"The CEO of Misiah Tech is still missing, and the police has done everything to search, but they haven't found a trace of Hua Lang. Things are falling apart as the tech company's share prices are falling rapidly with each day the famous CEO is missing."
A wrinkled hand switched off the display in the meeting room, glaring at the man dressed in a wrinkled suit sitting in the head position.
"How do you explain this to us? The stock prices are dropping like fucking bird droppings, and you still haven't found a trace of him."
"The police is doing everything in their power…"
"What are you doing then! You are his assistant. Weren't you supposed to know where he went? How is his psychological state?! He sent you a fucking suicidal text, yet you ignored it! Where the hell is he!" one of the older shareholders banged on the table.
The others started to chime in.
"Yes, we want answers, Mister Jun."
"Someone needs to do something."
"Won't it be better to have a new CEO assigned as soon as possible?" The old man who put on the meeting video said with his brows raised cockily.
The others started to chime in.
"We should appoint an acting CEO immediately."
"No. That would signal weakness to investors."
"…Or perhaps this is the perfect opportunity for new management. I think it's time we change a few things around here." The old man who played the video said with a victorious grin on his face.
Jun Ming smirked, adjusting his glasses high on his high nose bridge.
"Replace him."
The shareholders grinned, gazing at each other with an accomplished look.
"But before doing so, kindly explain which one of you understands the quantum engine project Mr. Lang personally designed."
They all seemed to falter at this.
"Which one of you knows the encryption architecture?"
The room was absolutely silent.
"Replace him if you want."
"But tell me who will fix the quantum engine when it collapses in six months."
He smirked widely.
"Might I remind you what happened before Mister Lang took over as CEO? Oh, I think you all seem to have forgotten due to old age. Your stock prices that we have right now were all thanks to Mister Lang, and everything that you seem to think you have was because of Mister Lang's hard work and expertise in this field."
He stood up, picking up the meeting papers with him.
"If you replace him, I will make sure to take every talented resource out of this company, and let's see how you can manage a tech company without any technical researchers."
He smiled gently.
The shareholders sat there stunned, not knowing what to say to this.
"Good day, gentlemen. Go home and take some well-deserved rest. Our CEO will be back, and we will regain all the prestige we have lost soon."
He said with confidence as he left the meeting room.
But as soon as the flinging doors closed behind him, his square shoulders slouched and his glasses hung at the bottom of his nose.
Jun Ming had barely entered his office before someone was already sitting in his chair.
"You found him?" an annoying voice called out before his chair slowly turned, revealing a stunningly handsome face. His brown hair, combed messy and curly, fell on his forehead, and his plump lips were always on a perpetual grin as he gazed his way.
Dully gazing up, Jun Ming met the blue pupils of one of his lead researchers and tech experts, Feng Nan.
"I am still working on it. I'm sure we will find him soon," he said, adjusting his glasses.
Feng Nan stood up, giving his seat to him, acting like a gentleman.
Sighing, Jun Ming sat down on his seat.
"You have no clue, don't you." The man leaned close to him. "Why don't you beg me for help? Maybe I would consider helping you."
He gazed up at him with interest.
"I have something that could interest you…"
"No." He rejected him immediately. Any help from this guy would come at a cost. And that cost was tremendous.
"One date."
"No."
"At least coffee?"
"No," Jun Ming blankly peered at him. "Please get back to work. I don't have any time to waste on dating and such."
"Tsk, I thought I would finally have my chance. What is it about Hua Lang that has you so obsessed with him?" he grunted, tapping on the glass-top work table.
"I can assure you, Mister Feng, me and Mister Lang have nothing going on with each other. The prime reason I reject you is because…"
Feng Nan leaned close curiously.
"It's because I don't like you."
Feng Nan sighed.
"I will get around to wooing you. One day…" He stood up, gently tapping his cheeks. "I'll make you mine~"
Saying so, he left the office with a swagger in his step.
The doors closed, and he was finally alone.
"Where are you, Hua Lang? This cockroach is torturing me…"
Jun Ming sighed out ever louder as he opened the CCTV video again from the restaurant. Looking at his boss eating casually, he angrily poked the screen until a blur remained on his screen permanently.
"You better come back soon. If not, I might even have to lose my virginity to that freak."
He whined softly, his eyes tearing up slightly.
Even though the man overworked him like anything, he was the one person close to family to him. Ever since he was young, the man had been there, helping him with everything in his life with that stoic expression on his face.
His heart ached as he gazed at the man's last message before he disappeared.
'What made you like this… you were never suicidal…'
Sighing, he went back to all the paperwork, but his mind refused to cooperate. His worried heart could not help but think of anything other than Hua Lang.
"Maybe… I should reconsider his offer…"
The man Feng Nan was one of the most brilliant hackers he had ever known in his life. Maybe he did have something that the cops did not have.
He dashed out of his office, down the floor to meet the annoying man. To his shock, the man was seen sipping a cup of coffee and eating gummy bears alongside.
Grimacing, he closed the door behind him.
The man's eyes widened ever so slightly as he gazed up at him.
"Jun, I didn't expect to…"
"One coffee date…" he mumbled, adjusting his glasses.
The other man hearing this shot up from his seat, almost toppling the chair behind him. He gulped down the coffee in his hand and slammed it on the table.
"What did you say?"
"One coffee date and that's it." Jun Ming said, peering at him intently. "But I want you to actively help me look for him."
The man's thin lips soon bloomed into a bright grin.
"I knew you would come around."
He walked up to him, yanking at his stiff collar.
"When it comes to that man, you always relent."
He whispered, leaning close.
"I have to say it makes me more than jealous."
"Can you or can you not help me?" He pushed his offending hand away.
"I can. In fact, I have something that might interest you."
He dragged him over to the office chair and made him sit down.
"I was searching through all the CCTV footage around the streets next to that restaurant, and I found something strange."
He opened a footage.
He pointed at Hua Lang walking out.
"Look right here."
The man in the video almost got hit by a bus while he was saving a lady.
Jun Ming held his breath tightly, gripping the armrest of the seat. He watched the bus drive off fast and out of coverage.
"And watch this…" The man skipped the footage a bit, showing Hua Lang walking through a small street, dazedly looking around. He didn't seem to be in his normal, calm state, but rather, he looked frantic and anxious.
Suddenly, a flower pot fell right in the spot Hua Lang was about to step in.
Jun Ming gasped seeing this.
"Oh my God…" he mumbled under his breath.
But through this catastrophe too, Hua Lang had survived. It was like watching those Final Destination movies. Everything that moved was a danger to Hua Lang. The man almost got mugged as well.
"Fuck this…" Jun Ming mumbled, cupping his mouth tightly.
It was very strange.
If this happened right after Hua Lang sent that suicidal text, that would mean his boss knew something was going to happen to him.
'Did he get a vision or something? What the heck happened? It looks like someone cursed him to death…' he thought as he watched with rapt attention.
Soon, Hua Lang was seen walking through a dingy street. All of a sudden, the street lights flickered. The video flickered as well, and the next second, Hua Lang was gone.
He was gone just like that!
Vanished!
Only his clothes remained on the dirty street.
"What the fuck!"
He sat up straight, rewinding the footage.
But no matter how many times he looked through it, he couldn't believe it.
His boss just disappeared out of nowhere.
He was gone just like that.
"Are you kidding me? This is not the time to joke, Feng Nan," he glared up at him.
"At first, I thought this was a funny glitch too, but watch this. I used AI to make the footage clearer right when he disappeared."
He leaned close behind him as he clicked on another video. It was a zoomed version with Hua Lang disappearing right from their sight.
He slowed it down.
"See right here."
He pointed to a small pink, blob-like thing that darted so fast from those clothes.
"I don't know what that is. It's confusing for me too. So I got as many footage as I could. I saw a lot of cars parked here, and so I bought all the dashcam footage."
Feng Nan opened a few more videos side by side.
"All of them look the same. This pink, blob-like thing darting off of Hua Lang's clothes. One camera can lie, but not all of them."
Jun Ming held his breath, gazing at the footage.
"So you're saying Hua Lang just up and disappeared?"
"I think so… Maybe he got magically transported to another world."
Feng Nan jokingly mumbled as he sat down next to him on the table.
Neither of them laughed.
"I hate that that's currently the most logical explanation."
Right then, the door opened, and Feng's assistant walked in a hurry.
"Sir, we need to confirm the model for our newest skincare line again. The creator of the line is pushing us to find a fresh face."
Jun Ming sighed, adjusting his glasses.
"Did you send them all of our model catalog?"
"Yes, sir, but they rejected them all. They want a new fresh face. Fresh face, they said!"
Hearing this, Feng let out a snort.
"Where can you find a fresh face in this economy? All you see is plastic faces."
He found a pair of eyes scrutinising him. Smirking at Jun, he tried to pinch his cheeks and failed.
"But not you, my love. You have the most handsome and stunning face I've ever seen."
Jun Ming swatted the offending hand that tried to pinch his cheeks as casually as possible.
"What do they even want? Do they want us to have a casting call for this new fresh face?" he mumbled, unconvinced.
"Actually, they sent a reference picture."
His assistant came close and showed him a picture of a man with shiny white-blond hair, dressed in a loose white T-shirt, standing in a convenience store.
"They want a model similar to him, or even this guy if possible."
Jun Ming did not take a good look at it. He simply waved away the iPad.
"Just do a casting call and find someone similar to their aesthetics. If they keep rejecting all the models we sent, it's better I just schedule a call with them. Their demands have pushed back the release of the new product line for too long."
He shot up from the chair and left the room.
"But darling, you didn't stay for the tea." Feng mumbled, scuffling behind him.
"Just get to work. Call me if you find anything new," he said without glancing back at the offending guy.