The Corporate Strategy Department of CK Group was grand and spacious, designed with a blend of eco-friendly materials. Warm white light from overhead lamps cast long shadows upon contemporary brass sculptures adorning the corners of the room.
Li Wenjie, the twenty-seven-year-old heir, stood in a meticulously tailored suit, his face masked in intense frustration. In his hands, he gripped a dossier containing the profile of Gawin the Thai CEO who had suddenly emerged as a massive thorn in his side.
Slam!
The thick folder violently struck the desk, reverberating through the silence. "This Thai CEO... he is far more dangerous than we anticipated," Wenjie growled, his sharp gaze piercing the photograph inside the file.
In another corner of the room, Fan Mingzhi the strategist who operated like a shadow by his side leaned back on the sofa. He held a delicate, thin-rimmed ceramic teacup with absolute stability. The steam rising from the hot tea partially obscured his eyes, which glinted with the cunning malice of a nine-tailed fox behind his spectacles.
"It is exactly as you predicted, young master," Mingzhi replied in a calm, measured cadence. He placed the teacup softly onto the glass table. "Mr. Gawin is not merely an investor seeking financial returns. He knows precisely how to position himself to charm the board, and he knows exactly which words will win over someone like the Chairman."
Wenjie snapped his head around, his eyes trembling with paranoid anxiety. "Do you think he’s using the Hydrogen Project as a stepping stone to steal the Chairman's seat of CK Group from me?"
Mingzhi reached out, picking up the discarded blue folder. He flipped through the pages with agonizing slowness.
"Mr. Gawin’s capabilities are undeniable. Even the board members who initially opposed him find him difficult to reject," Mingzhi said, lifting his gaze to lock eyes with Wenjie. "But what is far more alarming, young master, is the question you must begin to ask yourself: Why did the Chairman recruit an outsider from a distant land to oversee such a monumental project? This territory... should it not have been the ultimate stage for you to showcase your prowess before ascending the throne?"
The words functioned like a poisoned needle, piercing straight into the core of Wenjie’s insecurities.
"The Chairman may see qualities in Mr. Gawin that he has long sought... or worse, he might be establishing a parallel axis of power within the corporation to keep you in check. If this Hydrogen Project succeeds, Gawin’s reputation will hold the entire board hostage. Even a biological son like yourself, young master... might be forced to bow to the monumental success he built with his own two hands."
Wenjie clenched his fists so tightly his hands began to tremble. "My father... values an outsider more than his own blood?"
Mingzhi feigned a serene composure, but the corners of his lips twitched into a deeply satisfied smirk. "Look at the bright side: Mr. Gawin could just be an investor bringing capital from Thailand. But ask yourself, young master is that truly all he wants? Or did he step into this arena purely to cement his brilliance in the Chairman's eyes?"
The implication sent Wenjie deeper into a spiral of paranoia. Mingzhi rose from the sofa, stepping closer with slow, deliberate strides.
"The terrifying truth is that Mr. Gawin is brilliant and capable enough to have subjugated Lu Rong while winning over the board. If a man like that isn't classified as a clear and present danger, I don't know what is," he whispered, meticulously gauging Wenjie’s volatile reaction. "The warning bells are ringing, young master. The Chairman is handing the trust that rightfully belongs to you... into the hands of a complete stranger."
An oppressive silence choked the office. Wenjie’s face flushed with burning resentment, humiliated by the implication that he was a loser in his own home.
"I will never allow that to happen," Wenjie hissed through gritted teeth. "If he thinks he’s so brilliant... I will show everyone that he is nothing more than a stray dog from a developing nation, utterly unfit to stand on my level." He turned a rigid, unyielding gaze toward Mingzhi. "From this moment on, let us turn his magnificent, flawless project into the most expensive failure in history."
Mingzhi’s lips curled into a thoroughly gratified smirk. He bowed his head slightly.
"Understood, young master..."