Wei Jia stared at the text until the words blurred.
"Is the gift to your liking?"
"Sweet dreams, Wei Jia."
Her heart hammered. And then her personal phone, which she had carefully kept separate from her corporate life rang.. Xiao Lin's face appeared on the screen, he was grinning. She forced a smile and answered.
"Jie!" His voice chirped. "You won't believe it! Mom's doctor called. With the new insurance, they can get her into that specialist program downtown! And my school application fees for the university prep course was approved!"
"That's... that's great, Lin-lin." Wei Jia said but her eyes were fixed on the knife.
"Great? It's a miracle! This new job of yours... it's changing everything for us. I knew you could do it. I told Mom you were the best chef in Shanghai and one day everyone would know it."
"Yeah." She whispered . "Everyone."
"Are you okay? You look tired." There was concern in his voice.
"Just a long day, Lin lin. A lot of new techniques to learn."
"Okay. Well, get some rest! You're our hero, Jie. Don't forget it."
Talking a bit more, she ended the call. Wei Jia looked from her phone, to the text message from Li Shiyan again that was still open on the screen. It was difficult to understand him. He was saving her family while destroying her peace of mind.
The next morning, the atmosphere in Tianxia Tower was different from the normal calmed atmosphere. Every head turned as Wei Jia walked toward the laboratory.
"There she is." Someone murmured from near the coffee machine. "They say the blade alone is worth more than my car."
"It's not the price." Another junior researcher whispered. "It's the access. CEO has never gifted anyone a personal tool before. Not even Mingyi."
"Maybe his 'hands on correction' is more hands on than we thought." They snickered.
The words hurt like thorns. The gift was a private one, but now it was common knowledge, a juicy piece of gossip that made her look as either the CEO's favorite or his newest conquest. Ming joined her as she reached closer to her lab with a worried expression on his face.
"Don't listen to them. They're just jealous you have talent and the CEO's attention." He muttered.
"It's not his attention I have, Ming. It's his leash. And right now it feels very short." She snorted.
"Just be careful." Ming warned. "Mingyi's team was in the refinement wing until 2 AM working on a new broth clarification technique for the 'Future of the Wok' challenge."
As if summoned, Su Mingyi appeared at the far end of the corridor. She was discussing something with two of her top scientists, she looked like a queen of her kingdom.
Wei Jia braced herself for the inevitable confrontation, the icy words or the veiled threats. But as they reached near her, Su Mingyi just walked past them without a glance, her eyes in the front, her silence more venomous and dismissive than any insult.
As Su Mingyi disappeared around the corner, Ming became even more worried.
"Okay, that's much worse. She's not even treating you like a rival anymore. She's treating you like you're not even here."
Wei Jia stared at the spot where she had been. And she knew what exactly she was doing. Her plan wasn't to fight Wei Jia anymore. It was to erase her. And in the world of Tianxia, to be ignored by the powerful was exactly that.
After Ming left after comforting her with few confirtibg words, Jia penetrated the lab. The moment she reached her workstation and was about to start her work, the monitor in the lab turned on.
The message read-
Report to the CEO's office. Immediately.
There were no instructions, no explanations. It was a simple command.
Wei Jia walked through the corridors, the whispers of the morning were now replaced by a tense silence. Every person walking in the corridor seemed to know exactly where she was going. She was no longer just the new consultant, she was a character in a new corporate drama.
Li Shiyan's assistant, Ms. Zhou, nodded as Wei Jia approached, gesturing toward the closed office door.
"He's waiting for you."
Wei Jia entered the office to find Li Shiyan standing by the floor to ceiling window, staring down at the city below. He didn't turn. On his desk lay a single document.
"Sit." He ordered.
She sat, her eyes fixed on the memo. The heading was evident:
INTERNAL COMPETITION: FUTURE OF THE WOK.
It outlined a company wide culinary challenge to "innovate and refine traditional Asian cuisine for the 21st century global market."
"You will compete." Li Shiyan spoke, finally turning from the window.
"I'm a consultant. My contract is for R&D, not for company talent shows."
"Your contract is to do whatever I require of you. And I require you to compete." He tapped the memo. "This is your chance. You've been very vocal about your philosophy. That food is about 'passion' and 'soul,' not just scalable nutrition."
"I believe what I said." She shot back.
"Beliefs are not a metric of success at Tianxia, Ms. Wei. Results are." He leaned forward, his hands on the desk. "You think my methods are 'soulless.' You think Mingyi's work is 'laboratory experiments.' This is your opportunity to prove it. Prove your philosophy has commercial value. That it can win. I brought you into this building. Your performance, for better or worse, reflects on my judgment. Do not embarrass me."
Wei Jia's hands clenched into fists in her lap. She could feel her cage tightening. This wasn't an opportunity, it was a public execution disguised as a competition. He was pitting her directly against Su Mingyi, his prized champion. He wanted a show. He was baiting her, using her own pride and competitive fire as the hook. She wanted to refuse. But when her eyes met his, she saw the challenge in them. His eyes were cold and calculating. He was expecting her to back down.
She sighed, letting her anger cool down.
"I see. You want a dogfight. Your prized pitbull against your perfectly bred show dog to see which one is more valuable to the kennel." She snickered.
His expression didn't change, but a muscle ticked in his jaw.
"Fine." She stood up. "I'll compete in your little 'Future of the Wok' challenge. But let's be clear about the terms. This isn't a team building exercise. This is a duel. And duels have prizes for the winner, not just a corporate bonus and a pat on the head."
She leaned forward, mirroring his posture across the desk, refusing to be intimidated.
"What do I get when I win?"
A smirk formed on his lips. It was a predator's smile, acknowledging a worthy opponent.
He straightened up, circling the desk slowly until he stood before her, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to see him. The space between them crackled with tension.
"You win and you will have my… undivided attention."
It was bizarre. It wasn't a promotion. It wasn't a raise. It was something personal. It was the one thing Su Mingyi wanted. It was everything Wei Jia knew she could never have. It was the ultimate prize in the war between Mingyi and her.
"And if I lose?"
"You won't."
"The terms, Mr. Li. Every duel has stakes for both sides."
He was silent for a long moment, his eyes searching hers.
"If you lose, you will personally apologize to Mingyi for your disruptive behavior."
The demand was a masterpiece of humiliation. A personal apology to her rival, an admission of fault for something he had initiated as much as she had.
"In writing." He added.
The stakes were now clear. A written apology would be a trophy for Su Mingyi, a permanent record of Wei Jia's defeat. He wasn't just asking her to lose a competition but instead he was asking her to sign her name on her own humiliation.
She stared up at him with fury. He was enjoying this.
"You want me to crawl."
The corner of his lip twitched into a smile.
"I want you to win. I want to see what happens when a phoenix is cornered. Does it burn out? Or does it burn down everything in its path?"
He leaned in closer.
"Now you have your stakes, Consultant Wei. Are you still in?"
Wei Jia didn't need to answer. The fire in her eyes was answer enough. This was no longer a competition. It was a war.