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Chapter 123: The Weak and Kind Attacker Reborn 1

by 玲子Sama

Chapter 123: The Reborn Cowardly Nice Guy Top (1)

If life were likened to a movie, everyone plays a different role and receives a different script.

Some are born as shining main characters, enjoying a smooth-sailing life. Others start from humble beginnings, gradually climbing to great heights and pulling off a dramatic underdog story.

As for Qi Qi, he was probably just part of the background—not even a minor character, but a tiny, insignificant extra.

With an ordinary family background and a timid personality, he found a mediocre job after graduation, working overtime day in and day out, earning just enough to scrape by in the big city.

The only time he could catch a breath…

was in his dreams.

"Riiing—Current time: 7:00 sharp!"

The alarm clock on the bedside table rang.

Qi Qi's dream of overnight wealth went up in smoke along with it.

Reluctantly, he woke from his dream of riches, squinting as he stretched an arm out from under the covers to silence the vibrating alarm clock on the bedside table.

Hmm, finally quiet.

He had a habit since childhood:

He loved to bury his entire head under the covers while sleeping and curl up into a ball hugging a pillow.

It made him feel incredibly secure.

But his wife absolutely hated this habit of his, mocking him every time she saw it.

Qi Qi always remained silent.

He liked to set the alarm early so he could snooze a little longer after waking up. Usually, he set it for 7:00 and got up at 7:10.

Lately, the temperature had been freezing. Even with the heating on and two layers of quilts, Qi Qi's hands and feet were still icy cold.

He checked the weather on his phone—unsurprisingly, it was -5°C, with the high for the day barely reaching 0°C.

He casually glanced at the forecast for the next week: still a row of negative numbers.

It was hard to believe it was already April. Spring had long since arrived, and it should have warmed up by now.

If he checked other cities, he’d find that his area was actually better off. Places like the Northeast and even more remote regions were reportedly even colder. The nationwide extreme cold had a big impact on people's lives and work.

"Sigh…" Qi Qi let out a long breath, a puff of white mist forming around his nose and mouth. "This winter is just too long."

This year's weather was bitterly cold. Half of the ten news alerts on his phone were about outdoor workers suffering frostbite.

Amid such extreme weather, calls for low-temperature subsidies grew louder online day by day. Some companies had already started implementing them?

Qi Qi recalled overhearing a few supervisors chatting a couple of days ago in the restroom—were they going to start giving subsidies too?

At that thought,

he suddenly felt a bit motivated.

"Ten, nine, eight, seven…"

Counting down silently from ten in his mind, when he reached the last number, Qi Qi gritted his teeth, threw off the covers, and scrambled out of bed.

"Ugh… so cold!"

Qi Qi worked at a fairly well-known large company with hours from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. In theory, he didn’t need to rush, but who told him to buy a house so far from the office?

You needed a house to get married. In a city like Wangjing, where prices were 70,000 to 80,000 per square meter, even a shabby 60-square-meter apartment cost over four million. A kid from a small city could never afford that in a lifetime.

Qi Qi’s savings from part-time jobs during school and nearly a decade of work after graduation were just enough for a down payment on a small two-bedroom in the suburbs.

Though it was far from the city center and he still had thousands in monthly mortgage payments, at least… he had a place of his own.

Qi Qi was very satisfied with this. It was probably the happiest thing since he graduated.

Washing up, shaving, getting dressed, and tossing bread into the toaster—all these trivial tasks took him ten minutes.

By the time he put on his outdated suit and stood in front of the mirror by the door tying his tie, it was 7:10.

Qi Qi didn’t usually wear suits. As an indoor worker who didn’t need to meet clients, and with no strict dress code at the company, he typically dressed casually.

He wore the suit today because the demanding big boss was coming to inspect the work and mentioned something about retaking ID photos?

So he had to dig out the suit he bought for job interviews. Luckily, his size hadn’t changed much over the years, and it still fit.

Sigh…

It just felt awkward no matter how he looked at it.

Qi Qi tugged at the overly tight tie in the mirror and forced a smile. He smiled, and the dispirited man in the mirror smiled back.

It wasn’t a pleasant smile—it was humble, tinged with a hint of ingratiation. Even he thought it looked awful.

Due to some psychological reasons, Qi Qi intentionally kept his bangs thick to cover his eyes and block others' gaze.

The main source of his dejected aura was those bangs. If someone pushed them aside, they’d see his features weren’t bad at all.

But… he didn’t want to.

Even though his wife had complained about it many times, he still refused.

Ding—the toaster in the kitchen chimed, and two slices of toast popped up. Shortly after, the microwave beeped, indicating the bagged milk inside was heated.

Qi Qi grabbed the milk with one hand, the bread with the other, tucked his briefcase under his arm, and headed for the door while taking bites.

Based on experience, it took three minutes of brisk walking from his home to the bus stop—just enough time to finish breakfast on the way and catch the bus right as it arrived.

A 25-minute bus ride took him to the subway station. Then, 45 minutes on Line 12 with a transfer to Line 2, followed by a two-to-three-minute walk from the subway to the office, allowing him to clock in before 9.

As his hand touched the doorknob, Qi Qi turned and instinctively called out toward the living room. But after the first syllable, he remembered Qin Qianqian was away on a business trip and not home.

"Oh…" he murmured to the empty, cold house, "I’m heading out…"

By the time Qi Qi tossed the empty milk bag and greasy paper from the bread into the trash at the bus stop, the usual bus was already a minute late.

"Beep…"

Qi Qi glanced at his card balance after swiping—still a few dozen yuan left from his last top-up. He’d recharge in a few days.

He lived in the suburbs, which also meant he boarded the bus at one of the earlier stops. The advantage of this was—after swiping his card, he glanced around the cabin and spotted several empty seats in the back row.

As the bus doors closed again, Qi Qi settled into a window seat in the back row.

Out of habit, he almost reached for his backpack, then remembered he was wearing a suit today for the group photo, not his usual clothes, so he hadn’t brought the backpack.

As the bus started moving, he took out his wired earphones from his briefcase and put them on, though he didn’t play any music. He closed his eyes to grab some sleep.

He had stayed up until past 2 a.m. the previous night helping a colleague edit some designs.

And the colleague hadn’t even said thank you.

He sighed inwardly. —No, he was just too tired.

Qi Qi had developed the skill of dozing off with his eyes closed while still being able to pick out the bus announcements amid the noise. Hmm, the next stop was still a bit away.

After closing his eyes, Qi Qi found himself, for the first time in a while, reflecting on his complete failure of a life.

Born and raised in a third-tier small city, his family ran a small noodle shop to scrape by. They weren’t well-off, but they managed to get by.

As the good kid who was "so sensible" adults always praised, Qi Qi had been obedient since childhood—doing whatever he was told by adults and teachers, never made a fuss.

His grades were average. He attended ordinary elementary and middle schools, and the only thing worth boasting about in his life was overperforming on the college entrance exam and getting into a fairly decent university.

Getting into university didn’t mean life got easier. He never had a single day of relaxation; most of his free time was taken up by work-study jobs.

Most of his classmates’ parents had started planning their children’s futures early on, and those with money sent their kids abroad to study and burnish their credentials.

But Qi Qi was different. His parents couldn’t offer him any support; in fact, they started pressing him to find a job and send money home as soon as he graduated.

They couldn’t wait to start cashing in—after all, they’d raised him all these years, wasn’t it time they enjoyed some returns?

After Qi Qi found a job, they frequently asked about his work and salary, questioning how a graduate from a prestigious university could possibly struggle to find employment.

The pressure on Qi Qi was unimaginable.

He didn’t want to recall those difficult days, but in short, he eventually found a decent job—one that sounded impressive, at a big-name company, something that could give his parents some bragging rights…

Because of this, even though he was often bossed around by colleagues to run errands and do odd jobs, he endured it.

In the blink of an eye, over five years had passed. He seemed like a veteran employee now, but he never dared to relax, always on high alert, afraid of being fired.

He had seen the big boss before.

Speaking of which, the big boss shared the same surname as Qi Qi—he was also named Qi. But sharing a surname didn’t make them alike; they were practically from two different worlds.

The first time Qi Qi saw Qi Liang, the man was hurriedly walking toward his private elevator.

He was wearing an expensive bespoke suit, his hair neatly combed, his face icy and unapproachable, exuding the imposing aura of someone in power.

At the time, the company was mired in a PR scandal, and he had probably come to handle it. At a glance, Qi Qi saw at least twenty employees surrounding the big boss.

—Like moons orbiting a planet.

That was the only phrase that came to Qi Qi’s mind.

He hadn’t expected Qi Liang to suddenly look up and lock eyes with him, who was on the upper floor holding a stack of documents.

Of course, it lasted only a second or two before the man quickly averted his gaze, as if nothing had happened.

At the time, Qi Qi thought it was just a coincidence. He never imagined that from then on, the big boss would appear at the company more and more frequently—even though they usually saw each other only a handful of times a year…

The big boss’s name was Qi Liang. Though his name included the character for "good," it didn’t mean he had much conscience. In fact, one could say… he was the least conscientious of all.

When a serious safety issue arose at one of the factories, his first thought wasn’t how to help the workers solve the problem, but how to gag them, control the narrative, and cut their losses.

Businessmen chase profit—that was understandable. But Qi Qi truly couldn’t comprehend why Qi Liang had so much time on his hands to target him.

At first, once or twice, Qi Qi dismissed it as coincidence. But as it happened more often, he had to accept the fact: the big boss seemed to dislike him.

Qi Liang frequently came to inspect the company, deliberately passing by Qi Qi’s workstation each time and standing behind him to watch him work for long periods, making Qi Qi feel as if he had pins and needles, too nervous to slack even for a moment.

"So you’re the Qi Qi…"

That was something Qi Liang suddenly said once after watching him work for a while.

Hearing his name spoken by the boss, Qi Qi felt as if his days were numbered. He immediately stopped what he was doing, stood up quickly, and stammered in response, "Yes."

Qi Liang gave him the once-over:

"Alright, you can sit."

Qi Qi quickly shook his head.

How could he sit while the boss was standing?

Qi Liang seemed amused by his reaction: "It’s fine. I’m telling you to sit, so sit."

Qi Qi nervously sat back down.

And then… the big boss, whom he normally never interacted with, stayed there watching him work with apparent interest?!

Since when did he have so much free time?

At that moment, Qi Qi was too rattled to notice a key word in Qi Liang’s statement: "so."

That word implied Qi Liang might have already heard of Qi Qi before, and might have known about him without Qi Qi knowing.

Even if Qi Liang had heard of him, it wasn’t that unusual. After all, Qi Qi was known in the company as the doormat, the one who never knew how to say no.

Qi Qi had also caught colleagues gossiping about him behind his back, sighing and shaking their heads:

"Qi Qi? He’s got a great temper and isn’t bad-looking, but if you ask me, a man who lives such a pathetic life may as well be dead."

And what about Qi Qi himself?

His personality stemmed from being constantly drilled as a child to "be sensible," "our family isn’t as good as others," and "it takes two hands to clap—if he’s picking on you, you must have done something wrong."

Over time, these messages became hardwired, naturally shaping him into the people-pleaser he was now, always afraid of upsetting others.

At the time, Qi Qi genuinely thought Qi Liang had heard those comments about him and that was why he’d said what he did.

But later, he realized… that might not be the case.

Starting from that day, this superior who shared his surname began showing up near him more frequently, often summoning him to his office. The thing was, it was never about anything important—always some minor thing.

They were all adults, not children. Couldn’t they see through these flimsy excuses? There was just something unmistakable, a sense of being targeted.

Often, one moment Qi Liang would be talking shop, and the next he’d be probing into Qi Qi’s personal life.

Qi Liang asked if he (Qi Qi) was married, how he had met his wife, how things were between them, how long they had been married, and whether they had children.

The key point was that Qi Liang had already inquired about and knew all this information, yet he insisted on hearing the answers directly from Qi Qi himself.

"Why did you get married so early? Shouldn't you have focused on building your career first? Getting married just a few years after graduation—isn’t that too soon?"

The man sitting in the office chair tapped his fingers heavily and rhythmically on the desk, producing sharp, rhythmic taps.

According to Qi Liang’s secretary, this was a telltale sign that Qi Liang was particularly irritated or angry. But... what exactly was he so agitated about?

At the time, Qi Qi didn’t know. He answered honestly that his wife was from the same hometown, they were introduced by someone, and they got married under pressure from both sets of parents.

"Do you like her a lot?"

Qi Qi thought for a moment but didn’t quite know how to answer. He felt... just okay about it.

His relationship with his wife was different from that of most ordinary couples. Her name was Qin Qianqian. They had met through an introduction and didn’t share any deep feelings. Their marriage was merely a way to appease their families.

Qin Qianqian herself probably didn’t like Qi Qi very much, especially looking down on his overly timid personality. However, Qin Qianqian’s parents were quite satisfied with Qi Qi’s honest and reliable demeanor.

Qi Qi seemed to have a decent personality, was decent-looking, and had no bad habits. He had graduated from a good university and worked at a well-known company. He worked diligently every month, his salary gradually rising from four to six thousand to eight thousand, and then to fifteen thousand yuan.

Later, with base pay, seniority allowances, various additional fees, overtime pay from working late every day, year-end bonuses, and so on, his annual after-tax income reached about two hundred thousand yuan.

If he occasionally took on side gigs secretly, he might earn an extra few thousand that month. His income seemed okay, though it came at the cost of his health.

As for Qin Qianqian, though she didn’t have a high level of education, she was quite good-looking and dreamed of becoming a professional model.

Unfortunately, the modeling industry was cutthroat. Though attractive, she wasn’t memorable enough to stand out, so she often found herself struggling to make ends meet.

Before marrying Qi Qi, she had almost given up on her dream. But after marrying him, with a stable source of income, she no longer worried about money. She frequently took part in runway shows, even for free, just to increase her exposure.

Gradually, with the rise of online platforms, Qin Qianqian also gained a bit of fame. Her income had likely improved over the past two years, though Qi Qi never asked and didn’t know the exact amount.

His salary card was always in Qin Qianqian’s possession. His monthly pay was deposited directly into that account, and he seldom questioned how much she spent or what was left.

Since he had few hobbies and lived a simple life—eating at the company cafeteria on weekdays and cooking at home on weekends—he rarely had major expenses.

Since his wife had started gaining some fame, her work had become increasingly busy. She was often away on business trips, and he couldn’t remember the last time they had eaten a meal together.

Qi Qi had a lot on his mind, but of course, he couldn’t reveal everything to Qi Liang. After hesitating for a moment, he finally admitted, "Of course... I like her."

The next second, the tapping on the desk grew even louder. Qi Qi almost suspected that his boss wouldn’t be satisfied until he had knocked a hole straight through the desk.

"Get out."

"Yes."

After that, Qi Liang still called him in from time to time, asking very personal questions—about his relationship with his wife, his personal preferences, and so on.

Qi Qi didn’t get it.

Qi Qi really didn’t understand.

It wasn’t until the moment Qi Qi saw a photo of Qin Qianqian and Qi Liang together in Qin Qianqian’s social media post that he suddenly began to grasp what was going on.

In the photo, Qi Liang seemed to be attending some event, and Qin Qianqian was there too. It looked like some lively occasion, perhaps a ribbon-cutting ceremony?

Both were smiling happily at the camera. Even more bizarrely, Qi Liang soon shared the same photo.

Unlike Qin Qianqian’s caption full of emoticons and excited punctuation, Qi Liang’s post had no text—just a single smiley face.

Qi Qi’s social media also had photos of Qin Qianqian, including a wedding photo from their marriage. His colleagues had seen it, and many had complimented him on how pretty his wife was.

Not long after Qi Liang posted that photo, many observant colleagues immediately recognized who the woman was and started discussing it enthusiastically in a group chat.

"Wow, who’s the woman next to Boss Qi? She looks familiar—like I’ve seen her somewhere before."

"Isn’t that his wife…"

"Looks like it, yeah…"

"I just checked his social media—it really is."

"Wow… isn’t this a clear case of him being cheated on?"

"How can he put up with this?!"

They chatted excitedly for a while before finally remembering that the person they were talking about was also in the group. The group went quiet for a moment.

Qi Qi saw the sudden quiet and knew they hadn’t stopped discussing it—they had just created a new group chat without him.

His wife taking an intimate photo with his boss was an obvious slap in the face to Qi Qi. Could this be the reason for everything that had happened before?

Many thought that, no matter how meek Qi Qi usually was, this time he would surely quit. But he continued as usual—going to work, coming home.

If someone asked him to bring breakfast, he still did. If someone asked for help with trivial tasks, he still agreed.

Many thought he was too much of a pushover.

But what Qi Qi cared about was the difference in compensation between quitting voluntarily and being let go. As for whether his wife and his boss were involved… She had always looked down on him, disliking his timid nature. And someone like Qi Liang… well, she’d probably like him, right?

Qi Qi was already waiting for the layoff notice. Perhaps this would also be the last group photo taken.

The bus pulled into the stop.

Two seconds before the arrival announcement, Qi Qi opened his eyes as if he had sensed it, taking in the familiar street scene outside the window and the dense crowd waiting to board.

At the subway station, many passengers got on, and just as many got off. Qi Qi was practically swept along by the crowd as he stepped off the bus.

After walking a short distance, he entered the subway station. Once inside, he could navigate the route with his eyes closed.

As he boarded the subway, coincidentally, a seat by the door became vacant as the passenger got off. Qi Qi quickly took the seat, feeling relieved—only for an older adult to board right after.

The older adult scanned the car before settling their gaze on Qi Qi. Without saying a word, they stood silently in front of him.

In that moment, Qi Qi felt as if countless eyes were fixed on him, making him nervous.

The traditional virtues of respecting the elderly, instilled in him since childhood, made it impossible for him to ignore the older adult. Even though he was exhausted, he still stood up and offered his seat.

The older adult seemed to have expected Qi Qi to give up the seat all along. Without a word of thanks, they sat down with an air of entitlement.

Come to think of it, one of Qi Qi’s colleagues had once joked, "You—just by looking at you, anyone can tell you’re timid—an easy target. If I were a robber, you’d be the first person I’d target…"

Hearing this, Qi Qi had even seriously considered what he would do if he were robbed…

He never carried more than 500 yuan on him. If someone tried to rob him, he’d let them take it. Resisting would only lead to injury, and the medical expenses and time off work would far exceed that amount.

His colleagues were right, Qin Qianqian was right, and Qi Qi himself thought so too—he really was too useless, not an ounce of grit...

“Beep, clock-in confirmed.”

Qi Qi checked the clock-in time: 8:51:03.

He wasn’t late, but his heart felt as if weighed down by a heavy burden, his steps heavy as he walked toward his desk.

This feeling started when, for the past week, every time Qi Qi arrived, he found his boss, who shared his surname, sitting at his desk.

And today… would he be there again?

Just as he feared…

Qi Liang was indeed sitting at his desk again, also dressed in a suit. The boss’s suit was clearly made from expensive fabric, completely different from the cheaper material of Qi Qi’s.

Not only was he sitting at Qi Qi’s spot, but he was also flipping through the notes Qi Qi left on the desk, and even Qi Qi's usual water cup was now in his hand.

“Qi… Mr. Qi…” Qi Qi lowered his eyelids and walked over to greet him. “G-good morning.”

Qi Liang turned to look at him, scanning him up and down: “How come you didn't do your hair to go with the suit?”

Qi Qi rarely had occasions to wear formal suits, so of course he didn’t really know how, and he answered honestly: “I don't really know how.” Plus, he didn’t really have the time.

Qi Liang wasn’t surprised at all by this. Smiling, he stood up from Qi Qi’s seat and took two steps forward, moving closer to Qi Qi.

Noticing Qi Qi instinctively stepping back two steps, the man’s originally gentle smile instantly clouded over: “Are you afraid of me?”

“No.”

Of course, Qi Qi couldn't admit that.

But Qi Liang kept advancing. He patted Qi Qi’s shoulder and helped him untuck the collar that had accidentally been tucked in.

Qi Qi remained rigid throughout, not daring to move, letting Qi Liang adjust his collar.

Qi Liang looked at his poorly tied tie: “How come you don’t even know how to tie a tie? Doesn’t your wife help you with it?”

Qi Qi: “……”

His wife barely gave him the time of day, so why would she help him tie his tie?

Qi Liang seemed to pick up on his meaning and scoffed: “Don’t move, I’ll help you.”

In the past few days…

Scenes like this had happened more than once.

His coworkers had grown used to it, all suddenly intensely focused on their work, staring at their screens, not making a sound.

A few days back, while gossiping, one colleague accidentally sent a message to the wrong group, sending their new gossip chat's history to the old group.

The chat was mostly about Qi Qi—after working for so many years, no one had ever gotten a good look at his whole face.

Once, Qin Qianqian came to the company to pick up keys from him, and they had seen her. It was also rumored that she had exchanged contact info with some supervisor at their company?

No one knew if anything had happened, but there were hints of something ambiguous. And now, with this situation, they speculated whether Mr. Qi was intentionally humiliating him.

Qi Qi hadn’t finished reading the chat log when the message was deleted. At the time, he had thought the same.

But as these incidents increased,

he started to feel that something wasn’t quite right.

If it was just to humiliate him, why would Qi Liang ask him out to eat? Why would he try to drive him home, and why…

Qi Qi watched Qi Liang make a show of asking about work matters for a while, then very naturally unscrewed the cap of Qi Qi’s usual water cup and took a sip of the water from the day before.

The first time Qi Liang drank from Qi Qi’s cup in front of him, Qi Qi had been visibly uncomfortable, but later he became numb to it.

The Qi Liang in front of him seemed addicted to fussing over his appearance. After fixing his tie, he unexpectedly raised a hand to push aside Qi Qi’s heavy bangs.

“You could actually style your bangs…” Qi Liang’s words cut off abruptly. “You…”

It was unclear what he had been about to say. After lifting his bangs and taking a look, he immediately let them fall back. “…Never mind, it’s fine.”

As Qi Liang turned to leave, Qi Qi heard him muttering softly: “It really is you, it really is you…”

Qi Qi heard it, but at that moment, he didn’t understand what Qi Liang meant. He lowered his eyes and asked meekly: “Mr. Qi, Sir, is there anything else? If not…”

Qi Qi wanted to use this as a subtle reminder that he needed to work, but Qi Liang acted as if he hadn't heard and continued asking questions unrelated to work: “Are you going to the cafeteria for lunch later?”

Qi Qi nodded.

Their company had good benefits, and the cafeteria food was quite tasty. It was buffet-style, with both Chinese and Western options—take whatever you want, along with various drinks and small cakes.

The food was good enough that Qi Qi was sometimes willing to work a little overtime. After all, going home meant cooking for himself, while eating at the company saved money.

Seeing him nod, Qi Liang casually suggested they go together later, then took another step forward: “Aren’t you cold dressed so lightly?”

Qi Qi: “No, isn’t there a photo session?”

Qi Liang seemed to remember only then: “You don’t necessarily have to wear formal attire for the photo. You could wear your usual clothes…”

“But the supervisor said…” Before he could finish, Qi Qi realized this sounded like tattling, so he quickly cut himself off.

“Never mind, it’s nothing…”

Qi Liang was strange. In his previous visits, besides asking about work, he would also intentionally or unintentionally bring up Qi Qi’s wife.

Once, he even asked with great certainty if she was on a business trip during this period. Qi Qi didn’t answer, and the man continued: “I referred a big client to her. She’ll probably be away for about half a month.”

Seeing Qi Qi still silent, Qi Liang continued persuasively: “Qi Qi, what do you even like about her? Don’t you know what she’s doing outside?”

This wasn’t the first time he’d asked. Was this question so important? Qi Qi didn’t know. Not only that, but Qi Liang also openly and subtly badmouthed Qin Qianqian…

He probably said those things to make Qi Qi angry, right? But no matter what Qi Liang said, Qi Qi showed no sign of anger, always maintaining that meek, submissive look.

What else could he do?

Charge forward recklessly and beat him up?

That would certainly vent his anger, but what about the consequences? Could he handle either losing his job or paying hefty compensation? He still had a mortgage to pay every month.

Qi Qi had already convinced himself inwardly and forced out that slightly ingratiating smile he had long grown accustomed to: “Mr. Qi, I really don’t understand what you’re talking about…”

Qi Liang: “……”

He wasn’t angry, but Qi Liang would always get inexplicably angry. Once, he stared at him for a few seconds, then sighed: “You’re a bit different from what I imagined. I’m starting to wonder if I’ve got the wrong person…”

After saying this, he seemed to immediately realize something was off, his expression changed slightly: "Never mind, never mind, you can go now."

In fact, Qi Liang's hints had always been quite obvious, but unfortunately, Qi Qi never picked up on them back then and never even thought in that direction.

He was somewhat afraid of Qi Liang—or rather, it wasn't Qi Liang himself he feared, but his superior’s identity and status.

This kind of fear was innate,

like the fear of teachers during school days.

It was a natural fear of authority, toward those in power, much like how herbivores instinctively resist carnivores—something ingrained in his very bones.

Whenever he had to have lunch with Qi Liang, Qi Qi would feel down and hesitate, spending a long time psyching himself up.

Fortunately, it wasn’t his first time having lunch with Qi Liang, and compared to the previous times of nervousness and food tasting like nothing, this time was slightly better.

He felt much more relaxed this time, adopting a "what’s the worst that could happen? Getting fired?" mindset. When getting food, he no longer carefully asked for Qi Liang’s opinion as before and only took what he liked—whether Qi Liang liked it or not was up to him.

While eating, he didn’t pay attention to Qi Liang’s expression, eating enthusiastically as if no one else was around, helping himself to drinks and focusing solely on the food on his plate.

But strangely, even though Qi Qi was acting so unrestrained this time, Qi Liang’s expression seemed much better than in the past few days and seemed to be in a good mood.

Qi Liang rested his chin in his hand, watching him eat with great interest.

"Take your time, eat slowly."

"Do you really like this little cake?"

Qi Qi ignored him, partly because he found these questions too strange and partly because he wasn’t sure how to answer, so he simply focused on eating the food on his plate.

He believed in not wasting food, so he only took what he could eat. So he didn’t look up at Qi Liang, nor did he see the words Qi Liang mouthed silently.

—The way you eat is quite cute.

Qi Qi didn’t hear those words, nor did he look up to see the gaze Qi Liang directed at him. Only after watching Qi Liang leave did his stiff, tense posture sagged in relief.

In his phone was a message from a contact listed as Qian Qian:

—"Qi Qi, let’s divorce once I’m back. We had an agreement before that if I found someone better, we would separate."

When this message was sent, Qi Qi was eating and didn’t see it, nor did he reply in time. Qin Qianqian probably thought he was angry and sent another message.

"Thank you for taking care of me these past few years."

"Qi Qi, we’re really not suited for each other."

He had expected this for a while. He didn’t even need to guess who the "better person" Qin Qianqian was referring to—maybe it was Qi Liang, or perhaps her company’s superior who had given her a ride home before, or the one she had dinner with at the restaurant, or the one who had texted her a few days ago?

Qi Qi wiped his lips and simply replied with a single "Okay."

When he put his phone back, he accidentally touched something in his pocket: a very small cloth doll, slightly rough in craftsmanship, less than half the size of his phone. When placed next to his phone, it looked just like a phone charm.

Since he was alone nearby at that moment, Qi Qi took it out and glanced around. He had no memory of how he ended up with it—he must have been rushing too much when he left in the morning.

The doll wasn’t made by Qi Qi; he had accidentally found it one day while working late. At the time, it looked tattered and dirty, and he thought it was garbage.

Just as he was about to pick it up and throw it in the trash, he accidentally noticed a name stitched on the back of the doll with needle and thread—it was actually Qi Liang?

At that time, he hadn’t met Qi Liang yet but had only heard of a boss who shared his surname. He’d heard that the other was young but had already taken over the company, that he had keen business sense and decisive actions—a natural-born businessman.

Of course, these were all external evaluations of Qi Liang. Within the company, many people had strong opinions about him, and Qi Qi often heard others complaining about him behind his back…

Qi Qi himself sometimes grumbled about Qi Liang under his breath when he had to work overtime unexpectedly, but he never imagined someone would hate him enough to make a voodoo doll…

Qi Qi had only seen such curse dolls in historical palace dramas before—they seemed to be used to curse someone?

It was the first time Qi Qi had seen something like this in real life. He didn’t believe it could actually curse anyone, but he still took the little doll home with him.

After bringing it home, he carefully washed away the several smudged footprints and ink stains on the doll. He even sewed up the parts where the doll had been punctured with scissors, causing the stuffing to spill out.

He even made a small outfit for it out of scraps of cloth.

At the time, Qin Qianqian’s work wasn’t as busy as it later became. When she saw Qi Qi doing all this, she scoffed and asked if he was even a man.

Qi Qi didn’t respond and just continued what he was doing.

He occasionally placed the doll by his bedside and sometimes talked to it about his feelings. After all, the doll was inanimate, so confiding in it felt safe.

That’s what Qi Qi had always thought back then.

Even later, when he interacted with the real Qi Liang and the other said a series of strange things and acted unusually, Qi Qi never considered whether these changes had anything to do with him.

After work each day, he would still place the doll by his bedside and talk to it, sharing what had happened during the day and how he felt…

"I kind of dislike that Qi Liang. He’s so annoying—I have no idea what he wants?" Qi Qi, lying sprawled on the bed, rolled over and caught sight of the mended doll out of the corner of his eye. "...I’m not talking about you, though."

Although Qin Qianqian was still out of town and hadn’t returned, she said she had scheduled movers to come the following weekend to move her things out.

In their small two-bedroom, except for the few days when Qi Qi’s parents visited, the two of them had separate bedrooms. They were supposed to be a married couple, but in reality, they were more like roommates.

Qi Qi wasn’t particularly attached to her; he just felt that the apartment would feel empty with just him in it, and he couldn’t help but feel a little lonely.

But he didn’t think too much about it and rolled over to continue sleeping.

Since he liked to pull the covers over his head while sleeping, he didn’t see it when, just as he curled up under the blanket, the little doll he had casually placed by his pillow suddenly moved…

The next day, Qi Qi woke up as usual, hurried to catch the bus, and went to work. The weather was getting colder day by day, and at noon, Qi Liang once again came to have lunch with him, as unwavering as ever.

By then, Qi Qi was completely numb.

After lunch, he went to the bathroom to use the toilet, completely unaware of when Qi Liang appeared. While he was still standing at the urinal, Qi Liang, standing nearby, kept staring at a certain part of him, making it hard for him to pee.

"Not bad in size…"

He must have misheard, right? Qi Qi felt goosebumps ran down his spine.

"Qi… President Qi?"

Qi Liang seemed a bit off at that moment. He hadn’t been drinking, but his face was flushed, and his eyes looked a little glazed as he gazed at him: "Qi Qi, do you really dislike me that much?"

Of course he found him annoying—how could he not?

But could he say that outright to his superior?

Qi Qi: "I don’t understand what you’re saying…"

"Qi Qi, when are you going to divorce that woman?" Qi Liang’s words were direct, but the following sentence was somewhat confusing: "Do you really not know anything at all?"

"I really don't know what you're talking about."

He pulled up his pants and inched away subtly from Qi Liang, trying his best to keep his tone calm.

"Qian Qian has already told me about the divorce. As for whatever happens between you two in the future, it has nothing to do with me. I just want to live my own life peacefully..."

Until this moment, he still naively thought that Qi Liang might have been interested in Qin Qianqian...

So when Qi Liang suddenly leaned in and kissed him the next second, he widened his eyes in disbelief. Before he could even react, he instinctively slapped Qi Liang hard across the face.

Qi Qi: "..."

Qi Liang: "..."

No matter what people usually said about him, Qi Qi was still a real man after all. Combined with the fact that Qi Liang was caught off guard, the slap made his head jerk to the side, and a red mark quickly bloomed on his cheek.

He looked stunned...

"I..."

Much later, Qi Qi had to face his own feelings. Even before Qi Liang kissed him, he’d had an inkling, but his habit of avoidance kept him from dwelling on it.

That day was no exception. He was too flustered, especially after slapping his boss. Before Qi Liang could say anything, he bolted without thinking.

He didn’t see Qi Liang’s reaction afterward: the man wasn’t angry. Instead, he prodded his numb cheek with his tongue and laughed.

If Qi Qi had turned back at that moment, he would have seen Qi Liang’s expression and the look in his eyes, but he didn’t.

Not only did he not look back, but he was too afraid to face Qi Liang to even return to the company. Anxious and uneasy, he went straight home, logging his first early departure since starting the job.

After returning home, Qi Qi turned off his phone and buried himself under the covers, sleeping for a long time as if to escape. When he woke up again, the entire room was completely dark.

An inexplicable panic spread through him. He felt something was strange but couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The only thing he noticed was how dead silent it was.

The soundproofing in his apartment wasn’t great. Usually, in the evenings, he could hear the children upstairs running around—either the sound of cartoons or their crying. But now, it was eerily silent.

Even the occasional honking of cars passing by outside had disappeared completely. The temperature also seemed much colder than during the day.

Qi Qi should have sensed something unusual then, but he had just woken up and his mind wasn’t fully clear. Though uneasy, he didn’t think the silence was too concerning.

He simply thought the kids upstairs were finally quiet for once. Sliding into his sandals, he checked the fridge and, finding no vegetables, decided to whip up some instant noodles.

While waiting for the water to boil, he returned to the bedroom, sat at the desk, and turned on his computer, repeatedly refreshing his email, waiting for what he thought would be an imminent termination notice.

As for the pop-up window in the bottom left corner, he assumed it was spam and closed it without even looking.

Out of the corner of his eye, he only caught a few words—something about extreme cold, a virus, and a warning to stay home.

*Probably some game ad*, he thought.

Of course, Qi Qi never received the termination notice he expected. Just as he was refreshing his emails, the kettle in the kitchen whistled, indicating the water was ready.

As he stood up to go to the kitchen, there was a sudden click above him, and the room plunged into darkness. The computer screen went black along with everything else.

Relying on his familiarity with the room, Qi Qi felt his way to his phone, which he had left by the bed.

He had turned it off earlier, but it still had battery. After a quick vibrate, it powered on.

But the faint sense of relief vanished instantly when Qi Qi saw a large "X" displayed on the gray signal bar.

At that moment, he began to feel that something was seriously wrong. The sense of dread that had been building since he woke up grew stronger.

Messages that had been queued up while his phone was off now started popping up one by one.

The earlier ones were from colleagues during work hours, asking where he was or asking for help. There were also spam messages, but one number had sent the most texts.