"The film and television department has many internal issues. Those people rarely speak the truth, and the upper management is planning to clean out the parasites soon," Secretary Liu stepped into the elevator and didn’t hold back his criticism. "If you nod at them, they’ll immediately brag about having connections with you. If you share a meal with them, they’ll claim you’re close brothers."
Chao Musheng: "Secretary Liu, then if he says he has connections with you..."
"Last quarter, during the film department’s summary meeting, I attended on behalf of the boss," Secretary Liu didn’t have a strong impression of Agent Wang. "He might have greeted me or served me tea."
The film department flaunts their high-level connections when negotiating deals, and as long as they don’t overstep, the upper management usually turns a blind eye. But if they use those same tactics on their own people, they’re just asking for trouble.
"Everyone in the film department is a smooth talker—they could even make a rock sound like a flower," Old Mo was worried Chao Musheng, being young, might get taken advantage of. "It’s good to keep your distance from them."
Most importantly, the fact that Secretary Liu openly mentioned the upper management’s plan to purge the parasites meant the decision was already finalized. Naturally, it was best to stay far away from that mess.
When the elevator reached the 51st floor, Old Mo waved Chao Musheng off briskly. "Xiao Chao, have fun with Secretary Liu." Without hesitation, he pressed the close button.
It was hilarious—he claimed their bond had faded, but the truth was, he didn’t want to set foot on the 51st floor at all.
With the boss’s office full of shrewd and calculating people, even the finest delicacies would taste like ashes in his mouth.
This was Chao Musheng’s first time stepping into the executive office. Instead of the glamorous scenes from TV dramas—handsome men and beautiful women sipping coffee and chatting—he saw only busy figures rushing down the hallway.
Compared to the real-life scene before him, the polished professionals in TV dramas seemed unprofessional, lacking presence, and nowhere near as... overworked.
"Secretary Liu, the Northern Pharmaceuticals branch needs a signed document by 3 PM. The manager is still overseas—please have the boss review the contract."
"Secretary Liu, here are today’s morning business invitations."
Rows of offices and bustling employees formed the vital nerve center of this corporate giant, ensuring the smooth operation of every department and subsidiary.
"Come, my office is close to the boss’s," Secretary Liu took the files handed to him by colleagues and led Chao Musheng further inside.
"Who’s Secretary Liu with?"
"Someone from the film department?" Colleague A chimed in. "I saw his face earlier—young and good-looking."
"No way," Colleague B wheeled his chair over, grabbing a freshly printed document. "Film department employees aren’t allowed up here."
Colleague A: "Maybe he’s the boss’s relative?"
Colleague D: "Stop gossiping. That’s a colleague from the 52nd floor. I saw him last time when I accompanied the boss to deliver refreshments there."
It wasn’t that his memory was exceptional—it was just that the young man stood out like a fresh white radish in a pile of potatoes amidst a crowd of exhausted, balding coworkers, glowing conspicuously.
"The 52nd floor has someone this good-looking?" Colleague A was surprised, setting down his file. "What’s his background?"
"Don’t let his youth fool you. He solved a problem that stumped the gaming team for two months in just one week. Last week, the head of software R&D camped out in our office just to recruit him," Colleague D said with a knowing look. "What boss wouldn’t want talent like that?"
"No wonder Secretary Liu was grinning like a sunflower when talking to him," Colleague A realized. "You’d want to keep someone like that close."
"Good luck keeping him," Colleague D chuckled. "He’s still a university student—he’ll be going back to school in September."
Seeing his colleagues’ shocked expressions, Colleague D felt immensely satisfied.
He’d been holding onto this gossip for days—finally, they could share in his initial disbelief!
"Xiao Chao, this is my offi—"
"Xiao Chao, Secretary Liu."
Chao Musheng turned. Su Chenzhu stood at the end of the hallway, backlit, his shirt sleeves loosely rolled up, revealing a glimpse of his forearms.
"Mr. Su," Chao Musheng greeted with a smile. "Good afternoon."
"Good afternoon," Su Chenzhu approached slowly, tilting his head at Secretary Liu. "Secretary Liu, why are you taking Xiao Chao to your office?"
"Boss, I went to deliver lunch earlier, but Xiao Chao wasn’t there, so I saved him some lobster," Secretary Liu suddenly felt the boss’s gaze was a bit odd. What was wrong with bringing Xiao Chao to his office...?
He glanced back at Chao Musheng’s delicate features and instantly understood.
No!
Boss, don’t misunderstand—I’m not some sleazy executive who preys on new employees!
Boss, you know me better than that!
"Secretary Liu’s office is a bit messy. Why not eat in mine?" Su Chenzhu unrolled his sleeves. "There’s a lounge inside."
"The boss is right, my office is a little untidy," Secretary Liu returned to his desk, eyeing the chaotic mess, and retrieved the still-warm food container.
A hand reached over and took it from him.
"Let’s go," Su Chenzhu held the container, his gaze lingering on Chao Musheng.
"Thank you, Mr. Su," Chao Musheng obediently followed, stealing glances at the container in Su Chenzhu’s hand.
Ah, how could he let the boss carry something for him? That was too embarrassing.
When Su Chenzhu opened his office door, Chao Musheng took the chance to peek inside.
The decor was gorgeous—he’d have to decorate his own office like this someday.
"Have a seat," Su Chenzhu opened the food container for him and pulled out a chair.
"Thank you, Mr. Su," Chao Musheng sat without hesitation.
"Something to drink? Water or soda?" Su Chenzhu handed him chopsticks, then retrieved a glass from the cabinet, standing by the corner as he watched him.
Chao Musheng looked up, inexplicably feeling that Su Chenzhu’s gaze was unusually gentle.
"Anything’s fine," he replied instinctively. "I’m not picky."
Su Chenzhu’s lips curved slightly. He placed the glass under the water dispenser, then glanced back at Chao Musheng, who quickly averted his eyes from the liquor cabinet.
"You’re still young—no alcohol. It’s bad for your liver," Su Chenzhu grabbed a can of cola from the corner, dropped in an ice cube, and poured it into the glass.
Well, warm water might be healthier, but he’d probably prefer cola.
The fizzy drink, cool and refreshing, was placed by Chao Musheng’s right hand.
Who knew the boss’s office even had something as indulgent as cola?
Chao Musheng took a sip—though it could’ve used more ice.
But it didn’t matter. This was cola poured by Mr. Su himself, blessed with the boss’s halo effect.
He ate without a trace of awkwardness, completely at ease in the boss’s private space.
He’d always been sharp—if the boss personally served him iced cola, what did that mean?
It meant the boss genuinely welcomed him.
Su Chenzhu sat at his desk, head bowed as he scanned through the documents in his hands, occasionally flipping a page. After waiting for Chao Musheng to finish eating, he set the papers aside. "Rest here for a while before going back upstairs. No phones allowed on the 52nd floor."
He glanced at the closed door to his left, behind which lay a bedroom.
No.
Xiao Chao might find it presumptuous.
"Would I be disturbing you?" Chao Musheng touched his phone. He wasn’t particularly eager to use it, but Su Chenzhu’s kind offer made it hard to refuse.
"Not at all. No one comes to my office at this hour." Su Chenzhu tapped the documents on the desk with his index finger. "Aside from reviewing these, I don’t have anything urgent to do."
As his hand left the desk, he quietly unplugged the intercom line and opened the executive work group chat, sending a message:
[Su: All pending documents should be delivered to Secretary Liu’s office. I’ll handle them in half an hour.]
The executive team assumed their boss had business to discuss with Secretary Liu, hence the unusual directive. Only Secretary Liu was left baffled—Su Chenzhu hadn’t mentioned anything about working from his office.
"Then I’ll trouble you a little longer." Chao Musheng packed away the empty lunchbox. Was it his imagination, or had that faint, soothing scent of earth and greenery returned?
Lulled by the inexplicably comforting fragrance, Chao Musheng barely had time to fiddle with his phone before drowsiness overtook him.
Eating too much really did reduce blood flow to the brain. The sofa was so soft, like sinking into a cloud…
His eyelids grew heavy, and he slumped against the backrest, sliding down until he lay sprawled across the cushions.
Su Chenzhu watched as Chao Musheng drifted into peaceful sleep. He stood, fetched a blanket, and draped it over him.
Could this ease mean Chao Musheng saw him as someone trustworthy enough to let his guard down?
Bending down, he rescued the phone teetering on the edge of the sofa and set it aside. Then, moving silently, he slipped out and headed for Secretary Liu’s office.
When someone slept this vulnerably, an outsider’s lingering gaze would be nothing but an intrusion.
Right now, to Chao Musheng, he was insignificant.
---
The player chat group had been silent for over a dozen hours since Missions 3 and 17 failed.
[Requesting detailed intel on a Kunlun employee. Will trade an A-grade item.]
The offer of an A-grade reward finally drew the players back.
[Which employee? Your target today?]
[Image attached.]
[That face—an actor from the entertainment division?]
[Heh. I don’t have his file, but someone here definitely does. No. 1, care to comment?]
When No. 1 failed to respond even after thirty minutes, the chatter died again.
Though the system never confirmed it, the player numbers clearly reflected their rankings in the infinite space. Who in their right mind would provoke the top player for No. 2’s sake?
Xiaojuan stared at the photo of Chao Musheng that No. 2 had shared, her expression blank. She set her phone down and strode toward Old Ding.
"Wh-what do you want?" Old Ding shrank back as she loomed over him. "I didn’t say anything wrong! You’re just—"
Xiaojuan grabbed his collar and yanked him off his chair.
The office erupted into stunned silence as colleagues gaped at the petite Xiaojuan manhandling the much larger Old Ding.
What the hell—since when was she this strong?!
"Xiaojuan, have you lost your mind?!"
Old Ding wanted to scream—didn’t she fear exposing herself to the natives? But the vicious glint in her eyes choked his words.
"I’ve had enough of your mouth. Think you’re the only one who can talk?" She stuffed a immobilization talisman into his mouth, then dragged him out of the office straight toward the emergency stairs.
"They’re just messing around, haha…" Ze forced a laugh at their horrified coworkers before bolting after them, shutting the door behind him.
The flickering motion-activated lights in the stairwell cast eerie shadows, straight out of a horror movie.
"Like running your mouth, huh?!"
"Enjoy being a sarcastic prick?!"
Thuds echoed—fists meeting flesh.
By the time Ze caught up, Old Ding’s face was swollen and streaked with tears.
"Not a single whimper despite this beating? Got some backbone after all." Ze kicked him twice for good measure. "Sis, what’s next? Dig a hole and bury him alive?"
Paralyzed and mute, Old Ding’s eyes bulged in terror.
"You want to commit murder in broad daylight?" Xiaojuan landed another kick. "This world has police, you know."
"Then why’d you beat him to a pulp?" Ze muttered. "Not scared of cops anymore?"
"We’re just playing around, right?" Xiaojuan wrenched Old Ding’s head up by his hair. "Or we could bet—will the cops arrest me first, or will you die by my hand first? Wanna try?"
Old Ding’s eyes darted wildly.
Hell no! This woman was insane!
"What’s going on here?!" The manager, panting from his sprint, took in Old Ding’s battered state and nearly fainted. "Is he alive?!"
"Manager, what are you talking about?" Xiaojuan released Old Ding, letting his head thud against the floor. "We were just playing. He’s fine."
"Bro Ding here suddenly begged me to hit him. Said if I refused, it meant I looked down on him." She clasped her hands behind her back, shrinking into a picture of innocence. "Look at him—how could I dare lay a finger on him unless he wanted it?"
Ze discreetly pulled out his phone and dialed Chao Musheng. It was break time—please let the call go through.
He was their only lifeline in Kunlun!
---
Chao Musheng jolted awake to his ringtone, momentarily disoriented before remembering he was still in Su Chenzhu’s office.
He glanced over—Su Chenzhu was at his computer, working.
Ze never called at this hour. Something must be wrong.
He answered, cupping the receiver. "Ze, what happened?"
"Bro Chao, Xiaojuan got into a little… disagreement with a coworker. Could you maybe—" Ze hesitated, realizing how awkward it’d be to drag him into a public scene.
"Isn’t customer service above the staff cafeteria?" Chao Musheng stood. "Don’t panic. I’ll be right down."
"What’s wrong?" Su Chenzhu looked up.
"Apologies, Mr. Su. Two of my friends had a minor clash with a colleague. I need to check on them."
"Don’t rush. I’ll go with you." Su Chenzhu rose and joined him. "Let’s go."
Chao Musheng: "…"
With you there, short of murder or arson, what problem couldn’t be solved?
"If you can't even handle such a trivial matter, what use are you as my agent?" Lin Hui was smashing things and shouting in the office, pointing at the Intern's nose and berating, "And you! How dare you report unverified news to us? Are you an idiot?"
Overcome with rage, he flung the water from his cup onto the Intern's face.
"Brother Lin," Agent Wang quickly shut the doors and windows. "Keep your voice down. You don’t want others overhearing—it’ll damage your reputation."
"What do I care if they hear? The PR team can’t even handle a magazine! I don’t care what you have to do—I must attend next month’s fashion gala." Though Lin Hui’s words were fierce, his voice obediently lowered.
Agent Wang’s smile was uglier than a grimace. If he could fix this, he wouldn’t have had to dig for leads everywhere, only to end up begging Chief Editor Chao’s son for help.
Time Magazine had deliberately given Kunlun Studios an extra slot—yet pointedly excluded Lin Hui. The message was clear: Time wanted nothing more to do with Lin Hui, but held no grudge against Kunlun itself.
Every other agent was scrambling to secure that extra slot for their own artists. Who would spare a thought for Lin Hui?
"Brother Lin, I have a friend with some connection to Chao Musheng. I’ll go ask her to intervene," the Intern said, wiping tea from his face and bowing repeatedly in apology.
"Fine. One last chance." Lin Hui eyed the water stains on the Intern’s clothes with disgust. "Change your clothes first. I don’t want people thinking I bullied you."
"Yes, Brother Lin." Head still bowed, the Intern retreated from Lin Hui’s lounge. Spotting someone approaching, he deliberately shrank against the wall, playing the victim to draw attention.
"Just endure it," a sympathetic assistant whispered, tossing him a tissue. "Lin Hui’s temper is infamous. You’re not the first assistant he’s driven away."
The Intern clutched the tissue, silent and pitiful—until the "kind" assistant left. Then, No. 2 tossed the tissue into the trash, all traces of distress vanishing.
It had been a while since he’d encountered such an entertaining scenario. An assistant from a rival artist’s team, actively helping him dig a pit for Lin Hui? These NPCs were almost too clever.
He fired off several messages to No. 1, but received no reply. She must actually have ties to Chao Musheng.
Rumors had spread in the player chat about someone cozying up to a native VIP—probably No. 1 and Chao Musheng.
No. 1 was formidable. Crossing her wouldn’t end well for him.
But greed was a powerful motivator. Once Xiaojuan realized Chao Musheng’s importance, she’d surely ally with him.
---
"You’re here to intern, not to brawl!" The department manager glared at Old Ding’s bruised face, Ze’s dazed expression, and finally settled on Xiaojuan, who looked the picture of innocence. "I’ve seen the footage. You threw the first punch. Do you understand how badly this could end? You could be fired."
This was his star Intern. How could she make such a mistake?
"Manager, Old Ding asked me to hit him," Xiaojuan insisted, pointing at him. "Ask him yourself."
Old Ding gritted his teeth. "Yes. It’s all my fault."
If he denied it, this lunatic would actually kill him. Why had he ever provoked her?
The manager’s frown deepened. A man inviting a female colleague to beat him up? Was he some kind of pervert?
"Even if this was… consensual," the manager said, his chubby face twisting in disgust, "brawling in the office is unacceptable. This reflects poorly on all of us."
Just days ago, he’d mocked the janitorial Intern for fainting while sweeping stairs. Now he’d be the laughingstock.
Xiaojuan bowed meekly. "I’m sorry, Manager."
"Sorry, Manager," Ze echoed hastily.
Old Ding, aching all over, was slower to react. The manager’s judgmental stare intensified.
Not just a pervert, but rude too.
No manners at all.
"...Sorry," Old Ding forced out, inwardly seething. Beaten for nothing, then forced to take the blame—who had worse luck than him?
---
"Manager!" An assistant rushed in, forgetting to knock. "Someone from the 52nd floor is here to see you. Says he’s a friend of Xiaojuan and Ze."
The manager jumped up. "Prepare tea, quick!"
"Manager, he… brought someone else." The assistant’s expression was dazed, as if sleepwalking. "He brought…"
"Brought who?" The manager pulled the door open with a smile—only to freeze at the sight of the stunning man outside, and the figure behind him.
...Huh?!
The CEO?!
The manager’s stomach trembled under his suit. He whipped around to stare at Xiaojuan and Ze.
Your friend visits, and he drags the CEO along?!
Ze, moved to tears, whispered to Xiaojuan, "Brother Chao is amazing. He even got the CEO to come for us!"
So this was how powerful their backer was.
Xiaojuan took one look at Kunlun’s CEO and shut her eyes tight. The memory of nearly going blind last time was seared into her soul.
"Say something, sis! Why the silent treatment?"
Xiaojuan said nothing, head bowed.
What do you want me to say?
Ask how Brother Chao summoned the CEO? Or what their relationship is?
Who am I to speak?
From now on, I’m a mute pebble on the roadside.
---
No. 2 paused outside Customer Service, unnerved by the eerie silence.
Cracking the door open, he saw every employee standing at attention.
At the sound, all heads swiveled toward him—their eyes gleaming unnaturally.
