[Chapter - 7] - The Flower Vase and the Crisis
"Thank you…" The girl whispered, stepping out from behind Ye Tian's broad back as the elevator doors sealed shut.
Ye Tian turned halfway toward her, his eyes scanning her ridiculous disguise. The floppy hat, the oversized sunglasses, the mask—she looked like a cartoon character trying to be invisible.
"No problem," he said, leaning against the metal wall with his hands in his pockets. "But, uh… I have to ask. Are you robbing a bank or dodging a debt collector?"
"Excuse me?" The girl blinked behind her shades. Her voice was affronted.
"Haha… Don't worry, I am just messing with you," Ye Tian chuckled. "But really, hiding behind a stranger? It was either help you or watch you get dragged away by those bodyguards. I chose the path of least resistance."
"Still… you didn't have to help. Most people wouldn't get involved," the girl said, her tone softening. She adjusted her hat, regaining some of her composure.
"I guess I'm just a good Samaritan," Ye Tian shrugged. He looked her up and down, his gaze piercing. "So, what's your deal? Some kind of internet influencer? Did you sneak out of a livestream because your filters failed?"
Her lips curled up beneath the mask. She straightened her back, radiating a sudden aura of pride. "Influencer? Please. I am... a bit of a celebrity."
Ye Tian blinked once. "Oh," he said flatly. "So you are one of those."
Her eyebrow twitched. "What do you mean 'those'?"
"You know," Ye Tian waved his hand dismissively. "Flower Vases. You get paid millions to look pretty, blink your eyes, and eat noodles in front of a camera while fans scream 'Goddess'."
He shook his head with mock sympathy. "Poor you. It must be exhausting... lifting all those heavy spoons."
The girl turned her head sharply, eyes narrowing. "Excuse me? Do you know how hard I work?"
"You don't look like you could even finish a large bowl of beef noodles," Ye Tian stated as a matter of fact.
Then, without any warning, he reached out.
His hand, large and warm, grabbed her wrist.
It wasn't rough, but it was firm. He lifted her hand up to eye level.
"Look at this," Ye Tian scoffed, his fingers brushing against her skin. It was cool and smooth, like high-grade suet jade. "Your wrist is so thin I could snap it with two fingers. You would probably drop your chopsticks before you were halfway through a meal."
The girl's breath hitched.
Badum.
His fingers were hot. His grip was dominant. Men never touched her like this. They bowed, they shook hands politely, they trembled in her presence. No one dared to treat her like a malnourished child.
Before she could react or pull away, Ye Tian let go, turning back toward the elevator doors as if he hadn't just sexually harassed a national treasure.
The woman stood there, completely thrown off balance. Her skin tingled where he had touched her.
'He... he called me a Flower Vase? And then grabbed me?'
Ye Tian checked the floor indicator. 12th floor. Still some time.
"So… why were they really looking for you?" he asked, breaking the silence.
She hesitated, rubbing her wrist. "I, uh… I might have sneaked out of a brand meeting."
He turned to her, looking genuinely puzzled. "Why?"
"Because it was boring," she said, tilting her head and trying to act cute. It was a reflex; it usually worked on every man in the country.
But Ye Tian was immune.
"Right," Ye Tian nodded slowly. Then he snorted. "Nothing says 'mature adult' like running away from your responsibilities because you're bored."
The girl's jaw dropped. "You… Me? Immature?"
"What? I'm just saying," Ye Tian shrugged. "If you are important enough to cause chaos by sneaking out, you could at least do it for a good reason. 'Boredom' is a reason for toddlers, not professionals."
"You...!" The girl was fuming. This guy was brazen! Arrogant! Ruder than the anti-fans online!
Ding!
The elevator chimed. 14th floor.
Ye Tian sighed, rubbing the back of his head. He realized he might have been a bit too harsh on a stranger.
"Look, I didn't mean to lecture you," he said, his voice softening slightly. "It's just… those people downstairs sounded like they were on the verge of a heart attack. They are just doing their job. Don't make their lives harder just because you're in a mood."
The woman's eyes flickered behind her sunglasses. The anger faded, replaced by a sudden melancholy.
"You don't get it," she whispered. "I have been locked up between my apartment and this tower for weeks. No sunlight. No fresh air. just… meetings, rehearsals, fake smiles, and contracts. I felt like I was drowning."
"Everyone wants something from me," she continued, her voice trembling. "A photo. A signature. A profit margin. But no one asks what I want. So... I ran."
Ye Tian looked at her. He saw the fatigue in her posture.
"Fourteenth floor," he murmured, glancing at the open doors. "That's me."
He stepped out, but paused. He turned back to look at her one last time.
"I don't know who you are, Miss Famous," Ye Tian said calmly. "But running away is for cowards. If you need air, demand it. If you want space, take it. If you are really a 'Big Shot', act like one."
"People usually listen when you stop asking and start commanding."
He gave a small, lazy salute.
"Anyway, good luck. Try not to starve."
And with that, Ye Tian walked away, his hands in his pockets.
"Wait!" The girl blinked.
She stepped forward, but the doors slid shut.
Whirrr.
For a second, she just stood there in the descending metal box, staring at the steel doors.
Then, slowly, the corners of her lips curled upward.
"Interesting!"
The damsel-in-distress vibe vanished instantly. She pulled off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of stunning, intelligent eyes that sparkled with amusement.
"Miss Famous? Flower Vase?" She let out a short laugh. "Unbelievable. What a ridiculous man."
"He didn't know who I was. And even if he couldn't see my face... didn't he feel anything when he touched me?"
She traced her fingers over her wrist where his heat still lingered.
"He told me to command..."
Bzzzz.
Her phone vibrated. She pulled it out. "Manager Hong".
She answered.
"Shen Yu! Where are you?!" A panicked voice shrieked from the other end. "Please don't do this! If you want to go out, I will buy you the whole mall! Just don't disappear!"
Shen Yu leaned against the elevator wall, rolling her eyes. "Relax, Hong. I am fine."
"You are not fine! Do you know how furious CEO Lin is? The shareholders are waiting! Please, just tell me where you are..."
"I am coming back," Shen Yu interrupted, her voice smooth but firm. Cold. Commanding.
A stunned silence followed on the other end.
"W-What?" Manager Hong squeaked.
"I said, I am coming back," Shen Yu repeated. "I'll be there in two minutes. Have the meeting ready. And Hong? Get me an iced Americano. Black."
"Yes! Yes! Of course! I'll wait by the lobby!"
Shen Yu hung up the phone. She looked at her reflection in the elevator door and smirked.
"Interesting man on the 14th floor... I'll remember you."
Ye Tian walked into the waiting area on the 14th floor.
It was packed. Dozens of candidates—men and women—sat in rows, all dressed sharply, all reviewing notes nervously.
But one person stood out.
Sitting alone on a plush leather sofa, legs crossed, was Zhao Feng.
The Young Master looked miserable. He held an ice pack to his left cheek, which was swollen to the size of a bun. His expensive suit was rumpled, and he was radiating a gloomy aura that kept everyone else five meters away.
He was seething. Every time he recalled the image of his own shoe hitting his ass, he wanted to kill someone.
He looked up and saw Ye Tian approaching.
Zhao Feng's eyes bulged. His fingers clawed into the leather seat.
"You..."
Ye Tian didn't avoid him. He walked straight over and plopped down in the empty seat right next to him.
"Yo, Young Master Zhao," Ye Tian said casually, leaning back and crossing his legs. "Didn't expect to see you here. Interviewing, huh? Must be rough. I guess even the great Zhao Family needs to send their heir to work for a paycheck these days. Inflation is scary, right?"
Zhao Feng's fingers froze around the ice pack. He opened his mouth to scream, but the memory of the humiliation—and the fear of another "accident"—choked him.
He shut his mouth, turned his head away, and stared at the wall as if Ye Tian didn't exist.
Ye Tian grinned. 'A dog that has been beaten knows when to keep its tail between its legs.'
"Attention!"
The glass doors to the main conference room slid open. A woman stepped out.
She was sharp. Sharp features, sharp eyes, sharp bob cut. She wore a grey power suit and radiated an aura of absolute competence.
"Good morning," she said, her voice crisp and cold. "I am Director Chen, Head of Public Relations."
The room went silent. Even Zhao Feng straightened up, wincing as the movement hurt his ass.
"At Starry Sky Media, we don't care about your degree. We don't care who your father is," Director Chen's gaze swept over Zhao Feng briefly before moving on. "We hire problem-solvers. If you panic when the ship sinks, you are dead weight. And we throw dead weight overboard."
Her eyes landed on Ye Tian for a fraction of a second, pausing, before she clapped her hands.
"Follow me."
Five minutes later, twenty candidates sat in a high-tech evaluation room.
"Let's begin," Director Chen announced.
Assistants placed a tablet in front of each candidate.
The screens lit up.
[CRISIS SIMULATION: CODE RED]Subject: Tier-1 Celebrity Scandal. Event: Private Cloud Hack. Nude/Compromising photos leaked. Targets: Helena Krauss (International Supermodel - Germany) & Li Yuna (Top Idol - China). Status: Trending #1 Worldwide. Legal teams threatening lawsuits. Brand deals canceling. Objective: Create a Crisis Response Plan in 60 minutes.
"Holy Mother..." someone muttered.
"Your time starts now," Director Chen said, checking her watch. "Oh, and one more thing. The supporting legal documents and police reports are in the native languages of the artists. German and English. I hope you brushed up on your skills."
Panic erupted in the room.
"German?!"
"I barely speak English!"
Zhao Feng stared at his tablet, his face turning pale. "You have got to be kidding me," he whispered, fumbling to open a translator app on his phone. "What the hell is Schadensersatzansprüche?"
Ye Tian looked at his screen.
He swiped open the German file. It was a dense legal notice from a Munich law firm.
Ye Tian didn't know German. The old Ye Tian barely passed English class.
But as his eyes scanned the jagged letters... a strange warmth flowed from his soul into his eyes.
The letters rearranged themselves. The meaning flowed directly into his brain.
'Claim for damages... breach of privacy contract... threat of immediate termination...'
Ye Tian blinked. He opened the English file. Same thing. Crystal clear.
'What is this?' Ye Tian wondered, suppressing his shock. 'Is this the soul of the Immortal Emperor? In my past life, I traveled the myriad realms. I understood the tongues of demons, gods, and beasts. Human languages... are child's play.'
"Am I crazy? Or am I just a genius?" Ye Tian smirked.
He looked around. Everyone was sweating. Zhao Feng was practically crying, typing furiously into Baidu Translate.
Ye Tian cracked his knuckles.
"One hour? I only need ten minutes."
He began to type. His fingers flew across the virtual keyboard.
Strategy: The "Muddy Water" Approach.
Step 1: Deny & Distract. (Claim the photos are AI-generated deepfakes. Hire bot farms to flood social media with actual crude AI fakes of other celebrities to dilute the credibility of the leak.) Step 2: The Victim Card. (Have Li Yuna hospitalized for "shock" and "mental distress." Shift the narrative from "scandal" to "cyberbullying victim.") Step 3: The Aggressive Counter. (Sue the cloud provider publicly. Create a common enemy.) Step 4: Buying the Truth. (Bribe the top 3 gossip forums to delete threads. Use the "Zhao Family" method—money solves all evils.)
Ye Tian wrote with a ruthless efficiency. His plan was dark, manipulative, and completely devoid of morals. It was exactly what the entertainment industry needed.
Thirty minutes later.
Ye Tian leaned back. "Done."
He hit SUBMIT.
The screen flashed green.
He stretched his arms, yawning loudly in the silent room. He turned to look at Zhao Feng.
The Young Master was sweating buckets, his eyes darting between three different translation apps, his face contorted in confusion.
Ye Tian leaned over, a devilish grin on his face.
"Awww... Buddy!"
He whispered loud enough for the nearby candidates to hear.
"You look like you're struggling. Want me to help you translate 'I give up', buddy?"