Shanghai, a city intertwined with desire and power, its core seems to be solidified in this office at the top of a skyscraper. Hong Yilan, the business queen who can stir up storms in Shanghai, is sitting upright on her throne - a pear blossom wood desk created by a top designer. Sunlight streams in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, reflecting on her impeccable makeup and perfectly tailored suit, coating her with a layer of cold brilliance, like an inviolable jade sculpture. Her eyes are like quenched cold steel, sharp and majestic, and the surrounding air is stagnant because of her presence. Anyone who enters this place immediately collects their thoughts and humbles themselves.
However, this tight control was easily broken by an abrupt figure. The door was pushed open, not with the secretary's respectful report, but with a "hey" full of local flavor. Hong Yilan frowned slightly and looked up.
What an incongruous existence she beheld. "Huang Mao" – his very name reeked of inferiority, a trait he embodied to his core. His short, thin frame looked as if a gust of wind could knock him over; his greasy, Huang Mao stuck up like weeds; his face was riddled with acne scars left over from puberty, and crust still lingered in the corners of his eyes; he wore a wrinkled, cheap T-shirt and faded jeans, with mud-splattered sneakers. He stood there like a dung beetle that had inadvertently wandered into the imperial garden, out of place and repulsive.
A hint of impatience flashed in Hong Yilan's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by professional indifference. "Who are you? Where's my secretary? Who allowed you in here?" Her voice was deep and magnetic, yet carried an undeniable air of authority, enough to make any ordinary person tremble and retreat.
The blond-haired man, however, seemed not to hear her, grinning to reveal a set of yellowed teeth. "President Hong, don't be so standoffish. My name is Huang, Huang Mao. I have a little something I'd like to discuss with you." He stepped inside, showing no sign of stopping, and headed straight for the desk that symbolized power. Each step seemed so casual, so crude, yet carried an inexplicable, blatant offense.
Hong Yilan's face darkened. She rarely encountered such a clueless person. Where were the bodyguards? Why had her security system failed? "Who exactly are you? Get out immediately! Otherwise, I'll call security." Her finger was already pressing the intercom button on the desk, but the yellow-haired man's next move froze her.
Huang Mao walked to the table and met her gaze across the smooth surface. In his cloudy, small eyes, there was none of the awe or flattery that most people showed in her presence, only a strange, almost fishy confidence. He didn't speak, but took something out of his pants pocket. It was an ordinary black USB drive, lying quietly in his palm.
"President Hong," he began, lowering his voice slightly, but the contempt in his tone was even stronger, "you're so busy with important matters, you probably don't have time to worry about small things at home, right? Like... your son, Young Master Huang's, academic performance?"
"What does my son have to do with you?" Hong Yilan's internal alarm bells were ringing, but on the surface, she remained calm. Her son's studies? He's at boarding school in England, and everything is arranged. What does this person know?
Huang Mao sneered, a nasal laugh that was as grating as fingernails on a chalkboard. "Hey, it's not just a connection, it's a huge one." He hefted the USB drive in his hand. "This little thing contains some... very interesting information. About young Master Huang's little tricks during the final exam. Cheating evidence, complete videos and screenshots, and his chat logs with some classmates. Enough to get him expelled from school, right? Oh, and if this stuff falls into the hands of the media... tsk tsk, guess what the headlines in Shanghai will be?"
These words struck Hong Yilan like a thunderbolt. The color drained from her face, and for the first time, cracks appeared in her cold, pool-like eyes. Her son cheating? Evidence? How could that be! Her son may be a playboy, but he would never do such a thing! Unless... unless someone framed him.
"You're talking nonsense!" she shouted sharply, trying to overwhelm him with her imposing manner. However, a subtle tremor had already crept into her voice.
Huang Mao shrugged, as if expecting her reaction. "President Hong, I'm not making this up. See for yourself?" As he spoke, he walked as if no one else was there to the side of the desk, bent down, and inserted a USB drive into a computer port under her desk. Then he straightened up, tapping lightly on the desk with his fingers, as if operating something.
Hong Yilan sat in the chair, unable to move as if targeted by a poisonous snake. She wanted to pounce on him and snatch the USB drive, wanted to call someone in to throw this disgusting man out, but deep down, a cold fear was spreading rapidly. She knew too well that since this man dared to break into her presence, he must have something in his hands that she was afraid of. Her son's reputation, the Huang family's prestige, everything she had built up, all depended on that small USB drive.
The computer screen lit up, but Huang Mao didn't open the folder. Instead, he just displayed the USB drive's directory on the screen. Several file names glaringly caught Hong Yilan's eye: "Huang Shao's Final Exam Surveillance.mp4", "Cheating Process Screenshots", "Chat Logs.txt". Every word was like a sharp knife, piercing her heart deeply.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm her churning thoughts. "What do you want?" Her voice was dry, with a desperate huskiness.
The obnoxious smile on the blonde's face widened. He finally dropped the pretense, revealing his inner fangs. "President Hong is indeed a smart person, understands immediately. My demands aren't high." He slowly surveyed the luxurious office, his gaze lingering on her for a moment, filled with a blatant, undisguised lust. "I just think that someone like you, such a big figure, so high above, must be living a very boring life. I want to add some... spice to your life."
"Condiments?" Hong Yilan clenched her fist, her fingernails digging deeply into her palm. What game is this person trying to play? Does he want money? Power? Or something else?
Huang Mao refocused his gaze on her face, his small eyes gleaming with unsettling light. "That's right, the seasoning," he said casually, as if discussing the weather. "From now on, you have to listen to me. If I say go east, you can't go west. If I say stand, you can't sit. If I say kneel..." He paused, licking his lips in a sickeningly lewd gesture, "...you'll have to kneel."
Hong Yilan abruptly stood up, the chair scraping with a harsh sound. "You're dreaming!" she shouted fiercely, all pretense collapsing at that moment. She was used to being high above, when had she ever suffered such humiliation? Listen to this bug? Let her...kneel?! This was simply a huge joke!
Huang Mao was not intimidated by her anger in the slightest. Instead, he leaned leisurely against her desk. "Dreaming? President Hong, are you sure you're not the one dreaming?" The smile on his face disappeared, replaced by a cold, emotionless cruelty. "Don't forget, with just a click from me, the contents of that USB drive will spread all over the world. At that point, not only will your son's reputation be ruined, but even your company will likely be affected. Stock price plummeting? Partners withdrawing investment? The media's criticism will drown you. Do you think that this price is worth it for you to listen to me?"
He approached step by step, and although he was short, he exuded an irresistible sense of oppression. In those small eyes, there was naked threat and playfulness. "Moreover," he lowered his voice, with a chilling hint of seduction, "when I say 'be obedient,' it's not just about business. Director Hong, a beautiful woman like you, a woman with so much charm, aren't you tired of always putting on airs? Sometimes, changing the way you live might lead you to discover different pleasures, don't you think?"
His gaze roamed uninhibitedly over her body, from her delicate face to her high breasts, to her slender legs. That aggressive gaze made Hong Yilan feel disgusted, as if she were being caressed by countless filthy hands.
"What do you want to do?" Her voice was trembling, not from fear, but from extreme anger and humiliation. However, this trembling, in the yellow-haired man's eyes, was undoubtedly the collapse of her defenses.
The blonde didn't answer, only reached out his hand across the table, as if wanting to touch her cheek. Hong Yilan took a step back reflexively, as if she had touched something filthy.
"Don't want me to touch you?" The blonde retracted his hand, not annoyed, just continued to look at her with that chilling gaze. "It doesn't matter, there will be plenty of opportunities in the future. President Hong, I'm here today to inform you. From now on, your life is up to me. Will you resist, and have your son's future ruined and your reputation destroyed? Or will you be obedient and let me... train you?"
Domestication. These two words shot into Hong Yilan's heart like poisoned arrows. She felt all the blood in her body rush to her head, and anger almost burned her to ashes. She, Hong Yilan, the queen of Shanghai, was actually being threatened, manipulated, and even threatened with "domestication" by such a man? This was a shame she had never experienced in her life.
She stared at the yellow-haired man's ugly face, malice flickering in his eyes. She knew that this man meant what he said and would do what he threatened. He held in his hands a weapon powerful enough to destroy everything she had.
The office was deathly silent, filled only with Hong Yilan's rapid breathing and the chilling smile on the yellow-haired man's face. She stood there, her former authority gone, replaced by a powerless trembling. Her pride in her strength crumbled at this moment, before this despicable insect of a man. She understood that from this second on, her world would be completely overturned.