The CEO's Pursuit Plan

In the dark alley of the night, Gu Tianqi slightly raised his eyebrows, quickened his pace without making a sound, and waited for the footsteps behind him to draw closer. Then, he suddenly stopped— "Ah—" As expected, a woman's soft cry came from behind. "Hm?" He frowned and quickly pulled her head, which was about to crash into his chest, away. The woman stumbled again, letting out a sound that seemed like a complaint. "Qin! What are you doing…" "This is exactly what I want to ask," he replied coldly. The woman widened her eyes, staring blankly at the owner of the icy voice. "Are you following me?" he asked, with his hands in his pockets, briefly glancing up at the night sky. "Well... I wouldn't exactly call it following!" She could only look up at his high-arched chin and forced a smile. "Or are you just coincidentally walking behind me?" "Do you believe that?" She gave a half-smile, then started looking at him with strange eyes. "If I told you I'm following you, what would you do? Scared?" "Scared? Scared of what?" "Scared of being robbed, or…," her gaze circled around him and finally settled on his broad, strong chest. She pouted slightly, "Robbed of your looks, I guess!" "Robbed of my looks?" Gu Tianqi finally looked at the woman, realizing that she indeed had a somewhat flirtatious expression! Her bright eyes were fixed on him, and even though the surroundings were dimly lit, they still couldn't hide their sparkle. To be honest, this woman had a pretty face and a graceful figure, especially those lively, big eyes that gave off a unique youthful energy. "So you're finally looking at me properly?" "What exactly do you want?" Although he had given her quite a few compliments, it didn’t mean he was interested in continuing to entertain her. To Gu Tianqi, women, regardless of their qualities, were all a troublesome species! "Fine! Since you're asking so directly, I won't beat around the bush. In one sentence:" She slightly subdued her smile, her tone turning serious, "I'm very interested in you." "Oh?" A confession? How cliché. "I want you." "…" Wasn't that a bit too direct? But at least the method was new. "However, to make sure you're the right candidate, I would like to get to know you better." She didn’t just take one more step, but what was even more outrageous was that she even stretched out her small hand— "You—" This was s****l harassment! Gu Tianqi took a big step back, avoiding her hand, which, though delicate and fair, had ulterior motives. "You don’t need to be afraid. I just heard that you love sports, so I want to know if your physique is as perfect as it looks on the surface. From what I can tell, it seems promising, worth further investigation." "Investigation of what?" He started seriously wondering if there was a mental institution nearby. "Your breed!" Her expression turned excited as she said with a tremble in her voice, "Your breed! I want to collaborate with you, and if you're free right now, I can talk to you about this great plan!" "I have a plan too, and I need your cooperation." "Really!?" No need to be polite, future partner! Gu Tianqi nodded and started dialing a phone number. "Hello… is this the police station? I need to report something… I think I've found a suspected mental patient harassing pedestrians on the street… the location is…" While speaking on the phone, Tianqi reached out and grabbed the woman, who was trying to run away. Are you scared now? He flashed a faint smile at the woman, his dimples appearing on his cheeks, which made his mixed-race, sharp features even more vivid. "How can you do this—" She widened her eyes. How? Gu Tianqi lazily half-lifted his eyelids, looking indifferent. "How adorable!" A sharp exclamation echoed through the alley. "Now I know men can smile so adorably! And I also realized you're so strong! Your body must be really strong! Awesome, you're the one, you're exactly who I want!" Gu Tianqi was speechless for a moment. After a long pause, he finally sighed. "You're really seriously ill." "I'm not ill! My body is great, which is why I have the qualifications for this experiment!" "Please believe me, with our conditions, the children we have in the future will definitely be the most outstanding…" Gu Tianqi released her hand, not wanting to continue listening to this crazy talk. He decided to abandon the "good deed" of clearing the obstacle and chose to leave instead. "Hey, Gu Tianqi, don't leave!" She chased after him, shouting, "At least you should know who I am, I haven’t even introduced myself!" She really knew him! However, Gu Tianqi had no interest in knowing who she was. He quickened his pace. "My last name is Shang, Shang Qi!" She shouted with the last of her strength. When she said "Shang Qi," Gu Tianqi immediately stopped in his tracks. "How about now? Do you know who I am? With your connection to my brother Shang Peng, at least you should give him some face, right?" Gu Tianqi stared at the woman, who was shouting with her hands cupped around her mouth, feeling both amused and bewildered. Yes, he did have a good relationship with Shang Peng. Currently, the hottest trio in fashion magazines, the "Top Three CEOs," consisted of him, Shang Peng, and Meng Ting, three young and handsome CEOs. However… giving his friend face didn’t mean he had to sell his soul to do so. This woman was clearly trying to get him to have children with her! Let me know if you need any adjustments or further help! Gu Tianqi mimicked her actions, cupping his hands around his mouth and loudly declaring, "Stop dreaming!" "Don't be so heartless, my conditions are pretty good! You really should consider it..." "Thanks, but even if your conditions are great, I'm just not interested." "You're really not going to agree?" No interest? Such blatant disregard? Her tone had already turned sour. "Absolutely not!" "Then... I guess I’ll..." Guess what? Gu Tianqi didn't believe she could do anything more. He shook his head and chuckled, then quickly walked away. Of course, he didn't forget to call his friend, Shang Peng— To remind him that it might be time to take his sister to see a doctor! Microbial Technology Research Institute This was a laboratory filled with various precise instruments. The large space occasionally echoed with the sounds of chemicals flowing, glassware clinking, and laboratory animals making noises. Everyone was focused on their work, sticking to their posts, but there was one person who stood out as being completely out of place— Shang Qi, the deputy director, was resting her cheek on her hand, staring blankly at the computer in front of her… Or more accurately, at the man on the computer screen. It was a handsome face with sharp, chiseled features and sun-kissed, tan skin. His deep eyes, like a lake, shimmered with cold light. What was most puzzling was his smile, the dimples that appeared on his cheeks, which gave him an air of shyness that belonged to a big boy, making people feel an impulse to reach out and take something... Shang Qi couldn't help but extend her hand toward the screen, curiously imagining what it would feel like to touch that smiling face. Her finger slid across, finally landing on the three characters listed next to the image—Gu Tianqi. The name was accompanied by a detailed profile, including his age, height, weight, lifestyle habits, special preferences, and much more. She pressed a key, and the page switched to reveal dense graphs and charts, many of which had blank spaces waiting to be filled in. And those blanks could only be completed if Gu Tianqi agreed to participate. Thinking of this, Shang Qi couldn’t help but sigh. Why did he have to be so distant? People say, "If it's not meant to be, it won't happen," but she and he clearly had a connection! Her thoughts suddenly drifted back a few months. Back then, under pressure from her family to get married, although she suspected that her older brother, Shang Peng, was the mastermind behind this, she could only helplessly face the family’s attempts, trying her best to avoid those terribly boring blind date meetings. But the problem still came—"No matter what, you must choose someone!" Her dear father, Shang Shouchuan, for some reason, suddenly became extremely forceful. "Must I?" "Otherwise, you’ll have to accept our arrangement." What a joke! She wasn’t opposed to marriage, but the choice of partner had to go through her own screening. This was about the superior genetic combination for her future children—if she married someone like her flirtatious brother... Wait! Her brother! "Brother, do you know anyone who has great conditions and is not easily moved by women?" "How could I not?" Right in front of you! Shang Peng flicked his sleeves and raised his chin. "You!?" He may not be easily moved, but he's easy to... "stupidly move", right? Shang Qi helplessly waved her hand, "Anyone but you!" "Well... then, of course, it’s Meng Ting and Gu Tianqi, those two big CEOs." "Your two buddies?" "Yeah! Why do you ask?" Why ask? Of course, it was to "report back"! So, Shang Qi directly ran to report the list to her father, and as a result, the huge responsibility of marrying off the Shang family’s daughter landed squarely on the shoulders of her older brother, Shang Peng, who was friends with the two "candidates." In the following days, she repeatedly heard from her brother that "the sales pitch wasn’t going well," and although this was exactly what she wanted, it still made her feel a little discouraged. Was she really that off-putting? Later, because the "genetic evolution project" she was responsible for was facing a bottleneck and urgently needed to find the most suitable man for research, one of her colleagues made a joking remark that led her to decide to give Gu Tianqi a try. So, she collected relevant data and tried to analyze it. When the results came in— Looking at the matching indices on the analysis charts, she couldn’t help but be amazed. Who would have thought, by sheer coincidence, that she had found her "true match"! But... Her thoughts were pulled back to reality as she recalled that cold, indifferent expression of his. Shang Qi sighed. His qualifications were impressive, but she wasn’t bad either! And yet, he said he was "not interested" in her!? "Sigh..." "Sigh..." "Sigh sigh..." "Deputy Director, could I trouble you—" Finally, after a series of sighs, a new voice was heard. The boy speaking had a baby face, and his name was Amai. He was responsible for monitoring the effects of aphrodisiac injections in a ram, but the results were clearly not good, almost causing him to play an adult movie for the ram. "Okay, I got it." You've interrupted me! Shang Qi made a gesture to indicate she wouldn’t sigh anymore. "No! I just want to ask the Deputy Director… could you speak louder?" Amai said, sounding a bit anxious. “Eh?” Why? “Because I found that this sheep actually reacted, and it happened every time you were sighing like that, so...” Ah Mai, looking at Shang Qi’s wide eyes, scratched his head and couldn’t continue. Before the dark lines on top of Shang Qi’s head had even disappeared, the voices of her dear colleagues began to fill the air. “Well, that’s good! It means the Deputy Director still has charm.” “Only it worked on a sheep!” “No, the correct way to put it is that this 'Gu' guy isn’t even as good as a sheep.” “Exactly! How could he have no interest in our lab's beauty?” “Then let’s find something to whet his appetite!” “I think we should try another subject instead…” The group chatted animatedly, but the person involved, Shang Qi, remained silent. “Hey? Bro, why are you calling? Didn’t you say not to call unless it’s something important? I’m busy.” She was answering the phone. “Your old brother is about to be torn apart! Don’t you think that’s important?” Shang Peng’s usual teasing tone came through. “Stop it! Who would dare mess with you?” Shang Qi chuckled. “Gu Tianqi!” Shang Peng said the name, but got no response. Finally, he asked, “Xiao Qi, what exactly did you do to Gu Tianqi?” “I just said what needed to be said, nothing else. But... it’s about to happen.” “About to happen?” “It’s what I’m supposed to do.” “What is... supposed to be done?” It’s the major business of “conceiving healthy babies!” Shang Qi paused, didn’t answer directly, but asked, “Bro, what would you think if I started pursuing Gu Tianqi from now on?” There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line. “Bro, at least say something.” Shang Peng cleared his throat twice and said, “Now I understand why Gu Tianqi told me to take you to see a doctor.” “He’s the one with the problem! A woman as good as me, and he turned me down right away!” “It’s expected that he would turn you down, this guy is notorious for rejecting women, so you…” “Are you trying to tell me to give up on him?” “Based on my understanding of this guy, for your own lifetime happiness, I strongly advise against it. I’m really suspicious about what you want with that stone, but, in principle, I…” “Get to the point!” “I support you! Because I believe our Shang family’s natural mission is to save those who don’t understand what the taste of happiness is! This is a great merit, and the ancestors of the Gu family will thank and bless you…” “Bro, wait a minute.” Shang Qi’s voice became softer. “What’s wrong?” “What do I do? I can’t find a trash can, but I can’t just spit anywhere.” She said in a very restrained voice. The call ended with a squeak from Shang Peng. Shang Qi composed herself, and her gaze unconsciously returned to the computer screen. Such an outstanding man rejecting women is certainly detrimental to the happiness of many women, so... She made up her mind! She decided to save this poor man's troubled soul! “My dear colleagues!” She stood up and announced loudly, “I’ve decided to go all the way and challenge him! I’m going to win him over! Any good suggestions?” The scene immediately became lively. “I think the key is to awaken this man’s animal instincts! So, I suggest the Deputy Director change her look and show her most charming side, that way he’ll definitely surrender!” said Baby, who took care of the experimental animals, with some insight. “I think communication of the soul is also important, let him know that the Deputy Director has inner beauty besides her appearance! So, maybe she could write some love letters, leave that to me.” Another volunteer chimed in. At this point, Ah Mai, who had been trying to interject, had an idea and rushed forward, holding up a giant syringe, shouting, “I have aphrodisiacs! I’m sure I can make the Deputy Director drug him!” The atmosphere froze for a moment, and then bursts of laughter erupted. “Damn Ah Mai, do you think the Deputy Director is a pervert? You want to get her charged with s****l assault? We said we need to chase him, we need to make him willing, not force him!” Someone laughed while scolding. “That’s right, that’s right.” Shang Qi’s expression became serious, and she raised her chin, saying, “My goal is to make him willing, and to make him fall completely.” “Yes, ma’am!” “Go! Go! Go!” Shang Qi listened to the cheers of her colleagues, and her smile grew brighter than ever. She looked at the man on the screen and said with a grin, “You’re in luck!” The building standing in the prime area of North City was the headquarters of Pangshi Group. Pangshi Group was founded by the Gu family. Legend has it that the Gu family’s rise began when Gu Tianqi’s grandfather, Gu Lianyang, married a Dutch princess, and the Gu family received significant sponsorship from the Dutch royal family, which helped their trade business flourish. The Gu family, which dominated the trade world, became known as the Trade Kingdom. As the family business passed down to the third generation, it reached Gu Tianqi. In recent years, under his leadership, the company had expanded rapidly, with investments spanning from domestic finance and insurance to international transportation, significantly increasing the group’s assets. Naturally, as the president of Pangshi Group and the sole heir of the Gu family, Gu Tianqi, with his extraordinary wealth and exceptional looks, had long become the sought-after "catch" in the business world. However, no matter how hard people tried to set him up or cast their nets, this "golden son-in-law" never took the bait. Gu Tianqi, who was indifferent to women, started attracting all sorts of speculation from the outside world. In the end, all kinds of absurd rumors began to spread. Some said that Gu Tianqi had been dumped by a woman, so he suffered from a "post-breakup syndrome"! Others said that Gu Tianqi’s mother had been too strict, causing him to develop a "fear of women" complex! There were even rumors that he was actually gay! The most outrageous one was from a magazine that reported that, as a man who loved sports, Gu Tianqi had suffered an injury, leading to some functional impairments, causing him to reject women because he had no "use" left in him... Gu Tianqi really couldn't understand — if a man had no interest in women, does that mean he’s sick? He thought his single life was peaceful and carefree, and there was nothing wrong with it. He never felt lonely, because in addition to his never-ending work, he also had heart-to-heart meetings and gatherings with friends like Meng Ting and Shang Peng. In short, he had never considered changing his current lifestyle. But clearly, someone wasn’t going to let him have things his way — “Secretary Lin, what’s this?” Gu Tianqi frowned and cast a cold glance at the fax on his desk. “This fax specifies that it’s for you, Mr. Gu, so…” Secretary Lin glanced at the content of the fax, struggling to hold back a laugh, and added, “I was debating whether to report it, but this is already the fifteenth letter, so I thought it would be more appropriate to let you know.” “Dear Mr. Gu, since the day I saw you, I felt as though I was struck by lightning. So this is what they call love at first sight. That’s why I’ve decided to pursue you to the end. I know I can’t live without you. You are my winter sun and my summer ice cream… Ah! Only you can make my life colorful! So please stop being shy, open your arms, and welcome me, this once-in-a-century beauty, so that together we can pursue the true meaning of love! Shang Qi.” After reading, Gu Tianqi froze. “Mr. Gu? Mr. Gu?” “Huh?” Gu Tianqi finally responded. “Mr. Gu… are you okay?” Secretary Lin’s voice sounded worried. “I’m fine, no problem.” It really was no problem, though his facial muscles twitched slightly, and his eyes widened as if they were about to pop out! “And this…” Secretary Lin glanced at the “love letter” once more. “I’ll handle it. You may leave now.” For Gu Tianqi, dismissing his secretary was now the most urgent matter because… “Pffft.” As soon as Secretary Lin left, the laughter that had been brewing in his throat burst out uncontrollably. Hahaha… this is hilarious! What is this nonsense? How can someone even write such cliché lines as “winter sun” and “summer ice cream”? What exactly is Shang Qi, that tech-savvy eccentric woman, trying to pull here? “Mr. Gu… Mr. Gu…” Just as he was grinning with laughter, the office door suddenly opened, and Secretary Lin returned, looking utterly shocked. That absurd love letter actually made his usually serious boss laugh in such a hysterical manner!? This “anomaly” quickly spread throughout the company. “Who is Shang Qi?” “Yeah! We haven’t heard any rumors. Could she be Mr. Gu’s girlfriend?” “Impossible! How could Mr. Gu possibly like someone who writes such ridiculous love letters?” “Who knows! Everyone knows that Mr. Gu is a bit of a weirdo. Otherwise, why would he act like this after reading such a letter?” Until around lunch break— “Sorry to disturb you. Could you please inform Mr. Gu that I’m Shang Qi, and I have an important matter to discuss?”