THE REAL PROTEGE

The conference room was a study in contrasts —glass walls, steel accents, and the quiet hum of power. A long conference table stretched across the center like a runway, lined with high-backed chairs and the scent of imported leather. At the far end, a single seat remained empty.

The seat of Xu Chu Yan.

Four Eyes could feel the weight of every gaze —some assessing, some skeptical, a few quietly hostile. He was the outsider. The anomaly. The man who had walked away.

And now, he was back.

Jack gave a subtle nod to the nearest assistant, who tapped her tablet. A soft chime echoed through the room.

Then came the shift.

The temperature seemed to drop. The air grew denser, as if holding its breath.

From the private corridor behind the glass partition, footsteps approached —measured, deliberate, echoing with authority. Executives turned instinctively, their conversations dying mid-sentence. Even the bodyguards straightened.

Xu Chu Yan entered.

He didn't walk. He ARRIVED.

Tall, composed, dressed in a charcoal suit that fit like armor, his presence was magnetic and cold. His eyes —sharp, unreadable —swept the room like floodlights. He didn't smile. He didn't nod. He simply existed, and the room recalibrated around him.

The executive boardroom was a cathedral of glass and silence. Twelve directors, each one handpicked by Ling Li over the past three years. Behind them, a wall of digital screens displayed quarterly projections, global partnerships, and the Xu Conglomerate's rising influence across Asia.

They had been briefed.

They had been warned.

But they hadn't expected him.

Four Eyes entered without ceremony. Jack at his side, and the quiet hum of the twins' fox-spirit backpack blinking in rhythm with the tension in the room.

Four Eyes looked like a man who had walked through fire and come out with ash in his lungs and clarity in his eyes.

One of the directors — Mr. Shen, head of international strategy — cleared his throat.

"Mr. Xu… we weren't sure you'd actually come."

Four Eyes glanced at the seat at the head of the table. He didn't take it.

"Neither was I."

Another director, Ms. Gao, leaned forward.

"Madam Ling Li has handled operations flawlessly. The board is aligned with her vision. We assumed your return was symbolic."

Four Eyes smiled — not warmly.

"Symbolism is for tombstones. I'm here because the company bears my name. And because Ling Li asked me to see what we've built."

Four Eyes strolled around the table, fingers grazing the edge.

"You've made it efficient. Profitable. Impressive."

He stopped beside the screen showing the Xu Conglomerate's tech division —a sector born from Ling Li's influence.

"But do you know what this company was built on?"

Silence.

Jack folded his arms. The twins sat quietly on the bench behind the glass partition, watching their father with wide, unblinking eyes.

"It wasn't just capital. It was blood. My father's. Mine. And now, my children's."

He turned to face them fully.

"You've built a machine. I built a legacy. And legacies don't run on quarterly reports — they run on memory, on loyalty, on the kind of power that doesn't show up on a spreadsheet."

Ms. Gao frowned.

"Are you suggesting a change in leadership?"

Four Eyes shook his head.

"I'm suggesting you remember who you work for."

Then, from the far end of the room, the glass shimmered — subtly, like heat rising from stone. A message appeared on the screen. Not typed and not emailed.

Ling Li's seal.

A single line, written in her calligraphy:

"He is the storm I chose to shelter us. Listen."

The directors fell silent.

Four Eyes finally sat — not at the head, but beside the screen showing the tech division. He looked at the data, then at the people.

"Sit."

Just one word. But it carried the weight of history, expectation, and unspoken judgment.

Conversations resumed —quiet, clipped, but charged.

"Dad is awesome!" Kim Kim whispered.

"Very handsome!" Chin Chin added.

Jack remained standing, eyes scanning the room like a sentry.

Xu Chu Yan leaned back, fingers steepled, gaze fixed on the agenda displayed on the screen. But every executive knew: the real meeting hadn't started yet.

It would begin when Xu Chu Yan spoke again.

And when he did, no one would leave unchanged.

"Let's begin."

The First Challenge — "The Audit of Absence"

The room had settled into a brittle rhythm —papers shuffled, tablets flicked, voices low and clipped. But beneath the surface, something simmered.

Mr. Shen leaned forward, fingers steepled, his voice smooth but edged.

"Mr. Xu, with respect… while your name remains on the masthead, your absence has created certain… ambiguities. The board has requested a formal audit of leadership continuity. We need clarity on your role moving forward."

Four Eyes didn't blink. He had expected this. What he hadn't expected was the tone —measured, rehearsed, and quietly lethal.

Ms. Gao added, "We've thrived under Madam Ling Li's guidance. Her decisions have been decisive, data-driven, and globally scalable. The question is not whether you belong here —it's whether your return disrupts that momentum."

Jack shifted slightly, his boots whispering against the marble. But Four Eyes raised a hand —calm, deliberate.

"You want clarity? Fine. I didn't come back to take over. I came back to remember what I built. And to decide what's worth rebuilding."

Mr. Shen tapped his tablet. A graph appeared on the screen, showing Xu Conglomerate's growth trajectory over the past three years. It was steep, aggressive, and undeniably impressive.

"This is what we've achieved without you. The question is: what do you offer now that justifies your re-entry?"

Four Eyes stood, walked to the screen, and stared at the graph. Then he reached into his coat and pulled out a small, worn notebook. He placed it on the table.

"This is my father's ledger. Handwritten. Every deal, every betrayal, every lesson. He didn't build this company with algorithms. He built it with instinct, loyalty, and sacrifice."

He opened the notebook to a page marked with a faded red ribbon. A name was circled —one of the current board members.

"This name? My father saved his family from bankruptcy. That loyalty helped us establish our first trade route. You want data? Here's your origin story."

The room fell silent.

Ms. Gao's voice was quieter now. "And what do you intend to do with this legacy?"

Four Eyes looked at the twins through the glass partition. Kim Kim was sketching something —his silhouette, perhaps. Chin Chin was whispering to her fox-spirit backpack, which blinked once in response.

"I intend to make sure my children inherit something worth protecting. Not just profits. But purpose."

He turned back to the board.