The Mafia Overlord becomes a Road Manager? (part-1)

"You could say I brought someone a project worth tens of billions." He exhaled, tilting his head toward the sky for a brief second before looking back at her.

Xueli studied his face, wondering whether it was indeed some shady deal and that was the reason why her brother wanted to get out of the city and shift here, changing even career paths.

However, she didn't say anything but simply patted his shoulder.

The same evening, in Hangzhou City;

Noa's fingers rested lightly on the steering wheel of her unmarked silver sedan as she drove on a rainy night.

She didn't look back too often.

Once every few minutes was enough.

The black car had been behind her since the outskirts of the Sima district. Same model. Same rhythm. Never overtaking, never drifting too far behind.

Noa's eyes slid to the mirror again.

Still there.

A half-smile curled at the corner of her lips.

She didn't speed up. Didn't weave through traffic. Her driving remained casual.

Eventually, she pulled into the underground parking of a twenty-story corporate building, dipped under the motion scanner, and smoothly coasted into a visitor slot.

A hooded figure got down from the vehicle and followed her at a distance.

Noa adjusted her dark coat and casually brushed a few droplets from her shoulder before pressing the button of Elevator 4.

An empty elevator opened, and she got in and pressed the button. The man rushed forward but missed the timing. The elevator's doors were closed before he got inside. He kept his eye on the floor indicator. It stopped at 4.

He got in the next one and went to the fourth floor.

But just as the doors opened, he found half a dozen men in suits standing behind Noa. The latter had a smirk on her face.

Then she snapped her fingers.

In an instant, the mana pistols were unholstered as they rushed in, glowing faint blue under the flickering panel light. All of them were aimed straight at the man's chest.

His eyes widened. "This…"

"Don't move," one of the suited men said.

Noa stepped forward, smoothly slipping a compact pair of anti-mana cuffs from her coat pocket. They clicked shut around his wrists with practiced ease.

Up close, she studied his face as she spoke. "You think I don't know that Spiritwood Essence in the mall was used in order to kill me? When you missed it, you should have gone underground, but as foolish as you are, you tried to take a second chance. Hmpf…"

He didn't respond and kept his mouth shut.

She let out a smile as she continued. "Honestly, I didn't expect it to work this easily. I planted teams in three buildings, sealed the upper floors, and even had a fake dispatch team nearby just in case you ran. So much effort for one little rat."

Her tone dropped now, and so did her gaze, turning cold.

"So," she said, tilting her head slightly, "was it Twilight who sent you? Or are you working for someone else?"

The man swallowed hard.

But in a sudden move, fast and desperate, he lunged, bringing his cuffed hands up toward her throat.

But before his fingers could even graze her, half a dozen triggers clicked in unison.

"Argh…"

He dropped to his knees with a scream, blood blooming down his thighs as he clutched at the wounds.

Noa stepped back, brushing a strand of hair from her shoulder. She adjusted her coat collar, calm as a still pond.

Then she spun around, with a precise snap of her heel, driving her boot into his cheekbone.

Crack.

The man fell sideways with a groan, blood trickling down his chin.

"This bast*rd…" she hissed.

One of the agents beside her silently offered a tissue. She took it, dabbing the corner of her mouth like a woman freshening up after a long meeting.

"Tidy him up," she said. "Bring him to the safehouse. Remember, Hangzhou City Police cannot know about him yet. Not until we interrogate him thoroughly."

"Yes, ma'am."

After a while, the elevator dinged softly on the first floor. Noa stepped out of an empty elevator, calmly walking away to the exit.

Right when she reached the entrance, her phone buzzed. She halted her footsteps and took it out.

It had the image of a man, looking like a typical Chinese with no noticeable features. But down below the information, there were a few things mentioned that brought a deep frown to her face.

"Pavel's 4th General, Storm?" She fell into thoughts, standing there. "What was such a figure doing in a place like Hangzhou? This city is far away from Pavel's operations. Is it a personal visit or is it…"

*

A few days later, Xihu District;

A large parcel arrived at the penthouse.

It was massive, nearly the size of a small refrigerator, and securely packaged in industrial-grade wrapping. Tianzhu didn't need to check the sender. He already knew what it was.

Setting his coffee down on the marble countertop, he grabbed a utility knife and carefully sliced through the thick tape.

As the final layer peeled away, a sleek, completely assembled humanoid robotic assistant stood inside the crate, its glossy exterior reflecting the soft morning light.

"Looks completely undamaged. Great, I was worried for nothing."

With a small smirk, Tianzhu powered it on. A faint hum filled the air as the robot's systems booted up, its LED interface flickering to life.

"Amy, activate," Tianzhu murmured.

The robot's synthetic eyes blinked, and it straightened its posture before responding in a smooth, feminine robotic voice.

"System online. Awaiting commands, Master Qin."

Tianzhu glanced towards the staircase leading to Vera's room. He lowered his voice and gave the command.

"Go wake Vera up."

Amy nodded mechanically and turned, her smooth steps gliding up the stairs with eerie precision. Tianzhu followed slowly behind, hands in his pockets, watching as the robot approached Vera's bed.

The girl was still curled up under her blanket, her hair spilling across the silk pillow. Ava leaned slightly forward and spoke in her usual tone.

"Young Miss, wake up. It's morning time."

Vera groggily groaned, rolling over. "Not now, Amy…" she mumbled, half-asleep.

Then, suddenly, her eyes snapped open.

"AMY?!"

She shot upright, wide-eyed, as she took in the sight of the robotic assistant standing before her.

From the doorway, Tianzhu grinned. "Surprise."

Vera practically launched out of bed, wrapping her arms around the robot in pure excitement. "Amy! You're really here!"

The AI assistant's head tilted slightly before responding. "It has been a while, Young Miss."

Tianzhu leaned against the doorframe, watching his daughter's joy with a satisfied smile. Taking a sip, he mumbled. "Okay, with Amy here to look after Vera, I'm finally ready to work. I wonder when Jiejie has her next project."

A couple of days later;

Tianzhu left his daughter at the house and joined Xueli as she was picked up by her manager, as a prestigious project suddenly fell into her lap.

The sleek black SUV was waiting at the entrance. Inside sat a man in his late thirties, his sharp suit and neatly styled hair presenting a polished image.

Xueli smiled and gestured towards Tianzhu. "Xiao Zhu, this is my manager, Li Jingmin."

Jingmin nodded politely, offering a handshake. Tianzhu took it, his grip firm but unreadable. "Pleasure to meet you," Jingmin said smoothly. However, in his mind, he couldn't help but wonder who this young man was.

On the other hand, Tianzhu barely acknowledged the greeting, seeing that this guy was not an awakener.

Xueli introduced him casually. "And this is my younger brother, Han Tianzhu."

Jingmin blinked in surprise. "Younger brother? I thought you only had two elder brothers."

"Stepbrothers." She corrected him but didn't elaborate on Tianzhu's case. "I didn't tell the company. No one needs to know for now."

Jingmin raised an eyebrow, intrigued but not pressing further.

"As I have mentioned on the phone, he'll be your assistant from today onwards, a road manager alongside Yuna," she continued. "Teach him everything he needs to know."

Jingmin exhaled sharply, shaking his head with a small chuckle. "Well, that's unexpected." He studied Tianzhu for a moment before commenting, "Tianzhu, you have great looks. Photojournalists might not care much if it is a good-looking female manager accompanying an actress, but male managers are different. They will definitely take an interest in who this good-looking manager is, all in the search for a scoop. Not to mention, Ms. Xueli is an A+listed actress and a Platinum Class Hunter. In this era, it's easy for people to dig into your background. So, I don't think it can be hidden for long. And when they find out you were working for your sister, some might look down on you. Are you okay with it? If you wish, I can recommend you to another celebrity."

Xueli glanced at Tianzhu, her expression turning serious as she added. "He's right. If you don't want any exposure, you'll need to wear a mask and a hat at all times. No sunglasses, though, especially when you were with me. It'll come across as rude, and my fans will unnecessarily bash you on the internet for no reason. Prefer wearing fake nerd glasses for aesthetic purposes."

"I understand." Tianzhu simply nodded, already intending to do that. He doesn't want any attention at the moment.

Jingmin let out another chuckle and started the car. "Alright, let's get going."

Together, they went to Vesta Entertainment, Xueli's agency, located in Genesis Entertainment Town in the same city.