The next day was a sunny Friday. Just eight hours till the weekend—Fang Tianzhuo was giddy, still buzzing from last night. But those eight hours dragged.
The marketing department was called in first thing, the manager tearing into Fang Tianzhuo and the other planners. Donghua Company had tanked lately—project after project lost to their rival, Zhengyang.
Fang Tianzhuo seethed. He was a nobody at Donghua, just following orders. And Zhengyang was outbidding them, greasing more palms with the government. The manager's rage was understandable—real estate was Donghua's cash cow—but still.
When he got home, Xu Yanran was unpacking, looking tired. She was in just her thermal underwear, obviously fresh from a nap—she'd been due back that morning, but the trip must've wiped her out. The tight fabric clung to her curves, her long neck bared, pale skin glowing. She looked… irresistible.
Fang Tianzhuo pulled her close, pinning her to the bed, stripping away the layers. She kissed him back fiercely, wrapping her legs around him. It had been a week—too long. The world faded, leaving only the two of them, tangled in sunlight and sheets.
Later, Fang Tianzhuo lit a cigarette, the smoke curling over her. She wrinkled her nose, coughing.
"Ran into Tianwei and Xiaochan last night. They're both in Wuhan." He lay beside her, spent.
"Really? Did they finally get together?" Yanran smiled.
"Nah. Xiaochan still keeps him at a distance. I don't get it—Tianwei's a mess, but he loves her. For real." Fang Tianzhuo sighed.
Yanran's smile faded. She said nothing.
"You know what else? Donghua is being acquired by Zhengyang. That's what the training in Shanghai was about—learning their systems. They're setting up a central China headquarters here, and get this—the president's some guy under thirty. Studied in Japan, nephew of Zhengyang's big boss…" She rambled, her voice bright with admiration, even awe.
Yanran was a force—always competing, even back in school. She'd vied with Xiaochan, then with other top students. Calm on the surface, but a firecracker underneath. A go-getter. Her track record proved it—six months at Donghua, and she was already a key player in marketing.
Zhengyang was big in real estate, too—Donghua's worst enemy. Their battlefield? Central China, still undeveloped compared to Beijing or Shanghai. With sky-high prices elsewhere, this region was the new gold rush. Zhengyang's Wuhan headquarters wasn't just about expansion—it was a declaration of war on Donghua, based right here.
Fang Tianzhuo's gut twisted. What if work pitted him against Yanran?
She headed to the kitchen to cook, and he lit another cigarette, brooding. The job was stable, but unfulfilling. He'd stagnated—too squeamish to take clients to saunas or KTVs, too principled to play the game. Half the time, he ended up awkwardly bailing at the door, embarrassing everyone.
He worked with contractors, suppliers—"clients," technically. The big bidding wars? That was above his pay grade. But real estate in China… it was dirty. From executives to salesmen, everyone schmoozed—drinking, gambling, worse—with officials and partners.
Fang Tianzhuo had resisted, all for Yanran. He couldn't bear to betray her, not even a little.
But her success? It worried him. Not out of pride—he was proud of her—but… what was she doing to climb so fast? Was she letting clients grope her? Getting drunk to seal deals? Sacrificing pieces of herself? He couldn't finish the thought. Her ambition, her hunger for more—they scared him.
And then, as if his fears had summoned it, Donghua erupted into panic. Zhengyang's move had everyone on edge. Luo Minghao, Donghua's chairman and CEO, started haunting the marketing department.
Luo was a legend—fiftyish, but sharp as a tack, with jet-black hair and a trim build that made him look forty. He walked with purpose, thought in tangents, and kept everyone guessing. Most mysterious? The billionaire was single—no wife, no kids. The office called him "Diamond Luo," the ultimate catch.
At Monday's meeting, Luo brought in the execs, dissecting their losses. The biggest blow? Losing a key Japanese partner—one that held the purse strings for Donghua's crown jewel: Tianfu Fairy City. A twenty-billion, ten-year project—redeveloping the old city into a mega-complex: a pedestrian mall, amusement park, sports center. The crown jewel? A lakeside shopping street, where you could sip coffee with a view. But the Japanese had pulled out, lured by Zhengyang. The whole project was collapsing, along with millions in demolition costs.
Japanese? Fang Tianzhuo thought of the lecher at Longxiang. The same bastards his grandfather's generation had fought to expel—now courted like kings by both companies.
The manager pulled up photos of Zhengyang's central China president and the Japanese partner. Fang Tianzhuo's blood ran cold. The president was young, elegant—Mr. Wang from the hotel. And the Japanese creep? The one who'd harassed Xiaochan. So Gao Tianwei worked for this Mr. Wang—Zhengyang's golden boy.
In days, his best friend and his girlfriend were on the enemy team. He prayed their jobs wouldn't turn them into rivals. But worse—this Mr. Wang. Young, polished, a billionaire's nephew, a Tokyo-educated prodigy. Wealth, status, brains—all wrapped in that suave package. What chance did he have against that? Yanran was ambitious, beautiful—how long till that temptation proved too strong?
Fang Tianzhuo stared at the photo, memorizing the name beneath it.
Wang Shaolong.
A chill ran through him. The wolf was already at the door.