Ji Feng was reviewing documents in his study. Hearing the voice, he paused his file-skimming motions, lifting his head from behind the expansive desk to look at Xue Rui. His silence conveyed an attitude of indifference, yet his eyes urged Xue Rui: And then?
“It got pretty ugly. That family is utterly unreasonable, especially Mi Yu’s mother—she’s practically the champion of shrews. Mi Yu didn’t hesitate yesterday; as soon as her mother started making a scene, she called the police. But the police said it was a family dispute and they could only mediate. Seeing this, Mi Yu’s mother became even more aggressive. The commotion was so bad that even when senior management went down, they couldn’t calm things. In the end, I went down and borrowed some authority, saying I was the CEO’s assistant, and managed to intimidate them and resolve the situation.”
Ji Feng raised an eyebrow. He had intended to just raise it slightly, but his eyebrow seemed to have a mind of its own, lifting high and refusing to come down. It looked as if the owner of that eyebrow was harboring some dissatisfaction.
“Such a big commotion, why didn’t anyone tell me yesterday?” Ji Feng asked coldly.
“...Mi Yu didn’t want me to. She said you’re a big CEO, a major boss handling important matters, and you shouldn’t be bothered every day by the personal and family issues of a small employee. She said she couldn’t bear the responsibility.” Xue Rui relayed truthfully.
Ji Feng’s brow furrowed tightly. It seemed like she was constantly drawing lines to emphasize the distance between them. He should have been pleased with her behavior, but for some reason, her “considerateness” left him feeling displeased, uncomfortable, and irritated.
“How did you manage to resolve things with that family yesterday?” Ji Feng asked Xue Rui, feigning nonchalance, as if it were just a casual question.
“Actually, it was Mi Yu who took advantage of the chaos to whisper a plan to me. She deliberately stood next to the large vase in the lobby and lured her ridiculous brother and mother over to push her. She dodged, and the vase was knocked to the ground by her mother and brother, shattering into pieces. That’s when I stepped in, borrowing some authority, and told them it was a custom-made piece from abroad, worth over 300,000 yuan. Combined with the previously broken watch, the total came to over 500,000 yuan, and they had to compensate for it. I even put on a show of calling our company’s legal department to verify, and he caught on immediately, extremely savvy, listing a bunch of compensation clauses and the legal consequences of non-payment over the speakerphone. Mi Yu’s mother didn’t believe it, accusing us of extorting her and her son, and demanding the police arrest us. But the police officers said our claims were legitimate and justified, and we could pursue compensation for damages. Hearing this, that absurd mother and son were so frightened they fled on the spot, forgetting all about pestering Mi Yu for money or her salary card.”
As Ji Feng listened to Xue Rui’s account, his upright posture slowly relaxed, leaning back into the leather chair behind him.
The spiritual sense of loss drained the strength from his body.
He had hoped to hear an unsatisfactory answer, one where the resolution planted the seeds of future crisis—a hint that the absurd mother and son had only temporarily retreated and would soon return to threaten Xu Miyu again, demanding her money and salary card.
He had prepared himself to show magnanimity, planning to instruct Xue Rui: Next time they cause trouble, tell me. I’ll handle it. None of you are ruthless enough.
He had also prepared an explanation for this approach: It’s for the hotel’s sake, not for her.But unexpectedly, there was no foreshadowing of any crisis at all. Xu Miyu handled the matter quite well and appropriately on her own. With the five hundred thousand compensation claim and the legal department's warnings laid out clearly, she managed to block any potential future troubles from that mother and son pair.
From her way of handling things, he vaguely caught a glimpse of his own past self. She really did have some cleverness about her—quietly learning how to deal with problems by observing his methods.
He leaned back in his chair, unable to quite describe what he was feeling inside.
Watching someone he once didn't think highly of gradually become independent and strong, no longer needing his guidance or help—it turned out this feeling wasn't relief, but a kind of unwillingly acknowledged sense of loss.
He sank into the soft sponge of the chairback, as if sinking into his own somewhat unclear thoughts.
Suddenly, a bank card appeared before his eyes.
Following the card, he looked up and saw that the hand pushing it toward him belonged to Xue Rui.
"What's the meaning of this?" he asked, puzzled.
Xue Rui answered truthfully: "Mi Yu asked me to give this to you. She said there's two hundred thousand inside—it's what she owes you. Yesterday after I finished handling things downstairs, she asked me to bring it to you."
Ji Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the card.
Two hundred thousand. That was the money he had thrown at her in a fit of anger after their first night together.
He had always considered that money as simply given to her. He heard that she ultimately didn't keep it and donated all of it instead—to girls in rural areas struggling to afford education, helping them complete their studies.
But now she was returning two hundred thousand to him. What did it mean?
Was she trying to say that for their second time, it was her turn to give him two hundred thousand as compensation?
Or was she trying to tell him that even when donating, she would use her own money, and wouldn't spend a single cent of his?
Was she using this method to completely sever all ties between them, both open and hidden?
Ji Feng reached out and took hold of the card, looking up at Xue Rui as he asked: "Where did she get the money?"
Xue Rui replied: "Do you remember that time we were waiting for the driver in the lobby cafe and overheard Mi Yu being scammed by a fraudster under the guise of investment and financial management? Recently that group of scammers was caught, and some money was recovered. Because Mi Yu reported it promptly back then, she recovered nearly over two hundred thousand."
So she immediately used twenty thousand of that to pay him back?
It seemed to him that she was truly determined to use every means possible to cut all connections with him.
Ji Feng felt inexplicably irritated. He told Xue Rui to go out and make him a cup of tea.
But Xue Rui was looking at his phone as if he hadn't heard.
Ji Feng called his name twice before he finally snapped out of it.
Ji Feng asked discontentedly: "Has something been going on with you recently? Why are you always so distracted?"
Xue Rui retorted inwardly: You're not much better than me.
But when he spoke, he asked earnestly: "Boss, what was it you just asked me to do?"
Ji Feng suddenly lost interest in drinking tea and said, "Never mind."
As his words faded, his phone rang, taking over the silence.
Ji Feng picked it up and saw that it was Jiang Zhichun calling.
He answered the call and directly put it on speakerphone. When he was upset, holding the phone to his ear felt like compounding his irritation.
Jiang Zhichun's pure, soft, and sweet voice came through as she gently negotiated with Ji Feng: "I want to come up and chat with you, is that okay?"
Ji Feng frowned. He wasn't in a particularly patient mood right now. So he tersely told her: "Not convenient. I'm very busy."Jiang Zhichun fell silent for a moment. When she spoke again, her tone was laden with desperate pleading: "One last time, okay? Just treat this as the last time I come up to chat with you. Some things need to be said face to face, right? Once we've cleared the air, I'll never come up to find you again, okay?"
Ji Feng pondered briefly before saying, "I can only give you ten minutes. Come up later."
After a pause, he immediately added, "When you arrive, just have Xu Miyu from the front desk bring you up."
He didn't quite know why he had specifically requested Xu Miyu. It seemed like an instinctive need in that moment.
After hanging up, Ji Feng felt somewhat distracted. He simply set aside his documents and quietly waited for Jiang Zhichun to come and clear things up with him.
Looking up, he noticed Xue Rui standing nearby, also appearing absent-minded.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind - could Xue Rui's distraction also be related to that night on the second day of the New Year?
With a touch of light mockery and teasing, he asked Xue Rui: "What's really going on with you? Did your older sister dump you?"
Xue Rui started at the question, then immediately denied it: "No, no, no, it's not being dumped!" Mentioning this sore subject broke his defenses, as if he and Ji Feng had returned to that night's "Night Encounter" - for a moment, he no longer treated him as a boss, but as a drinking buddy with whom he could share men's troubles. "It's just that, after drinking at 'Night Encounter' that night, she... took possession of me. The next day I wanted her to take responsibility for me, but she was only willing to take half responsibility."
Ji Feng nearly choked on air.
Quite a few people had lost control that night.
It was just that Li Qiaoqi and Xu Miyu - these two women - seemed to share a similar approach. When the next day came, they both turned out to be somewhat more carefree than the men. One was only willing to take half responsibility. The other didn't even say goodbye, just left directly.
He couldn't help but snort coldly.
"What do you mean by taking only half responsibility?" Taking advantage of Jiang Zhichun's delayed arrival, he continued chatting with Xue Rui.
Xue Rui mistook Ji Feng's cold snort as sympathy for his plight, and became even more emotionally resonant as he poured out his grievances: "That's exactly it! I want her to take full responsibility for me and marry me; but she says she doesn't want to lose her freedom, so she won't get married. Though she's willing to be in a relationship with me first."
Xue Rui wore a look of deep frustration.
But Ji Feng thought of something else: "Didn't you say before that you don't date older women? Wasn't that your principle and standard?"
Xue Rui made a dismissive sound: "That was when I was young and foolish, it doesn't count. Back then I didn't understand love - how could I have known older women would be so wonderful?" After a pause, he further criticized his past self: "Principles, standards - aren't those just nonsense we spout before meeting true love? Once you find true love, all that stuff is bullshit."
Ji Feng raised an eyebrow at him, listening to his bullshit theory.
Soon he heard Xue Rui counter with a question: "Boss, I feel like after the New Year it's not just me who's been troubled - you've seemed quite troubled too. What's going on with you?"
Ji Feng immediately composed himself, freezing his expression as he said coldly: "Don't think that just because I asked you questions, you can ask me back."
"..." Xue Rui was instantly stunned. "Boss, you fish information out of me and then pull rank... isn't that a bit too much?"
Ji Feng snorted coldly and told him: "If you don't shut up in time, I can be even more excessive."Xue Rui fell silent with a grievance.
After a while, estimating that Jiang Zhichun was about to arrive, Ji Feng led Xue Rui out of the study and into the living room.
Ji Feng sat on the sofa, holding a financial journal with proper posture and an air of focused seriousness.
Sounds came from the entrance, with two sets of footsteps overlapping as they drew nearer.
Both Jiang Zhichun and Xu Miyu entered.
Xu Miyu’s gentle voice sounded as she reported that she had brought Miss Jiang upstairs.
Though the two at the entrance couldn’t see it, Xue Rui, being close by, noticed clearly: when Xu Miyu spoke, Ji Feng behind the financial journal perked up instantly.
It was as if a lightbulb had switched on in his mind, and he began to understand why Ji Feng had been so restless and distracted lately.
But when Ji Feng lowered the financial journal, his face revealed was utterly indifferent, bearing his usual trademark expression—a mix of slight disdain and mockery.
He looked as though he couldn’t be more impatient with the speaker at the door.
The speed at which his expression shifted before and after lowering the journal left Xue Rui dumbfounded, inwardly exclaiming, "Why bother?" Clearly, he wanted to see that person, yet he acted annoyed and disdainful—wasn’t he afraid of ending up alone?
Having completed her task of bringing Jiang Zhichun upstairs, Xu Miyu saw the faint annoyance and impatience on Ji Feng’s face as he turned toward her. Her heart ached slightly, and she tactfully prepared to retreat to the lobby.
As she turned to leave, Ji Feng’s gaze remained fixed on her.
Just as she reached the door and was about to step out, Ji Feng spoke.
"Xu Miyu," he called out to stop her, "wait here for a moment. I have something to ask you."
Then he turned to Jiang Zhichun and asked, "What brings you up here to see me?"
Jiang Zhichun glanced around at the surroundings and the other two before replying pleadingly, "Could I speak with you alone for a while?"
Ji Feng paused for a moment, then rose from the sofa and led Jiang Zhichun into the study.
Xu Miyu watched their retreating figures—the man handsome, the woman beautiful, a perfectly matched pair in terms of appearance, capability, and family background.
The moment this thought arose, it pricked her heart slightly, and she quickly averted her gaze.
It seemed she had changed, becoming more sentimental than before. In the past, even when he looked down on her or scolded her with harsh words, she hadn’t minded.
But now, it felt as though hearing those words again would shatter her completely.
She quickly bowed and said she needed to return to the lobby to attend to her duties, then hurried away from Ji Feng’s magnetic presence.
Ji Feng watched as Xu Miyu unabashedly fled from him, making no effort to hide her desire to distance herself. For no clear reason, a surge of frustration welled up in his chest.
Was he really that detestable? So unwelcome that people felt the urge to run at the sight of him? He hadn’t intended to hold her accountable for anything—he merely wanted to tell her that the next time her family came to cause trouble, he could step in and resolve the matter once and for all.
He only wanted to help her solve the problem.
Ji Feng watched Xu Miyu’s fleeing figure but said nothing.
He clenched his hand into a fist and slammed it heavily on the table.
The pain in his hand traveled to his heart, turning into a stifling confusion.
Early the next morning, Ji Feng returned to the company headquarters with Xue Rui for the monthly reporting meeting.
The marketing executive was standing at the front of the conference room, diligently presenting the department’s performance from the previous month and the target plans for the next month via a projected PowerPoint.This was the most important monthly meeting at Star Era Group, where every executive and department manager remained on high alert throughout the day.
Any shortcomings in their work or even the slightest attempt at cutting corners could never escape Ji Feng's sharp eyes.
When Ji Feng entered his cold, sarcastic mode of accountability and criticism, no one could escape the overwhelming sense of shame that followed.
Everyone dreaded this day intensely, valuing it far more than even payday.
The head of the marketing department was currently on stage, nervously presenting his PowerPoint. Ji Feng sat below, expressionless, his eyes fixed intently on the screen. His unreadable expression and gaze left the marketing head trembling with anxiety.
Wiping sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, the presenter had no idea whether Ji Feng was satisfied or not. But since Ji Feng hadn't called for a stop, he had no choice but to press on with his presentation.
Ji Feng watched the person on stage, lips moving diligently as they spoke. Yet what echoed in his ears seemed to be a different voice altogether.
It was that woman's voice. She had told him, "Don't worry, I'll act as if that night never happened. And I'll pretend that incident never occurred."
She had also said, "President Ji, I'll be mindful of boundaries. I'll make sure to keep my distance from you."
His eyes remained fixed ahead, but his hands clenched into fists.
He noticed the person on stage flinch at this gesture, the handkerchief slipping from their hand and falling to the floor.
Ji Feng didn't bother asking the marketing head what was wrong, allowing them to crouch down, retrieve the handkerchief, and continue wiping the sweat from their face in a panic while stumbling through the presentation.
He couldn't be bothered with them. His own thoughts had taken on a life of their own, wandering uncontrollably to other places.
He found it strange how he had become so peculiar. The current situation was exactly what he had wanted—she was sensible and knew how to maintain distance.
So why did he feel as though he couldn't let something go?
As soon as the New Year holiday ended, he had taken Xue Rui on a business trip precisely to avoid her. Yet the more he avoided her, the more he found himself wanting to hear about her, to see what she was doing, to know how she was faring—whether she was happy.
He actually wished she wasn't happy, hoped she wasn't as composed and rational as he was, and wished she found it harder to move on from him than he did from her.
He didn't understand what was happening to him, wondering if he had developed some sort of psychological issue.
A voice seemed to call out to him from nearby. He turned to see Xue Rui leaning in, whispering a report to him.
Focusing on Xue Rui's expression, he noticed it was unusually grave, even tinged with a hint of panic, as if something terrible had occurred.
He immediately snapped back to attention, sharpening his focus, and asked Xue Rui to repeat what had happened.
"President Ji, we just received a call from the Swire side. It seems there's a fire at the hotel. The specifics are still unclear, and we don't know if there are any casualties yet. Fire trucks and news media are already heading there!"
Ji Feng frowned immediately and asked, "Which part of the hotel is on fire?"
Xue Rui replied, "The lobby..."
Ji Feng abruptly stood up and strode out of the room. His expression was stern, his steps hurried and betraying a sense of alarm.
Both the executive on stage and those in the audience were left bewildered.
They wanted to ask what was going on, but all they saw was Xue Rui, equally grim-faced, following closely behind Ji Feng as he exited.Everyone exchanged bewildered glances, murmuring among themselves, "What should we do? Is the meeting still on?"
This was a crucial monthly meeting that had never been canceled by Ji Feng, rain or shine.
With that thought, someone took the lead, swiftly organizing documents, closing laptops, and tucking briefcases under their arms before rushing out to catch up with Ji Feng.
—Perhaps the boss had been irritated by the marketing manager's report and, feeling stifled and angry, wanted to change the venue for the meeting.
Speculating along these lines, everyone hurriedly packed their belongings and dashed out to follow Ji Feng.
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