1 President Ai

He was an angel. Literally too, but that was beside the point. A sharp complexion and chiseled jaw – thick, ashen locks and a gaze of misty blue. He was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she could hardly believe her luck.

Hands trembling, Ai Jing brought her phone closer to her eyes. Though the character's drop rate was only around half a percent, she had managed to get the event-limited ultra rare, Raphael the Archangel. She had even done so in her first ten draws!

Her heart pounded with excitement, and she brushed her fingers over the screen, a childish joy bubbling within her as the angel reacted to her touch. Sure, she had been planning to whale for him anyways, spending as much as she needed to obtain him. But getting lucky like this – you just couldn't beat the feeling. "Gacha" indeed!

Grinning from ear to ear, she set down her phone and cleaned off the rest of her plate. Though it was only twenty minutes long, lunch break was definitely one of her favorite parts of the day. It was twenty minutes where she could set aside the stress of her position, immersing herself in nothing but fine food and mobile games.

She rose from the comfort of her leather chair, and a sigh escaped her lips. Without even looking at the clock, she knew her break was almost over, and it would be best if she started getting ready. An important meeting was coming up, and she couldn't afford to be late. Not when so many people were counting on her.

Right on cue, the alarm clock on her desk let out a shriek, and her secretary poked her head through the door. It was twenty past noon.

"President Ai! The board meeting is in ten minutes. We should make our way over as soon as possible."

"Coming!"

Ai Jing dabbed at her mouth to make sure none of her food was still clinging to her lips. When she was satisfied, she straightened her tie and pulled her suit jacket up over her shoulders. It was time to get back to business.

Outside in the hallway, her secretary was waiting for her with a pile of papers in hand. She was well put-together, as always, and she tilted her head forward when Ai Jing approached.

As the pair made their way out of the executive offices and onto the rest of the floor, they began passing by rows upon rows of smiling faces and bowing heads. From what she had gathered over the past year, her brother had enjoyed a cult-like popularity within the ranks of the company. Some of that had spilled over to her but, in truth, she didn't like it very much. She imagined her brother hadn't, either.

"Supervisor Li's office is right around this turn, so – Hey! Damn, lady, watch where you're – Oh! President Ai! I'm so sorry…"

The color drained from the man's face, and the group following behind him froze as they too rounded the corner. Though the near-collision had startled her as well, Ai Jing put on a smile, doing her best to look as cheery as she could.

If she remembered correctly, the people standing before her were the manager and five members of Re:PRIZE, the most popular of the many boy bands under the company's entertainment wing. Her little sister also happened to be a huge fan.

"It's fine! It's fine."

She waved her hand in front of her, as if pushing the matter aside.

"By the way…"

Her eyes met those of the lead singer, "Yun," and she suppressed a giggle as a tinge of scarlet washed over his cheeks. She turned to her secretary.

"Do you have paper I could use?"

"Ah, of course!"

Immediately catching on, her secretary produced a sheet of cover paper and a black fountain pen. After taking them, Ai Jing held them out in front of her. She grinned.

"We're in a bit of a hurry, so my apologies for being so rude. But could I have your autographs?"

There was a short pause. And then, in unison, all five members began to talk, their voices mixing together into a muddle of "yes," "of course," and "absolutely."

When they were done passing the sheet around, it had "Re:PRIZE" written proudly in the center, with the names of the five members arranged in a circle around it.

"Thank you so much!"

"Not at all, President, thank you for all you've done for us and the company."

Yun's companions nodded in assent, and Ai Jing laughed.

"There's no need to be so formal, we all know I could be doing a bit better of a job… Anyways, keep it up, guys. You've been killing it out there!"

"Thank you, President!"

They bowed.

"We'll be sure to keep doing our best."

They waved goodbye, all a bit shyly, before the two groups turned their backs on each other and headed their separate ways.

With her keen hearing, however, Ai Jing was able to pick up Re:PRIZE's banter as the distance between them grew.

"Hey, Manager. Could we renegotiate my contract? I think I've fallen in love…"

"Ha! Imagine if the media heard you say that. They would have a field day! Ah, I can hear it already – the sound of a thousand breaking hearts."

"On a different note, Mr. Manager. Maybe you'll finally learn to watch that tongue of yours?"

"Kill yourself."

"Heh, guess not."

"Seriously, though. Anyone else in her position, and they might've gutted you right then and there."

"Yeah, I feel like she's even kinder than her brother was. It's a shame Edelweiss isn't doing too well as a whole, though..."

The voices trailed off, and Ai Jing bit her lip. Those last words struck at a sore point, and her body tensed as she and her secretary neared the central boardroom. It was true. The company she headed, Edelweiss Limited, had been going through a major slump ever since her brother's passing. She had been thrown into her current role only a few days after his death, and she had not been ready at all. Things had gotten progressively better in the year since, but it wasn't quite enough. After enjoying explosive growth for the better part of a decade, the company's shareholders were getting impatient to see things turn back around.

As Ai Jing reached the doors of the boardroom, she exchanged pleasantries with the few directors who had already gathered there. She furrowed her brow, however, noting that at least half the directors hadn't arrived yet, even though the meeting would be starting in under a minute. A chill ran up her spine.

She couldn't quite put her finger on it…

But something wasn't right.