Unmatched Chapter 24
byChapter 24 Sense of Occasion
Zhao Shuyi’s birthday was on October 28th. Given his status, he received countless gifts every year, but none of them could be called a “surprise.”
It wasn’t because the gift-givers didn’t care, but because he didn’t have any expectations.
He had been excited a few times when he was young; children naturally have enthusiasm for unwrapping presents. But after opening so many, he realized they were all expensive trinkets. Everyone only considered what gifts were valuable and respectable, never whether “Zhao Shuyi would like them.”
Then again, Zhao Shuyi didn’t know what he liked either. Theoretically, he lacked nothing, and anything he wanted could be easily bought, naturally eliminating desire.
Moreover, Zhao Shuyi didn’t host birthday parties. Firstly, Zhao Fengli didn’t allow him to be too high-profile, and secondly, he found the noise unbearable and couldn’t stand the insincere people who used the opportunity to climb connections.
This October, with the Old Master having just passed away, it was naturally inappropriate to hold a large celebration. If Xie Qi hadn’t mentioned it, Zhao Shuyi wouldn’t have even remembered his birthday was approaching.
But Xie Qi felt that since this was their first birthday after the Marriage Arrangement, they could celebrate quietly by inviting a few close friends for a small gathering at home, giving it a sense of occasion.
“Sense of occasion,” Zhao Shuyi thought. This was actually Xie Qi setting the stage for revealing his “secret.”
What kind of secret was it that warranted such secrecy and deliberate mystification?
Zhao Shuyi couldn’t guess, nor did he have the energy to ponder daily trivialities—he was too busy.
After the Board of Directors meeting that day, he became the Chairman of Chaoyang Group. He knew that taking this position did not equate to victory; everything was just beginning.
His Second Uncle, perhaps due to his displeasure, feigned illness and took an extended leave, skipping meetings. He claimed to have acute heart disease, with doctors advising him not to leave his bed.
When one person leads, others follow. Overnight, several directors requested sick leave, citing various illnesses that were clearly just excuses.
They were shirking their responsibilities. Zhao Shuyi felt anger but suppressed it. He bought some gifts and personally visited the ailing directors to express his concern, taking the opportunity to talk with them privately and test the waters.
Zhao Shuyi believed he had shown sufficient sincerity and provided an easy way out. If these old veterans were sensible, they should switch allegiance to him. If they didn’t appreciate the gesture, they shouldn’t blame him for being ruthless later.
As expected, the old veterans were not very sensible.
Furthermore, Zhao Huaicheng wasn’t idle during his recuperation. He sent Zhao Shuyi a grand gift: he found the media to publish a news article suggesting that the new Chairman of Chaoyang Group was unpopular, leading to high-level turmoil, internal management issues, and extreme detriment to the company’s development.
He also spread the news about Xie Qi gifting him hundreds of billions in shares, using the media to question whether Zhao Shuyi and Ringzhou Group had some unspeakable exchange of interests. Why else would Xie Qi be so generous?
Zhao Huaicheng deliberately stirred up public opinion to exert pressure. For a time, a low-pressure atmosphere permeated the company. Countless eyes were fixed on Zhao Shuyi, waiting to see how he would perform.
Zhao Shuyi had to do something to prove his capability and win over the masses.
Zhao Shuyi didn’t say anything, but Xie Qi could tell he was under immense pressure, working late into the night almost every day. Yet, the three fires a new official should light upon taking office were still delayed.
Xie Qi couldn’t help but ask, “What are your plans?”
Zhao Shuyi had just hung up the phone—it was his Second Uncle, demanding to know what transaction he had with Ringzhou and if he had sold out the company’s interests.
Zhao Shuyi concisely replied, “No.” Zhao Huaicheng didn’t believe him and pressed further, so Zhao Shuyi simply blocked his number.
Regarding Xie Qi’s hundreds of billions, Zhao Shuyi felt it was understandable why outsiders were suspicious; he himself found it increasingly complex the more he thought about it.
But unlike others, he understood Xie Qi. He knew Xie Qi’s thought process was that simple. If one tried to deduce Xie Qi’s actions using the mindset of battle-hardened veterans in the business world, they would never understand him.
Consequently, the more others engaged in conspiracy theories, the more Zhao Shuyi appreciated Xie Qi’s rare simplicity.
From his observation, Xie Qi didn’t care at all about external evaluations. Aside from occasionally asking about Zhao Shuyi’s work, he mostly immersed himself in his own world, guarding that secret and growing increasingly nervous as the birthday approached.
Hearing the question, Zhao Shuyi put down his phone. “Do you know what position I held in the company before?”
“I know, Head of the Audit Department?” Xie Qi said. “Your Grandfather was quite good at arranging things.”
“I earned it myself.”
After graduation, Zhao Shuyi spent a few years honing his skills at the grassroots level before being transferred back to the headquarters to join the Internal Audit Department.
Chaoyang Group’s Board of Directors holds the highest authority and does not have a Supervisory Board. The Audit Department is the highest oversight body, reporting directly to the Board. Its key responsibilities include financial auditing and fraud investigation.
“In fact, ever since I transferred back to the headquarters, I’ve been conducting Internal Investigations,” Zhao Shuyi paused and moved closer to Xie Qi. “After all, it’s hard to talk about development without solving internal problems.”
Chaoyang’s so-called “internal problems” were no secret to Xie Qi, mainly high-level corruption and factional struggles—two problems that were also one problem.
“I previously found evidence. Do you know Feng Wen?” Zhao Shuyi introduced him. “He’s an old Founding Elder on our Board, a parasite. He skims money from every project, and who knows how much he has embezzled over the years. My Grandfather used to turn a blind eye to him.”
“Why?”
“I didn’t understand why before. I thought Grandfather was old and lacked the energy to clean up the Board, or that he was soft-hearted and gave in when old subordinates pleaded with him. But now that I’m in this position, things I didn’t understand before suddenly make sense.”
Xie Qi looked at him intently.
“You know that our Board argues every year over how much R&D funding to approve, right? My Grandfather fully supported the R&D department, but there was strong opposition among the senior management. He couldn’t always be a dictator. If he simply waved his hand and approved the money, the people below would find their work difficult…”
A company is also like a family. Some people spend money, others earn it. If the head of the household spends money on what they deem correct, and everyone else is forced to tighten their belts, where does the daily sustenance come from? Someone has to scrimp and save and figure out how to procure supplies.
“My Grandfather kept Feng Wen because, regarding R&D funding, Feng Wen firmly stood on his side. He could help him smooth over a lot of opposition and handle the dirty, difficult work.”
Zhao Shuyi sounded a little helpless. “Feng Wen isn’t clean, but he’s useful.”
Xie Qi understood. “So, you plan to continue using him?”
“Yes.” Zhao Shuyi nodded. “He is a typical example, and others are the same. I can no longer be so intolerant of flaws as I was before. I must use everyone who is useful.”
From the perspective of senior management, Chaoyang has undergone a change of leadership, and it’s crucial for them to change their stance promptly.
But to make them side with him, Zhao Shuyi had to take action. If incentives didn’t work, coercion would—the environment was so murky that if a serious Internal Investigation were launched, few people would be absolutely clean.
“I’ve been drafting an audit plan these past few days,” Zhao Shuyi tapped the desk. “I’m familiar with the Audit Department, and I know who I can trust. I’m going to conduct a large-scale Internal Investigation.”
Without needing further explanation, Xie Qi immediately understood:
Zhao Shuyi’s previous Internal Investigations were obstructed due to insufficient power. Now, there were no obstacles in front of him. He could investigate however he pleased within compliance. He was the proactive party; others could only react passively, either trying to hide their tracks or wisely pledging their allegiance.
This was a strong deterrent, the first stance Zhao Shuyi had taken since assuming office.
However, the plan was easy, but the execution was extremely difficult, involving an unprecedented amount of work.
Zhao Shuyi was mentally and physically exhausted every day, battling wits with all parties. Even after finally finishing overtime, his phone kept ringing at home as he constantly communicated with subordinates, leaving him almost no personal time.
By October 28th, his actual birthday, he was still busy.
It was a Saturday, but Zhao Shuyi didn’t take weekends off. He worked continuously all day, eating lunch in his office.
Around four in the afternoon, Xie Qi called and asked, “Are you still not done? What time should I pick you up?”
Zhao Shuyi replied, “Have the driver send me. You don’t need to come personally.”
Xie Qi sounded slightly displeased. “Is your work so urgent that you can’t spare this one day? It’s your birthday today. Can’t you be busy tomorrow? I’m buying things nearby, so I can pick you up on the way.”
“Mhm,” Zhao Shuyi replied perfunctorily.
Xie Qi ignored whether he agreed or not and issued a direct notice: “I’ll be there exactly at five. Come downstairs early.”
Then he hung up.
They had been very intimate recently. Even though Zhao Shuyi was busy non-stop every day, he couldn’t neglect Xie Qi.
Xie Qi usually returned home earlier than him and clung to him the moment they met, like a cat that follows its owner to the bathroom door. If it wasn’t allowed in, it would scratch the door and meow, protesting in every way possible.
But if Zhao Shuyi asked him, “Why are you so clingy?” Xie Qi would immediately retreat, shrinking back into his own territory, denying it repeatedly: “I’m not,” “It’s fine,” “It’s all your fault for being too busy to spend time with me.”
Zhao Shuyi noticed that Xie Qi had also been frequently bringing up past events recently, reminiscing from their fight in kindergarten up to the graduation ceremony, seemingly trying to remind him of something.
But Zhao Shuyi seriously reflected on Xie Qi’s hints. He remembered every past event but didn’t understand why they needed to be specially mentioned.
Xie Qi also liked to beat around the bush, twisting Zhao Shuyi’s thoughts. One moment they would be discussing, “I gave you a handmade gift for your fifteenth birthday,” and the next, he would switch to, “Did you have some entanglement with a certain girl from that class? So many people spread rumors about you two…”
Zhao Shuyi vaguely felt that Xie Qi’s secret was mostly related to these past events, but he couldn’t grasp the main point.
Last night, Xie Qi steered the topic toward one of Zhao Shuyi’s former rumored girlfriends again. Zhao Shuyi wondered, “I don’t even remember what she looked like. How do you remember so clearly?”
After saying it, he suddenly realized that the same girl had also been rumored to be involved with Xie Qi.
At the time, classmates called it a love triangle, but from Zhao Shuyi’s perspective, it was a pure misunderstanding. He had no involvement with the girl, yet Xie Qi had sought him out because of it, warning him, “You are not allowed to be with her.”
Zhao Shuyi was utterly speechless and warned him back, “If you like her, go confess. Stop bothering me. No one is trying to steal your girlfriend.”
But Xie Qi didn’t seem to confess later?
Zhao Shuyi wasn’t sure.
Was there any need to bring up such boring past events?
Did Xie Qi want him to be jealous? Zhao Shuyi thought, being a little jealous occasionally wasn’t bad; it could be a form of intimacy.
So last night, while they were intimate, Zhao Shuyi racked his brain to recall details about that girl and told them to Xie Qi.
Strangely, Xie Qi was not at all pleased by his deliberate attempt to act jealous. Instead, he inexplicably threw a tantrum, his face darkening. He pinched Zhao Shuyi’s jaw and bit him, like an angry puppy, yelling while biting, “Fake! I never liked her.”
“…”
Zhao Shuyi’s mind wandered in the office. Thinking about this, he lost the mood to work.
At five o’clock, he went downstairs on time.
Xie Qi had indeed arrived and gallantly opened the car door himself. Zhao Shuyi glanced inside the car before stepping in and was dazzled by a large expanse of white lilies. Underneath the lilies was a layer of red roses. The fresh flowers nearly filled the car, leaving no room to step.
“Do you need this many flowers for a birthday?”
Unlike Zhao Shuyi, who wore serious formal attire every day, Xie Qi had a new hairstyle and was dressed meticulously, looking even more like a radiant male celebrity.
It was as if he were the birthday protagonist.
Zhao Shuyi found it amusing. “I asked you a question. Why are you spacing out?”
“You’ll know when we get home.”
Xie Qi fumbled, hurriedly pushing him into the car, but he didn’t close the door immediately. He gazed at Zhao Shuyi’s puzzled face, leaned in close, and lowered his voice: “Zhao Shuyi, could you kiss me and give me some courage?”
“…”
Xie Qi wore an expression of heroic sacrifice and carefully moved his cheek to the closest position, making it effortless for Zhao Shuyi to kiss him with just a slight movement of his lips.
Zhao Shuyi kissed him as requested but completely failed to understand why he was nervous. He couldn’t resist teasing, “Don’t worry. No matter what you say later, even if you tell me you’re my half-brother and we’re committing incest, my expression won’t change.”
Xie Qi: “…”
“So,” Zhao Shuyi lifted his chin, “stop dawdling and get in the car.”