10. Feeling Unwell

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Shen Zhi quickly steadied himself against the doorframe but felt his legs turn weak and his body sway. The darkness lurking at the edges of his vision stretched out like grasping vines, crawling inward. For a few seconds, he couldn’t even tell which way was up or down.

The door to the large office was open. Someone passed by outside, glanced in, sensed something was wrong, and hurried inside to support Shen Zhi.

“President Shen!”

Though his mind was clear, his body refused to obey. Supported by the employee, he was guided to sit in the assistant’s chair. After a while, the thin veil clouding his vision was lifted.

His blurred sight cleared.

His lips were pale, his face looked dreadful, and the employee cautiously watched him with concern.

“President Shen, did you stay late working again last night?”

Everyone at Jiayi knew their president was a workaholic, often living in the office and handling affairs late into the night.

Although Shen Zhi had always been thin, he usually looked energetic. This was the first time the staff had seen him so weak. If they hadn’t rushed over in time, he might have already collapsed.

The employee felt relieved thinking this.

Shen Zhi had indeed stayed in the office until dawn, only resting briefly on the small bed inside around five or six in the morning. With the annual meeting approaching, and other tasks ongoing, he couldn’t afford to slip up at such a critical time.

He didn’t say much but nodded and said to the employee, “Please get me a glass of water.”

The employee quickly complied, deliberately pouring warm water and handing it to Shen Zhi.

Furrowing his brows, Shen Zhi drank slowly, then tossed the paper cup into the trash. As he stood up, he said thanks.

The employee waved off the thanks and, seeing Shen Zhi heading out, asked hesitantly, “President Shen, are you feeling alright?”

Shen Zhi gave a faint grunt in response.

Actually, he was far from alright.

The dizziness just now seemed to have flipped a switch in his body, unleashing all the accumulated exhaustion and drowsiness from days of nonstop work.

Suddenly, he longed for a bed to sleep deeply.

What was worse—

Perhaps due to poor rest, he also felt discomfort in his abdomen, an indescribable sensation unlike anything he had experienced before, as if something was coiled inside, pressing outward from time to time. It wasn’t exactly painful, but the presence was undeniable, making it impossible to ignore.

Luckily, he could still endure it.

He would finish today’s work first.

Taking the elevator to the first floor and stepping out into the lobby, the cold wind speckled with snowflakes hit him, instantly sharpening his senses.

Yet the heavy sensation in his abdomen intensified.

Assistant Ma was already waiting by the curb outside the greenery. Seeing Shen Zhi approach through the car window, he quickly got out and opened the back door.

“President Shen, it’s snowing today and only a few degrees. You’re underdressed.” Ma said, “Should I go get you another coat?”

Shen Zhi got in and replied, “No need. There’s no thick clothing in my office.”

Ma glanced at the coat Shen Zhi was wearing and noticed how pale and tired he looked.

After starting the car, Ma raised the temperature inside. Throughout the ride, he glanced several times at Shen Zhi through the rearview mirror.

Shen Zhi appeared uncomfortable, propping his head against the window with one hand and resting his chin, his head bowed—either asleep or just resting his eyes.

“President Shen,” Ma whispered, “are you feeling unwell?”

“No.”

Shen Zhi’s quick reply suggested he was still awake.

“Do you want to go to the hospital? It’s still early; we can go later if you prefer.”

“No need.”

Ma fell silent immediately.

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After a moment’s pause, Shen Zhi realized his tone had been too harsh. Enduring the discomfort, he added, “It’s fine. I know my own body.”

The last hospital visit had included relevant tests, followed by a full physical exam. Results were fine. Aside from minor issues caused by irregular sleep and overwork, he was in good health.

That night’s indulgence had brought no harm.

This wasn’t the first time he’d felt dizzy; the recent excessive overtime often blurred his vision. But today was worse, accompanied by abdominal bloating.

As for that, Shen Zhi suspected he might have eaten something wrong.

He hadn’t eaten at the company cafeteria these days, having assistants pack meals for him to eat upstairs. Usually, he waited until work was done before eating, so the food was often cold by then.

Once, lunch was delayed until evening.

His prior stomach issues couldn’t handle such treatment.

But these were minor matters; once the busy days passed, he’d recover properly...

Before he could think further, Ma suddenly gasped. Though not as steady a driver as some assistants, he was cautious. However, a pedestrian suddenly appeared in the blind spot, startling him. His hand trembled, and he jerked the steering wheel sharply while turning.

The sudden jolt caught Shen Zhi off guard, causing him to bump against the car door.

At the same moment—

His abdomen tightened violently, as if a trapped gas surged upward. Before he could react, he instinctively clutched his neck and leaned forward, followed by a dry heave.

It escalated uncontrollably. He grabbed the front seatback and vomited for a long time, as if trying to expel all the stomach acid.

Fortunately, he hadn’t eaten much the night before, so nothing was vomited inside the car.

The car steadied. Ma’s heart pounded wildly, his complexion almost as pale as Shen Zhi’s. The pedestrian had startled him earlier, and now Shen Zhi’s condition scared him. Although he wanted to look back several times, he stayed focused on driving. Once the car pulled over, he immediately turned on the hazard lights and looked back at Shen Zhi.

“President Shen, what’s wrong?”

Leaning back against the seat, Shen Zhi’s face appeared tinged with a blue hue, looking very weak under the dim, snowy sky.

He opened his mouth but said nothing.

Ma, anxious, fumbled to unbuckle his seatbelt, ready to get out, but hesitated because opening the door would let in the cold wind.

“President Shen, is this a stomach flare-up? Should we go straight to the hospital? I can call Sister Cen to inform her.”

After resting with eyes closed for several minutes, resisting dry heaves multiple times, Shen Zhi opened his eyes and forced out a voice, “Lower the window a bit.”

“It’s still snowing outside,” Ma said worriedly, “It’s cold.”

“It’s fine.”

Unable to argue, Ma lowered the window on the side farther from Shen Zhi.

The stifling, stuffy space cracked open, cold wind rushing in and brushing over Shen Zhi’s face and body. Though chilly, the nausea subsided somewhat.

“Xiao Ma,” Shen Zhi said, “can you get me a bottle of water?”

Shen Zhi usually kept two bottles of mineral water in his car, refreshed every couple of days. But this wasn’t his personal car; it belonged to the company and had no water inside.

Ma hurried off.

Shen Zhi rested again, one hand on his forehead. After a while, still feeling suffocated, he opened the car door halfway.

The cold wind blew in fiercely.

He finally felt much better.

Meanwhile, Ma bought water from a convenience store. Seeing a pharmacy next door, he went inside.

An older woman sat behind the counter. Seeing him, she asked, “What do you need?”

Ma briefly described Shen Zhi’s condition. The woman got up and headed to the shelves, then added, “My colleague has a stomach condition—was serious before but has improved over the past two years. Recently, with heavy workloads and irregular meals, rest is insufficient.”

“Stomach trouble? Then he should get checked at the hospital.” The woman said. “Irregular eating is taboo for stomach patients. No matter how busy, he must eat.”

Ma agreed and asked, “What about his current symptoms? Should he take some medicine?”

The woman stopped at a shelf.

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Ma watched her search for a long time, then squat down to look further. He approached to help and saw her pick up a small rectangular box.

She handed it to him.

The box was smaller than Ma’s palm. What medicine could be so little?

Ma looked at it with confusion.

After reading the label, his young face flushed bright red. The box suddenly felt hot in his hand. He wanted to put it down but didn’t want to leave it on the shelf, so he held it awkwardly.

The woman returned behind the counter, waiting for him to check out.

“Auntie,” Ma said embarrassed, “isn’t this a pregnancy test?”

“Yes, it is.” The woman replied. “Based on your description, your colleague might be pregnant. You should have her take the test. If worried, she can also see a doctor.”

Ma’s mind went blank. Stammering, he said, “B-but my colleague is a man!”

“A man?” The woman looked surprised, coming out from behind the counter again. Seeing Ma’s blush spreading to his ears, she smiled and took the pregnancy test from his hand. “Why didn’t you say so? I thought your colleague was a woman.”

Ma scratched his head. He hadn’t considered that.

When he returned with the water and some medicines, Shen Zhi had already closed the rear door. Upon receiving the bag of medicine, Shen Zhi thanked him, set it aside, and drank from the bottle.

Ma carefully explained how to take the medicine, then hesitated before asking, “President Shen, are you sure you don’t want to see a doctor?”

After several sips, Shen Zhi felt much better; the discomfort had dissipated. He capped the bottle and said, “Probably just an upset stomach.”

“Do you need to use the restroom?” Ma asked.

Shen Zhi shook his head and leaned back in his seat. “Last year’s venue.”

Elsewhere, He Si waited a long time for the boss’s reply, which surprisingly came as a voice message.

Previously, the boss always sent voice-to-text messages resembling short essays. Today, he actually spoke directly.

He Si pressed play and held the phone to his ear. Soon, a slightly hoarse male voice said, “If nothing unexpected happens, I’ll be there. I’m on my way now, about ten minutes out. Tell your manager Yang. If there are any issues, we’ll discuss them when I arrive.”

He Si replied “Received.”

Putting down the phone, he was very surprised.

The boss was so young?

From the voice, he didn’t sound much older than him, maybe just in his thirties, yet the WeChat ID and Moments profile seemed like those of an older man.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but the boss’s voice resembled that other man’s, though he hadn’t heard that man speak often and had almost forgotten what his voice sounded like.

Perhaps pleasing voices tend to sound alike.

He Si glanced at the time and, thinking the boss was coming for the first time, planned to meet him at the hotel entrance. But just as he reached the banquet hall entrance, Assistant Cen called from behind.

“Xiao He, can you drive?” Cen asked.

“Yes.” He Si replied.

Cen handed him a car key. “Can you make a trip for me? The raffle items are still at the company. They got delayed. I told Xiao Liu, who will move them downstairs. You just need to go over once.”

Though the annual meeting was three days away, it wasn’t urgent. But with so many details to manage, it was best to get everything on hand once and for all.

He Si understood and took the keys. “To Jiayi?”

“Yes.” Cen was very grateful, clasping her hands and thanking him repeatedly. “My car is parked outside on the vacant lot. The license plate number is in the group chat. You’ll see it as soon as you go out.”

He Si nodded and suddenly remembered something. “By the way, the boss said he’d arrive in about ten minutes. I was going to go meet him.”

Cen paused, realizing “the boss” meant their President Shen. People from Marriott and Jiayi called him differently, since Shen Zhi fully controlled Marriott, but Jiayi had several shareholders watching.

“I’ll go then.” Cen said.