The remnant inside Lu Zihao started stirring again after hearing Jin Liwei's involvement in the matter at hand. Feelings that didn't belong to him started flooding his psyche but he quickly suppressed them. He subdued the remnant which was currently insisting that it wanted to see its third brother, talk to him, and re-establish their precious brotherhood. 

In the end, he won another temporary battle. But if he continued on like this, his sanity would eventually fray. Bloodlust started leaking out of him again, as he reinforced his will on the remnant. 

There was no way that he, Nikolai Vetrov, would allow a mere remnant to defeat him and kick him out of this body. It wasn't even a complete soul but only a small, annoying piece that refused to let go of the body and the original Lu Zihao's attachments in the world like the brotherhood with Jin Liwei and the others. 

He was now the new owner of this body. Sharing his body? Hah! No way! It was like asking him, Nikolai Vetrov, who was known as a territorial devil to openly and kindly share what he considered his with an enemy. Impossible!

The increasingly regular battles for control might be difficult and taxing, but he was never afraid of fighting. With his strength and willpower, he was confident that he would one day win the war and completely defeat the annoying remnant and take full control of this body.

After subduing the remnant, he returned his attention on Bacon whose tail was now thumping. He had to admit though, that the black cat was indeed quite skilled in hiding its real thoughts and emotions behind its almost perfect impassive face. Once Bacon started working for him, he would train the cat to control his entire body. Showing its real thoughts and emotions through its tail was a huge weakness and Lu Zihao didn't tolerate any glaring weaknesses in him and also in his subordinates. 

"Since you got parental permission, fine. I'll consider your request to work for me as a freelancer. But first, let's talk about the terms of our working relationship. How much salary do you want?"

Bacon blinked its golden eyes. "10 million US dollars per day?"

Lu Zihao's expression turned dark. "Absolutely not."

"5 million US dollars per day?"

"Hell no."

"1 million—"

"No," Lu Zihao interrupted, sighing. "If your asking price has that many zeroes, forget about getting paid in US dollars."

"Fine, Uncle Zihao." Then Bacon countered, "How about 1 million RMB per day?"

Lu Zihao's mouth twitched. On the inside, he was laughing at the black cat's attempt at negotiating. Damn. This cat was indeed his sister's child. Wait. His sister was never this shameless when asking him in their past lives. It was the old man who corrupted his sister, teaching her about being shameless in front of family. Grandpa Lu's booming laughter echoed in his mind. 

He crossed his arms over his big, muscled chest and threw a hard, stern look at Bacon. "Do you think that you are your mother, the world-class hacker Drakon? I haven't met you before tonight so that means that you've only been 'born' recently. You haven't proven yourself yet. There is no way that you're worth 1 million in either US dollars or RMB right now. With how inexperienced you are, even your older sister, that white cat is worth more than you."

Bacon's tail twitched, an indication that it didn't like what his uncle said that his older sister Ketchup was worth more than him right now. Finally, he admitted, "Bacon doesn't have full comprehension yet of the value of money as it applies in the labour market. Since this is the case, I will ask my father to negotiate a fair salary for me instead."

A furrow formed between Lu Zihao's brows. His remnant stirred again at the mention of Jin Liwei. "There's no need to disturb your father again about this matter. Just ask your mother tomorrow."

"According to the white dumbhead's records, Mother is weak to Uncle Zihao. If I ask Mother, then there is a high probability that she will tell me to work for Uncle for free which is not in line with my original intention of wanting to offer my assistance to Uncle's work in the first place. Bacon doesn't want to work for free. The white dumbhead is earning her own money so I want to earn my own money, too. That's why it's better for me to ask my father instead. Father is an adept businessman and he will surely negotiate a fair salary for me. After all, he is also the one overseeing and guiding the white dumbhead in running her own business."

Lu Zihao was about to dissuade the black cat but before he could say anything, Bacon had already said, "Wait a moment, Uncle Zihao. Bacon will now ask Father."

The black cat AI's golden eyes dimmed once again.

Lu Zihao cursed. He almost turned off the TV in annoyance but then remembered that doing so was useless against his sister's AI children. All he could do was wait for his new nephew to return. [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! Also follow me on Instagram @arriacross]

At the moment, he really didn't want to have any contact with Jin Liwei because the man had a direct effect on the original's remnant. He didn't have the patience to keep subduing the irritating existence inside him in such short intervals. He knew that avoiding Jin Liwei wasn't a sustainable solution, especially after promising his sister to attend their wedding at the end of the month. Nevertheless, all he wanted was a break to recharge his frayed nerves caused by the remnant in the past few days.

Bacon's dim golden eyes glowed brightly again. Without even so much of a greeting that he was back, he immediately announced, "Now connecting Father's call in 3…2…"

Lu Zihao didn't want to talk to Jin Liwei. "No, wait—"

"1!"

"Hello, Lu Zihao," Jin Liwei's voice sounded throughout the penthouse. 

Silence.

"Or should I say, Brother-in-law Nikolai?"

Lu Zihao shot up from his seat. "What did you just call me?"

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