Seeing Brother Qiao and his men suddenly make their move, Chen Xuan was fully prepared. His heart sank like still water, entering a realm of unshakeable calm.
All of this was because the Evil Doctor had infused Chen Xuan's body with the millenniums-worth of immortal qi stored within the ancient jade, producing such an extraordinary effect.
At this moment, the movements of Brother Qiao and his henchmen appeared as slow as snails in Chen Xuan's eyes—not only exceedingly sluggish, but full of openings. He even felt he had ample time to appreciate Brother Qiao's ugly, distorted expression.
In Brother Qiao's eyes, however, Chen Xuan was simply standing rooted to the spot without moving a muscle. Brother Qiao couldn't help sneering inwardly, thinking the brat must have been scared out of his wits.
Just as a dozen fists were about to smash into Chen Xuan, Brother Qiao's ferocious grin abruptly vanished. Immediately afterward, a piercing, agonizing pain struck the pit of his stomach.
"Ah—!"
Amidst the screams, before Brother Qiao and his subordinates could even graze the hem of Chen Xuan's clothes, their bodies doubled over like prawns and they collapsed to their knees on the ground.
It turned out that in a split second, with lightning-fast speed, Chen Xuan had delivered a hand-blade strike to the lower abdomen of each man, instantly stripping the thugs of their combat capability.
Kneeling on the ground, Brother Qiao clutched his stomach and wailed in continuous agony. This time, he certainly wasn't acting.
The combat techniques passed down secretly by the Evil Doctor allowed Chen Xuan to control his force with absolute precision—inflicting heart-wrenching pain on Brother Qiao and his crew without causing them severe injuries.
Chen Xuan's movements were ghost-like. The onlookers, who had just been about to shriek in alarm upon seeing Brother Qiao and his men attack, watched the group drop to their knees the very next second. Their expressions instantly shifted to utter shock, making for a most colorful sight.
Could this young man work magic? Without doing a thing, he had somehow forced these thugs, who looked fierce just a moment ago, to kneel and wail in pain. It was simply too incredible.
Standing right beside Chen Xuan, Qin Feixue could not hide her astonishment either. Though she was right next to him, she could only sense that Chen Xuan was responsible for the thugs kneeling, without catching a glimpse of his actual moves.
After knocking down Brother Qiao and his cronies, Chen Xuan flashed a smile at Qin Feixue. "Are you alright?"
"Huh? I... I'm fine." Seeing Chen Xuan's caring smile, Qin Feixue couldn't help staring in a daze.
"Good to hear you're fine." Chen Xuan turned his gaze back to Brother Qiao and the others kneeling on the ground, a wicked, charming smile curling the corners of his lips. "Do you fellows still want to extort a million from my girlfriend?"
Feeling the chill in Chen Xuan's tone, Brother Qiao trembled in his boots and stammered, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare! We were blind and offended your girlfriend. I'm making amends to you!"
"Hmph, get lost right now, and don't let me catch you pulling scams again!" Against social scum of this sort, Chen Xuan had no intention of showing even a shred of politeness.
Granting a massive reprieve, Brother Qiao and his subordinates endured their pain and scurried away in disgrace.
"Thank you." Qin Feixue let out a secret sigh of relief and thanked Chen Xuan with genuine sincerity.
Looking into Qin Feixue's large, clear eyes—reminiscent of a snow-mountain lake—Chen Xuan joked, "What are you thanking me for? Isn't helping my own girlfriend a matter of course?"
Ever since letting go of his feelings for Xu Jing, coupled with the immense self-confidence brought by the Evil Doctor's legacy, Chen Xuan's mindset was now entirely transformed from his former self.
Even when facing such a great beauty and star-level figure of Tianhai University as Qin Feixue, he could laugh and chat with complete ease.
Moreover, among the lingering fragments of the Evil Doctor's memories, Chen Xuan learned that in life the Evil Doctor had been a dashing, worldly, and devil-may-care romantic master. This wicked yet charming disposition had naturally transferred to Chen Xuan, making him appear all the more distinct and extraordinary.
"Hey, that's enough out of you. I never agreed to be your girlfriend," Qin Feixue scolded with a playful glare, two shallow dimples appearing on her cheeks, making her look truly radiant and stunning enough to captivate nations.
This Qin Feixue was definitely on a country-toppling level; calling her merely the campus belle of Tianhai University really did her an injustice.
Reviewing her inwardly, Chen Xuan kept a beaming smile on his face. "If I didn't mishear, didn't you just admit a moment ago that I'm your boyfriend?"
"That was an emergency just now, it doesn't count." Remembering that she had actually blurted out those words, Qin Feixue's pretty face instantly flushed red. "By the way, may I ask your name?"
"My name is Chen Xuan... Oh no, I'm going to be late for work! Let's chat next time!" Suddenly remembering his job, Chen Xuan hurried over to his electric scooter.
"Chen Xuan..." Watching Chen Xuan's departing back, Qin Feixue silently repeated his name, then suddenly smiled. "What a fool—he didn't even ask for my contact information. Who knows how there's supposed to be a 'next time'."
A top-tier beauty like her possessed a deeply proud heart; she certainly wouldn't take the initiative to ask for Chen Xuan's contact details.
As for what was running through Qin Feixue's mind, Chen Xuan was naturally oblivious. He hopped onto his electric scooter and sped like lightning toward the company where he interned.
The company where Chen Xuan interned was called the Shen Group, one of the premier super-corporations in Tianhai City, with businesses spanning real estate, hospitals, hotels, tourism, finance, and much more. Its strength was formidable.
It was only after passing through layers of interviews that Chen Xuan had secured the opportunity to intern at the group's headquarters.
Fortunately, the headquarters of the Shen Group wasn't far from Tianhai University. A little over ten minutes later, Chen Xuan rode his small electric scooter into the parking lot of the corporate tower.After parking his car, as he was about to walk toward the main entrance of the headquarters, a middle-aged man in a security guard uniform suddenly blocked his path.
Seeing this person, Chen Xuan said expressionlessly, "Captain Zhou, why are you blocking me? I'm in a rush to get to work!"
This man, named Zhou Tao, relied on being a distant cousin of a manager within the Shen Corporation to secure the position of security captain. Usually, he slacked off and neglected his duties, and he also loved to bully newcomers like Chen Xuan, ordering him around to do all sorts of odd jobs and trivial tasks.
Because Zhou Tao's backer was Chen Xuan's department manager, Liu Bin, Chen Xuan had previously had no choice but to swallow his anger and endure it. But finally, after reaching his breaking point one day and refusing to do odd jobs for Zhou Tao, he never expected that Zhou Tao would harbor a grudge against him and even snitch to Liu Bin.
As a result, Chen Xuan deeply loathed Zhou Tao in his heart.
Seeing Chen Xuan's attitude, Zhou Tao felt extremely displeased. Suppressing his anger, he sneered, "Chen Xuan, you're already half an hour late. Why are you even heading up? If I were you, I'd just pack my things and get lost right now!"
Liu Bin had a rule that his department had to start work half an hour early, and anyone who failed to do so would be fired. Zhou Tao knew this rule very well.
"The official company start time is nine o'clock sharp. Since it's not nine yet, I'm not late. If Captain Zhou has nothing else to say, please step aside." Chen Xuan replied bluntly. Right now, he completely lacked any need to swallow his anger and endure.
Even if Liu Bin wanted to fire him once he went upstairs, Chen Xuan was fearless—let alone dealing with a petty security captain.
"Hmph, let's see how long you can keep that sharp tongue of yours. I bet that within an hour, you'll be crawling right back down here and leaving the Shen Corporation forever like a dog!" Zhou Tao wore a confident expression, sneering as he stepped aside.
Hearing these words, Chen Xuan was suddenly in no rush to go upstairs anymore. Although he was already prepared to be fired today, before leaving, he somehow had to make this dogmatic snob furious.
"Captain Zhou, what if I don't come down within an hour?" Chen Xuan sneered in return.
"Then I'll call you Grandpa three times!" Zhou Tao paused, his gaze suddenly turning vicious. "But if you crawl down within an hour, you'll have to bark like a dog while crawling all the way from the entrance out to the main road!"
Zhou Tao was entirely certain that as long as Liu Bin fired Chen Xuan, even if Chen Xuan didn't want to leave, he would lead a group of men up to drag Chen Xuan down by force.
"Fine, it's a deal then." Without looking back, Chen Xuan walked straight toward the elevator on the first-floor lobby.
At this moment, quite a few colleagues and leaders from other departments were still waiting for the elevator. A moment later, the elevator doors in front of Chen Xuan opened, and he took the lead, stepping inside briskly.
"Hey!"
Before he could even take a full step, Chen Xuan bumped right into a young woman coming out of the elevator.
The girl crashed directly into Chen Xuan's arms, and he instantly felt a warm, soft mass pressed against his chest. At the same time, a faint, delicate fragrance drifted into his nose and mouth.
Chen Xuan lowered his gaze, and for a second, it felt as though his nose would spray blood.
"Have you looked enough yet?" A voice as cold as ice entered his ears, and Chen Xuan finally remembered that he was the one who had bumped into her, quickly reaching out to help her up.
Once he managed to get a clear look at her, Chen Xuan drew in a sharp breath inwardly. The girl standing before him was simply breathtakingly gorgeous.
She possessed a classic oval face, eyebrows like crescent moons, clear autumn-water eyes, and skin fairer than snow. Her dark, lustrous hair was simply coiled up, giving her an air of supreme elegance and poise. Dressed in standard black office attire, it could not conceal her tall, flawless figure—with full breasts, a willow-thin waist, and rounded hips, she was the absolute embodiment of an ultimate stunner.
After a brief moment of daze, Chen Xuan finally spoke up, "I'm so sorry, beauty. I really didn't mean to bump into you."
The beautiful woman's eyes seemed to contain an iceberg within them, and even with Chen Xuan's formidable willpower, he couldn't help but feel a chill sweep over him.
"Uh, I don't know which department you're from, Miss Beauty? If you're not satisfied with my apology, I can treat you to lunch after work today to make amends." Chen Xuan's tone was sincere, though the chill in the iceberg beauty's eyes seemed to thicken just a fraction.
By this time, the surrounding atmosphere finally made Chen Xuan realize that something was terribly wrong. The people standing behind him were actually looking at Chen Xuan with expressions of extreme pity.
"Good morning, President Shen!"
A chorus of neat and respectful greetings finally made a certain name echo in Chen Xuan's mind: Shen Binglan!
The iceberg beauty standing right before him turned out to be none other than the newly appointed chairperson of the Shen Corporation—Shen Binglan!
Chen Xuan couldn't help but marvel inwardly at how strange fate could be. On the very day he was prepared to be fired, he had managed to bump right into the legendary beauty president whom he had never once laid eyes on since starting his internship—though the manner of their meeting was admittedly a bit awkward.
Shen Binglan's formidable reputation was well-known throughout the Shen Corporation. Although the person herself was as elusive as a dragon—appearing in the head but never the tail—Chen Xuan had heard plenty of rumors regarding her background.
Before passing away, the former chairperson of the Shen Corporation—Shen Binglan's grandfather—had shockingly skipped a generation in his will, directly appointing his granddaughter Shen Binglan, who had just recently returned from studying abroad, as the new chairperson.
This event had hit the business world of Tianhai City like a blockbuster bomb, creating massive waves that had continued to stir excitement unabated over the past few months.