7 Do you know who I am?

The president's office was quite large, about two hundred square meters, and was located at the top of the skyscraper. The wall, with its back to the president's desk, was a vast window illuminating the room with sunlight.

Shun Shaoran left the room upon arrival and went to ask the secretary to prepare the tea.

"Mr. Theodosius, what would you like to drink?" The secretary had already heard from Shun Shaoran what the boy's name was.

"Water, please." Theo chose water, mainly because it was easier to tell if malicious substances had been injected.

The secretary did not expect this answer but smiled anyway. "Sure, you'll have it in a moment." The president drank the same thing every day, so there was no need to ask him.

"Mr. Theodosius, starting tomorrow, Shun Shaoran will assign you to Sky City First School's twelfth-grade class one. You will become a high school student and accompany my daughter Xiao Yanyan. You will accompany her to school, you will go home with her. You will be in charge of her needs, and you will also be her tutor... In short, you will be her companion. Due to personal reasons, I have not been able to fulfill my role as a father. In that sense, I would like someone to accompany her so that her days will be more lively. You are the same age as her, and they are both young. I'm sure they'll have common themes to talk about." Xiao Ming explained with a smile.

Theo was stunned. I'm someone to get along with? Take care of her needs? What could an assassin talk about with a schoolgirl? Wait, this was the hardest mission of his life? Damn old man... he must be making fun of me in his house. This was a damn marriage! Wait, wait... this wasn't a girl with some kind of particular problem that kept her from getting married, was it?

"Mr. Theodosius, are you all right?" Xiao Ming understood that something was wrong. The smile on Theo's face had disappeared, and now he was utterly inexpressive. Remembering the identity of this young man in front of him... Xiao Ming felt a bad premonition. "I thought you'd already been told all this, but... Does this not seem to be the case?"

"Mr. Xiao, please call me Theo," Theo said with his expressionless face. "Before I answer you, I want to ask you a question first."

"Go ahead."

"Do you know who I am?" Theo asked him, his tone cold as well as conversing with old Lin and Kreios.

«It seems he has adopted his true face», Xiao Ming sighed mentally.

"Of course I know," he replied gravely.

"Then you know I don't care about money, but there are only two things I can't stand. The first is to be fooled, the second to be laughed at. And right now, both are being fulfilled."

Xiao Ming felt a chill running down his back. The temperature in the president's office dropped considerably. Theo's eyes had an aggressive glow, like a predator stalking its prey.

"It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" Xiao Ming hastened to explain.

Theo wouldn't let him explain. "I came here because the old man told me that this was going to be the hardest mission of my life, but it seems that the two of you were together to laugh at me."

"I'm serious, I wasn't making fun of you. You can call Mr. Lin to confirm."

Theo thought for a moment. The man seemed sincere, so he decided to give it a try. He took the phone out of his pocket and turned it on.

"Lilith, call that stingy old man."

"Yes!"

It didn't take long for old Lin to answer the call.

"Are you in China, Theo?" The old man's lazy voice came out of his cell phone.

Theo was a little surprised. And to think that the old man had spent some money on a cell phone.

"Old man, you've got thirty seconds to tell me you're not making fun of me. If you don't convince me, I'll make the Shanshui Industries disappear."

"So you've already spoken to little Xiao. Don't worry, the mission is serious. You have to accompany Xiao Ming's daughter and protect her. Shanshui Industries is one of the five hundred most significant companies in the world, being the president's daughter brings many dangers, and you will have to take care of her safety.

"Are you telling me to be a bodyguard?" Theo asked.

"That's right, but not just a bodyguard. You're almost like a nanny."

"What a shitty job that is, old man. You promised me it was the hardest mission of my life."

"And so it is! Society in China is more complicated than you imagine. Why do you think I didn't let you into China before? It's because you were very weak. You will understand with the time that China is a country full of tigers and hidden dragons."

A strange glow went through Theo's eyes. He hung the old man without even saying goodbye to him. Theo looked at Xiao Ming again, his gaze had relaxed, and he had that warm smile on his face back.

"What exactly is my mission?" Theo asked.

Xiao Ming breathed a sigh of relief. Luckily Mr. Lin had managed to convince this boy. The threat of making the whole industry disappear had almost caused a heart attack to Xiao Ming.

"This arrangement of the elderly almost cost me my life. Just look at that smile, it's obviously warm, but it's giving me chills. What level has this guy's performance reached?"

"Didn't I just go over that? You will go to school with my daughter, and, of course, you will protect her from the bullies" Xiao Ming was not anyone either, so he could keep his cool on the surface while explaining to Theo.

Theo, having finished talking to old Lin, linked these thugs to the influential practitioners in China, so he responded enthusiastically to Xiao Ming.

"Don't worry, President Xiao, I'll take care of your daughter."

Xiao Ming went blank for a moment. Without waiting for Theo to say anything else and in order not to cause any more misunderstandings, he gave him a file. "This file details information about Sky City's First School. Familiarize yourself with that."

Theo nodded seriously as he took the file.

«It's not what I expected, but since I've accepted, I have to take the mission seriously. Fuck, that old shit...»

It was the same in America... Old Lin said he had to rescue someone, and it turned out to be a whole group of people.

Theo shrugged. Being a rich girl's bodyguard... Whatever. Theo decided to think of it as a break before the real masters showed up.

Sky City's first school used to be a public school, but it became a private one when Shanshui Industries bought 49% of the shares. No wonder Theo could enter school the next day. He had never been to school, but Theo knew it wasn't that easy to get into a high school.

"I understand. I'll do what you say." Theo nodded as he glanced at the leaves.

"Of course. Yanyan's temperament isn't the best, but she's a good girl." Xiao Ming looked at Theo with an in-depth look as he said that, hoping Theo understood the meaning of his words. "I'm sure someone like you will get along with her.

«Get along with her? No, thank you. I'm not looking for a girlfriend, I just want to find those teachers the old man talks about and fight with them. Well, fight. I want to kill them. Hide in the shadows and then hit back with a powerful poison to ensure his death. In the meantime, I just have to make sure that Miss Xiao stays alive.»

"I will give it a try," Theo replied politely.

Xiao Ming acknowledged the courtesy in Theo's tone. At least Theo didn't seem to care much about the girl's temperament, which relieved Xiao Ming.

As for the agreement between the old generation... It will be seen in the future. This boy was not someone that the older generation could force into a compromise.

Xiao Ming ended the conversation with a smile and called Shun Shaoran to the office.

"Shun Shaoran, the school is over. Take Yanyan home, take the opportunity to show the place to Mr. Theodosius."

"Mr. Xiao, please call me Theo. Theodosius is too long for my taste." Theo said.

"All right, I'll call you Theo then. You should also stop calling Xiao president, uncle Xiao is fine": Xiao Ming nodded, he didn't want to waste much time on the subject either.

"All right, Uncle Xiao." Theo's voice was strange, as he said those words.

«Why do you insist on being so familiar with me?»