The city lights of Beijing flickered like a sea of stars beneath Jichen's towering office. His gaze wandered over the sprawling skyline, his mind miles away. He had only been back in China for a few days, but the weight of his father's coma, the responsibilities at HD Group, and the murky circumstances surrounding the "accident" felt like an eternity. His cold, calculating nature served him well in the boardroom, but the quiet moments were when doubt tried to creep in—moments like this, where the future seemed uncertain.
His phone buzzed against the desk, snapping him out of his reverie. He glanced at the screen, seeing Lu Shen's name flash across it. He could already hear his friend's mischievous tone in his head. Taking a deep breath, Jichen answered, his voice as flat as ever.
"Lu Shen."
The voice on the other end was as casual and light as Jichen expected. "Ah, Jichen! You sound absolutely thrilled to hear from me."
Jichen closed his eyes for a moment, rubbing his temple with his free hand. "Do you need something, or are you just calling to waste my time?"
A chuckle echoed through the line. "You're as charming as always. But no, I'm not here just to bother you, though I have to admit, it's a fun bonus. I've got someone here who wants to speak to you."
Jichen frowned slightly, his mind racing. Before he could ask who, he heard some shuffling on the other end of the line. Then, a small voice broke through the crackle of the connection.
"Daddy?"
Jichen's frown deepened, and then something in him shifted. His hand holding the phone tightened slightly as he recognized Xiaoxing's hesitant, delicate voice. The formality he wore like armor around others began to slip, though his tone remained even. "Xiaoxing?"
"I…" Her voice was soft, and he could hear her nervousness. "I miss you, Daddy."
Something in Jichen's chest clenched at her words. He wasn't used to these emotions, the idea of being missed or needed in a personal sense. It was easier when he was dealing with hard numbers, negotiations, and enemies. But here was this little girl, miles away, waiting for him, asking for his presence. A deep breath steadied him as he softened his tone just a fraction.
"I miss you too, Xiaoxing. I'll be back soon."
She hesitated, and he could hear the slight wobble in her voice. "But when, Daddy? When are you coming back?"
Jichen stared out of the window, struggling to find the right words. He wasn't the kind of man to make promises he couldn't keep. But he also knew that Xiaoxing needed reassurance right now, something he wasn't used to giving. He leaned against his desk, the edge pressing into his back, grounding him in the present.
"I don't know exactly when, but I'll be back as soon as I can," he said slowly, his voice low but firm. "I'm working on something important here."
There was a pause on the other end, and for a moment, Jichen thought she might have gotten upset, but then her voice came back, quieter this time. "Okay. I'll be waiting."
He closed his eyes for a moment, picturing her small face, probably scrunched up with worry. Despite the chaos surrounding his father's condition and the company's troubles, this was the moment that tugged at him most.
"Are you doing well there?" he asked, surprising even himself with the question.
"Uh-huh," she answered softly. "But I miss you, and I miss Mumma too…"
Her words hung in the air like a weight he couldn't shake. Jichen wasn't sure how to respond to that. The last thing he wanted was to promise her a reunion with her mother, knowing the tragic reality of the situation. He didn't want to lie to Xiaoxing, but she was still so young, too young to understand fully.
"I'll be home soon," he said again, hoping that was enough for now.
Just then, Lu Shen's voice broke through, clearly having taken the phone back from Xiaoxing. "She's been asking for you since the moment you left, you know. You've got her wrapped around your little finger."
Jichen sighed, straightening up. "What do you want, Lu Shen?"
"I already told you, didn't I?" Lu Shen said, and Jichen could hear the amusement in his voice. "Just wanted to let you know you're being missed back here. Not just by Xiaoxing, by the way. Even Yuri seems a little down without your commanding presence."
Jichen wasn't interested in Lu Shen's teasing. "If that's all, I need to get back to work."
Lu Shen let out a dramatic sigh. "You're all business, Jichen. But fine, I'll stop playing around. Listen, just take care of yourself over there. We're doing fine here, but don't stay too long in that corporate viper pit. They'll eat you alive if you let them."
"I know what I'm doing," Jichen said coldly. "Keep things running there until I return."
Lu Shen chuckled again. "As you wish, boss. Take care."
The call ended, and Jichen stared at the phone in his hand for a few moments longer. He could still hear Xiaoxing's small voice in his mind, the way she had said she missed him. It was such a simple thing, but it held more weight than he had anticipated.
Pushing the emotions aside, he returned to the desk, pulling out the files from the meeting earlier. Work was the only thing that could keep him grounded right now. Emotions, as much as they tried to worm their way in, had no place in this world of power and dominance. At least not for him.
---
Hours passed as Jichen reviewed reports, examined the company's financials, and strategized his next steps. But no matter how hard he tried to immerse himself in work, the faint echoes of his earlier conversation with Xiaoxing remained.
He thought back to the boardroom earlier, the way the older executives had tried to challenge him. They were testing him, no doubt, trying to see if the son of Chen Jinyu had what it took to fill his father's shoes. It didn't matter that he had been running operations for years behind the scenes—now that his father was incapacitated, they were looking for any sign of weakness.
But Jichen had none. He couldn't afford to.
His phone buzzed again, this time with a message from Ghost, his hidden guard. The investigation into his father's accident was progressing slowly, but every detail, every small lead, could be the key to unraveling the mystery. Jichen opened the message.
Ghost:
I've traced the accident back to the logistics team handling the maintenance of your father's car. Found discrepancies in their records. Digging deeper into who might be involved.
Jichen's eyes narrowed as he read the message. It was just as he had suspected—something was off. There were no such things as coincidences, not in his world. Power and money made people desperate, and desperation made them dangerous.
He typed a quick reply.
Jichen:
Continue the investigation. Report back the moment you find something concrete.
He put the phone down, his mind already racing with possibilities. If someone had tampered with his father's car, it could only mean one thing: this wasn't an accident. It was a targeted attack, and whoever was behind it had to be someone with deep connections to both the company and the outside world.
Jichen leaned back in his chair, staring at the ceiling. His father had built an empire, and with that empire came enemies. Some would seek to tear it down from the outside, while others would betray from within. He would have to be vigilant, ruthless even. There was no room for mercy.
But amidst the scheming and power plays, Xiaoxing's voice remained in the back of his mind. The way she had called him "Daddy" with such innocence, such hope. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was becoming something more important to him than he had initially realized. She was still so small, so fragile, and yet she was managing to break through his defenses in a way no one else ever had.
He glanced at the clock—late into the night now, but he knew there was no sleep in sight for him. He had too much on his plate to let exhaustion get the better of him.
Still, the thought of Xiaoxing's soft voice stirred something deep within. Maybe, just maybe, he could afford to make that promise to her—of coming home soon. But before that, he had a company to secure and enemies to flush out.
And once that was done, maybe he could finally figure out what kind of future he could offer her, the little girl who had somehow started to matter more than he had ever thought possible.
---
The city of Beijing never slept, and neither did Jichen. But now, it wasn't just the weight of HD Group on his shoulders. It was the sudden, unexpected responsibility of something far more fragile—something as delicate as Xiaoxing's whispered "Daddy."
He couldn't let himself fail. Not here, not now.