Click. As the door closed, a heavy silence filled the meeting room.

  “Have you arrived, Ms. Xu Haiyan? Did Director Sun Jihai come with you as well?”

  Li Youwei asked, intentionally keeping his voice neutral.

  He stared at her, resting his interlaced hands on the table.

  Average height, an inconspicuous gray suit.

  At first glance, she looked like an ordinary employee,

  but her eyes were as dark and deep as an endless swamp.

  Five years ago, in 2022.

  She was the one who first approached him when he was living like a broken man after losing his wife.

  She approached him under the pretext of being a fellow Oxford alumna, but she didn’t want friendship.

  She wanted Li Youwei as a man.

  And Li Youwei wanted her capital and power.

  He had followed her to China, even changing his nationality and name,

  but he absolutely refused to marry her.

  Sun Jihai found this extremely unpleasant,

  but he let it slide because of Xu Haiyan’s persuasion.

  Since then, Xu Haiyan played the most decisive role in Li Youwei becoming the CEO.

  However, at the same time, she was also the leash that tightened around him the most.

  “Yes, you are here early, sir.”

  Once Xiaoming disappeared, Xu Haiyan changed her mask as if nothing had happened.

  It was a kind smile, but it did not reach her eyes.

  “Because I am looking forward to today’s meeting.”

  “I’m sure you are. Since everything happened exactly as you claimed it would, sir.”

  She sat in the seat with the Executive Director nameplate and gave off a strange vibe.

  It was a tone where one couldn't tell if it was a compliment or a sarcasm.

  “Yeah, it must be great, huh?”

  At that moment, a raspy voice like metal scratching came from behind him.

  It was Sun Jihai.

  The massive man stomped in and roughly pulled out his chair next to the head of the table.

  Screeeeeeech—!

  The marble floor and the legs of the chair rubbed against each other,

  making a terrible noise, but Sun Jihai did not care and sat down heavily.

  The unpleasant sound filled the wide meeting room.

  It was a kind of territory marking. As if he had the right to break the silence of this space.

  “Oh, Uncle! What are you doing? My ears hurt.”

  Xu Haiyan covered her ears with both hands and frowned.

  Sun Jihai did not even pretend to hear his niece’s complaint.

  He threw his leather bag onto the desk with a loud thud and glared at Li Youwei with bloodshot eyes.

  “How does it feel, Li, to see your face on TV all day?”

  “Are we a bit late?”

  Before Li Youwei could respond to Sun Jihai’s sarcasm, a soft, beautiful voice pierced through the open door.

  It was Sato Shinji.

  Hiding his cold intelligence behind rimless glasses,

  he walked in with a straight posture and gave a light bow.

  Behind him, Marco Puyol, a man with a solid build and wavy curly hair, strode in.

  He wore his characteristic sly smile as he raised a hand to Sun Jihai.

  “Traffic was like hell. Shanghai’s mornings are always too lively for their own good.”

  Despite his loose gestures, his eyes glinted like a predator stalking its prey.

  And behind them, a woman walked in with a look of annoyance, her eyes never leaving her tablet screen.

  It was Tak Eun-ha.

  She didn't even say hello as she found her seat and sat down.

  The tall and sophisticated CEO Li Youwei,

  the gloomy Xu Haiyan,

  the massive tyrant Sun Jihai,

  the gentle-looking financial officer Sato Shinji,

  the wild broker Marco Puyol,

  and the arrogant genius Tak Eun-ha.

  The six heads that moved Baeksan had finally gathered in one place.

  “Everyone’s here, so let’s get started,” Sun Jihai said in a low, raspy voice.

  He ignored Li Youwei, who was sitting at the head of the table, and naturally tried to lead the meeting.

  'I'm the CEO, aren't I? Is he still refusing to acknowledge that?'

  Li Youwei felt unpleasant inside, but instead of scowling, he gave an even brighter smile.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Today was the day he sat on the throne.

  He had to make the atmosphere his own.

  “There is no need to be in a rush, Director. First, shouldn't we celebrate?”

  Li Youwei stood up and spread his arms in an exaggerated gesture.

  “As you know, our performance today is a miracle in itself.

  The stock price has risen 1,200% compared to last week.

  Our market capitalization is already threatening the global top 10 companies.

  Isn't this all... thanks to the dedicated efforts of everyone here?”

  The air in the meeting room froze instantly.

  But Li Youwei did not stop; like a stage actor, he bowed and reached his hand out toward Sun Jihai.

  “Especially Director Sun Jihai.

  If it weren't for the efforts of Director Sun and Director Xu in 2023 to bring us the design code for Artistea,

  could today even exist?”

  “Hmph.” Sun Jihai snorted. “But more than anything, the cleanup was a masterpiece.”

  Marco Puyol cut in, sitting with his legs crossed on the desk.

  “The CIA caught the scent and charged at us like mad dogs.

  You know… Ben Carter and Agent Brown. They were real pit bulls.”

  “I was the one who stopped them,” Li Youwei said, thumping his chest.

  This was his true achievement.

  “Manuel Ted Chang. He was a brilliant man.

  Switching the laptop with a prepared fake one to make them plug in the USB was genius.

  Thanks to that, Chapman himself ended up installing the backdoor for us.”

  Li Youwei continued, miming the scene.

  “Everything was great, except for the sloppy ending.

  If that idiot hadn't dropped your business card at the scene,

  we wouldn't have had to lie low for four years. Isn't that right, Director Sun Jihai?”

  Sun Jihai’s brow furrowed deeply.

  It was his most painful sore spot.

  During the 2023 incident,

  finding Sun Jihai’s business card in the belongings of the deceased Manuel Ted Chang was a fatal mistake.

  As a result, Sun Jihai was placed on the CIA's watch list and had to hand over the CEO position to Li Youwei.

  “Watch your mouth, Li Youwei,” Sun Jihai growled.

  “That was Manuel’s mistake, not mine.

  My only regret is that I couldn't tear him apart with my own hands.”

  “That’s why I helped you, didn't I?”

  Li Youwei smiled without backing down.

  “How dangerous was it because of the recording and the business card Ben Carter left behind?

  But for the last four years,

  I’ve scrubbed all of Manuel’s digital traces and diverted the CIA's attention.

  That's why you’re here now, and I’m in this seat.”

  “Hmph. The one who processed it wasn't you; it was Xu Haiyan, my niece.

  And my men were the ones who took care of Chapman’s family.”

  Sun Jihai took out a cigar and lit it.

  “…I was the one who told her to keep an eye on Sophia Phillips.”

  As the topic of family came up, Li Youwei felt a sharp pang of guilt in his conscience.

  Though he loathed Chapman for ignoring him during their time at Oxford,

  he felt a sense of kinship as someone who had also lost his family.

  Hiding his inner thoughts, Li Youwei winked at Xu Haiyan.

  She avoided his gaze, looking somewhat shy.

  Li Youwei was feeling a sense of victory.

  No matter how skilled these criminals were,

  he was the only one who could handle the rules of the legitimate world.

  “Yes, she did a good job.

  Thanks to her, we could complete Moon white, the dream of the Elder Zishuka.

  It’s not perfect, but it’s a satisfactory result.”

  Xu Haiyan glanced sideways at Li Youwei.

  “Hahaha! Fine, I’ll admit you did well. Now that you’ve settled in, shouldn't you be getting married soon?”

  Sun Jihai’s boisterous laughter echoed through the meeting room.

  It was an exaggerated laugh, as if trying to reclaim the atmosphere.

  Everyone laughed along.

  It was a twisted laughter, a mix of greed, deceit, and the sweetness of success.

  Both Li Youwei and Xu Haiyan feigned awkward smiles to match the mood.

  'I will never take another wife.'

  Li Youwei sincerely loved his deceased wife.

  Many women made advances because of his natural charm,

  and he enjoyed it quite a bit, but marriage was a different matter.

  While everyone was laughing, only one person, Tak Eun-ha, did not laugh.

  She tapped the tablet screen with her stylus, looking annoyed.

  “It’s fine if you all want to get drunk on your old stories, but keep it down, will you?

  I’m analyzing brainwave data, and I hate noise.”

  Tak Eun-ha’s sharp voice dampened the mood instantly.

  Li Youwei’s brow twitched.

  “Director Tak, isn't that a bit harsh on such a good day?”

  Sato Shinji spoke carefully, watching Li Youwei’s reaction.

  “It’s not like I’m wrong, is it? And sir.”

  Without even looking up, Tak Eun-ha spoke as if she were dealing with a barking dog.

  “You wouldn't understand the technical details even if I explained them,

  so why don't you just go practice your interviews?

  That ‘handsome face’ is your only function, after all.

  Oh, and since you changed your name,

  I guess you added a ‘sophisticated Chinese man’ function too?”

  “What…? What did you just say?”

  Unable to contain himself, Li Youwei slammed his hand on the desk and stood up abruptly.

  “Sit down.”

  Sun Jihai’s low voice crushed Li Youwei’s anger.

  “She’s not wrong. Li Youwei, the reason you’re sitting in that seat is because we need a front.

  A guy like me on the CIA watch list can’t stand in the spotlight. Know your place.”

  Sun Jihai snickered, trampling on Li Youwei’s pride.

  Xu Haiyan pretended not to notice, fiddling with her teacup,

  while Sato and Marco watched as if they found the situation amusing.

  ‘These bastards… how dare they….’

  Li Youwei bit his lip at the surging sense of humiliation.

  The owner of a name mentioned 1.4 billion times, a young leader watched by the whole world.

  But in this room, he was still just a substitute for Sun Jihai and a figurehead ignored by Tak Eun-ha.

  “If you feel so wronged, then prove yourself,” Tak Eun-ha muttered mockingly.

  “Even if you changed your name easily, I guess your essence doesn't change so easily.

  Mr. Lee Yu-han.

  So why don't you just marry Ms. Xu Haiyan already?

  Then we might actually treat you like family.”

  That was when the massive circular table in the center of the meeting room began to vibrate slightly.

  Tak Eun-ha looked at the table with surprised eyes.

  The middle of the meeting room split like gears,

  and a cylindrical lift began to rise from the deep darkness beneath the floor.

  Along with a cold chill, an overwhelming presence began to consume the meeting room.

  Rum-m-m-m-ble—

  The vibration shaking the floor of the meeting room was heavy.

  It wasn't just the noise of a mechanical device.

  It was a pressure as if a massive mountain were moving.

  Dense cold mist rose from the gaps in the split table.

  From within the white smoke, a cylindrical transparent lift slowly revealed itself.

  “Master!”

  Tak Eun-ha was the first to react.

  The woman who, just moments ago,

  had mocked CEO Li Youwei and acted prickly toward Sun Jihai,

  sprang up from her seat and bowed deeply.

  What appeared in her eyes was not fear, but pure awe.

  The moment he saw that, Li Youwei instinctively stood up.

  The head of the table where he had been sitting belonged to this man.

  From Chapter 18 onward, updates will be posted every two days.