The Gentle, Sickly Beauty Is Won Over By The Loyal Big Shot - Chapter 1

February 13, 2025, 18:41. Litian Special District. At the Top 10 Real Estate Groups Conference.

A total of fifteen enterprises were invited to the conference. In addition to the ten nominees, there were five up and coming companies. These spots were given to allow new representatives to attend and learn. Each real estate developer selected two attendees, one representative and one companion.

However, these five new companies hadn’t fought tooth and nail for these spots just to “learn.” In the real estate business, success comes from two things, endurance over the years and a stable client base, which also requires endurance. There wasn’t much to learn, how a leading enterprise manages its internal staff is a trade secret and generally inaccessible. Therefore, they were here to watch the drama and “gold plate” their resumes.

“Gold plating” meant including this experience in the corporate charter to impress people later. As for the drama, it centered on two nominees: Jianchen Group, chaired by Gu Han, and Ruihao Group. Ruihao’s chairman never made public appearances, usually sending General Manager Zhou Cheng instead. The two groups were arch-rivals, and Zhou Cheng and Gu Han were notoriously at odds, engaging in verbal warfare whenever they met.

Today, Zhou Cheng hadn’t come. The representative was a very young male employee who looked about 180cm tall. He had a lean build, a slightly pale complexion, and extremely delicate, beautiful features. Most of the guests in the hall recognized him, his name was Qi Ran, the top salesperson at Ruihao.

Seeing him in person was better than any media report. The crowd had no interest in the host’s speech, they stared fixedly at the empty seat marked “Jianchen.” Since Jianchen was right next to Ruihao, everyone was waiting to see the sparks fly between Gu Han and Qi Ran.

At exactly 19:00, Gu Han entered the hall holding an Americano, followed by General Manager Yu Shen. The two were in the habit of arriving right on time, neither early nor late.

To be honest, Gu Han was a bit arrogant, he looked down on almost everyone. Only for meetings he truly valued would he arrive early.

After all, Gu Han’s Jianchen Group was a permanent fixture at number one. Ruihao had tried to overtake them several times without success, settling into the position of eternal runner-up. Furthermore, Gu Han was exceptionally handsome: thick eyebrows, large eyes, a clean side parted hairstyle, and a light stubble on his chin. At first glance, he looked almost mixed-race, a mature, “uncle type” man. Standing at 190cm, he loved fitness, had extremely low body fat, and possessed a flawless muscle ratio.

He was also a germaphobe who loved cleanliness. He wore a different suit every day of the month. Handsome, wealthy, and powerful, he had the status to act pretentious every day in the real estate world. Gu Han only spoke to those he deemed worthy, he barely wanted to attend this conference at all. Showing up right on time was already giving the organizers face.

General Manager Yu Shen felt this was understandable. If he were as handsome and rich as Gu Han, who wouldn’t act a bit arrogant?

The conference began once everyone was seated. Just as Gu Han placed his coffee cup on the table, Yu Shen nudged his arm and whispered, “Chairman, Zhou Cheng didn’t come.”

“Zhou Cheng didn’t come?” Gu Han looked up. “Then who is Ruihao’s representative?”

“Someone extraordinary,” Yu Shen sat up straight, leaving a gap so Gu Han could lean over and look. “Take a look for yourself.”

Gu Han wasn’t originally interested in Ruihao’s affairs, but since Yu Shen had made space, he glanced over casually. His eyes suddenly widened.

The boy was too young and too beautiful. His skin was fair and tender, his lips red and soft, and his nose bridge high. He even had “puppy eyes” dark, watery pupils that were incredibly bright. He was too cute, simply too cute.

Pink bubbles were practically popping in Gu Han’s eyes.

Seeing that Gu Han’s gaze was now welded to the person next to him, Yu Shen whispered, “Good looking, right? That’s Ruihao’s top salesperson, Zhou Cheng’s ace. I was thinking of getting his WeChat for you.”

Gu Han was gay and liked men with fair skin and beautiful features. He was deeply sentimental and prioritized “biological attraction” he had to feel a heartbeat at first sight, or it wouldn’t work. He hadn’t been interested in anyone for years. Not only did he want that physical spark, but he also wanted one partner for life, a literal “pure love warrior.” His private life was as clean as a blank sheet of paper, a fact known throughout the Litian Special District that he never bothered to hide.

“Get it now,” Gu Han said, his eyes glowing. “I’m afraid I won’t be able to catch him later.”

Whispering during the conference was common. The chairmen of the Top 10 all had eccentric tempers, money, and power. Gu Han, in particular, had such a wide network that anyone who crossed him was asking for trouble. The host couldn’t afford to offend any of them, so he ignored the chatter.

“Hello,” Yu Shen handed over Gu Han’s phone. “Our Chairman would like to get to know you.”

Qi Ran looked at the WeChat QR code on the screen and froze. After some thought, he handed over a business card and said softly, “Hello. If you wish to cooperate with Ruihao, I can give you my card.”

“Not for cooperation,” Gu Han interjected, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head. “I just want to know you personally.”

Qi Ran’s eyes went wide. “?”

“Quick, take it!” The friend accompanying Qi Ran nudged his arm urgently. “That’s the Chairman of Jianchen. Add him quickly.”

Only then did Qi Ran hurriedly take out his phone. Just as he was about to scan, Gu Han covered the screen. “I don’t want your work account. I want your private one.”

Qi Ran truly didn’t understand what was happening, his face turned a shy red. He had sold many houses and met all kinds of people interested in property, but this was the first time he had met someone interested in him. His professional composure as a top salesperson failed him completely, he looked lost and helpless. His friend, meanwhile, was covering his mouth and laughing. Once he’d had his fill of laughter, he said, “Just listen to him and add him.”

Qi Ran scratched his head. “Why?”

“Add him first and I’ll explain later,” his friend urged. “Hurry up!”

His friend seemed to know some inside information and was pressing him hard. Qi Ran took out his other phone and, in a daze, added Gu Han on WeChat before returning his attention to the meeting.

By the time the conference was half-finished, Qi Ran’s notebook was still blank. He couldn’t focus on taking notes at all. He kept wondering why the Chairman of Jianchen wanted his personal WeChat. It was so strange.

Noticing Qi Ran’s distraction, his friend asked, “What are you doing? Why are you dazing off?”

“Why did the Chairman of Jianchen add me?” Qi Ran whispered. “He’s so overbearing. I’m a little scared. Is he going to cause trouble for me?”

The friend started laughing again. Qi Ran got a little angry. “What are you laughing at? Are you bullying me too?”

“No, no,” the friend whispered back. “Gu Han likes guys. Insisting on your private WeChat means he’s interested in you. Chat with him, wouldn’t going to Jianchen be better than staying at Ruihao?”

“What’s the difference between companies?” Qi Ran shook his head. “They’re all places that exploit labor.”

“I don’t think so,” the friend said. “At least Gu Han likes you, so management wouldn’t be so strict. Brother, I’m saying this for your own good. Going to Jianchen is a path to a bright future. Don’t waste your time here.”

“I’m not the type to rely on upper management,” Qi Ran admitted. “I actually applied to Jianchen before. I didn’t even make it past the initial screening. Maybe they thought I wasn’t good enough. If I ever do jump to Jianchen, I hope it’s on the merit of my own strength.”

Hearing this, the friend laughed for a while longer before saying, “If you say so.”

Because Qi Ran hadn’t said a single word about disliking Gu Han as a person. The friend knew Qi Ran well, if he disliked a suggestion, he would clarify his stance immediately. This time, Qi Ran chose not to answer and that ambiguity was an answer in itself.

Yu Shen had overheard every word of their conversation and immediately reported it to Gu Han: “An HR rep rejected your little lover’s resume.”

Yu Shen’s slight cheekiness hit the mark. Gu Han enjoyed this kind of playful overstepping. Hearing Qi Ran called his “little lover” made his heart dance, though he kept a cool, stern expression. “Who rejected it?”

“I’ll ask in the HR group,” Yu Shen smiled. “I just looked up Qi Ran’s info for you. He’s a graduate from a prestigious university. His qualifications are more than enough for Jianchen’s management. Some HR person probably took a bribe or a ‘relation hire’ and bumped Qi Ran’s resume to make room.”

“Fine,” Gu Han nodded. “Find out who it was and fire them. And find the ‘relation hire’ who passed the audit and fire them too. Don’t wait for them to file for arbitration. I’ll proactively pay the N+2 compensation. Then, blacklist their resumes forever. Write a report on what they did and post it in the group. The next person who tries to sneak in a relation hire will get the same treatment. Let’s see who dares to ignore the rules again.”

Yu Shen began editing the group announcement. While typing, he asked, “Just the relation hires? What about internal referrals?”

“Internal referrals are reasonable and require my personal review, no mistakes will happen there.” Gu Han’s well-defined fingers gripped his coffee cup. “Why is the HR department always doing dirty things behind my back? I’ve disciplined them repeatedly, yet they still don’t take it seriously.”

Yu Shen was indifferent. “It’s always like this. Not just HR. Wherever there are people, there are cliques. My dear Chairman, why aren’t you used to it by now?”

“I can’t get used to it,” Gu Han leaned his head on his hand. “I hate malicious competition and people acting against the wind. If I catch them, they’re out.”

Yu Shen hummed. “Found the HR rep who banned Qi Ran’s resume.”

“Have him bring up the resume of the person he actually hired,” Gu Han said. “If they aren’t as good as Qi Ran, punish him.”

“Of course they aren’t as good as Qi Ran. Even my own academic background isn’t as good as his, let alone theirs.” Yu Shen pushed the phone toward Gu Han. “The HR rep is already making excuses, saying it was his brother and that he’s very talented.”

Gu Han didn’t look and waved his hand. “Fire him. Fire them both.”

With less than twenty minutes left in the conference, Qi Ran was almost slumped over the table. His friend was handing him a water bottle when the host suddenly interrupted the meeting. “Representative of Ruihao Real Estate, what is wrong?”

Gu Han and Yu Shen had been so busy discussing firing the HR rep that they hadn’t noticed Qi Ran. At the host’s words, they both looked straight at him. Qi Ran’s friend said, “Apologies, the representative is feeling a bit unwell. He has a bad stomach, when it hurts, he needs to lean down for a bit. Sorry.”

The host didn’t take Qi Ran seriously because he was just a representative, not a CEO. In the past, he had been fawning toward CEOs, even begging for their contact info. Qi Ran didn’t look familiar and didn’t seem to be the son of some real estate tycoon, so he just brushed it off half-heartedly. “Fine. There are less than twenty minutes left. Just hang in there.”

“What company are you from? What kind of attitude is that? Can’t you see he’s unwell? Why continue the meeting if he’s sick?”

Gu Han slammed the table. “When you see a group CEO, you wag your tail like a dog. Is a corporate representative different from a CEO? Do you rank people like this? He’s in so much pain yet he’s persisting. Tell me which company you’re from right now. If you don’t say it, I’ll find out myself. I want to see which CEO raised an employee like you.”

“No, Mr. Gu, please don’t be like this,” the host stammered, terrified by Gu Han. “Mr. Gu, I…”

“Yu Shen, stay here and finish the meeting for me.” Gu Han stood up to help Qi Ran. As soon as he reached Qi Ran’s side, he leaned down, his voice suddenly becoming gentle.

“Qi Ran, I’m taking you to the hospital.”