Living in a county town, starting as a stock market maker...

in the office.

Gu Ming looked at the girl's back, which was covered in injuries; she had shown him everything without reservation.

For the first time, he felt both admiration and a little fear towards someone.

This isn't an employee talking to their boss; it's a soldier surrendering his life to his general.

He remained silent for a long time, so long that Chen Mo's ramrod-straight body began to stiffen.

Then, finally, I stood up.

He didn't help her up, nor did he say a single polite word of comfort.

He simply walked over to her, picked up the black sports jacket from the chair, and draped it over her shoulders again, covering the frightening scar.

"Get dressed."

His voice was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, but it was warmer than any previous command.

Chen Mo stiffened for a moment. She silently put on her coat, turned around, and looked at Gu Ming with some confusion.

Gu Ming didn't look at her.

His gaze fell on the ridiculous "contract of servitude" on the table.

He reached out and picked up the few sheets of paper.

Then, under Chen Mo's shocked gaze, without even thinking, he tore it in half.

Tear it again.

The contract she had made so determined to sign turned into a pile of waste paper, which he threw into the trash can.

"You..." Chen Mo's lips moved, but he didn't know what to say.

Gu Ming then looked up and looked directly at her.

"Chen Mo, listen carefully."

"I brought you from the construction site, paid your medical expenses, and hired the best rehabilitation therapists for you, not so that you would become my slave."

"I've spent so much money and effort because of your talent, your value."

He pointed to his temple, then to her.

"What I need is a warrior who can stand by my side, charge forward for me, and conquer every camera angle."

"A comrade-in-arms."

"Not a lackey who only knows how to kneel and wag his tail to beg for things."

"Your life is your own, and so is your destiny. Consider your father's surgery fee as my advance salary, and you will repay it to me honestly and squarely from every penny you earn in the future."

"I don't want you to risk your life, I just want you to use all your skills in front of the camera."

"Did you understand?"

His words exploded in Chen Mo's mind like a thunderclap.

She looked into Gu Ming's unfathomable eyes, where there was no pity or sympathy, only the purest recognition and respect for "value".

This kind of respect makes her feel better than any monetary handout.

She always thought that her relationship with Gu Ming was like that of an ancient assassin and his master.

Her master saved her family, so she sold her life to him.

It is justified.

But now, Gu Ming is telling her...

Don't take her life.

He wanted her to be a "comrade-in-arms" who would fight alongside him.

For the first time, Chen Mo's eyes welled up with tears.

She bit her lower lip hard, trying not to let that feeling of weakness show.

She didn't say "thank you".

Because she knew that for the man in front of her, the words "thank you" were the most useless nonsense.

She simply nodded emphatically.

Then, with all his might, he squeezed out a single word from his throat.

"Yes."

From that moment on, she truly, from the bottom of her heart, accepted this boss.

It wasn't out of fear, nor out of gratitude.

Rather, it was because he gave her something she had never dared to imagine.

--respect.

"Go back and rest." Gu Ming waved his hand. "The rehabilitation training will continue as usual at seven o'clock tomorrow morning. I don't want to see you late."

"Yes, boss."

Chen Mo turned around and left the office with more steady steps than when he came in.

The office door closed again.

Gu Ming felt as if all his strength had been drained away.

He collapsed back into the boss's chair, utterly exhausted, feeling a weariness he had never experienced before, a weariness that went straight to his bones.

He went through so much that night.

His mother was crying and questioning him, and the house was in a huge uproar.

Su Qingying and Shen An'an had a huge misunderstanding, and there was also Li Li's dirty and disgusting "sexual repayment" farce.

Finally, there was Chen Mo, whose heavy, sacrificial-like loyalty startled even him.

Emotions, morality, and humanity...

These things, which he looked down upon the most when he was a big boss in his previous life, took turns to tormenting him in the most ruthless and extreme ways on the night of his rebirth.

He looked out the window at the quiet night view of Hegang. The city was asleep, with only a few scattered lights, like tired eyes.

For the first time, he began to feel a little lost.

Why did I get myself reborn?

Is it just like a bulldozer, endlessly crushing opponents like Zhou Jianjun and Li Li?

It's all about constantly scheming, planning, and manipulating to make one project after another a success, building up a cold, hard business empire.

and then?

What is the end of an empire?

More money? Higher status? Or... another, larger battlefield he must conquer?

Just as he was lost in thought and almost forgot who he was.

A piercing cell phone ring startled him from his thoughts.

He picked up his phone and glanced at the incoming call.

An unfamiliar Beijing phone number with the area code "010".

Who could it be so late?

Su Qingying? She has his private account; she wouldn't use this to call.

Shen An'an? That's even more impossible. That girl is probably fast asleep, hugging her pillow.

Gu Ming frowned, a bad thought flashing through his mind.

But I still answered the call.

"Feed?"

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, a voice came over.

It was a man's voice.

He was very steady and amiable, even possessing a gentleness characteristic of elders.

But this gentle voice, coming through the phone, carried an innate air of authority that wouldn't let you interrupt.

The feeling is like standing at the foot of a mountain, and without even looking up, you can feel the overwhelming, suffocating pressure coming at you.

"Is this Mr. Gu Ming?"

The man asked slowly, in a tone of confirmation.

"I am." Gu Ming's heart sank suddenly.

On the other end of the phone, the man chuckled softly, seemingly appreciating his straightforward answer.

Then he threw out his second statement.

One sentence that is enough to make the heart stop for anyone who understands the Chinese capital circle.

"I am Shen An'an's father."

"Shen Guodong".

"boom--"

Gu Ming felt as if something in his head had suddenly exploded.

Shen Guodong!

This legendary figure's name itself represents an entire massive capital circle!

Why would he... call himself personally?

Gu Ming's heart jumped into his throat.

He was a big boss in his past life, but compared to a true tycoon like Shen Guodong who stands at the top of the pyramid and can influence national policy, he's not even worthy of carrying his shoes.

coming?

He personally got involved?

Before Gu Ming could recover from his immense shock...

On the other end of the phone, Shen Guodong continued in that casual, conversational tone, as if discussing the weather, speaking at a leisurely pace:

"I'm in the penthouse suite at the Hegang International Hotel."

"I'd like to invite you up for a cup of tea."

He paused, as if giving Gu Ming time to process, before unleashing his final blow.

"No business talks."

"Just a quick chat..."

"Your future and my daughter's future."

After saying that, the phone was abruptly hung up.

Hearing the busy tone from his phone, Gu Ming froze on the spot, motionless.

he knows.

The trouble is big.

He has cleared out all the monsters, both regular and elite, in the starting village.

And now, the ultimate BOSS who can truly crush him in every aspect—capital, connections, power—is here.

He has already sat down at the opposite side of the card table.

He didn't even have the right to refuse to sit at the table.