Chenxi

Night fell, and the neon signs along the streets lit up one by one, spilling brilliant colors across the city.

Pedestrians came and went, each busy with their own affairs.

A bicycle wove between the cars. Its rider wore a men's suit and an expensive watch.

A mask and baseball cap hid the rider's face, while the formal suit looked completely out of place on a bicycle.

The bicycle turned into the entrance of a high-rise. The rider left it by the door and headed inside.

The two security guards at the entrance hurried forward. One put the bicycle away while the other ushered the visitor through the doors.

Inside the glittering lobby, the visitor removed the mask and cap. A long ponytail fell loose. It was Mo Xie.

Several female employees spotted him and rushed over to greet him.

"Hello, boss!"

Mo Xie smiled and nodded before stepping into the elevator, leaving the young women's hearts in a flutter.

Mo Xie had bought the building long ago. As the women had said, he owned the company.

He had decided to found it not long after becoming famous. Unlike his studio, though, no one outside the company knew he was its owner—not even his family.

As for whether an employee might let the secret slip, Mo Xie was not worried.

Every new employee signed a confidentiality agreement. Mo Xie also used his Sharingan to plant a suggestion in their mind.

They would not reveal his identity or betray the company.

The longer the suggestion remained, the stronger it grew. His longtime employees were especially loyal to him.

Signing the agreement was much like signing a contract for life. They might spend the rest of their lives working for the company, so Mo Xie made sure they were well treated.

Every employee received excellent benefits, and some of them were even mages.

Take the two guards at the entrance. Who would have guessed that the men watching the doors were Intermediate Mages?

That was what the company offered them, and they were happy to remain security guards.

The company was called Chenxi. The name came from a simple conversation Mo Xie had once had with Ye Xinxia when they were children.

"Brother Mo Xie, is the chen in chenxi the chen from 'stars'?"

Ye Xinxia had looked up from her homework and asked in innocent confusion.

"Couldn't it be the chen from 'dust'?" Mo Xie had joked.

"Then it would be the chen in 'stardust'!" Ye Xinxia had beamed. "Your stardust is prettier than my stars. It's the most beautiful nebula in the universe. Brother Mo Xie is the stardust in Xin Xia's heart."

Whenever Mo Xie remembered those words, he could not help smiling.

Lost in thought, he reached the top floor.

The elevator doors opened onto an enclosed corridor. At its far end stood a single wooden door.

He pushed it open, and the space beyond opened up before him. The only room on the building's top floor was Mo Xie's office.

There was nothing especially luxurious about it, but it felt comfortable.

A floor-to-ceiling window behind the desk offered a full view of Bo City at night.

Mo Xie sat down, switched on his computer, and began working through documents left over from earlier.

He made time to visit the company now and then to review essential paperwork.

He had not been working long when the click of high heels sounded outside the wooden door, followed by a knock.

"Come in."

The door opened, and a tall woman walked in. Long blond hair fell over her shoulders. She wore a white blouse and a fitted skirt, with black stockings covering her long, shapely legs.

Her beautiful face was composed, giving her a capable air. She carried a neatly arranged stack of documents.

"Boss, these are the purchases and sales from the previous project. Please take a look."

The secretary laid the documents out before Mo Xie one by one. As she did, she bent rather low, her clothes drawing tight and showing off her figure.

The black stockings on her full thighs caught the light with a faint sheen.

Unfortunately for her, Mo Xie did not give her a glance. His attention was entirely on the documents.

She did not interrupt him. She simply stood beside him and watched his profile, a trace of tenderness in her eyes.

The office fell quiet, save for the soft rustle of turning pages.

Once Mo Xie had read through everything, he spoke.

"You can send these files to my computer. There's no need to bring them all the way up."

"Ah!"

The secretary started. Only then did she realize she had been staring. "I understand," she said nervously, "but I thought it would be better for you to look over them in person."

Mo Xie nodded. He understood that she meant well.

"We can start approaching the other businesses in the industry. For now, just make a friendly overture. Chenxi is about to move past its initial stage, and it'll grow much faster after that. We can take our time discussing partnerships with anyone still interested."

Chenxi mainly served mages. It dealt in magic artifacts and their materials, magic equipment and its materials, Demon Beast materials, and rare items. In short, it covered nearly anything related to magic, and its reach was broad.

Countless business leaders had noticed the rising star. Anyone with vision could see Chenxi's potential and wanted to make a connection.

Of course, some were envious and had tried to snuff it out before it could truly shine. Mo Xie had deftly dealt with them.

Things had gone fairly smoothly so far. Mo Xie firmly believed Chenxi would one day claim a place at the top of the business world.

"I'll handle the negotiations themselves. You just need to coordinate things and follow up afterward."

Mo Xie straightened the documents and handed them back to the secretary.

"Understood."

The secretary nodded at once, her expression earnest.

Her name was Jiang Ya, and she was among Chenxi's earliest employees. She had graduated from one of the universities ordinary people attended, the sort ranked under the 985 and 211 programs, with a degree in economics.

Jiang Ya was good at her job, diligent, responsible, and meticulous. Mo Xie had great faith in her abilities.

Why else would he have chosen her as his secretary? Surely it was not because she was fair-skinned, beautiful, and had long legs.

"Thanks for all your hard work lately. I've booked a few large private rooms at a hotel. Take everyone out."

Mo Xie showed Jiang Ya the location on his phone, then looked up with a smile.

"Really?"

Jiang Ya's face lit up. Work had kept the entire staff busy for the past week or two, with no time off at all.

No one had complained, though. The pay and conditions for overtime were genuinely good, and everyone cared about the company as if it were their home.

Then something occurred to Jiang Ya. "Will you be coming, boss?" she asked cautiously.

"I'll pass. I'm afraid you'd all feel less comfortable with me there." Mo Xie shook his head and smiled.

"All right."

Jiang Ya could not quite hide her disappointment, but she quickly composed herself.

After Jiang Ya left, Mo Xie turned and looked out over all of Bo City.

Employees streamed out of the building in groups, their faces bright with smiles and their laughter carrying along the way.

Resting his chin on the back of his hand, Mo Xie gazed into the distance. His eyes grew pensive. No one knew what was on his mind.

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