Chapter 60

“Big Brother~”

The doll-faced girl had barely left the hospital room when Anna arrived, carrying a small cloth bag. Her eyes brimming with curiosity, she asked, “What were you guys just talking about? Miss Amy seems to be in a pretty good mood—her eyes aren’t as puffy anymore.”

“Haha, of course it was some good news!”

After resolving the issue of schooling for his younger siblings, Leon was also in an excellent mood. Smiling, he announced, “I didn’t take the compensation from Chaer Company; instead, I asked her for a favor and got Melanie and William’s school arrangements sorted out.”

“Really?!”

Upon hearing that the schooling for her younger siblings was settled, Anna’s eyes couldn’t help but light up with joy.

She quickly moved to sit beside the bed, pulling out lunch boxes from her little bag while cheerfully asking, “Which public school is it? The one on Blackstone Alley? Or the one past the alchemy factory toward the city outskirts?”

“Neither.”

Shaking his head with a laugh, Leon didn’t keep her in suspense and gave the answer directly.

“It’s Naval Bridge Public School—the one at the intersection of Naval Bridge Street and Theatre Street!”

Naval Bridge Public School?! Upon hearing the name of this school, Anna couldn’t contain her delight, her pale cheeks flushing with excitement.

“Isn’t that the best school in our old district?! If William and the others can attend there, they can get internal promotion if their grades are good enough—even all the way through university! Wow!”

“Don’t get too excited, hey! Hold your food steady!”

Seeing the lunch box in Anna’s hands tilt, with soup already leaking from the gap in the lid, Leon hastily reached out to steady it, protecting his own lunch. However, this action caused him to pull on his broken ribs, making his face turn pale with pain.

“Brother!”

Startled, Anna quickly stood up, helping Leon who was gasping for air, leaning back against the pillow. After waiting a bit to confirm he was fine, she finally relaxed, her face filled with worry as she said, “Brother, you should stop moving. Let me feed you.”

Leon could only nod painfully, slightly raising his chin trapped in the neck brace and taking a sip of fish soup offered to him.

“Sss…”

Was he scalded?

Hearing Leon’s intake of breath, Anna blinked in surprise, scooping up another spoonful of milk-white fish soup and tasting it herself.

“It’s not hot, though?”

“It’s not the heat—it’s the freshness.”

Looking at his still-concerned sister, Leon decided not to mention the pain and teased her instead:

“Anna~ This hospital seems like a great place. After staying here for a few days, you’ve not only recovered from your illness but your cooking has improved compared to before~”

“My cooking hasn’t changed. It’s just that we have more money now, so we can afford live fish and spices.”

Taking out a handkerchief from her pocket and wiping away a bit of fish soup from Leon’s lips, Anna forked up a small piece of fish and offered it to Leon, happily saying, “Brother, someone knocked on our door this morning, claiming to be your colleague, delivering your salary for this week—nine Golden Wheels!”

Nine Golden Wheels…

Upon hearing Anna’s words, Leon couldn’t help but do a quick mental calculation.

His base weekly salary is 12 Golden Wheels, plus the 2 Golden Wheels from the toad-related external mission, totaling 14 Golden Wheels. After deducting the bar tab, there should be nine left… So, those six bottles of liquor the Bureau Director ordered cost five Golden Wheels?!

Startled by the price of the alcohol, Leon quickly swallowed the fish in his mouth and opened his badge panel to check the progress of his “Martyr of Liquor Country”.

[Dear Miss Olivia, the total bill of 327 Golden Wheels for the alcohol consumed in my shop ten evenings ago remains unpaid. We hope that upon receiving this notice, you will settle it promptly. We look forward to your next visit.]

“…”

After reading the collection letter placed on his table, the red-haired Bureau Director picked up the wine bottle and took a big gulp of tea, then put the whiskey bottle back on the table. Staring at the liquid inside, which looked identical to whiskey, she fell into deep thought.

What was I thinking that night, inviting him to drink so much? Recalling someone who appeared drunk and seemed ready to crawl under the table at any moment but wouldn’t pass out no matter how much he drank, the red-haired Bureau Director couldn’t help but rub her temples, vaguely remembering certain scenes from that night.

Director, everything you’ve ordered is alcohol. Should we add some food? Let me try something else, but I’ll just taste one cup.

Ah? Is that it? Isn’t your alcohol tolerance pretty good?

Are you running out of money? Should I chip in?

“…”

Did I fall for it? With her remarkable memory, recalling how her wallet was emptied step by step, the red-haired Bureau Director couldn’t help but click her tongue in annoyance, feeling increasingly like a sucker who’d been duped.

That guy kept saying he couldn’t drink, just one sip, but ended up drinking more than me! Worse still, once the alcohol ran out, he simply lay down on the ground and started snoring, leaving me responsible for getting him home!

Touched her newly issued salary that had once again dwindled, the red-haired Bureau Director clenched her fists tightly, gritting her teeth and determinedly vowing in her heart.

Olivia here would rather starve or go broke! Even if I fill wine bottles with tea to deceive myself, I will absolutely never drink with Leon again! Never!

Casually crumpling the collection notice and tossing it into the trash can beside the table, the sullen red-haired Bureau Director pulled over a stack of newspapers on the table and began flipping through the week’s news.

Sun Newspaper: “Shocked! A citizen passing by Chal Department Store several days ago was unexpectedly showered with unexpected wealth!”

“Pfft!”

Looking at the grayscale photo on the front page of the newspaper, showing Leon buried under countless Golden Wheels with only his arms visible, the red-haired Bureau Director couldn’t help but chuckle, scanning the article briefly before cutting it out and smugly inserting it into Leon’s file.

There’s just the right spot missing in the report on the Scale Gold Religion Holy Spirit event—a perfect fit for this picture. Might as well use this one~ Hehe, serves you right for swindling my booze money!

Oh, and it’s already been four days. Considering Leon’s current condition, he should be able to return to work today, right?

Quickly finishing the entire Sun Newspaper without finding anything suspicious, the red-haired Bureau Director felt significantly better and continued flipping through other newspapers.

Daily Highlights: “Our editor-in-chief was attacked by rebels several days ago. They proclaimed: Nobles are nothing but lice in pants!”

Financial Times: “Affected by Chal Department Store’s massive promotions, Rose Emporium’s revenue has plummeted dramatically, suspected to close down and sell off!”

Dance Entertainment Newspaper: “Chief of the theater troupe exposed in scandal faces boycott, with no immediate replacement available. Wilde Master’s performance may be obstructed!”

Hmm… Although quite a few things happened, none seem related to “abnormalities.” The Capital City looks peaceful recently!

Satisfied, the red-haired Bureau Director was about to put away the newspapers when her peripheral vision caught sight of an inconspicuous small news item in the corner.

New Industry Newspaper: “Ami Wine’s new couple-special edition launched. Couples purchasing together and drinking on-site can enjoy a fifty percent discount.”

“Ts…”

(End of Chapter)