“Mister assistant,” he called, then gulped.

Zhao Bolin had a bad premonition when he saw the cramped expression of the youngest man in the room. Chu Jingyun might be young, but his skills were on par with others who had been in their industry twice his age.

“Spill it,” Zhao Bolin said through gritted teeth.

Chu Jingyun gulped again, then continued, “Someone copied what happened in the president’s office yesterday. They copied the whole recording from morning to afternoon.”

+++++

Chu Jingyun observed the constipated expression on Zhao Bolin's face.

Everyone in the room understood that when Chu Jingyun mentioned the whole recording from morning to afternoon, it included Li Mei’s accident and Liu Leah’s incident. With that footage, their ever-popular cold president could be accused of and easily convicted of assault.

After a long silence, Chu Jingyun continued, “An employee was seen lingering inside the server room. He was caught in the act of copying important documents. He was not successful, and we confiscated all the devices on him. I checked those devices, and there were no problems. I even destroyed them.”

“I remember that. I was informed by one of the boys about that guy. I instructed them to confiscate his badge and report it to the HR and legal department to handle,” Bu Jinnan, the head of security, added.

Bu Jinnan pointed at Chu Jingyun with wide eyes, then uttered, “Don’t tell me he’s the one who copied the footage?”

Before Chu Jingyun could answer, Zhao Bolin cut off their conversation.

“Both of you, locate that guy and contain him at all costs. Report back to me with anything and everything about him. I’ll go and inform Wang Haoran.”

Zhao Bolin spoke clearly and quickly. Without waiting for their reply, he dashed out towards the hospital where Li Mei was admitted. He did not forget to inform the legal department to prepare for a battle against a possible lawsuit their president might face.

Zhao Bolin rushed to Wang Haoran’s location, but he got stuck in the slow flow of traffic. It was the afternoon of the second day since the accident, and rush hour was terrible at this time. Due to the urgency of the matter, he began briefing Wang Haoran over the phone after sending him a video copy of Li Mei’s accident.

While listening to Zhao Bolin’s report, Wang Haoran watched Li Mei sleeping peacefully. He made up his mind. He would use everything and anyone to get rid of his enemies, including his two half-brothers, and marry Li Mei. He did not want their first child to be born out of wedlock. He would ensure that all his and Li Mei’s children were legitimate.

“Bolin,” Wang Haoran said after hearing the full report from Zhao Bolin on the phone.

“Boss?”

Puzzled by his boss’s tone of voice, Zhao Bolin added, “I am almost there, just looking for parking right now.”

“I’ll tell you when you get here. Don’t knock and just enter the room.” Wang Haoran patiently waited.

It took a long time for Zhao Bolin to locate a vacant parking spot. As soon as he entered Li Mei’s room, he saw the two bickering. Li Mei was frowning while chewing her food, while Wang Haoran on the other hand was smiling and spoon-feeding her.

“My hands are perfectly fine, you know,” she muttered.

“Yes, yes, yes, now stop acting like a kid and chew your food properly. We will have our own baby soon,” Wang Haoran said with expectant eyes and a wide smile.

At the mention of the unborn child, Li Mei looked down with a downcast expression.

“Big sister Mei!” Zhao Bolin shouted, seeking attention from Li Mei in an attempt to divert her attention. She had been like a big sister to him since they were kids, and the bond remained strong. Zhao Bolin had been Li Mei’s neighbor until he and his parents moved abroad and met Wang Haoran.

Zhao Bolin was an only child and had been rather neglected by his busy parents growing up. Like Wang Haoran, he considered Li Mei as part of his family, besides his parents.

With success, Li Mei was distracted by Zhao Bolin. “Bolin, you’re here. Come and eat while the food is still hot. Aunt Hi just dropped by.”

Wang Haoran and Zhao Bolin looked at each other and read each other’s minds. They didn't want to break the warm atmosphere, so they set aside whatever problems they wanted to talk about for now. They both wanted to entertain Li Mei and keep her in a good mood.

While reaching for the bowl and chopsticks from Li Mei, Zhao Bolin was already salivating from the aroma of the food. “Is this Aunt Hi’s famous non-oily pig feet dish? They say this will give you good skin. I think I will get a girlfriend after eating this,” Zhao Bolin joked after sitting down and serving himself.

“Ahahahah. You are already handsome. If you weren't so picky, you could have been married and have kids by —” Li Mei replied, then she suddenly stopped talking. Her smile turned into a frown, and her eyes started tearing up, breaking like a dam.

Wang Haoran immediately got up, hugged Li Mei, and kissed her forehead. “Look at me,” he commanded. With wet eyes, Li Mei looked up. “Give me two months, no, give me one month. I will end everything and marry you. Can you please wait for one more month?” Wang Haoran pleaded.

Li Mei calmed down her bottled emotions. She understood that all of this was for their future and the future of their unborn child. She nodded at the man hugging her with melancholic eyes. Noticing Li Mei’s haggard appearance and his concern for the unborn child, he encouraged Li Mei to rest.

“Close your eyes. I’ll stay here with you until you fall asleep.”

“Hmmmm,” Li Mei agreed and nestled in bed.

Wang Haoran looked at Zhao Bolin, then joined Li Mei in bed. He hugged her tightly, and they both closed their eyes.

Understanding his boss’s meaningful look, Zhao Bolin took all the food with him, went to the other room, and continued eating. He knew he wouldn't get the chance to talk to his boss until tomorrow morning.

Ring—

After eating and cleaning up, Zhao Bolin went to get ready for bed. He hadn't slept last night, and he needed rest for the upcoming battle. He knew he couldn't do anything right now, and he would be of no use if he lacked sleep. 

When Zhao Bolin got out of the bathroom, his phone started ringing. He saw the head of security calling.

“This is Zhao Bolin speaking,” he answered immediately.

On the phone, a panicked voice was heard.

“Sir, the guy we are looking for disappeared.”

“What do you mean disappeared?” an angered Zhao Bolin shouted into the phone.

“Sir, disappeared like he never existed.”