novelxo
Chapter 10: 10.
The time it took Chen Kai to reach the Girard-Perregaux boutique, was the same span it took for the General Manager to know of his purchase. Large sales in any store will notify the higher-ups by way of notifications. She called to confirm his appearance and where he was headed next.
Xu Yushi felt a headache coming on.
Immediately she dispatched four competent security guards to escort Chen Kai during his excursion and to keep his purchases safe.
Walking around with $24 Million Yuan worth of shopping is unheard of. Bags can be forgotten or misplaced. Though she prided herself on her security measures, one can't trust the human heart.
After sending Chen Kai's information and his position in the company, she held patted her chest and praised herself for her timely interference.
This little venture was included in her evaluation report for her bosses.
~~~~~~~~~~~
The main cause of the higher-ups' uproar was being tended to by three sales clerks as the manager supervise their service.
His entrance was flashy. His confident walk, the Patek Phillipe bags in his hand, and the new watch on his wrist. Three clerks approached him quickly to earn good commissions, hoping he will pick one of them but they were turned on their heads when he called out four watch models from the collections they had in store.
Their smiles were radiant when he spoke.
He was a big spender.
The customers who were window shopping stopped and looked on as Chen Kai unconsciously made a show of choosing the perfect watch.
His shopping bags were held by the manager which was a happening.
The manager of a foreign brand was a caddy for this young man.
They shook their heads in disbelief and returned their attention to the young man whose eyes were bright with excitement.
"You look pleased with the craftsmanship, Mr. Chen," the manager spoke.
"Yes. I prefer mechanical watches over the present smartwatches. Isn't it soothing to hear the clockwork and to see how each groove dance against the other? These watchmakers are true wonders of the world."
Hearing the young man speak so fervently and seeing the genuine expressions on his face made the ladies blush in delight. To them, he was adorably handsome.
In the manager's opinion. Chen Kai was a rare young master. Most simply purchase the watches to display their wealth and not the craftsmanship. He knew the young one wasn't lying. The Patek Phillipe on his wrist was simple at a glance but the mechanical work was worth the price. There were no gems to bring attraction to himself, it was a watch he loved.
The customers who overheard his comment couldn't help but take a deeper look at the products they said were so expensive. If such a young man focused on the fine details of the watch and not the cost, why were they planning to buy it?
"Hello, Mr. Chen!"
The chorused greeting of male voices gained everyone's attention in the boutique.
"Did something happen?"
"Why are they here?"
"Did someone commit a robbery?"
"Wait. They said the name of the young man. Did he do something?"
"Is he a scammer?"
So many speculations were flying around and it upped the drama-thirst within them.
How dull are these people's lives?
Chen Kai turned to the entrance and saw four uniformed men looking his way.
He tilted his head in curiosity and answered. "Yes."
"Excuse our disturbance during your shopping. We were dispatched by General Manager Xu to escort you on your trip," one said firmly.
Chen Kai thought of why she will do that for a minute then realized why. He gave the guards a small nod. "I will have to trouble you. Manager Zhao, please rest. These men will take care of my packages," he said politely.
The manager recognized the captain of the security team and the other three prominent guards. They were army veterans hired by the top security company in the country. Nanhe Mall has a long relationship with the company and only the best are dispatched to the malls. To mobilize these few for him, who was this young man?
Captain Xia saw the confused look on the manager's face when he walked over.
"Do you know who he is?" the captain asked softly as he took the bags carefully.
Manager Zhao shook his head slightly and stood by the man's side. Two guards took up a position at Chen Kai's side and resumed his shopping, unbothered by the activity around him.
"He's basically your boss. He bought 40% of the company's shares. The handover was finalized earlier today," Captain Xia stated. He wanted someone else's mindset to be shaken.
The manager's knees weakened. "Please don't play with my health, Captain Xia. Isn't our company nearing a net worth of a billion or more? Look at how young he is. I was still doing errands in an office to appease my boss at his age."
The captain chuckled. "General Manager Xu was sent to meet him personally by the chairman. Oh! and how does it feel to hold a bag worth $24 Million Yuan?"
Manager Zhao began to look back on his life. Where did he miss that fateful encounter with riches?
"The Planetarium Tri-axial and the Cosmos Infinity Edition."
The clerks with the chosen watches beamed in delight. They turned searching eyes for their manager and found him lost in a trance next to the security captain. What was taking this man so long? Commissions need to be placed.
"Manager! Mr. Chen is ready."
"Oh. Right. Excuse me." The man quickly moved to the sales cubicle while the ladies packaged the watches. The manager took a few seconds to say the total. Everyone was waiting to know the final costs.
Chen Kai patiently waited.
"Your total is $9.2 Million yuan."
Sharp gasps filled the air. They held their breath when the bank card was offered and went through the transaction. The sharp beep of success toppled their thinking.
$9Million on two watches without batting an eye.
"And here we were complaining about the ones that cost less than $2 Million," someone commented.
"There's always someone with more riches."
"To have such financial freedom is an envious thing."
"Thank you, everyone."
One of the guards took Chen Kai's purchase as he waved goodbye to the staff.
"Mr. Chen, I'm Captain Xia. Is there anywhere else you have to visit?" the captain politely asked.
"Hmmm. Miansai and Gucci. Possibly two clothing stores that caught my eye on the fourth floor," he replied while checking the time. He had two hours to spend before heading to his new home.
"No problem, sir."
The guards didn't mind playing the role of a caddy for the young man. Witnessing the life of the rich was better than walking the spot hundreds of times.
~~~~~~~~~~~
While Senior Chen was happily updating his wardrobe, other seniors were on the verge of mental breakdowns.
Why do we have to know this?
Are we going to calculate this at work?
Maybe I should just sell at a food stall, this is too much?
Every student has a different major, meaning different modules to reflect on in their thesis. That's two to four years of learning depending on one's majors.
It's even stressful to simply read it.
But they had to persevere no matter how many times they curse into the wind that they will give up.
For two seniors, they were both awakened by the slamming open of a door.
Surprisingly, it was their bedroom door. The female screamed and tried to cover herself but the male had a pale face as he recognized the intruder.
"B-Brother! What are you doing here?" The man tried to sound calm but his brother's presence and the displeasure in his eyes struck fear in his heart.
"As usual, you're still wasting your time with these low-breed women instead of making a name for yourself. When are you going to grow up? Its nearing the deadline for your thesis yet you're here fooling around, staining our family name. I hope to ease my worry, you used protection with this one." Ridicule and disgust coated the intruder's words. He didn't care that his little brother and his tramp were naked before him. It was a huge contrast for an impeccably dressed man to be in a messy bedroom with two naked persons.
There was no shred of remorse or apology on his face. He wanted nothing to do with this brat but his father requested this of him. He hated how their mother spoiled him rotten and became incapable of elevating himself.
What a disappointment!
"Get dressed. Father is here. At least look presentable."
The man came like the wind but left a storm behind.
"Father is here? Why? Why is he in Nanjing?"
"Honey! Who was that? How can you let him talk to me like that?" The girl was shrieking in anger and full-on embarrassment. Another man saw her naked, how can she accept that?
"Shut up, Rui. He has the right to do so. That's my older brother, Lin Xian. Fuck! Why are they here?" Lin Shen ignored the dumbstruck woman beside him and rushed to the shower. He had to get that scent off his body. His father will skin him alive if he shows up with the stench of sex on his body.
Back in the bedroom, Zhang Rui came out of her stupor. An ugly expression took over her face.
"LIN SHEN! LIN SHEN!"
Wrapping the cotton sheet around her body, Zhang Rui made a forceful entrance into the bathroom.
"What the fuck! Can you lower your fucking voice? Do you want my neighbors to think this is a red-light district they're living in? What do you want? I'm already late," Lin Shen cursed. He didn't turn around, he was too focused on thinking about how to please his father.
"I thought you told your family about me," she argued. Clutching the sheet at her chest, she didn't hide her anger at all.
Lin Shen forgot he told her about becoming part of his family. Seeing her unladylike behavior, he thought it best to keep her as a substitute for now.
"I'm going to see my father today, aren't I? I will have to work extra hard to get my brother to accept you. He's very conservative in thinking," he cajoled. He made sure his voice was coaxing and painted a helpless look on his face.
Zhang Rui weakened at the knowledge of her boyfriend working so hard for their relationship. That heartbreaking voice and handsome face were enough to cool her anger.
"Can't I come? I'm sure if they know me personally it will help our relationship," she pushed. In truth, she wanted to meet the big boss of the LinYun Group. The company is known as one of the top five dominant companies in Jiangxi Province. Everyone had to lower their heads to the Lin Family. She who came from a mid-tier city knew of the family's dominance and their power. When she began to date Chen Kai, she thought it was pure luck to have such a gorgeous boyfriend but reality hit her.
A woman needs support to survive in this world.
And that support was Lin Shen. It didn't hurt that he too was handsome.
"Do you think it will be a good meeting after that encounter?" Lin Shen sighed for a better effect.
Zhang Rui's face turned red after she remembered that scene.
"What we have to do now is focus on graduating. I know you're behind with your project. Didn't we get all three of that sucker's projects? You both are in the Multimedia department. Use his work to get ahead." Lin Shen smiled deviously and walked out of the shower boldly. His smile grew wild when Zhang Rui's focus blurred and her actions became seductive.
Pulling her against his wet body and capturing her lips in a slow kiss. Feeling her body weakened against his and her need for more, Lin Shen knew he had her fully under his thumb.
"I can't play right now. Let me settle things with my family then I will be right back. You can use my laptop to fix your project." Holding her chin between his thumb and index finger, he displayed his hold over her.
Zhang Rui blushed and nodded her head obediently. She was equally excited.
Her life is about to be upgraded.
~~~~~~~
Lin Shen made his way down to the car his brother left for him. The driver dutifully held the door open for him and gave a standard greeting.
He ignored the man just like the spoiled young master he was.
The driver sighed, knowing how troublesome this young master was. It was a known fact at the family home how tired the master of the house and the first young master were of him. His exploits lessened since he came to Nanjing but the reports they received were far from ideal.
Everyone was waiting for the outcome of his college education. There was a small piece of information that was released throughout the household. They all wonder how young master Lin Shen will handle this news.
The drive to the Rolling Fire restaurant was short due to it being in a business district. Skyrises and elegant apartment buildings were prominent. Lin Shen was given a two-bedroom apartment for his college duration by his mother. She couldn't bear for her son to board with commoners.
Though she paid for it monthly, she didn't know how regularly her son used it but her husband did.
Lin Shen looked out the window as they pulled up in front of the restaurant. It was a three-star restaurant with good reviews. He ate here once but the service wasn't to his liking. The driver swiftly left the driver's seat of the car and made it to his side.
He made his way inside and spoke curtly to the host. "Lin. Private Room 4. Hurry up."
The young man cursed inwardly at Lin Shen's arrogant behavior but remained professional and escorted him to the private room.
As Lin Shen got closer, his palms became sweaty. He was scared that his father will say something outrageous or his brother will expose what he saw earlier. At moments like this, he wished his mother will accompany her dear husband on business trips. If she was here then he could be at ease.
Entering the room, the first person he saw was his father, Lin Yang. The man had a large build and an imposing aura. Even sitting, he still had the demeanor of a successful chairman and not a construction worker playing noble. His short black hair now held traces of grey and his beard held the same traits which were neatly trimmed.
Opposite him at the large table was Lin Xian, his older brother. Lin Shen felt that inferiority once more. As he sat, he looked at his brother with his elegant actions and confident composure. His features can be called classically handsome and matched his bearing. His glossy black hair was neat and his tailor-made suit was like a second skin on his body. Compared to Lin Shen, Lin Xian was the young master many women will love to conquer.
Lin Xian raised his eyes from his phone and greeted his little brother with a terse nod. Lin Shen didn't speak to him nor returned the silent greeting. Their father saw this and couldn't help but sigh in hopelessness. His two sons have grown distant over the years. Different upbringings can cause rifts in sibling relationships, he didn't expect it was to this extent that they can outwardly ignore each other.
"Hello, Father. It's nice that you're here in Nanjing," Lin Shen greeted.
"Yes. I moved up my schedule so I can be here until your graduation. It's in two months, yes?" Lin Yang returned. He waved to the attending waiter to start and resumed his conversation with his little son.
"Yes. I'm glad it's going to be over soon."
"How were the last four years? You rarely returned home," his father commented.
"They were good. No problems. My classmates are nice and the teachers were very helpful."
Lin Yang and Lin Xian nodded their heads in acceptance but didn't resume the topic of college. They both knew the true details.
Food was served and the conversations were simple, basic, and pleasant. After a while, Lin Yang revealed his goal of coming to Nanjing.
"We've reached a bottleneck state in Jiangxi and there is no more room to expand our business or topple our competitors. During our stable period, I learned of a few families who planted roots in other provinces and received good growth. I choose Nanjing for its wide opportunities. During our research, the people here love unconventional things. Whether it's art, music, or restaurants, they love to experience new things. I want the LinYun Group to get a piece of this land. Xian'er doesn't wish to relocate at the moment so I will have to appoint a general manager here after we have a good foundation."
"Father, why are you leaving such things to outsiders? If my brother doesn't want to relocate, I can manage things here. I know the city well and what people my age are looking for." Lin Shen wanted to grab this opportunity. Won't it be grand to be the most successful in his class after a few months? With additional power backing him up, he can suppress Chen Kai.
The first step was complete.
The second will happen at the end of the day.
His goal was to clear any obstacles from popping up in the future. He had to be the best and must be recognized by his peers. Then, his brother won't look down on him.
At that moment, Lin Xian cleared his throat and straightened his posture.
Lin Shen flinched when he saw this. He was reminded why Chen Kai was a thorn in his side. Both he and his older brother had the same temperament and abnormal smarts. If Lin Xian relaxed his CEO-like demeanor, he can be Chen Kai's brother than his.
He hated this confidence they had. Lin Shen felt inferior to both of them.
"Little Shen, I am pleased by your enthusiasm for this venture but we need someone with experience and business acumen. This can start a new path for the family. I wish to see the foundation for the 3rd generation of my family be firm." Lin Yang had big dreams for his family. He was unorthodox in thinking while his eldest son was conservative. Their ideals and moves clash but work at the same time, this is why the Lin Family was able to be dubbed one of the Great Five in Jiangxi.
However, he wasn't too optimistic about the future. Lin Xian has no plans for marriage and Lin Shen was heading to the life of a profligate rich young master.
He had to make some plans.
"I'm about to graduate. I will be perfect for that position," Lin Shen argued.
"Little brother. A piece of paper doesn't prove one's qualifications. That's a requirement. You need the experience to back that up. Will you have enough experience to be the CEO of this Jiangsu branch? Over the four years in Nanjing, did you experience the business industry as a simple worker?" Lin Xian spoke clearly to get his point across clearly. Everything he said was acknowledged by their father.
What was meant to be good advice or clarity in this situation, Lin Shen perceived it as berating in an oppressive manner.
"Why should I go work in those places? I can do whatever it is to be a manager. It's simple. Xian'er did it. Why can't I?" he argued.
Father and son frowned at Lin Shen's words. They heard distinctly the contempt when he asked the first question.
"Your brother worked throughout his college years and was hired due to his achievements and his work experience. I allowed him to work in other places until it was time for him to come home. He understood the differences in society hence our climbing success. You need to understand this, Little Shen," Lin Yang explained. He finally saw with his own eyes how the pampering shaped his youngest son's thinking. He should have pushed harder for his son to be disciplined but his wife thought differently.
In her mindset, the firstborns are the ones who should develop the family. The little ones can live their lives freely.
Lin Yang hated that mindset and wished to change it. Now here is his son thinking he will get the riches he deserved through nepotism.
"Understand that I must lower myself to those people just to get a position in the company? Father, you can't be serious. Mother will never approve of this." Lin Shen shouted his displeasure and turned his angry eyes to his brother. "You did this. Do you hate me this much, brother?" contemporary romance
Lin Xian shook his head at his little brother's taunt. He expected this.
"ENOUGH!" Lin Yang yelled. He hated how this kid always use his mother as a shield. He was 22 years old and still look to her for support.
How can he survive in society when he graduates?
"You are over the age of eighteen. You're basically a man in society's eyes yet you prefer to stand behind your mother's skirts. The days of your coddling are over. After graduation, depending on your final results and evaluation, you will work according to them. You will do this for five years. According to your success then you will have a position in our company."
"WHAT?!"
Lin Shen's eyes shook in disbelief and despair as his father continued to speak. Each change was like a crack in his image. They were literally stripping him of his riches. The words were loud in his ears and couldn't block out.
An entry-level job.
Must be hired under his own strength.
Living on a monthly salary.
Paying rent.
Cooking his own food.
Using public transportation.
No family help or connections.
Why? Why were they doing this?
"Remember, your future depends on your results." His father's words were like a knife over his head.
Lin Shen didn't answer. He was too numb to do so. All he can think of is Chen Kai's thesis. That should give him a boost.
Yes! That will make his life smooth.
~~~~~~~~~
Back at Lin Shen's apartment, Zhang Rui fluttered from room to room, taking photos of the place to post in her WeChat Moments. The place was large and decorated beautifully. At a glance, you can tell the quality of any furniture. It was all high-end. She laughed heartily when she saw the envious comments from her classmates and friends from her home city.
"Let your eyes bleed. I'll soon enter the Lin Family leaving you cockroaches behind."
Zhang Rui quickly redid her make up then made a short video of the view outside the large window. To the camera, she mimicked the look of a carefree woman enjoying her life and made a bland comment about enjoying the last days of peace before entering the working world.
After her gloating session was over, she decided to go check out the thesis she can use for her own work.
Since her laptop was back in her dorm, she decided to use her boyfriend's. Her eyes lit up when she retrieved the HP Elitebook from his bag. Zhang Rui saw this being advertised online and knew this was the latest model. She couldn't believe Lin Shen changed devices so easily.
Grabbing the thumb drive, she inserted it and took her time searching the content on the laptop. There weren't many things. She found Lin Shen's draft of his own thesis and a few gaming videos. The apps of the three games he played were pinned on the taskbar. There was no folder with documents as study materials, no categorized folder of everything he learned nor coded notes on his in the notepad. A great contrast to Chen Kai's laptop.
~ An Unknown device has been detected. Do you wish to scan it?
Zhang Rui saw the prompt and selected no. The thumb drive opened in File Explorer the window. Three folders were present. She didn't hesitate to open the Multimedia folder. If she can do better on her present project, it will be a plus. Getting this 'help' from that sewer rat was a godsend.
"Getting rid of him would have been better. It's not like anyone will look for him if he went missing anyway," she mumbled to herself and opened the folder.
More than ten different drafts of topics were there. Just reading one topic title made her head spin. To make her life easier, she chose the safest topic that spoke about Social Media Usage. Double-clicking the file, the Microsoft Word opening screen popped up.
Zhang Rui waited.
How long does it take to open?
She clicked on the file again.
Now it's two Microsoft Word pages loading.
Five minutes have passed and no movement. Her patience was really thin.
She clicked it a third time and a third loading page popped up. This time it came with a friend.
Zhang Rui frowned.
On the screen, an animated worm appeared. It held a pickaxe in its hand and a cute blue hard helmet on its head. She thought it was adorable as it moved from left to right on her screen. It did this five times then stopped.
The little worm turned its head to look out and saluted any onlookers. This amused her.
After the cute salute, the worm disappeared.
A second later, the sound of glass breaking blasted from the device speaker. Warning alerts were now mixed into it then the sound of a broken dial-up internet. The cacophony of sounds deafened her. Zhang Rui was at a loss for what to do. She tried to lower the volume, press the escape key or the start-up button, and even move the cursor from the touchpad but all fail. Yellow warning signs popped up on the screen.
SECURITY ALERT! PLEASE CHECK FILE 035A!
The yellow warning signs turned to red. Zhang Rui's heart was beating out of her chest. She was panicking. Behind those signs, the image began to fritz. The colors and texts were all over the place.
MALWARE DETECTED. SOFTWARE HAS BEEN BREACHED.
WARNING! UNKNOWN CODE INSTALLATION. WARNING! SYSTEM ERROR!
The blaring noise and the warnings had Zhang Rui freaking out. She was pressing so many keys and clicking the touchpad to get some sort of reaction but nothing.
"Come on! Please! Come on! What is happening?" She was on the verge of tears. How can she repay Lin Shen for this? She ruined his laptop! What can do?
She held down the power button to do a hard reset after numerous failures. "Please let this work," she prayed.
Wasn't this the all-in-one fix-it strategy?
It will work.
When she saw the screen blacked out and then began to restart after a long fifteen seconds, she was relieved.
Zhang Rui expected to see the HP logo but she saw that worm.
The adorable worm with the pickaxe.
It didn't move this time.
It struck a pose and folded its arms with a toothy grin on its face.
The worm didn't move for 1 minute.
3 minutes.
5 minutes.
9 minutes.
15 minutes.
The worm didn't move.
She can no longer access the laptop.
"What the hell just happened?"