One month later.

With the completion of the final capital subscription confirmation, Ning Zhiyuan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

In just two short months, from the initial preparations to the successful fundraising, the effort he put in surpassed what he had experienced at Cen An. He didn’t realize it before, but now he had to admit that starting a business was indeed not an easy task.

Thanks to Cen Zhisen, about seven billion of the ten billion in funds were brought in with his help. Without Cen Zhisen’s assistance, the startup would have been even more challenging.

At the beginning, Ning Zhiyuan was trapped in a self-destructive mood, wanting to escape. It was Cen Zhisen who forcefully pulled him out, helping him regain his confidence.

However, these things were not something he wanted to discuss with Cen Zhisen.

Standing up to stretch his muscles, Ning Zhiyuan left his office. Liu Lu had just brought in some snacks and drinks, saying they should celebrate.

His three partners, his old classmate Zhou Haocheng, who was still in the United States and would come over in a few months and Liu Lu and Zhang Zhao, who were both capable subordinates from his time at Cen An. Liu Lu, a smart and capable woman nearing forty, and Zhang Zhao, a bit younger but also very competent, had both worked at Cen An for over ten years. Their future prospects were promising, and if Ning Zhiyuan hadn’t proposed the idea, they wouldn’t have easily left.

“We believe in your ambition and ability, Xiao Cen, so we’ll follow you,” Liu Lu had said back then.

Ning Zhiyuan smiled and corrected them, saying that he was no longer the “Xiao Cen” they used to know and they could call him by his name directly.

Being recognized by others, he certainly wouldn’t let them down.

Liu Lu asked if he preferred coffee or milk tea. Ning Zhiyuan grabbed a cup of Americano and chose a piece of mango mille-feuille. While eating, he listened to the others chatting and laughing.

Zhang Zhao suggested rearranging the positions of the desks, claiming that the current layout was bad for feng shui. Ning Zhiyuan didn’t object, and everyone else cooperated by starting to move the desks.

In any case, besides a few partners with separate offices, everyone else worked in a large open space, totaling around eleven or twelve people.

When Cen Zhisen arrived, the office had already been rearranged, and Ning Zhiyuan had just finished eating the last bite of his cake.

Seeing Cen Zhisen, Liu Lu warmly invited him to eat, showing no discomfort from seeing her former boss.

Cen Zhisen declined and leaned against a nearby desk, smiling as he looked at Ning Zhiyuan eating cake in the bright area by the window.

Ning Zhiyuan greeted him, smiling, “Why did you come over today? Aren’t you busy?”

“I come over when I have time,” Cen Zhisen said.

After finishing the cake, Ning Zhiyuan stood up, inviting him to his own office.

Cen Zhisen evaluated the surroundings while walking and commented, “This place is quite good.”

Ning Zhiyuan nodded, “I think so too.”

This office space was chosen after visiting several places. They had just moved in last week. It wasn’t far from Cen An’s building, also situated in a prime location, with a small area but expensive rent. However, saving money here wasn’t necessary.

Cen Zhisen was visiting for the first time today. Upon entering, Ning Zhiyuan raised the blinds at the side of his desk, letting the sunlight in.

Cen Zhisen looked around and laughed, “Your place surprisingly has such a good view. No wonder you chose it.”

Ning Zhiyuan’s office wasn’t large, only about ten square meters, but it had a large window, providing a better view than his previous office at Cen An.

Looking out from the window, there were no tall buildings blocking the view nearby. The blue sky and floating clouds were clearly visible.

Moreover, standing here, one could see the brightly lit Cen An building directly in front.

That day, it was evening when he came to view the office space. At that time, he didn’t pay much attention to what the real estate agent said. Initially, he didn’t even have this place in mind. However, when he walked into this office and stood there, seeing the twilight spreading across the sky and the Cen An building lit up in the distance, he changed his mind in that moment.

That was the first time he suddenly realized that he didn’t have to look up to that man anymore.

After sitting back at his desk, Ning Zhiyuan let Cen Zhisen make himself at home.

While chatting with him, Cen Zhisen remarked, “Liu Lu and Zhang Zhao seem quite comfortable working here. They seem more relaxed compared to when they were at Cen An. No wonder they are willing to leave.”

Ning Zhiyuan replied, “No need to envy them. If you’re willing, you’re welcome to join anytime.”

“Really?” Cen Zhisen asked.

“Yes,” Ning Zhiyuan said confidently, “But here, I have the final say.”

Cen Zhisen smiled again, “Well, forget it then. But speaking of it, why didn’t you bring Chen Zhu out as well? He seems to hold some deep resentment, feeling abandoned by you.”

“How can that be?” Ning Zhiyuan said, “He’s already your person. How can I interfere? Let it be. He will have a better future with you.”

The words “interfere” came out of Ning Zhiyuan’s mouth, and Cen Zhisen looked at him with a hint of bitterness.

Ning Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, clenched his fist to his lips, paused for a moment, and then chuckled.

Seeing Ning Zhiyuan like this, Cen Zhisen’s heart stirred slightly, and he walked over to him.

On the table in front of Ning Zhiyuan was a piece of white paper with some words written and crossed out. Cen Zhisen pointed at it with his finger and said, “Still haven’t come up with a satisfactory name?”

Leaning back in his chair, Ning Zhiyuan looked up at him and said helplessly, “It just doesn’t feel right. Zhang Zhao suggested consulting a feng shui master if we can’t decide. I think it might be a solution.”

After the New Year, they would go to the relevant department to register and pre-approve the name. All the required documents were ready, except for the proposed registered name, Ning Zhiyuan still hadn’t made up his mind.

Cen Zhisen said, “Can I suggest something?”

Ning Zhiyuan listened attentively.

Cen Zhisen placed his hands on both sides of Ning Zhiyuan’s shoulders, gently pressed, making Ning Zhiyuan sit up straight. He then bent down behind him, picked up a pen, and, in a posture close to him, wrote a character on the white paper.

“Zhiyuan.”

While he was writing, the first thing Ning Zhiyuan noticed was his hands. His palms were large, fingers long, and the ring finger was even longer than the index finger, with well-defined joints.

Ning Zhiyuan had read somewhere before that people with long fingers and a ring finger longer than the index finger were usually more rational than emotional. Their personalities were often decisive and dominant. Cen Zhisen was exactly like that.

There was another saying that men with long fingers, large and well-defined joints, and a ring finger longer than the index finger usually had higher levels of male hormones. This led to more prominent male characteristics—more sculpted facial features, a more robust physique, and a stronger sexual desire.

Distracted for a moment, Ning Zhiyuan’s attention returned to the paper, where he saw the character Cen Zhisen had written.

His handwriting was very elegant, with the final stroke of the character “Yuan” rising, appearing very spirited.

“Zhiyuan.”

Ning Zhiyuan repeated the characters, murmuring.

“Zhiyuan,” Cen Zhisen repeated, his voice close to Ning Zhiyuan’s ear.

Ning Zhiyuan slightly turned his head and saw Cen Zhisen’s side face, smiling eyes and the upward curve of his lips within breathing distance.

At the same time, Cen Zhisen turned his head and met his gaze as he assessed him.

“Is it okay?” Cen Zhisen asked.

After a few seconds of eye contact, Ning Zhiyuan smiled, “are you slipping in some personal preferences?”

Cen Zhisen, still bending over beside him, completely relaxed, with one hand still resting on Ning Zhiyuan’s shoulder, said, “I’ve invested one hundred and twenty million alone. Is it too much to suggest something with a little personal touch?”

His posture was particularly casual, smiling as he stared into Ning Zhiyuan’s eyes.

Ning Zhiyuan raised his hand and loosened Cen Zhisen’s somewhat loose tie, “Well, you are my biggest benefactor.”

Cen Zhisen indeed had more idle funds than him. Not to mention the additional years he spent at the company, since he took over as the CEO of Cen An, Cen Shengli had given him a portion of the shares. His funds were by no means meager.

Originally, after the New Year, Cen Shengli had planned to transfer some company shares to Ning Zhiyuan’s name. However, before that could happen, news of Ning Zhiyuan’s identity was exposed. In the eyes of outsiders, Cen Zhisen seemed to have emerged victorious in this family property dispute. Perhaps two months ago, Ning Zhiyuan himself had thought the same.

But now, he probably began to believe Cen Zhisen’s statement that investigating his identity wasn’t driven by personal motives.

Cen Zhisen still looked at him with a smile, “Give it some thought?”

“Not considering it,” Ning Zhiyuan said.

Cen Zhisen’s tie was an extravagant dark gold with a red base and deep blue patterns. After looking at it for a moment, Ning Zhiyuan simply helped him completely untie it and then re-tied it.

His fingers were very nimble, focused on his own actions, pulling one end of the tie back and forth, crisscrossing, like playing.

Cen Zhisen let him fiddle, and his gaze slowly wandered over his face.

Ning Zhiyuan’s eyelashes were very long, slightly drooping, casting a dense shadow at the ends of his eyes. There was also a glint in his eyes, focused on the center of the black pupils, as if trying to draw people in.

The straight nose descended, leading to the naturally upturned corners of his mouth. His lips were very red, with some fine lines visible. The lip shape was beautiful and full. Perhaps because he had just eaten a sweet cake, there was a faint fruity fragrance.

Very tempting.

Ning Zhiyuan knew Cen Zhisen was looking at him but didn’t mind. Finally, he helped him tie the tie properly—a fashionable and eye-catching rose knot that complemented the color of his tie beautifully.

Cen Zhisen lowered his head and commented, “More suitable for a playboy going to a nightclub.”

“Yeah,” Ning Zhiyuan expressed satisfaction, “also suits you.”

However, Cen Zhisen didn’t think so. The image of Ning Zhiyuan, holding a girl and swaying carelessly on the dance floor that night at the nightclub, occasionally appeared in his mind.

Before, he thought Ning Zhiyuan was just dissolute, but now he sensed a different kind of allure.

In his opinion, this excessively stylish rose knot was more suitable for Ning Zhiyuan. If Ning Zhiyuan were to appear in a nightclub with a tie knot like this, it might attract countless admirers.

Or, perhaps, Ning Zhiyuan himself had that kind of charm.

Anyway, it was already after work, and he didn’t bother changing it back. He continued with the previous topic, “Really not considering it?”

After Ning Zhiyuan smoothed out his shirt collar, he looked up at Cen Zhisen, a hint of a smile in his eyes, and said, “Ge, what I meant is, not considering it anymore. Let’s go with this one.”