Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Jiang Mo instantly recalled being bumped from behind on the subway and the vague sensation of being groped.

Could that have been when it happened?

His already fair skin turned even more bloodless, an alarming shade of white.

"Morning."

The chair at the adjacent workstation scraped, followed by a half-hearted greeting. Mornings were like this for everyone; simply making it to the office, breathing, was an achievement.

Jiang Mo instinctively crumpled the lace panties, hiding them in his palm, and nodded in response.

His colleague, Wang Liang, was long accustomed to his taciturn nature. Wang Liang settled down to eat his breakfast, while Jiang Mo stealthily tucked the item back into his backpack.

Anger and tension simmered in his amber eyes. He even cast a suspicious glance at Wang Liang, but Wang Liang was a chubby guy, and the person behind him last night had definitely been well-built.

Who was it?

Who could it be?

Jiang Mo felt as if he were sitting on pins and needles. The dark circles under his eyes, already exacerbated by a sleepless night, now looked even more pronounced.

A row ahead, Chen Xiu returned from the restroom, smiling and greeting his colleagues before taking his seat. His slender frame looked neat in a white shirt, his dark hair falling smoothly against his pale, delicate neck.

Like a flower brightening the mundane office space.

A pleasing sight.

Jiang Mo, dressed entirely in black like a shadow, averted his gaze.

Chen Xiu glanced at his phone.

【You look good in a white shirt.】

Chen Xiu’s brows furrowed, and his almond eyes instantly welled up. In that moment, it felt as if countless ants were crawling up his back, making him nauseous. Even the white shirt he wore seemed to transform into needles, thorns, a filthy rag, making him want to tear it off immediately and toss it into the trash.

"Chen Xiu, are you alright?" asked his colleague Zhou Rui.

Chen Xiu lowered his head and dabbed at his eyes. "It’s nothing. I just remembered how touching the drama I watched last night was."

The two then fell into discussion.

—

The supervisor approached, clapping his hands twice to draw everyone's attention. "Everyone, be alert and focused today. Show your best professional demeanor. Mr. Chen, the CEO of Sheng Sheng Technology, will be visiting soon. No one is to make any mistakes."

Employees began to whisper.

"Sheng Sheng Technology, a big company."

"I heard that CEO Chen is still single~"

"I'm only interested if there's a collaboration involved."

The supervisor’s gaze swept the room, and when it landed on the dark figure in the corner, he felt a wave of exasperation. "Jiang Mo, take off your hat."

Wearing black every day with a gloomy face was one thing, but wearing a black hat every day too? What was the meaning of that?

Was he here to work, or to attend a funeral?

All eyes turned to Jiang Mo. He was known as the office eccentric—unresponsive when spoken to, unhelpful when asked for favors, always clocking in and out precisely on time. Gloomy and wooden, he exuded an aura of bad luck.

Even though he had a decent face and a good physique.

In such a large company, not a single person was willing to engage in an office romance with him, not even a playful flirtation.

Jiang Mo silently removed his hat. His hair was thick and neatly styled. Aside from his pale complexion and prominent dark circles, there was nothing particularly unusual about him.

Even so, he was undeniably handsome.

The supervisor sighed. "In my lifetime, will I ever see you wear a different color to work?"

A ripple of somewhat sharp laughter spread through the employees.

Only Chen Xiu looked at Jiang Mo with a hint of sympathy.

—

Everyone waited and waited, until finally, around 10:30 a.m., Chen Zui, the CEO of Sheng Sheng Technology, arrived. Someone who had happened to see him outside rushed back, beaming.

"I saw him, super handsome."

Anticipation grew, especially among the female colleagues. The male colleagues, meanwhile, harbored a subtle jealousy, curious to see just how handsome he was.

"Thank you, President Xiao, for coming to meet me."

"With CEO Chen gracing us with his presence, I naturally had to greet you personally."

The two executives, worth billions, exchanged pleasantries as they entered, while employees at their respective workstations feigned diligent work.

Chen Zui glanced around. "President Xiao, your company's work atmosphere is truly excellent. With such spirited employees, I'm sure there will be no mistakes in your work."

"I can't guarantee much else, but on this point, CEO Chen, you can rest assured—there will absolutely be no mistakes."

They chuckled as they walked down the aisle, followed by a retinue of secretaries, assistants, and department executives.

Employees secretly scrutinized Chen Zui.

Firstly, his height was striking. The saying "tall men are more handsome" held true. His bespoke suit was impeccably tailored, accentuating his fine physique. The black shirt stretched across his chest, his lean waist cinched by a designer belt, and his long legs moved with an air of confidence.

Like a runway model.

His accessories were refined and simple, yet exuded an air of expense.

If nothing else, his mere presence was enough to captivate, let alone his strikingly handsome face.

As they passed the pantry, someone nearly collided with Chen Zui.

Chen Zui reacted swiftly, steadying the person's arm, preventing the tea from spilling all over him.

The supervisor behind them gasped, his scalp tingling with alarm. He wanted to rub his temples.

Jiang Mo, of all people!

Chen Zui said, "Watch your step."

He released his grip and moved on without lingering.

"I'm sorry," Jiang Mo quickly apologized. Distracted by the thought of being spied on and suffering from lack of sleep, he had wanted a cup of tea to perk himself up, but never expected…

He was probably going to get scolded by the supervisor again.

Xiao Hang didn't immediately lose his composure. Instead, he laughed heartily. "CEO Chen, you truly are a lucky star for my company. The moment you arrive, you've already saved one of my employees from injury. I simply must do everything I can to keep you here."

His subordinates echoed their agreement.

Chen Zui smiled. "President Xiao, if you keep praising me like this, I might just get a big head."

The atmosphere lightened up again.

Only Jiang Mo stood silently to the side, head lowered, unsure whether to leave or stay—either way, it felt awkward.

Out of curiosity, he stole a glance at CEO Chen, and was met with a face that made him freeze for several seconds. High brow bones gave way to deep-set eyes, and silver-rimmed glasses rested on a prominent nose, behind which lay a pair of ambitious eyes.

He had never seen such eyes—filled with a seemingly sparkling mirth, yet appearing capable of manipulating everything at will, though partly obscured by dense, blade-like lashes.

From the front, through the layers of lenses and lashes, one might not perceive the unwavering determination in those eyes.

But Jiang Mo was positioned at an angle, and he felt almost consumed by their primal gleam.

By the time he regained his senses, Chen Zui and the others had already moved on. The supervisor glared at him fiercely and gestured sharply for him to return to his workstation.

Sitting back at his desk, Jiang Mo closed his eyes, and it was as if he could still see those eyes. Even though they hadn't been looking at him, he felt like there was no escape.

"Jiang Mo, you seem off today."

Wang Liang was one of the few in the company willing to engage Jiang Mo in conversation. Although Jiang Mo was usually quite gloomy, today he was primarily distracted.

Jiang Mo took a sip of warm tea. "I'm fine."

As soon as Chen Zui and the others entered the meeting room, the staff began to discuss quietly among themselves.

Zhou Rui nudged Chen Xiu and whispered, "He's just as impressive as our President Xiao! Are there really so many young, successful, and handsome CEOs in the world?"

Chen Xiu merely smiled enviously. "Don't even think about it. Tycoons like them are in a different world from us."

He buried himself in his work.

Chen Xiu was poor—with a sick mother, a younger sister in school, and debts left by his gambling father.

He had to work hard.

He was barely holding on, and the shirt he’d bought less than a month ago had clearly become looser on him.

In the meeting room on the executive floor, Chen Zui sipped his tea. To prevent him from squandering the original host's money, Ao Tian had, within operable limits, unlocked his business acumen.

So, even though he was a mercenary, he could now speak knowledgeably and have a lively discussion with Xiao Hang.

Both companies were keen on moving forward with the collaboration, and the atmosphere remained positive, with casual chit-chat interspersed throughout the conversation.

—

Jiang Mo stared in confusion at the burn ointment delivered by the executive assistant.

Assistant 3 said, "CEO Chen asked me to bring this."

She glanced at Jiang Mo’s hand but didn’t see any burns.

"CEO Chen?" Jiang Mo was still puzzled.

Assistant 3 had no intention of elaborating. She placed the ointment down. "Use it or not, it's up to you."

Then she turned and walked away, her high heels clicking.

Jiang Mo stared at the burn ointment, cotton swabs, and band-aids. Had he been burned?

He looked at the back of his hand and noticed two faint red marks.

No one had ever shown him such concern before. A complex, inexpressible emotion filled his chest. In the end, he didn’t use the items but instead emptied out a single drawer and placed them inside.

Ao Tian: 【Host, your mission isn’t to focus on business ventures. We came all this way and only caught a glimpse of Jiang Mo, while you chatted with that Xiao Hang for over an hour.】

Ao Tian: 【He’s Male Lead 2. Our goal is to pursue Male Lead 1.】

Chen Zui: 【No need to hurry.】

He leisurely smoked a cigarette, parked the car near the residential area, and stepped out wearing nearly the same outfit as Jiang Mo’s usual style. As he walked, he purposely hunched his back slightly, making his height appear similar to Jiang Mo’s.

Head lowered, his cap nearly covering his face, he arrived at Jiang Mo’s doorstep and effortlessly opened the door with just a card.

Ao Tian: 【Wow~ you’re amazing! What’s that?】

Though he’d seen it before, Ao Tian still sounded impressed.

Chen Zui twirled the card with his slender fingers and tucked it away. 【Darling, that’s magic.】

Ao Tian: 【…No flirting with the system.】

Ao Tian: 【^>////<^】

Chen Zui entered Jiang Mo’s apartment and, like before, first smelled the fresh aroma of oranges. The room’s decor, with its warm tones, was quite different from Jiang Mo’s personality.

According to his research, he knew this was Jiang Mo’s place.

There was even a cute little bear pillow on the sofa.

Chen Zui walked to the bedroom, opened the bottom drawer, and found that all the underwear he’d bought at great expense was gone.

"Heh—"

"Seems like he needs a little punishment to learn his lesson."

Chen Zui took out a syringe filled with tranquilizer and injected it into the toothbrush, tooth cup, and kettle.

Checking the fridge, he found two oranges that were almost dehydrated. He took out a new tube of tranquilizer and injected it into them.

Jiang Mo’s fridge and kitchen were clean; the only food left was a pack of instant noodles. Slender fingers pressed lightly on the noodle package, locating the oil packet before inserting the needle.

After finishing, Chen Zui tugged at the instant noodle bag a couple of times.

—

Jiang Mo stood leaning against the corner of the subway car, his amber eyes darting around warily like a cautious young wolf, his thick eyelashes framing his eyes like natural eyeliner.

For once, he hadn’t followed Chen Xiu to his part-time job. From last night until now, his nerves had been highly strung, and he was somewhat physically drained.

After returning home, he slumped on the couch for a while.

He picked up the water glass from the coffee table and drank it all in one go. The hour-long commute had kept him on high alert, and he was completely worn out.

As he set the empty glass down—

He was suddenly startled, staring at it. Something was wrong… he hadn’t had water here this morning!

Jiang Mo rushed to the bathroom, bent over the toilet, and gagged himself to vomit, trying to expel the water he’d just swallowed.