Legendary Person: I brought my skills back to reality!

Xu Hao, of course, wouldn't go back on his word. He was always a man of his word; if he said he'd stay, he would stay. Besides, he and Lin Ya had just confirmed their relationship; how could they be living apart?

Lin Ya has been incredibly busy these past few days, constantly learning about logistical tasks from Zhao Miaomiao, with hardly a moment to spare. Xu Hao, recalling that they've only seen each other a handful of times in the past few days, felt a pang of disappointment, but even more so, heartache.

Just then, Xu Hao's phone rang; it was Lin Ya calling.

"Hey, sis, what's up?" Xu Hao answered the phone, his voice tinged with anticipation.

"Xu Hao, are you busy?" Lin Ya's voice sounded a little tired, but still gentle.

"No, no, you go ahead." Xu Hao smiled and glanced at Director Li and Zheng Jinqiang beside him.

"I'm so tired today," Lin Ya sighed softly.

"You've worked hard. I haven't seen you much these past few days," Xu Hao said with concern.

"Yes, Zhao Miaomiao took me running around all day, and my legs feel like they're about to break. The work at this bureau is really busy." Lin Ya smiled with a hint of helplessness.

“If you feel tired, I’ll talk to the director. If that doesn’t work, we can…” Xu Hao suggested.

"No!" Lin Ya's tone was firm. "I know some things too. I understand the meaning of this job, and I'm willing to stay here!"

"Sister Lin, I miss you!" Xu Hao said earnestly.

"Yes, me too. I'll go over after I get off work." Lin Ya's voice was barely audible.

"Okay, I'll wait for you." Xu Hao.

"Mmm," Lin Ya said softly.

After hanging up the phone, Xu Hao had a big smile on his face. But the expressions on the faces of the two old men next to him were quite interesting.

Both of them were actually superhumans, and their sharp hearing and eyesight were not a problem. They heard the contents of the phone call without missing a single word.

Zheng Jinqiang: This kid, with two superiors here, shouldn't you have said, "I'm a little busy right now, I'll get back to you in a bit?"

Director Li: Huh? This kid is really not leaving because he's talking to a girl? The girl on the other end of the phone is surnamed Lin, not Su. You're quite the player, aren't you?

Then I thought: having a hobby is better than having none. So what if I don't like living apart?! You should have said so earlier! That girl is also living apart from me, right? I could have just stolen both of them away! But not now. That old bastard Zheng is watching closely; there will be plenty of opportunities!

Xu Hao hung up the phone, his smile still lingering, when Director Li approached him with a grin, patted Xu Hao's shoulder, and said with a mix of teasing and understanding, "Xiao Xu, we were thinking of finding a place tonight for the three of us to have a good chat and a couple of drinks, since it's rare for us to get together. But seeing how distracted you are, it's obvious you have something more important to do." He deliberately dragged out the word "more important," a sly glint in his eyes.

Xu Hao scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, but he couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

"It's alright, it's alright," Director Li waved his hand and continued, "You're a young man, it's only right for you to date, we two old folks won't hold you back." He gently nudged Zheng Jinqiang, who was standing to the side, with his elbow, signaling him to say a few words as well.

Zheng Jinqiang grinned, revealing a mischievous glint in his eyes: "Xiao Xu, you'd better seize this opportunity. That girl is a good child; I watched her grow up. Young people should get along well."

After saying that, he gave Director Li a meaningful look. He emphasized the words "watched her grow up," but how could he have watched Lin Ya grow up? It was true that she was familiar with her father, but at most he had held her when she was a child.

Director Li cursed inwardly, "You think you know this person? You're so old, how can you be so shameless?"

"Thank you, Director Li and Director Zheng." Xu Hao nodded, feeling grateful for the understanding of his two senior colleagues.

"Alright, I have to go back to the capital first thing tomorrow morning. But," Director Li paused, narrowed his eyes slightly, as if he was thinking about something, "I reckon I'll be going to ZZ quite often in the future, since there's a lot going on here too."

Xu Hao's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this. After years of navigating the workplace, he understood what this meant.

In the future, Director Li will likely be directly responsible for business dealings between the ZZ branch and headquarters. If he gets promoted again, he will most likely become his direct supervisor.

In the end, I was still under Director Li's command, huh.

"That's all for now, you go ahead and do your thing, we'll get together another day." Director Li waved his hand, signaling Xu Hao to hurry up and get back to his work.

Xu Hao nodded in acknowledgment and shook hands with the two old foxes to say goodbye.

Back home that evening, Xu Hao and Lin Ya finally had a moment alone. After dinner, they sat on the sofa in the living room. Xu Hao looked at Lin Ya's tired face, his heart filled with tenderness. He gently took her hand and asked softly, "How are you feeling today? Your feet still hurt after running around all day?"

Lin Ya smiled slightly and shook her head: "I'm much better, you don't need to worry about me."

Xu Hao nodded, took a deep breath, and seemed to be organizing his thoughts. Finally, he decided not to hide it anymore: "Lin Ya, there's something I've been wanting to tell you, but I was afraid you'd worry."

Seeing his solemn expression, Lin Ya's heart tightened: "What is it? Tell me, I can handle it."

Xu Hao hesitated for a moment, but then spoke up. He told Lin Ya about the contents of the meeting that day, as well as the strange large-scale invasion a year later.

Lin Ya's expression changed upon hearing this, but she quickly regained her composure: "Actually, I've also heard some similar rumors."

Xu Hao was somewhat surprised: "You've heard about it too?"

Lin Ya nodded: "Yes, Zhao Miaomiao once inadvertently revealed some information, and I paid attention to it. Although it wasn't very detailed, I got the general idea."

Sure enough, how could something that involves holding a large meeting and demanding secrecy possibly be kept secret?

Xu Hao sighed and squeezed her hand: "This matter is very complicated and very dangerous. I don't want you to get involved, but this is a war for all mankind. But no matter what, Sister Lin Ya, I will protect you, so don't worry!"

Lin Ya looked at him firmly: "Xu Hao, since I chose this job, I won't back down. I've also learned about the Strange Bureau these past few days. If we fall, no one will survive. So, we have no choice."

Lin Ya usually seemed delicate, but Xu Hao was surprised by her sudden realization. However, he quickly recovered. "We're not here tonight to discuss the future of humanity!"

With a sly grin, she said, "Sister Lin? Should I shower first or you? Or, shall we shower together?"