"Brother Fang, this is my first time bidding, and I'm a bit nervous," Yan Nanzhe said, visibly tense.
Fang Zhiyi patted his shoulder reassuringly. "Don’t worry, I’ve got your back. Just relax."
The bidding required several companies to arrive promptly by 2:30 PM. Fang Zhiyi had everything under control, ensuring Yan Nanzhe was already waiting outside the venue ahead of time.
"What if we don’t win the bid?" Yan Nanzhe couldn’t help thinking about his father—that old man would surely say something about how he paled in comparison to his elder brother again.
Fang Zhiyi raised an eyebrow. "Relax, it’s all taken care of. I’ve already made arrangements," he added in a hushed tone.
Yan Nanzhe looked surprised. "Arrangements? Are you saying the people inside are your..."
"Do I look that capable?" Fang Zhiyi almost laughed. This kid was nothing like Yan Beichen—utterly naive.
Yan Nanzhe studied Fang Zhiyi’s mysterious expression, then glanced at the clock nearing 2:30 PM. A thought struck him. "Brother Fang, you didn’t..." He nervously scanned the surroundings before whispering, "You didn’t kidnap the other bidders, did you?"
Fang Zhiyi rolled his eyes. "Young Master Yan, that’s illegal."
"But look—there are only three minutes left, and none of the other companies have shown up... except for those small firms that arrived around the same time as us." He pointed at the distant group of minor competitors, none of whom posed any real threat. They were just here to fill the numbers.
Fang Zhiyi smirked. "Want to know the truth?"
"Yes!"
"Fine, I’ll tell you."
"What?!" Yan Nanzhe nearly shouted before clapping a hand over his mouth. "You hired trucks to block Ding Corporation’s bidding team?"
"Not just that. I also paid someone to stage an accident and stop Wang Corporation’s young master’s car."
"Li Corporation’s CEO was trickier. I had his mistress and illegitimate child conveniently meet his wife right outside his office building."
Yan Nanzhe was stunned.
Fang Zhiyi patted him again. "Don’t worry. We’re on the 33rd floor, and all six elevators downstairs are being held by our people. Even if another company tries to make it, they won’t get here in time by climbing the stairs."
Yan Nanzhe was utterly shaken. Was this what corporate warfare looked like? Compared to this, the TV dramas where people kidnapped rivals’ children or grandchildren seemed tame.
The bidding went smoothly. They secured the land, earning not only the old man’s approval but also praise from the shareholders. Fang Zhiyi, however, credited all the success to Yan Nanzhe’s calm and composed leadership, taking none of the glory for himself. This significantly improved the old man’s opinion of his younger son, even while he was abroad.
Meanwhile, Xiao Ruoruo slowly regained consciousness in a hospital room, only to find a dark-eyed man sitting beside her.
"Ah!" She panicked, remembering this was the same man who had broken into her home and attacked her. She grabbed the nearest object and hurled it at Yan Beichen, who dodged in bewilderment.
"Woman! What are you doing?" Yan Beichen snapped.
Xiao Ruoruo took a closer look. Despite his haggard appearance, he looked familiar. Then it hit her. "You’re that... that big jerk I ran into outside Yan Corporation!"
Yan Beichen sighed. "I only caught you when you were about to fall."
"You broke into my house and knocked me out with the door!" Xiao Ruoruo fumed. "What do you want?"
Staring at her face—so similar to Xie Yutang’s—Yan Beichen momentarily lost himself and reached out to touch her. Xiao Ruoruo slapped his hand away. "What are you doing?!"
Realizing his lapse, Yan Beichen stood up, gave her one last lingering look, and turned to leave. After two steps, he paused. "Starting tomorrow, you’ll report to Yan Corporation as my personal secretary."
Xiao Ruoruo glared. "Who do you think you are? You can’t just order me around! I refuse!"
Yan Beichen turned back, gripping her chin. "Xiao Ruoruo, I’ve seen your resume. I’m Yan Beichen, CEO of Yan Corporation. From tomorrow onward, you will be my personal secretary."
Xiao Ruoruo stared at his exhausted, unshaven face and felt a surge of disgust. "You think money makes you special? I won’t go! What’s so great about being a CEO anyway?"
"Good. You’ve successfully caught my interest."
While the two bickered in the hospital, Fang Zhiyi had been busy helping Yan Nanzhe handle the backlog of neglected tasks. Gradually, Yan Nanzhe grew more confident.
Encouraged by Fang Zhiyi, he called his father to request a position.
The old man’s informants in the company had already reported Yan Nanzhe’s recent performance, which had impressed him. With a wave of his hand, he appointed his younger son as vice president—ensuring that even if Yan Beichen threw another tantrum, there’d be someone to step in.
No sooner had Yan Nanzhe settled into his new office than word came that Yan Beichen had returned and was looking for him.
Fang Zhiyi took his time heading to the CEO’s office, only to be greeted by two unwelcome faces.
Xiao Ruoruo stood with her arms crossed, triumphant. "Serves you right for bullying me! Abusing your power!"
Yan Beichen, meanwhile, glowered at Fang Zhiyi. "Last time, you said firing you required advance notice. I checked with a lawyer today—your situation only warrants compensation. Name your price. I don’t want to see you starting tomorrow. Hand over your duties to... Ruoruo." His gaze drifted to Xiao Ruoruo, making Fang Zhiyi’s skin crawl.
"Gladly!" Fang Zhiyi grabbed pen and paper, quickly calculating before handing Yan Beichen the figure. "I’ve worked here over a decade, so this should cover it."
Yan Beichen glanced at it, scoffed, and began writing a check.
"I won’t shortchange you. You’ve been with me long enough—here’s an extra 500,000. That should tide you over." For the first time, Fang Zhiyi found something admirable about this domineering CEO—his generosity.
Pocketing the check, Fang Zhiyi hauled a stack of files from his office and dumped them into Xiao Ruoruo’s arms, nearly knocking her over.
"These are your new responsibilities!"
"Farewell, President Yan!" Fang Zhiyi left cheerfully, check in hand.
"Don’t come back," Yan Beichen muttered as he watched him go before turning to Xiao Ruoruo. "Feeling better now?"
Xiao Ruoruo nodded. "Yes. Money really does talk—firing someone just like that. People like him are only here for profit. Good riddance!"
Yet the next morning, while waiting for the elevator, Xiao Ruoruo spotted Fang Zhiyi again. Dressed sharply in a tailored suit, he was chatting with colleagues.
"Fang Zhiyi! You were fired! What are you doing here? Want me to call security?" Xiao Ruoruo hadn’t forgotten how he’d once threatened her with the same.
] [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!"
agon king storylines. At the start, I obtained the "Ultimate Lackey System" - the more I act as a lackey, the stronger I become. What else could I do? I chose to become the personal henchman of the ultimate villain, Su Muwan. I provoke all sorts of chosen ones, snatch away their opportunities, and commit every evil deed imaginable. You ask who's behind me? Hmph! You're not worthy of knowing my lady's name! ...... ....... I am Su Muwan, the eldest daughter of the Su family. Since childhood, I've possessed extraordinary talent in martial arts, which led to my arrogant and domineering personality in my past life. I was even foolish enough to repeatedly challenge those favored by heaven, ultimately resulting in a tragic death. In this life, I must behave and absolutely cannot walk the same path again!! However... SLAP!! "So you're the Dragon King, huh?!" When I saw my little lackey swagger over and viciously slap the Dragon King who was hiding his identity, I felt my heart sink. Su Muwan's suspended heart finally died as she watched Qin Luo, her utterly loyal lackey, standing before her. She fainted on the spot from shock. Heaven is determined to destroy me!! (Pure love 1v1, light-hearted, no angst, single female lead, villain, reincarnation, lackey)
ap a wealthy young lady? Or else I'll be eliminated by the system? Ye Feng, who awakened the Kidnapper System, originally wanted to live a peaceful life but never imagined he would become a kidnapper of young women. However, after some time, he discovered that all the girls the system ordered him to kidnap were far from ordinary. "Big brother Ye Feng~ You've kidnapped my heart, and now you're not allowed to leave me ever again~" "Ye Feng~ You kidnapped me back then, now it's my turn to capture you♡" "Little Feng, you're mine! You can only be mine!" "Ye Feng, none of them deserve you. Only I love you the most♡" ... This is madness, they've all gone mad! Wait, what? Why are all the girls I kidnapped yanderes?!
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."
