On the second day, Rong Yi was lying on the desk, using work to numb herself, when suddenly she received a call from the CEO.
CEO: “You’re the only one left, why haven’t you come down yet?”
Rong Yi: “Come down for what?”
CEO: “…Rong Yi, did you not check your email?”
After returning from her vacation, Rong Yi had indeed checked her emails. However, with Little Ai’s disappearance and the bombshell left by Fan Xingze, she was absent-minded and might have missed a few emails.
Apologizing while checking her inbox, the CEO thought she was fatigued from a recent illness and did not blame her. “It’s okay, come down first, IS will be here in five minutes.”
IS? That Western name sounded familiar.
As the elevator descended to the first floor and the doors opened with a “ding,” Rong Yi finally remembered.
Wasn’t that person Fan Xingze’s old teacher, Little Ai’s substitute teacher, a world-renowned guru in the computer industry?
She felt like she had been foolishly lost in the game world. Returning to reality, her mind was struggling to keep up, taking a long time to recognize even such a renowned figure.
As she walked towards the lobby’s entrance, she quickly searched for keywords in her inbox on her phone. She discovered an email the CEO had sent ten days ago.
The invitation for IS to become the senior consultant for the latest government project had been discussed several times by the top management before. However, no decision had been made until she entered the “Dawn Goddess” virtual world. To her surprise, within just half a month of her absence, IS had already been confirmed.
She had to admire the company’s efficiency.
Bringing in such a high-profile figure would surely bring significant attention to the company. The stock would likely rise again, the only news in days that lifted her spirits.
At the entrance, the CEO, Zheng Shida, looking like a thirty-year-old in his Mediterranean-style outfit though he was fifty, appeared slightly nervous, adjusting his rarely worn suit.
Glancing at his watch, he turned to see Rong Yi in her sportswear and sneakers, his face falling as he tapped his forehead.
“Rong Yi, I thought you and Zoe were the last people I needed to remind about dressing appropriately!” He pointed to the others in formal attire nearby, the PR team dressed up for the occasion. “All the media is here, and you’re dressed like this?”
Another consequence of her recent distraction, Rong Yi had begun to pay less attention to her attire. Comfort and cleanliness were her main concerns, throwing on whatever clothes she could find.
Looking at herself, she seemed modestly dressed, not disrespectful. “We are a young company, let’s not focus on appearances.”
“Didn’t you once make fun of my attire with these exact words?” the CEO countered.
Another person mentioned by the CEO stood a few meters away from her, wearing a custom navy suit. His cufflinks and tie glinting in the sun made his pale face resemble a vampire.
Fan Xingze had come to work today. Rong Yi stole a glance at him, praying he had forgotten what happened when he fell asleep and that their AI housekeeper from the underwater Abyssal Origin family would mind their own business and not report any unnecessary information to her recovering master.
A discreet black sedan followed by seven or eight off-road jeeps grandly entered the company’s gates, the clicking sound of journalists snapping photos filling the air as they parked in front of the building in an orderly fashion.
Before the assistant could approach, the sedan’s doors on both sides lifted up like beetle wings, and a vigorously aged man, with white hair but agile stature, emerged wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and sunglasses, greeted the CEO warmly: “Hello!”
The CEO’s outstretched arm froze mid-air as he prepared to shake hands, only patting the man’s back when the surrounding journalists gathered to take photos. “Mr. Otis, you must be tired after your journey.”
The translator nearby had only translated half of the CEO’s sentence, prompting a chuckle from the man as he released the CEO and began shaking hands with the other executives one by one. “No need for such formality, I understand.”
His Chinese was fluent, with a slight accent but certainly at a level for effective communication.
As he approached Fan Xingze, the kind old man looked up at the young man who stood a head taller than him, patting his arm, “Because I have an excellent student in your country. Not only is he a fast learner but also a good teacher. We – what was it?”
In Fan Xingze’s low voice, there wasn’t much joy in reuniting with his mentor after a long separation, but rather a hoarse tone of recovery from a long illness: “Both teaching and learning.”
“Yes!” The old man laughed heartily. “Both teaching and learning!”
The atmosphere was cheerful and harmonious, with the legendary senior executive unexpectedly being so approachable, which put everyone at ease.
High-tech companies emphasize efficiency, and WBD was no exception. Time is money, so the welcoming lunch banquet was turned into a working lunch meeting, where everyone discussed the upcoming project developments while eating.
Is, who was already in his seventies this year, was energetic, dressed and behaved like a young man, full of vitality and curiosity. He was very interested in the government project this time and asked many questions during the meal.
However, what puzzled Rong Yi was that the clearly technical questions should have been answered by CTO Fan Xingze. Strangely, Fan Xingze remained unusually silent, and it was the deputy of the technical department and the CEO who spoke up. Even Rong Yi, who had nothing to do with technology as an accountant, answered some questions about project scale and budget.
“Ms. Rong Yi!” Is seemed very interested in her and took the initiative to leave the banquet hall with her after the lunch meeting. “I heard Zoe mention you—”
Mention her? Rong Yi’s heart raced. Could it be that this guy tells his teacher everything, like a schoolkid?
“—I have always wanted to meet the person who managed to recruit him.” Is said with a smile.
It turned out to be an old story. Rong Yi felt relieved and began praising: “Zoe learned from you and is highly regarded in the industry. It is an honor for all of us at WBD to work with him.”
The old man politely declined the cigarette Rong Yi offered, “Ms. Rong still haven’t understood what I meant. I mean, I truly admire you.”
“Admire me?”
“I originally thought you excelled in capital operations, but it turns out you are also exceptional in human relations skills.” The old man’s light blue eyes sparkled surprisingly, with a smile on his lips yet a hint of icy sunlight in his gaze. “Do you know where you recruited him from?”
Rong Yi was puzzled, “I remember Zoe had his own studio at the time.”
“Tsk tsk tsk.” The old man raised a finger playfully, “Even studios need relationships and funding. Although his family has money, they lacked connections in our field—projects, licenses, industry publicity—all require reliable endorsements.”
“Zoe was working for me at that time,” the old man winked at her. “You were the one who poached him from me. How can I not admire you?”
Rong Yi felt uneasy. What did he mean by that? Blame? Accusation? It couldn’t possibly be genuine admiration.
“Follow me.”
Fan Xingze nodded coldly at his teacher and pulled Rong Yi towards the crowd. As someone recovering from a serious illness, Fan Xingze’s grip was surprisingly strong. Rong Yi believed she had developed some biceps muscles from practicing boxing, making it hard for the average man to hold her. However, she couldn’t break free from Fan Xingze’s hold and was dragged all the way to an empty tea room.
“Get to the point!” Rong Yi pulled her arm back and furrowed her brows. “You look terrible. The company won’t go bankrupt if you’re a few days late.”
“Don’t tell him too much.” Fan Xingze paced anxiously back and forth.
Surprised, Rong Yi asked, “Tell your teacher? Why not?”
“He, he—” Fan Xingze rubbed his forehead, as if struggling to recall something. “Anyway, he’s not someone you should get close to.”
Seeing his unusual mental state, Rong Yi helped him sit down. “Take a break and organize your thoughts. You’ve been sick for over half a month. Don’t you want to see a doctor?”
Almost instinctively, Fan Xingze shook his head. “I won’t go to the hospital… I’m not sick.”
“People who aren’t sick don’t take a month off for illness,” Rong Yi handed him a glass of warm water. “Did you get a CT scan done when you had your medical check-up? I saw—”
“You’ve been to my house?” Fan Xingze raised his head in astonishment.
Even more surprised, Rong Yi asked, “Didn’t the AI assistant tell you anything?” She had been to his house, heard his delirious speech, discovered his past crush on her, and passed on messages from Ai butler, yet the AI assistant didn’t inform him about any of it?
Fan Xingze tapped his head. “Wait… yes, I remember now. You came to my house and brought me some comfort items. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me,” Rong Yi said hesitantly. “Besides that, did the assistant tell you anything else?”
