The CEO looked at the tigress spirit and offered a nod and a light smile, "Yes, you did well. It is an impressive feat to behold, Miss Taiga." The least he could do was offer a compliment. Any kind of person knew that at least, especially when it was for a person under one's employ, but there was also the consideration that this was a spirit with sharp claws.

[ You Have Gained 5 Charisma Points! ]

Taiga's face brightened up, and she beamed, "Does it mean that you'll be paying Taiga $1,000,000 a year?"

Li Yang blinked, and the other people around him had their own mixed expressions. Hua Zhao coughed, Mou Gu chuckled, Shen An Na looked like she was about to hang her head in shame whilst Ying Yue He just looked begrudgingly impressed at the exuberant shamelessness.

"Unfortunately not." he said.

[ You Have Lost 5 Charisma Points ]

"You stinky cheap man!" Taiga huffed and motioned to him, "You wear a nice suit but can't pay Taiga well!"

.

"Pfft.." Mou Gu wiped a tear, stifling his laughter. Hua Zhao looked just shocked enough to even muster any sort of expression.

Shen An Na stepped towards him and spoke underneath her breath, a sheepish smile on her face. "She's a little.."

"Taiga promised to renovate the temple, hmph." The spirit said and crossed her arms over her chest. Despite her stature, she had a considerable size that showed her feminine nature—but she was busy complaining underneath her breath. "And we're going to buy upgrades like television and.. whatever you guys have here."

"Doesn't really seem like a sect—" the Panda suddenly floated above the air at the exact moment that Taiga dove in the spot it last was.

Taiga sniffed the air and her eyes were narrowed into slits, "Something weird popped up, cursed? And now it's gone." She swatted a hand over the spot where the Panda was and the CEO could have sworn that something was torn from such an action.

"Crap, right, spiritual domain and all this—nearly forgot about that." the Panda brushed a paw over its ear and shook its head. "Easy enough to still conceal my presence regardless whether it be this spirit or a higher cultivator. Pitiful fools."

Li Yang only kept a blank face and wondered about the child who clearly saw the Panda. Whatever it used to detect the creature was truly of a different method than what the people around here used.

"Nothing can't enter this barrier formation, Taiga." Hua Zhao said with a frown. And yet he glanced around and perhaps tried to ascertain whatever it was that the tigress had seen.

Mou Gu raised a brow and motioned at the woman. "Unless there are traces from what you fought?"

"Taiga did it well, hmp! Unrespectful pink brat." She made a face at him. "How about you try facing off one of those things all by yourself?"

"I could."

"Then do it."

"I don't really have to prove anything though." Mou Gu smiled, "It's much better to keep one's strength under wraps, isn't it?"

Taiga stomped her foot, crumbling the cement underneath her foot. "Argh, I hate city folks."

A small spat occurred between the two of them that was soon mitigated by Shen An Na—by mere authority, and also because she was well-liked enough by both parties to let the trouble die down. It also didn't take too long for them to brush off whatever it was that disturbed the tigress, if only because it was only Taiga who sensed it and his secretary didn't say a thing.

Li Yang was only relieved, knowing there would be more trouble than good if the Panda would be discovered. Soon enough, he would thank the Shen Society and depart from the building. Despite not being able to unlock an achievement tonight—Li Yang would consider it a useful night.

That was in regarding to the settling out of Ying Yue He's situation and so he would call it a day after that and he would get her home. The situation was still somewhat precarious, and she needed to return to the Shen Society as she had zero knowledge whatsoever on cultivation. But that was for another day to tackle.historical

This time around, he actually managed to get his secretary to her apartment.

He had insisted on it.

Albeit there was a certain individual that was also present in the back seat of their car. Taiga didn't have anything on her except the clothes on her back, but she probably had a spatial storage and while Ying Yue He was silent if not having what seemed like a contemplative look. She was probably stuck on what happened tonight; it was that startling.

Li Yang simply cleared his thoughts—there would be much more activities for another day.

He still had to think of what to do to bring 'Taiga' back to his apartment without alerting his brother, and he knew or at least hoped that the man would be back this time. It was the end of the day, or rather his schedule for cultivation. There were other necessities he still had to do when he arrived home, but for now he got out of his car and opened the door for his secretary.

He would see her off the porch steps and bid her a goodnight.

And right before he could leave—she gave him a kiss on the cheek. It was a soft brushing of her lips on his face that it might have just been a graze, and yet when he looked back, there was an embarrassed expression on her face. "Miss He?"

Ying Yue He was red as a tomato.

She waved a hand at him and continued to act flustered, "A-ah, it's just a thank you for today, Mister Li.." Ying Yue He then gazed back on the ground until she looked up back at him with a determined look on her face. "You have a lot on your mind, haven't you, boss? With all the things that happened today, and I even added to your burdens. Sorry about that."

Li Yang gazed at her and felt a sense of guilt slightly ebb in him. It was an odd sensation. But he nodded, "Yes, that's true—I do have a lot of things that I need to worry about. But you don't have to concern yourself too much or feel guilty for it. It is only right that I be responsible for what happened to you, I should have forbidden you from drinking the tea."

"I shouldn't have drunk it, Mister Li. You didn't even have to say a thing." She hung her head slightly in shame. "It was cold and I just.. didn't want to have it wasted."

He raised a brow, but only nodded. "I understand."

The CEO really didn't, but it seemed to torture her that much. He then cleared his throat, "I must leave now, Miss He. Please do not forget about visiting the Shen Society tomorrow for further instructions now that you're a cultivator in training."

"Yes, boss!" She gave him a smile.

He gave one last nod and then made his way back to the car until he stopped halfway and looked back. "Miss He—" The door already swung to a close, and she had already left.. the CEO shook his head and then stepped back into the car.

"Woah," that was all Taiga said. There was just plain amazement or curiosity—she didn't even bother hiding that she was peeking through the window all throughout the conversation.

Perhaps someone else might have gotten embarrassed over such a thing, but he personally didn't care that she had seen them. But Li Yang only wished that he could have said more in regards to his secretary's words and what lay underneath them. It was true that she felt guilty for ruining the tea, but she also seemed to have felt anxious over the kiss on the cheek.

She didn't mention it beyond explaining that it was a 'thank you' kiss.

Li Yang sighed and drove back home.

He would have to take her word for it—it was better to put trust in what she said than to contemplate on it any further, didn't it? She had brushed it aside for a reason, and he wouldn't push it any further. But this didn't exactly change their plans for the weekend, does it? Li Yang had wanted to ask her about it, but she already left right before he could ask.

The board meeting tomorrow, finally submitting the full DNA samples once he got his brother's tonight and then the concert the day after. He considered them important things.. but somehow, it still felt like his attention was very divided.

Which one truly deserved the most of his attention for?

"Hey, bossman? Do you have food back at home?" Taiga poked her head out in between the space of the shotgun and driver's seat. Large round eyes fixated on him. She had settled on a nickname at him, and Shen An Na couldn't even ask her to switch.

The CEO glanced momentarily at her and then returned to the road, "Are you not supposed to be some spirit, Miss Taiga?"

"Yeah, but Taiga also has a physical body too—feed me." She waved an arm at him and showed off her slender arm.

He hadn't paid much notice before since he was entirely focused on Ying Yue He's situation, but the spirit was wearing what looked like a cross between a kung-fu students uniform and a tang suit, the sleeves just ending a little over her shoulders. It looked comfortable over all.

"Ooh, you're looking at Taiga now—very pretty, yes." She gave him a grin, "But these fangs are not simply for show, I once bit off a man's nose off."

"... that puts my mind at ease. You can fight with more than just your fists." Li Yang shook his head and continued on back home.

"Of course! That's why Taiga deserves a 'raise' too."

—-—-

Author Note: Ah yes, Ying Yue He feeling like she shouldn't add her own feelings to her boss' burden is a realistic thing, if you ask me. Sometimes you hold back your feelings to not make it bother another person or ruin the current relationship. Don't just say that I'm prolonging the torture xD but also yes