A Broken Mirror Never Mends - Chapter 11

CFO Cui Yuanming had just stepped out of the elevator when he ran into Yu Hao, Head of Legal, and Guo Yunhong, Head of Financing, who were also hurrying toward the top-floor suite.

The three of them stood outside the door, looking at each other in confusion. None of them knew what had happened to make CEO Shi call them from their rooms so early in the morning. Strangely, CEO Shi hadn’t called them directly; they had been notified by the hotel front desk via the landline.

Cough, cough—

Clearing his throat, Cui Yuanming rang the doorbell. “CEO Shi, you asked for us?”

The sound of a hairdryer and the rustle of clothes came from inside. Shi Tian’s voice followed: “Come in.”

Since he was standing in the front, Yu Hao was the first to push the door open. The other two were right behind him, but before they could enter, Yu Hao suddenly took a sharp step back, his entire face turning beet red.

Guo Yunhong asked, puzzled, “What’s wrong, Hao? Go in.”

“…CEO Shi, he,” Yu Hao stammered, “He’s not wearing—”

He thought his eyes were playing tricks on him. At first glance, he saw CEO Shi standing by the balcony, drying his hair while wearing a bathrobe. The robe was a bit too large for him, hanging loosely on his frame, with his skin peeking through under the sunlight.

Slowly, Yu Hao noticed CEO Shi’s exposed neck. It was covered in a scattering of hickeys and bite marks that had already turned a deep purplish-blue.

…How much force did it take to do that much damage? If it was CEO Ji, then that’s a bit too—

Hearing the door open, Shi Tian turned his head slightly. He saw the Head of Legal standing stiffly at the door with a dazed look. He didn’t explain anything. He simply put down the hairdryer, symbolically pulled his collar tight, and said, “Hao, lend me your jacket.”

“Oh, oh! Yes—”

Called back to reality, Yu Hao quickly took off his suit jacket and handed it over. Shi Tian draped the casual blazer over his shoulders. Fortunately, Yu Hao was a large man, so the clothes hid most of the marks on Shi Tian’s neck.

“Sit down,” Shi Tian said. “Assistant Chen will be calling the landline soon. Just wait.”

The three sat along the edge of the bed. They noticed the room was unusually empty. Aside from two ties scattered by the bed, there was no trace of a second person.

CFO Cui couldn’t help but ask curiously, “CEO Shi, where is CEO Ji?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to ask you,” Shi Tian said calmly, staring at the three of them. “How long has Ji Yuanlin been preparing this plan?”

Cui Yuanming froze, not understanding. “…What plan?”

He saw Yu Hao and Guo Yunhong look at each other, appearing just as lost. Observing the reactions of the three executives, Shi Tian made a preliminary judgment: they weren’t lying. They likely didn’t know.

Soon, the bedside landline rang. It was Assistant Chen. Shi Tian pressed the speakerphone button. “Old Cui, Hao, and Brother Guo are all here. Tell us the current situation.”

For about fifteen minutes, Assistant Chen recounted everything from the moment the trouble started. This included Ji Yuanlin being taken away for investigation, industrial and commercial enforcement officers entering the group building, and the company’s financial books being seized by tax officials. Furthermore, the “number two” people in each of their departments had “voluntarily” resigned the day before the incident.

As Assistant Chen explained the details, the faces of the three executives grew uglier. Being smart enough to reach executive positions, they knew exactly what was happening before Chen even finished.

None of them had received an internal notice, and their department group chats had been silent for days. They had been lured away so the “tiger” could leave the mountain. This Maldives trip was a trap.

CFO Cui tried to find a clue in Shi Tian’s expression, but Shi Tian kept his eyes down, quickly scribbling notes on a piece of paper. He looked terrifyingly calm.

Lifting his head, Shi Tian said to Guo Yunhong, “The investment recovery period for Mindre is still long, so we don’t need to bear joint liability for losses yet. Have your team follow up immediately and get Mindre to provide a ‘Guarantee Contract’ with an official seal.”

“Hao, please contact your old friends in the legal world right away. Ask about the court’s requirements for preserving the property of a debtor’s spouse. Tell them it’s urgent. If needed, I can prepare materials to file a civil lawsuit immediately.”

“There is one more thing.” Shi Tian turned to Cui Yuanming and handed him the draft paper. “Since there are issues with unclear fund circulation, you are the most likely to be investigated. These are several encrypted key files stored on my computer. I’ve written the subfolder numbers on the paper. If they try to manipulate the accounting records, make sure to save the original evidence in these documents and submit them to the court.”

He organized the follow-up work systematically. In just a few minutes, he had proposed effective solutions for the three most difficult problems: guarantees, debts, and unclear internal funds.

Cui Yuanming reflected on these arrangements. He couldn’t count how many times he had been impressed by this young leader. Having worked for over twenty years as a CFO for multiple listed groups, he was highly respected in the industry.

When Shi Tian first invited him to be the CFO of Fengyu, he had refused. Back then, he thought these young entrepreneurs at “unicorn” startups were too impulsive. Though he was eventually moved by Shi Tian’s sincerity, he hadn’t expected much. Yet, three years later, Fengyu had expanded into a dark horse in the lighting industry.

This time, the “old guys” had indeed been caught off guard. He didn’t expect that even when Shi Tian’s own safety was at risk, his first thought was how to clear the executives of suspicion and help them avoid trouble.

There was something else that surprised him. He had never heard of the computer keys Shi Tian mentioned; CEO Ji likely didn’t know about them either. It seemed that even while living together as a married couple, Shi Tian had kept a backup plan from his partner.

Thinking of this, Cui Yuanming felt a sudden pang of regret. He shouldn’t have listened to the others. To save the orders from Baolong Electric, he had helped hide Ji Yuanlin’s ridiculous behavior. Family matters should be solved by the couple, but if he had warned Shi Tian earlier, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.

Wait.

Cui Yuanming’s heart sank. Does CEO Shi… not know that CEO Ji is cheating?

In front of the two “accomplices,” Cui Yuanming took a deep breath and spoke carefully. “CEO Shi, CEO Ji has a partner on the side. Did you know about this?”

The moment he spoke, even Assistant Chen on the phone went silent. Yu Hao and Guo Yunhong looked at him in terror. Yu Hao poked his back and hissed, “…Old Cui, why would you bring that up now?”

Shi Tian looked confused. “What partner?”

“…”

Everyone present, including Assistant Chen on the phone, had the same thought: It’s over.

Cui Yuanming forced himself to take out his phone and scrolled back through his photos for a month or two. To avoid leaving evidence, everyone had deleted the emails in the meeting room, but he had luckily taken a screenshot.

He handed the phone to Shi Tian and quickly added, “It might not be what it looks like. Photo editing is very advanced now; someone might be trying to frame CEO Ji…”

The room became deathly quiet. Holding the phone, Shi Tian stared at the two figures kissing passionately. He recognized one of them—his new husband.

One minute, two minutes… time passed. He didn’t speak; he just stared. His eyes held a hint of innocence, but he didn’t look like he was spacing out—he looked lost and confused.

A few minutes later, the three saw CEO Shi snap the phone shut and stand up.

“None of that matters,” he said. “Now, all of you need to find a way to protect your personal assets that are not linked to the company. Do not use the company accounts or go through Ji Yuanlin.”

“Xiao Chen,” Shi Tian said, walking to the landline. “Take my car to my house immediately. Take out all the cash from the safes on the second and third floors. I’ll tell the housekeeper to let you in. There is a tennis bag in the piano bench in the second-floor music room; it has several sets of keys. I’ll send you the addresses later. Put the cash in those properties in batches. Do not deposit it into the bank using my name.”

Assistant Chen was almost overwhelmed by the instructions but quickly wrote them down. Halfway through, he couldn’t help but interrupt. “CEO Shi, are you okay?”

Facing a cheating husband and a business crisis at the same time, Shi Tian’s reaction was unexpected. Anyone else would be in a state of extreme anger or sadness. Because Shi Tian showed no emotion, Chen was even more worried.

“I met Ji Yuanlin when I was sixteen. I got together with him at twenty-two. This year is exactly the eighth year.”

“Xiao Chen,” Shi Tian’s voice was very serious over the phone. “How many eight-year periods do you think a person gets in a lifetime?”

Assistant Chen froze. For some reason, the more calmly Shi Tian spoke, the more Chen felt a bitter ache in his heart. It was a stupid question to ask if he was “okay.” How could he be? This wasn’t a relationship of one month or one year; it was thousands of days and nights. It was a person’s entire youth.

“I thought he just wanted money,” Shi Tian said, his lips curling into a bitter smile. “I didn’t expect him to want me to go to prison.”

—

It was the early hours of the next day when Shi Tian boarded his flight home. After reporting his passport lost at the police station and getting guarantees from several travel companions, he finally received a temporary ID to fly back.

To avoid ruining the trip for the others, he didn’t tell his old classmates about the trouble at Fengyu. He only said he had an emergency and would settle everything so they could enjoy their vacation.

After the plane took off, the three executives stayed together to discuss their plans for when they landed. To avoid disturbing Shi Tian, who sat across the aisle, they spoke in low voices. Before boarding, they had tried to convince Shi Tian not to go back yet, fearing he would be taken away by the authorities as soon as he landed. They didn’t expect his attitude to be so firm; he had to return immediately.

Technically, he hadn’t closed his eyes for nearly twenty-four hours since waking up the day before. As the plane flew steadily through the clouds under a warm blanket, Shi Tian finally drifted into a light sleep.

In his dream, he arrived at his destination. After getting off the plane and entering the arrival hall, he faced a fork in the road. A low, haunting voice asked him which way he wanted to go.

If he chose left, Ji Yuanlin would be waiting at the exit. Nothing would have happened. Ji Yuanlin would be holding roses with a smile, taking his hand to lead him home. If he chose right, he would walk through a thick mist to find the truth he wanted.

Shi Tian suddenly remembered seeing a similar scene when he and Zhou Sifu hid under the covers in the dorm to watch The Matrix. Standing at the fork, he thought for a moment and told the voice: “I choose the right.”

As he spoke, the mist cleared, and the dream ended.

Staring at the overhead light, Shi Tian didn’t blink for a long time. Aside from his team and the local officials, everyone thought he was incredibly unlucky and pathetic, so they had cooperated with his needs to get him on the flight. He also felt like a victim, but that was all. Regardless of the outcome, he just needed an answer.

After the ten-hour flight, they landed. After passing through immigration, Shi Tian walked into the arrival hall. There was no fork in the road here, only a straight path to the exit.

Several local media outlets were waiting. When they saw him at the security gate, they raised their cameras. At the end of the hall, several uniformed enforcement officers stood with airport staff, waiting solemnly.

As he reached the exit, two officers approached him from both sides and showed their IDs. “Are you Mr. Shi Tian?”

Shi Tian nodded.

“We are from the Industrial and Commercial Bureau. You are suspected of involvement in disputes regarding company-related transactions and individual partnership debts. Please come with us to assist in the investigation.”

Taking the notice, Shi Tian signed his name. “I have only one request.”

“Please go ahead.”

“Let me see Ji Yuanlin.”

Outside the doors, the camera flashes were constant. He raised his eyes and looked straight into the lenses. “Until then, I will not answer any questions.”

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