Tao Zhiyan's heart raced, and he instinctively backed away.
What was going on? What was going on?
Why was he coming over?!
"What do you want?"
Feng Ze stopped in front of him and got straight to the point.
Tao Zhiyan's mind went blank. He blinked. "Want what?"
Feng Ze looked at Tao Zhiyan, feeling somewhat amused.
The anonymous post Tao Zhiyan had just made had deliberately tagged him. It was clearly meant as a reminder.
Why was he pretending not to know now?
"Is there anything you want?" Feng Ze had no intention of exposing him and patiently asked again.
The man's presence was overwhelming. Then Tao Zhiyan remembered the inexplicable [Husband] that had appeared above his head earlier.
The fewer the words, the bigger the trouble!
Tao Zhiyan's heart beat faster and faster. His mind blank, he shook his head in a daze.
Feng Ze's gaze was hardly gentle. It even held a measure of scrutiny.
Tao Zhiyan was a spy planted by their rivals, the Gu Family, presumably to monitor developments in the Feng Family's projects.
The reason Feng Ze had kept him around was to have him feed false information to the other side.
But what game was Tao Zhiyan playing now?
"There's five million in here." Feng Ze casually took out a bank card and handed it to Tao Zhiyan. He disliked owing people favors. "The PIN is six zeros."
"If you need anything else, just ask."
Tao Zhiyan looked at the bank card, then at Feng Ze. "F-for me?"
Feng Ze nodded.
Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, Tao Zhiyan accepted the bank card with trembling hands.
Five million!
Oh my god, sob, sob, sob! I could stop working, put it in the bank, and live off the interest for the rest of my life! Sob!
Looking as though he might cry, Tao Zhiyan asked sincerely, "Why are you giving me money?"
Feng Ze hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "A bonus."
A five-million bonus?
Inflation was really something in these domineering-CEO novels!
"You're so generous, boss." Tao Zhiyan gave him a thumbs-up, his expression earnest. "May you be happy every day!"
Watching Tao Zhiyan's exaggerated gesture, Feng Ze rubbed his brow.
Just as he was about to return to his room, he seemed to remember something and turned to ask, "How are the preparations for tomorrow's press conference?"
"Pretty much done." According to the original owner's memories, everything needed for the banquet had already been arranged.
Tao Zhiyan answered obediently, "I'll check the venue again tomorrow, and there shouldn't be any problems."
"Mm." Feng Ze nodded and headed up to the Attic.
So much had happened that day that Tao Zhiyan was tired too. He returned to his room early to scroll through his phone.
Quite a few people were still leaving comments on his anonymous Moments post, waiting for an update.
After a moment's thought, Tao Zhiyan took out the lovely bank card his boss had rewarded him with, snapped a photo, and opened anonymous Moments.
[Anonymous: Here's the update!
The eldest young master just went straight for the kill at point-blank range, caught them cheating on the spot, and kicked the mistress and her illegitimate son right out!
It was unbelievably satisfying! Too bad I couldn't broadcast it live.
Oh, right, the eldest young master seemed to be in a good mood. He even dropped some loot and gave me a bank card. [Image]
Hehe, now that's an eldest young master for you. Awesome!!]
Once he finished editing, Tao Zhiyan specifically selected the minus sign beside the @ symbol, then chose the group labeled "Employers" under it.
Only then did he hit send.
Tao Zhiyan thought the minus sign beside the @ symbol was for hiding posts from people.
Little did he know, it was for notifying groups.
So after Tao Zhiyan hit send, another little "1" popped up on Feng Ze's phone.
[Your friend mentioned you in an anonymous post. Go take a look.]
Feng Ze glanced at it but didn't open it this time.
He was feeling somewhat unwell, his heart pounding, agitation rising, and cold sweat breaking out all over his body.
Feng Ze got up to search the cabinet for his medication.
After Tao Zhiyan posted his Moments update, his notifications quickly reached 99+.
[Anonymous: Your eldest young master is that nice? Ours only knows how to lose his mind.]
[Anonymous: Caught them in bed? And kicked them straight out? That sounds so exciting! I want to see!]
[Anonymous: Oh my god, why can't I find a boss who drops loot like that?! Damn it, all my boss does is give me three minutes to dig up every detail about some woman!!]
[Anonymous: The one above, you've still got it good! I'm a secretary, and my boss told me to acquire our rival tomorrow... I think there's seriously something wrong with him! Even the fastest acquisition takes three months, okay??]
Tao Zhiyan read the comments for a while, chuckling to himself and privately marveling at the mental state of these domineering CEOs.
After a while, he yawned and rubbed his eyes, feeling a little sleepy. He turned off the light, put his phone away, and curled up beneath the soft covers.
He rubbed his cheek against the pillow, gave a lazy yawn, and closed his eyes to sleep.
Just as he was about to drift off, a muffled crash suddenly came from upstairs.
Bang-!
Then came a series of crashes and clatters, the sound of things being smashed.
Tao Zhiyan bolted upright in bed and stared at the ceiling.
Upstairs went quiet for a few seconds, then another violent racket broke out, as though a burglar had gotten in.
"What's going on?" Remembering that Feng Ze lived upstairs, Tao Zhiyan didn't dare delay. He scrambled out of bed and ran up.
"Did something happen?"
Tao Zhiyan's slippers slapped against the stairs. The closer he got, the more palpable the chaos became.
The eldest young master's bedroom door upstairs stood slightly ajar, a faint light spilling through.
Through the gap, he could see a shattered vase, blood, and a wardrobe toppled onto the floor.
What was going on?
A burglar?
Alarmed by the thought, Tao Zhiyan rushed into the room. "What happened?"
The door swung wide, letting the light stream in.
Feng Ze was down on one knee, his robe hanging wide open. A drinking glass had tipped over, spilling water onto his chest...
He was breathing hard, like a wild beast on the verge of losing control. The cold, distant black eyes from earlier now held nothing but strained restraint and fear.
His expression startled Tao Zhiyan. "Young master, w-what's wrong?"
What was happening?
Hadn't he been perfectly fine earlier?
Feng Ze trembled all over, staring fixedly ahead without a word.
Tao Zhiyan followed his gaze, but there was nothing in front of him.
"Hello? Hello?"
"Feng Ze? Are you listening?"
"..."
A man's voice suddenly came from the speaker of the phone lying on the floor.
Tao Zhiyan picked it up and glanced at the screen. The contact name was Doctor Shen.
According to the original owner's memories, Doctor Shen was the Feng Family's private physician and Feng Ze's only friend.
Tao Zhiyan went over and picked up the phone, getting straight to the point. "This is Butler Tao. The eldest young master is in a very bad state."
"Butler Tao?" Doctor Shen took a moment to process that, then asked, "How is Feng Ze right now?"
"I'm not quite sure. He seems to be afraid of something."
Doctor Shen asked, "Did anything happen today that might have triggered him?"
Oh, absolutely.
But family scandals weren't something a mere butler like him should disclose.
Tao Zhiyan glossed over the worst of it. "The eldest young master had a conflict with the fourth young master and kicked both him and the madam out."
"I see..." Rustling came from the other end, as though he was packing things up. "Feng Ze has bipolar disorder. During an episode, he can have hallucinations and tendencies toward self-harm."
"I'm coming over now. Try your best to keep Feng Ze calm. If nothing else works, tie him up." With that, he hung up.
Listening to the busy tone, Tao Zhiyan looked at Feng Ze again.
By now, Feng Ze's breathing had grown even more rapid, and his robe was soaked with sweat.
Tao Zhiyan kept his voice as soft as he could and slowly approached Feng Ze. "Young master, what's wrong?"
Feng Ze's voice was hoarse, his eyes bloodshot. "...A cat."
"A cat?"
Feng Ze's face was pale, even his eyelashes trembling. "Can't you see it?"
He stared ahead, seemingly terrified of something, and pointed. "It's dead. There are so many rats and bugs around it."
"Squeaking, crawling everywhere." Feng Ze had lost every trace of his daytime ruthlessness. His gaze shifted from far away to somewhere closer, and his voice became slightly nasal and shaky. "They... they're coming over..."
Tao Zhiyan couldn't see any of what he described, but something about Feng Ze's expression left him with a feeling he couldn't put into words.
Tao Zhiyan stepped in front of Feng Ze and crouched down. "Are there any bugs around me?"
Feng Ze lifted his head, his gaze blank. He looked at Tao Zhiyan for a long moment before shaking his head.
"They don't dare come near me." Tao Zhiyan knelt on one knee, took Feng Ze's hand, and said softly, "I'll protect you."
Before you continue