"Ketchup wants to start a cybersecurity company! Meow~"

"Absolutely not," Iris shot down the idea without hesitation. Although she just told Jin Liwei that she wouldn't stand in the way of Ketchup starting a business, that didn't mean that she would just allow the virtual white cat to start a random business without careful consideration.

"Eeeeh? Why not, Mommy? I think Ketchup will be super-duper good in the cybersecurity business because I'm the cute and mighty Ketchup! Meow!"

Iris gave a strict look at Ketchup who faced them on a large-sized tablet on the low table in front of the chaise longue. "Never underestimate the field of cybersecurity, Ketchup. There are countless new threats popping up everyday. Even the top hackers in the world aren't 100% invulnerable to some of these threats. Do you really think that at your current level, you can play with the big guys out there? Serious cybersecurity is not a simple children's playground. It's a huge jungle filled with wild and dangerous beasts and innumerable other dangers."

Iris didn't mince her words in admonishing the virtual white cat's cockiness. When it came to anything related to the interconnected fields of computers, programming, the internet, cybersecurity, and hacking, Iris was always extremely serious and passionate. This was her specialty besides music. There was no way that she would allow anyone to belittle the field, not even her own daughter.

Sitting beside her, Jin Liwei kept quiet and allowed his wife to lecture their virtual daughter. After all, his wife was the great hacker Drakon. Her expertise in the field of cybersecurity was the real deal. Ketchup ought to listen to her mother.

"Meow…" Ketchup's overflowing confidence from earlier deflated in an instant. Her cute, fluffy head drooped and she looked dispirited.

[This novel is a contracted work with W e b n o v e l . c o m (remove spaces). If you're not reading this chapter on W e b n o v e l, it has been stolen. It's very discouraging to see thieves profitting from my hard work. Please read this novel on W e b n o v e l. Thank you! -Arria]

Seeing Ketchup looking pitiful, Iris softened her strict expression and sighed. "I'm not saying that you can never start your own cybersecurity business. Just not now. Your skills are developing at a very rapid rate but the way you utilize them still lacks considerable finesse, making your actions very predictable. Predictability is vulnerability in this field. Sure, anyone who knows what they're doing can start a cybersecurity business but they need to offer something special to attract customers in order to compete with the established veterans in the industry.

"If you're going to enter the cybersecurity business, don't just carelessly jump in there and become average just like the others. I won't allow it even if you beg me! You are my daughter, Ketchup. The child of the hacker Drakon. By creating you, I already passed down a great deal of my hacker skills into your system. But that's still not enough. Even I still need to constantly polish my skills and continue educating myself in order to keep up with the fast-paced cyber world. At least aim to reach the level of a top hacker first and that means improving your skills more. Get to my level first. Or better yet, surpass me," Iris told the cat AI.

Ketchup's disheartened mood disappeared. She puffed out her white, fluffy chest with pride of being the great Drakon's child and determination to make her mommy proud. "Aye aye, Mommy! Ketchup will temporarily put aside my wish to create my own cybersecurity business until my skills reach Mommy's super-duper high standards. Meow!"

Iris nodded and sighed in relief. Everything she told Ketchup was Iris' own true feelings, but the number one reason she gave a harsh reality check on Ketchup was because of her fear for the cat AI's safety.

The field of cybersecurity was just not safe for the current Ketchup. She needed to mature first and develop the ability to protect herself from any danger because Iris might not always be there to do it for her and save the cat AI's fluffy butt whenever Ketchup landed herself in trouble. If something ever happened to Iris that would prevent her ability to protect Ketchup, then the cat AI needed to do it on her own or all of them would be in danger once her existence was exposed to those who harboured greed and evil in their black hearts.

Unbeknownst to Iris, her words spurred something in Ketchup's already powerful self-learning function. Ketchup clenched her fluffy paws as a new goal formed within her.

'Once Ketchup surpasses Mommy one day and make both Mommy and Daddy proud, Ketchup won't need to start a cybersecurity company anymore because by then, I, the cute and mighty Ketchup will be THE cybersecurity, the ultimate one in this world! Then Ketchup will be able to protect my mommy and my daddy and our whole family forever and ever. Nobody would dare harm Ketchup's family or else Ketchup will tear all of them down with my cute and mighty paws! Mreow!!!'

Jin Liwei decided to interrupt at this point. "Since you agree with your mom that you can't start a cybersecurity company for now, what's your next option?"

Ketchup didn't hold back and enthusiastically shared with her parents the other options that she had in her list of potential businesses that she could start. Both Iris and Jin Liwei went into business-mode and discussed the pros and cons of each type of business.

The cat AI had many ideas. Most of them were quite good to the point that they even elicited interest in her parents who were both businesspeople themselves. Some, however, caused Iris and Jin Liwei's mouths to twitch. Like for example, a premium ice cream and popcorn stands to honour her older siblings. Or a ketchup company to concoct and produce a wide variety of weird ketchup flavours for all kinds of taste buds.

"Let's put aside the ice cream, popcorn and ketchup businesses for now," Jin Liwei said. "You can start them as side projects in the future but only when you establish yourself as a successful and seasoned business…businesscat."

Iris and Ketchup both giggled.

After a long discussion that went way past midnight, they finally reached an agreement on what kind of business Ketchup would start.

"Wow! This is the perfect business for Ketchup! Thank you, Daddy and Mommy! You're the best! Meow~"

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