Chapter 23: Face Away From Me, Put Your Hands on the Sink
Monica turned and left elegantly, leaving Fu Yue with a “good luck” view of her retreating back.
Fu Yue shook his head with a faint smile, not feeling particularly repulsed. He pulled out his chair and sat down, quickly immersing himself in the professional materials regarding the system. Before he knew it, noon had arrived.
He picked up his phone, thinking that since Chen Bai also worked at the Ji Group, he should find him for lunch. Firstly, he could check on his progress with Ji Linyue. Secondly, he could subtly hint at whether Chen Bai could repay the medical fees Fu Yue had paid for him that day.
Since Chen Bai was Ji Linyueās assistant, he should be working on the 97th floor. Fu Yue called the 97th-floor secretariat.
“Are you looking for Mr. Chen Bai? He has taken leave for the past few days and hasn’t come to work.”
Only then did Fu Yue realize he had been careless. Chen Baiās small frame was so fragile; he indeed needed a few days of sick leave for gastric bleeding. Fu Yue thought about asking after his health, but Chen Baiās phone was “temporarily unreachable.”
“System! System! I can’t contact Chen Bai. Is he in trouble?”
[Host, don’t worry. I can locate the current position of the target character “Chen Bai” for you.]
After dozens of seconds, the system’s voice returned:
[Target character “Chen Bai” successfully located! He is currently at Ji Linyueās home.]
Hearing this news, the weight in Fu Yueās heart was instantly lifted. Being at Ji Linyueās house was safer than anywhere else. It seemed those two were making good progress; there was no need for him to intervene urgently today.
Relieved, he put down his phone, took that thin meal card, and walked out of the office.
Dingā
The doors of the exclusive elevator opened. Fu Yue stepped inside and pressed the button for the “Executive Restaurant” on the 90th floor. Just as the doors were about to close, a tall, straight figure walked in unhurriedly.
It was Ji Hanmo.
Fu Yue paused slightly and moved to the left to make space. But after entering the elevator, Ji Hanmo didn’t press any floor buttons; he simply stood quietly to Fu Yueās right.
The atmosphere in the elevator felt a bit subtle. Fu Yue felt uncomfortable and broke the silence: “Chairman Ji, which floor are you going to?”
Ji Hanmoās deep voice came from beside him: “The same as you.”
Fu Yueās expression dropped. Ji Hanmo was far too dangerous; he didn’t want to spend that much time with him. Thus, he pressed the button for the 5th floorāthe floor for the main employee canteen.
“Sorry, I pressed the wrong one.”
Ji Hanmo didn’t say anything, merely nodding. The elevator descended smoothly.
Ding. The 90th floor arrived, and the doors slowly opened. However, Ji Hanmo showed no intention of moving. In the next second, Ji Hanmo reached out and pressed the [Close Door] button directly.
The elevator doors closed again and continued downward. Fu Yue remained silent.
At the 5th floor, the doors opened again. Ji Hanmo was the first to step out. Seeing Fu Yue standing still, he looked back and tilted his chin at him:
“Not coming out? Or… are you not eating?”
Fu Yue: “…”
Could he afford not to eat? After returning that borrowed 80 yuan to Chen Baiās landlord, his entire savings balance was zero. Aside from the company canteen, he had nowhere else to go.
Fu Yueās internal complaint mode was switched on. This man, Ji Hanmo, was indeed calculating. Yesterday, when he asked for eighty, Ji Hanmo really only transferred eighty yuanāhe had calculated perfectly that Fu Yueās “lack of money” was his weak spot.
The 5th-floor employee canteen was brightly lit. Stainless steel food stations were lined up, neatly arranged with various delicacies. It ranged from steaming, freshly cooked noodle stalls to sizzling teppanyaki, a colorful fruit salad bar, and freshly baked butter bread. There was even a chef spinning flying pancakes. The variety was as rich as a high-end food court.
Employees in the pick-up area chatted in small groups. Many people were already seated in the booths by the window; some were eating while editing proposals on laptops, while others held up their phones to take photos of their daily lunch for their social circles.
However, when the supreme leader of the Ji GroupāJi Hanmoāappeared in the canteen carrying a tray identical to those of the ordinary employees, the atmosphere of the entire space changed instantly. The originally noisy chatter and clinking of cutlery grew inexplicably quiet.
The gazes of nearly a thousand employees were focused on Ji Hanmo and the youth before him, as if drawn by a magnet. Indeed, the most terrifying Chairman Ji, who made people hold their breath in board meetings and usually only had others following him, was today walking diagonally behind a strange youth.
“Who is that? Heās actually walking in front of the Great Demon King…”
“Look at Chairman Jiās posture; heās practically acting as that guy’s secretary…”
“Is he some crown prince from a hidden reclusive family?”
Low whispers broke out everywhere. Fu Yue seemed oblivious to the commotion, merely frowning as he walked quickly toward the ordering window. Ji Hanmo was likely afraid he would “escape,” so he watched him closely from a step behind, like a guard escorting a prisoner.
Just as the two of them stood at the ordering window, the canteen manager came running over:
“Chairman Ji, how about I have someone set up a screen for you inside and have the kitchen prepare something special…”
“No need, here is fine.” Ji Hanmo dismissed him with a single sentence.
The two finally sat down at an ordinary table for four. Fu Yueās stomach was already rumbling, so he started eating immediately.
Mmm, truly delicious! The beef was tender and fragrant, the asparagus crisp and sweet, and the rice soft yet chewy. Fu Yue ate heartily.
Ji Hanmo picked up a piece of stir-fried seasonal vegetables and asked seemingly casually, “Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?”
Fu Yue took a bite of fried chicken and looked up: “First, help you finish modifying the system architecture, and then I’m out.”
“And after that?”
“After that?” Fu Yue shrugged. “Present the evidence of my framing to the old man, get my house, car, and cards back, and continue my carefree life.”
Ji Hanmoās chopsticks stopped in mid-air. “Have you never thought about building something that truly belongs to you?”
The air went still for a brief moment. Fu Yue was a bit puzzled: “Is Chairman Ji worried that I have designs on the Ji Groupās system?”
Ji Hanmo arched an eyebrow. Was that what he meant?
“Don’t worry.” Fu Yue took a sip of soup, his tone serious. “I have a strong contract spirit. Once the system is modified, I won’t linger. I won’t make the Ji Group pay for any of my after-sales services.”
Ji Hanmo stared at him for two seconds before suddenly letting out a low chuckle. Fu Yue felt his laugh was a bit chilling but didn’t overthink it. He took another sip of soup, only to find the taste was wrong. His meal was supposed to come with seaweed and egg drop soup, so why was there a sweet and sour tomato taste in his mouth?
He looked up and met the gaze of Ji Hanmo, who had just put down a soup bowl. In that bowl floated several pieces of seaweed.
“That’s my soup,” Fu Yue said with a stiff expression.
During the conversation just now, Ji Hanmo had swapped their soups. Swapping was one thing, but the key was that seaweed soup… he had already taken a few sips of it.
Looking at the colorful expression on Fu Yueās face, Ji Hanmo spoke airily:
“Don’t you dislike eating seaweed?”
After saying this, he watched Fu Yueās reaction quietly.
“…”
A string of question marks appeared in Fu Yueās mind. The original novel had described what Fu Yue liked to eat in a few broad strokes, but it hadn’t mentioned his dislikes. Fu Yue was not simple-minded. Did this sentence stem from Ji Hanmoās extremely personal focus on the original owner? Or was he intentionally bluffing? It was hard to say.
Thus, Fu Yue gave an ambiguous answer: “People can change.”
At this moment, he didn’t know what this sentence meant to Ji Hanmo. He only saw Ji Hanmoās eyes darken before returning to calm.
“Look at your phone,” Ji Hanmo said.
Confused, Fu Yue took out his phone.
“The matter regarding the scandal has been handled.”
Hearing this, Fu Yue quickly opened several mainstream social platforms. All the hot search terms regarding him and Chen Bai had vanished, and the gossip topics with the highest discussion had been wiped clean. Meanwhile, several financial gossip media outlets known for their sharp reporting had pulled their original negative reports and started publishing clarification articlesā
[Exclusive Reveal of the Truth: The Full Story of the Fu Family Heirās Rescue]
[Accidental Fire Alarm Causes Chaos; Fu Yue Assists in Evacuating the Scene]
The articles even included several surveillance screenshots clearly showing Fu Yue half-holding an unconscious Chen Bai while struggling to move toward the emergency exit in the pushing crowd.
It seemed that within one morning, Ji Hanmo had used his power to complete the first thing Fu Yue requested. He was trustworthy and efficient.
“Thank you,” Fu Yue said sincerely.
Ji Hanmoās expression was unreadable. He lightly put down his chopsticks, his gaze sweeping over the tip of the chopsticks in Fu Yueās hand before stopping on his face. Uncomfortable from the gaze, Fu Yue asked somewhat awkwardly, “Why are you looking at me?”
“After finishing lunch, go to my lounge.”
Fu Yue was startled, and his refusal was almost blurted out: “I have to work at noon too. There’s a lot of material to read.”
Ji Hanmo let out a light laugh upon hearing this.
“Fu Yue,” he called his name slowly, “it seems you’ve forgotten your identity? And forgotten our contract?”
“My dear personal consultant,” Ji Hanmo leaned in slightly, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, “right now, it’s not your place to refuse my arrangements.”
Fu Yueās spirit instantly wilted. He had nothing to say. In the face of the absolute power of that “unequal contract,” he indeed had no room to refuse.
During the rest of the meal, he found the food tasteless. After dawdling to finish eating, Fu Yue stood up silently and followed behind Ji Hanmo. He thought to himself that if things really reached that point, he would run.
Under the gaze of all the canteen employees, the two entered the exclusive elevator. The elevator returned to the 98th floor. Ji Hanmo pushed open his office door, and Fu Yue followed him inside with his head down.
But just a few steps in, a soft “click” came from behind. The door had been double-locked.
The sound caused Fu Yueās back to stiffen. He watched as Ji Hanmo unhurriedly took off his suit jacket and hung it on a nearby rack. At this moment, the tall man wore a white shirt paired with a waist-cinching double-breasted suit vest. Carrying an innate sense of pressure, he walked toward Fu Yue step by step.
“Leave the suit outside.” He tilted his chin at Fu Yue.
Fu Yueās lips moved, and his hands trembled slightly. Just as he finished unbuttoning his suit, Ji Hanmo had already approached. Warm fingers brushed past his wrist and pinched his cuffāthe man actually personally assisted him in taking off his suit.
Ji Hanmoās movements were gentlemanly as he hung Fu Yueās suit on the rack next to his own.
“The tie.”
Fu Yue numbly untied his tie.
“Go to the lounge,” Ji Hanmo commanded.
Fu Yue pursed his lips and didn’t move. Ji Hanmo didn’t urge him, merely watching him quietly with those bottomless eyes, waiting patiently. Ultimately, Fu Yue compromised. He turned and pushed open the door to the lounge.
The lounge was still the same. After Ji Hanmo led him in, there was another “click” as he locked the door.
“Go inside.” He signaled toward the small bathroom.
Fu Yueās body was already as stiff as a stone.
“Take off your shirt,” Ji Hanmoās voice came from behind again. “Face away from me, put your hands on the sink.”
Fu Yue closed his eyes and did as he was told.
Translator’s Note:
Term Check:
- Zhongtai (äøčŗ): This term usually refers to a shared middle-office system in a company.
- Mali Yiyuan (ēŖéŗé«é¢): Mary Hospital.
- Ji Dong (å£č£): Chairman Ji (honorific for Chairman/Director).
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