The entire office was shrouded in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Liu Anran’s slender, well-defined fingers tapped lightly on the rosewood desk.
With such a naturally imposing presence, even the Assistant beside him didn’t dare breathe too loudly.
The last time the Assistant had seen Liu Anran exude this kind of aura was not long ago, when a few veteran employees in the HR department, relying on their seniority, started to act with reckless abandon, only to be thoroughly dealt with by Liu Anran.
But what could it be about this time?
“I have a question for you. Do you think they could be my parents?”
Liu Anran reached out a finger and gently pointed at the paused image on the tablet screen—a man and a woman, both showing the marks of time and age, both middle-aged.
“How would I know…,” the Assistant muttered, “I don’t think they are.”
“Oh? And why do you think they’re not?” Liu Anran asked with keen interest.
“As parents who have lost a child, even if they found out their child was still alive, with such a minuscule chance of knowing your former name, it would be nearly impossible for them to find you,” the Assistant replied truthfully.
“But I think they’re my biological parents.” Liu Anran tapped the tablet screen. “Isn’t this the classic, everyone’s favorite long-lost reunion scene? Look at how pitiful they are—going so far as to disguise themselves as filthy cleaners just to meet their child in an unfamiliar big city.”
The Assistant was stunned where he stood.
“You just said they’re not, which is good, because you know my situation. But do the others know?” Liu Anran looked at the Assistant before him, who was actually four or five years older than him.
Truthfully, this Assistant was already quite capable. Unfortunately, his boss was Liu Anran.
“If nothing unexpected happens, videos of this scene from every possible angle will be circulating online soon,” Liu Anran patiently provided the final hint.
“I’ll go suppress the incident right away.”
The Assistant spoke, hurrying to leave this suffocating office.
“Very good. You’re meeting my expectations just by thinking of that, but what you need now is not to go suppress the incident.” Liu Anran crossed his legs. “Stay by my side and learn well—when something happens, don’t just think of the drawbacks first. Think of the advantages, too.”
“Then, President Liu, what do you mean?”
Liu Anran leaned back in his chair. “We don’t have to do anything at all.”
“Don’t even think about it. This kind of thing is child’s play for me, just a little test.”
“I don’t make it a habit to let tigers return to the mountain or prolong nightmares. If you’re bold enough to make a move, you can leave either your hand or your head behind.”
“Let him jump out on his own, and then deal with him.”
The Assistant nodded repeatedly at the long speech.
“Next, go and find the two people in this video. Bring them to my office. I want to see them both.”
“Remember, on the way to bring them to my office, make sure someone captures it on camera. If anyone tries to use this to stir up trouble later, just ignore it. Wait until he’s impatient enough to show himself.”
“This sort of trivial matter isn’t even worth mentioning.” Liu Anran said blandly, “And add some fuel to the fire. Go spread rumors in the comment sections of those videos online—say that my relationship with the Liu family has always been strained. As for how to phrase it, use your own judgment.”
The Assistant dumbly looked up, staring at Liu Anran sitting at the desk.
This youth, younger than himself, didn’t just seem intent on dragging someone out—he seemed eager to use this as an opportunity to gain something more.
“What are you still standing there for? I’m giving you three hours. Bring those two to me in a way that looks like you’re covering it up, but actually draws attention.”
Liu Anran tapped the desk.
As the office door opened and closed, only Liu Anran remained inside.
He took out his phone and scrolled through his chat history with Liu Xie.
Oh, right. He’d better tell his parents, or this show wouldn’t be complete.
He dialed Father Liu’s number.
“Mm, it’s me. I’m about to do something…”
“Why? Shouldn’t you be able to guess? It’s not a lofty goal, just something convenient.”
“So you’re saying you agree? Thank you very much. Of course I won’t let you down.”
Liu Anran hung up, then resumed scrolling through his messages with Liu Xie—skipping from recent concern to their earlier wars of words.
Back then, Liu Xie would often ask him for things—usually living expenses.
And at that time, Liu Anran had fiercely scolded his elder brother, keeping up a barrage of mockery and sarcasm for weeks.
Eventually, he swapped out the bank card that funded Liu Xie’s expenses with his own.
Reminiscing, he tossed some dog’s breakfast of a proposal from his desk straight into the trash.
Even under these circumstances, he could still handle work. Amazing, right, brain?
If this incident hadn’t happened today, he probably would’ve spent the night working overtime into the early hours—or else be enjoying Liu Xie’s gaze while playing basketball.
But that was impossible now.
The office door opened again. The Assistant led a man and woman inside.
This was Liu Anran’s first time encountering the main players at the center of this incident, and it wasn’t quite what he had imagined.
They looked honest, even to the bone, with none of that shifty, envious restlessness of the poor coveting the rich. There was not a trace of extra emotion in their eyes as they looked at Liu Anran.
There was real reunion in their eyes, real sentiment.
Other than himself and the Assistant, there were no other prying eyes in the office. Even if it was all an act, it was a bit much, a bit excessive.
The two’s innate sense of inferiority even made them unable to speak up at first.
Liu Anran frowned, glancing at the Assistant.
“They were waiting at a nearby bus stop, seemed to be waiting for someone. I told them they could meet President Liu and they followed me here.”
Liu Anran still didn’t speak, only continued to look at his Assistant with a faintly oppressive air.
Sweat beaded on the Assistant’s forehead. “I’ve already checked them over—phones and any recordings have all been destroyed, and there wasn’t much content anyway.”
“Good. You’ve improved a lot.” Liu Anran stood up and patted the Assistant’s shoulder. “Now you can leave.”
When the door closed for the last time, he pointed to the seats diagonally across from his desk, signaling the pair to sit.
“All right. Now, you can tell me who sent you. Whatever they offered, I’ll pay double.”
Liu Anran held up two fingers. “My Assistant might not be as good as me, but he’s not stupid. Your details will be on my desk within the day.”
“Are you really ready to go against me?”
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