A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 1

Assistant Chen kept his position as the boss’s top right-hand man by relying on one skill: reading people.

He knew every movement, micro-expression, and habit of his two bosses by heart. With just one look from the boss, Chen knew how to arrange the next five or ten steps. Thanks to this talent, Chen’s career had been smooth sailing, rising quickly through the ranks.

But today was different.

From the moment he walked in today, he couldn’t figure out what CEO Shi was thinking.

At 2:00 PM, in the “Asia” conference room on the sixth floor of Fengyu Group, the first-quarter sales report meeting was underway. About a dozen people trickled into the room, and almost all the heads of the major departments were present.

The managers were surprised to see CEO Shi, who usually arrived last, already sitting at the table as if he had been waiting for a long time.

“What’s going on?” the Channel Director whispered, poking Assistant Chen before going up to present.

Assistant Chen gave him a look, signaling him to start the report.

Slides clicked by on the large screen as the afternoon passed quietly. The executives discussed, argued, and studied data, but the boss sitting at the end of the table remained silent, staring down at his tablet.

Even though he was nearly thirty, the boss still looked the same as he did years ago—clean-cut, elegant, and scholarly, like a fresh college graduate. Even with his brows slightly knitted and his eyelashes cast down, his sharp profile against the floor-to-ceiling window looked soft.

Assistant Chen glanced at him several times and noticed the boss was spacing out. He thought the boss was reviewing meeting materials, but he soon realized that wasn’t it.

Half an hour later.

The stylus spun between the boss’s fingers. He leaned down and very seriously wrote two large, bold letters on the tablet.

— S — B — (Note: Chinese slang for “idiot/stupid”)

Assistant Chen: “…”

What made the usually rigorous and focused boss lose his concentration over and over during a meeting? And who could make the calm CEO use such “colorful” language?

While handing over a document, Chen leaned in to take a peek. He saw a news report open on the tablet.

In the middle of falling confetti and a large crowd, a tall figure in a sharp suit stood before a giant brass bell, holding a hammer high. The subject of the news was none other than the boss’s high school classmate and long-time rival—Mr. Zhou Sifu.

At 9:30 AM New York time, Danofe—the multinational car company where Mr. Zhou served as CEO had just rung the bell to go public on the Nasdaq.

—

“The conservative forecast for this quarter is 43 million. The primary channel accounts for over 60%, including 16 million in public works orders. In the second quarter, trading will continue to shift to the second and third channels. Along with follow-up public orders, the total will exceed 50 million.” The Channel Director pulled up several charts. “The total for the first half of the year could reach 194.7 million.”

After the introduction, he clicked to the final slide: “As a newcomer in the Southern lighting industry, this is the first time Fengyu has signed a hundred-million-level order with a major smart home retailer. In other words, our new product’s market recognition is no less than that of traditional top-tier brands.”

As soon as he finished, Assistant Chen led the applause, and the room filled with clapping. The Channel Director smiled and adjusted his collar proudly, then looked toward the end of the long table.

“CEO Shi, what do you think—”

Shi Tian said nothing, only lowering his head to take a sip of water.

Seeing that the boss didn’t respond for a long time, the Channel Director felt awkward and looked at Assistant Chen for help. Before Chen could stand up to break the ice, a loud snap echoed as CEO Shi closed his tablet.

“That is the optimistic case. What about other scenarios? Have they been considered?”

“That is the conservative estimate,” the Channel Director thought, sweating slightly. “Even if every pessimistic scenario happens this year, the total will still reach 100 million.”

“How sure are you about this order? What about the cooperation with the supply chain?” Shi Tian asked. “I want exact numbers.”

“The department simulated a rolling forecast for the entire year,” the Channel Director answered immediately. “This order is set in stone. The global supply chain has plenty of stock. This order will drive a huge increase in total sales this year.”

The boss held his fountain pen tightly. Assistant Chen heard the metal body of the pen creak in Shi Tian’s palm as if it were screaming for help.

“Calculate it for me one more time,” Shi Tian squinted his eyes, speaking after a long pause. “How much is it?”

“The first quarter has forty—”

The Channel Director paused, suddenly realizing: “…CEO Shi, you just like hearing this part, don’t you?”

Having his thoughts exposed, Shi Tian leaned back in his chair and tilted his neck back. He remained calm: “Well done. Continue.”

The meeting proceeded orderly. Assistant Chen continued to secretly watch the boss’s expression. Among everyone present, only he knew why the boss cared so much about these numbers.

As a rising star in lighting control systems, Fengyu Group was co-founded by the current Executive Director and CEO, Shi Tian, and the Chairman of the Board, Ji Yuanlin.

Inside the company, the private relationship between the two big bosses was no secret. Shi Tian and Ji Yuanlin were not just business partners; they were an “immortal couple” that everyone envied. One was a financial elite from a top business school, and the other was a talented young man in the field of applied materials. They had been dating since college graduation—nearly eight years together—becoming a legend among Peking University alumni.

Aside from their private lives, they worked perfectly together. Shi Tian managed the company’s cash flow and investments, while Ji Yuanlin handled technology and products. In just five years, they turned Fengyu from an unknown startup into a second-tier player in the domestic lighting industry.

At the end of last year, during a trip to Malta, Ji Yuanlin knelt by the Blue Lagoon and proposed to Shi Tian.

At the time, Shi Tian neither accepted nor refused. A few days later, he got drunk at a high school reunion and bragged in front of dozens of old classmates that if Fengyu’s profits doubled in the first half of the year, he would agree to the proposal.

According to company gossip, the couple’s eighth anniversary was coming up soon. And the company’s performance forecast just happened to come out today.

This meant that soon, maybe even today this “immortal couple” would become a pair of fiancés.

—

There was a ten-minute break mid-meeting. Assistant Chen saw that CEO Shi was still flipping through his tablet with no intention of resting, so he hurried to the pantry to pour a cup of hot coffee.

Unlike CEO Ji, who never added sugar, CEO Shi needed two packets every time and often complained it wasn’t sweet enough.

Taking a sip, Shi Tian was satisfied with the sweetness. He turned to his assistant: “Xiao Chen, where is A-Lin?”

Assistant Chen stepped forward: “CEO Shi, CEO Ji said he called you at noon, but you were in a meeting. Two investors from the Horner Fund just flew back from the UK, and he is having a temporary lunch meeting with them at the Marriott.”

Shi Tian picked up his phone and found three missed calls and a text message.

A-Lin: [Tiantian, remember to eat well at noon. Don’t let your stomach hurt again. I’ll pick you up from the office tonight.]

Shi Tian: “…”

This guy is so cheesy.

He closed his phone thoughtfully, stretched his neck, and looked at the group. “Let’s continue. The sooner we finish, the sooner we go home.”

The sunset turned the city skyline red as the meeting drew to a close. Seeing the sky darken outside, Shi Tian spoke up: “Alright, that’s all for today. Sister Qiu needs to pick up her kid from tutoring. If she’s late again, Fatty Qiu will make a scene.”

Hearing the boss mention her son’s antics, Secretary Qiu blushed: “That boy needs a beating—”

Board Secretary Qiu Jing was a single mother. A few times when meetings ran late, Shi Tian had personally driven her to the school to pick up her son and then safely dropped them home. After a few trips, the second-grade “Fatty” would cling to Shi Tian’s waist like an accessory every time he saw him. Before long, the whole grade knew that Fatty Qiu had a young, rich “dad” who drove a supercar.

The meeting ended. Shi Tian grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair and walked out. Secretary Qiu grabbed her files and followed him. After the boss left, the other executives stood up, ready to head back to their respective floors.

Suddenly, a series of phone vibrations rang out through the room.

Buzz—

Buzz buzz—

The phones on the table lit up one after another. Everyone’s email showed a new message.

After looking at each other, the executives opened the emails. The sender was an internal company address. The email had no subject and no text—only an attached image.

Executive A: “…”

Executive B: “…”

Staring at the photo in the email, everyone held their breath. The room fell into a dead silence; even the air seemed to freeze.

The expressions on everyone’s faces including Assistant Chen’s were complicated, but no one spoke first.

After a full minute of silence, someone finally couldn’t hold back and asked in a strained voice: “…Assistant Chen, what is this?”

As everyone turned their gaze toward him, Assistant Chen felt his vision go dark.

You’re asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?

Attached to the email was a screenshot from a parking lot security camera. The quality was very clear. The timestamp in the corner showed 2:00 PM today—exactly when the meeting had started.

Two figures stood in front of a white Maserati Quattroporte. One was dressed in a sharp suit with gold-rimmed glasses, looking handsome and refined. It was none other than their other boss, Ji Yuanlin.

CEO Ji was leaning against his car door, his hand around the waist of the person in front of him. The person in his arms had both hands wrapped tightly around Ji’s neck.

The person standing on tiptoe to kiss CEO Ji was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties. He wore a simple white T-shirt and dark blue jeans, with a popular “Ducky” yellow duck bracelet on his left wrist. Perhaps because of alcohol, the boy’s ears and cheeks were flushed red, making his beautiful face look even more vivid.

In the footage, the two were locked in an embrace under the camera, completely unaware of the “eye” watching them.

Chen felt the boy looked familiar but couldn’t remember where he had seen him.

Just then, the Marketing Director muttered: “…Isn’t that Cheng Xi?”

Hearing that, Assistant Chen finally realized why he looked familiar. Cheng Xi was a famous model for four major luxury fashion brands. Recently, he had transitioned into acting and starred in a popular web movie, trending on social media for days. Chen didn’t follow the entertainment industry much, but he had seen the name on Weibo recently.

Why was CEO Ji with a famous model? What was their relationship? And who sent this security footage to everyone through the internal email? Most importantly, what was their motive?

Assistant Chen instinctively zoomed in on the photo, his eyes stopping on CEO Ji’s left-hand holding Cheng Xi.

The middle finger of the left hand was empty. In the footage, CEO Ji was not wearing the couple’s ring that he usually never took off.

In the meeting room, someone tried to make an excuse for CEO Ji: “This could CEO Ji be drunk?”

“Is this photoshopped? Maybe a competitor sent it?”

“It must be a mistake. CEO Ji couldn’t possibly—”

“Everyone, calm down.” Interrupting the speculation, Assistant Chen swallowed hard and spoke uncertainly. “CEO Shi should be with CEO Ji now. Let me call him to test the waters and see if he also received the photo. After that…”

He paused, his voice trembling slightly. “…After that, we’ll see.”