I AM

Chapter 3

A nervous Shen Wei walked in, obviously intimidated by the many eyes boring into him. He took a deep breath, squared his shoulders back, and lifted his chin up.

"My name is Shen Wei, and I accept my father's will and challenge to be the next CEO."

One day ago:

"President Zhao Xin Chi! You're kidding me, right? There's no way I can do this!" Shen Wei paced the floor as he ran his hand through his hair.

"Shen Wei, this is your father's will. He and I both know you've been helping Zhu Jiu while he takes credit for everything. You have a knack for this: you have an analytical mind, you have great ideas, and your planning and execution are as good as anyone else's. You listened and learned, and your father taught you well. You just have to overcome your shyness, and...your other issues." Zhao Xin Chi ended delicately.

"What do you know about my 'issues,' as you put it? Don't you know how scary it feels to wake up in a strange place? To have people you have never met come up and talk, or curse at you? To feel like your body and mind are not yours?" Shen Wei said through gritted teeth.

"What I see is a man with so much inner strength, but you hide from the world so that you do not have to deal with it." Zhao Xin Chi put his hands on Shen Wei's shoulders. "Your treatment in the United States was not complete, but you refused to continue it here because you didn't want your father inconvenienced by it. Now you will not get it because you don't want Zhu Jiu to find out and hold it over you."

"So far, he thinks that I sleep in a lot and do things on a whim, then pretend not to know what happened so that I won't have to take responsibility for anything," Shen Wei looked down.

"You are the complete opposite of that, and your father and I have watched you fix the messes left behind. It takes a brave man to face these problems," Zhao Xin Chi gripped his shoulders.

"Zhu Jiu is a blood relative, and everyone knows him. Plus, he WANTS to be CEO," Shen Wei closed his eyes and shook his head.

"We've talked about Zhu Jiu's morals before - they are not suitable for the leader of this company. He does not think about the company and staff, not the way you do. Besides, are you willing to keep helping him from the shadows? If you stop, he will fail, and so will the company your father worked so hard to build and maintain," Zhao Xin Chi replied matter-of-factly.

"Zhao Xin Chi, you've worked with my father since he started this company and helped him to build it up to what it is now. You've always worked in my father's shadow. It's now YOUR turn to shine," Shen Wei gripped Zhao Xin Chi 's arm.

"I know my limitations, Shen Wei," Zhao Xin Chi smiled sadly. "I don't have the same flair for the business that your father had, that you now have. All I could give your father was my loyalty. And now I will give that loyalty to you. Please, Shen Wei, at least consider it. We would not even be talking about this if your father didn't think you could handle it. He believed in you. I believe in you. And now you need to believe in yourself."

"You've always been so good laying on the guilt to make me do things," Shen Wei took a deep breath. "Six months. That's all I can promise for now. And if the board finds me wanting, you can take over."

"If you fail, we will BOTH be out of a job. Remember, I'm supporting you, not Zhu Jiu," Zhao Xin Chi nudged Shen Wei's arm with his fist.

"There you go with the guilt trip again," Shen Wei grumbled good-naturedly. "Alright, what do I need to do?"

"Well, the first thing is to get you some nice suits, and I'm taking you to get a proper haircut. You need to look the part, CEO Shen." Zhao Xin Chi 's smile was very bright.