Chapter 1

After young Situ took over as chairman, he launched a series of drastic reforms. In just the first week, he laid off over twenty people. During a general meeting, he tore into the Vice President, Old Jin, berating him mercilessly. Old Jin and the elder Situ had been childhood friends who grew up running around naked together, yet the young man showed him absolutely no respect. After a blistering, rapid-fire dressing down, he told Old Jin to pack his things and get out as soon as possible.

Old Jin, now in his fifties, was famous for his thick skin. Back in the company’s early days, a deal with a client had fallen through, and when the client pointed at his nose and cursed his mother, Old Jin hadn’t even gotten angry. Instead, he’d grinned and replied, “My mom’s getting on in years, but if you’re interested, I can find you someone younger.” He’d actually managed to close the contract in the end, a story that often served as fodder for office drinking sessions.

Old Jin had been berated by young Situ for half an hour; at first, he’d kept a smile on his face, but soon his complexion turned deathly pale. By the end, he was drenched in sweat, as if he’d just stepped out of a sauna. If even an old fox like him couldn’t take it, it was clear that while young Situ might be young, his methods were every bit as ruthless as his father’s.

After Old Jin left, everyone in the company felt like they were walking on eggshells. The office, usually bustling with noise, phone calls, dirty jokes, and the laughter of women, was now as quiet as a classroom of elementary students. Everyone stared at their computer screens, feigning intense focus whether they were actually working or not. Terrified of making a small mistake and getting fired by young Situ, no one dared to leave even after work hours; it felt like a breath-holding contest, with everyone waiting for someone else to break first.

At the second general meeting, however, young Situ completely changed his tune. He gave a speech with a smile, expressing his satisfaction with everyone’s enthusiasm. He raised everyone’s salary by one grade—those making four thousand were now making five, and those making eight were now making ten. He also introduced an employee incentive program: as long as performance was good, everyone had a chance for a promotion, with evaluations held every month based purely on merit.

As he said this, young Situ cast a meaningful glance at the three of us department heads, then added that the position of Vice President was currently vacant and would be filled at next month’s meeting. He said he looked forward to seeing everyone’s best performance.

After the meeting, everyone was beaming, the gloom of potential unemployment swept away. I was swept up in the mood as well, a surge of excitement rising in my chest. I’d been at the company for seven or eight years, and my performance had always been top-tier. Since becoming a sales manager, our department’s revenue had doubled every year. In terms of seniority, capability, and support from the staff, I was absolutely qualified for that VP seat.

Before, because of the personal friendship between Old Jin and the boss, I’d only ever dared to dream about it in private. Now that a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had appeared, I wondered if I should go all in and take a shot. The VP position came with a salary of over three million, a private office, a secretary, and gold-plated business cards.

With the company preparing to go public and the added bonus of stock options, I’d be set for life. Who wouldn’t be tempted by a chance to leap to the top like this?

Of course, I wasn’t the only one with this idea. It was like throwing a piece of fatty meat onto the road; the wild dogs would definitely fight tooth and nail for it.

Besides me, Lu Cheng and Old Deng were also candidates. Lu Cheng had joined the company two years after me and was also a top-notch salesman. In the last two years, his momentum had even threatened to eclipse mine. The elder Situ had favored him highly, often calling him into his villa late at night for heart-to-hearts, calling him a “hero among youth” and saying his future was limitless. Lu Cheng and I had always been friendly on the surface but at odds underneath. At the office, we’d slap each other on the back, call each other brothers, and compliment one another as big shots, but behind our backs, we were constantly stabbing each other, often poaching each other’s clients. We’d never had a falling out, though—that was a kind of unspoken office etiquette. With someone above us holding the leash, whoever stuck their head out first would be the one to get hit.

Things were different now. Lu Cheng’s excitement was written all over his face; he carried himself with the air of someone who already had the VP position in the bag. He walked with a swagger, and the day after the meeting, he gave me a hard time. That morning, I had a package to send, but I didn’t have the time. Just then, a girl walked past my office door, so I asked her to send it for me. I was so swamped I’d forgotten she was an intern Lu Cheng had just hired. Ten minutes later, as I stepped out, I saw Lu Cheng sitting in his chair, sipping tea with a smirk, my package sitting on his desk.

I asked the girl, “What’s going on?”

The girl lowered her head timidly, and Lu Cheng said from the side, “Old Qiang, what the hell is this? Making my people run errands for you? Isn’t that overstepping your bounds?”

I said, “What ‘my people’ or ‘your people’? Aren’t we all company employees? This package is a contract I just signed. If it gets delayed, the company loses out.”

Lu Cheng said with a sneer, “Then why didn’t you get someone from your own department to send it?”

I said, “They’re all busy.”

Lu Cheng said, “My people are busy too. We don’t have time to clean up your messes.”

Everyone gathered around to watch the spectacle. Lu Cheng stood up with a grin, tossed the package onto the floor, and turned to walk toward his office. Seeing his duck-like waddle, I was overcome with rage. I lunged forward and kicked him in the waist. He let out a muffled grunt and slammed into a nearby desk, his nose and mouth bleeding. He scrambled up, let out a screech, and tried to fight back. He might have been able to hold his own in a battle of wits, but in a physical fight, he was no match for me. I’d grown up brawling in the streets of Jiangcheng, and I quickly pinned him to the ground. Looking at the onlookers, I figured since the bridge was already burned, I might as well crush his spirit completely. After a few punches, the kid stopped resisting, but he was still talking tough: “Old Qiang, if you’ve got the guts, kill me today. If you don’t, you’re a dead man…”

I slapped him again, his left cheek swelling up like a kidney. I said, “Say that again, you piece of trash!”

Lu Cheng couldn’t handle the pain; tears and snot were streaming down his face. Everyone behind us was pointing and whispering, but not a single person stepped in to break it up. They probably knew my temper, and they knew we weren’t just fighting over a package. A sense of satisfaction welled up in me. I was just about to hit him again—I figured a few more and he’d be begging for mercy. After a beating like this, I didn’t see how he’d have the face to compete with me anymore. But just as I raised my hand, I heard a cold, sharp shout.

“Cut the shit, both of you! Do you want to keep your jobs or not?!”

I looked up and saw a grim-faced young Situ staring at me. His eyes were like cold blades, sending a chill down my spine.