Players Invade Cyberpunk

Chapter 1176 - 381: Stance (Part 3)

"Ling Mei, do you think it would be nice if everyone in Night City stopped fighting and got along well?"Ling Mei nodded vigorously, her ponytail swinging wildly.

"When Ling Mei used to live in the North City District, I could see people fighting downstairs every day, it was so scary. But now where I live, everyone is so nice to me and mom. Ling Mei feels this life is very happy."

————

Time: 8:00 AM

Huangban Tower, 140th floor, CEO level

Just like how the entire Huangban Tower looks from the outside, the gray-blue walls make the interior cold and devoid of warmth, even though some green plants attempt to add a touch of life, they can’t change its dull atmosphere.

Everyone sits at their posts with their heads down; Huang Ban doesn’t require warmth.

It only needs you to give everything at your post—your time, energy, even your life.

There is no friendship or love here, because everyone you see can be a potential competitor. They watch each other, waiting for the opportunity to find a flaw, then use it to claim credit and suppress others, paving their way forward.

This is the common trait of all corporate dogs.

Therefore, there is only a wall of barriers built between employees for mutual vigilance, all smiles are fake, and the most you’d do upon meeting each other is nod in acknowledgement without saying a second word.

But today, this unwritten rule that had been maintained for decades seems to have been broken by some kind of force.

A female Huang Ban employee walked out of the elevator and greeted the front desk.

"Good morning, Maeda."

Her expression was full of enthusiasm, as if she were talking to an old friend she knew for years.

"I brought you a cup of hot coffee. It’s from coffee beans a friend of mine brought over from Horizon Corporation, and they taste top-notch."

"....."

Standing at the front desk, Yukihiro Maeda was momentarily stunned. He had just come to Night City’s Huangban Tower with Huang Ban Lai Xuan from Japan headquarters, it was only his second day, and he didn’t expect she had already remembered his name.

Besides...

He looked at the coffee placed in front of him and felt a strange sensation rising inside.

Hiss—

Are people from Night City’s Huang Ban branch really this enthusiastic?

Could there be something in the coffee?

But looking at the bag she held, it seemed she didn’t just bring one for him, many people got one.

And since she handed out coffee right in front of the camera, if anything happened, she wouldn’t be able to run away. This move would be too stupid.

The female employee seemed to not notice Yukihiro Maeda’s hesitation and turned to walk towards her department area.

Yukihiro Maeda placed the coffee aside, chose a monitoring channel, and began eavesdropping on their conversations.

"Hey, why is everyone looking inside? Did someone come?"

"It’s Miss Meizhi, and she looks quite fierce, not here with good intentions."

"Isn’t Miss Meizhi supposed to have given her position to Director Lai Xuan?"

"Well, maybe she’s here to catch up with her uncle?"

"Dreaming. I heard Miss Meizhi doesn’t have a good relationship with the family."

"Shh! Don’t gossip, get back to work."

"Come on, come on, I brought coffee, one cup each for everyone."

"Yay! Thank you, Louise."

Their chatter was all about small gossip, but it was unlike anything Huang Ban employees would talk about normally; at least not back at the headquarters had Yukihiro Maeda heard his department discuss such things. Everyone always had a grim face, ready to stab others anytime.

However...

Looking at the coffee on the table, the tension he felt due to Meizhi’s arrival relaxed a bit.

Seems like the Night City Huang Ban branch isn’t as mysterious as the rumors, internally it is surprisingly harmonious.

Just not sure what Miss Meizhi is talking about with Lai Xuan.

And Lai Xuan doesn’t know either.

He couldn’t even understand the current situation.

"Waaah!!! Uncle Lai Xuan! I made so many mistakes. I let you down, and I let down those who were hurt by the Huang Ban family."

Sitting on the sofa, Mizuki was crying as tears welled up in her eyes, looking at Huang Ban Lai Xuan helplessly and gasping.

He had envisioned many scenarios—seizing power through force, marginalization, whistle-blowing for a strike—but never expected Mizuki, who was technically his niece, to come to him crying.

Huang Ban Lai Xuan pulled out several tissues and handed them over, this scene made even him a bit flustered.

"If you have anything to say, say it properly."

After taking over Huangban Tower, he found the atmosphere here completely different from what he’d expected. Initially, he thought it was all an act for him, but even Mizuki came to him crying for something.

Absurd.

It’s ridiculously absurd.

Mizuki took the tissues and wiped her tears, but couldn’t help but sob while speaking.

"Uncle Lai Xuan, you also know I’m the illegitimate daughter of your eldest brother Huang Banjing. Grandpa Saburo never liked me, he’s the one who let me take over the rebuilt Huangban Tower in Night City, so I don’t blame you this time."

Lai Xuan knew about this. Before he returned to the Huang Ban family, Mizuki had openly and secretly fought with Huang Ban with New America’s support for quite a while.

"But I didn’t expect the family would have done so many wrong things, and I kept making mistake after mistake, causing irreversible harm to the citizens of Night City. Now when I think about it, my heart is full of guilt.

Before you arrived, I was already planning to rebuild the Watson District, improve employee treatment, reduce working hours, establish a union, and collaborate with Horizon Corporation to overhaul the infrastructure, improve the living conditions of the citizens...

Consider it a compensation for what our company has done to Night City over the years."

She stammered a lot about using the profits that Night City’s Huang Ban Branch would earn this year and the next ten years to give back to Night City.

That’s a load of crock!

This style is completely off, Night City’s Huang Ban Branch shouldn’t be in such a style.

Mizuki saying these things... could she be testing my position?

Huang Ban Lai Xuan was dumbfounded, overwhelmed with confusion.

So, Lai Xuan thought for a moment, deciding to be bold, and asked

"Mizuki, is there something wrong with your head?"