His Venomous Former Boss Chased Him And Beat Him Fiercely Chapter 1
byRumor—The Incompetent Failure
The building named after the studio had almost become a landmark in the city center. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor offered a view of nearly half the city. The orderly architecture of the city gave off a sharp, modern feel, and the morning light reflecting off the skyscrapers was dazzling.
“Good morning.”
A chorus of greetings accompanied the sound of hurried footsteps.
Kong Xunwen closed his diary, turned his head, and added, “Good morning, CEO Qiu.”
The other man’s gaze landed precisely on Kong Xunwen, seeming to scan him before finally meeting his eyes. He replied, “Good morning.”
Kong Xunwen didn’t notice anything amiss. He simply nodded in response, watching his superior’s tall figure head toward the office, and sighed internally, *It has to be you. You’ve reached a new level of handsome today.*
Swiveling his chair, Kong Xunwen opened the company’s internal anonymous chat group.
Sure enough, fresh photos of his superior were already circulating.
Clicking on the enlarged photo, he saw the tall man, his brows slightly furrowed, his head tilted, his lips parted as if saying something. The vivid expression made his clearly defined, finely featured face seem even more real.
He wore a stud in his earlobe, numerous rings on his fingers, but only a simple, plain chain around his neck, revealing a prominent red mole on the side of his neck, connecting to his jawline.
He was undeniably handsome, and as a renowned fashion designer, his attire could be summed up in one word: trendy.
Kong Xunwen hesitated for a moment but saved the photo anyway.
Who doesn’t appreciate a good-looking person, right?
As he exited the image, his gaze lingered on that red mole for a moment.
The group chat was already flooded with messages. Some were marveling at how handsome CEO Qiu was today, while others discussed his outfit style.
Kong Xunwen finished reading these chats and scrolled up further…
Hmm? What is this…
A photo of him?
Without looking closely, Kong Xunwen quickly closed the entire chat window. Just then, his superior called him via the internal software.
He walked to the office door that CEO Qiu had just entered and knocked. Yes, CEO Qiu was his superior, full name Qiu Zhijie.
Qiu Zhijie was also the founder of Zhijie Studio.
“Come in,” came the reply from inside.
Kong Xunwen opened the door and saw Qiu Zhijie sitting at his desk, operating the mouse, looking at something with a serious expression. He seemed very busy.
Feeling a little nervous, Kong Xunwen pursed his lips, closed the door behind him, and stepped forward, quietly saying, “CEO Qiu.”
Qiu Zhijie looked up, his expression calm, and got straight to the point: “We’re taking a business trip to Pu City this afternoon. Are you going this time?”
Although it was phrased as a question, he sounded very certain.
After all, Kong Xunwen had never missed a trip before, but this time…
“I want to stay behind this time.”
Kong Xunwen had felt a little apprehensive before saying the words, but once they were out, he felt calm. As his heart settled, he couldn’t help but observe Qiu Zhijie’s reaction.
Qiu Zhijie seemed momentarily stunned, confirming again, “You’re not going this time?”
Kong Xunwen nodded.
He wondered if he was mistaken, but did his usually aloof superior’s face just flash a hint of annoyance?
Perhaps he saw wrong.
Kong Xunwen didn’t think of himself as that important.
“Understood. You can go back for now. I’ll reassign your work. You can rest after you finish it,” Qiu Zhijie’s tone softened slightly.
Kong Xunwen was a little surprised that his Sharp-tongued superior could say something so comforting, but the other party seemed to have misunderstood something.
However, he hesitated and said nothing, only nodding before returning to his seat.
As soon as he sat down, he received an email. Opening it, he saw it was indeed the work Qiu Zhijie had reassigned—work for the next four days. So, this business trip was for four days.
In that case, the people in the group waiting for CEO Qiu’s daily outfits would be disappointed for four days.
Kong Xunwen couldn’t help but smile as he seriously reviewed the email. No wonder he said he could rest after finishing it; he could handle everything listed here in one afternoon, or at most, an extra hour if he was being meticulous.
He was definitely misunderstood. CEO Qiu must think he didn’t want to travel because he was too tired.
Ah, this showed that his superior was actually quite nice.
Yes, a good superior.
As he was thinking, his desk was suddenly tapped.
Looking up, Kong Xunwen was surprised to find it was the very good superior he had been thinking about.
Seeing the young man’s eyes widen slightly, Qiu Zhijie curved his lips into a slight arc and quickly covered it with his hand.
Kong Xunwen was wondering if he had seen wrong again when he heard the other man say, “Don’t forget the company physical examination later.”
This had been announced in the company chat yesterday, and Kong Xunwen hadn’t forgotten. But since his superior kindly reminded him, he had no choice but to pretend he had forgotten, trying hard to show his sincere gratitude: “I know.”
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t think of any more eloquent words, so he could only hope his superior would see his sincerity through his eyes.
The two stared at each other for a few seconds. Qiu Zhijie was the first to look away, nodding before leaving.
Kong Xunwen glanced at the group chat, which was indeed discussing the physical examination, and hurried off.
Because the examinations were conducted in batches, the efficiency was very high. Kong Xunwen didn’t have to wait long before his turn began. The company-arranged checkup was extremely thorough, guaranteeing that if anything was wrong, they would find it. Therefore, the results wouldn’t be available immediately.
In the afternoon, his superior and the other colleagues going on the business trip prepared to depart.
When they passed his desk and saw he wasn’t moving, someone directly reminded him: “Brother Wen, we’re going on a business trip, aren’t you packing?”
When Kong Xunwen said he wasn’t going this time, he was met with a row of astonished stares, and someone even asked with concern: “Brother Wen, are you feeling unwell?”
He: “…”
“I just don’t feel like going.”
Although he explained, the looks directed at him didn’t change.
“Then, Brother Wen, please rest well.”
“Work, dreams, and future are important, but health is the most important thing.”
He could only smile and nod, watching everyone leave.
Qiu Zhijie, walking at the front, seemed to turn his head and glance at him too.
After seeing his colleagues off, Kong Xunwen exhaled and began tackling the work his superior had reassigned.
It was even faster than he expected. He didn’t even use the whole afternoon. Looking out the window, the sun was still hanging in the sky, and all his work was done.
Kong Xunwen took off his Blue-light Blocking Glasses, pinched the bridge of his nose, and picked up his teacup, ready to go Slacking Off in the pantry.
He exchanged greetings with colleagues from other teams on the way. Although it was called Zhijie Studio, its scale was comparable to a large company, just not publicly listed.
As soon as he reached the outside of the pantry, he could hear the sound of chatting inside. It seemed he wasn’t the only one Slacking Off. He rarely came to the pantry before, so he hadn’t known.
Just as he was thinking this, he suddenly heard a voice inside rise sharply: “But he’s occupied that position for three years. Doesn’t he realize he’s incompetent?”
Kong Xunwen’s footsteps paused.
That sentence could only be about him.
In fact, this wasn’t the first time he had heard similar comments.
Zhijie Studio was a place many fashion design students aspired to because the promotion system here was transparent. If one aimed to be a fashion designer, whether they wanted to start their own brand, simply design clothes, or had other personal ambitions.
As long as they passed the assessment, they could apply for funding or apply to work under a renowned designer affiliated with Zhijie Studio.
This assessment was scored entirely by Qiu Zhijie and several other well-known designers—all people whose judgment commanded respect.
As for the “occupying the position” mentioned by the person, that related to a step before the assessment.
Those who wished to participate in the assessment interviewed for an Intern Designer position at Zhijie Studio. After joining, they would be assigned to different designers to learn. They had an assessment opportunity every six months.
This was one of the reasons Zhijie Studio was so popular.
After all, not everyone got the chance to study under famous designers.
As Intern Designers, while learning, they were also assigned Design Assistant work, helping to handle tasks assigned by the designer. After passing the assessment, regardless of what they chose to do, the renowned designer who mentored the Intern Designer received various rewards.
Therefore, most renowned designers were willing to mentor Intern Designers. Of course, if they didn’t want to, they weren’t forced.
However, Qiu Zhijie was an exception; he was also willing to mentor Intern Designers, but while many wanted to choose him, few were chosen by him.
The so-called “occupying the position” was actually a rumor because Qiu Zhijie consistently maintained five Intern Designers under him. This included Kong Xunwen, who had been in the position for three years and always failed the assessment. Somehow, the rumor spread that Qiu Zhijie had a fixed quota of five spots.
And Kong Xunwen became the one occupying a spot.
It was a ridiculous claim, but it spread widely for a while. Even Qiu Zhijie found out and specifically clarified the situation.
At the time, Kong Xunwen himself felt guilty because of it, thinking maybe it was true, and even wondering if he was being selfish for the sake of his dream.
Perhaps Qiu Zhijie noticed something was wrong. Before the clarification, Kong Xunwen was called over.
That was the first time he had seen his superior look so serious. It wasn’t just seriousness; he seemed to be actively suppressing anger, though not directed at Kong Xunwen.
“It has nothing to do with you. There is no quota. It just so happens that I only take on those few people each time.”
Qiu Zhijie said this at the time, and Kong Xunwen thought he had misjudged things. His usually Sharp-tongued superior’s words were just a little stiff then.
But as he closed the door, he heard the other man’s fury.
“A bunch of incompetent failures. Being failures is one thing, but their heads are filled with straw. They self-ignite when the weather gets a little warm, resorting to these despicable tactics…”
At that moment, Kong Xunwen suddenly understood. They were just a bunch of incompetent failures—not only incapable but also brainless, stupid, and malicious.
Now that new people had joined, the same rumor had surfaced again.
Kong Xunwen carefully assessed his feelings and found he was very calm now. He no longer wasted emotion on such words.
CEO Qiu was right; they were just a bunch of incompetent failures.
He had been personally selected by his superior after a proper interview. Moreover, his superior was not someone who held onto old sentiments. If he hadn’t made any progress or shown any ability in these three years, how could his superior have kept him for so long?
Thinking this, Kong Xunwen appeared before the group in a very leisurely manner.
He quickly scanned them. They were all newcomers. That made sense; veteran employees usually didn’t come to the pantry at this time.
When they saw him, they all fell silent, like students seeing their teacher. The entire room was quiet.
Only Kong Xunwen’s light footsteps and the sound of him pouring water could be heard.
He turned his head and asked politely, “Who was just speaking?”