Invitation to the Birthday Banquet: A Prelude to the Battlefield, and the Stubborn Young Lady

The Dongfang family villa.

The lead female bodyguard held a box in her arms, followed by a large entourage. Compared to the relatively small box she carried, the boxes hoisted by the people behind her were frighteningly large.

Some were even impossible for a single person to lift, requiring two people to carry them together.

The team quickly arrived at the villa's entrance. Although the door was open, and Dongfang Zhixia had just said on the phone that they could come right in, the female bodyguard still stood at the door, knocked, and asked very respectfully.

"Eldest Miss, we have arrived."

"Mhm, just come straight in. Have someone come over to clean up tomorrow," Dongfang Zhixia's voice came from inside the villa.

Having received her Eldest Miss's permission, the lead female bodyguard led the group of people behind her into the villa and began to set things up in an orderly manner.

Soon, rows of clothing racks were set up against the wall near the entrance on the first floor. Much like a shopping mall display, piece after piece of men's clothing was hung up. There were not only school uniforms, but also suits, pajamas, and other garments...

Finally... there was the box of underwear in the female bodyguard's hands. She stood to the side, threading them onto hangers one by one and hanging them on the display rack in front of her, making it convenient for her Eldest Miss to choose from later.

In less than three minutes, all the delivered clothing was neatly organized, looking extremely pleasing to the eye.

"Eldest Miss, is there anything else you require?" the female bodyguard asked respectfully as she walked up to her employer, having double-checked to ensure nothing was amiss.

Dongfang Zhixia nodded. "Mhm, you did well. Go back now. Just send someone to clean up after eight o'clock tomorrow. I am going to rest and sleep now."

"Yes, Eldest Miss!"

The female bodyguard nodded and prepared to leave. Suddenly, Dongfang Zhixia's voice came from behind her again.

"By the way, watch your mouths. Know what can be said and what cannot..." Dongfang Zhixia's tone was indifferent.

The female bodyguard's heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly nodded. "Yes, Eldest Miss, we don't know anything!"

Dongfang Zhixia shook her head. "Stupid. You made such a big commotion coming here, and you think you can just say you don't know? Do you think my father and mother are fools, or do you think everyone in the family is a fool?"

The female bodyguard felt ashamed, cold sweat appearing on her forehead. "Please give us clear instructions, Eldest Miss!"

Dongfang Zhixia glanced in the direction of the bathroom, withdrew her gaze, and then continued, "My father probably won't ask too much. If my mother asks, just tell her I forbade you from speaking. If you can't even handle this much, you can pack up and leave."

"Yes, Eldest Miss!"

The female bodyguard nodded hastily.

"Go on. Close the door when you leave." Dongfang Zhixia waved her hand casually, and the bodyguards inside the villa quickly left.

Thud!

The villa door closed, and the first-floor hall returned to its previous state. Quiet, inexplicably quiet. The only sound that could be heard was Little Secretary sweating on the treadmill, working hard to earn gold coins and diamonds.

In just this short while, Little Secretary had completed another few hundred meters. She was about to successfully redeem her diamonds, right in this last hundred meters!

"98, 97, 96..." Little Secretary muttered while running, her sparkling big eyes fixed on the prompt on the reward page.

Dongfang Zhixia was speechless.

Should she... lower the difficulty a bit?

Seeing Little Secretary's earnest expression, Dongfang Zhixia felt a little bad. She couldn't just let the kid run for so long, redeeming so many gold coins and diamonds, only to tell her that there were still several more units of measurement left, right?

One dangling carrot was followed by an even bigger dangling carrot.

Dongfang Zhixia had to admit that Ye Cheng was quite skilled at dangling carrots.

Actually, this kind of incentive program also existed in the Dongfang family. In a sense, it could be considered an improved version of wolf-pack culture—it ignored personal feelings and only focused on ability. The capable would take the positions, and the incompetent would be told to get lost.

It was quite cruel!

The reason it was called an improved version was because some human touch had been added. It was true that there was an elimination system for the bottom-ranked, but someone had to be in last place for three consecutive months before being fired. As long as the streak was broken even once, it wasn't considered consecutive, and they could stay.

As long as a person was decent and hadn't been completely ostracized by everyone in their team, they could entirely rely on this method of taking turns at the bottom to ensure everyone managed to stay. Only the truly uncooperative ones would be ousted.

The advantage of this was that it could indirectly improve the cohesion within the company. To some extent, it shared the same brilliant logic as enforcing the law with warmth.

But no matter how it was improved, it never deviated from the underlying logic of the wolf-pack culture. Since wolves need to eat meat, the company had to offer compensation far higher than other peers in the industry.

Take the Dongfang family's bodyguards, for example. Being on standby for twenty-four-hour service was exhausting, but what you didn't see was... comprehensive insurance and housing funds, fully covered room and board, reimbursed commuting expenses, and triple pay on holidays...

In short, as long as you were willing to work hard, your rewards in the Dongfang family would absolutely be worthy of your efforts, perhaps even exceeding your efforts and expectations. This was also why everyone was so highly motivated.

Only enterprises that treat people like human beings will become better and better, rather than just blindly exploiting them...

Blind exploitation might seem to save a lot of money, but looking at it from a long-term perspective, one would realize it dealt an irreversible and fatal blow to an enterprise and collective...

The big picture was something Dongfang Zhixia had been cultivated to see since childhood. Her gaze could see what ordinary people could not!

As a result... Ye Cheng showed Dongfang Zhixia what it meant by: President, back then your blade wasn't fast enough, nor was it ruthless enough!

According to Dongfang Zhixia's original expectation, she was going to give Little Secretary an extra ten yuan in pocket money for every hundred meters she ran. However, she was informed by Ye Cheng that if she did this, Little Secretary would stop moving and lie flat once she earned a certain amount of pocket money.

After all, who would still work once they had money?

That single sentence left Dongfang Zhixia stunned into silence, which led to the implementation of Ye Cheng's endless bargain-app slicing tactic!

The reality of redeeming pocket money could never be reached!!!

It made Little Secretary single-handedly play the role of the sixty thousand people needed to help make a cut. Gold coins, diamonds, ingots... one dangling carrot after another drove Little Secretary to endlessly pump her legs on the treadmill. The continuous chime of reward prompts stimulated Little Secretary's central nervous system...

This trick was hardly any better than narcotics; it went straight to the head and made it absolutely impossible to stop.

Ordinary people, upon realizing they had fallen for the trick, would consider whether to continue. This involved something called sunk costs. Smart people would choose to cut their losses at this moment and decisively walk away.

However...

"Heh heh heh, Madam President, do you think hamsters are very smart? They either keep running to exchange for pocket money, or they give up, meaning all their previous running was for nothing. Madam President, what do you think the hamster would choose?" Ye Cheng's incredibly evil voice echoed in Dongfang Zhixia's mind.

Dongfang Zhixia: "..."

Dongfang Zhixia could finally see it. Ye Cheng's greatest strength lay in his ability to "tailor his attitude to his target." If he couldn't beat someone, he would drop to his knees at the speed of light; if they were easy to bully, he would immediately show his ugly side...

To sum it up simply... he was a master at bullying the weak and fearing the strong!

Dongfang Zhixia: "..."

Dongfang Zhixia sighed, glanced at the Little Secretary who was still running there full of hope and motivation, and shook her head... Forget it. As long as she could lose weight, using a slightly excessive method wasn't unacceptable.

This time, Dongfang Zhixia chose to side with Ye Cheng and trick the Little Secretary together.

There was no helping it. The Little Secretary was a super invincible giant slacker, the kind with absolutely zero intrinsic motivation. Every day she was either lying flat or on her way to lying flat. If Dongfang Zhixia hadn't been constantly keeping her in check, she probably would have turned into a big fat girl by now.

Ye Cheng's method was indeed a bit despicable, but it was just right for dealing with a slacker like the Little Secretary!

Dongfang Zhixia got up and walked over to the clothes hanging by the door, beginning to seriously choose a suitable outfit for Ye Cheng. Every time she picked up a piece, she would subconsciously imagine what Ye Cheng would look like wearing it, and then compare it against herself to see if they matched.

"This one isn't bad, but it looks a bit too mature..." Dongfang Zhixia picked up a high-end suit, thought about it, and put it back down.

Her hand slid to the next piece of clothing.

She picked it up.

"This one is nice, but a bit too flashy..."

"This one..."

Just as Dongfang Zhixia was earnestly picking out clothes, an incredibly crisp and passionate electronic prompt rang out from the first-floor hall!

"Congratulations, you have completed one hundred meters and earned Gold Coin +1!"

"Congratulations, 10 Gold Coins have been successfully exchanged for Diamond +1!"

"Congratulations, you have obtained 10 Diamonds!!!"

The final prompt was the most distinct, sounding as if a grand prize was about to be awarded. The baby fat on the Little Secretary's excited face jiggled. Her flushed cheeks and sparkling big eyes all indicated that she was thrilled to the extreme at this moment!

It's coming, it's finally coming!!!

The Little Secretary's breathing quickened a bit. After a series of spectacular exchange special effects, the ten diamonds merged into a giant gold ingot!

"Congratulations, you are one step closer to success!!!"

Little Secretary: "(๑°⌓°๑)"

Shouldn't it be pocket money... why is it a gold ingot?

The Little Secretary had big eyes and big doubts, a giant question mark seemingly popping up over her head. Along with her confusion, the sound of the treadmill also stopped. Not far away, Dongfang Zhixia, who was still picking out clothes, had her hand tremble as her heart skipped a beat.

Oh no, this idiot is going to cry!

Dongfang Zhixia hurriedly hugged the clothes in her hands, preparing to comfort the Little Secretary with a few words and then directly give her the pocket money. However...

"Gold ingots. Just ten more gold ingots and my pocket money will increase. Alright, keep going!"

The Little Secretary muttered to herself while counting on her fingers. The baby fat on her face jiggled, looking inexplicably cute. After figuring it out, she even cheered herself on and continued running on the treadmill.

Of course, "figuring it out" didn't mean the Little Secretary understood the terrifying number of meters she actually needed to run. Rather, she figured out that one hundred diamonds equaled ten gold ingots, and ten gold ingots equaled pocket money... As for what came before that, she had already forgotten.

The Little Secretary believed that as long as she kept running, she would soon get her own pocket money!

Dongfang Zhixia: "???"

Dongfang Zhixia stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the Little Secretary, who had already begun "self-hypnosis" on the treadmill in front of her.

Was this still the same idiot in their family who would get dead tired after running just two steps and scream that she was going to die?

She could run this much?

Didn't that mean that whenever a certain idiot claimed she couldn't run anymore in the past, she was actually just lying to her?

Dongfang Zhixia: "..."

A few minutes later.

Dongfang Zhixia carried the selected clothes and walked towards the bathroom. She placed her hand on the door handle and pressed down.

Clunk!

It wouldn't budge.

Dongfang Zhixia: "???"

"Madam President, just leave them at the door, I'll come get them myself!" Ye Cheng's voice came from inside the bathroom. This time he answered very quickly, afraid that Dongfang Zhixia outside might think something had happened to him again and just smash the door in, which would be no laughing matter.

Ye Cheng had also discovered another use for his enhanced senses: he could shut off his hearing and vision. That was why he couldn't hear Dongfang Zhixia shouting at the door while he was in the bathtub earlier.

Turning off his vision was too useless, but turning off his hearing was somewhat practical. It would be a great tool for sleeping during class, saving him the trouble of rolling up little paper balls to plug his ears.

"Open the door." Dongfang Zhixia's very calm voice came from outside the bathroom, issuing an order that brooked no refusal... This was a command!

"Huh?" Ye Cheng froze for a moment, asking somewhat uncertainly.

"Well... Madam President, the doorway is fine..."

"I told you to open the door. 3, 2, 1..."

"Click!"

The door did open, but when Ye Cheng poked half his head out, a huge pile of clothes was smacked right into his face.

Ye Cheng: "..."

Logically speaking, shouldn't this be some overbearing female CEO novel plot like "Madam President forces herself on him," "Madam President's coercive love," or "Madam President..."?

"I'm giving you five minutes. Put them on, or don't wear anything at all!" Dongfang Zhixia snorted coldly. After shoving the clothes into Ye Cheng's face, she left, her voice sounding somewhat displeased.

Somewhat displeased?

What was she throwing a tantrum over now?

It couldn't be that she was flying into a rage out of humiliation just because he didn't let Madam President take advantage of him, right?

Ye Cheng rubbed his smooth chin and began to ponder, and then... wasted thirty precious seconds of his dressing time.

Screw it, to hell with thinking! Just put them on quickly!

Ye Cheng originally thought he just had to pull the clothes over his body, but upon picking them up, he realized something seemed off. Why did they look so "freaking weird"?

What kind of outfit had so many buttons and straps... It looked like some sort of evening wear for a banquet?

Just by feeling the silky smoothness of the fabric, Ye Cheng knew that this outfit could probably cost him his life...

Rustle, rustle. Ye Cheng quickly began putting them on in the bathroom while trying to figure out how they worked...

Outside.

An unnatural blush appeared on Dongfang Zhixia's exquisitely beautiful face. She... of course wasn't displeased because she hadn't taken advantage of him, like Ye Cheng thought, but because Ye Cheng was actually guarding against her!

Hmm... That is correct. Because Ye Cheng had just locked the open door, Dongfang Zhixia was very displeased. He made it seem as if she was some sort of vulgar pervert. Wasn't it just a bit of extra flesh? What was so great to look at? What was so rare about it? What was...

Then... the President's anger level went +1, +1, +1...

As for why she took so long to choose and ultimately picked out an evening gown, the reason was simple. In a few days, it would be her father Dongfang Zhan's birthday. Many people would be invited to the event. She did not have to worry too much about the older generation's affairs, as her parents would handle that. Her main responsibility was managing the invitations for the people of her own generation.

As for Ye Cheng... he was also part of Dongfang Zhixia's plans. Even though Ye Cheng did not belong to their social circle, Dongfang Zhixia still intended to bring him along to let her parents have a look at him...

As for why she was doing this... only the President herself knew the real answer in her heart.

"You have three minutes left. If you can't get out by then, don't bother coming out at all," Dongfang Zhixia said in a cold voice.

"Almost done, almost done, I'll be ready in a second..." Ye Cheng wished he could use his feet to help fasten the buttons. There were just too many! He couldn't finish buttoning them! He simply couldn't finish!

"Fuck, what kind of crappy clothes are these? Why the hell are there so many buttons..."

...

Meanwhile.

At the Shen family mansion.

"Little Hanhan, are you sure you two are really just classmates?"