Chapter 44 – Red

Seven years later, autumn.

The system’s built-in alarm went off, and within ten seconds, a slender, pale hand reached out from the bedside to jab at it with its index finger, precisely silencing the alarm.

Immediately after, bare feet touched the ground as the figure moved towards the en-suite bathroom of the suite. Glancing at the disheveled reflection in the mirror, they bent down to turn on the faucet, beginning their morning routine.

Five minutes later, emerging from the bathroom, the person now wore glasses, their eyes clear and focused.

Room service arrived with breakfast just then. Li Tang started with a glass of milk before quickly finishing off a sandwich. With the last bite still in his mouth, he began chewing while reaching for a string of beads on the table, slipping it onto his left wrist.

On workdays, formal attire was a must. As Li Tang arrived at the company entrance, he was still adjusting his tie when he bumped into Li Zichu who was coming out to get water.

“Good morning, President Li,” Li Zichu greeted him first. “How did you sleep last night?”

Three months had passed, yet Li Tang still wasn’t accustomed to this title, awkwardly responding with a grunt. “It was alright.”

Although ‘alright’ was an understatement, considering he’d taken a sleeping pill.

Today was a day for the early meeting, so the two of them followed the usual routine of reviewing the meeting outline in the office beforehand.

As they passed the marketing department, several new employees emerged, laughing and chatting. Upon seeing Li Tang, they immediately fell silent, respectfully calling out, “President Li.”

Some even bowed in unison.

Li Tang nodded in acknowledgment, remaining composed as he walked past them.

Once they were out of earshot, Li Zichu chuckled. “You sure know how to intimidate people, President Li.”

Li Tang sighed with a hint of resignation.

Three months ago, after completing his studies abroad, he returned home. He had intended to start from the bottom by submitting his resume, but his father, Li Yuanshan, arranged for him to parachute into the family investment firm, making him the top decision-maker.

However, rather than inheriting a thriving business, it felt more like he was taking over a mess.

The Li family had built their fortune in real estate, expanding their reach across various industries. In recent years, as the real estate sector showed signs of decline, Li Yuanshan sold off his remaining land plots. Under the guidance of Master Zhang, he shifted focus to other sectors.

One such venture was this investment company. However, lacking reliable information in unfamiliar territory and without seasoned professionals to guide him, coupled with Li Yuanshan’s average judgment and less-than-stellar luck, multiple projects failed consecutively. Particularly disastrous were the movies invested in over the past few years; caught during a downturn in the film industry, they flopped at the box office, leaving him so bitter that he wanted to kick the posters whenever he saw them on the street.

Consequently, the company’s staff shrank from nearly two hundred to merely dozens. If it hadn’t been for Li Tang discovering that the risk control department was completely empty upon taking over and promptly hiring a few people, the numbers might have dwindled even further.

There had been objections raised.

During his years studying abroad, Li Tang had firmly decided to carve out his own path. His goal wasn’t entrepreneurship, but finding a decent job, saving up for a modest car, and eventually buying a small house of his own.

In short, he aimed to live independently, free from the family’s support.

Li Yuanshan scoffed at his lack of ambition, pressing him with the financial investment made in his upbringing: “Just tuition and living expenses alone amount to nearly seven figures, not to mention medical expenses—let’s not go there. You want to prove your independence? Prove it to me first, that all these years of education weren’t wasted.”

It was essentially a demand for repayment. Even towards his own kin, Li Yuanshan was meticulous about every penny, eager to recoup his ‘investment’ in Li Tang, unwilling to support his son without return.

Aware of the substantial costs his family had borne for him, Li Tang couldn’t argue back. He packed his bags and set off to take up his post.

With the company’s foundation being so weak, it was akin to starting from scratch. For the past three months, Li Tang had been working long hours, leaving early in the morning and returning late at night. As the head of a venture capital firm, he not only sought out idle investments and screened projects for risks alongside managers, but also conducted field investigations across the country. Whenever he had a moment to spare, he immersed himself in learning about the industry—fortunately, his finance degree proved relevant, otherwise, the task would have been even more daunting.

Yet, every cloud has a silver lining. While the company was struggling internally, externally, it maintained a facade of prosperity—a prime floor in the CBD of the capital city, surrounded by windows offering an unobstructed view. Departments were orderly arranged, and all necessary office equipment was provided.

True to Li Yuanshan’s style, appearances came first.

For Li Tang, this workplace conveniently provided a reason to avoid going home. The Li family’s villa in the suburbs of the capital was a one-and-a-half-hour drive away from the office, with commute times doubling during rush hour. Li Tang used this as an excuse to book a room in a hotel near the company, staying there for three months straight.

Now that the company’s operations were stabilizing, he started looking for a place to rent long-term.

Arriving at the office, Li Zichu handed him a stack of papers, containing information on nearby rental properties.

Li Tang took them, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and began flipping through them calmly.

The black bead bracelet on his wrist caught Li Zichu’s eye, but he resisted the urge to comment. “Can’t you wear a watch instead? It could enhance your domineering CEO aura.”

He knew Li Tang wore jewelry to conceal something, but couldn’t accept the middle-aged taste.

“Or maybe you should wear a few more strings. Look at Xiao Yang from our department. He loves to stack different sizes together; it’s quite trendy.”

Li Tang’s attention was on the houses, mumbling in agreement. “I’ll try that next time.”

“But your glasses do have that domineering CEO vibe.” Taking advantage of the downtime before work, Li Zichu continued chatting. “You didn’t wear glasses in high school. Did you become nearsighted in recent years?”

Li Tang’s glasses were a simple rectangular frame with thin, bright silver edges. He chose this style for its subtlety, not expecting that the silver would complement his fair skin, fitting him unexpectedly well—an unintended consequence.

Of course, he himself was unaware of this.

“I’ve been nearsighted since then,” said Li Tang.

But back then, he was vain, believing that glasses detracted from his appearance, so he never missed a chance to wear daily disposable lenses.

“Have you taken your medicine today?” Li Zichu asked again.

Li Tang paused as he turned the page, thinking that Li Zichu’s topic transition was too abrupt.

The ever-direct and sharp class leader Li remained unchanged after a decade.

“I did take it,” Li Tang replied, knowing Li Zichu was worried about him. “Don’t worry, nothing like last time will happen again.”

As for why Li Zichu worked in this half-dead company, it boiled down to one word: coincidence.

After graduating from a top 10 domestic university with a degree in computer science, Li Zichu didn’t pursue further studies but entered the workforce, becoming a programmer at a small enterprise. After three years of working on numerous projects and accumulating experience, he was planning to switch to a larger company with better promotion opportunities when Li Tang returned home. They met for a meal, and upon hearing about Li Tang’s forced takeover of the ‘family business,’ Li Zichu felt a sense of relief that the network he had cultivated for so many years was finally proving useful.

Without hesitation, he resigned and joined Li Tang’s venture capital firm. Despite the mismatch in expertise, the company’s main focus was providing financing opportunities for high-tech innovative industries, and Li Zichu’s experience in the high-tech sector allowed him to analyze market information related to those industries, supporting the investment department’s decision-making. After comprehensive evaluation, Li Tang offered him the position of deputy manager of the research department, along with the role of executive assistant.

In reality, Li Tang wasn’t the type of domineering CEO who needed an assistant trailing behind him to report schedules. Seven years of studying abroad had ingrained in him the habit of handling everything himself, whether it was life, study, or work.

However, being a CEO in name, he needed someone to accompany him on project inspections and social engagements, or else it wouldn’t look right. Li Zichu volunteered for the job.

His reasoning was, “Who told you to still be socially anxious like before.”

Compared to before, Li Tang’s preference for quietness had only increased. Although it wasn’t evident on the surface, he could engage in lively conversations with business partners at the dinner table. But this was merely a forced social exterior he had to adopt, given the responsibility of leading a company on the brink of collapse and a team of fresh college graduates. As a leader, if he didn’t step up and socialize, who else could he rely on?

At a banquet once, someone initiated a discussion about personal belongings. The veterans, fueled by alcohol, rambled on endlessly, eager to point to a watch or a tie clip and recount their entrepreneurial hardships from the dawn of time.

By the time it was Li Tang’s turn halfway around the circle, he was already fidgeting nervously. Despite his excellent acting skills, only Li Zichu, sitting beside him, noticed the thin layer of sweat on his forehead and the trembling hand twisting under the table.

He was merciless with himself; if not for timely intervention, his wrist might have been scratched raw.

Still, when it was Li Tang’s turn to speak, his performance was impeccable.

Raising his hand to show the bead bracelet on his wrist, Li Tang smiled. “Compared to everyone here, what I’m wearing isn’t worth mentioning. I bought it for ten yuan from a roadside stall, not for any other reason, but because it’s wide enough to cover the scars from my self-harm.”

His tone was as casual as saying, “Tonight, I’ll have egg fried rice.”

Since then, Li Zichu added another task to his list—reminding Li Tang to take his medication.

Not satisfied, he would always check Li Tang’s bag to see if the pills were decreasing.

When Li Tang saw him genuinely counting the pills, he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Medication can only serve as an aid; mainly, it’s about overcoming it yourself.”

“And,” Li Tang put down the real estate materials and picked up the meeting agenda. “Busyness is the cheapest medicine in the world.”

True to his words, during the meeting, Li Tang found a moment to space out amidst his busyness.

The risk control department manager was giving a routine report on a mundane topic. Li Tang looked at Xiao Yang from the research department sitting in the middle of the right side, observing the accessories on his wrist.

A bracelet made of rosewood, layered with small black sandalwood beads, loosely piled on his wrist—it was indeed quite trendy.

Looking for a bit longer, his gaze inevitably became a bit bold. Less than half an hour after the meeting ended, rumors spread throughout the company—during the meeting, President Li kept staring at Yang Baichuan from the research department. Was he interested in him?

Yang Baichuan was a new employee, and upon hearing this, he was shocked. “B-but President Li is also a man.”

During afternoon tea time, colleagues from different departments gathered in the break room. Qi Sixian, an old employee from the marketing department, said, “You don’t know, our President Li prefers men.”

This wasn’t hearsay or baseless speculation. Last month, during a company dinner, Li Tang revealed this fact himself.

It started because, after two months of working together, everyone developed a sense of camaraderie, becoming increasingly familiar with each other, occasionally daring to joke about their leaders. The atmosphere at the dinner was jovial, and someone suggested setting Li Tang up on a blind date, mentioning random female relatives and neighbors.

With one sentence, Li Tang silenced everyone.

“Thank you for your kindness,” he said with a smile. “Unfortunately, my sexual orientation is towards men.”

Whenever recounting this piece of ‘history’ to uninformed new employees, everyone would marvel—our President Li is fearless against gossip, so cool.

And, he was so good-looking.

Qi Sixian once witnessed Li Tang without his glasses when delivering documents to the executive office.

She described it as, “How should I put it? He seems like a pure-hearted high school boy, someone you really want to kiss in an empty classroom.”

Female employees blushed and giggled, scolding her, “You understand so well, you pervert,” while male employees also blushed, wondering, “Am I also a pervert?”

From then on, the sight of President Li without his glasses became a curiosity for many in the company.

Although Li Tang himself was unaware of this.

He stayed at the company until the very last minute, viewing two houses with a real estate agent. However, neither satisfied him, and on the way back to the hotel, he was so tired that he dozed off leaning against the window.

Waking up, he lamented that drowsiness always came suddenly. If he could fall asleep as quickly at night when lying in bed, he would laugh in his dreams.

…No, on second thought, if he managed to fall asleep, he shouldn’t wake up randomly.

Swiping open the door to his room, he found a pair of men’s leather shoes at the entrance.

The bed was piled high with snacks, and Li Zichu was sitting on the sofa, munching while watching TV.

“Here,” he said with crumbs still stuck to the corner of his mouth, nodding towards a sealed bowl on the table. “Aunt Zhang sent it and asked me to bring it in for you.”

The identity of the “Aunt Zhang” he referred to was self-evident. Li Tang looked at the neatly stacked glass bowls, faintly seeing the rich white soup and lightly seasoned steamed seafood inside. The suppressed restlessness from the entire day surged in his heart.

Li Zichu noticed the gloom in his brows and fished out a packet from the snack bag, handing it over. “Eat this first.”

Li Tang looked down and saw that it was candy.

A familiar brand, the packaging hadn’t changed over the years, with the words “Strawberry flavor, mango flavor, chocolate flavor mixed pack” written on it.

“You used to love this brand of candy, didn’t you?” Seeing that he wasn’t accepting it, Li Zichu urged, “Remember that winter camp hiking trip, I wanted a piece from you, but you wouldn’t give it to me.”

After a moment, Li Tang laughed. “Was there such a thing?”

He said, “I don’t like eating it anymore. You can have it yourself.”

Li Zichu was perplexed. “I saw you adding several sugar cubes to your coffee yesterday. Why don’t you like sweets now?”

Li Tang turned around, removed his glasses, and grabbed a lens cloth, cleaning them as if he had nothing better to do. “What are you doing here today?”

Li Zichu said, “Seeing that guy irritates me. I came here to hide.”

“The guy” referred to Huo Xichen.

Over the years, Li Zichu and Huo Xichen had gone through breakups and reconciliations, enduring the seven-year itch and parental opposition, but now, in a calm period, conflicts arose incessantly.

Today’s conflict was: “He always makes me wear wigs and crossdress for him. I suspect he’s not gay at all, just a straight man.”

Li Tang: “…”

Recalling a certain day years ago, when he saw women’s high heels under the partition in the men’s restroom at the cinema, Li Tang thought that Li Zichu didn’t consider this a problem back then, even enjoying it immensely.

Li Zichu glanced at his back. “What are you thinking? Feel free to say it aloud.”

Li Tang pinched the sides of the glasses’ frame and put them back on. “I was thinking about which companies to conduct preliminary investigations on.”

“…” Li Zichu was speechless. “What happened in these seven years to turn you from a slacker who played with his phone in class into a fanatic who still thinks about work after work hours?”

Li Tang ignored him, opened his laptop, and pulled up a document.

If there was any change to speak of, it was one thing—he learned to mask memories he didn’t want to recall by engaging in other activities, in short, distracting himself.

Coincidentally, the investment department had just screened some small and medium-sized enterprises with potential for development, conducting preliminary evaluations of their projects and proposals. This week’s primary task was to conduct in-depth investigations, narrowing down the selection further.

The company currently favored providing financial support to high-tech industries, regardless of the scale of the enterprise, focusing solely on commercial prospects.

Even so, Li Tang, staring at a particular company profile on the screen, fell into contemplation.

A team of fewer than ten people, registered capital of less than fifty thousand—the fact that they had survived until now suggested that their proposed project was outstanding.

Glancing further down, the main business was artificial intelligence in the medical field. The company’s location wasn’t in the capital’s industrial park, densely populated with high-tech enterprises, but in Xucheng, two thousand kilometers away in Province S.

Upon seeing the words “Xucheng,” Li Tang’s pupils constricted.

Instinctively checking the name of the legal representative, it was surnamed Pei, someone he hadn’t met before.

Only then did he slightly relax.

Then he chided himself for being overly sensitive. Xucheng was a vast city with a population in the millions. How could it be such a coincidence?

Li Tang leaned back in his chair.

Taking a moment to compose himself, he opened his eyes and slid his finger across the touchpad to view the name of the technology company.

Four letters, ROJA.

While studying in England, Li Tang had taken Spanish as a minor. Although he had forgotten most of it now, he still recognized the word.

He opened a translator and typed in the query.

Indeed, it was Spanish.

ROJA.

Red.