The Cold, Aloof Dominatrix After Parasitically Entering a Rich Family - Chapter 25

Chapter 25: Spiritual Power Revival — The Game Has Begun

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the curtains onto Gong Shayu’s cheek. After a moment of daze, she pulled at the silk strap that had slipped down. Her custom-made nightgown was soaked with sweat and was now sticking to her waistline—eerily reminiscent of the clammy, sticky scent from last night.

Gong Shayu shivered and quickly got up, rushing to the living room.

Tu Si was still curled up in the same sleeping position as when Gong Shayu had returned last night, though the golden bundle on her head was gone.

The fake gemstone ring was now resting quietly on her ring finger, bobbing up and down with her breath, flickering in Gong Shayu’s eyes.

Gong Shayu raised her left hand and closely examined the fingertip that had been injured last night. Strangely, as vivid as the pain had been, her finger was now flawless. The place where the skin had broken on her middle finger glowed with a moist sheen, brighter even than the surrounding intact skin.

The person on the sofa woke up at some unknown moment.

As their eyes met, Gong Shayu wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but Tu Si’s clear, limpid eyes seemed brighter than before—infused with a light named desire.

Thinking of this, Gong Shayu couldn’t help but recall last night’s dream. Miss Gong, nearly thirty, knew exactly what the entanglements and burning sensations in those dreams represented. However, having grown accustomed to solitude, she felt a rare sense of embarrassment after having such a dream for the first time.

Miss Gong was the first to concede the staring contest. She averted her gaze, a suspicious blush on her face, and turned away.

“Boss Gong?” Tu Si spoke naturally.

On the way back yesterday, Gong Shayu had sternly warned her that if she called her “Wife” or “Jie Jie” (Sister) alone again, she would deduct her salary. Hearing ‘salary deduction,’ Tu Si immediately behaved, mimicking Assistant Fang by calling her “Boss Gong.”

Gong Shayu’s breath hitched.

Why did the two words “Boss Gong” sound so strange coming from her mouth—

Like a specific kind of seduction.

“Mhm.” To cover her embarrassment, Gong Shayu replied with a single cold syllable and headed toward the bathroom.

“Last night…” Tu Si’s voice suddenly pursued her from behind. “I heard a noise in Boss Gong’s room.”

Gong Shayu choked, turning to stare at Tu Si, her eyes like knives.

If you dare to say I called your name in my dream, I’ll deduct your entire allowance and kick you out!

Tu Si seemed to read the meaning in her eyes. She swallowed and whispered, “The window might not have been closed properly; the wind must have knocked over the pothos vase.”

Gong Shayu sighed in relief. That’s right, it was just a normal dream.

…

Spiritual Power Awakening

When Fang Yu arrived to pick up Gong Shayu, she noticed the Boss had run two kilometers more than usual during her morning jog. It seems the stress from work is getting to her.

Assistant Fang also felt her own pressure doubling.

Inside the apartment, once Tu Si was sure Gong Shayu had left for work, she instantly sprang up from the sofa.

She raised her hand and made a grasping motion in the empty air. The pot of pothos that had fallen last night flew over to her telekinetically!

“M-m-m-master, spare me…” the little pothos plant squeaked loudly.

Tu Si ignored it and used the same method to turn on the TV remotely. The noisy sound of the shopping channel gave her a sense of comfort.

“So this is spiritual power?!” Tu Si exclaimed, both surprised and delighted.

The little pothos trembled. “I-I-I don’t know, b-b-but I think so.”

“Looking at Sister Shayu, she really seems to have forgotten what happened last night.” Tu Si raised her right hand and examined it closely.

“M-M-Master, your neck…” the pothos screamed, as if seeing something horrifying.

Tu Si’s instinctive reaction was: I wish I had a mirror now.

Then, she waved her hand, and a hazy, shaking reflection appeared in the empty air—a phantom mirror. It was blurry.

But it was clear enough for her to see—the vine-like pattern on her collarbone was now flashing red light, like a burning ember.

It eventually disappeared back into the trembling reflection.

“Sister Hu Die told me this is a Spiritual Power Seal. Every cultivated demon has one,” Tu Si rubbed the spot where the mark had been, feeling nothing unusual. “It’s just that the moment of my cultivation… suddenly happened. I hadn’t even felt it before this.”

“So this is spiritual power! Ha ha ha ha!”

The little pothos looked at Tu Si enviously. Seeing that she truly didn’t intend to harm it, its courage grew. “Then how did you suddenly get spiritual power?”

Tu Si pondered for a moment before concluding: “It seems to be human bl00d.”

Recalling last night, when she saw the crimson stain on Gong Shayu’s hand, Tu Si clearly felt an almost irresistible excitement surge through her body. Only when the wildly growing vines automatically wrapped around Gong Shayu did she realize: the other woman’s bl00d allowed her spiritual power to awaken!!!

The little pothos heard this, and its leaves trembled uncontrollably. As a fellow vine-plant, it understood the Dodder Flower species too well. Possessing an inherent strangling nature, they were already the plant kingdom’s top assassins. Hearing Tu Si calmly state such a chilling fact, the pothos genuinely wished it had never been woken up last night.

Just then, Tu Si’s ancient Apple phone rang. This phone was truly old; Tu Si charged it all night, but it only lasted an hour. Of course, the Dodder Flower wouldn’t know it was a battery issue.

It was her new friend, Wang Wei, calling. He said he had the day off and invited Tu Si to go beachcombing (gǎnhǎi).

Tu Si didn’t know what beachcombing meant but happily accepted.

…

The Boardroom Coup

At the same time, a tsunami was hitting the ICC Hotel executive meeting.

The layoff plan hadn’t been finalized, but the news of impending cuts had already swept through the entire hotel staff like a tornado.

The senior management meeting faced an unprecedented situation. The first half was the welcoming of Gong Shayu, and immediately after, came various self-congratulatory complaints.

The Director of Sales explained how challenging marketing was here, yet he fought through the intense competition to push ICC’s occupancy rate above 20%.

The Director of Rooms used thirty PowerPoint slides to detail how difficult it was to coordinate staff across departments, with communication costs being prohibitively high. He even gave an example where a Chinese celebrity was having a wedding, and the front desk reception and the laundry staff were fighting in the back.

The Director of Food and Beverage was completely overwhelmed. Guests came from all over the world, which meant that even when they cooked the most authentic local cuisine, they were constantly complained about for being too sour, too sweet, too bitter, or too spicy.

The Human Resources department was not to be outdone. Tina used her own slides and data to explain that hiring in the service industry was becoming increasingly difficult, and employee quality was universally low. Many local employees, when facing conflict at work, would summon their family members for a group brawl, severely injuring or disabling people. Since the culprits couldn’t pay compensation, the company was extorted.

The Finance department followed closely, stating that monthly expenditure in this area averaged a high five figures, alongside ever-increasing food and beverage and labor costs.

The Engineering and Security departments didn’t need to say much. They outright demanded more hiring, as their current work saturation already exceeded 120%, 1.5 times the workload of neighboring resort hotels, despite the same wages.

Fang Yu’s scalp was tingling. She was experiencing “unity is strength” firsthand, but this united power was directed against Gong Shayu.

ICC was like a giant ship floating at sea, its crew ignorant and stubborn. Their own incompetence had left the hull battered, incapable of withstanding any storm.

Gong Shayu calmly listened to the grievances of every department head, nodding slightly after each one finished.

Some people began to think this woman was not as terrifying as the rumors suggested. See? We’re all seasoned workplace veterans. Give her a little show of force, and she’ll recognize whose territory this is.

When the last report finished, Gong Shayu looked at Fang Yu. The latter, receiving her signal, opened with sharp words: “Based on your descriptions, it is clear that the Human Resources department bears significant responsibility.”

“Who…” Tina started to retort.

Fang Yu interrupted her: “Director Tina, please tell me now the duties of the Human Resources department.”

“Assistant Fang, we need to speak responsibly in front of the whole company’s leadership…” Tina’s voice abruptly rose an octave.

“Of course.” Fang Yu offered a professional smile, then gestured for her to proceed.

“Recruitment, training, compensation and benefits, performance management, employee relations…” Tina spoke, suddenly feeling a sense of dread, but with so many people watching, she had to continue: “Organizational development, and compliance.”

Fang Yu: “Good. Let’s review them one by one: One, Personnel Recruitment. This is about placing the right people in the right positions. Based on the descriptions from all the directors, especially the Director of Rooms, who mentioned a fight backstage between employees during a client’s wedding.”

“Regardless of whether the client was a celebrity or how huge the public impact was, let’s look directly at the behavior. Does it seriously affect our company’s image? Should people with such volatile personalities be placed in the events and laundry departments?”

The Director of Rooms lowered his head to wipe his sweat, secretly thinking, You, Tina, told me to bring this up.

Tina sneered. “Do you know what you are saying? Since ICC opened, I have…”

Fang Yu interrupted again: “I know you were the first employee at ICC. Please let me finish: Two, the Training segment. The Food and Beverage department’s cuisine can be picked apart by four different issues simultaneously, and complaints about taste are almost a daily occurrence. Also, the Sales department—is a 20% occupancy rate something to boast about?”

“May I ask if your department has conducted relevant training? Corporate culture training, or inviting professional instructors for skill training? I recall that a large portion of the HR department’s annual budget is allocated to training…”

“Boss Gong! What, you said you were going to have mass layoffs yesterday. Are you planning to start with me???” Tina completely lost her composure. She stood up, interrupting Fang Yu. Her movement was so sudden that the chair scraped against the floor with a screech.

This batch of chairs was only replaced last month. Whether by coincidence or some other reason, the supplier was Tina’s cousin.

A clamor broke out. Everyone simultaneously strained their ears and widened their eyes, hoping to say something to prevent the sky from crashing down.

“Tina, what does that mean? What mass layoffs?” “Boss Gong, is that true?” “Tina, explain yourself…”

…

Gong Shayu, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke slowly:

“The layoffs—begin now.“