The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 940 - 939: Junior Brother and Disciple, Finally Meet!

Chapter 940: Chapter 939: Junior Brother and Disciple, Finally Meet!

Xiao Qimo shook his head. Two sets of fishing rods, sent out on the same day.

"So... did your master say anything? When can I meet him?"

Lu Mian paused. "He really likes the fishing rods. He said we could meet up sometime when there’s an opportunity."

"That’s good." Xiao Qimo let out a huge sigh of relief. "Then about your ID card..."

"Oh, that? Don’t worry, it’ll be resolved very soon." Lu Mian lowered her gaze slightly. To reassure Director Qimo, she had told a little lie.

If it couldn’t be resolved, she’d just resolve her master instead.

"I happen to not have parked yet, so I’ll come pick you up. On the way back, I bought your favorite burger." Xiao Qimo was in a good mood and immediately turned his steering wheel, heading toward the café.

——

Yun Zhijuan drank a cup of coffee alone, utterly heartbroken.

As he was leaving, his gaze suddenly fell on the fishing rod Lu Mian had brought for him. After some hesitation, he decided to open the box and take a look.

And as soon as he saw it—

"Tsk, this fishing rod..."

Yun Zhijuan hadn’t been particularly interested in the fishing rod. He thought, no matter how good it was, it couldn’t be better than the set his junior brother had given him. But once he opened it and laid eyes on the design, the craftsmanship, the accessories, and the luminous brand logo, he fell into a deep, silent contemplation.

This rod was identical—exactly the same!—to the set Xiao Qimo had given him.

He immediately dashed out of the café.

Other than a black car disappearing into the distance, Lu Mian’s figure was nowhere to be found.

He was baffled.

Thinking about matchmaking his junior brother with his disciple, he realized he’d have to pick up the pace.

——

Yun Zhijuan’s return brought great joy to the International Elite Group.

The leader was back safe and sound, and everyone’s hearts were finally at ease.

More importantly, seven of the nine commanders no longer had to live under the high-pressure environment of Team One and Team Two’s constant clashing.

Team Three couldn’t wait to send red packet blessings in the group chat, expressing their warm welcome.

[Welcome the leader back home!]

Team Four: [Leader, we missed you so much while you were gone!]

Team Five: [Leader, everything within the organization has been running smoothly. We’ve all been listening to Team One!]

Team Six: [Leader, please don’t suddenly disappear again! We were so worried...]

[...]

Lu Mian glanced at the flood of messages in the group chat. Her fingers moved swiftly as she typed a message of her own.

[Leader, I heard that while Team One’s commander was searching for you in the Primitive Forest, they missed the ideal moment due to personal matters. It’s remarkable you made it back this time.]

Her message instantly froze the lively atmosphere in the chat.

It was as though the blazing summer sun had been hit with a sudden Siberian cold front, leaving everyone speechless.

Especially the last four words—an obvious jab at Team One’s commander.

Yun Zhijuan: ...

Sure enough, the relationship between these two couldn’t possibly be worse—it could only get more disastrous!

If they ever found out each other’s identities, what would happen?

He cautiously drafted a message, agonizing over his wording in hopes of easing the conflict between them.

But before he could send it, Team One’s commander had already responded in the group chat.

[If you’re so capable, why don’t you do it yourself? @Team Two’s Commander Demon]

Yun Zhijuan: ... Damn it! Xiao Qimo, you pigheaded fool!

Everyone else: ... Here we go again. They’ve brought out the Gatling guns and heavy artillery, and it’s fight-to-the-death time.

Lu Mian wasn’t fazed in the slightest. She sent over a "death smile" emoji.

[My standard for doing things has never been "capability," but excellence.]

Everyone else: ...

The implication was crystal clear—not only could she handle it, but she could do it far better.

Blatant provocation, mixed with disdain!

Impressive, truly impressive!

At this point, the group members were pure spectators.

On the surface: "Please, stop fighting."

In their hearts: "Fight, fight, fight!"

The one suffering the most was Yun Zhijuan.

He glanced at Team One’s high-and-mighty profile picture, then at Team Two’s wild-and-unruly avatar.

Tears of utter helplessness streamed down his face.

——

Xiao Qimo sat in his room, staring at the message Team Two had sent in the chat. His expression darkened considerably.

Thinking back to the time he’d sent Team Three to the Primitive Forest to search for the leader, he had indeed pinpointed the leader’s location. But at that moment, Lu Mian had appeared on the "Extreme Brain" program, and he decided to deal with her brainless fans’ comments first.

The result was missing the leader by a mere minute...

The mistake was his; he admitted it.

Xiao Qimo didn’t bother replying further in the group chat. Instead, he put his phone away and knocked on Lu Mian’s door.

Lu Mian was busy typing away furiously on her keyboard. Her phone lay silently facedown next to her laptop.

As Xiao Qimo walked in, he surreptitiously nudged Little Sansan with his foot.

Little Sansan didn’t respond—its chip had clearly been removed.

Lu Mian was upgrading Little Sansan’s system. Seeing Xiao Qimo enter with a cold, heavy aura, she stopped what she was doing and stood up.

"What’s wrong? In a bad mood?"

Xiao Qimo naturally wrapped his arms around her waist, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. Inhaling her cool, crisp scent, he instantly felt more at ease.

Lu Mian patted his back, as if comforting a child.

"Feeling mistreated?"

Without saying a word, Xiao Qimo tightened his hug further.

Lu Mian could sense his gloom, so she held him quietly for a while. The room filled with the sound of two successive message notifications from their phones.

Casting aside Lu Mian, Xiao Qimo read his message first: [Tomorrow at 3 PM. Don’t be late.] Alongside an address.

Lu Mian also picked up her phone. With just a glance at the first few words, she knew it was from Yun Zhijuan.

[Tomorrow at 3 PM...]

She noticed Xiao Qimo’s scrutinizing gaze, feeling a bit flustered. Awkwardly, she lowered her phone.

When she looked back up, Xiao Qimo’s dark eyes had deepened, carrying an unfathomable significance as they locked onto hers.

Soon, he spoke with meaningful intent: "Baby, will you accompany me somewhere tomorrow afternoon?"

Lu Mian’s heart skipped a beat, her inexplicable guilt bubbling to the surface.

Could it be that Director Qimo suspected something?

Would he get jealous?

After hesitating for only a second, she silently deleted the text and smiled as she nodded. "Sure."

The matter with her master could wait.

——

To facilitate this meeting between his disciple and his junior brother, Yun Zhijuan had gone all out and booked an entire restaurant.

After arranging their seats, he retreated to a spot on the second floor, discreetly observing the ground level.

This time, he really pulled out all the stops—spending big, bleeding funds.

If he couldn’t successfully get these two together, it would mean not only having to unlock Mian Xiaobao’s ID permissions but also passing the leader position to Xiao Qimo.

It was unbearable, truly unbearable.

Yun Zhijuan clutched his chest, lamenting his hard life as he glanced at his phone.

2:59 PM!

He jolted with excitement—they were coming, they were coming!

These two were finally about to meet!

As he nervously peered downstairs, his eyes landed on the restaurant entrance, where a man and woman walked in, fingers intertwined.

Yun Zhijuan stretched his neck to get a clearer look.

And instantly froze in shock!