Chapter 1: A Boss Like an Erupting Volcano

Beijing. Chang’an Avenue. Oriental Plaza.

The twenty-first floor of one of the buildings, JIMING Capital.

It was a young company, with a young boss, a young management team, and employees who were all young faces as well. Every day, the company brimmed with energy, and the torrents of money surging through the capital markets were the very fuel that kept their blood pumping.

But at that very moment, earth-shaking roars were booming out of the General Manager’s office.

Fifteen minutes earlier, General Manager Lu Jiming had summoned the entire senior management team into his office and officially switched into “Ma Jingtao mode,” roaring at the top of his lungs. The atmosphere throughout the entire company instantly became unbearably oppressive and tense.

Liu Yitian, the Administrative Director, came rushing up to the General Manager’s office, completely out of breath.

“I only went to the restroom for a few minutes. How did everything turn upside down already? Which great immortal managed to piss this lord off again?”

Lowering his voice, he whispered to Yang Xiaoyang, the administrative assistant standing guard outside the door.

“What exactly happened?”

Yang Xiaoyang looked terrified and tense.

“It’s that convertible bond project Director Ren from Project Department One is handling. The issue about our company having to inject additional capital… Hurry up and get inside. President Lu was just yelling about why the actual number of people present didn’t match!”

While the two were whispering, a mighty roar suddenly erupted from inside the office. The voice was deep and powerful, so full of force that both Liu Yitian and Yang Xiaoyang jumped and instinctively hunched their shoulders.

“Good God! He nearly shook my tonsils loose!”

Liu Yitian seized what little time he had left to bombard Yang Xiaoyang with questions.

“Where’s your boss? Where’s Ning Meng herself? Where did she go?”

Yang Xiaoyang swallowed.

“She went to the Administration for Industry and Commerce first thing this morning!”

Liu Yitian smacked himself on the forehead.

“Then call her back right now! Can’t you see the tiger in there is about to start eating people alive? Director Ren specifically told me before that if something like this ever happened, Ning Meng would be the only person who could save him!”

Flustered, Yang Xiaoyang nodded repeatedly.

“Okay, okay!”

She hurriedly pulled out her phone to make the call.

Just then, another growl pierced straight through the thick solid-wood door.

“Liu Yitian! What are you muttering about outside my door? If you don’t get your ass in here right now, do you believe I’ll make sure your life has only ‘yi tian’, one day, left?!”

The roar nearly made Liu Yitian want to clutch his head and flee for his life.

With the heroic resolve of a warrior marching toward certain death, he put his hand on the doorknob. Even then, he did not forget to use his final precious seconds to remind Yang Xiaoyang:

“Hurry, hurry! Get Ning Meng back here!”

With that, he opened the door and allowed himself to be swallowed by Lu Jiming’s raging storm of roars.

Yang Xiaoyang finally got through.

Clutching the phone tightly, she hurried off to one side. Her voice trembled, sounding as though she was about to cry.

“Ah Meng, the volcano’s erupting again! Hurry back and save us!”

Ning Meng rushed back soon afterward.

The moment she entered the company and put down her bag, she asked Yang Xiaoyang:

“What happened?”

Because she had hurried all the way back, tiny beads of sweat dotted her forehead.

She raised her hands and, with a few quick movements, twisted her ponytail into a neat bun.

Much cooler.

Yang Xiaoyang hurriedly explained the whole story.

“Well, doesn’t Director Ren’s Department One have that convertible bond project? Our company is the subordinated risk-bearing party. Now the net asset value of the trust plan has fallen below the stop-loss threshold, so the trust company is demanding that we inject additional capital immediately. Otherwise, they’ll liquidate all the securities assets they’re holding to recover the funds.

“The moment President Lu heard about it, he exploded! He said, ‘Why the hell are we the ones injecting capital? Houyuan Investment is supposed to do it! That was the agreement from the beginning! Houyuan Investment was supposed to provide the additional funds!’

“Then the trust company pulled out the contract, and there it was in black and white. The party responsible for the capital injection is definitely our company…

“And then President Lu turned into Ma Jingtao…”

Yang Xiaoyang finally stopped and let out a long breath.

Ning Meng pushed her glasses up and brushed her bangs aside, her expression perfectly calm.

Yang Xiaoyang’s panic did not affect her in the slightest.

“Slow down. There’s no need to rush.”

Ning Meng patted Yang Xiaoyang on the shoulder.

Yang Xiaoyang took a deep breath and continued.

“So basically, that big tiger is furious because of Director Ren’s project in Department One. And before Director Liu from Administration got dragged inside in chains, he used every last second he had to tell me that Director Ren once said if something like this happened, I should find you, because you’re the only person who can save him!”

Yang Xiaoyang rattled off the entire sentence in one breath as though she were reciting a script.

Ning Meng’s expression remained composed, but inwardly she found it hilarious.

She thought she ought to find an opportunity someday to recommend this talented girl to a comedy troupe.

“All right. I understand.”

Ning Meng pushed her glasses up again and headed toward the General Manager’s office.

Her fitted office dress traced the slender curves of her body, making her appear delicate and almost fragile. Yet at the same time, she radiated an oddly capable and composed air.

Ning Meng really was someone who could save Director Ren.

Director Ren was the Investment Director of Project Department One. He was handling a convertible bond project involving a listed company in cooperation with a trust company.

When the project structure had originally been designed, another company had been designated to provide the additional capital. But something had gone wrong during implementation.

At noon that day, Lu Jiming had apparently drunk far too much at some business lunch. After returning to the office, he collapsed into his executive chair, tilted his head back, and started snoring like a boiling kettle.

That was when Director Ren from Project Department One knocked on the door and came in, bracing himself as he reported an unexpected development.

It turned out that the company originally designated to provide the additional capital no longer had sufficient financial capacity, so they urgently needed to replace it with another party.

The project had already reached a critical stage. Lu Jiming had to decide quickly which company would take over the capital-injection obligation.

The trust company had responded that JIMING Capital itself could step in as the party responsible for providing the additional funds.

And so Director Ren had come to ask Lu Jiming whether he agreed to let JIMING Capital itself assume that responsibility.

After explaining the entire situation, Director Ren asked Lu Jiming, whose eyes were already glazed with drunkenness:

“President Lu, given the circumstances, would it be all right for us to take on the capital injection ourselves?”

Ning Meng still remembered the scene clearly.

Lu Jiming sat in his executive chair, swaying from side to side as he listened to the report.

She knew he was almost at his limit.

Director Ren finally finished speaking.

Lu Jiming suddenly swung one hand out and slapped it hard against the desk.

Smack!

The crisp sound was so intimidating that it might as well have been a slap across someone’s face.

“Whether it’s all right or not, Director Ren, can’t you make that decision yourself? If you say it’s fine, then it’s fine!”

Lu Jiming delivered his verdict with absolute decisiveness.

If one listened only to his firm, authoritative tone while ignoring his unfocused eyes, no one would have guessed that he was already hovering on the edge of losing consciousness.

Standing beside him and pouring him water, Ning Meng could only roll her eyes.

She would gladly stake the next fifty years of her youth on the fact that Lu Jiming had absolutely no idea what Director Ren had just said.

Nor did he have any idea what he himself had just agreed to.

Director Ren wiped the sweat from his forehead and retreated from the office.

The instant his foot crossed the doorway, Lu Jiming threw his head back and immediately returned to his boiling-kettle snoring.

Ning Meng quietly slipped out after Director Ren.

She called out to him.

“Just to be safe, I think you should wait until President Lu sobers up and ask him again!”

After serving as Lu Jiming’s personal secretary for three years, Ning Meng understood her complicated boss far too well.

Sober Lu Jiming was one kind of person.

His temper was unbelievably foul. He loved doing the exact opposite of what other people wanted. His ignition point was practically a hundred and eight thousand miles below sea level. He could become furious at the drop of a hat and erupt whenever he pleased.

If humans really had previous lives, Ning Meng seriously suspected that Lu Jiming had once been a volcano.

But after drinking, he became a completely different person.

Alcohol was like a key that unlocked his second personality.

Whenever Lu Jiming got drunk, he became unbelievably agreeable. Ask him for almost anything while he was intoxicated and he would happily nod his head and say yes.

What Ning Meng feared most was Lu Jiming going out alone to drink and discuss business with other people.

Without someone from the company there to keep an eye on him, she genuinely suspected that, while drunk, he might even end up selling himself for next to nothing.

Ning Meng said to Director Ren, “I’m just worried that once President Lu sobers up, he might not even remember this clearly.”

Director Ren grimaced. “But the project won’t wait for us! If we don’t settle everything today, the trust company won’t be able to open the account. Then this whole project will be finished. All our work will have gone to waste!”

After thinking for a moment, Director Ren looked earnestly at Ning Meng.

“Secretary Ning, how about this? If President Lu really doesn’t remember any of this later and starts holding people accountable, could you testify for me that he authorized it? I know this actually has nothing to do with you. When President Lu gets angry, the fire spreads everywhere, and I really shouldn’t be dragging you into it. But right now, you’re the only person I can count on!”

As soon as he finished, Ning Meng smiled and nodded.

“Sure. You’re only asking me to be a witness, not to lend you money. That much I can do. Don’t worry!”

Ning Meng walked up to the General Manager’s office and knocked. Without waiting for a response, she pushed the door open and went straight in.

Inside the spacious office, a crowd of senior executives stood packed together in uneven rows. Every single one of them had some form of “Director” in their title.

They stood there obediently, enduring the torrential barrage of words being unleashed by the man standing before the enormous desk with his hands on his hips.

Ning Meng looked toward Lu Jiming.

He was a genuine Beijing rich kid, born with a silver spoon in his mouth. His temper was spectacularly awful, making him nothing short of a walking time bomb. He insisted on doing the opposite of everyone else, suffered from an extreme case of CEO syndrome, and never did anything himself if he could order his secretary to do it instead. Apparently, he couldn’t survive unless he was putting on airs and acting like the boss.

But he had every reason to be arrogant.

He was tall, handsome, muscular, and rich.

After returning from studying abroad, he had taken the initial capital provided by his family and, within only a few short years, built an investment company managing nearly ten billion yuan.

And at this very moment, calculated precisely to one decimal place, he was only twenty-seven and a half years old.

To put it bluntly, every employee in the company depended on him for their livelihood.

That was why he had the authority to stand there spraying everyone with his fury while lecturing them.

Ning Meng’s gaze quickly swept over Lu Jiming and the area around him.

His custom-made designer suit jacket from overseas had been tossed haphazardly onto the desk.

His tie lay sprawled across the carpet. Judging by its position, it had probably just been ripped off and hurled onto the floor.

The collar of his formerly crisp white shirt was now unbuttoned, exposing part of his chest.

Thanks to years of regular exercise, his muscles were every bit as explosive as his temper. As his arms alternated between resting on his hips and waving furiously through the air, the powerful muscles and broad chest beneath his shirt strained against the fabric as though they might burst free at any moment.

Ning Meng raised an eyebrow so slightly that almost no one could have noticed, then calmly looked away.

She stepped inside and stopped by the doorway.

The moment the executives saw her, their eyes lit up as though a group of unfortunate girls trapped in a brothel had finally seen some wealthy benefactor arrive to redeem them.

Lu Jiming was too busy scolding people to look over immediately.

His temper reached her before his eyes did.

“Who is it? Did I say you could come in? Get out!”

Only after barking those words did he turn his head and realize that the person who had entered was Ning Meng.

Ning Meng obediently turned around and prepared to leave.

The executives collectively held their breath.

Their savior was leaving!

“Wait! Get back here!” Lu Jiming roared.

Ning Meng obediently stopped and turned around again.

Only then did everyone dare release the breath they had been holding.

Director Ren, in particular, looked at Ning Meng with such emotion that he seemed on the verge of tears.

“My throat’s dry as hell. Hurry up and get me something to drink!”

Lu Jiming pointed toward Ning Meng and issued his command.

Ning Meng walked over to the drinks counter in the corner and asked clearly and concisely,

“President Lu, would you like tea or coffee?”

Lu Jiming replied, “Tea!”

Ning Meng immediately picked up the coffee.

“Sugar or creamer?”

Lu Jiming noticed nothing unusual.

“Creamer!”

Ning Meng picked up the sugar cubes.

“Hot or iced?”

Lu Jiming answered, “Iced!”

Ning Meng immediately reached for the hot water.

A moment later, Ning Meng brought the drink over and placed it in front of Lu Jiming.

The instant Lu Jiming took the cup, he immediately opened fire.

“Didn’t I tell you to get me coffee? Why did you bring me tea?!”

After firing off the complaint, he lowered his head to look at the cup.

Then he froze.

What Ning Meng had brought him was exactly what he had actually wanted: a steaming cup of hot coffee with sugar.

Ning Meng remained perfectly calm.

Lu Jiming was the classic example of someone who caused trouble simply because life was too comfortable.

She had already known that if she really brought him tea, he would definitely complain, “I clearly told you to get me coffee. Why did you bring me tea?”

See?

Exactly as expected.

She had long since figured out that this ridiculous boss of hers loved to point east while attacking west, deliberately contradicting himself just so he could find fault with people.

Therefore, the safest thing to do was simply the exact opposite of whatever he said.

That was the hard-earned wisdom Ning Meng had accumulated over three years as Lu Jiming’s secretary.

Lu Jiming looked down at the coffee in his hand and gave a soft snort.

Then he raised it to his lips, blowing on it while taking small, careful sips.

By the time the cup was almost empty, his anger seemed to have subsided considerably.

The executives secretly breathed sighs of relief and sent Ning Meng looks filled with admiration and gratitude.

In the entire company, this young woman was the only person capable of reading their boss with perfect accuracy.

While Lu Jiming was sipping his coffee, Ning Meng turned toward the executives.

“Would any of you directors like something to drink?”

Lu Jiming immediately raised his head and roared,

“They’re not drinking anything! They’re staying thirsty!”

The directors immediately declared,

“No, no, we don’t want anything…”

Standing among them, Director Ren repeatedly winked at Ning Meng.

Ning Meng pushed her glasses up and gave an almost imperceptible nod.

She walked closer to Lu Jiming and spoke softly.

“President Lu, you have a meeting in Conference Room One shortly. The bank scheduled it a week ago, and they’ve probably already arrived. How about I ask them to wait for a little while, and you can go over once you’ve finished dealing with things here?”

Lu Jiming slammed his coffee cup onto its saucer.

His dark pupils, sharp and gleaming as though they had been carefully polished, fixed themselves on Ning Meng.

Ning Meng hated meeting those eyes more than anything.

They were extraordinarily captivating, framed by thick, curling lashes. The outer corners tilted slightly upward, naturally carrying a hint of flirtatiousness and heartlessness.

Ning Meng hurriedly shifted her gaze elsewhere.

Lu Jiming glared at her and opened fire.

“Well, aren’t you capable? Now you’re even making decisions for me? Who said I had to deal with this first? Hurry up! Pick up my tie and get ready for the meeting!”

After scolding Ning Meng, he turned toward the executives and barked,

“Every one of you will write me a report summarizing what happened today. I want them on my desk before the end of the workday!”

Having finished his tirade, he grabbed the suit jacket from the desk and strode out.

Ning Meng gestured toward the executives and whispered,

“You should all go now.”

Then she quickly picked up the tie and hurried after Lu Jiming.

The executives felt as though a tremendous weight had finally been lifted from their shoulders.

They watched Ning Meng’s retreating figure with profound gratitude.

Liu Yitian moved closer to Director Ren and shook his head in amazement.

“I’m seriously impressed! Before Ning Meng came along, which secretary ever lasted more than three months beside President Lu? Not a single one!”

He clicked his tongue.

“You know, Ning Meng doesn’t look particularly remarkable at first glance, but she really is a clever little fox! Nobody can read the boss better than she can. How the hell did she figure out his habit of deliberately doing the opposite of everything people expect? And she handles him with exactly the right touch, never too much, never too little!”

He shook his head again in admiration.

“She’s incredible! It’s just a shame she isn’t a little prettier. Otherwise, who knows? She might even have ended up becoming the boss’s wife!”