A new day, a fresh start.
Pei Ran, who was determined to charge out and make things happen, was blocked by the Old Butler’s not-so-slender frame and forced back inside.
The Auntie in charge of daily meals served up a lavish breakfast.
Gurgle.
His stomach betrayed him with an untimely rumble.
And so, under the Old Butler’s particularly gratified gaze that seemed to say, “Our young master actually finished breakfast today,” Pei Ran first addressed his survival needs.
This “overbearing CEO” Pei Ran was, quite unscientifically, free of stomach ailments.
This also proved that he was indeed not the male lead, but cannon fodder material.
A dedicated driver was assigned to take him to the company.
Come to think of it, the Pei family actually had three and a half drivers—the Auntie who exclusively ferried Pei Younger Brother to and from school counted as the half.
As for the family’s cars, needless to say, there were large ones, small ones, in all sorts of colors, adding up to about a dozen.
Just… extravagant!
From the perspective of Pei Ran, an ordinary, moderately successful corporate drone, even without the male and female leads, the Pei family was bound to go bankrupt sooner or later.
Upon entering the company, amidst a chorus of “Good morning, President Pei,” he found his cheap dad.
Pei Yucai, a middle-aged man, exuded greasiness from head to toe, yet remained utterly oblivious. On the contrary, he fancied himself quite handsome, his eyes practically spelling out “Aren’t I handsome?” whenever he smiled.
It was like adding grease to an already oily surface.
Besides that, he loved to lecture others, boasting about being the father of a successful man and believing he was exceptionally qualified to educate people.
And he had a ready-made example to cite—
“Just look at my son. Our family started with nothing, and everything we have now is all thanks to my son’s brilliance…”
Blah, blah, blah.
If it weren’t for the title “President Pei’s Dad” hanging over his head, probably no one would bother with him.
Pei Ran glanced at the Human Resources Department sign on the office door, then looked again at Pei Yucai, the project department manager inside, chatting animatedly with a mature and beautiful woman.
He couldn’t help but feel a sense of wonder—
It was truly miraculous that this company hadn’t collapsed yet.
“Sorry to interrupt, but your son’s current fortune came from a lottery ticket that fell from the sky.”
Pei Ran crossed his arms and leaned against the doorframe.
“President Pei!”
Several Female Staff members closest to the door had noticed Pei Ran the moment he arrived. Hearing his remark, they immediately stifled giggles.
While this was basically common knowledge among anyone who had spent some time at the company, no one would say it to the man’s face.
After all, Pei Yucai spent all day boasting about his son’s intelligence and excellence, taking all the credit as if he had personally nurtured some unparalleled genius.
The more he bragged, the more some people saw through it, finding him utterly shameless and developing a poor impression of the entire Pei family as a result.
Who would have thought that Pei Ran, the actual owner of the company, could be so witty and humorous?
It was rare for someone to have such a clear self-awareness.
Meanwhile, the Female Staff members, looking at Pei Ran today, found their eyes lighting up.
Their President Pei wasn’t just decent in character—he was actually quite handsome.
How had they never noticed before?
If Pei Ran knew what they were thinking, he would have heartily praised their taste.
Not that he was narcissistic.
It was just that the original owner’s aesthetic sense was truly problematic. When he first transmigrated yesterday, he hadn’t had time to worry about his appearance, and besides, the Poshan Daojishi had captured the vast majority of his attention.
When he got home that night and was about to wash up, he finally saw his own appearance.
It was the same face and figure, yet this version sported a slicked-back hairstyle and wore a garish, flashy suit. Though his handsome features prevented him from looking overly greasy or disreputable, it was still a major downgrade.
Today, Pei Ran was dressed entirely according to his own preferences.
As a seasoned corporate drone—and an exceptional one at that—he had thoroughly studied how to use appearance and demeanor to win favor in the workplace and add value to his work.
It could be said that no one understood his current face better than Pei Ran himself.
His attire today was exceptionally simple: a black shirt paired with a light gray suit. Aside from cufflinks and a plain ring, there were no unnecessary accessories on him.
His face didn’t require heavy makeup—this wasn’t for the camera, and in real life, that would only make him seem overly groomed and diminish his masculine appeal.
He shaved cleanly, trimmed his eyebrows, and left his hair as it was—the original owner had already maintained it well. He simply avoided styling it into a slicked-back look, opting instead for a casual side part with a few strokes of the comb. It didn’t look as casual as leaving it unstyled, nor did it appear overly groomed, striking a balance of natural elegance.
It perfectly suited his role today.
The young leader of the company: sunny, upright, with good taste and principles.
"Son, what brings you here? You left so early from yesterday’s birthday party—you barely had any fun, and you were the guest of honor!"
That’s what he said, but Pei Yucai had enjoyed himself quite a bit.
Pei Ran had silently rehearsed countless variations of "you’re fired" on his way here, and now it came in handy without a hint of awkwardness.
"I’m here to inform you that you’re fired. You can pack your things and go home now."
The greasy man who had just been boasting about his son being the boss was instantly slapped in the face.
"What are you saying?"
His expression showed two parts anger, seven parts embarrassment, and one part disbelief.
Seeing his face suddenly turn into a pie chart, Pei Ran couldn’t hold back his imagination and nearly burst out laughing.
Fortunately, years of corporate experience allowed him to remain outwardly calm, no matter how turbulent his inner thoughts.
Pei Ran: "I said, you’re fired. Day after day, you come to the company just to harass female employees in various departments. For the company, you bring nothing but harm, no benefits. Based on my incomplete statistics, you’ve single-handedly ruined at least ten projects. So, do I need to say more?"
This wasn’t just a loss of face—Pei Yucai felt as if he’d been stripped naked right then and there.
Even the color and pattern of his underwear were laid bare for all to see.
How could he ever show his face again!
In the end, Pei Yucai roared at Pei Ran: "I’m your father!"
Pei Ran remained unfazed: "Don’t shout. I only fired you from your position at the company, not from being my father."
The stifled laughter around them grew louder.
Even if Pei Yucai had a face made of iron, he couldn’t bear it any longer.
"Pei Ran, come with me. Let’s talk in the office."
Family scandals shouldn’t be aired in public.
If it weren't for the matter involving thirty million, Pei Ran felt that no matter what, he could have given the original owner's father some face—talk things over properly somewhere without outsiders.
But this matter really couldn't be allowed; there was nothing to discuss.
Moreover, he not only had to fire Pei Yucai but also make sure everyone knew he had been fired and could no longer make any decisions regarding company affairs.
Pei Ran gave a light wave of his hand, and the security guards who had already been called and were on standby immediately sprang into action.
"Dad, working at the company is just delaying your leisure time. It's better to step down and regain your freedom, with all twenty-four hours of the day at your own disposal."
Before Pei Yucai could drag family ties into it again or stubbornly refuse to leave, the security guards, under Pei Ran's signal, directly escorted Pei Yucai out of the company.
Carried him out.
The company group chat exploded instantly. News spread like wildfire, and within just a few minutes, everyone knew the boss had fired his own father.
[No way, did our boss take the wrong medicine today? He actually fired the 'Emperor'?]
[Maybe yesterday's birthday cake was expired?]
[Exactly, there wasn't even a hint of this beforehand. When the boss's dad lost those big projects before, we didn't see the boss—with his usual mild temper—get angry. What's going on today?]
[Maybe the boss finally had a profound awakening and realized family-run operations don't last long?]
[If you ask me, the boss has always been a decent person, not like his dad or the others. In all the time I've been at the company, I've never heard of him doing anything bad. He's just a bit naive, completely sidelined and clueless.]
[Naive +1]
[+2]
[+10086]
After throwing the "culprit" out of the company, Pei Ran felt unusually cheerful. Since he was already in the HR department, he decided to lay down the rules.
"From now on, Mr. Pei Yucai is strictly prohibited from being involved in any company business, including personnel transfers. He is no longer part of the company and will not return in the future. Everyone is also requested to adhere to company regulations and not disclose any company-related information to him."
Amidst the hushed silence of the crowd, Pei Ran returned to his office.
As for the other Bald Manager, Pei Ran thought for a moment but didn't immediately issue a notice to fire him.
These people, through their own actions, had provoked the female lead, yet the "retribution" ultimately fell on him. Letting them go just like that would be far too lenient. At the very least, they should be put to some use—waste utilization—to appease the female lead's anger.
The atmosphere in the company remained tense all day.
Although the firing of Pei Yucai, the boss's father, had nothing to do with most ordinary employees and was quite satisfying to see, no one knew who else might be affected by the boss's current "bad mood."
What if they appeared too happy and ended up as collateral damage?
After all, no matter what, they were still father and son.
Pei Ran stayed in his office to handle the original owner's company affairs.
To be honest, this guy was truly lucky. Back when he first started university, bored and with nothing to do, he bought a lottery ticket and won eight million outright. Overnight, he went from an ordinary "dual-income" family to a moderately wealthy one.
Pei Ran was so envious his eyes turned red. They were both named "Pei Ran," so why had he never even won five dollars?
After coming into money, he didn't idle around either. He dabbled in entrepreneurship during university and actually succeeded.
Right after graduation, everyone was busy looking for jobs, but this guy had already become the boss of a "sparrow" company.
He even dragged a bunch of classmates into the company, using it as a stepping stone while they searched for better opportunities.
Perhaps it was sheer luck, but the company managed to get off the ground smoothly.
Starting with video promotional design, the company gradually expanded its business to include animation production and special effects. It also developed a new subsidiary dedicated to live streaming services.
After looking around, Pei Ran realized that such a company, while seemingly thriving on the surface, could collapse and go bankrupt the moment it lost orders, ran out of business, or had its funding chain broken.
With this calculation in mind, Pei Ran couldn’t sit still any longer.
There were far too many contributors on the path to bankruptcy, and he had to race against time to eliminate them all.
Now, it was time for that Bald Manager!
Author's Note:
Pei Ran: Sharpening the blade~