“I want to steal someone.”
“What?” The manager’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. “Steal someone? Whose person? Why the hell would you—”
A sudden thought struck him, and his voice trembled.
“Don’t tell me… you’re trying to get back at President Zhou for making you fake a scandal?”
Ordinary celebrities, even if they bore a grudge against their boss, rarely dared to retaliate outright—mostly because they just couldn’t win.
But with Chu Xingxiao’s personality… and family background…
Yeah, he might actually do it.
The manager felt a headache coming on. “If you really don’t want to go through with the scandal, I’ll talk to President Zhou. Would that work? Just don’t push this into irreparable territory. Besides, President Zhou doesn’t even have a lover—everyone knows that. He only cares about work.”
“Is that so?” Chu Xingxiao replied lazily. “I’m not so sure. And besides, I don’t live by the rule of ‘only the officials get to set fires while the commoners can’t light lamps.’”
“If you want to tell Zhou Yanxing, go ahead.” Chu Xingxiao paused, then added, “You can also let him know—it was me on the yacht that night.”
The manager wiped the sweat off his brow, face full of misery.
“How would I dare tell President Zhou that? We’re already in this boat together. Wait—you don’t seriously think Secretary Chi is his lover, do you? That’s impossible!”
“Whether it’s true or not, that’s not for you to decide.” Chu Xingxiao’s tone turned icy. “Seeing is believing. Just wait and watch.”
The manager left, utterly dejected. Chu Xingxiao stood up, tugged his cap down low over his eyes, and curled his lips into a smirk.
“Playing the villain, huh? Easy.”
***
President’s Office.
The door was ajar, probably left that way by someone who forgot to close it—just a narrow slit.
Chi Zhan had just reached the doorway when he heard Young Master Bai’s incredulous voice from inside.
“Why won’t you agree? These terms are clearly in your favor! If you marry me, my dad will hand over the entire Bai Corporation to you. Then you’ll be the most powerful man in Province A—no one could ever beat you.”
Young Master Bai thought he’d finally found Zhou Yanxing’s weak spot. As a domineering CEO with a business-first mindset, what did he value most? His career! So if he could help Zhou Yanxing soar to new heights, wouldn’t that make him the most important person at Zhou’s side?
Turns out, this was the real way to win Zhou Yanxing’s favor! Once that clicked, Bai wasted no time drawing up a marriage contract.
Every clause in the agreement tilted in Zhou’s favor—it was basically a free giveaway. If Zhou Yanxing agreed to marry him, he’d immediately gain 75% of Bai Corporation’s shares. Naturally, Bai’s “parents” would never approve of such a ludicrous deal, so he pulled out the ultimate trump card—cold, hard cash. But just when he thought he had everything lined up, Zhou didn’t even blink before rejecting him.
Young Master Bai was stunned. Why?! You don’t care about love—fine. But surely you care about your career, right? Or are all CEOs these days just born to be lonely?!
“I don’t marry just anyone,” Zhou Yanxing said coolly. “You treat marriage like child’s play. Sorry, but I’m not interested in playing along.”
“……”
He’d just heard Zhou Yanxing utter the phrase, ‘You treat marriage like child’s play.’ Was he serious?
“You don’t even have someone you like! So why not marry me? It’s not like—”
“Who said I don’t? Of course I do.”
“Then who is it? Say it!”
He had to know. Who was this player so capable they’d managed to win over Zhou Yanxing? Was it Jiang Yi, the intern secretly hiding his strength? Or maybe Su Ran, always pretending to be all sweetness and light?
“It has nothing to do with you,” Zhou replied, already sounding impatient. “Take your contract and leave. I’m not agreeing to this.”
“Say it!”
Bai’s rage boiled over. He opened the game’s shop and found a prop called “Truth Serum.” Without hesitation, he bought it.
It cost a fortune—but he had to know. Who was it that Zhou Yanxing liked? If he didn’t find out, he’d be too tormented to sleep tonight.
So this was the game’s real monetization strategy, huh? If your affection progress hit a wall, you had no choice but to burn money on tools just to figure out what your target was really thinking.
Damn it, these devious game developers!
And yet… he still fell for it.
[Use [Truth Serum] on target Zhou Yanxing?]
Bai clicked “Yes.”
***
Out in the hall, Chi Zhan heard Zhou Yanxing call his name. His first reaction was panic—Did he just get caught eavesdropping? But now he couldn’t retreat without looking suspicious. Gritting his teeth, he pushed the door open and pretended he hadn’t heard a thing.
“President Zhou…”
“No way!” Young Master Bai looked like he’d just taken a massive blow. He stared at Chi Zhan in disbelief. “Your acting is way too good… So you’re a player too?!”
Chi Zhan blinked, three question marks practically floating above his head.
Just as he was about to ask what on earth Bai was talking about, the latter’s face twisted in anguish, as if completely shattered. His eyes darted to the coffee cup on Zhou’s desk, and—seized by a fit of rage—he grabbed it and hurled the contents at Chi Zhan.
It was a scene all too familiar… except this time, the victim wasn’t Zhou Yanxing.
“I hate you!” Bai shrieked at Zhou. “I hope the person you love cheats on you! Not once, not twice, but three times! I never want to see you again!”
“……”
“……”
Zhou sat there, still dazed. He didn’t even know why he’d blurted out Chi Zhan’s name in the first place.
Meanwhile, Bai stormed off in a fury.
“He thinks he’s in a soap opera?” Zhou muttered, still stunned. “That guy’s nuts.” He turned to Chi Zhan. “Just look at the kind of lunatics you attract.”
