Chapter 58: Getting Married on the Company Dime? …
“Good afternoon, CEO Feng!”
Feng Xun’s gaze swept over the deeply respectful crowd, and he gave a flat, indifferent nod. “Mm.”
As they found themselves under “CEO Feng’s” scrutiny, the employees were simultaneously sizing him up in a flutter of nerves—they had been with the company for over half a month, and they were finally seeing the big boss in the flesh!
The big boss’s facial features were thoroughly ordinary, but his aura was extraordinarily commanding. The vibe he exuded through his gestures didn’t match a shrewd businessman; instead, it resembled an underworld kingpin, exactly like the jokes they had made in private. =.=
Jian Tang was also staring fixedly at him. He didn’t pay much attention to the man’s outer appearance because it was standard practice for task takers to wear a “fake face mask.” He was one hundred percent certain that this fellow was wearing a disguise, and “CEO Feng” was most likely a pseudonym. Right now, Jian Tang was far more concerned about the reason behind the man’s sudden arrival, whether he would stay at the company long-term, and how he could best fulfill his undercover duties from here on out.
Aside from that single, simplistic “Mm,” CEO Feng offered no further remarks. None of the staff dared to sit down without permission, each standing as straight as a ramrod.
After a long pause, the man finally stepped toward the crowd.
His steps were slow and steady. Every time he passed by a person, he would halt and scrutinize them for a few seconds. His gaze was so piercing that it gave people the sensation that their very souls were being seen through, making them shiver in spite of themselves.
CEO Feng’s aura was entirely too powerful!
Jian Tang was bewildered at first, until he noticed that every colleague subjected to that “examination” turned pale and trembled at the lips. It hit him: Wait… don’t tell me he’s searching for an undercover spy?
Task takers had access to an bizarre variety of system items, and Jian Tang had no idea what method this man might use to bait out a spy. His heart instantly began to leap about in suspense.
Before he could devise a countermeasure, CEO Feng was already standing right in front of him.
He’s here, he’s here! A loud alarm blared in Jian Tang’s heart: I must hold my ground! I can’t show any fear… Huh?
CEO Feng merely glanced at him before moving on to the next person. Before Jian Tang could even feel the tension begin, the inspection had already concluded.
Jian Tang: ? That’s it?
Feng Xun completed his circuit and found that among these human employees, not a single one resembled an undercover agent. He had even intentionally exerted a trace of spiritual pressure, yet he failed to smoke out any suspicious elements. It was truly bizarre.
Could it be that those Realm Lords had actually learned to behave themselves this time and hadn’t planted a spy in the company? Were they truly capable of being that law-abiding?
Lost in thought, Feng Xun took his seat at the head of the conference table. “Everyone, sit.”
The crowd let out a collective sigh of relief and hurriedly took their seats.
“I have been occupied with other matters previously, which is why I haven’t met with you all until now,” CEO Feng said. “Now, I will say a few brief words.”
The highly experienced colleagues promptly fished out the notebooks they had prepared well in advance, striking a posture of listening with rapt attention. A leader’s “few brief words” was bound to be a long-winded, ceaseless lecture; in short, they were fully prepared for a war of attrition.
“First, our company operates with a clean background, complies with the law, and harbors no illicit ties.”
“Second, if any of you have suggestions regarding benefits and compensation, feel free to voice them proactively. The company will adopt them as appropriate.”
Having delivered these points, the man stood up and waved his hand. “Very well, meeting adjourned.”
Then, he left.
The entire staff was struck utterly dumb.
No, wait… when he said he would say a few brief words, he literally just said two sentences?!
Sister Xia from the administrative department was also stunned. Once she snapped out of it, she hurriedly gave chase, returning half a minute later with a thoroughly dazed look on her face. “CEO Feng has already left… It looks like he literally just came to clock in. He didn’t even step into his own office.”
The crowd: “???”
Jian Tang was left completely shell-shocked: My guy, I haven’t gathered a single piece of information yet, and you’ve already logged out after a mere appearance?!
Having gained absolutely nothing, a dejected Jian Tang went back to report to the Realm Lords. The three bosses weren’t particularly surprised by the little monster’s initial failure. After all, their opponent was the Bloody Butcher; it would be a miracle if anyone could easily extract useful information from him.
Fila, the Duke of Nightmares, gave it some thought and sent a private message to Jian Tang.
[Little Jellybean, I will mail you a bottle of “Dream Dust” tomorrow. If that fellow shows up at the company again, find an opportunity to sprinkle a bit on him.]
“Dream Dust” was a product of the Infinite Nightmare public instance—a unique anomalous item. It was colorless, odorless, and formless. Not only was it completely harmless to the human body, but it could also mend the user’s mental trauma by bestowing beautiful dreams upon them.
Most defensive items carried by task takers would not trigger an alert against “Dream Dust,” because it brought no danger or distress to its recipient; it only offered substantial benefits.
Fila wasn’t bringing out “Dream Dust” to let this precious healing item become another trophy for the Bloody Butcher; he purely intended to plant a tracking device on the man without raising any alarms. As a nightmare boss, he could trace the location of “Dream Dust” through the unique medium of dreams.
If they could get the Bloody Butcher tainted with “Dream Dust,” the Duke of Nightmares would be able to pinpoint his location, thereby deducing where this supposedly retired, strongest task taker had actually settled down.
Although they didn’t dare to provoke him at his doorstep right now, acquiring certain information was an advantage in its own right. Fila had no intention of allowing the Bloody Butcher to permanently maintain the upper hand in this partnership; they had to grasp more trump cards to secure greater benefits in their future maneuvers.
Hearing the details of the assignment Fila laid out, Jian Tang instantly grew nervous: “Didn’t you say I only needed to keep watch on the target? What if I actively tamper with him and he catches me?”
“The likelihood of him noticing is extremely low.” Fila knew the items from his own instance domain inside out and was entirely confident. “‘Dream Dust’ can only be identified using specific specialized items. If the target were inside an instance, it would indeed be possible for him to notice. But once he leaves an instance, he cannot see this substance at all. You can apply a bit of it onto documents or a teacup; as long as he touches it, he’ll be tainted.”
Jian Tang was highly hesitant, but Fila repeatedly clarified that the risk was exceptionally low and promised a bounty of perks, while also agreeing to supply him with several high-grade items to assist with the mission. He even promised that even if the mission failed, he wouldn’t blame him. After weighing it over and over, Jian Tang finally agreed.
Cross-dimensional item transmission was very expensive and took a long time. Jian Tang waited for two days before finally receiving the “postal package” sent over by the Duke of Nightmare.
The Duke of Nightmares had faithfully fulfilled his promise: along with the “Dream Dust,” the package contained quite a few high-grade items. After checking the instruction manuals for the items thoroughly, Jian Tang found that with the aid of these tools, completing the assignment really wouldn’t be too difficult.
From here on out, he only needed to wait for “CEO Feng” to manifest to launch his operation!
However, Jian Tang waited and waited, but CEO Feng never showed his face at the company again.
It was as if this fellow had an addiction to playing an elusive mastermind behind the scenes; aside from that baffling, hit-and-run visit, he continued to manage the company remotely, beautifully making himself invisible. Jian Tang couldn’t even manage to catch sight of half a strand of the man’s hair.
Time flowed smoothly, and in the blink of an eye, a month passed, bringing with it the local Qixi Festival.
Qixi fell on a Thursday this year, so both Jian Tang and Feng Xun needed to work normal hours. Since they lived together, commuted together, and frequently met up for lunch, there was no need to take a dedicated day off just to celebrate. They simply agreed to go out and happily celebrate the festival together after heading home from work.
When Jian Tang arrived at the company, he found that the administrative staff had actually decorated the entire reception area into a Qixi theme. Not only was there a rose archway, but there was also a massive floral display stand piled high with gorgeous bouquets.
“Happy Qixi, Little Tang!”
The moment Sister Xia saw Jian Tang, she happily handed him a bouquet of roses. The blossoms were delicate and beautiful, still bearing fresh morning dew as if they had only just been shipped over.
“Oh! Thank you!” Jian Tang accepted them in pleasant surprise. “Your department is so sweet, even celebrating the festival for us, haha.”
“It wasn’t us; this was CEO Feng’s idea,” Sister Xia said, tilting her chin. “Look over there, there’s a campaign personally planned by CEO Feng, and the prizes are incredibly grand. You should totally join in.”
Following her direction, Jian Tang noticed a wishing board set up on the feature wall behind the floral display stand. Affixed to it were several prominent, large colorful letters—[Let’s Get Married!]. The surface of the board below was already covered with the wishes and messages written by his colleagues.
“As long as you write down your visions and wishes regarding marriage, you can participate in a grand lucky draw,” Sister Xia explained. “The prizes are exceptionally grand. Even the consolation prize is a seven-day honeymoon trip to a holiday resort.”
Jian Tang: ? This is a campaign planned by CEO Feng? If he has the spare time for this, why on earth doesn’t he come to the office more often!
“This wishing campaign is absolutely perfect for you,” Sister Xia enthusiastically recommended. “CEO Feng stated that any employee who has a partner but hasn’t registered their marriage yet can skip the drawing process entirely simply by leaving a message on the wishing board. The company will directly sponsor a luxurious wedding of the century for them, topped with an open-ended honeymoon package. Little Tang, don’t you have a boyfriend? If the two of you have plans to wed, you can seriously sign up right here!”
Wow, it’s that amazing? Jian Tang was shocked.
They could actually get married on the company dime, and it even covered the honeymoon trip!
But he had only been dating for a single month. According to human relationship timelines, it was only reliable to wait at least a year from dating to marriage.
Even though the company perks were generous and highly tempting, he couldn’t rashly jump into a flash marriage just out of greed for petty advantages. That would make it seem like he treated this relationship as a joke, and Feng Xun wouldn’t be happy if he found out either. He had to be a responsible head of the household!
“I think I’ll skip it after all,” Jian Tang said, letting go of the opportunity with an aching heart. “Are there any other activities?”
“There are, but they’re just minor games our department put together ourselves,” Sister Xia said. “Without CEO Feng’s sponsorship, the prizes aren’t as grand, but they’re still quite fun. Do you want to join?”
“Yes!”
Half an hour later, having had a thorough blast playing games, a joyous Jian Tang returned to his small private office and snapped a group photo of the prizes he had won: a box of liqueur chocolates, two preserved flowers, a pair of couple earphones, and a Valentine’s Day greeting card.
He sent the photo to Feng Xun: [Look! My haul for today! The company perks are seriously amazing!]
The other side replied in a split second: [Just these?]
My Sweet Candy: [What do you mean ‘just these’? This is already a lot! I won every single minigame. Sister Xia kept praising my reaction speed, calling me the king of team-building minigames! o(?v?)o]
Boyfriend: [You only participated in the minigames? You didn’t participate in anything else? Like signing your name somewhere or leaving a message?]
My Sweet Candy: [Nope.]
Boyfriend: […]
My Sweet Candy: [Oh! I remember now! There actually was one more!]
Boyfriend: [What was it?]
My Sweet Candy: [Brother Cheng from the logistics department set up a temporary betting pool, wagering on whether CEO Feng would show his face today. The stake he brought out this time is a voucher for a couple’s suite experience that he won in an online draw a few days ago. I heard it’s provided by a newly opened hot spring inn. Hehe, if I win, let’s go together?]
Boyfriend: […]
Boyfriend: [Which side did you bet on?]
My Sweet Candy: [I bet that CEO Feng will come.]
In truth, this kind of betting pool had already become a daily fixture within the company. Everyone loved to wager on this matter at the drop of a hat, purely for a bit of fun.
Previously, in order to complete the “Dream Dust” task assigned by Fila, Jian Tang had betted “CEO Feng will come” every single time, yet the man consistently failed to appear. Over time, Jian Tang had gradually lost his initial drive, and even the Duke of Nightmares tacitly accepted that there was no hope of completing the task, long since ceasing to bring the matter up to Jian Tang.
Today, someone had set up another pool to tap into the festive energy, and out of sheer habit, Jian Tang still placed his bet on “CEO Feng will come,” though in his heart, he harbored absolutely no expectations. If the man intended to show up today, he would have tipped off the administrative department well in advance when planning the Qixi event. But since the administrative department hadn’t breathed a word about it, it naturally indicated that CEO Feng would continue to act as the mastermind behind the curtains today.
Therefore, absolutely no one anticipated that just half an hour after the company’s Qixi activities concluded, CEO Feng actually arrived in the flesh!
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