THE REAL PROTEGE

Then they saw him. The person, Four Eyes, has been looking forward to seeing again.

Jack stood at the entrance like a sentinel —dressed in a tailored suit over tactical boots, the scar across his jaw a permanent reminder of Mystic Mountain. He had trained with Four Eyes in blood and fire, where survival was earned, not given. Now, he was here not as a warrior, but as a shield.

His eyes locked onto Four Eyes the moment he stepped out of the car.

No salute. No bow.

Just a nod.

"You're late," Jack said.

Four Eyes smirked, the corner of his mouth twitching with old familiarity.

"You're early."

Two muscular men quickly pat each other's shoulders.

Jack's gaze flicked to the twins, assessing them like potential threats.

"They're smaller than I expected."

"They're louder than you'll expect," Four Eyes replied.

Jack stepped aside, scanning his palm across the biometric panel. The door unlocked with a soft click.

"Everyone's inside —directors, partners, Madam's team. They've been briefed, but they haven't seen you. Not once."

Four Eyes paused at the threshold. The weight of legacy pressed against his chest. Three years ago, he had walked away from this world —away from the empire his father built with blood and expectation. He hadn't planned to return. But Ling Li had rebuilt the company in his name, protected it, and expanded it. And now, she had asked him to walk back into it.

He turned to the twins.

"No rituals. No humming. No summoning."

Kim Kim nodded solemnly, her eyes wide with understanding.

"We'll be normal."

Chin Chin grinned, mischief dancing in her eyes.

"Mostly."

Mrs. Xu whispered a quiet prayer under her breath, hoping the twins would behave. Mr. Xu placed a hand on Four Eyes' shoulder—just for a moment. A gesture of grounding. Of trust.

Then the whole group entered in a synchronized stride, the air around them taut with purpose. Behind them, the bodyguards fanned out like shadows —silent, alert, and unmistakably dangerous. Jack and Four Eyes led the way, their steps measured, deliberate. Jack's suit glimmered brilliantly with every step he took, his expression as unyielding as stone. Next to him, Four Eyes moved with an imposing presence, commanding attention with each deliberate stride.

The lobby exuded an air of hushed anticipation, its tranquil ambiance fractured by the subtle ripple of disruption. Employees paused mid-keystroke, their screens casting ghostly glows across wide eyes.

Security personnel moved with quiet precision, their earpieces crackling faintly, eyes scanning for threats that hadn't yet materialized.

Whispers slithered through the air like smoke curling from a lit fuse.

"Which one is our CEO?"

"Look at the twins! They're so adorable!"

"The CEO must be the man special assistant Jack is talking with. He looks intimidating!"

"He looks so young!"

"Icy but handsome!"

"Giggles…"

The murmurs weren't just idle curiosity —they were laced with awe, speculation, and a touch of fear. The newcomers didn't just arrive. They shifted the atmosphere.

A soft chime rang out, deceptively gentle. The elevator doors parted with a hiss, like a curtain rising on a stage where reputations were forged and shattered.

The executive floor unfolded like a different world —gleaming marble stretched beneath their feet, cold and pristine. Sleek glass partitions sliced the space into elegant compartments, each pulsing with the energy of high-stakes ambition. The conference room ahead buzzed with restrained urgency. Inside, professionals sat poised, their expressions taut with expectation.

They had known Xu Chu Yan only through the ink of his signature —contracts, directives, approvals. He was myth and memory, a name that carried weight like thunder.

Now, the legend was about to walk in.

Jack leaned closer to Four Eyes, his voice a low hum beneath the sterile buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead.

"Are you ready?"

The words were simple, but the weight behind them was anything but. Jack's tone remained steady, but his sharp, calculating eyes betrayed the gravity of what lay ahead. He wasn't just checking in; he was bracing for impact, reading Four Eyes like a battlefield map.

Four Eyes adjusted his glasses, the lenses catching the harsh glare above and casting fractured light across his face. His jaw clenched.

"Hmm," he acknowledged with a nod.

Behind his eyes, a storm churned.

'Wife, why did you let me come back? I could've been by your side, holding your hand and showing you the love I never stopped feeling. Nine hours apart… but it feels like nine years.'

The ache was physical, a phantom pain in his chest where her warmth used to be. He blinked hard, as if that could push the memory back into the recesses of his mind. But it clung to him —her scent, her voice, the way her fingers curled around his when she was afraid. He sighed, the sound barely audible, but it carried the weight of longing and reluctant duty.

Jack caught a flicker of emotion in Four Eyes and didn't press further. His smile was brief, almost imperceptible —neither mockery nor pity, just a quiet offering of solidarity. A flicker of warmth in a battlefield of nerves. He reached out and gave Four Eyes a firm pat on the shoulder —just once. Enough to anchor him. Enough to say, 'I see you. I've got you.'

Outside the conference room, the air felt heavier. The silence wasn't empty; it was loaded, the kind that comes before a verdict or a storm.

Then, without another word, they stepped forward.

They entered the room. The door swung open with a soft click, but the silence that followed was deafening. Heads turned, and conversations died mid-sentence. The air thickened.

Jack's posture straightened as his gaze swept the room like a commander assessing the terrain. Four Eyes hesitated for half a breath, then followed with his shoulders squared in forced resolve.

Every eye in the room locked onto them —some with curiosity, some with calculation, and a few with veiled apprehension.

And somewhere, behind the glass, marble, and whispered legends, Xu Chu Yan's legacy awaited confrontation.

Boardroom: The Return of Xu Chu Yan

Conference Room Entrance. The door swung open with a soft click, but the silence that followed was thunderous.

Jack stepped in first, his presence slicing through the room like a blade. Four Eyes followed, his spine straight but his eyes flickering —scanning the faces, the polished table, the gleaming nameplates that seemed to mock his uncertainty. The executives turned, one by one, their expressions shifting from polite curiosity to guarded calculation.

Some sat straighter. Others subtly angled their chairs, as if preparing for impact.