Qi Qiang was a self-made man. He was born in a small town and had to forge his own opportunities. To do so, he had left his parents behind and headed into the big city to start from the bottom. But his greatest strength was his determination. His company was built on decades of hard work and resilience and there was nothing that he was prouder of than this.
He had moved from working in a factory manufacturing computer hardware to producing affordable rigs. It didn't take long before his company became a household name, at least among the masses. But this was where he'd hit a glass ceiling. There was a strong stigma associated with 'cheap' and when it came to computers and laptops, price often had a direct correlation with quality. Now that Qi Qiang was a successful businessman, he wanted to break away from this connotation and push his brand to new heights. The association galled him, reminded him of his humble roots, of hot afternoons spent helping his family tend to a tiny convenience store in a farming community.
He loathed that life, couldn't imagine why his parents had refused to take him to the city when he'd been younger. Or why they'd rejected all his calls in recent times.
But once established, a company's reputation was notoriously difficult to change. At least, Qi Qiang didn't have the resources to do so without assistance. Despite how comfortable his ledger was now, his family background didn't leave him with many resources and contacts at his disposal. Unlike the rich young masters that were often his competition, he didn't have money to burn.
So he set his sights on obtaining a collaboration. He was confident that he would be able to cut a good deal by supplying the computer parts and wanted to learn the technology required to build better PCs. No one would give this to him for free, of course not, but he was willing to be at an initial disadvantage if he could reap the rewards after. With high hopes, he applied to multiple projects on offer by computer technology firms, both big and small.
Imagine his pure surprise when he received a callback from NJ Corporation, saying the executive management would like to arrange a meeting with him ASAP. Although Qi Qiang had prepared a proposal for them too, he hadn't been expecting to hear from them at all. Who was NJ Corporation? Only the biggest rising star in the field! In just a handful of years, they had overtaken a couple of main players in the industry. To add insult to injury, its CEO was the youngest son of the Yao Family, barely 23-years-old and already making waves with their line of gaming computers and equipment.
Others would praise Yao Xun for his talents and say that it was the fate of the older generation to be overtaken by the youths that came after them. But Qi Qiang didn't believe this. Yao Xun might have some substance to him but without the support of his family, what could this pampered young master do? He didn't take all the hard knocks in life that Qi Qiang had weathered through to get to where he was now. Qi Qiang was confident that if he could close a deal with NJ Corporation, this would be his stepping stone to surpassing them one day.
Competitive spirit renewed, he rose bright and early the next day and headed into the tall, glass skyscraper that was NJ Corporation's head office, unable to resist a bitter comparison between its stylish lobby and the far more modest equivalent back in his company. A young woman met him at reception, impeccable in a smart trouser suit. She introduced herself as the chairman's secretary, which astonished Qi Qiang and made him puff up inwardly with pride. Although he wasn't sure who the chairman of NJ Corporation was, this was a sign that they were taking Qi Qiang seriously.
Things were going to look up from now on. Qi Qiang wanted nothing more than to take the company as far as he could before getting too old to continue. His sons, who had grown up in relative comfort compared to him, didn't have the same fortitude that he did. He attributed this to his silly wife, who had spoiled them since birth. But Qi Qiang wasn't going to be the same as his useless parents. He would give them the best that he could because he had the responsibility of bringing them into this world.
The lift doors opened onto the 50th storey. Qi Qiang admired the luxurious glass and chrome furnishings with poorly disguised envy and entertained himself with thoughts of one day being able to expand his business to the point where he would be able to afford one of these showy office buildings too.
"CEO Qi, please come this way."
The secretary led Qi Qiang over to a set of double doors at the end of a corridor. It was labelled as an executive meeting room and he guessed that this was where the board held its meetings. Qi Qiang thanked her, unable to resist putting on a pompous air as he delighted in how keen NJ Corporation seemed to be about this potential partnership. He needed to come across as firm, he decided. To ensure that these spoiled young lads didn't think he was a pushover that they could tread on.
But once he walked into the room and the doors closed behind him, Qi Qiang realised that something wasn't quite right.
Instead of CEO Yao and members of the development team that Qi Qiang had envisioned himself working with from tomorrow onwards, there was only a lone figure standing by the window, shrouded in the harsh daylight. His back was to Qi Qiang but his tall imposing stance made Qi Qiang's resolution waver.
This resolution crumbled into uncertainty when he turned around.
"L-Little CEO Zhou?!"
Zhou Ye inclined his head in acknowledgement. "CEO Qi. Please take a seat."
Qi Qiang's mind was a jumbled mess. What was going on? Why was the crown prince of the formidable Zhou Group here? Did he cut into Qi Qiang's path and steal the deal with NJ Corporation?!
He was so perplexed that he didn't register Zhou Ye's words. Zhou Ye didn't mind. He didn't take a seat either, continued watching Qi Qiang from his spot. His expression was impassive but Qi Qiang had spent decades climbing up the social hierarchy and had countless experiences with people. Zhou Ye's face was unreadable but his eyes reminded Qi Qiang of a ravenous wolf.
And Zhou Ye had singled out Qi Qiang as his prey. He had no idea what he'd done to earn the ire of this troublesome individual but he could tell that he was in trouble.
"You wanted to see me personally?" he asked with a weak smile, the spinelessness of his words grating on his ears. But he had no choice. It didn't matter that Zhou Ye was the same age as his son. With that sort of background, he would have to call Zhou Ye 'Grandfather' if Zhou Ye asked him to.
"You're correct." There was a single folder on the table. Zhou Ye walked over to it and slid it across the tabletop in Qi Qiang's direction. "Let's cut to the chase." He looked at his watch. "I have another meeting in fifteen minutes but I think that will be sufficient for you to understand why you're here." His words bordered on being curt. But Qi Qiang didn't dare to call him out on it. It was evident that Zhou Ye didn't see him as an elder. In which case, it would be pointless to expect any due respect.
With shaking hands, Qi Qiang picked up the folder. Inside was a collection of documents. As he leafed through them, the blood drained from his face. His company's quarterly reports, forecasts, his wife's club memberships, photographs of his sons' dalliances, Zhou Ye had compiled this for him as—as what? A threat?
"Little CEO Zhou," he stammered. "What have I done to offend you? Why are you showing me this? If something's the matter, we can discuss it, please don't do anything rash." If he still couldn't tell that he'd walked into a setup, Qi Qiang would have to be a moron. NJ Corporation didn't want anything to do with him, more than likely, Yao Xun was doing Zhou Ye a favour by trapping Qi Qiang here for this conversation. Qi Qiang hadn't seen this coming and was in unfamiliar territory. Needless to say, there would be no evidence of this meeting after he stepped out of this room.
He wilted in despair. More than the rest, the explicit shots of his second son having sex with a young female actress he'd seen on TV once or twice worried him. Some of his actions in the photographs featured his boy submitting to extreme humiliation. He couldn't believe his eyes, had to slam the folder shut but the images were seared into his brain, forever tarnishing his relationship with Qi Bing. If Zhou Ye released these to the public, the reputation of the Qi Family would be ruined forever.
"You've done nothing to me," was Zhou Ye's calm reply. He took the folder out of Qi Qiang's limp grasp and opened it to the photographs again, giving Qi Qiang no choice but to be confronted by them again as he tapped on Jiang Xin's face. "But because of your son's support, his lover that it was acceptable for her to bully someone important to me." He met Qi Qiang's eyes again. "I don't need to tell you that it's not."
"O-of course not," Qi Qiang rushed to affirm. "I—I'll speak to that unfilial ingrate after I go home, he'll drop her immediately—"
"CEO Qi might be wondering why I decided to contact you instead of seeking your son out."
"It's because Little CEO Zhou is magnanimous—"
"I'm not," Zhou Ye interrupted. He flipped the documents back to the first page, which was a printout of Qi Qiang's company's registration details. "I don't believe in an eye for an eye, CEO Qi. I was trained to go for the kill. If you don't settle this matter satisfactorily, I will claim your life's work as compensation. Is this fair?"
Of course it wasn't. But the wolf had Qi Qiang's neck in its jaws. He could do nothing but swallow and nod. "Exceedingly," he said.