When the Villainous Boss Acts as the Protagonist (Quick Transmigration) - Chapter 33

Before the thought of renewing the room took hold, Shen Ci was in his office reviewing a new proposal sent by his subordinates. It was a very serious proposal concerning the hotel chains under the Shen Corporation.

Yet, for some reason, as Shen Ci looked at the precise numbers calculated to two decimal places on the screen, his vision blurred. A sly face exposed under bright lights appeared on the monitor; beautiful eyes slightly upturned and full lips curved upward. He looked utterly innocent, but in reality, his demonic tail had already been wagging playfully behind him.

“President Shen.”

The assistant, who had been summoned to the office, waited for a long time without receiving a single comment on the proposal. This was unlike his boss’s usual efficiency in handling work. The assistant looked up cautiously and saw Shen Ci frowning in deep thought while staring at the computer.

“Is the proposal not good enough?”

“No.” Shen Ci took off his glasses and rubbed the space between his brows. “I was thinking about something else.”

The gold-rimmed glasses were placed gently on the side table. The sound of the mouse clicking echoed slowly twice. Just as the assistant tightened his grip on the documents, preparing to head out and busy himself with other tasks, he suddenly heard Shen Ci speak abruptly.

“Is that room about to expire?”

“Yes, President Shen. There are two days left until checkout,” the assistant replied immediately, catching on. “Moreover, the hotel butler mentioned that the gentleman staying inside has not left at all. Aside from necessary dining services, he has canceled all other services and essentially refuses to see anyone.”

An excellent assistant must report all information they know in one go once the boss opens the topic. Ever since Shen Ci instructed him to take good care of the person in 3601, the assistant had carved out at least ten minutes every day from his busy schedule to understand the situation of the gentleman in that room. He did this precisely so that when Shen Ci asked, he wouldn’t stutter or be speechless!

After all, that was the first little canary their boss had ever kept! The assistant gripped his documents tightly, looking as if he were ready to scoop his brains out for Shen Ci to inspect personally.

Shen Ci remained silent for a moment. “He hasn’t come out at all?”

“Yes. And he doesn’t seem to be in contact with the outside world. Every time the hotel delivers food, the room is pitch black. This is true for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”

“I see. You may go now.”

Shen Ci waved his hand for the assistant to leave, then looked up at the computer screen. A small black arrow moved from the top right to the bottom left. In the next second, a shy boy carrying a black backpack, wearing washed-out clothes, and smiling timidly toward the camera appeared on the screen.

This was the investigative report on Song Le’an sent by a private detective. It contained nearly every experience from Song Le’an’s past twenty years. It detailed how he was accepted into Jingda University while working part-time to support his large family, how he accidentally bumped into Li Yanzhe at a banquet while working at a hotel, and how he eventually ended up being kept by him in a muddled state. During this time, he had brought his sick mother and school-aged siblings to the city.

Part of the reason was the better medical and educational conditions in the capital, and the other part was that it made it easier for him to care for his family. Initially, he only looked after Mother Song, but after Li Yanzhe’s car accident, he spent his time running between the two, never tiring of it even when the man showed him disdain.

In summary, the Song Le’an in the report was filial, kind, and very responsible. More importantly… Shen Ci focused on the last line of the report: He likes Li Yanzhe very, very much.

That was why he stayed by the man’s side after the car accident. According to the detective, when Li Yanzhe first had his accident, he went through a period of violent irritability. Everyone who approached him was attacked to some degree. Among them, Song Le’an, who visited and cared for him daily, suffered the most frequent and severe injuries. Even so, Song Le’an did not give up. Later, because Li Yanzhe disliked being touched by strangers, he even squeezed in time to learn massage.

However, such a person, who seemed utterly devoted in the report, had proactively invited Shen Ci to keep him that night and even spoke of a discount.

“Sir, can we help each other?” “Sir, with your current appearance, how can you go out and see anyone?” “Sir, do you want to keep me? I can give you a discount.”

The boy’s playful voice echoed in his ears like an unstoppable incantation. Shen Ci knew very well that if the boy he had met that night were the person in the report, his brain would have automatically erased all traces of him the moment he stepped out of that room. But unfortunately, the boy he met was not that person.

The report was filled with photos of Song Le’an: in class, at work, smiling, looking sad. Each one was different, yet none of them were the person he wanted to see.

Shen Ci lowered his eyes, pulled open a drawer, and took out an unopened box of cigarettes. He usually didn’t smoke. Whether in meetings or meeting partners, the smell of smoke would immediately diminish his image. Furthermore, the nicotine would numb the brain; once started, there was a risk of addiction. Therefore, he shouldn’t touch them, and he couldn’t.

Faint grey smoke rose slowly along with the orange sparks. Shen Ci leaned back in his chair, his right hand slightly raised. His dark eyes watched the smoke rise into the air and spread. it clung to his body and blurred those deep black eyes.

He shouldn’t. He must not.

But the emotions he had forcibly suppressed were breaking through the soil in a different way, growing wildly. His fingertips trembled slightly as he placed the unextinguished cigarette into a brand-new ashtray beside the computer. He then pressed the intercom.

“Renew the room for another week,” Shen Ci said. Thinking of something, he added, “Prepare a phone identical to mine and send it over. Also, transfer one million yuan into the account for VIP Ward 3 at Xingyun Hospital. Remit it from my private account.”

“Understood, President Shen. Should the remittance be anonymous?”

“Yes.”

Shen Ci tapped his finger on the desk, staring at the cigarette that had burned halfway. Finally, he picked it up and took a puff. Faint grey smoke was slowly exhaled. Shen Ci said indifferently, “Tell the hotel that if the person in 3601 wants a contact number, give him mine directly.”

“Understood, President Shen.”

I still don’t like stealing from others, Shen Ci thought. But the boy had said it himself—Li Yanzhe would soon no longer be his benefactor.

Chu Sicheng lightly rubbed the brand-new phone with his thumb. He reached out to pick up an egg tart from the tray. While eating, he looked at the screen that lit up as soon as the SIM card was inserted. The tip of his tongue peeked out to lick a bit of custard from his lip, and then he clicked to answer. This was the first call he had accepted since hanging up on Song Leming.

“Hello?” The youthful, vibrant voice typical of a college student flowed through the speaker into Li Yanzhe’s ear, reminding him at every moment that the call had connected.

Song Le’an had answered. Song Le’an finally answered!

The irritability and frustration of the past few days poured out like water from an opened gate. For a moment, Li Yanzhe couldn’t even remember what he wanted to say. It was only after the boy on the other end said “hello” several times that he found his voice.

“You…”

“Hm?” The boy’s voice sounded full of confusion. He seemed to have moved the phone away from his ear; rustling sounds followed. After a while, Li Yanzhe heard the boy’s voice again, tinged with hesitation. “Li Yanzhe?”

“Who else did you think it was?!” Li Yanzhe frowned. His rationality returned in the long silence, along with his anger over the boy’s disappearance. The fire in his eyes burned brighter. He stared at the name “Song Le’an” on the screen, wanting to ask if the boy had had enough.

He thought that if Song Le’an lowered his head and admitted his mistake now, he could still forgive him for the sake of his past care. He could even send money to the hospital again. But while his imagination was beautiful, reality was different.

Click!

Before Li Yanzhe could speak again, the boy hung up the phone. His decisive and straightforward manner made it seem as though his hesitant questioning of the name wasn’t a sign of fear, but that he truly hadn’t recognized him. In just a few days, he couldn’t even recognize his voice?!

Li Yanzhe was almost driven to laughter by Chu Sicheng’s audacity to hang up on him. His thumb pressed against the frame of the phone until the blood drained, leaving it pale. He looked up, about to order his assistant to go to Song Le’an’s school and use his student status to force him out, when his screen lit up again.

It was Song Le’an. What? Did he regret hanging up? Did he realize he was someone he couldn’t afford to offend? Unfortunately, it was too late! This time, no matter what the boy said, he would not send money to the hospital. He would also pressure the school to increase the punishment for his truancy. If a pet won’t learn to behave, you must punish it harder to let it know who the real master is!

Li Yanzhe sneered at the caller ID and slowly answered. He thought the other was coming to beg for mercy. He was prepared to refuse forgiveness. However, the moment the call connected, what entered his ears was not the sound of weeping and pleading, but a casual and cold sentence:

“Li Yanzhe, our previous contract ends here.”

A simple sentence. It wasn’t a question, but a notification. He was notifying Li Yanzhe that the contract was void.

Li Yanzhe was speechless for a moment. Not because of grief, but because of the sheer absurdity. It was absurd that such a decision was initiated by the boy. A subordinate. A canary. A pet he toyed with in his spare time, what right did he have to say it was over?!

Li Yanzhe gripped the phone so hard it seemed the screen might shatter. “Song Le’an, do you know what you are saying?!”

To end things with him? Did he not want to survive in this city anymore? Li Yanzhe moved his lips, wanting to remind the boy not to forget the family he was supporting. However, just like the first call, the boy had no intention of listening. He hung up again after the notification. It was at this moment that the assistant, who had been sent to deal with the Song family, walked over and added fuel to the fire.

The assistant said, “President Li, I just received news from the hospital. Someone has already paid one million yuan into the account for Ward 3.”

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