing small weeds to grow along with the fuzzy morning glories climbing around.
Yun You's parents rest here.
A human life is as fleeting as a candle flame. For ordinary people like Yun Jiang and Jiu Xiang, it is often difficult to leave any trace in history.
But that's okay, because Yun You will carry their memories on...
She will never forget.
"Dad, Mom, Ah You is back."
The young girl opened her bag, taking out three cups, three bowls, a not very expensive but long discontinued bottle of rice wine, and a big box of strawberry pudding—her favorite snack, specially crafted at her own Huangxing Bar.
[Yun Zai...]
Suddenly, a voice like a gentle breeze sounded in Yun You's ear.
The girl froze for a moment before realizing it was Master Zero's voice.
Master Zero had just awakened, and though his voice seemed weak, he could at least keep Yun You company with conversation.
[Why are you drinking all of a sudden? Is something on your mind?]
Yun You shook her head.
"I'm not drinking, dad drinks it, it's his favorite wine."
She filled a cup with wine, placed it in front of her father's small tombstone, and muttered, "Though it's rice wine, it's quite potent and easy to get drunk with."
"Dad used to love drinking. I heard that when he was young, he got chilled, and his knee had rheumatism; it would hurt terribly when it rained. He didn't have the money for treatment, so he relied on alcohol to dull the pain."
"But since having me, he barely drank. He said he was afraid of getting drunk and going on a rampage and hurting me, but I knew he never did that. He just thought drinking was expensive and wanted to save the money to buy popcorn for me instead."
As she spoke, the young girl poured the wine into the soil, gently saying, "Dad, Ah You has money now, no need to be so frugal anymore, really..."
"Dad, Mom, Youyou is doing well now. I have a master who cares for me, trusted friends, and I've become very strong... Although I couldn't keep the promise to bring back Yang Lie's head, he's already dead."
"As for the other three people, I won't let them continue living either."
Yun You took a deep breath, holding back the tears welling up in her eyes, opened the box of strawberry pudding, and used a plastic knife and fork to divide it into three pieces, placing two larger pieces at the tombstone, keeping the smaller one for herself.
[It's the strawberry pudding you love most.]
Master Zero sighed softly.
Yun You nodded, dipped her finger into the pudding's cream, and took a small taste.
This pudding was made by her friend and subordinate, Kasidelle, owner of the Huangxing Bar. With her unique skill in creating this sweet, she had the bar doing brisk business, making a fortune daily over the past few weeks.
The pudding melted in her mouth, bringing a soft, airy strawberry fragrance, sliding down her throat and warming her stomach, sweet to her very core.
Indeed, this dessert was delicious, possibly the best-tasting pudding Yun You had ever eaten.
But the young girl only tasted a small piece before setting it aside.
"Master Zero, you know about my strange condition where wounds appear on my body whenever I'm hungry, don't you?"
"Actually, even as a child, I was always very hungry."
Yun You shook her head regretfully.
"There's a saying—growing boys eat their fathers out of house and home. Although I'm not a boy, I could eat more than any boy, often too hungry to sleep in the middle of the night, sickly all day, with no energy."
"Whenever I was too hungry to bear, Dad and Mom would make their specialty, strawberry pudding."
"Because we couldn't afford non-radiated sugar and didn't want to use harmful additives, their pudding wasn't sweet at all. The red coloring on the surface was likely food dye, not real strawberry juice, so the taste was always a little salty and bitter."
"But I loved it, really loved it..."
"I'd finish the pudding completely, gobbling it up, always forgetting to leave even a bit for Dad and Mom. Yet, they never said a word, just watched me finish with smiles."
"Once I finished, I wasn't hungry anymore, felt warm all over, and any ailments disappeared."
"Since then, I've tried to recreate that pudding, to find that familiar taste, but no matter how much I spend or how many stores I visit, I've never found that taste again."
"Master Zero...do you think Dad and Mom's pudding tasted so good because of love?"
[...]
Master Zero was silent for a while before softly speaking...
[Love is probably the reason.]
[Love is the best seasoning.]
"Love..."
Yun You silently chewed on this beautiful word for a long time before letting out a sigh.
"No matter how strong I become, no matter how many businesses I own, none of them can buy back that love."
"Master Zero, I'm afraid I'll never get over this regret."
"That's precisely why I want to treat the miners well. I hope that what happened to me never happens to anyone else."
"I know how bitter it is, and it's enough for me to swallow that bitterness alone."
[You'll succeed, young girl,]
Master Zero closed his eyes...
[You will make it happen.]
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