[Ding! Every qualified domineering CEO must have a successful career arc. Mission issued: improve your business negotiation skills as a domineering CEO and strike where it hurts. Host, please use the clues just provided to complete your negotiation with Jiang Yuzhuo. Mission reward: 2 days of life.] [Allow this system to remind you, host: you have only 5 days of life remaining.]
If he could, Ji Hanxing would have sent the system a Monkey King reaction image: So freaking annoying.GIF.
But for the sake of those days of life, Ji Hanxing could only leave the Ji family estate and head to the Grand Prosperity Hotel.
In the car, Ji Hanxing closed his eyes and thought over Old Master Ji's words, organizing them in preparation for the tough battle ahead.
When he reached the Grand Prosperity Hotel, Ji Hanxing had barely opened the car door and poked his head out before his face froze.
Why was Yan Jinyue here?!
Bang!
The car door slammed shut with a deafening crash.
Ji Hanxing shrank back inside, silently chanting, You can't see me, you can't see me.
The system seethed at the sight.
[Host, please recognize your character and your position! You're the domineering CEO male lead. How can you cower like this?!]
The system couldn't understand why Ji Hanxing acted like a mouse facing a cat whenever he saw Yan Jinyue.
System, you wouldn't want to know, Ji Hanxing thought. If the system knew he had slept with the book's main villain, it would have a breakdown.
The system could only put it down to Ji Hanxing's lack of worldly experience and his timidity in dealing with people. As a domineering CEO development system, it instantly felt the weight of its responsibility, its fighting spirit soaring.
[As a domineering CEO, you should radiate dominance and possess an aura that strikes fear into people the moment you appear! Even the temperature around you must be several degrees lower than everyone else's.]
What, was he a walking refrigerator?
[Ding! A domineering CEO development training mission has now been issued. Please master the dominance-radiating, fear-inducing aura of a domineering CEO.] [Training time limit: three days. The system will provide the assessment content and test subjects, and judge the results based on the host's final performance. Pass: reward of 7 days of life. Fail: one opportunity to retake the assessment.]
Hearing that he still had three days to prepare, Ji Hanxing relaxed a little.
Suddenly.
Knock, knock, knock.
Someone knocked on the car window, startling Ji Hanxing. Seeing the blurred silhouette through the glass, he had a bad feeling.
He couldn't help clenching his hands into fists, his palms breaking out in sweat.
Yan Jinyue watched the tightly closed window, which showed no sign of movement even after a long while. Remembering how Ji Hanxing had looked as though he'd seen a ghost upon spotting him, his mischievous amusement grew.
He raised his slender hand with its well-defined knuckles to knock again. Just as it approached the glass, the window rolled down.
It revealed an icy face.
Ji Hanxing dipped his head slightly, revealing his sharply defined chin. He gave Yan Jinyue a sidelong look, his gaze landing on Yan Jinyue's raised hand. The corner of his mouth curved, lifting only a thin layer of skin on his face, and his voice was cold:
"I thought some bored child was knocking on my window. I didn't expect it to be you, President Yan."
Yan Jinyue withdrew his hand as though nothing had happened. Looking at Ji Hanxing's insincere smile, he raised an eyebrow. That was quite a change.
A moment ago, he'd looked as though he'd seen a ghost. Now he'd put on a cold, aloof face.
"I just spotted you, President Ji. When I saw you get out and then retreat into your car, I thought you might have run into some emergency and needed help."
Ji Hanxing lifted his eyelids slightly. "Thank you for your concern, President Yan. I simply left something in the car."
Yan Jinyue leaned his head forward slightly and waited a moment, a dark glint flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly put his hand on the door handle and tried it. The door wasn't locked. The next second, he opened Ji Hanxing's car door.
The move startled Ji Hanxing into leaning back, his eyes widening despite himself. "What are you doing?"
Yan Jinyue casually swept his gaze over the interior before it settled on Ji Hanxing, who was sitting stiffly upright:
"You must have important business to attend to at the Grand Prosperity today, President Ji?"
Ji Hanxing wasn't surprised that Yan Jinyue knew about this. Everyone in City A knew that Jiang Yuzhuo was close to him.
"Please step out, President Ji."
Yan Jinyue even made an inviting gesture and held a hand beneath the top of the doorframe. Fu Fangxi, who was following him, stared in disbelief. Was this really their President Yan?
Xue Hui, in the front passenger seat, was stunned too. Sure enough, his boss and Yan Jinyue had quite a close relationship.
Ji Hanxing's eyes also held a hint of wariness, his palms slick with sweat. Still, to maintain his domineering CEO persona, he really couldn't stay in the car forever. Seeing Yan Jinyue standing courteously outside, Ji Hanxing got out after all.
Just as he ducked his head to get out, Yan Jinyue's hand lowered seemingly inadvertently, touching Ji Hanxing's head.
Ji Hanxing whipped his gaze toward Yan Jinyue, who slowly withdrew his hand. "Watch your head, President Ji."
[Was something seriously wrong with him?!]
Ji Hanxing's inward complaint rang in Yan Jinyue's ears again. Understanding flashed through Yan Jinyue's eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
Ji Hanxing quickly climbed out and straightened up, even unconsciously drawing his back straighter. His eyes met Yan Jinyue's at exactly the same level.
[He actually touched my head! Didn't he know you don't touch a man's head?]
[Take a good look! I'm 184 cm! Just as tall as you!]
Yan Jinyue looked at the tense-faced Ji Hanxing with the hint of a smile. His deep eyes seemed to see through everything, and his tone was relaxed:
"I thought you'd seen me and didn't want to see me."
"You must be joking, President Yan," Ji Hanxing said indifferently.
But Yan Jinyue automatically filtered out that reply. What caught his attention was the rather bristly voice in his ears:
[If you knew, why were you still coming over here?! You really can't take a hint. Or...]
The inner voice cut off abruptly, and Yan Jinyue's gaze darkened.
Suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, Ji Hanxing tugged at the corner of his mouth. "President Yan, I have business to attend to. I'll be going ahead."
With that, Ji Hanxing strode up the steps, his long legs moving so quickly that Xue Hui couldn't keep up behind him.
Yan Jinyue remained where he was, staring steadily at Ji Hanxing's retreating figure. Then he raised his hand and checked his watch. The elapsed time read: 3 minutes.
Based on the test he'd just conducted, he needed physical contact with Ji Hanxing to hear his thoughts. He could hear them continuously while they were touching; without contact, the effect lasted three minutes.
He just didn't know whether that duration could be extended, or whether it had anything to do with how long they stayed in physical contact.
A meaningful look appeared in Yan Jinyue's eyes. This seemed to be something very interesting.
Moreover, he'd just made another discovery. When facing him, Ji Hanxing seemed to be avoiding some terrible beast, and it was clear he was trying his utmost to distance himself from him.
That meant Ji Hanxing's behavior contradicted his act of drugging him to get close to him.
Who exactly had done it...
Fu Fangxi glanced at Ji Hanxing, who was already far away, and asked quietly, "President Yan, shall we go in?"
"Yes, but let Jiang Yuzhuo know I won't be joining his meal with Ji Hanxing. I'll wait for him in the room next door until he's finished."
He wouldn't take part in Ji Hanxing's negotiation.
"Oh, how is that matter I asked you to investigate coming along?"
Fu Fangxi lowered his head nervously. "There were all sorts of people mixed together that night. Our current progress, our progress..."
Yan Jinyue gave a quiet hum and said nothing more.