After drinking and returning home from Flower Language Street, Su Mo slept in until he naturally woke up the next day.
Upon getting up, he went to the office and opened the financial statements, browsing through them carefully.
The trip to Saint Rivelan had cost a lot of money, and with everyone on vacation, no orders were taken, and expenses continued, making the recent accounts look unappealing.
The Mercenary Corps was expanding rapidly, needing money everywhere, especially for "Future," a money-devouring beast. The experiments were getting larger, and equipment demands were increasing, often costing millionsâwithout some income, it was really hard to sustain.
Su Mo leaned on the sofa, staring at the ceiling, talking to himself: "Oh, all the current orders are too small, only a few ten thousand per order. I can only pile them up... I really hope a big order comes along soon."
In the afternoon, while Su Mo was organizing files in the office, he suddenly received a call from KK.
"Boss, thereâs a girl in the lobby looking for you."
"A girl?" Su Mo was a bit puzzled.
Other than people in the group, the only females he knew seemed to be Nuobai, Audiana, and Shangguan Li.
KK knew the latter two.
Could it be that Nuobai came?
Su Mo went downstairs to the lobby and asked KK, "Where is she?"
KK pointed to a guest sofa: "Over there, in black clothes."
Su Mo saw Qi Ling sitting on the sofa, playing with her phone. She had changed clothes today, wearing a leisurely black hoodie, jeans, and Martin boots, looking cool and chic compared to yesterdayâs sweet style.
Qi Ling saw Su Mo and greeted him with a smile: "Hey there."
Su Mo scratched his head: "Who are you?"
Qi Ling, slightly annoyed, said: "Yesterday, Flower Language Street, did you forget?"
Su Mo finally realized: "Oh, oh, oh, I couldnât recognize you with a change of clothes, itâs you."
Qi Ling, resting her cheek on her hand, lazily asked: "I asked you to take me home yesterday, and you ran off by yourself?"
Su Mo paused: "Huh, didnât I send you off in a taxi?"
Qi Ling chuckled: "Is that how you send girls home?"
Su Mo awkwardly asked: "If not, how should I...?"
KK poked his waist, quietly reminding: "Boss, obviously, you should take them to their doorstep."
Despite Su Moâs extensive opinions on love shared during "truth or dare," he was completely inexperienced, never having dated, clueless about common dating customs.
He could only awkwardly apologize with a smile: "Sorry, Iâm not really good at this..."
"Forget yesterdayâs stuff." Qi Ling looked around, smiling, asking, "So, this is the legendary Edge Mercenary Corps, right?"
Su Mo: "Not legendary... but yes, this is the Edge Mercenary Corps."
Qi Ling blinked: "I want to post a commission; will you take it?"
Su Mo skeptically looked her over: "How old are you, posting a commission here? I donât take orders from minors."
Qi Ling pulled out an electronic ID on her phone, saying: "I turned 18 this year; Iâm an adult now."
Su Mo glanced over it, thinking: Wow, even her ID photo is stunning, this girlâs looks are intimidatingly beautiful.
Su Mo cleared his throat: "Alright, Qi Ling, what commission do you want to post?"
A smile appeared on Qi Lingâs face, sweetly saying to Su Mo: "I want you to be my boyfriend for a day and go on a date with me tomorrow~"
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
"Pfft..." KK was the first to crack.
Su Mo nudged his waist, sternly saying: "Whatâs so funny? We mercenaries are professionally trained; no matter how funny the clientâs request, we shouldnât... Pfft..."
Su Mo couldnât help but laugh as he spoke.
The corners of their mouths twitched uncontrollably, and they both soon burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha! Missy, are you sleepwalking? Coming to a mercenary group to find a date?"
"Are young people these days so imaginative? Young lady, do you even know who I am?"
Qi Ling rested her chin in her hands, displaying an adorable smile: "Of course, youâre the director of the Edge Mercenary Corps. Why, is there a rule in your industry that directors canât go on dates?"
They laughed even louder.
Su Mo, holding his stomach, laughed: "Do you know what mercenaries do?"
Qi Ling: "I know, mercenaries get paid to do things. Iâll cover the date costs."
Su Mo was highly amused, waving his hand: "For dating, Iâd suggest you find Chu Nanyi, heâs the best at wooing girls in all of Edge."
Qi Ling tilted her head, asking: "Whoâs Chu Nanyi?"
Su Mo opened his phone gallery, showing a group photo from the Saint Rivelan vacation, pointing at someone: "Look, this guy in the photo, as handsome as can be."
Qi Ling just glanced, then shook her head dismissively: "No way, he looks like a playboy on the surface."
"Thatâs hilarious, youâre spot on." Su Mo and KK laughed until their sides hurt.
Qi Ling tilted her head, asking: "So, Director Su, are you taking my commission or not?"
Su Mo helplessly laughed: "Girl, Iâm very busy, no time for any dating games, go find someone else."
Qi Ling persisted: "But arenât mercenaries willing to take anything if the price is right? How much to be my boyfriend for a day, name your price."
Su Mo, out of patience, decided to end the topic, purposely quoting a random price: "10 million Moon Coins, scan the QR code on the table, pay half as a deposit first."
Qi Ling took out her phone, scanned the QR code, tapped her screen a few times, then said: "Done, 5 million deposit transferred."
"Hahahahaha!!!" KK burst out laughing, "Youâre even better at acting than I am! All done~ my god, how did you say that with a straight face?"
Su Mo laughed heartily too: "Young lady, do you know what 5 million means? Individual account limits are 50,000 a day, you should learn some banking basics instead of just saying things!"
Qi Ling seriously said: "I know, but my savings card is a diamond privilege card, the daily limit is 100 million."
"Hahaha! This straight-faced nonsense, I canât hold it in any longer!" The two laughed so hard their stomachs ached, filling the air with cheer.
"Ring, ring." As they laughed, KKâs phone rang.
He took a look, and the laughter stopped abruptly: "Boss, she really transferred it."
"Huh." Su Moâs laughter halted.
KK, recently handling finances, managed the Mercenary Corpsâ account, with large transactions alerted by text.
He couldnât believe his eyes, reading the SMS aloud:
"Sender: Qi Ling."
"Amount: 5 million Moon Coins."
"Note: Hello, Su Mo, my boyfriend for a day."
"Whoa, this!" KKâs eyes widened, looking at Qi Ling in shock.
Qi Ling playfully stuck out her tongue, like a mischievous cat, smiling.
She picked up a gift box beside her, eagerly saying: "By the way, Su Mo, I heard you like gaming, so I bought you a new 90-series graphics card as a meeting gift, hope you like it."
KK was stunned: "Boss, she..."
Su Mo loudly admonished: "Who she? Call her sister-in-law!"
KK quickly stood upright, bowing to Qi Ling: "Hello, sister-in-law!"
Su Mo, with a solemn expression, like a knight, placed his hand on his heart, sincerely telling Qi Ling: "Calling you âmissâ is too casual; âladyâ too distant; âsisterâ too outrageous. How about I just call you âwifeâ?"
He confidently greeted: "Hi, wife."