Chapter 27 Part 1

President Li’s son was scared silly.

He couldn’t help but wonder if the thugs sent by that person were just too weak. Why had it led to this situation? After ruling out one possibility, only one answer remained: the seemingly frail long-haired young man by Lu Yanzhou’s side was actually incredibly strong in a fight.

No one had told him that Lu Yanzhou had such a badass bodyguard with him. At that moment, he really wanted to drag out the people spreading those wild rumors and give them a beating.

“That, President Lu,” President Li’s son panicked and started looking for an escape route. “I think I might have made a mistake. I, I’ll just head back first…”

Before he could finish, he turned to bolt.

Lin Juan stepped forward and grabbed his collar. “Hold on. Didn’t you say you wanted to demand an explanation from President Lu?”

President Li’s son wanted to cry but had no tears left as he begged for mercy. “No explanation, no explanation. Just treat me like a fart and let me go, okay?”

Lin Juan looked at Lu Yanzhou. It was his business, so he should make the call.

“The police are already here.” Lu Yanzhou’s stance was clear.

Sure enough, footsteps sounded as police officers in uniform arrived. After asking about the situation, they handcuffed the man and took him away.

Lu Yanzhou needed to go give a statement.

In the police car, Lin Juan teased, “President Lu’s life is truly eventful.”

Lu Yanzhou had dealt with similar incidents countless times and didn’t find it eventful at all. On the contrary, after marrying Lin Juan, they kept running into weird phenomena together, which was far more thrilling.

By the time he finished giving his statement, night had fallen.

Old Master Lu heard about the incident and declared it bad luck. He had the housekeeper fetch pomelo leaves to cleanse the two men of misfortune.

Lin Juan knew nothing about what had happened at the company before and asked curiously, “What’s the deal with that President Li?”

Lin Juan had only learned from the police that President Li’s son had done this to avenge his father’s firing by Lu Yanzhou.

“Doesn’t he realize how brainless that was? That’s your company, your turf. Bringing in a ragtag bunch like that, he really thought he could do something to you?”

Lin Juan couldn’t wrap his head around it. He figured no one with a functioning brain would pull something like that.

They weren’t some ragtag bunch, Lu Yanzhou thought silently. President Li’s son had brought in thugs from a hidden faction. They weren’t weak, but they couldn’t stand up to Lin Juan’s overwhelming strength, making the whole operation look like child’s play.

“His father got his position purely through nepotism and got called ‘President Li,’ but he had no real authority. I discovered he had misconduct issues, leaked company secrets to outsiders, and skimmed profits using his position. The evidence was ironclad, so I fired him.”

“So he had it coming. What kind of explanation does his son want from you?” Lin Juan couldn’t fathom that kind of logic.

“He lost big at the casino and couldn’t pay up. Someone approached him and told him to come stir up trouble at the company. If he succeeded, they’d cover his debt.”

President Li’s son had a loose tongue and was terrified out of his wits by Lin Juan, so he spilled everything easily.

As the victim, Lu Yanzhou had the right to know the details, and the police filled him in.

“The officer said those people might have more moves up their sleeve, so I need to stay vigilant for a while,” Lu Yanzhou said, lowering his eyes and looking somewhat vulnerable. “Xiao Juan, I don’t have many people I can trust around me. For the time being, I’ll have to trouble you.”

“Don’t worry,” Lin Juan said. He couldn’t bear to see the golden goose who made money for him get bullied like some pitiful thing. A strong sense of duty welled up as he promised, “With me around, no one can hurt you!”

Lu Yanzhou raised his head, his gaze filled with trust as he looked at Lin Juan. “I believe you, Xiao Juan.”

From then on, Lin Juan and Lu Yanzhou came and went together. The company employees noticed that Assistant Lin no longer appeared alone on other floors. Whenever he showed up, President Lu was with him.

They understood. President Lu had just gone through that ordeal, so having Lin Juan stick close for protection made sense.

Still, even if they didn’t see him much, the private chatter increased.

“You think where President Lu found that guy? Looks like a breeze could knock him over, but he one-shots burly dudes.”

“I was there. Oh my god, it was so cool. Next to him, those kung fu masters on TV look like a joke. That’s what a real powerhouse is!”

“Wasn’t there talk before that Assistant Lin was President Lu’s…”

“Pfft, spit spit spit. I never said that—don’t drag me into it. A powerhouse like Assistant Lin, how could he be…? Nah, President Lu must’ve hired him at top dollar. The assistant gig is just camouflage.”

“Has to be. You saw that Li guy’s face and the thugs laid out, right? Total shock, like their whole worldview shattered.”

“Who wouldn’t? I held my breath when Assistant Lin moved. Before I could even relax, he had them floored.”

“Gotta say, working with Assistant Lin around feels super safe.”

“Jealous of Special Assistant Liang and the others.”

Lin Juan noticed that whenever he ran into company employees now, the looks he got were different.

Curiosity had dominated before, but now it was mostly awe. Their eyes sparkled when they looked at him, and they only gave President Lu polite hellos out of courtesy.

Lin Juan teased Lu Yanzhou. “President Lu, at this rate, your employees are gonna start treating me like the boss. Your prez prestige is in jeopardy.”

“Did Xiao Juan forget? You hold shares in the group too. They ought to treat you like the boss.” Lu Yanzhou didn’t mind at all—in fact, he welcomed it.

The only thing that irked him was his partner companies and rivals hearing about the President Li’s son fiasco. They probed about Lin Juan both openly and discreetly. He wasn’t fooled—they were after poaching talent.

Lu Yanzhou’s instincts were sharp. Plenty of people were indeed tempted by Lin Juan’s fighting skills. They had no idea how effortlessly he handled weird phenomena. Just the story of him dropping a squad of elite-selected thugs in under a minute was enough to catch the eye of those high up the ladder.

After all, the richer and more powerful you were, the more you valued your life.

Lu Yanzhou knew that if word got out about Lin Juan’s true capabilities, those people would swarm him even harder.

He needed to grow stronger himself to have the right to stand by Lin Juan’s side.

For now, his biggest edge was his wealth. Lin Juan loved money, and Lu Yanzhou was grateful he had plenty—and the means to make even more.

As for the real poachers, Lu Yanzhou sneered inwardly and turned down their partnership offers.

“Buzz buzz.”

His phone vibrated. Lu Yanzhou checked it—an acquaintance. He picked up.

A carefree voice came through. “President Lu, isn’t that rejection a bit hasty? I put real sincerity on the table. Haven’t you always wanted to break into Rong City?”

“President Qi’s offer is generous, but it clashes with Lu Corporation’s current strategy. I’m sure President Qi can find a better fit.”

President Qi was Qi Ruilin, founder of Deep Sea Technology and Lu Yanzhou’s senior from their study-abroad days. They’d known each other for years. Setting aside business rivalry, they were friends off the clock.

Deep Sea Technology had built up overseas early on before pushing into the domestic market, using Qi Ruilin’s hometown of Rong City as its base to expand outward.

“President Lu, I’m dead serious. No hiding things between us—the situation in Rong City is messy. I can’t swing this project solo. If it weren’t for Lu Corporation’s backing, I wouldn’t even broach it with you.”

“I’ll let you in on something: my research team’s expedition in Rong City uncovered a new energy source unlike anything known out there. If you’re interested, let’s hash out details sometime. Perfect timing—I’m heading to the Imperial Capital in a couple days. We haven’t caught up in ages.”

Lu Yanzhou didn’t turn him down again.

The rise of weird phenomena was a crisis, sure—but also a chance for new opportunities. As a businessman, he wouldn’t pass up any potential.

He declined all the other offers.

The company landed two major projects, both with official partners. After a short lull, a fresh wave of busyness hit.

As the one at the helm, Lu Yanzhou stayed the busiest in the early stages.

Lin Juan tagged along to work every day, leaving early and coming home late. The next time the alarm blared at six, he finally snapped. “When does this madness end?”

He could handle late nights, but early mornings were torture.

Lin Juan sat up clutching the quilt, eyes bleary, hair a mess. Lu Yanzhou came in, already dressed, and caught the scene.

Hearing the footsteps, Lin Juan clutched his head. “Any leads from the police on the group behind that guy?”

If they nabbed the ones out to harm Lu Yanzhou sooner, he could stop dragging himself to work every day.

Sure, at the office he didn’t have to lift a finger—endless snacks when hungry, naps in the lounge when tired—but he still had to match Lu Yanzhou’s ungodly wake-up time.

He had to hand it to Lu Yanzhou; the guy seemed wired for six a.m. starts and stuck to it without fail.

“Some progress, but no concrete names yet,” Lu Yanzhou said, walking to the bedside and bending down. “That sleepy?”

“Yeah,” Lin Juan nodded, eyes half-shut. “How about shifting our schedule? We head in later.”

“Sure. You sleep more.”

Lin Juan eased back down, then jolted upright like he’d been shocked the instant his back hit the bed. “Wait, am I dreaming?”

His eyes flew wide, still shimmering with sleep, gazing up like an endearing little bird.

“We can really go to the company later?”

His tone dripped with disbelief.

“We can,” Lu Yanzhou nodded under that intent stare. His hand at his side twitched, then rose to brush the strands of hair from Lin Juan’s face. “Nine o’clock work?”

“So we never had to get up this early?” Lin Juan remembered—they always arrived when plenty of people weren’t even there yet. He’d wondered how in a huge company, employees showed up later than the boss.

No wonder: they were just ridiculously early!

Lin Juan shifted from sitting to kneeling, leaning in close to Lu Yanzhou with annoyance. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

All those early mornings for nothing?

Yet Lu Yanzhou always dove straight into work with zero slacking.

No surprise Lin Juan never questioned the schedule.

“I figured big companies ran this hardcore.” Lin Juan flopped back onto the bed in defeat.

Lu Yanzhou reached out to steady his back. Lin Juan’s spine settled right against his arm.

Warmth seeped through the thin fabric, and Lu Yanzhou went rigid.

He quickly composed himself, adjusting so Lin Juan could lean more comfortably.

Lin Juan leaned right into it. “You’re compensating me for this.”

“Of course,” Lu Yanzhou said, amusement in his voice. “Triple overtime pay, company rate.”

Lin Juan did the math—jackpot!

He perked right up. “Your words. No backing out.”

With extra sleep on offer, Lin Juan wasn’t shy. He nuzzled back against the arm. “Go handle your stuff. I’m crashing more.”

Nine o’clock meant solid sleep time.

Lu Yanzhou eased his arm away and tucked Lin Juan in.

After a refreshing nap, Lin Juan woke naturally feeling great. Nothing beat sleeping till you woke up on your own.

He grabbed his phone. The screen lit up: 10:32:52 glaring back.

Ten-thirty?!!!

Sleepiness vanished. He vaulted out of bed. How had he overslept like this? Why hadn’t Lu Yanzhou woken him? They were late—doomed!

Lin Juan threw on clothes, splashed water on his face, and bolted out the door.

“Lu Yanzhou, why didn’t you wake me?” Spotting the familiar silhouette in the pavilion, Lin Juan yelled. “Great, now we’re both late!”