When Xue Hui came to pick up Ji Hanxing, the sight of his complexion gave him a fright.
Ji Hanxing's face was pale, without a trace of color, and he looked listless.
Xue Hui wondered to himself. President Ji had been recuperating at home these past few days. Even if he wasn't glowing with health, he should at least have looked refreshed. Why did he now look like...
Like some little seductress had drained his vital energy.
President Ji had still been awake late last night, sending him messages. Then what had he been doing the rest of the time...
As if something had occurred to him, Xue Hui's eyes widened. Then he immediately shook his head. He had been with Ji Hanxing for so long-he knew how strictly Ji Hanxing kept himself out of trouble!
System, the "little seductress": (●-●) It wasn't me. It was the phone.
Ji Hanxing's condition was partly his body's warning that his life points were about to run out.
On the other hand, he had spent the past two days holed up at home, cramming romance novels about domineering CEOs falling in love with the protagonist, and his worldview had been turned upside down.
How did these love-addled CEOs, who were nothing more than plot devices, keep their companies from going bankrupt? Still, he had gotten a general idea of what his future tasks would involve.
A system that trained such love-addled, plot-device CEOs was a real scam, too.
Finally, on top of that, he had gotten up in the middle of the night and worked until morning, leaving him looking as ghastly as a ghost.
"President Ji, are... are you going to be all right like this?"
Xue Hui carefully supported Ji Hanxing, who waved a hand. "I'm fine."
Even if he wasn't, he had to be! If he kept slacking off, he would lose his life.
Even if he had to crawl today, he would crawl to the company! He would let the Ji Group employees feel his overwhelming, domineering CEO aura!
"Have you prepared everything I asked for?"
With Xue Hui's support, Ji Hanxing struggled into the back seat of the car and caught his breath before asking.
"Everything's ready, President Ji."
Xue Hui didn't understand why Ji Hanxing had asked him to prepare so much ice. He glanced at the sky outside the car window. It was September, and although City A was experiencing a late-summer heat wave and the temperature wasn't low, surely they didn't need that much ice?
"Have you notified everyone I asked you to?"
Xue Hui nodded. "Everyone has been notified and confirmed. Apart from Deputy General Manager Wang, who's on a business trip to the City B branch, all executives at director level and above will attend today's meeting."
There was a hint of unease in Xue Hui's voice. It had been a long time since the Ji Group had summoned everyone for a meeting like this. Something major must have happened.
When Ji Hanxing had organized meetings in the past, he would always instruct him to prepare the speeches and materials beforehand. This time, however, Xue Hui knew absolutely nothing about the meeting's content.
When he opened his eyes that morning and saw Ji Hanxing's late-night messages, he had thought something major had happened. It turned out he had only been told to buy ice.
Looking at Ji Hanxing's utterly dreadful complexion, Xue Hui's heart gave a lurch. Had something gone wrong with President Ji's health?
Was this meeting about restructuring the group's leadership? Then wouldn't he, Ji Hanxing's "trusted aide," be sidelined?
Remembering how Ji Hanxing had given him a raise for no apparent reason a few days earlier, it seemed he had been deliberately making arrangements for him. A trace of warmth flowed through Xue Hui's heart. What a wonderful boss-he had fallen seriously ill himself, yet still hadn't forgotten to make arrangements for his subordinate.
But every new ruler brought new courtiers, and once someone was gone, their influence faded...
A sorrowful expression appeared on Xue Hui's face, and his hand unconsciously gripped Ji Hanxing's arm.
"President Ji, don't give up! We can get you proper treatment!"
Ji Hanxing gave Xue Hui a speechless look. "There's nothing wrong with my health. I just didn't sleep very well last night."
Xue Hui thought about how Ji Hanxing had still been sending him messages late last night, and understood.
He hesitated, but ultimately couldn't hold back. "President Ji, you must take good care of yourself! The group still needs you!"
He needed him, too!
Ji Hanxing nodded to show that he understood.
By the time he got out of the car, Ji Hanxing could clearly feel that his body had improved considerably. He declined Xue Hui's support, straightened his clothes himself, and walked through the Ji Group's entrance with his head held high and his back straight.
[Excellent! Now that's the aura of a domineering CEO!]
The system bounced excitedly around in Ji Hanxing's mind. Ji Hanxing knitted his brows. "Shut up!"
"You're interfering with my performance. Playing a rooster that's won a fight is hard! If you make me break character and fail the task, you'll have to deal with the consequences yourself."
The moment he finished speaking, his mind fell silent.
Ji Hanxing strode forward on his long legs, looking straight ahead. Everyone he encountered along the way greeted him.
"Hello, President Ji!"
"Good morning, President Ji!"
"Morning, President Ji!"
"..."
Ji Hanxing merely gave slight nods in acknowledgment and soon reached the CEO elevator reserved exclusively for him. He instinctively raised his hand to press the button, then stopped halfway.
Based on his experience reading novels these past few days, what domineering CEO pressed his own elevator button?
Ji Hanxing immediately changed the trajectory of his hand, lifting it to brush back his hair.
Xue Hui pressed the elevator button, held the door, and invited Ji Hanxing inside.
Standing in the elevator, Ji Hanxing lifted his eyes toward the mirror inside and got a fright. Who was that ghost facing him?
It was actually him!
He checked the time again. It was almost ten; there was no time. It was fine. His face was just a little pale and his eyes a little red. It was no big deal.
"Has all that ice been put in place?"
Ji Hanxing cast a sidelong glance at Xue Hui.
"Everything has been arranged. The ice has been placed throughout the conference room, including but not limited to under the conference table, behind the door, and in the corners. The fans are ready as well."
Xue Hui reported the information someone had just sent him. Afterward, he ventured, "President Ji, our conference room has air conditioning. Won't putting so much ice in there make it too cold?"
"Your health..."
Staying up all night last night
"I'm fine."
Ji Hanxing cut Xue Hui off. What was a little cold? He was an unapproachable, domineering CEO-a self-propelled refrigerator!
He didn't go straight into the conference room. It wasn't time yet. Instead, Ji Hanxing first went into the office next door.
"Tell me when everyone's here."
As he spoke, he closed his eyes, looking as though he intended to rest.
Xue Hui answered, "Yes," placed the prepared fan remote on the desk, and left the office.
The moment the door closed, Ji Hanxing abruptly opened his eyes. He looked around the office, picked up the fan remote, and asked:
"System, can you announce the assessment details and test subjects now? I'm already at the company."
[Ding! Task issued: master the overwhelming, intimidating aura of a domineering CEO, achieving effects such as a sudden drop in temperature wherever you go. Test subjects: everyone attending the meeting in the conference room. Passing the assessment will award seven days of life points.]
After issuing the task, the system finally couldn't resist asking, [Host, why did you have someone prepare so much ice?]
Its mechanical brain couldn't understand this approach, and its database contained no record of any domineering CEO doing anything like it. It couldn't work out what Ji Hanxing intended to do.
Ji Hanxing ignored the system's question and studied the fan remote in his hand.
"President Ji, everyone's here."
Ji Hanxing slipped the remote into his suit trouser pocket. "Mm, understood."
Standing outside the conference room, Ji Hanxing secretly pressed the remote's power button.
"Brr! It's so cold!"
Among those already seated in the conference room, some couldn't help exclaiming.
The instant the conference room door swung open, everyone inside turned to look in unison. His face taut and cold as frost, Ji Hanxing strode past everyone's seats and reached the head of the table.
Everywhere he passed, those seated shivered. It was too cold.
Ji Hanxing sat down. As he watched everyone's reactions, a trace of satisfaction flashed in his eyes, and he asked the system in his mind.
"Did I pass the assessment?"