“I’m human, for crying out loud.”
Chen Zhi shamelessly grabbed the chair and sat down in one go.
His movement was too big.
“Ah——”
Chen Zhi sucked in a sharp breath.
His left leg had just had the cast removed that morning, and he hadn’t brought his crutches on the way over. When he sat down, the bend at the knee was a bit too sharp, and his joint suddenly sent a searing stab of pain through him.
A cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and his face paled.
Pei Ningxue’s fingers stopped typing.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Chen Zhi’s slightly trembling left leg. Her lips parted, as if she wanted to ask something, but in the end she held back.
“If your leg’s broken, just stay home and rest quietly. Don’t come out here looking for trouble.” Pei Ningxue’s tone was stiff, her eyes fixed on the screen, as if she truly couldn’t care less.
Chen Zhi leaned back in the chair, catching his breath slowly.
“I’m in a hurry to catch the mole, that’s why I came.”
Pei Ningxue turned her head, her brow furrowing.
“What mole?”
“A former employee who withdrew his equity, settled all accounts, and blocked the boss’s WeChat. In the middle of the night, he secretly logged into the company intranet to peek at the financial statements.” Chen Zhi leaned forward, getting close to her computer screen.
Pei Ningxue’s cheeks flushed.
But she reacted quickly, suppressing the discomfort and retorting with a stern face.
“Chief Chen must be having a bout of persecution delusion. I was just checking whether the accounts before my resignation were handed over properly, so if Deep Space Technology ever goes bankrupt in the future, I won’t have to take the blame.”
“Oh?” Chen Zhi deliberately dragged out the syllable, pulling out his phone and waving it. “Checking accounts requires looking at next quarter’s revenue forecast, Vodafone’s channel distribution agreement, and the Series B term sheet?”
Pei Ningxue snapped her laptop shut with a slap.
“Deep Space Technology’s firewall is such a joke. I just clicked around and got in.”
Chen Zhi watched her stubbornly refusing to admit defeat and chuckled despite himself.
“Pei Ningxue, you’ve been running all over the world for four months—London, Edinburgh, Zurich. All to avoid me?”
“You’re overthinking it.” Pei Ningxue stuffed her laptop into her bag haphazardly. “I was just traveling to clear my head and take in some local sights abroad.”
“To take in local sights? You went that far?”
Pei Ningxue paused mid-motion.
“Did Sanya Haitang Bay’s sun feel comfortable enough on your skin?” Chen Zhi pressed, his tone laced with teasing.
Pei Ningxue couldn’t stay any longer.
She zipped up her backpack and stood, ready to leave.
Chen Zhi reacted instantly, grabbing her wrist.
“Chief Chen, please show some respect.” Pei Ningxue said coldly, struggling against his grip.
She couldn’t break free.
“Have you forgotten the agreement between us?” Chen Zhi asked.
“What agreement could I possibly have with you?” Pei Ningxue played dumb, still trying to pull her hand away.
“Four months ago, on the third floor of this building, in the Academic Affairs Office. You said it yourself.” Chen Zhi looked her straight in the face. “Once our company reaches a market cap of a hundred billion dollars within a year, you’d admit defeat and let me do whatever I want with you.”
Pei Ningxue scoffed, amused by his shamelessness.
“When did I ever say you could do whatever you want?” she said in a low voice, afraid of disturbing others in the reading room. “My actual words were: When you reach a hundred billion dollars, I’ll consider whether to pay you any attention!”
“Same difference.” Chen Zhi responded cheekily.
“Very different!” Pei Ningxue ground her teeth. “Let go! This is a library!”
"Not letting go." Chen Zhi not only didn't release her but used the pull to slowly stand up. "If you dare walk away today, I'll jump from the third floor again. This leg just got its cast off—worst case, I'll be in one for another four months."
"You're a scoundrel!" Pei Ningxue fumed.
"That's right, I am a scoundrel." Chen Zhi admitted openly.
A few students nearby had already started looking in their direction.
At Peking University's Guanghua School of Management, Pei Ningxue was no stranger, and Chen Zhi's face was even more familiar.
Seeing the growing crowd of onlookers, Pei Ningxue couldn't bear the embarrassment. She grabbed Chen Zhi's arm, dragged him out of the reading room, and led him down the hallway to a stairwell at the end where no one else was.
Pei Ningxue shook off his hand, crossed her arms, and adopted a defensive stance.
"Alright, no one's here now. What instructions does Boss Chen have?"
Chen Zhi leaned against the cold wall, his left leg slightly bent to relieve pressure.
"Come back and help me."
"No time." Pei Ningxue refused bluntly. "I still need to prepare my study abroad application materials."
"Stop pretending." Chen Zhi called her bluff. "When Old Zhao handed me that Singapore SPV structure proposal, I knew you never planned to leave."
Struck in her weak spot, Pei Ningxue's expression shifted.
"That was just out of past loyalty. I didn't want to see you ruined by overseas tax authorities."
"If you care so much, why didn't you give it to me in person?" Chen Zhi stepped forward.
Pei Ningxue immediately stepped back, her back pressing against the fire door of the stairwell.
Nowhere left to retreat.
Chen Zhi raised an arm and braced it on the wall beside her face.
A textbook wall slam.
"What are you doing!" Pei Ningxue panicked.
"Nothing much. Settling accounts." Chen Zhi looked down at her from above. "Series B funding is locked in. DeepSky Tech's current valuation is seventy-five billion US dollars."
Pei Ningxue caught her breath.
She had checked the internal data during her stay in Sanya a few days ago, but the final valuation figure was still being negotiated. She didn't know the outcome.
Seventy-five billion in Series B.
That number, for any startup in the world, was a myth worthy of being recorded in history.
"Only two hundred and fifty billion short of your billion-dollar bet." Chen Zhi lowered his voice. "So, why are you running now?"
"I'm not running." Pei Ningxue turned her head away, avoiding his aggressive questioning. "Even if it's seventy-five billion, so what? You lose if it doesn't hit a hundred billion."
"It will hit it soon."
Chen Zhi pulled his arm back, reached into his jacket pocket, and took out a folded document, slapping it into Pei Ningxue's arms.
"Take a look at this."
Pei Ningxue opened the file suspiciously.
The moment she scanned the title, her expression completely changed.
"Draft Letter of Intent for Global Computing Power Strategic Cooperation and Share Swap between DeepSky Tech and NVIDIA."
"You're swapping shares with NVIDIA?" Pei Ningxue blurted out, her voice rising two octaves. "Are you insane? Why would Jensen Huang agree to that?"
"Because of Moss's rapidly growing user base overseas and its future insatiable demand for computing power." Chen Zhi's tone was steady. "As long as this agreement is signed, it's only a matter of time before DeepSky Tech's valuation exceeds a hundred billion."
Pei Ningxue knew all too well the value of this agreement.
Once Deep Space Technology was deeply bound to NVIDIA, it would be like holding a get-out-of-jail-free card for the global AI era.
"Chen Zhi, negotiations at this level are riddled with traps that could drown you," Pei Ningxue said, her brows furrowed. "Hillhouse and Morgan Stanley will definitely attach extremely harsh betting clauses."
"I know," Chen Zhi said, spreading his hands. "That's why Deep Space Technology needs its CFO."
Pei Ningxue realized she had fallen for it again. That bastard had led her right into his trap.
She shoved the documents back into Chen Zhi's hands and let out a cold laugh.
"I've already cashed out my shares. Go find someone else."
"The option pool has always been kept open for you," Chen Zhi said, looking at her. "And for the past four months, you've been using my supplementary card to buy bags, watches, and spent nearly two million at SKP. Pei, the principle that 'a favor received is a chain unreleased'—didn't Guanghua School of Management teach you that?"
Pei Ningxue's face flushed bright red.
She had used Chen Zhi's card purely out of spite, testing his reaction. She never expected this bastard to hold it against her now.
"I'll pay you back!" Pei Ningxue gritted her teeth.
"I don't want it," Chen Zhi said, suddenly reaching out to pinch her chin, forcing her to turn and look at him.
Pei Ningxue struggled for a moment.
Chen Zhi took a sharp breath, clutching his left leg in feigned pain.
"Ouch... my leg..."
Startled, Pei Ningxue immediately stopped moving and instinctively reached out to support him.
"Are you okay? Did you strain it just now?"
Chen Zhi grabbed her hand, pulling her into his arms and holding her tightly.
Pei Ningxue slammed into his chest, her nose filled with the faint scent of laundry detergent on him.
The smell Li Zhiyi had washed into his clothes.
A sudden pang of bitterness struck Pei Ningxue's heart.
She pushed him away, her eyes turning slightly red.
"Chen Zhi, do you think you can just sweet-talk me with a few lines, play the victim, and I'll come back to be your free labor? And then watch you and Li Zhiyi live happily ever after at Wanliu Academy?"
Chen Zhi dropped his playful expression.
He looked at Pei Ningxue's reddened eyes and finally understood the real reason she had been hiding for the past four months.
She was afraid.
Afraid of being a fool, just one of many options in Chen Zhi's life.
"Lin Wanwan went back to Jiangcheng. She's taken a year off from the industry, and we agreed on a year of no contact."
Pei Ningxue froze.
"Li Zhiyi is at Wanliu Academy," Chen Zhi continued. "But this morning, when Dai Damai told me you were at Peking University, I dropped everything, didn't even grab my crutch, and just took a cab straight here."
Pei Ningxue bit her lip, her eyes locked on Chen Zhi.
"What are you trying to say?"
Chen Zhi stepped forward, cornering her again.
"I'm saying that next Wednesday, Deep Space Technology is holding a Series B funding launch at China World. I'll announce to the entire internet that the company's valuation has surpassed a hundred billion."
Chen Zhi raised his hand and gently brushed the stray hair from Pei Ningxue's forehead.
"Pei Ningxue, your deadline is up. It's time to come home."
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
