One person said: The essence of Wuhou Qimen lies not in Qimen, but in Wuhou.

As Zhao Fangxu hung up the red hotline, before he had even fully retracted the hand that had placed the receiver back on the landline, his other hand had already pulled out his personal cell phone from the inside pocket of his suit jacket.

His movements were slow, but they had an instinctive reaction when he was cornered—the red hotline was for those above him, and the mobile phone was for those below him; two systems, two languages, he had switched between the two for twenty years without ever making a mistake.

The screen lit up, and the name "Xu Si" appeared first in the recent calls in the contact list.

He pressed it down and put the phone to his ear.

The phone rang several times before it was answered.

The background sounds coming from the other end were the whistling wind and the low rumble of a car engine, indicating that the person was still on the road.

"Feed—Chairman Zhao!"

Xu Si's voice was noticeably breathless, carrying the anxiety of being chased by a mountain of tasks, but he still tried his best to maintain the respect due to a superior. "I'm in Tianjin right now, on my way there! Why did you suddenly call? Did you hear something?"

Zhao Fangxu leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples with his other hand.

His tone was calm and restrained, every word carefully considered: "Xu Si, I need to inform you. Regarding your employee Zhang Chulan from the North China region, who was absent from work without cause and left the area without permission—this matter has been reported according to organizational procedures. Director Zhuge of the Party Committee's Inspection Office is already aware of the situation."

He paused, emphasizing the reassuring tone in his voice: "Don't feel burdened. And don't harbor any resentment. This is a normal work reporting procedure, and every comrade must follow it. As the head of the North China region, your immediate priority is to do your job well and clarify the situation. The organization will not wrong any hardworking comrade."

At this moment, Xu Si was sitting in the back seat of a nearly new black sedan, the Tianjin street scene outside the car window rushing past in the night.

Upon hearing Zhao Fangxu's words, the hand holding the phone froze for two seconds, and the expression on his face underwent an extreme switch from anxiety to shock and then to suppressing shock.

The switch was so fast that his facial features hadn't even had time to fully unfold before he forcibly pressed them back, finally freezing on a bizarre expression that was "uglier than eating shit but he had to smile."

His brain went blank for about two seconds.

Director Zhuge already knows.

Director Zhuge already knows.

...

The sentence played in his mind three times, each time feeling like a brick hitting his heart.

Then he took a deep breath and spoke in a tone that was honed by decades of hardship in society, a tone that was a mixture of respect and helplessness: "Chairman Zhao, the problem now is—this Zhang Chulan, not only did he skip work without permission, but it is also a confirmed and conclusive serious violation of discipline."

This completely violates Articles 7 and 12 of the company's labor contract. I can deal with him seriously in accordance with the Contract Law and the company's relevant management system. Don't worry, leave this to me. I'll be there immediately and bring him back right away. He's just a poor college student—he can't afford the penalty for breach of contract!

When he mentioned "poor college students," his tone rose slightly, as if grasping at a lifeline, before quickly subsiding, his voice becoming respectful and sincere again: "How did this matter manage to involve Chairman Zhao and Director Zhuge? It's my negligence; I failed to lead the team properly. Please rest assured, leaders—I, Xu Si, guarantee that it will absolutely not affect subsequent work!"

After listening, Zhao Fangxu remained silent for a second.

He wasn't choked up, but he silently sighed for Xu Si in his heart.

When he spoke, every word was steady and clear, but if you listened carefully, you could discern a hint of guidance and protection from an elder to a younger person, hidden behind businesslike wording, easily missed if you didn't pay close attention: "Xu Si, it's good that you understand. You must remember one thing—Zhang Chulan is an employee of your North China regional company, that's an established fact."

Even if he makes a mistake or breaks the rules, as his direct supervisor, you must ensure his personal safety and prevent any mishaps. After all, he's a college student, young, lacking social experience, and may not understand some rules or be able to handle certain situations well. These rules—all require you, as his supervisor, to teach and guide him. This is indeed a dereliction of duty on your part, and you should be aware of that.

He changed his tone, shifting from advice to a calm and deliberate arrangement: "But you don't need to be too hasty. Haste won't solve anything. Feng Zhenghao, one of the Ten Elders, is no simple character. He's someone who can establish himself in both the business world and the world of supernatural beings. If you rashly go head-to-head with him, you'll only suffer. Don't act rashly."

What you need to do now is confirm Zhang Chulan's exact location again—I need 100% certainty, with no room for ambiguity. Confirm that our employee Zhang Chulan is within Feng Zhenghao's Tianxia Hui Group. Tomorrow morning, Director Zhuge and I will go to the Tianxia Hui headquarters in Tianjin. This is a work arrangement; don't feel pressured, just do your job well.

Upon hearing these words, Xu Si gave a perfectly executed fake smile.

That fake smile was pieced together with the last shred of his rationality and professionalism; the upward curve of his lips was just enough to be called a "smile," but the muscles at the corners of his eyes didn't move an inch.

He spoke in a submissive tone, the kind that comes from years of experience and hardship: "I will resolutely obey the leader's arrangements! Please rest assured, I will personally carry them out and report back to the leader as soon as there are results!"

……

The phone hangs up.

Xu Si took the phone away from his ear, his hands hanging limply on his knees, and slowly stuffed the phone back into his pocket.

His expression had completely calmed down; there was no anger, no anxiety, and no trace of the fake smile from before.

There was nothing there.

Perhaps because the change in expression during that phone call had completely depleted his emotional reserves, his face now resembled a wrung-out rag, clean except for the lines of exhaustion.

Then he calmly took out a cigarette case and a lighter from another pocket.

The cigarette pack was already half-deformed, and the lighter was one of those cheap plastic ones that cost a dollar.

He put the cigarette in his mouth and pressed the button on the lighter with his thumb.

Click.

No luck.

Click-clack.

Still no luck.

Click, click, click—the lighter only produced a series of dry, metallic scraping sounds under his repeated rubbing of his thumb, without even a spark popping out.

It's out of breath.

Xu Si froze, his thumb still pressed against the lighter, and the cigarette still dangling from his lips.

The entire car was silent for a full two seconds.

Then he took the cigarette out of his mouth, placed it in his palm, and slowly closed his five fingers.

The cigarette was crushed into powder in his palm, and the tobacco shreds fell through his fingers and landed on his knees.

A crack finally appeared on the calm of his face, and from that crack squeezed out a sentence, not loud, but each word seemed to be ground out from between his teeth: "There are bad people among the crowd. Who is it that cares about me so much—if I find out, I will definitely thank you properly. Here's a big hug for you."