It was eight-thirty in the morning.
Chen Zhi arrived downstairs at the World Trade Center, bought two Americanos, and carried them up to the twentieth floor.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, he saw someone sitting on the sofa in the lounge area next to the front desk.
Jiang Ke had changed into a small black suit today, paired with a white shirt underneath. Her hair was pinned up meticulously, and she wore a pair of half-worn black mid-heel leather shoes.
This outfit was clearly carefully prepared; it suited the identity of a workplace newcomer without appearing too flashy.
Seeing Chen Zhi step out of the elevator, Jiang Ke immediately sprang to her feet like she was on springs.
"Good morning, Boss Chen." Jiang Ke bowed slightly, her attitude impeccable.
Chen Zhi glanced at his watch.
"You're here quite early."
"It's my first day of work, and I was worried about traffic, so I left an hour early," Jiang Ke answered respectfully.
Chen Zhi nodded without saying much else, swiped his card, and pushed open the company's glass doors.
"Come in with me."
Jiang Ke followed closely behind Chen Zhi, her eyes quickly sweeping over the office area of Deep Space Tech.
Spacious and bright open-plan workstations, a minimalist decor style, and those PhDs from Tsinghua and Peking University who were already sitting at their computers working at eight-thirty in the morning.
This was currently the most prominent unicorn company in the domestic AI circle.
Jiang Ke secretly clenched her fists.
She had to establish a foothold here.
Chen Zhi led Jiang Ke down the corridor, just about to head toward the HR department, when someone suddenly walked toward them.
Pei Ningxue.
Today she wore an impeccably tailored deep space gray business suit with a silk white shirt underneath, stepping in a pair of stilettos.
She held a financial report in her hand, looking down at it.
Hearing the footsteps, Pei Ningxue looked up.
Her gaze bypassed Chen Zhi and landed on Jiang Ke behind him.
A woman's intuition is often terrifyingly accurate.
Pei Ningxue's footsteps halted.
She looked Jiang Ke up and down.
Jiang Ke was considered a highly sought-after beauty at school, but in front of a wealthy young lady like Pei Ningxue, who was raised with money since childhood, both her aura and temperament were instantly crushed into dust.
"Good morning, President Pei." Chen Zhi coughed dryly and took the initiative to greet her.
Pei Ningxue ignored him, her eyes still lingering on Jiang Ke.
"Newcomer?" Pei Ningxue's voice was flat.
"Yeah, an intern assigned to do odd jobs in the admin department." Chen Zhi handed over the other Americano in his hand. "Brought this for you."
Pei Ningxue didn't take the coffee.
She sneered, the corners of her mouth curling into a thoroughly cold smile.
"An intern for the admin department requires Boss Chen to personally guide her through onboarding?"
As soon as these words came out, a few passing employees instantly quickened their pace, terrified of being dragged into the battlefield between the boss and the boss's lady.
Jiang Ke was also shrewd and immediately sensed that the atmosphere was off.
She quickly lowered her head and took the initiative to explain, "Hello, President Pei, I am..."
"Did I ask you?" Pei Ningxue interrupted her.
Jiang Ke's words instantly caught in her throat. Her face flushed bright red, and she bit her lower lip hard.
Pei Ningxue looked back at Chen Zhi, her eyes icy.
"Boss Chen, come to my office."
With that said, she walked toward the CFO's office at the end of the corridor without looking back.
Chen Zhi sighed inwardly.
Great, this little lady's jar of jealousy has tipped over again.
He turned to look at Jiang Ke, who was still frozen in place, and pointed to a glass office ahead.
"That's the HR department over there. Go straight in and find Manager Wang. Just say you're an intern here to report, and let him handle your paperwork."
Jiang Ke bit her lip and nodded. "Okay, Boss Chen."
Having given his instructions, Chen Zhi walked briskly toward Pei Ningxue's office.
He pushed the door open.
Pei Ningxue was sitting behind the large desk, arms crossed over her chest, looking at him coldly.
"Close the door."
Chen Zhi locked the door behind him, casually placed the Americano on her desk, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
"What's going on? Why so much fire this early in the morning?" Chen Zhi laughed, trying to smooth things over.
Pei Ningxue wasn't buying it at all.
She leaned forward, staring into Chen Zhi's eyes.
"Not bad, Boss Chen, you've really grown bolder." Pei Ningxue's tone carried a hint of gnashing teeth. "Three girlfriends aren't enough for you? Are you planning to add a new sister to our ranks?"
Chen Zhi nearly choked on his own saliva.
"What nonsense." Chen Zhi quickly waved his hands. "It's a pity you don't write novels with that imagination of yours."
"I'm imagining things?" Pei Ningxue sneered. "That woman has the face of a vixen, and the way she looks at you, she wishes she could glue herself to your body. You, a CEO worth tens of billions, personally bringing an intern to the company bright and early in the morning, do you think I'm blind?"
"Her name is Jiang Ke, a freshman at Renmin University Law School."
Hearing the words Renmin University Law School, Pei Ningxue's brows instantly furrowed.
"Li Zhiyi's classmate?"
"Not just a classmate, but the class monitor." Chen Zhi nodded. "Her family situation is quite complicated. She has a bloodsucking father and works several jobs just to cover living expenses. I don't know where she found out about my identity, but she played the victim in front of Li Zhiyi, getting Li Zhiyi to beg me to give her an internship opportunity."
Pei Ningxue paused for a moment.
She was a smart person; with just a little thought, she understood the twists and turns involved.
"So, this woman is using your naive, sweet school belle as a pawn?" Pei Ningxue raised an eyebrow.
"Obviously." Chen Zhi threw his hands up. "It's not like you don't know Li Zhiyi's personality. Someone sheds two tears, and her heart goes soft. She ran to my dorm building last night and begged me to help her classmate. What could I do? I couldn't just watch her get played for a fool."
Pei Ningxue's expression softened slightly.
But she still snorted coldly. "Then couldn't you just refuse? Why bring her to the company to disgust me?"
"This is where you don't understand." Chen Zhi smiled, leaning forward a bit. "People like this, ambitious, scheming, and extremely desperate for money, are actually the most useful tools."
Pei Ningxue looked at him, waiting for him to continue.
"She wants to climb up, so I'll give her a ladder. But this ladder isn't that easy to climb." Chen Zhi tapped his fingers on the desk twice. "I'm throwing her into the admin department to do odd jobs, making her do the most exhausting, tedious work. To stay, she will absolutely work her life away."
Chen Zhi tried his best to make his tone sound devoid of emotion.
"Once her value has been squeezed dry, or she shows her true colors, I can tell her to get lost at any time. Besides..."
Chen Zhi looked at Pei Ningxue.
"Keeping her under my nose to watch her is better than letting her continue to fool Li Zhiyi at school."
Pei Ningxue suddenly sneered.
"You make it sound so noble." Pei Ningxue crossed her arms. "Do you dare say you don't have the slightest interest in her? That kind of look she has, isn't that exactly the type you men love the most?"
Chen Zhi was speechless.
"President Pei, your jealousy is completely unreasonable." Chen Zhi stood up and walked around the desk to her side.
Pei Ningxue turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
"You think I'd ignore a stunning, billionaire fiancée like you to obsess over some scheming woman who can't even afford a meal? Am I out of my mind?"
Chen Zhi rested his hands on the armrests of the executive chair, trapping Pei Ningxue between himself and the seat.
Hearing the word "fiancée," the tips of Pei Ningxue's ears turned slightly red.
But her words remained as sharp as ever.
"Who is your fiancée? Stop flattering yourself." Pei Ningxue glared at him.
Chen Zhi lowered his head, leaned in close to her ear, and dropped his voice.
"Last night on the yacht on the Huangpu River, who was it that put on my ring and initiated a kiss with me?"
Pei Ningxue's face instantly flushed bright red.
She shoved Chen Zhi away and frantically reorganized the documents on her desk.
"Alright, alright, stop acting like a creep." Pei Ningxue forced herself to sound calm, but her eyes betrayed her. "I'll let you off the hook regarding Jiang Ke, but I'm warning you, keep her away from me. Just looking at her annoys me."
"As you command, President Pei." Chen Zhi stood up straight and gave a mock salute.
Pei Ningxue rolled her eyes at him, picked up the Americano on her desk, and took a sip.
"Let's get down to business." Pei Ningxue's expression shifted back into work mode. "The representatives from Note Dance are arriving this afternoon. You'd better get ready, and don't use the excuse of not having time again."
close your eyes and open them again, only to find yourself transmigrated into the role of a villainous male supporting character. Readers familiar with urban wish-fulfillment novels know that it is only through the relentless antics of the villainous male supporting character that the plot between the male and female leads can progress. As the villainous male supporting character, Long Aotian not only has to bully the female lead, harass the second female lead, and flirt with the third female lead, but he also has to go all out to antagonize the male lead. In the end, when his body is discovered, he is still clutching half a moldy fried dough stick in his hand. Fully aware of the plot, Long Aotian is determined to change his fate, starting with the female lead! In the beginning, the female lead lacks confidence: "Big brother, I hope I didn't scare you?" In the middle, the female lead treads carefully: "Brother Long, please don't hit me, okay?" Later on, the female lead becomes coquettishly clingy: "Aotian, it's time to pay the 'public grain' tonight." Long Aotian's legs go weak, and he feels like crying: "I taught you to be thick-skinned, not shameless!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
