Chapter 1 The CEO's Miniature Version

"Wow, this boy is incredible!"

"He moves so fast, and every attack is so powerful! He seems exceedingly talented!"

Excited voices echoed from the executive assistants' office on the sixtieth floor of the Qi Group's headquarters in the United States. Inside the room, a gaggle of elite-looking people dressed in business suits crowded over something on a monitor.

Although they had a horrible boss who mercilessly pressured them every day, they didn't seem very busy right now. In fact, they were all gathered around the computer as they watched a video from an e-sports competition.

Their faces were filled with awe, obviously preoccupied with what they were doing. They completely missed the arrival of their CEO, who was already standing behind them with a sullen expression before they even noticed his presence.

"Why are you gathered like this, watching a movie during working hours? Do you not have work to do?"

As soon as the CEO's icy voice sounded behind them, the people gathered in front of the computer hastily sprang up and dispersed, running in all directions like headless chickens.

Abandoned alone on the cursed workstation was Mike Wu, the CEO's assistant. His feet were itching to run away, but the CEO's frosty glare indicated that if he stepped out that door, he would never be able to come back again. Thus, he had no choice but to stay.

"Mike, can you remind me how long we have been working together?" asked the CEO in monotone, his face utterly expressionless.

His young assistant paled thoroughly after being addressed, and the glasses he was wearing were shrouded in steam from his panting breaths. If the workaholic CEO found that he was slacking off during working hours, he could kiss his job in the Qi Group goodbye!

"It's been three years, sir. I—I just..." Mike wanted to burst into tears, and his heart seemed like it would jump out of his throat. 'Please, don't look at me like that. This is so scary!'

"So you have been working with me for three years, but you don't know that what I hate the most are those who slack off at work? Well then, go and pack up because I'm sending you to our branch in South Africa tomorrow!" the man announced coldly. "Sir, I wasn't slacking off. It's just—this little boy looks like you very much..."

The assistant quickly rotated the screen so that the CEO could see the video better.

At first, it seemed like the other man would dismiss the video as a waste of his time. However, a sudden change took over his charming face as soon as his brain processed what his eyes were seeing.

Mike noticed the subtle change of the CEO's expression, so he hastily explained as he wiped the cold sweat on his forehead, "This video is an excerpt from the final round of the world e-sports competition. This boy is so talented! He was able to represent the Asian division at four years old, and he even reached the finals. He caught my attention earlier because he resembles you very much, sir."

The truth was that Mike, who loved playing video games, had gathered a crowd to watch the live broadcast of the e-sports contest. The four-year-old boy was this year's most popular player.

At that moment, he was sitting on a high chair as his fingers danced over the keyboard at lightning speed. His intelligence peered through his big doe eyes, which were fixed on the screen with a laser focus.

It was the final round already, and even though the competition was still ongoing, it seemed like the results had already been decided. The little boy emanated confidence as if he was already sure that he would win.

The CEO studied the young boy's face and found that Mike was telling the truth. The boy did look exactly like him. His little face had the same features, albeit less fierce and cold, and more childish.

Cold sweat continued to break out on Mike's forehead as he saw the fearsome expression on his boss's face. He was afraid that not only was he going to be fired, but he would also get killed on the spot!

"What's the brat's name?"

"Carl Luo, sir."

The CEO's brows jumped up along with his curiosity. 'Luo? Isn't it her surname?'

"All right, I'm giving you another chance. You have five minutes to find out all you can about that brat and his mother. If you fail, I will send you to South Africa and feed you to the lions!"

Hearing this, Mike leaned back on his chair, wiped the cold sweat off his forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Mike considered himself an elite since not everyone could work in the Qi Group, one of the top ten financial groups in the world. However, every time the CEO glared at him with those murderous eyes, he couldn't help acting like a damn newbie.

With the CEO's menacing eyes fresh in his mind, Mike dared not slack off. It only took him a few minutes before the requested documents were printed and placed neatly on the CEO's desk.

"Hmn..." The man narrowed his eyes at the documents, picked them up, and scanned through them from cover to cover. Finally, he checked the photo attached to the documents.

A sweet, angelic smile brightened a young woman's delicate face. She appeared as pure and lovely as a junior high school student, although the documents revealed that she was already twenty-four years old.

The CEO seemed to recognize her, as a touch of tenderness flashed in his sharp eyes, but it was quickly replaced by indifference. He looked at the photo several times, turning the page restlessly. The next photo showed a little boy who looked very similar to him, except for the youthful and mischievous expression he was sporting.

Even though the CEO was studying the documents with an intense look, his fingers were gentle as he subconsciously touched the mischievous boy's face. 'He is only four years old, but he can already use the computer so well. He can even compete against professional players much older than him. It seems that he has inherited my talent.'

"Mike!"

"Yes, sir!" Mike immediately appeared before him, shoulders tensed and hunched as if readying himself for a beating.

The Qi Group's chief assistant was one of the pioneers of the company, but even he would not dare to act rashly against the CEO.

Their company started in the aviation industry, and it soon spread its influence all over the world. It gradually expanded to the fields of new-age technology, finance, real estate, and so on. Ryan Qi, the current CEO of the Qi Group, was an exceedingly powerful man. Even his minor decision could affect the entire American economy.

"I want you to send someone to keep an eye on this woman. Update me if anything happens."

"Yes, sir!" replied Mike immediately. After a short pause, he hesitantly asked, "Shall we bring him back, sir? Or shall we report to your mother?"

As smart as Mike was, he had already guessed that the boy must have a special relationship with the CEO, seeing as the child resembled him so closely. Thus, Mike figured that this was an important issue, possibly important enough to notify the CEO's mother.

Ryan glanced at him with an icy expression and asked, "Are you my assistant or my mother's assistant?"

Of course, Mike didn't dare say anything more to this and left with a dejected look.

Now that he was alone, Ryan let his mind wander. He picked up the lighter and lit up the documents one after another with a poker face. Under the light of the fire, his handsome face looked cold as ice.

'Damn it! How dare she give birth to a baby secretly? When did she get pregnant? I can't believe I didn't know anything about it!

Now, my child is named Luo instead of Qi! How dare she make such a ridiculous decision?'

At this point, all the documents had turned into ashes except for the last two photos. Ryan hesitated for a moment, squeezed the lighter tightly in his palm, and then gave up.

In the end, he opened a random drawer and threw the photos inside. The faces of the mother and son stared back at him before he shut the drawer with a definitive click.