The Former Assistant Seduced The Current President - Chapter 9

Half an hour earlier.

“The location you set is not accessible by car. I will drop you off here, and it is just a few dozen meters ahead,” the taxi driver said to his passenger.

“Fine.” Shi Ye got out of the taxi at the intersection.

He was a man of his word; once he made a decision, he never changed it. However, he had been feeling uncomfortable ever since his morning run. Frankly, he should not have taken his personal frustrations out on his work. After five kilometers of contemplation, Shi Ye decided to give this near dead project one last chance. He had not changed clothes, brought anyone to accompany him, or even called his driver; he had simply hailed a taxi and arrived. He needed to evaluate this project impartially, without any interference.

He was usually dressed in suits and shirts, but he was not eccentric enough to wear formal attire for a run. He wore a dark gray tracksuit with an off white inner layer and no unnecessary accessories, simple and clean. His hair was black and soft, unstyled, and brushed loosely across his forehead, which softened the sharpness of his features. At first glance, he gave off a casual, gentle impression.

It was a covert operation, after all; it was better to be low key and simple, preferably unnoticed.

He never expected that what would ruin his plan was the same damn large wolf dog again. Shi Ye was deep in thought and did not notice his surroundings. By the time he sensed the danger and looked up, he had walked right into the dog’s territory. Even though he was dressed like this, that cursed dog still recognized him. It twitched its giant black nose, bared its teeth, and barked wildly as it chased him through two alleys.

Shi Ye had just finished a five kilometer run and was exhausted. The wolf dog was relentless, and the alley offered nowhere to hide. Finally, he had to huddle behind two large trash cans and hold his breath for over ten minutes. After this ordeal, his hair was messy, his clothes were wrinkled, his sneakers were covered in grime, and his socks were stained with dog paw prints. The dignity he had carefully guarded for over twenty years was completely lost in these few days.

Shi Ye was furious. Just as he took out his phone to call the police, the dog’s owner finally arrived, trailing the leash. She was an elderly woman, her face etched with the marks of time. Her legs seemed weak, and she swayed as she walked. As she pulled the leash to restrain the dog, she scolded it loudly. Seeing its owner, the wolf dog immediately turned timid, gave a low howl, and crouched obediently beside the old woman like a child who had made a mistake.

“I am sorry, young man. My dog is playful and loves to pester people. It did not scare you, did it?” The old woman patted the dirt off Shi Ye’s sleeve and apologized.

Shi Ye glanced at the wolf dog hiding behind the woman and straightened his back. “No. I am a grown man; how could I be scared by a mere dog?” He paused, then gave a cold smile. “But you should probably keep it locked up. If it gets stolen by bad people and sold to a dog meat restaurant, that would be unfortunate.”

The wolf dog licked its nose, bared its teeth, and let out a loud sneeze.

Applying the lessons from his previous attempt at getting lost, Shi Ye carefully memorized the route this time. After walking along the stone path for ten minutes, he stopped under the sign that read YK Conceptual Store. Through the glass doors, he could see most of the shelves and displays. Just as rumors had it, these so called conceptual products were ugly in their own unique ways. The staggering price tags underneath only made their ugliness stand out on a whole new level.

Feeling his eyes stung early in the morning, Shi Ye looked away, opened his phone to check the project report, investment details, and profit and loss analysis. After reading it, he could only conclude that the quality and the returns were harmoniously ugly.

The door used an electronic keypad, which was noted in the documents Manager Ma had provided. Shi Ye stepped up, entered the code, and pressed the switch; the glass doors slid open slowly. Surprisingly, product quality aside, the interior layout was quite impressive. The potted plants were arranged in an orderly fashion, adding life and vitality to the space. The window displays were ingenious, with every item placed in its perfect position. The arrangement and lighting worked together to create both a sense of space and a sense of luxury, reflecting the operator’s excellent aesthetic sense and meticulous patience. Shi Ye’s mental score of negative one hundred quietly improved by a few points.

As he stood observing, his eyes were drawn to a small trinket on the counter. It was a porcelain hippo the size of his palm. Though it was also ugly, it was a different kind of ugly than the other products. Its shape was cute and silly, radiating a dull witted quality that was unexpectedly eye catching, making him want to look at it more.

Shi Ye toyed with the porcelain hippo, subconsciously looking for its price tag, but he found none on the bottom or in the display case. Not for sale? Then where did this thing come from? Is it the employee’s personal item?

Everything happened too suddenly. Before Shi Ye could figure it out, someone ambushed him from behind.

At this moment, the ambusher was being pinned against the corner wall, his arm twisted by Shi Ye. Shi Ye applied full force, and Yan Xi was completely immobilized, unable to do anything but turn his head to launch a verbal attack.

“I am telling you, theft and breaking and entering are different things, and assault during a robbery makes it a much more serious crime. I advise you to get out before the police arrive, otherwise.”

Otherwise what? He froze. There were few people in this area, and he was currently pinned behind a display wall by Shi Ye, completely hidden from view. Even if he screamed his lungs out, no one would come to save him.

The calm Shi Ye began to sense that something was wrong. He quickly replayed the scene in his mind and made a bold guess: “Are you the store manager? Are you a YK employee?”

Yan Xi struggled, gasping for breath. “You came prepared, did you not? Scouting the place in advance and waiting until we closed to stage a major raid?”

His position, back turned to Shi Ye, along with his uneven breathing and the marks visible on his neck while struggling, uncontrollably reminded Shi Ye of a certain memory, causing him to hesitate for a split second. Sensing the grip on him loosen, Yan Xi felt a moment of relief, thinking his threat had worked, and continued to lash out.

“Young as you are, why can you not find a decent job instead of stealing? If you must steal, at least steal something valuable. You actually have your eye on things in our shop; your taste is truly poor.”

Shi Ye slowly released his grip, abandoning his restraint on Yan Xi, but he did not move his feet, keeping Yan Xi trapped within his reach. Yan Xi turned around, leaning tightly against the wall, watching Shi Ye with full alert.

Should I run away like a coward, or secretly call the police and wait for them to arrive? After a long while, he licked his lips and gritted his teeth to negotiate with Shi Ye. “Go away. I will not call the police; consider this your chance to turn over a new leaf.”

Shi Ye stared motionless at Yan Xi, trying to find a trace of acting or joking on his face. But he soon realized Yan Xi was serious. He was more serious than the needle of the sea.

The damnable sheep really did not recognize him. He truly, actually, had forgotten!

Shi Ye admitted that his outfit today was very different from his usual style, but he should not be so unrecognizable. Unless the guy in front of him had only used his body and not his heart that day. Or perhaps, to him, such things were commonplace, and he had slept with so many people that he could not remember them all. Shi Ye could not describe what he was feeling; he just felt a lump in his chest, as if he were about to vomit blood. A sincere heart fed to a dog; that is about how it feels.

“You are still not leaving? What are you waiting for?” Yan Xi wanted nothing more than to kick the little thief out immediately.

But the thief did not move an inch. He just stood there at a distance of one step, looking at him with a strange expression, his eyes filled with three parts resentment, two parts melancholy, and five parts unwillingness to give up. Yan Xi felt uncomfortable being stared at, as if countless needles were pricking him. He shifted his gaze away from those unpleasant eyes and toward the front door. That is strange. The door shows no signs of being forced open. How did the thief get in?

As if hearing his mumbling, Shi Ye followed his gaze, pointed at the keypad lock on the door with his chin, and said, “I opened the lock myself and walked in.”

Yan Xi did not believe him. “Where did you get the code?”

Shi Ye spat out a string of numbers and said irritably, “Manager Ma gave it to me.”

Yan Xi’s brows knitted together sharply. He almost did not react; Ma Zhiming was Manager Ma’s full name.

“Manager Ma gave you the code; who exactly are you?”

Shi Ye crossed his arms, glancing at him coldly. “What do you think?”

Yan Xi turned serious, silently observing Shi Ye from head to toe. The little thief looked to be in his early twenties, just out of college. His gray tracksuit had no brand logo, and the wrinkled fabric did not look expensive. His shoes were covered in mud as if he had walked a long distance. His limb muscles were well defined; if he did not exercise frequently, he must have been doing manual labor for years. Yan Xi leaned toward the latter possibility. Looking at his messy hair, it was clear he did not care about his image. People who exercised often cared about their appearance and would not look so disheveled.

Combining his age, his clothes, and his short temper, a look of sudden realization dawned on Yan Xi’s face.

“Are you the new intern the company recruited!”

The air froze for a full minute.

Shi Ye took a deep breath, let it out slowly, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he rotated a thousand words in his mind. Moments later, the corners of his mouth curled into a graceful arc, masking his clenched teeth, and he tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible: “You really are a genius.”

Having struggled alone outside for many years, he had seen more of the world than the average person and had a stronger capacity to endure than most. Within a few moments, Shi Ye had figured it out. Whether you have real amnesia or are acting, whether you are truly wanton or just pretending, it does not matter. I have plenty of ways to make you remember.

In short, trying to run away after sleeping with me, no way in hell!