Chen Yi smiled knowingly and used professional German to respond to the German client. He summarized the earlier risk assessment in a single sentence, giving a perfect answer.
Xu Xuan was stunned. He hadn’t expected Chen Yi to shine like this in front of the Germans. It only made the fire in his heart burn hotter. He convinced himself it was just a fluke—that Chen Yi just happened to know German.
Still, the company smoothly entered the final bidding round.
After the meeting, Chen Yi walked over to Xu Xuan with a smile.
“Assistant Xu, there’s something I don’t understand. Since you knew how important this cooperation project with the Germans is, why would you question me during the meeting? Isn’t that making them lower their expectations of working with us?”
“Or… are you siding with outsiders and don’t want the company to secure the project?”
His words were blunt. Xu Xuan’s expression stiffened—he hadn’t expected Chen Yi to be so direct.
“What are you implying?”
“Risk assessment is something that should definitely be addressed during negotiations. I was merely reminding you, afraid you’d miss something important,” Xu Xuan said with a fake smile that made people uncomfortable.
But the meeting had already proven Chen Yi’s ability. Plus, Chen Yi now worked under Xie Yaohui—one of the CEO’s favorites, and someone with real influence in the company.
“I think Chen Yi performed excellently. Keep up the good work!” Xie Yaohui patted Chen Yi on the shoulder, then gave Xu Xuan a long look before walking away.
…
“Although Chen Yi got recognition from Party A this time, I still think he’s too young and might make mistakes,” Xu Xuan reported.
“CEO Gu, the cooperation with the German company is our company’s top priority right now. If some inexperienced kid messes it up, the consequences will be unimaginable!”
Gu Mingxue listened to Xu Xuan’s report without speaking, though her thoughts were crystal clear.
“I still think it’s not appropriate to entrust such an important task to Chen Yi. If possible, I have someone else better suited…”
Before he could finish, Gu Mingxue slammed the file on the table, her patience clearly running out.
“Enough. I don’t care what opinion you have of Chen Yi, but right now, he earned Party A’s approval with his own ability. That is undeniable.”
“Besides, even if it’s the person you recommend, can you guarantee they’d be able to successfully secure this deal?”
That instantly silenced Xu Xuan.
“So, before the project is fully secured, I don’t want to see any more changes. Do you understand?”
Gu Mingxue looked up, her dark eyes locked on him, forcing Xu Xuan to bow his head.
“I understand. Don’t worry, CEO Gu.”
“If there’s nothing else, you may go.”
She didn’t look at him again, focusing back on her work. Xu Xuan left, but not without glancing back every few steps, clearly unwilling to accept the outcome. This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
By evening, Xie Yaohui came out of his office and walked over to Chen Yi, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Tonight’s dinner is on me. We’re celebrating Chen Yi helping the company get into the final bidding round.”
The moment everyone heard there was a dinner, the office erupted in cheers.
At the private room, once all the dishes were served, a colleague raised their glass and flattered him, “Manager, it’s been so long since we had team bonding like this. We’re really lucky to have you!”
As soon as he finished, another chimed in, “Exactly! If it weren’t for Manager Xie’s leadership, our great Chen Yi wouldn’t have had the opportunity to work with the German company.”
Everyone’s words surrounded Xie Yaohui like stars around the moon. Meanwhile, the real contributor, Chen Yi, was completely forgotten—no one gave him a single word of credit.
One colleague glanced at Chen Yi and saw that he remained calm and unbothered, as if he didn’t mind being ignored. It made him look like some pitiful fool.
Suddenly, Chen Yi stood up. “I’m full. I’m heading out.”
By this time, he would usually be in the gym. He had eaten quite a lot just now, but since losing weight earned money, exercising had become his daily ritual.
However, his sudden departure drew some attention.
“Leaving so soon?”
“Chen Yi, are you upset because we didn’t praise you earlier? Is that why you want to leave?”
Everyone looked at him, waiting for his response.
“It’s all written in the KPI anyway. My salary won’t be any less. Why should I be upset?”
“I’ll be off then.”
He grabbed his things and left the room without hesitation.
Right after he left, someone started gossiping, “Manager, I think Chen Yi’s probably upset because he feels like you stole his credit. Didn’t expect him to be that petty!”
Chen Yi called a cab. While waiting, someone suddenly smacked his shoulder from behind.
Turning around, he saw Gu Jiaming, who was about the same height as him, grinning.
“God-tier player, it’s really you?”
“I saw you from afar and had to come check if it was really you.”
Gu Jiaming looked thrilled. Ever since their last meeting, he hadn’t been able to forget Chen Yi’s gaming skills and had been dying to team up again.
“It’s you! Are you alone?”
Chen Yi glanced behind him but didn’t see anyone familiar.
“Of course I’m alone. Who else would be with me? What, disappointed you didn’t see my aunt?” Gu Jiaming teased.
This kid… Chen Yi scratched his head. “Not really.”
He glanced down at his phone—the driver was nearby. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
“Are you heading home? Can I come with you?”
“Play games with me, please? Ever since you disappeared, people have been doubting my skills and constantly challenging me to PvP. I’ve dodged so many matches. If this keeps up, I’m afraid I’ll get exposed!”
Gu Jiaming clung to Chen Yi’s hand, pleading with burning eyes.
“Well… alright then.”
Once the car arrived, the two of them got in the back seat.
“You can’t just play games without fried chicken and beer. Send me your address—I’ll order takeout!”
It was rare for Chen Yi to hang out with someone his age. It even made him feel a surge of youthful energy.
By the time they arrived home, the delivery driver had just brought the food.
The two of them spent hours gaming in Chen Yi’s rental apartment, eating fried chicken and drinking beer, which instantly brought back the feeling of being young again.
It wasn’t until deep into the night that Gu Jiaming reluctantly left.
After washing up, Chen Yi yawned and collapsed onto his extra-wide 2-meter bed, quickly dozing off.
The next morning, he was jolted awake by his alarm. Normally he woke up naturally, but last night’s indulgence made him rush through washing up and dressing before heading to work.
As soon as he came downstairs, he bumped into someone.
“Sorry, sorry! I’m in a rush to get to the office—really sorry!”
The girl he bumped into had sore shoulders and was about to curse, but the moment she looked up and saw Chen Yi, her cheeks flushed and she stammered, “N-no problem…”
Chen Yi found her reaction odd, but didn’t think too much of it. When his cab arrived, he got in quickly.
Coincidentally, the driver was also a woman. Chen Yi sat in the back and looked up at the rearview mirror occasionally, only to keep locking eyes with her. When their eyes met, the female driver shyly turned her head away.
Confused, Chen Yi scratched his head. Strange. Why were the women acting so weird today?
He knew he’d slimmed down lately, but not to the point where people couldn’t take their eyes off him… right?
Twenty minutes later, he arrived at the company. Just as he was about to go upstairs, someone called out to him.
“Chen Yi!”
He turned and saw Gu Mingxue’s radiant face. Before he could even greet her, two workers carrying a massive floor mirror passed by him.
Chen Yi froze, rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating.
In the mirror, the wind blew against his loose shirt. What once clung tightly to his stomach now hung baggy.
He looked down and pressed against his abdomen—it was firm. Eight-pack abs.