The next morning, as Chu Tianyi once again stepped into the familiar—yet oppressively hostile—sales area of Group A at Feichi Corporation, he felt like a lamb who'd wandered unwisely into a pack of wolves, instantly drawing the gaze of every "hungry wolf" in the room.
After yesterday's harrowing "confrontation" with landlady Liu Guifang and his deep reflection on the cost and potential of the Heart-Hunting Manual, Chu Tianyi still suffered waves of indescribable fatigue and a dull ache at his temples from the mental ordeal. Yet his eyes burned brighter than ever before, tinged with near-madness and a resolute, do-or-die determination.
He knew his time was running out. Landlady Liu's ultimatum—"before 5 PM the day after tomorrow"—and Wang Hai's threat to "get lost if you don't fulfill the Hongyuan Heavy Industries order by month's end" (though Wang Hai seemed impatient to see him gone even sooner) both hung over his head like swords ready to drop.
He had to strike first!
Barely had he settled at his cold, corner workstation—untouched by his sluggish old computer—when the obnoxious buzz of second-generation scion Zhao Yuhang flitted into his ear.
"Well, if it isn't Feichi's own unkillable cockroach, Chu Tianyi!" Zhao Yuhang flaunted a steaming cup of imported Blue Mountain coffee before him, his smug face a mirror of Wang Hai's. "After being torn apart by Manager Wang yesterday, you still have the nerve to show up? I thought you'd have packed up and rolled out of Star City overnight! If skin were thicker, you'd make a great city wall!"
His sycophantic cronies burst into hearty laughter, eyes brimming with contempt and schadenfreude.
Chu Tianyi didn't even bother to lift an eyelid. He silently withdrew the dossier on Li Manting he'd compiled the night before. Ignoring these petty clowns was the only way to deflate them—any reaction would only fuel their excitement.
At that moment, the glass office door swung open, and Wang Hai's bulky silhouette strode in like a grim reaper, perfectly on schedule.
Spotting Chu Tianyi poring over his dossier, a flash of surprise crossed Wang Hai's face—he hadn't expected him back so soon—but it was instantly replaced by a sinister, triumphant gleam. Clearing his throat in a voice loud enough to fill the room, he announced:
"Chu Tianyi, Chu Tianyi—since you're still a newbie, I was ready to overlook your failure to complete yesterday's 'Launch Initiative' printing task. But some people are hopeless—no matter how much help you give them, they'll never change!"
Every head in the office snapped toward Chu Tianyi again.
Relishing the spectacle, Wang Hai feigned magnanimity. "However, I, Wang Hai, am not inhuman. Director Su always says we must nurture young talent. After careful thought, I've decided to grant you one…one golden opportunity to redeem yourself and prove your worth!"
He dragged out his words, heightening curiosity, then produced a hefty manila folder from his bulging briefcase and slammed it in front of Chu Tianyi with a dust-kicking thud.
"This," he said, pointing with a malicious grin, "is the special dossier on our company's most important—and most…delicate—VIP client, President Li Manting of Manting International."
At the utterance of her name, the office fell into stunned silence. Those whispering moments before froze in place, eyes wide, mouths agape.
Even Zhao's swagger collapsed into dread as he heard "Li Manting."
In the Feichi sales department, her name was taboo—a legendary figure so fearsome that even veteran salespeople paled at her mention.
Wang Hai cleared his throat and, in a near-melodic tone, continued: "President Li is no ordinary beauty. 'More captivating than fish in water, fairer than flowers at moonrise'—even that falls short. Her figure is like a ripe peach, igniting heat in the veins. But this bloom has thorns—colder than ancient ice, craftier than a nine-tailed fox, and with a mind deeper than the abyss. In Star City's business circles, men who meet her end up one of two ways: either utterly bewitched, kneeling at her feet like lovestruck fools, or crushed by her ruthless tactics—financially and reputationally ruined without even knowing how they died."
The half-praise, half-threat, paired with his leering expression, sent some female colleagues' cheeks scarlet, while the men craned their necks in a mix of awe and primal curiosity.
Lin Qiqi's pale face drained of color. She bit her lip, her large eyes filled with shock and despair. In her light-blue dress and sheer stockings, her legs under the desk fidgeted with restless anxiety.
Chu Tianyi's heart sank. Though he'd braced for Li Manting's reputation, Wang Hai's lurid embellishments made her seem even more terrifying than he had imagined.
Seeing Chu Tianyi's mortified expression and his colleagues' stunned silence, Wang Hai's thrill only grew. He continued, voice dripping superiority: "Recently, President Li has accused us of 'quality defects' in a batch of products, claiming they jeopardized a crucial international project of hers. She's threatening to sever all ties and demand heavy compensation! I dispatched several senior sales reps—Manager Zhang of Group B even took the lead—but they all returned empty-handed, shredded by her razor-sharp tongue."
He paused dramatically. "Therefore, the company has decided to entrust you—our most 'outstanding' and 'promising' talent—with a last chance to rescue us from disaster. Your mission: placate President Li Manting, resolve all disputes, extend our sincerest apologies, and, most critically, persuade her to abandon her compensation demands and sign a bespoke 'Golden VIP Strategic Partnership' contract worth at least thirty million next quarter."
He stretched out "outstanding," "promising," and "Golden VIP Strategic Partnership" in mockery.
"I'll even extend your deadline—because the task is daunting, and to show our 'confidence' in you," Wang Hai said, waving three nicotine-stained fingers. "You have…three days."
"In three days, if you succeed—if you satisfy her and seal that thirty-million deal—all your past failures, including yesterday's missed task, will be forgiven. I'll personally recommend you to Director Su for accolades and a meteoric rise! But if…" His voice dropped to a chilling whisper. "If you fail, it won't stop at firing you. I'll escort you to HR and ensure your file reads in flaming red letters: 'Incompetent, Unprofessional, Caused Major Losses, Never to be Rehired!' After that, don't expect another decent job in Star City. You'll be begging under a bridge or returning to your backwater hometown to farm. Understood?!"
Each word was a burning spike driven into Chu Tianyi's heart—a threat so absolute it left no room for escape.
The office was deathly silent. Everyone watched him, eyes a mix of horror and morbid fascination, knowing Wang Hai meant every word.
Chu Tianyi quietly lifted the heavy folder. Without opening it, he already envisioned the bloodstained tales of past sales stars broken at Li Manting's feet.
He said nothing. Slowly, he raised his head, meeting Wang Hai's eyes. Though rimmed with red from sleeplessness, they were eerily calm, imbued with something unsettling—and faintly pitiful. It made Wang Hai's heart flutter with unease, though he quickly brushed it off, savoring the thought of crushing Chu Tianyi completely.
"Good luck, young man," Wang Hai sneered, slapping Chu Tianyi's shoulder with such force it threatened to shatter bone. Then, like a triumphant general, he retreated to his lofty office, already picturing Chu Tianyi's ruined future.
Silence reclaimed the sales area, but now the glances at Chu Tianyi carried not only malice but a trace of pity and regret. To them, his career—and his life—had already been written off as a bloodstained tragedy.
Chu Tianyi remained at his desk, fingertips tracing the title "Special Client Dossier: Li Manting" on the folder. Morning sunlight filtered through the glass windows, casting mottled shadows across his face—twisted with anger and humiliation, yet underpinned by a curious calm.
After a long moment, he opened the folder and withdrew the detailed dossier. The first page bore her official portrait: a woman of thirty-seven or thirty-eight, with sleek, shoulder-length hair and sculpted brows that seemed to pierce the soul. Her vivid red lips formed a line both sensual and distant. Dressed in a sharply tailored black suit that highlighted her porcelain skin, she looked like a deadly black mandala blooming on a snowy peak—beautiful, exotic, and brimming with lethal danger.
Chu Tianyi's gaze lingered on the photograph. Then, almost imperceptibly, the corner of his mouth curved into a silent, crazed, anticipatory smile.
Wang Hai's conspiracy, Li Manting's challenge… and the boundless power of the Heart-Hunting Manual racing through his mind.
Everything—because of this sudden "death mission"—seemed infinitely more intriguing.