The night passed without incident.
The ghost following Doudou last night was very cautious and didn't appear again.
Although Doudou watched cartoons all night, she was still full of energy.
As soon as Shen Siyuan got out of bed, she crowded around him.
"Sweet Potato Bwother~, will I get to see Mom today?"
Her face was full of anticipation.
"Yes, you'll see her today."
Shen Siyuan gave her a definite answer.
The Little One immediately cheered, hopping and skipping around indoors.
The Flames on her head swayed with her movements, looking quite adorable.
After washing up, Shen Siyuan grabbed his Electric Bike key and left.
Doudou hurriedly followed behind.
At first, she sat on the bike behind Shen Siyuan, hugging his waist.
Later, she discovered she could turn into a Yin Wind and fly, which was faster and more fun.
So she danced around Shen Siyuan, stirring up gusts of Yin Wind.
"It's actually quite cool. When the weather gets hot, I'll call you out to be my fan," Shen Siyuan teased with a smile.
But Doudou took him seriously, puffing out her little chest to show how super capable she was.
Along the way, they encountered many ghosts loitering on the roadside.
Upon seeing Doudou, they all hid far away, not daring to approach.
It is said that ghosts fear sunlight, but this is actually incorrect.
Whether in The Great Wilderness or the modern world, ghosts aren't actually afraid of sunlight. It just makes them slightly uncomfortable, with no major effect.
Because if ghosts exist, it means they are within the world's rules, just like how people can't possibly be afraid of the moon.
Besides, if ghosts were afraid of the sun, then back in The Great Wilderness, the Nine Nether Demon Lord's power would have been halved, and he would only be able to appear at night.
But these sun-indifferent ghosts were afraid of Doudou. The Flames on her body made them uncomfortable even from a great distance—a fear that came from the very instinct of the soul.
"Wow, there's a big monster over there."
Doudou, floating in the air, exclaimed in surprise and dropped down, hiding behind Shen Siyuan.
Shen Siyuan looked over and saw a Toad-like Humanoid Creature hiding in the Tree Shade, peeking at them from afar.
Shen Siyuan wasn't surprised by the sight, as this was a ghost that had difficulty maintaining its Human Form.
Ever since he'd become able to see ghosts, he had seen countless strange and bizarre forms.
There were Long-Tongued Ghosts with tongues hanging to their chests, Faceless Ghosts with no faces, Multi-Eyed Ghosts covered in eyes, and even a Giant Root that looked like a giant dick…
"You don't need to be afraid. They should be afraid of you."
Shen Siyuan felt rather helpless.
Good thing he didn't have to command the Little One in a fight.
"Why are they afraid of me?" Doudou asked, a little confused.
"I'm so cute, and I'm not a bad kid."
"I think you're a silly kid.
Haven't you noticed that all the ghosts have been avoiding you this whole way?"
Doudou shook her head in confusion and floated back into mid-air.
"Because you're different from them," Shen Siyuan said seriously.
Doudou blinked her big eyes, looked down at her small hands, and then her hands abruptly burst into Blue Flames that rose up, licking at the air and spreading an icy chill all around.
"Am I really strong now?" Doudou looked up at Shen Siyuan.
"Yes, you're very strong now, so they're all afraid of you."
"But I'm a good kid.
I don't fight," Doudou said earnestly.
Shen Siyuan: …
Looks like this Little One can only be a mascot.
She's completely useless.
"Shen Siyuan."
Just then, a voice interrupted Shen Siyuan and Doudou's conversation.
It was Zhou Zhengdao, who had caught up from behind on his Electric Bike.
"Morning," Shen Siyuan greeted him.
"How's it going? Have you finished the Planning Proposal?" Zhou Zhengdao asked as soon as he pulled up.
Ever since Ding Youguang had talked to Shen Siyuan about the Money-Making Venture, Shen Siyuan hadn't delayed and had gone straight to talk with Zhou Zhengdao.
Unexpectedly, Zhou Zhengdao was even more enthusiastic and excited than Shen Siyuan, thinking the project was doable and had a high chance of success.
In his words, his routine Work was boring, and now that there was a chance to make some money, there was no way he would miss it.
"It'll be ready today. But have you talked to Li Qunfang?"
Shen Siyuan hadn't gone to find Li Qunfang.
It wasn't that he didn't want to, but Zhou Zhengdao had volunteered to handle it.
His relationship with Li Qunfang was even better than Shen Siyuan's.
Shen Siyuan only interacted with Li Qunfang during holiday events, whereas Zhou Zhengdao often communicated with her due to project development, so their relationship was naturally better.
Besides, in Li Qunfang's eyes, Zhou Zhengdao definitely carried more weight than Shen Siyuan.
The Company also had a Hierarchy of Prestige. The Programmers were at the very top, while Operations, responsible for revenue, was at the very bottom.
Even the Distribution Channels department ranked higher than Operations.
So, if he went to persuade Li Qunfang, the success rate would definitely be higher than Shen Siyuan's.
"With me on the job, of course it's not a problem. She's already agreed to work with us."
"That's great.
We can't do this without her. Create a group chat today, and we can all talk."
Hearing this, Shen Siyuan breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Alright, I'll create the group when we get to the Company. You should add Ding Youguang too. He's the one who pushed for this, and I haven't even spoken to him about it."
By saying this, Zhou Zhengdao was expressing his trust in Shen Siyuan.
"Yeah, we should still meet up to talk. Make him buy us dinner."
"How about tonight?"
"Can't tonight, I have something to do."
"Then let's do it next week.
It wouldn't be right for the three of us guys to call Li Qunfang, a girl, out on a day off. Besides, I'm off for the next two days, so I can get the Fishing Demo done…"
"But you'd better give me the Planning Proposal this morning.
I'll check the logic and stuff in the afternoon to see if there are any problems. Otherwise, I might have to bother you on my day off…"
"Sure, no problem."
Zhou Zhengdao was very meticulous and considered things comprehensively.
Even if he weren't a programmer, he would be a great Leader. His coordination skills were excellent, and he rarely made mistakes.
While the two were talking, Doudou had already descended from the sky and was sitting on the back of Shen Siyuan's bike, hugging his waist and curiously sizing up Zhou Zhengdao beside them.
The two arrived downstairs at the Company and parked their bikes.
Before they even reached the entrance, they ran into Ding Youguang.
"Boss Shen, Boss Zhou, good morning!" He waved familiarly from a distance.
He knew Zhou Zhengdao, just not as well as he knew Shen Siyuan.
Zhou Zhengdao smiled, nodded, and said morning.
Shen Siyuan, however, chuckled and teased, "What's with the 'Boss'? You're not even willing to call me 'bro'."
"If this thing succeeds, I'll call you more than 'bro'—I'll even call you 'daddy'."
Ding Youguang was truly shameless.
His gaze shifted between the two before landing on Shen Siyuan with an inquisitive look.
Shen Siyuan nodded.
"Zhou Zhengdao has agreed to join us. He's also sorted out the art for us."
"Really? That's fantastic! Brother Zhou, you're a huge help! With you on board, this is a sure thing! Have you had breakfast? I've got some here…"
Ding Youguang immediately latched onto Zhou Zhengdao, his enthusiasm a bit overwhelming for him.
"Why don't you ask me?"
"Go away, don't interrupt me bonding with my bro…"
The three of them laughed and joked as they made their way to the elevators. When the doors opened, they saw Jiang Wenxin standing inside.
She had driven, coming up from the garage.
Her eyes lit up when she saw Shen Siyuan, and she immediately asked, "Siyuan, have you eaten breakfast? I have extra."
Ding Youguang and Zhou Zhengdao both turned their heads to stare at Shen Siyuan, their eyes wide.
PS: Chapter 8 has been slightly revised. Of the Four Gold Bricks, the protagonist took one.
This is more reasonable.