"Mr. Li, congratulations!" Gang Zi's voice was unduly cheerful for such an ungodly hour as he was standing at the foot of the Li Hao's bed.
"Finally, you're getting married! I'm so happy for you."
A surge of pure, unadulterated annoyance jolted Li Hao fully awake. He snatched a silk pillow from under his head and, without hesitation, hurled it at Gang Zi.
"Who the fuck is getting married?!" he roared, his voice rough with sleep and fury. "Just get lost!"
Gang Zi neatly sidestepped the projectile, his smile unwavering.
"Oh, Mr. Li, there's no need to be shy now! The cat's out of the bag. And please, do get up. I have truly great news to tell you."
Li Hao pushed himself up, propping his lean, muscular frame against the headboard, his expression a thundercloud.
"Great news? What 'great news' could possibly warrant this intrusion at… what time is it, anyway?"
Gang Zi glanced at his watch.
"Almost eight, Mr. Li. And the news is splendid! After your dating news with Miss Yuna revealed skyrocketed our company's stocks yesterday, the official announcement of your impending marriage settlement has sent them through the roof this morning!
This union is proving incredibly profitable for Li Defense Research and Development, not just financially, but for strategic partnerships too!"
Li Hao's eyebrows, dark and thick, furrowed into a deep V. He glared at Gang Zi, his mind struggling to process the bizarre pronouncements.
"What… what dating? What the hell are you talking about, Gang Zi? Don't mess with me in the morning, I'm not in the mood."
Gang Zi's cheerful demeanor faltered, replaced by genuine bewilderment. "Mr. Li, you are dating Miss Yuna, aren't you? Remember that blind date your father arranged last week?"
"Who the fuck said I'm dating Yuna?" Li Hao's voice rose, a dangerous edge creeping into it.
"It was a forced date, a political maneuver by that old man,nothing else! We had dinner. That's it! There was no 'dating,' and certainly no 'impending marriage'!"
Unperturbed, Gang Zi pulled out his phone, his thumb flying across the screen. "The whole world is saying it, Mr. Li, not just me. Look at this."
He thrust the device forward.
Li Hao shot a withering glance at the phone screen, then snatched it from Gang Zi's hand with a sudden, violent movement. His eyes, now wide open and blazing, scanned the bold headlines. The words seemed to jump out at him, each one a fresh stab of disbelief and outrage:
*BREAKING NEWS: A DYNASTIC ALLIANCE! LI HAO, CEO OF LI DEFENSE, AND YUNA, DAUGHTER OF DONGFANG DEFENSE CHAIRMAN, TO WED! "A POWERHOUSE PARTNERSHIP: MARRIAGE TO COLLABORATE TWO DEFENSE SECTOR GIANTS, USHERING IN A NEW ERA OF INNOVATION AND DOMINANCE.*
Below the sensational headlines, a candid photograph dominated the screen. It was him, Li Hao, sitting opposite Yuna in a dimly lit, upscale restaurant.
His gaze in the photo was unmistakably directed downwards, towards Yuna's chest, which was elegantly, if revealingly, framed by the neckline of her dress. Her expression was demure, almost shy. Li Hao, however, looked like a lecher caught in the act.
A guttural curse ripped from Li Hao's throat. "Fuck! Who the fuck took this photo?!" He jabbed a furious finger at the screen.
"It looks like I'm staring at her breasts! What a great angle, huh? What impeccable timing!"
Gang Zi, who had been trying to stifle a chuckle, finally let out a nervous laugh. "Must be a professional photographer, Mr. Li. You looked… exceptionally candid in that shot."
"Shut your fucking mouth!" Li Hao bellowed, leaping off the bed. He was suddenly fully dressed, not literally, but in the sense of his mind being completely alert and ready for battle.
"Go! Find me the person who took this picture! I will personally remind him that it was his last picture ever taken!"
Gang Zi's laughter died instantly. He understood the lethal glint in Li Hao's eyes. His boss, usually cool and calculating, was in a rare, murderous fury. Better to be efficient than witty.
"Right away, Mr. Li!" Gang Zi nodded sharply, his face now grim. "Just give me a few minutes. That person will be on his knees in front of you shortly."
With that, he turned on his heel and strode out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
Li Hao walked over to his bedside table, his movements precise despite his seething anger. He pulled out a sleek silver lighter and a cigarette from a small, elegant box.
The flame flickered to life, and he inhaled deeply, the acrid smoke filling his lungs. He exhaled slowly, watching the tendrils curl towards the ceiling.
"So, you're playing dirty tricks with me, huh, old man?" he muttered, his voice low and dangerous, barely a whisper in the silent room. "You think your pathetic games, your manufactured headlines, will pressure me into getting married? You truly underestimate me, Mr. Li."
A long moment passed. Li Hao stood by the window, the city beginning to stir below, his thoughts a whirlwind of frustration and growing resolve. He meticulously finished his cigarette, stubbing it out in the crystal ashtray. Then, with a sigh that was more an act of steeling himself than resignation, he made his way to the large, luxurious sofa in the corner of his room.
He picked up Gang Zi's phone again, scrolling through the deluge of articles that had erupted overnight.
The headlines were all variations on a theme:
*Li Hao, the notoriously private, intimidating CEO, had finally found his match. The corporate world was buzzing.*
He saw several more pictures, all carefully curated, painting a narrative of a blossoming romance. He even saw a few that highlighted his past "ruthlessness" now being "tamed" by the beautiful Yuna.
A cold, mirthless smirk touched Li Hao's lips. "Well played, Mr. Li." he murmured, scrolling through the articles that sang praises of the impending union.
"You certainly spent good money on these articles. A veritable symphony of propaganda."
Just then, the door burst open. Gang Zi stepped inside, dragging a man by the collar of his shirt. The man, clearly terrified, was disheveled, his face slick with sweat, his eyes wide and panicked.
Gang Zi didn't bother with pleasantries, unceremoniously throwing the man at Li Hao's feet.
"Mr. Li," Gang Zi announced, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. "He's the one. Works in the kitchen at 'The Obsidian Rose,' the hotel where you went for your blind date. He was hiding in the service alley, apparently."
The man scrambled, immediately grabbing Li Hao's legs, his trembling hands clutching at the fabric of his trousers.
"Mr. Li… Mr. Li…" he stammered, his voice choked with fear. "It was all your father's orders! I didn't do it on purpose, I swear! Please, Mr. Li, spare me!"
Li Hao scoffed, a cold, hard sound. With a fluid motion, he reached into his bedside drawer, pulling out a silenced pistol. He pressed the cold muzzle against the man's temple. The man whimpered, his eyes rolling back in his head.
"You had the audacity to click this type of picture," Li Hao growled, holding up Gang Zi's phone to show the man the offending image — the one where he appeared to be ogling Yuna's chest — "and send it to 'that old man'?"
The man's body trembled violently, a desperate sob escaping him.
"Mr. Li, I… I sent more decent pictures than just this one! I swear! But somehow your father… he must have chosen this particular one by mistake, or… or just to get attention! I have all the pictures from that night, sir! All of them!"
He fumbled frantically for his own phone, his hands shaking so badly he almost dropped it.
With trembling fingers, the man unlocked his phone and held it up, showing Li Hao a gallery of images from the blind date.
Indeed, there were dozens of photos: Li Hao looking bored, Li Hao looking at his watch, Li Hao staring out the window, Li Hao with a polite but clearly disinterested expression while Yuna spoke.
They were all perfectly decent, accurately portraying Li Hao's utter lack of interest in the date itself. It was painfully clear that, among a collection of innocuous images, his father had deliberately selected that one particular, incriminating photo, precisely to create the sensational narrative and exert maximum pressure.
Li Hao's face darkened, a storm brewing in his eyes. The gun remained pressed against the photographer's temple for another long, agonizing moment, then Li Hao slowly, deliberately, pulled it away. He stood up, his gaze distant, focused on something beyond the room, beyond the cowering man.
The anger at the photographer had dissipated, replaced by a cold, searing wrath directed purely at one man: his father.
Without another word, Li Hao dropped Gang Zi's phone onto the sofa. His jaw was set, his shoulders rigid. He strode past Gang Zi, past the whimpering photographer, and out of the room, his footsteps echoing with an ominous finality.
He had a visit to make, and it wouldn't be a pleasant one.