It was early evening, and for once no one had to work overtime. The whole team actually got to leave on time.
Walking out of the lobby, chatting lightly with his coworkers, Qi Ji spotted a figure standing under the sycamore trees outside the office building—someone completely out of place in the corporate setting.
The guy was tall. Even though he was wearing the uniform of a nearby high school, he didn’t look like a student at all. With that messy yellow hair and restless air around him, he looked more like a delinquent.
He kept staring at the company’s main entrance, clearly waiting for someone. But the scowl on his face made him look anything but friendly. Even the security guard at the door kept glancing at his hands like he expected trouble.
Plenty of people noticed him as they passed. Qi Ji’s coworkers were getting curious when Qi Ji suddenly said, “Someone’s here for me. I’ll head off first. See you tomorrow.”
They all froze for a second—only long enough to wave goodbye—before Qi Ji strode toward the delinquent-looking teenager.
One coworker stared worriedly at Qi Ji’s retreating back. “…Is that his little brother?”
“No idea,” another whispered. “But he is wearing a high school uniform.”
Once the topic was raised, several people looked over again. A few exchanged strange looks. Lin-ge even looked like he wanted to speak but held back.
“What’s wrong with his brother?” someone asked.
The first person lowered their voice. “Remember those injuries Qi Ji had before? I heard his brother was the one who beat him.”
“What? Seriously? His brother hit him?”
“But isn’t that uniform from S City No.1 High? That’s the top school here.”
“Top school doesn’t mean every student’s an angel. And grades don’t equal good behavior.”
Someone else asked, “Where are their parents? They just let this happen?”
“Qi Ji’s parents don’t live in S City. And from what I heard last time he was on the phone, Qi Ji is the one paying for his brother’s tutoring.”
“No way…”
“It’s true,” another coworker jump in, unable to hold back. “You didn’t see the bruises. That cut on his face last week was nothing—his arms before were way worse. We first thought he was being bullied.”
“Yeah, and when we asked, he just said he ‘fell.’ But those injuries were clearly from someone hitting him. He doesn’t live on campus and he’s at the company all day. Other than his brother, who else could it be?”
“And look at the kid—does he look like a model student? Plus, he’s come here a couple of times. His attitude was awful.”
Their hushed speculation didn’t reach Qi Ji, who was already approaching the teenager.
Qi Ji stopped in front of him. The height difference was obvious, forcing Qi Ji to tilt his head to speak. “Mingyu?”
Qi Mingyu rubbed a thumb under his nose, his expression impatient. “What took you so long?”
“Just got off work.” Qi Ji asked, “Why did you come?”
Qi Mingyu was in his final year of high school—peak cram season. He shouldn’t even be out this early.
“Finished exams early.” Mingyu frowned. “Wang-laoshi wants to see a parent. Said you need to come tonight.”
Old Wang was Qi Mingyu’s homeroom teacher.
Qi Ji instinctively reached for his phone. “Do I need to pay something?”
“…”
The teen stiffened, fingers raking through his messy hair before he snapped, “No.”
Since it wasn’t money, Qi Ji relaxed slightly and put his phone away. He actually had to head to the fight club later, so meeting this teacher probably wasn’t happening tonight.
Still, he said, “Okay. I’ll contact him later.”
He didn’t sound dismissive, but Mingyu still heard it—loud and clear. His expression darkened.
“He said now. And if you don’t go, I’m not going to school tomorrow.”
A beat later, he added, “Also, Old Wang’s last name is Yang.”
Qi Ji accepted this without blinking. “Mr. Yang, got it. You should head home.”
Qi Mingyu looked even more annoyed. His brows twisted with frustration.
Suddenly, he grabbed Qi Ji’s wrist, yanking. “I’ll take you there now.”
Qi Ji was normally quick enough to dodge. But the moment fingers closed around his exposed wrist, his whole body trembled, all strength seeming to drain out. He stumbled forward from the force of the pull.
The rough movement—and Mingyu’s attitude—immediately caught people’s attention.
Two coworkers passing by recognized Qi Ji and hurried over to intervene.
“What’s going on?”
They shot wary looks at Mingyu.
Qi Ji cleared his throat softly. When he lifted his head, the polite smile was already in place. “It’s okay, we know each other.”
The coworkers weren’t entirely convinced, but they couldn’t press him further and eventually backed off.
Mingyu hadn’t expected such a sharp reaction. He slowly opened his hand and glanced at his palm.
Then he looked again at Qi Ji’s wrist—already reddened, faint finger marks stark against pale skin.
His brows pinched tighter. When he lifted his gaze, he met Qi Ji’s ever-gentle, immaculate smile—and for some reason, it only irritated him more.
After the coworkers left, Qi Ji didn’t say another word. He simply turned and walked toward the subway.
Mingyu hesitated before following.
Behind them, coworkers who had witnessed everything grew even more uneasy.
That uneasy feeling turned out to be painfully accurate.
The next morning, Qi Ji didn’t show up. After the clock-in deadline passed, Lin-ge received a phone call.
His face fell instantly.
When he returned from reporting to the team lead, the news finally spread—
Qi Ji had fainted on the subway from a concussion.
“A kind commuter took him to the hospital. They thought it was low blood sugar, but it turned out to be a moderate concussion. And he has extensive soft-tissue bruising…”
Everyone was stunned.
They’d all liked the polite, hardworking intern. None of them could imagine someone hurting him like this.
“His brother did it, right?”
“Has to be. You saw how that kid acted yesterday.”
“If he dares to pull him around in public like that, imagine what he’s like at home…”
“We should’ve stopped them yesterday…”
When the department manager arrived, the chatter died instantly.
“Where’s the person who sits here?” he asked, pointing at Qi Ji’s empty seat.
The team lead answered, “The intern has a concussion. He’s at the hospital. Took half a day off. He’ll bring the medical note this afternoon.”
The manager frowned. “Of all days… Today is the new CEO’s first official day.”
Great—right under the gun.
But fretting wouldn’t fix anything. The manager checked his watch. “I have a meeting. The new CEO may do surprise inspections, so everyone stay sharp.”
He hurried out.
The truth was, an intern’s sick leave wasn’t a big deal. The real issue was that no one understood the new CEO yet. No one knew his temper, and all the rumors painted him as unpredictable and unprofessional.
Worse, he was allegedly a retired special forces soldier—and barely twenty-five. Which meant he hadn’t even finished college.
Putting someone like that in charge of a tech company felt like a bad joke.
The company was already uneasy. Some senior executives were preparing to complain to headquarters.
But until they knew who he really was, no one wanted to offend him directly.
Business came first.
The manager sighed, glancing at the meeting room ahead—and winced.
Today was the new CEO’s first face-to-face with Vice President Zhang Fu, a notoriously strict man. Sparks were guaranteed.
And true enough, the meeting atmosphere was far from pleasant.
The bright, immaculate conference room was filled with impeccably dressed executives, all sitting with rigid posture. Even their whispers were hushed.
No one knew how much scheming lay beneath the surface.
The door soon opened. All eyes turned.
And even though they’d heard the rumors, several people still couldn’t help their private reactions.
He’s… really this young?
Tall, athletic, strikingly handsome—he walked in like he owned the place. Custom suit, sharp features, commanding presence. One look and he could attract a crowd.
Too bad this was a boardroom, not a runway.
He headed straight for the main seat. The moment he sat down, he loosened his tie and spoke casually:
“Let’s start.”
Even his assistant looked more professional than he did.
Executives took turns giving their reports. Throughout the presentations, the young CEO didn’t even open the documents in front of him. He twirled a platinum fountain pen between his fingers with effortless dexterity—so fast it almost looked like he’d fling it across the table, yet it always landed perfectly back in his hand.
But the cap never came off. Not once.
The executives kept their faces neutral, but mentally they all came to the same conclusion:
Young. Impulsive. The rumors were true.
The final report was by Vice President Zhang Fu.
Strict to a fault, sharp-tongued, but undeniably competent.
“The most urgent priority,” Zhang Fu began, “is choosing a location for the new research facility.”
The projector lit up with a detailed plan. A city map appeared with highlighted industrial zones and their pros, cons, and estimated budgets.
As he explained, the room grew quieter, attention shifting from the CEO to the glowing map—until the conference door opened again.
Even after Zhang Fu finished his report, many people were still staring at the projected map, quietly discussing it among themselves.
The new CEO, on the other hand, had only lifted his eyes for a glance at the very beginning. After that, he looked completely checked out, as if the whole meeting had nothing to do with him.
The contrast between him and Zhang Fu couldn’t have been sharper.
When all the reports were finally done, everyone at the table turned to the new CEO, waiting for instructions.
He raised his eyes, sweeping the room. Though his expression remained unreadable, his whole demeanor radiated a laid-back indifference.
He finally spoke. “Anything else to add?”
Silence.
Then he pushed back slightly from the table with his foot. “If not, we’re done.”
For a moment, the executives wondered if they’d misheard. They had expected at least a few words—an opinion, a direction, something.
But they got nothing.
Everyone’s expression shifted subtly.
Don’t tell me… he didn’t understand any of it?
Truthfully, several people already disliked this young CEO. Yuntu—and the entire Xinghai Group—had never tolerated outsiders with no experience parachuting into high-level positions.
If Vice President Zhang hadn’t been at the meeting, someone might have purposely raised a flawed report just to test this newcomer.
Now it seemed the parachuted CEO had nothing going for him except his face.
Since he himself had stood up to leave, the executives also began gathering their things. They were silently cursing him in their heads when a calm voice stopped them.
“President Pei, a moment please.”
Many turned to look. Zhang Fu was speaking.
“I have something to discuss with you,” he said.
The CEO paused, glanced at him, then casually tossed his platinum pen to his assistant. He tilted his head toward his office.
“Come on.”
The two left together.
The moment the door closed behind them, the previously restrained conference room erupted with chatter.
Zhang Fu’s friction with the new CEO was obvious to anyone with eyes. What everyone really wanted to know was—why was Vice President Zhang voluntarily seeking him out? A one-on-one like this was guaranteed to produce explosive news.
Speculation flew everywhere:
Was Zhang Fu planning to put the new guy in his place?
Flip a table?
Resign on the spot?
Some found that last theory unlikely. Zhang Fu had been with Yuntu for nearly a decade, with the seniority and competence to match. There’d even been rumors he had personal ties with people at headquarters.
Whatever happened behind that closed door, it was definitely thrilling—but impossible to confirm. Zhang Fu eventually reappeared with the same stone-cold expression and simply returned to his office.
Half an hour later, the other subject of everyone’s gossip suddenly showed up.
The new CEO looked completely unaffected. Same careless posture, same lazy stride. And instead of staying in his office, he brought his assistant along for a casual, random inspection tour of various departments—making employees all over the company nervous and confused about what he was trying to accomplish.
The CEO’s male assistant had been parachuted in as well, not a long-time employee. He was under thirty but impossible to probe—unresponsive to small talk and with a background no one could dig into. Just like Pei Yusheng, he was a mystery, leaving employees with no reliable source for CEO-related gossip.
Besides the assistant, a department supervisor was also accompanying Pei Yusheng. But because the CEO hadn’t said what he wanted to inspect, the poor supervisor could only introduce whatever basic information came to mind.
When they reached the seventh floor, the supervisor was explaining the company’s attendance policy. The CEO listened half-heartedly and was about to head downstairs—
when a sign near the stairwell caught the corner of his eye.
Operations Group D.
He remembered—this was where that boy from yesterday worked.
“Hold up.” He stopped the supervisor, who had already pressed the elevator button. Then he turned and walked straight toward the office area.
The supervisor hurried to catch up, completely lost.
As the group pushed the door open, the employees inside were all working quietly. They froze when the CEO walked in, still processing what was happening, until they saw the supervisor behind him. Then they scrambled to stand and greet them, someone even running out to call the department manager.
“It’s fine, stay seated. Keep working,” the supervisor said.
While he spoke, Pei Yusheng swept his gaze across the room—searching for that pretty, eye-catching face that had made him detour here in the first place.
But he didn’t see it.
Noticing this, the supervisor followed his gaze—and quickly realized something was wrong.
The workstation closest to the door, the one right in front of them, was blatantly empty. The computer wasn’t even turned on.
The supervisor’s face darkened immediately.
He had just bragged to the CEO about their company’s perfect attendance system and excellent work ethic—and now there was an empty desk staring him in the face.
He frowned, turning to the department manager who had hurried over.
His tone was sharp. “Where is the person who sits here?”