[Beijing, late spring, a high-rise building made of glass and metal drowning in the colors of sunset.]

"That's enough!"

Jiang Wei shifted his gaze from his shiny socks to the panoramic view outside the window. The day was drawing to dusk, and his office windows offered an incredible view of the cloudy cities. The sun was setting inexorably, approaching the annual reception for the CEO.

The guest of honor stared out the window and grumbled that these receptions were a waste of his precious time. How he would have liked to rush along the coast at top speed, burning dozens of liters of fuel per hour, and not to strain his facial muscles for a fake smile.

An elite tailor was bustling around him. The elderly man looked tense: drops of sweat glistened on his forehead and cheeks. The tailor's family had been delivering the best suits of exclusive fabrics to Jiang's family for generations.

But even after years of work, communicating with cranky customers was not getting any easier. The man did a poor job of hiding his anxiety. Nervously fumbling with his hand in his pocket, he pulled out a centimeter.

"Sir, allow me," he measured the volume of his chest again and frowned more than before.

"What is it again? You're darker than a cloud..." commented Jiang Wei.

The tailor was silent, obviously doing his complicated calculations in his mind. The suit didn't fit as perfectly as he had calculated. But why?

"Let's finish it," the bored man commanded dejectedly.

"Mr. Jiang, is it possible that you have lost weight in the last two weeks?" mumbled the half-sounding tailor, again covered in beads of sweat.

"Ah, that's..." was all Jiang Wei said.

He saluted the sunset again and turned his back to the window. Li Guang told him he was getting married. Of course, he had lost weight. Although this scumbag sometimes acted like a normal person, the rest of the time he was fond of tormenting the people around him.

Loving him was a trial and a punishment. It was not in vain that he was advised to be examined by a psychiatrist. Guan's wild pranks raised reasonable doubts in people about the adequacy of the one who did them.

Yet the brat had a soft spot for Jiang Wei. Maybe because their influence and capitals were roughly equal, maybe because Wei's ruthless character did not allow himself to be mistreated, so their tender and ambiguous friendship lasted for years.

Many people think that rich people are free to love and live as they please. But, as a rule, they have to spend their lives protecting and increasing their wealth in every possible way, growing fangs and claws.

This is the only way to keep your position, and the price of such status has always been a lack of time and privacy.

The tailor finally left, muttering something about another fabric that is more suitable for someone who is so suddenly thin at his discretion. Soon Jiang Wei heard no more of his lamentations. He dropped gustily into his chair, threw his leg over his leg, and quickly opened Li Guang's page.

Not that Jiang Wei was a masochist, but he took a painful pleasure in being convinced over and over again that he had been mercilessly betrayed.

"The famous businessman and philanthropist ("how come!" snorted Wei) became engaged to the only daughter and heiress of the N. Corporation... The ceremony took place in the central hall... The festivities included performances by famous bands such as... It was announced that the wedding would take place at the end of August, after the two corporations had prepared everything for the merger procedure...

"Shameless creature!" growled the man.

Not only had Li Guang betrayed his feelings, but he had also crossed paths in business. Jiang Wei had been negotiating with the owner of the N Corporation, which was preparing to merge, for almost six months. All was going well until the old geezer hinted who the company and his daughter were going two for the price of one.

"Argh," Jiang Wei snorted coldly.

He couldn't sell himself and he wasn't going to waste his life like that. The usual human pattern was not for him.

Get married? Not in a million years and certainly not to a girl. In the back of his mind, Wei had long ago realized that he admired only men. But that didn't have to be communicated to everyone.

A timid knock on the door brought him back to a bleak reality.

"Come in," he commanded.

The door slowly opened, and Jiang Wei's worthless and unassuming assistant shyly crept into the room. Looking at him, it was hard to tell anything definite. The headmaster grimaced and preferred not to look at the wretched secretary.

"What?" he shouted impatiently.

The young man adjusted his spectacles, evidently to give him self-confidence, and meowed:

"Your car is already downstairs, sir, will there be any orders before the banquet?"

"Ahh," mumbled the director, "bring me something to eat, there's always no time for a snack at these receptions. I'll come down and wait for you in the car."

"Yeah," the assistant ran off much faster than he'd come into the office.

Apparently the boss's presence overwhelmed him and caused him to lose confidence.

Reflecting on the cowardly nature of the secretary, Jiang Wei realized that he liked being the king of beasts, a cunning predator who inspired fear in others. He stood up, smoothed out his pants, and strode confidently to the personal elevator. As he descended, he could watch the clouds change color and the lower he was, the darker the atmosphere.

"How symbolic," thought the director, "where I am going there will be no smell of blood, but sharks and bears will be in abundance."

He had nothing to fear, however. With his uncompromising and cruelty, he has created the image of a man who is not easily devoured.

Lately, he has made a secret pact with the leader of a bandit group known as the "Claw". Instead of letting this gang robs his warehouses, he hired them to guard them, and smirking at the thought of how shrewd and far-sighted he was. He didn't give a damn about morality or the law.

Incidentally, this was why Jiang Wei could not imagine having anyone other than the jerk who had abandoned him by his side. His views and methods were frightening, and even disgusting, and only the crazy Li Guang never paid any attention to it, accepting him for who he was.

"Or did he still pay attention and so he decided to end it all?" - Wei pondered. Actually, there was nothing much between them. Only hints on Guan's part and Jiang Wei's foolish hopes.

Sitting in his car, the man noticed that although the evening had not yet begun, he already had a headache. A secretary arrived just in time to bring food and was abruptly dragged into the car. Accustomed to this kind of impudence, he sat down and looked down.

Under his feet lay a beautiful carpet with a fanciful pattern, which he could look at ad infinitum, as long as he did not have to face the stern director.

"Let's go!" commanded Jiang Wei, "stop by the drugstore," he added.

"What the fuck?" exclaimed the boss, chewing his food, "where did you buy this?

The young man mumbled:

"In the cafeteria... only the place was still open..."

"What losers! How they can you ruin an ordinary sandwich?! Give me water!"

While drinking his woeful dinner, the boss was angry at the assistant and at the disgusting food. Opening the window, he tossed everything on the way out and brushed crumbs off his jacket.

"Buy me a painkiller!" he pushed the aide out of the car as it came to a stop, "and hurry up!"

On trembling legs, the young man staggered to the drugstore and opened the door. The bell rang loudly. As he rushed back, he suddenly bumped into a passerby and, to his horror, dropped the bag of medicine.

The other man didn't hesitate and quickly helped him up, holding out the bag.

Leaning back in his seat, Jiang Wei meditated on his happy/unhappy life. In his mind, he scrolled through the guest list and made notes of who he should say hello to and who he wanted to avoid.

So imperceptibly he found himself at the brightly lit carpet. Because of the presence of many movie and pop stars, journalists and fans flocked here. Jiang Wei grimaced at the publicity imposed upon him, but opened the door and took a step forward.

He stopped for a couple of pictures and then swiftly walked through the doors, pulling his phone out of his pocket at the same time. Quickly typing a text and reaching the ceremonial hall, he had already sent the secretary a short message demanding that he come for him in forty minutes under any pretext.

Jiang Wei was in control of his own life and had no plans to become the plaything of others at this event. It was enough for him to show up there for a while. He didn't notice that he had already fallen into the nets set up and, faking a smile, entered the hall.

Meanwhile, the astonished assistant stared at the message for five minutes. It wasn't that he couldn't think of a reason to get the chief out of the party with dignity.

The trouble was that he had only been on the job for a year and had just had time to pay back his debts for his university studies. It was because of his education and outstanding mental ability that he was able to beat the other candidates to become Jiang Wei's assistant.

Despite his jubilation at his victory, Shi Lin quickly failed when he saw the contempt in his boss's eyes. No matter how hard he tried, he could not get the slightest bit of recognition from his boss.

This heartless man could call him in the middle of the night or on his day off, never said hello, and gave him an extremely disapproving look. Therefore, in recent weeks, Shi Lin had heeded the entreaties of his friends and began to look for another job.

Even if it was a less well-paid position, it was no big deal. After all, he had managed to pay off his debts and could now put up with a smaller salary. But his natural nobility and sense of duty were at odds with the idea of changing jobs. He felt grateful and guilty at the same time.

Shi Lin often gave the impression of a soft-spoken, spineless man, being in fact an incredibly loyal, responsible, and conscientious young man. Unfortunately, it never once occurred to his bright mind that the contempt of his superiors was due to his total lack of taste in dress and carelessness.

Of course, Shi Lin admired his boss's appearance. But he never associated his humble personality with the sun-faced Jiang Wei. On the contrary, he felt like a shadow of him who was not supposed to attract attention. For this reason, people would flinch in surprise when they heard his voice.

He masterfully blended into the interior and was not noticed until he began to speak. So now, the chauffeur almost jumped in his seat when the young man asked him to drive a few blocks to the nearest clothing store.

"Mr. Shi, you're so quiet and inconspicuous, I thought you were out too," the chauffeur muttered and turned the ignition key.

What made Shi Lin tense as he read the message was that he didn't have the proper clothes to attend the reception? He rarely accompanied his boss to such events and it was now clear why.

But now there was no choice. He refreshed his account status page and sighed. A rented suit would cost a hefty sum that no one was likely to pay him back.

"Shall we stop here?" The chauffeur asserted rather than asked, pulling up outside a beautiful yet predatory-looking store.

Shi Lin sighed and got out. As expected, the store employees looked at the young man contemptuously. On this day, he found the only clean sweater he had worn since his sophomore year. Hidden modestly beneath it was a faded blue shirt. The sand-colored pants were of sturdy but out of shape fabric.

The boots were old, too, and Shi Lin had honestly promised himself that one day, when he had paid off his debts, he would visit his uncle's clothing store to upgrade his closet.

The sloppy hair, on the other hand, blended very seamlessly with his sloppy image. The glasses hid the young man's bright, sparkling eyes. So he stood five paces from the door, not knowing whether to move on or stay where he was to avoid being judged by the store's beautiful female employees.

Stumbling awkwardly, he ran his eyes down the hall. Two girls in their trademark clothing were chirping sweetly about something, and their cheeks were in turn covered with a blush. They glanced at him fleetingly, and continued to ignore him, counting on the young man to leave on his own.

Shi Lin could have continued to stand at the entrance, but suddenly there was a noise and a man ran out of a side room. The sight of him made the young man's face stretch. The man had an unusual color of hair, bright pink.

His eyebrows, on the other hand, were black. Covered in jewelry and glittering clothes, he looked like a bird of paradise. Shi Lin just stared and didn't move, blending back into the interior. But the man did notice him.

"There you are!" In an unpleasant voice, the bird squealed.