[...]

The voice in his mind fell silent for a moment before saying:

[Is this the influence of your past experiences?]

"You've looked into my background?" Siegfried was a bit surprised, but then realized, "Of course, you're the Historian."

In fact, even without checking, just looking at Siegfried's specialized skills would reveal that this guy's experiences were far from ordinary.

At this moment, the surrounding colleagues, seeing that Zhang Yu had left, curiously gathered around.

Before they could speak, Siegfried put on his usual gentle and amiable smile, maintaining his customary persona at the company.

"Don't worry, he won't be coming back anymore."

"Really?"

"What happened? What did you two talk about in private?"

Hearing Siegfried's words, the young women in the office visibly brightened up. They crowded around, eager to inquire about the details and seize the opportunity to build a rapport with this handsome, easy-going young man with a promising future.

However, Yang Jing was quicker than all of them. She had somehow silently appeared at Siegfried's side, her expression cold and indifferent as if nothing had happened.

"Thank you for your help."

"You're welcome."

Then came a long silence, and the atmosphere became extremely awkward.

Their conversations were always this simple and brief. One didn't initiate conversations, while the other was practically mute. Siegfried really couldn't understand how someone with such a personality ended up in HR, a job that required the most communication skills.

During this time, Yang Jing kept looking Siegfried up and down. It wasn't an admiring or ambiguous gaze, but rather the kind of look your mother gives when selecting pork at the market, making Siegfried's eyebrows twitch.

(What does this woman... want to do?)

He had always felt there was something strange about Yang Jing, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

His instincts told him that even if he hadn't stepped in to help, this woman would definitely have had a way to deal with someone like Zhang Yu.

Siegfried glanced at his watch and realized it was already ten minutes past quitting time.

He immediately said goodbye to his colleagues and headed home. There was still a mouth waiting for him to cook dinner at home.

...

Huile Road

This was where the apartment complex Siegfried lived in was located.

Snack shops, hardware stores, real estate agencies, painting studios, music schools, farmers' markets, supermarkets... This was a street that encompassed businesses from all walks of life, almost single-handedly supplying all the daily needs of the surrounding residents.

In the early years, when the government's crackdown on prostitution wasn't as strict as it is now, there were even two foot massage parlors openly providing "special services" on this street.

Due to the incident with Zhang Yu, Siegfried arrived home an hour later than usual today.

His sister, Lingling, was lying on the living room sofa watching TV, her clean white feet swaying in the air, looking quite carefree.

As soon as the young girl saw her big brother open the door and come in, she immediately raised her sweet voice and called out dramatically:

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"Wow! The sun must be rising in the west, big bro, you actually worked overtime today. Hmm~ No, no, something's fishy here."

She knew her brother too well. This man was always impossible to keep at work once it was quitting time. No matter rain or shine, he always got home before her, and by this time he would usually already be in the kitchen cooking.

(Big bro would never work overtime. Since that's the case, there's only one truth.)

"Big bro, you've got a girlfriend! Oh my god, after 22 years of being single, big bro finally has a girlfriend!"

The girl excitedly jumped off the sofa and pounced on her brother, hanging from his neck like a koala.

"Mom and Dad must be happy in heaven, our Qi family is finally going to have descendants."

Siegfried almost lost his balance and fell to the ground from this sudden attack. He looked at Lingling hanging on him with a helpless expression.

The girl was wearing a white shirt school uniform with a red tie. The snow-white skin revealed at her collar was like mutton-fat jade, her budding little chest rising and falling, and her delicately carved face full of curiosity.

(She's gotten heavier again. This child only grows in size, not in wisdom.)

He grabbed the back of his sister's collar and pulled this koala off himself, glaring at her:

"Nonsense. I had important business to deal with today."

Lingling gave her brother a suspicious look.

"You have important business? What important business? What business could be more important than carrying on the Qi family line?"

Siegfried looked at his sister, who was eight years younger than him. The little crybaby who used to cling to his sleeve had now grown into a graceful young lady.

(Pretty features, nice figure too. Hmm, when she grows up, she'll definitely be no less attractive than Yang Jing and Catalina. It's just that her brain doesn't work too well.)

"Big bro, your gaze is so creepy."

Lingling noticed the strange look in her brother's eyes. She hugged her shoulders and took two steps back, her vigilant gaze like that of a little deer.

Siegfried was taken aback, feeling a bit embarrassed as he averted his gaze.

"You little brat, growing up too fast. Quickly go prepare the cutlery, I ordered pizza."

"Yay~"

...

"I'll protect Nezuko!"

The TV in the living room was playing the currently popular "Demon Slayer" anime. His sister seemed to be a devoted fan of this anime.

Siegfried had also watched a bit of it before due to his sister's insistence. Frankly speaking, his thought at the time was that if his own sister could be half as gentle and considerate as Nezuko, he could die happy.

At the dinner table, Lingling held a slice of pizza in her left hand, her pretty face smeared with a bit of cheese, while her right hand was pointing at her brother with a dinner knife:

"Big bro, you should really find a wife. You're already 22 and haven't even held a girl's hand. Mom and Dad can't rest easy in heaven."

(Who says I haven't? Just the other day, I touched that female knight's... Ahem, honestly, the feeling was quite nice.)

While Siegfried was mumbling in his heart, he listened to his sister continue to criticize him:

"Look at other Siegfrieds, they're dragon slayers or S-class Valkyries. How come you're so lame that you can't even hold a girl's hand?"

(This... How is this my fault? It's not like I chose this name myself.)

Siegfried listened with his eyes wide open, feeling quite conflicted. In fact, he had always been in the spotlight because of this cool name.

Although the name was borrowed, his brief 22 years of life could be described as tumultuous, comparable to those of the two Siegfrieds in "The Song of the Nibelungs" and "Honkai Impact 3".

When Siegfried was sixteen, his parents died in an unexplainable accident, leaving behind him and his sister, who was only eight at the time.

The siblings inherited a house and a considerable amount of insurance money, enough to live comfortably until they entered society.

However, this money was soon swindled away by their "kind" relatives.

If it wasn't for Uncle Xie's intervention, the siblings might have lost the house as well.

At sixteen, Siegfried deeply experienced how dark human nature could be.

But even so, life had to go on.

He, who had always been at the top of his class, had to give up his studies and enter society early to support the family.

Over the years, he had delivered takeout, worked in electronics factories, hosted weddings, carried corpses at funeral homes, and even worked as a sketch artist at the police station.

His rich experiences not only cultivated a maturity far beyond his peers but also honed various survival skills.

Of course, Uncle Xie had invited him more than once to be his assistant, a simple and easy job with a generous salary.

But Siegfried always refused. At just seventeen, he clearly realized one thing: a comfortable environment doesn't breed ferocious tigers, only tame house cats.

And he had too many people he wanted to devour.

Siegfried glanced at his sister, put down his cutlery, and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

"You've always been the most quiet when eating. You only ramble on about nonsense when you have something on your mind. Come on, tell me what's wrong?"