My minimum living allowance is credited to my account every day with 1000 million yuan

Wang Ying certainly noticed Lee Ji-eun, but with Chen Xiao, a legendary figure in the entertainment industry, it wasn't surprising at all that Lee Ji-eun was on the yacht.

Looking at Gao Yuan beside her, who was staring at the stunningly beautiful women on the Azam as if his soul had been sucked away, Wang Ying felt a strong sense of disdain and sorrow.

That idiot spoiled brat! He's completely blinded by lust and utterly stupid!
The Azam! Boss Junxiao's private yacht! The man who receives such utmost respect from Li Xingxing!

With so many obvious clues right in front of him, Gao Yuan didn't realize the young man's true identity at all!
His entire attention was still focused on those few unattainable beauties!
What future can one have by following such a stupid, blind, and clueless good-for-nothing who can't make sense in crucial moments?

Just then, Li Xingxing suddenly said, "Boss, that guy is a spoiled brat. He was harassing Tang Tang and Zhou Xiaomei today."

These words finally cracked open Gao Yuan's mind, which was blinded by beauty!
His gaze, finally and with great difficulty, was torn away from Li Zhien, He Qing and the others, and for the first time truly focused on the young man whom Li Xingxing called "boss"!

hum!
The moment Gao Yuan's gaze met Chen Xiao's cold, deep, and emotionless eyes in mid-air!

A chill, like a venomous snake, instantly shot up Gao Yuan's spine!
He finally saw it clearly!
That upright posture, that invisible, suffocating aura of authority emanating from every gesture, those calm, unwavering eyes that seemed to pierce the soul…

It's definitely him!

It must be him... President Chen of Junxiao Group!
Although Tang Tang and Zhou Xiaomei are worlds apart from his women in status, they are still the women who exclusively serve him at present. How dare this bastard harass them?

Even if ignorance is no excuse, Chen Xiao was definitely unhappy.
However, he wouldn't go so far as to cause trouble for Gao Yuan. As the saying goes, "A beautiful woman is the object of a gentleman's affection." Everyone has the love of beauty, and everyone has the right to pursue the person they like.

He said casually, "Never mind, ignorance is bliss. If you find out later, remind him to be careful—"

however!
The moment Chen Xiao finished speaking!
Gao Yuan's mind, consumed by fear and shock, was perhaps driven by a long-cultivated, almost instinctive covetousness and obsession with Zhang Ziqian, or perhaps by a desperate attempt to grasp at the last straw...

Out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught sight of Zhang Ziqian, who was not far from Chen Xiao and was turning around to look at him after hearing the sound!

That radiant, captivating face, with its unique charm, instantly ignited the last, and most foolish, flame in his heart! The words slipped out, sharp and piercing, cutting through the sea breeze between the two ships:
"Zhang Ziqian——!!!"

This shout was like a thunderclap that ripped through the silence!

moment!

Chen Xiao's expression, which had returned to calm and indifference, suddenly froze at a speed visible to the naked eye!
"Li Xingxing!!"

Li Xingxing was startled by Chen Xiao's sudden, volcanic eruption-like terrifying power!
He had never seen Xiao Ge so furious!
That murderous aura was almost tangible!
He instinctively straightened his back, like a soldier awaiting orders:
"Here I am, boss!"

Chen Xiao's voice was icy cold, each word like ice squeezed out from between his teeth:
"You fucking turn around—"

"Wake him up by pissing on him!!!"

"Roger that, boss!!" Li Xingxing's gaze turned ferocious as he looked at Gao Yuan. At the same time, he muttered to himself, "The boss just said 'ignorance is no excuse,' but as soon as it comes to Secretary Zhang, he immediately went berserk! It seems my prediction was correct; Secretary Zhang is someone he spends every day with, and his status is far beyond that of an ordinary person."

When he heard that Tang Tang and Zhou Xiaomei were being harassed by Gao Yuan, he just smiled indifferently, though he was a little unhappy.

Gao Yuan only called out Zhang Ziqian's name once, and Chen Xiao's face immediately turned as if a storm was about to break.

Zhang Ziqian had obviously also heard the piercing shout from the small yacht below.

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, like ripples on a calm lake caused by a pebble thrown in.

She didn't immediately lash out, but with a hint of barely perceptible annoyance and a sense of natural detachment, she took light steps and stood beside Chen Xiao.

The sea breeze ruffled her neat hair and exquisite clothes, and her competence and composure, in Gao Yuan's eyes, at this moment, exuded a breathtaking, unattainable ethereal aura.

Gao Yuan, standing below the boat, was ashen-faced and trembling like a leaf!
He saw Zhang Ziqian walk to Chen Xiao's side, and the two stood side by side. One was calm and dignified like a god looking down on the mortal world, and the other was aloof and capable like a fairy in the clouds accompanying him!

A perfect couple—

Zhang Ziqian's gaze fell calmly, as if looking down upon dust from the heavens. Her voice was clear and cold, without the slightest ripple, yet it pierced clearly through the sea breeze:

Why did you call me?

The question is simple, yet it carries a natural sense of distance and an invisible pressure.

Gao Yuan felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat!

"I...I...I—" He opened his mouth, like a fish out of water, futilely uttering a few broken syllables.

His gaze lingered on the two figures on the bow of the Azam, shining like the sun and moon, as immense despair and the gap between his understanding and reality nearly crushed him.

Previously, Zhang Ziqian's indifference and coldness towards him could numb him with the fantasy that "the noble status of the young master of the Gao family will eventually move her," and he even regarded it as a test, becoming more courageous with each setback.

But now...

Watching Zhang Ziqian stand so naturally beside Chen Xiao, seeing the unspoken understanding and protectiveness between them, and seeing the way she looked at him as if he were nothing...

Gao Yuan finally understood!
That was an insurmountable chasm that he could never cross, no matter how much the Gao family had given him or how hard he tried his entire life!

All the fantasies, all the self-comfort, all the "fighting spirit"—at this moment—

Click!

Like a beautiful glass cup being smashed hard on the cold ground, it made a crisp and desperate shattering sound!
It's time to wake up from this dream!
In this lifetime, Gao Yuan will never have that chance!

He was like a soulless shell, staring blankly at the receding sea fortress, at the figure that could never belong to him, his eyes empty and utterly despondent.

The Azam sailed smoothly on the azure sea, its engines humming softly, like the steady heartbeat of a giant beast in the clouds.

Chen Xiao withdrew his gaze from the small yacht below, which was gradually being left behind like a frightened bird. Gao Yuan's pale face and Wang Ying's distraught figure had already disappeared into the distance, becoming an insignificant black dot on the sea.

He turned his head to look at Zhang Ziqian beside him, whose clothes fluttered in the wind and whose expression had returned to calm. With a casual inquiry, he asked, "Do you know the woman downstairs... and the man who called you earlier?"

Zhang Ziqian's gaze remained fixed on the horizon where the sea met the sky. Upon hearing this, she simply gave a soft "hmm," her tone as indifferent as if she were discussing yesterday's weather.
"That man is Gao Yuan, the young master of Gaohua Hotel. He was my colleague when we worked at the hotel before the acquisition."

She paused, then added.

"As for that woman, her name is Wang Ying. She resigned voluntarily a month before the group officially acquired our hotel."

Her tone carried a subtle, almost indifferent quality, as if she were telling a story that had nothing to do with her own life.

"After leaving her job, she first went to Wansheng Hotel. Later, Wansheng was acquired and integrated by Gaohua, and she then went to Gaoyuan."

These few simple words outline Wang Ying's seemingly shrewd but actually drifting career trajectory over the past year.

As Chen Xiao listened, a playful, coldly sarcastic smile involuntarily crept onto his lips:
"Oh? Then wouldn't that mean..."

He paused, then used an extremely precise yet biting metaphor to expose the absurdity behind Wang Ying's choice.
"Joined the Kuomintang in 1949?"

Zhang Ziqian covered her mouth and chuckled softly; it really was true for Wang Ying.

"If she hadn't resigned and had stayed with the group, given her abilities and the speed of its development over the years, she might be earning a million a year now."

This is a realistic, almost brutal contrast.

however……

Zhang Ziqian's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space, seeing Wang Ying's seemingly shrewd and calculating figure over the past year:

"She seems quite shrewd and worldly-wise. Over the past year, she's moved around to different platforms, perhaps with a slight promotion, and her personal experience has probably improved..."

Her tone suddenly became clear and cold, getting straight to the point:

"But when it comes to tangible income and the level of belonging one has, she's probably still far behind Xiao Li, who's comfortably working in an administrative position at Junxiao headquarters!"

This is the price of choice! It's the punishment for choosing the wrong side!
"This is what they call 'choice is more important than effort,' right?"

Joining the Kuomintang in 49, if you weren't unlucky, who would be?

Speaking of Xiao Li, Zhang Ziqian realized that Xiao Li was missing again. She knew that she had probably gone to find Jia Hao and Liu Li again.

Ever since being completely stunned by Chen Xiao's identity and Li Xingxing's address of "President Zhang" at the entrance of the Azam owner's salon, Xiao Li's fear of Chen Xiao has reached its peak, just like a rabbit seeing an eagle!

Zhang Ziqian chatted with her privately, and Xiao Li, with a mournful face, said pitifully:
"Ziqian...no...I really can't! As soon as I get close to President Chen...my legs feel like they don't belong to me, I can't even stand up straight! I'm so scared my heart is about to jump out of my chest! Please, don't make me go over there..."

Zhang Ziqian understands this sense of distance and fear that originates from the very source of life.

She recalled that when they were still working together at the hotel, Xiao Li would get so nervous during the department head's routine inspections that her palms would sweat and she would stammer.

Someone like Chen Xiao shouldn't even exist in Xiao Li's world.

Chen Xiao's gaze swept over Li Xingxing's excited back, which seemed eager to go and cause trouble for Gao Yuan.

"Alright, Xingxing, go take a walk. I'm going to talk to Ziqian for a bit—"

Chen Xiao waved his hand, signaling Li Xingxing to step back.

The sneer on Li Xingxing's face vanished instantly, as if a pause button had been pressed. Although he was reckless, he was extremely perceptive of the weight in Chen Xiao's words. His fervent desire to "invite Gao Yuan for a hot drink" was immediately suppressed, and he obediently replied, "Okay, boss!" before turning around and sauntering towards the stern of the ship.

After Li Xingxing walked away, Chen Xiao slowly turned around.

The sea breeze gently brushed against the hair on his forehead and stirred Zhang Ziqian's neat clothes.

"Ziqian, what's the current situation with Jincheng Sports?"

Gao Yuan reminded him of Jincheng Sports.

Wei Ming, the nephew of Chairman Wei of Jincheng Sports, injured He Qing and nearly hurt Zhao Xiangjun in Junxiao City. This is absolutely unforgivable for Chen Xiao.

Junxiao Commercial Management has issued a ban on Jincheng Sports, permanently prohibiting Jincheng Sports and all its affiliates from entering any commercial real estate projects under the Junxiao system!
This is a complete commercial exile! It means that Jincheng Sports has lost all its prime locations in the Junxiao top-tier business district overnight! Its brand image and market position have suffered a devastating blow!
But this is just the beginning!
Chen Xiao's revenge is always a comprehensive and relentless crushing victory!
He personally stepped forward and, in the name of Zhao Xiangjun, injected an astronomical amount of strategic investment into Lu Fei, an entrepreneur who was then unknown but full of vigor and execution!

There is only one goal: to support Jiexun Sports and crack down on Jincheng Sports!
There is only one way: at all costs!
Throughout the entire Chinese retail market, Jiexun Sports and Jincheng Sports are engaged in fierce competition on all fronts.

"Poaching stores! Jiexun's strategy is extremely aggressive and ruthless! For any of Jincheng Sports' core profit stores or prime locations, Jiexun will offer exorbitant transfer fees or rent premiums that the other party simply cannot refuse! Directly cutting off their lifeline!"

"Poaching! From regional directors to top store managers, from core buyers to senior sales staff, Luffy personally led the team, wielding compensation packages several times higher than Jincheng's, precisely targeting Jincheng Sports' core personnel! Within Jincheng, morale is low and the foundation is crumbling!"

“Price war! In shopping malls and street shops outside the Junxiao system, Jiexun is using our financial advantage to launch a protracted price war against Jincheng’s main product lines! Gross profit has been squeezed to the limit, even at the cost of temporary losses, just to completely cripple Jincheng’s cash flow!”

Zhang Ziqian paused, then concluded, her tone carrying an almost cold certainty:

"Under this all-encompassing, relentless, and cost-indiscriminate saturation attack..."

"The days at Jincheng Sports can no longer be described as 'difficult'."

"Their cash flow was nearly exhausted, their valuable assets were constantly being lost (stores and talent poached), their market share was being devoured by Jiexun, their brand image plummeted, and their internal morale hit rock bottom..."

"In industry terms, Jincheng Sports is now nothing more than a shell, barely clinging to life and waiting for the final blow."

She looked at Chen Xiao. The sea breeze blew by, bringing with it a salty, damp scent, and also foreshadowing the ruthless and efficient commercial strangulation orchestrated by the will of capital. (End of Chapter)