Chapter 22: Ji Hanmo’s Size is One Larger Than His
Being told that by Ji Hanmo, Fu Yue rolled his eyes hard in his mind. Then, he adjusted his tone and spoke politely:
“Lend me eighty yuan.”
Ji Hanmo was stunned. It was likely this amount that surprised him. Fu Yue also felt that a two-digit amount like this had probably never appeared in Ji Hanmo’s eyes. But Ji Hanmo was only stunned for a second. After that, he immediately took out his phone, unlocked the screen, and then opened the payment app.
“This is extra.” Ji Hanmo raised his eyes, looking at Fu Yue with great interest.
“I’ll pay you back.” Fu Yue said immediately.
“No,” Ji Hanmo wagged a finger, “my meaning is that this is an extra service. Therefore, it must be exchanged for an extra price.” He paused and said slowly, “Think of it as your one-day salary. The contract term increases by one day.”
Fu Yue: “…”
He was completely speechless. For eighty yuan, he had sold himself for an extra day. Seeing that Ji Hanmo had already opened the transfer interface and was shaking the phone before him as if asking “do you want it or not,” Fu Yue hesitated.
He had tried calling Chen Bai’s phone, but it wouldn’t connect. As for Shen Junnian, going to him would be equivalent to sending himself to the Civil Affairs Bureau. Those other fair-weather friends, Fu Yue really wasn’t close to them.
Finally, he squeezed out one word from between his teeth: “Okay.”
Beep.
A soft sound came from the phone—a notification of the arrival of funds. Fu Yue opened it, and the screen clearly showed:
[Transfer amount: ¥80.00]
Looking at that precise number down to two decimal places, Fu Yue’s heart was actually a bit disappointed. He had thought Ji Hanmo would be like those domineering CEOs in novels, where with a flick of a finger, he would directly transfer a million yuan and then give a wicked smile and say, “I’ll cover all your expenses.”
And this was it? This was it? Just eighty yuan? If he had known, he would have asked for more.
The next day.
Fu Yue woke up to an ache in his body. He glanced at the unfamiliar ceiling and rolled over on the overly soft mattress.
“Hiss—”
The injuries from yesterday had been treated and he had taken medicine, but today’s physical sensation was still “quite something.” He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside—8:30 AM.
Fu Yue suddenly realized that according to the contract, he should be going to “work” at the Ji Group today. He quickly got up, finished washing, and walked out of the guest room.
As soon as he pushed open the door, he was stunned. The small walk-in closet outside the door, which had been completely empty last night, was now filled with a whole row of men’s clothing, from casual hoodies to high-end suits. The size was precisely his.
Then, he opened the wardrobe drawer—there was nothing inside. He opened another compartment; it was also empty. Fu Yue opened all the drawers and cabinet doors. Coats, pants, shirts, ties, cufflinks, leather shoes… everything was there. Except for underwear and socks.
A helpless smile tugged at the corner of Fu Yue’s mouth; he couldn’t go to work “commando.” Without any hesitation, he stepped onto the warm wood floor with bare feet and headed toward the master bedroom on the second floor.
The door to Ji Hanmo’s master bedroom wasn’t closed. Fu Yue was afraid it might be improper, so he stole a glance inside through the crack in the door; there was no one. Thus, Fu Yue walked straight into this luxurious master bedroom decorated in light gray.
The bed still bore the traces of having been slept in. Fu Yue’s gaze instinctively paused. The down duvet was pushed to one side, the pillow surface had a slightly sunken curve, and the silk sheets had several wrinkles, as if recording the way the man had slept on his side. He could almost delineate the scene: the man’s long, beautiful figure sinking into the cloud-like bedding, several strands of black hair scattered on the linen pillowcase, a far cry from his usual meticulous image.
“Crap, what am I thinking!” Fu Yue snapped alert, quickly withdrew his gaze, and walked toward the walk-in closet.
Ji Hanmo’s walk-in closet was consistent with his style. Three entire walls of built-in wardrobes were made of dark walnut wood and tea-colored glass. One wall was entirely suits, arranged by color and season. Another was various shirts and casual wear. The third held formal wear, equestrian attire, and other special-occasion clothing. Under the glass surface of the island counter were various priceless wristwatches.
Fu Yue didn’t look much. He had a clear goal and opened a wardrobe drawer directly. Soon, he found his target—neatly folded cotton underwear and socks. He didn’t have much of a psychological barrier and directly took a pair of underwear and a pair of socks before heading downstairs.
Ji Hanmo’s size was one larger than his. The waist of the underwear was slightly loose, but not to the point where it would fall down.
Fu Yue quickly organized his attire, then took out his phone and dialed Monica’s number. He needed to confirm what his first day as a “personal consultant” entailed.
“Mr. Fu, good morning.” The call was soon answered, and Monica’s professional and polite voice came through.
“Miss Monica,” Fu Yue asked tentatively, “I wanted to ask if there are parts of Chairman Ji’s schedule today that I need to accompany him on?”
“Mr. Fu, if you are free today, you can come to the 98th-floor President’s Office to find me, and I will arrange an office for you,” Monica answered. “As for whether you need to accompany Chairman Ji… you can confirm his private schedule directly with him.” After saying this, Monica paused and added, “Chairman Ji leaves at eight o’clock sharp every day. His usual routine is—he never waits for anyone.”
After hanging up the phone, Fu Yue was in a bind. Clearly, Ji Hanmo had already gone to the company. Thinking about his financial situation, taking a taxi was impossible. Fu Yue used a map to search; from Yushuiwan to the Ji Group headquarters—5.3 kilometers. It wasn’t impossible to walk; he would just treat it as a morning workout.
He took the elevator down, left the luxury home, and stepped into the cool morning air. The November wind curled dry leaves across the asphalt driveway. Fu Yue’s white breath dissipated quickly in the air. The plane trees on both sides of the driveway had long lost their splendor. Fu Yue was glad he was wearing a wool coat and a scarf. But his head was a bit cold.
He had just walked a few hundred meters along the private driveway when a black Rolls-Royce slowly approached from behind him and drove alongside him. The rear window slowly lowered.
“Get in.” Ji Hanmo’s emotionless profile didn’t even look at Fu Yue.
Hadn’t he left?
Fu Yue didn’t hesitate this time. He quickly pulled the door open and sat inside. He didn’t want to waste a free ride.
A tablet was on Ji Hanmo’s lap. He glanced at Fu Yue, didn’t talk to him, and just handed him a kraft paper bag. Fu Yue took it hesitantly. It wasn’t his fault for overthinking; blame it on the scale of this novel, which forced him to anticipate the worst. For instance, Ji Hanmo might want him to wear a tail to work. Of course, things visible from the outside were okay; the most terrifying were things that couldn’t be seen.
Fu Yue ripped open the paper bag. Fortunately, there were no strange items inside. It was a steaming sandwich and a hot coffee with a green coffee brand logo.
The Rolls-Royce stopped steadily in front of the Ji Group headquarters’ main entrance. As soon as the car stopped, the security supervisor who had been waiting at the door stepped forward quickly, pulled open the rear right door, and bowed while supporting the car roof.
“Chairman Ji, morning.”
However, when he saw the person sitting inside, the security supervisor realized he had addressed the wrong person. Sitting in that immovable rear right position was a handsome man he had never seen before. Just as the security supervisor was dazed, the door on the other side “click”ed and was pushed open from the inside.
Ji Hanmo stepped out expressionlessly and walked straight toward the building’s main entrance. Fu Yue didn’t notice the surprise on the security supervisor’s face. He just stuffed the last bite of the sandwich into his mouth and got out from the right side. Afterward, he didn’t forget to politely nod and smile at the supervisor who opened the door for him, saying “Thank you.”
The two of them, one after the other, walked into the skyscraper that was the heart of the business empire. No words were exchanged along the way. Employees around them, however, stole glances, using gossipy eyes to size up this man who had come to the company in the same car as Chairman Ji so early in the morning.
Inside the exclusive elevator, the atmosphere was quiet. The smooth mirror reflected two tall figures. One was as cold as an ice mountain. The other was pretending to be composed.
Ding. The 98th floor arrived. Ji Hanmo went straight into his office. Monica, wearing a black Armani suit and stepping on high heels, met Fu Yue with a wind-like pace.
“Mr. Fu, good morning. Please follow me.” She led Fu Yue toward a door diagonally opposite the president’s office.
It was an independent office. Upon pushing the door, the area wasn’t large, about a dozen square meters, but the layout was square and the view was excellent. The floor-to-ceiling window directly faced the city’s bustling CBD landscape. The interior was professionally and fully equipped; the protective film of the brand-new computer screen hadn’t even been peeled off.
“The equipment was just set up this morning; you can come to me directly if you feel anything is missing.” Monica pointed to the coffee machine on the side cabinet. “The capsules and coffee beans are all imported, unlimited drinking.”
“Furthermore, this is your meal card for the company.” Monica handed a magnetic card to Fu Yue. “If you finish work after nine in the evening, you can eat a free midnight snack at the cafeteria, or you can use the corporate account to order takeout and have it delivered directly downstairs.”
Hearing this, Fu Yue’s mouth twitched. Good grief, the familiar aura of “elite corporate slave” life was overwhelming. Unlimited black coffee refills, free midnight snacks for working late—wasn’t this the classic “blessing package” of those big companies in the real world?
Monica opened the computer for Fu Yue. “Highest-level access to the office OA has already been activated for you.”
Fu Yue stole a glance; the inbox was full of red. A sea of project materials and reports was already lying there. All of this reminded Fu Yue of that “office” in the Fu family. Steven had introduced him to the 4090 graphics card, the latest Soulslike game, and the massage chair, even asking if he lacked anything. In comparison, Ji Hanmo was indeed seriously looking for him to work.
“Finally,” before Monica left, she gave an exceptionally meaningful smile, “Mr. Fu, your work is reported directly to Chairman Ji. If you have any questions, I suggest you find him directly.”
This elite woman’s subtext was clearly written on her face: Whatever tension there is between you two men, please resolve it yourselves. Don’t come and bother me, a working professional, with it.
Translator’s Note:
Terms:
- Zhongtai (中臺): Mentioned in previous notes, refers to the shared service platform in tech companies.
- 996 / Corporate Slave (社畜 – Shechu): Though not explicitly used, the vibes of the Ji Group office perfectly match the high-pressure “corporate slave” culture in China’s top tier companies.
- Duplicity (口嫌體正直 – Kou Xian Ti Zheng Zhi): A term describing someone who says one thing but their body or actions say another (classic tsundere behavior).
Tune in for more chapters~
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