Standing Next To You-Chapter 563: The Boss of the Boss

The old monk pushed him toward the door. "You’ll figure it out. Don’t waste this gift you’ve been given."

The door swung open.

Assistant Cheng, who had been waiting outside, immediately straightened up, as did the young monk who had led Fei Chuan to the prayer room earlier.

Fei Chuan turned back. "Can’t you just tell me? I’ll expand the temple and make sure you receive donations every month for as long as any of my company stands." He spoke solemnly.

Assistant Cheng, who had been mentally preparing to step in and apologize in case his boss became too disrespectful, froze at what he just heard.

What did he just say? Donation?!

His boss—who refused to even greet monks, let alone give them a single cent—was now offering monthly donations?!

The old monk paused for a moment. He seemed tempted. But then he shook his head. "Although I can no longer read the future or the heavens, they have not abandoned me. The oath I took will remain active forever."

"What oath did you take?"

The old monk simply smiled. "I have answered your question. If you meet that girl, tell her I’ve been good to you and have given you more than she asked for. So... add some donations. After all, you two are the reason the world’s fate has been thrown into chaos."

Fei Chuan: ??

Before he could say another word, the old monk shut the door in his face.

The young monk swiftly stepped in front of him, blocking his way back into the room.

"Fellow Daoist, the senior must perform his afternoon prayers. I will guide you from here instead."

Fei Chuan glanced at the closed door, then sighed. "It’s fine. We’re leaving."

Before departing, he turned to Assistant Cheng. "Prepare donation to the temple."

Assistant Cheng, who was still recovering from shock, hesitated for a moment before nodding. Meanwhile, the young monk’s face instantly brightened at the unexpected generosity.

"May you return again. May the heavens bless your path."

As the helicopter lifted off, the old monk stood by the window, watching it rise and grow smaller in the distance.

"You should be proud, young sir," he murmured. "Your ’gift’ is now in their hands. The rest is up to them."

With that, he laid out his prayer tools on the table and began to pray.

.....

Several reports were open on Bei Sangyun’s tablet, but none of them revealed the whereabouts of the necklace. She had been searching for it relentlessly, and ever since reading The Cry of the Mermaid, she had tripled her efforts and resources to find it.

But it seemed to have vanished as if by magic.

"Are there really no signs of the necklace being smuggled out of Prince Auction?" Bei Sangyun asked again, desperation creeping into her voice.

"We’ve considered every possible scenario for how it could have been taken. We’ve investigated everyone who was there at the time—the staff and the visitors. But none of them have it."

Bei Sangyun knew her team was capable. The reports showed that they had left no stone unturned in their search.

"Pardon me, ma’am, but... I can’t help but think it was swallowed by a black hole that appeared out of nowhere. Of course, that’s impossible, but we’ve tried everything."

Bei Sangyun paused.

Could... the necklace really have disappeared just like that?

She glanced at the places her team had searched. They had scoured every country, every people that might get interested to it. Yet not a single genuine Tear of the Mermaid had surfaced.

"...Should we still keep looking, ma’am?" the voice on the other end asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Please continue the search."

The call soon ended.

Bei Sangyun sat back in her chair, deep in thought. Even her team had started to entertain absurd possibilities.

She held her forehead, exhaling sharply.

Surely, there had to be some trace of it... right?

Her subordinate’s words echoed in her mind—as if the necklace had been swallowed by a black hole... vanished into thin air.

Bei Sangyun frowned.

If it existed, there would be traces of it. Just like before the necklace arrived at Prince Auction—they had been able to track its movements because it was there.

But after Prince Auction, every trace of it seemed to have been severed. As if it had simply ceased to exist.

Bei Sangyun stood up abruptly.

Could it really have disappeared?

It wasn’t... impossible.

If her own rebirth had happened, then perhaps such things were possible, too.

Then it would all make sense why until now they could not find any of its trace.

The door suddenly opened, snapping Bei Sangyun out of her thoughts.

Zhong Cheng entered with a wide grin. "Boss, we really found a good vice!" He eagerly laid the files he was holding onto Bei Sangyun’s desk.

"Look at this! Everything is neat, tidy, organized, and complete. If it were just me, it would take a whole week to finish all this. But with him around, we got it done in a single day! One day!"

Zhong Cheng laughed in relief. "I can finally have some days off!"

Bei Sangyun, momentarily distracted from her worries, couldn’t help but smile at Zhong Cheng’s comical excitement. "It seems we truly found a great vice. Is he adapting well to the other departments?"

"He works fast, and he’s approachable. Everyone likes him. You should meet him too—he deserves to be praised by the owner."

Bei Sangyun considered it. She glanced at the photo of the necklace on her tablet before nodding.

"Alright. Schedule a lunch for the three of us."

Zhong Cheng immediately started looking for a good restaurant, busying himself with booking a place.

Bei Sangyun shook her head in amusement. Even though Zhong Cheng was already the acting CEO and had an assistant of his own, he was still used to handling everything personally—much to the distress of his assistant, who feared he might become jobless.

.....

Lunchtime arrived soon.

Xu Tian, who had originally planned to eat with other department heads, suddenly received an invitation from Zhong Cheng. With a wide smile, Zhong Cheng informed him that the owner of Phoenix Holdings would be joining them.

Now, Xu Tian stood waiting in the lobby. Normally, he remained calm under any pressure, but today, he felt a slight thrill of anticipation.

He had heard a lot about the owner of Phoenix Holdings from the department heads. And no matter who spoke, they all pointed at the same thing:

"She’s incredible. I thought I’d never get out of my slump, but thanks to her, my life is back on track. I’ll be forever grateful to her."

"Did you know she built this company from scratch at nineteen? When she first approached me, I didn’t want to work for her at all. I mean, how could I work under an underage girl who seemed wet behind the ears? But the more I listened to her, the more impressed I became. I wanted to work for a boss like that."

"She once said this company would reach the top within five years. In just three years, it became internationally recognized. She’s truly one of a kind."

At first, Xu Tian assumed they were simply praising their boss out of loyalty. But their eyes—the genuine admiration in their voices—couldn’t be faked.

And then there was his direct superior, Zhong Cheng, who talked about the owner more than anyone.

Although... his descriptions were rather different.

"She’s intimidating. One look, and you’d think you were about to get killed."

"She’s the Boss of all Bosses. If she stands in second place, no one dares to claim first."

"If you follow her, everything will be fine. Not just fine—you’ll succeed."

"She has a bad temper, but she takes care of her people." Then, grinning widely, he added, "Now you’re under her wing, just like me. Lucky you!"

Xu Tian: "..."

Was Senior Zhong Cheng in a gangster organization before?

A commotion stirred at the front. Employees walking past the lobby suddenly paused, while security guards hurried to escort someone from the elevator.

Zhong Cheng stepped out first, followed closely by a woman. His expression was almost comically eager, as if he were trying to win someone’s favor.

Xu Tian recognized that look instantly—Zhong Cheng always had that expression whenever he spoke about the owner.

His gaze shifted to the woman behind Zhong Cheng. She was beautiful... and undeniably confident and intimidating.

The Boss of the Boss.

Zhong Cheng’s words echoed in his mind. A small smile tugged at his lips before he quickly concealed it.

His superior hadn’t been lying. Zhong Cheng had described their boss perfectly.

Bei Sangyun acknowledged the employees who greeted her with a slight nod before spotting Xu Tian in the distance.

Xu Tian stepped forward and greeted them politely.

Zhong Cheng’s grin widened. "Xu Tian, this is the owner—our big boss."

Bei Sangyun extended her hand. "Bei Sangyun."

Xu Tian accepted the handshake, bowing slightly as he introduced himself in return.

With the introductions done, the three of them headed to the restaurant Zhong Cheng had booked.