The ringing in his ears persisted, and it took Qi Ji a long moment to slowly register what had happened.
The last of his cigarettes had already been consumed during the fight with those men.
Two years ago, Qi Ji had developed a smoking habit, but he didn’t have spare money to buy cigarettes. Even the cheapest loose cigarettes were beyond his means to stockpile.
Anxiety sparked cravings, and without a cigarette, Qi Ji could only stare blankly at his trembling hands. Slowly, almost automatically, he dug his fingernails into the fresh bandages on his arms.
“…”
A shiver ran through his body. Cold sweat poured down from his forehead and neck, and his vision blurred with the sudden tears.
Qi Ji trembled, completely silent.
The waves of pain eventually drowned out his cravings. Heavy, ragged breaths echoed through the empty room before fading into stillness.
Exhausted, he curled up on the sofa. The shift in posture made the pain flare all over his body, but he tightened himself further.
It was so cold.
Only when his phone alarm rang did Qi Ji stagger up from the sofa and make his way to the washroom.
His face was pale from blood loss and emotional strain, streaked with bruises, making him unsuitable to go to the office looking like this.
After rinsing his face with water, he took out a box of concealer from beside the sink. Scooping a fingertip’s worth, he dabbed it over the bruises.
Qi Ji’s skin was naturally fair and smooth, admired by girls since high school. Normally, he only washed with soap and didn’t bother with skincare or makeup. Now, concealer was necessary to hide the marks.
This box had been given to him by Zhang Wu at the fight arena, meant for covering injuries. Though it might slightly affect healing, it was effective in hiding the marks—perfect for emergencies.
After covering the bruises on his face and neck, Qi Ji checked to ensure they weren’t noticeable before putting the concealer away. Previously, his injuries had been severe enough that no amount of concealer could hide them, even drawing attention from colleagues.
Once ready, he left for the first subway train.
The company provided three meals with fixed costs. Breakfast, however, was minimal—8 yuan for a bowl of porridge, a small bun, or two short fried dough sticks—so Qi Ji usually skipped it.
He reached into his pocket for the two pieces of candy he had, only to find them missing. Perhaps they were lost during yesterday’s fight.
He didn’t dwell on it. There was still one piece in his office drawer, enough to last the morning.
Arriving at the company, the design department was still mostly empty. Most designers were night owls; with the official start at 9 AM, only Qi Ji and Director Wu, who had gone to bed early, were there.
Qi Ji opened the window to let in fresh air and started the cleaning robot.
During the brief moment he guided the wall-bumping robot around corners, he laid out his schedule for the day. It wasn’t too busy, so he pulled up his design drafts and popped a candy into his mouth, then sent a few versions to the client.
Replies came back gradually: two approved, one ignored, and one needed revision. Qi Ji noted the changes and spent another half-hour adjusting templates before colleagues started arriving.
Strangely, Director Wu, usually arriving around 8 AM, hadn’t shown up yet. By 9 AM, everyone was in, but she was still absent.
Yesterday’s major task left the office atmosphere sluggish. With the director gone, small groups chatted idly, not yet ready to work.
Qi Ji was adjusting color tones when he overheard colleagues discussing:
“I think I saw President Pei at the building entrance. That dark grey Bentley Mulsanne must be his car.”
“Bentley? Didn’t he drive a Phideon last time?”
“With his status, he probably has more than one. Last month I saw him get out of a Spyker C8 at the company entrance.”
“My god, a Spyker C8? There are only a few in all of S City. What kind of family changes cars more often than clothes?”
“Must be a wealthy family then.”
“Then it must be President Pei. Someone saw his assistant here too. Hasn’t he been around for over ten days?”
“Yeah, more than two weeks.”
“What’s he coming in for today? A meeting?”
“Probably about the new development area. The company recruited the research team, but the land’s still not found.”
Qi Ji had little interest in gossip, but Pei Yusheng’s name triggered memories of last night.
…How did he end up in the hospital?
His instinctive aversion to hospitals overrode rational thought. Coupled with concussion aftereffects and his bruises, it only now hit him.
The new president seemed unpredictable—once deducting Qi Ji’s wages, the next moment spending lavishly on fine liquor. Despite his threatening aura at first meeting, he had helped Qi Ji solve multiple problems.
Qi Ji, having worked for two years, never engaged in unequal exchanges. With this president, he felt unable to repay immediately.
The morning had left him dizzy; the small candy hadn’t helped, and his face looked increasingly pale.
A colleague noticed and asked anxiously: “Qi Ji, are you okay? You look pale.”
Qi Ji recovered composure and offered a polite smile. “I’m fine, thanks, just skipped breakfast. I’ll eat at lunch.”
Before the colleague could respond, Director Wu hurried in.
Everyone returned to their seats, ending the chatter. She went straight to her office, then left again shortly after.
Qi Ji focused on his computer when a small package of coarse biscuits slid toward him.
He looked up to see the colleague mouth silently, “Have a snack.”
Qi Ji nodded and whispered, “Thank you.”
He sent a quick WeChat message: 【Thanks, Hui-jie.】
A reply came with a hugging cat emoji: 【The office just joined a gym, no one brings snacks anymore. I asked around and only found a pack of coarse biscuits. Qi Ji, have these first.】
Qi Ji hadn’t expected it to be so hard to come by. 【Sorry, Hui-jie…】
【No problem!】 came a playful cat emoji. 【Remember to eat breakfast on time~】
Qi Ji replied with a smiling cat emoji.
The emojis had originally been drawn by him while designing and uploaded to WeChat, earning praise from colleagues.
With that little interlude over, Qi Ji resumed work.
Ten minutes later, Director Wu returned with multiple shopping bags, startling everyone. They assumed she had gone on a major shopping spree.
Colleagues helped carry the bags, but she insisted they didn’t go to her office.
“No, no need. These are souvenirs from a friend’s trip. I’m dieting, can’t eat them. Share among yourselves.”
Everyone exchanged looks but followed her instructions.
The gifts were all delicately packaged, high-calorie treats. Some colleagues couldn’t eat much, so Qi Ji, young, slim, and fond of sweets, ended up with most of them.
He politely thanked everyone while devouring two boxes of rolls, five nougat squares, three half-baked cheesecakes, and several pieces of nougat candy.
The treats lifted his mood, eased his pain, and helped him work efficiently.
By noon, colleagues left for lunch slightly later. Qi Ji planned to meet two senior colleagues but was called by Director Wu first.
He entered her office: “Director Wu, you need me for something?”
She gestured for him to sit. Unexpectedly, she asked, “Qi Ji, how are you feeling in the design department lately?”
Qi Ji was startled. Though the department was small, all members were key staff, and Director Wu was a core member of the parent company’s design team. She was usually blunt and busy, not prone to small talk.
His first thought was that he’d made a mistake. After thinking it through, he replied, “Pretty good. I’ve learned a lot, and everyone’s been considerate.”
“That’s good,” she nodded. “You’re talented and hardworking. I can see you’re integrating quickly. Do you have any difficulties adapting?”
Qi Ji hesitated but tried to answer, “No… though some projects are still new to me. I’ve been learning from Wang-ge.”
Wang-ge was the full-time employee responsible for mentoring him.
Director Wu heard him and immediately said, “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can just ask me directly.”
Qi Ji: “…?”
Was the director… performing a daily good deed?
Despite his confusion, Qi Ji couldn’t let such an opportunity slip by. Although he had been working independently on design drafts for three years, the company offered insights he could never gain from school or self-study.
Especially from a seasoned professional like Director Wu, a single piece of guidance could save him a year of detours.
They talked for more than twenty minutes. Only when the clock on the wall struck the hour did Director Wu pause, letting Qi Ji go eat lunch.
Qi Ji walked out with a sense of accomplishment, though he still wondered: why had the director specifically called him over?
Before he could figure it out, his phone vibrated.
It was Li Anbei calling. “Qi Qi? Why haven’t you come over yet?”
Today, Chen Zixuan had just returned from a business trip, and the three of them had planned to eat lunch together. Qi Ji hadn’t arrived, and usually they’d be nearly done by now.
“Sorry, senior, I was held up. I’ll come right away.”
Li Anbei reassured him, “No worries. Don’t rush. We’ve saved a spot, right here by counter seventeen.”
“Okay.”
After hanging up, Qi Ji hurried to the cafeteria. At noon, it was crowded, and he had to wait in line for some time before joining the two waiting friends.
The restaurant had limited tables. As Qi Ji approached with his tray, Li Anbei had just turned away two groups who asked to share their table. Seeing Qi Ji, he relaxed.
“I’m used to eating early and leaving early. Didn’t expect the restaurant at noon to be this crowded. Just now, five or six groups tried to share our table.”
Qi Ji apologized, “Sorry, Director just called me… I should have let you finish eating first.”
“No worries, we had space anyway,” Chen Zixuan said. “We didn’t wait long at all.”
“I just sat down, too. I was in line for soup,” Li Anbei said, glancing at Qi Ji’s tray. “Qi Qi, did you get soup? The cafeteria actually made Dangshen Black-bone Chicken Soup today. Incredible!”
“I got some,” Qi Ji replied. “They’ve never made chicken soup here before?”
“If you count the seaweed egg drop soup as a kind of chicken soup, then yes.”
Li Anbei ladled some soup, exaggerating his admiration.
“Look at the broth, golden yellow. The chicken meat, pearl white… wait, black! Never had this treatment before—I suspect the chef hit the jackpot today.”
“Indeed, it’s rare,” Chen Zixuan said, letting him finish. “Maybe some executive is visiting?”
“No way,” Li Anbei scoffed. “The VPs eat here too. How high-ranking could a visitor be?”
“And even if leadership came, they wouldn’t add this soup separately. Dangshen Black-bone Chicken Soup is for replenishing blood, isn’t it?”
Qi Ji felt a strange pang in his chest.
…Replenishing blood?
Not just them—people at nearby tables were equally surprised.
Although Yuntu usually had decent meals, this soup was clearly a cut above.
Before Qi Ji could ponder further, someone asked, “Why is today’s soup upgraded to a deluxe version?”
Another added, “I asked the soup chef. He said the black-bone chickens were brought by the president and handed to the kitchen for extra preparation.”
At this, everyone around looked puzzled.
Yuntu’s cafeteria was outsourced, but all catering for the Xinghai Group was run by the Xu Group’s restaurants. Since the chairman’s surname was Xu, this was effectively a semi-internal cafeteria. Adding dishes internally wasn’t strange.
But the odd part—this president, who rarely appeared at the company, had suddenly thought to improve cafeteria meals?
As speculation buzzed, a commotion rose at the restaurant entrance.
Everyone turned to look, frozen.
Even Qi Ji paused mid-sip.
The tall, handsome man in a bespoke black suit, towering half a head above the crowd—
It was the long-absent President Pei, Pei Yusheng.