The man the whole world wants, belongs to me

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

In the dimly lit room, the man stood beside the thick curtains. He bent down slightly and deftly put on his trousers, exposing his bare upper body to the public eye. His well-defined muscles were still striking even in the dim light.

Especially when he turned slightly to the side, the light gray trousers he had just put on completely concealed the V-line that stretched down from his waist and abdomen.

Ni Jingxi lay on the bed behind him, quietly watching him.

The bed was in a mess, her long hair draped over her shoulders, back, and scattered on the snow-white pillow.

Anyone could see what had just happened on this bed.

As the man reached for his shirt to put it on, he suddenly turned to look at Ni Jingxi on the bed and asked in a deep voice, "Who am I?"

Ni Jingxi was stunned, and opened her mouth to say, "You are, you are..."

She knew in her heart who he was, but to her surprise, when she stared at his face, she couldn't remember what he looked like at all.

The face on that mature and sexy body was completely blurry in her eyes.

Confusion and bewilderment filled my mind in an instant, and all words were stuck in my throat, unable to utter a single syllable.

Whether it was shock or something else, the thought made her tremble violently.

...

Ni Jingxi suddenly opened her eyes, still feeling a lingering sense of fear. The moment she opened her eyes, she saw the snow-white wall opposite her. For a few seconds, her consciousness remained in the dream she had just been in.

It is a dream, yet not a dream.

The vivid image was still etched in her mind.

It wasn't until the aged voice beside her pulled her back to reality, "What's wrong?"

The elderly woman with a full head of white hair, who had been quietly watching TV in her wheelchair, suddenly felt the person sitting next to her tremble violently. When the old woman turned her head, she saw Ni Jingxi suddenly open her eyes, her already large and bright eyes widening in an instant.

He showed no signs of being groggy from just waking up; he looked like he was having a nightmare, which was quite frightening.

Ni Jingxi blinked, glanced around, and immediately recognized where she was—the activity room of a nursing home.

No matter how busy she is every weekend, she will always find time to visit her grandmother, who lives in this nursing home.

The old lady looked at her granddaughter's appearance, reached out and took Ni Jingxi's hand, which was resting on her knee. She touched her palm and found it was covered in cold sweat. She asked, "Were you having a nightmare?"

“No.” Ni Jingxi shook her head, not wanting her to worry.

The old lady sighed inwardly. This child was just too stubborn. No matter how hard or tiring it was for her outside, she never let her know.

Ni Jingxi looked at the group of elderly people not far away and asked in a low voice, "Why isn't Grandma playing with them?"

"I'm not going. You're here to keep me company." The old lady was secretly pleased. Even though she kept saying that this place was very nice and that Ni Jingxi didn't need to come every week, she still came every time.

Even when she was so busy with work that there were only twenty minutes left before the end of her visit, she still rushed over.

The elderly people in the nursing home also have their own little circles. When talking about her daughter, everyone says she is very filial.

The old lady reached out and touched the back of her hand, saying softly, "Are you tired?"

The word suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds pressing down on her heart.

Ni Jingxi lowered her eyes slightly and gave a self-deprecating smile.

At eighteen, she single-handedly supported her grandmother, taking on a responsibility that shouldn't have been borne by a student. She never let the word "tired" come out of her mouth again.

As a result, everyone thought that Ni Jingxi was made of iron and steel and would never get tired.

Just then, the phone rang suddenly. The peaceful atmosphere of the room couldn't drown out the war-like sound of the ringing phone. For Ni Jingxi, this ringing phone meant work.

She smiled helplessly at her grandmother, got up, and went outside to answer the phone.

As she closed the door to the activity room and walked out, a few elderly women came over to chat with her grandmother. The old folks' conversations were mostly about their children or grandchildren.

Before long, an old lady began to inquire about Ni Jingxi's situation.

Grandma glanced at her; the old lady didn't look familiar, she must have just been admitted to the hospital not long ago.

Grandma then slightly raised her chin and said with a hint of pride, "My child doesn't have a boyfriend."

The old lady who asked the question was delighted. She had a grandson who was perfect in her eyes, but his standards were too high, and he never found a girlfriend. She thought this granddaughter of the old lady Yu was really beautiful, and she heard that he had a good job as a reporter.

Before she could finish her calculations, her grandmother said, "She's already married."

*

At 7 p.m., a sudden gust of wind brought a torrential downpour. Shanghai's already congested roads became completely jammed. Long lines of cars stretched for kilometers on the Middle Ring Elevated Highway, their red taillights forming a continuous line that shimmered eerily against the backdrop of night and rain.

Ni Jingxi finally made it back to the company in the heavy rain. Although it was called the company, she actually worked at a newspaper.

If we're talking about the most memorable aspect of Shanghai during the 1910s, anyone who has watched a period drama from the Republican era will probably remember the newspaper boy standing on the street, waving his hands and shouting desperately.

Her workplace was a newspaper, which everyone considered a sunset industry.

Because of a problem with a manuscript, even Ni Jingxi, who was not involved, was pulled back to help deal with it. When the editor-in-chief was scolding people, he put his hands on his hips and his spittle flew through the air.

Everyone below, whether they were the team leader or the team members, remained silent, not daring to speak.

The editor-in-chief probably had enough of scolding and realized there wasn't enough time, so he told them to get back to work quickly.

Hua Zheng, who joined the team half a year later than Ni Jingxi, finally couldn't hold back after the editor-in-chief left and slammed the things in her hands with a loud bang. The young girl was too young to hide her feelings, and her expression and pout clearly showed her displeasure.

She looked up toward the editor-in-chief's office. Although the blinds were closed, she could still vaguely see the figure inside.

"Why should we have to work overtime together just because she messed up?"

Hua Zheng probably felt too stifled to keep all her grievances bottled up inside, so she had to bring them out and talk about them. She was sitting next to Ni Jingxi, and since they were about the same age, Ni Jingxi was naturally the first person she confided in.

Although Hua Zheng didn't explicitly say who she was referring to, everyone knew that she was currently standing in the editor-in-chief's office.

Wen Tang, a leading reporter for the Shanghai People's Daily, is extremely famous even within Shanghai's news industry. Not only is she a sharp writer, but she is also exceptionally beautiful. Having been immersed in the news circle for several years, she always acts as if there is no important person in the world she cannot interview.

Unfortunately, this time they completely failed.

The deadline arrived, but the manuscript was still not submitted.

Hua Zheng pushed off with both feet, and the chair's wheels slid towards Ni Jingxi. Once her elbows were on Ni Jingxi's desk, she whispered, "Do you know why Wen Tang couldn't submit her manuscript this time?"

Ni Jingxi was typing on the keyboard when she was touched, her fingers stopped, and she turned her head to look over.

Although working overtime at the last minute was unpleasant, Hua Zheng felt a sense of satisfaction at the thought of Wen Tang's misfortune.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any conflict between a senior reporter like Wen Tang and newcomers like them. However, Wen Tang is arrogant by nature, or to put it simply, she looks down on everyone. Even though they have been with the newspaper for almost a year, Wen Tang still raises her chin and says "Hey" whenever she sees them.

It doesn't even have a name.

Hua Zheng lowered her voice and said, "She actually assured the editor-in-chief that she would definitely be able to interview the CEO of Hengya Group. Don't you think she's overestimating herself?"

A series of suppressed laughs escaped from Hua Zheng's mouth.

Ni Jingxi had just lifted her fingertips, but before she could press a key, she paused again.

Hengya Group CEO...

At this moment, Hua Zheng's phone was already in front of Ni Jingxi, and a video was playing on the screen.

At the beginning of the video, the flashing lights illuminated the entire screen, until several cars came to a stop at the end of the red carpet in a very orderly and slow manner.

When the man in the dark brown suit got out of the car, the previously noisy video went silent for a moment, with only the flashbulbs still diligently clicking.

When the man got out of the car and stood still, his figure appeared excessively tall and straight. His short, jet-black hair was neatly combed back, and when he looked up, the video only captured his profile due to the angle.

But it still couldn't hide his handsomeness. His face, comparable to that of a male star, was so outstanding that when the light hit his nose, the light and shadow flowed, and the contours of his cheeks seemed to be carved by a knife.

Then he strode into the venue.

The entire video is only about fifty seconds long, and he didn't even say a word, but the captivating aura he exuded was truly irresistible.

Despite his domineering and assertive nature, his expression was calm and not overly sharp.

Yet the word "gentle and refined" seems so different from him, creating a sense of contradiction.

Perhaps it is this sense of contradiction that is so captivating.

Before Ni Jingxi could make a move, Hua Zheng seemed to have found someone to confide in. She reached into her drawer, pulled out a financial magazine, and quickly flipped to the page she was looking for.

“Isn’t he the kind of handsome that makes life seem unworthy of him?” Hua Zheng pointed to the only interview photo in the magazine, still only from the side, and exaggeratedly said, “Those domineering CEOs on TV can’t compare to even a fraction of his domineering, profound, reserved, composed, and handsome qualities…”

Ni Jingxi finally couldn't hold back any longer, a faint helplessness appearing on her face, with a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth.

I couldn't help but laugh at Hua Zheng's exaggerated antics.

However, her eyes quickly scanned the magazine; to be honest, she hadn't actually read the interview before.

The article details his background and resume, revealing a strong background and an impressive resume.

Hengya Group was founded by the Huo family, whose prosperity can be traced back to the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China. While the ancestors were renowned, the new CEO's rise to power was not solely due to his family's influence. During his tenure as general manager, Hengya's telecommunications business ranked first in the world, achieving a 15% revenue growth for three consecutive years.

He has the ability and the means, so it's not surprising that he took control of the family at such a young age.

Hua Zheng was getting excited when she couldn't help but whisper, "This person has a very low-key personality. After becoming CEO, he's only given a handful of interviews. Wen Tang actually overestimated himself and made a promise to the editor-in-chief, saying that she would definitely get his interview transcript. The editor-in-chief listened to her nonsense and wanted to create a big news story. Now look what happened, he shot himself in the foot."

"Is it possible for her to meet such an important person whenever she wants?"

Ni Jingxi's gaze fell on the large bold headline in the magazine, and she chuckled softly, parting her lips slightly as she read out the three words.

"Huo Shenyan."

*

When I left the newspaper office again, the rain had subsided, no longer the torrential downpour that had engulfed the sky when I arrived. However, I had already missed the last bus, so I had no choice but to take a taxi back.

Fortunately, before leaving, the team leader mentioned that the taxi fare could be reimbursed as overtime pay.

When Ni Jingxi arrived home by car, she smelled the musty smell that old houses have on rainy days as soon as she entered the building.

The old residential buildings in Shanghai's alleyways occasionally pull this highly modern metropolis back to a time of poverty. Fortunately, it rained heavily tonight, and everyone brought their belongings back inside; otherwise, they would have looked even older and more dilapidated during the day.

She unlocked the door with her key, without even turning on the living room light, and went straight to the bedroom out of habit.

As she placed her bag on the desk by the door and casually pressed the bedroom button, bright light poured down from above. When she glanced at the bed out of the corner of her eye, she froze.

Then she suddenly grabbed the chair next to her, as if she could pick it up and throw it at the slightest movement.

She slowly turned around, calming herself down, and saw the man sleeping peacefully on the bed.

I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

She turned her head and glanced at the clothes rack by the bed, where a three-piece suit was neatly hung. It was his habit to hang up even clothes he had worn.

Ni Jingxi once laughed at him for having the temperament of a young master.