Chapter 34

【Jiang Zhaolie: Young people these days really don't play by the rules. Just because I'm close to your ex-girlfriend, you're going to retaliate against me by becoming my stepmother? Buddha said it best: when does the cycle of vengeance ever end? Benefactor, you'd better stop right here and surrender quietly.】

【Jiang Zhaolie: Nothing makes the eyes burn redder than the sight of a love rival. I was just worrying I couldn't find a chance to deal with you, and here you are, delivering yourself right to my door.】

【Huh? Did I bite into some counterfeit melon? I could've sworn I heard that Yu Sui'an and Jiang Zhaolie were already finished—now the two of them won't even acknowledge each other?】

【There's more to this? Kind soul up there, won't you elaborate?】

Xu Chun felt like Mercury had to be in retrograde. The workday hadn't even officially started, and she'd already crashed and burned in spectacular fashion. Any second now, she was going to give a live demonstration of how to dig herself a three-bedroom, two-living-room apartment in one second flat.

Squeezing out a stoic smile, Xu Chun looked at Jiang Zhaolie and Qin Yao, both frozen in place, and willed her expression to stay neutral as she greeted them with heroic gusto, hoping to breeze right past the earlier disaster. "President Qin, President Jiang, good morning!"

The atmosphere had been awkward, the other guests' probing gazes still drifting between Xu Chun and Jiang Zhaolie, but at Xu Chun's polite greeting they all hurried to chime in with greetings of their own, unintentionally helping her dodge a bullet.

Jiang Zhaolie fixed Xu Chun with a dark, expressionless stare. Can't you behave for a single day? Chasing after my mother is bad enough—now you've announced it to the whole world. Haven't you caused enough trouble already?

She furrowed her brows slightly and instinctively checked Qin Yao's reaction. There was none.

The woman wore a crisp black suit that hugged her tall, slender figure; fine high heels set off her long, straight legs and lent her an even colder, more alluring air. Her long hair was elegantly pinned up, two pearl earrings at her lobes lending a noble grace that tempered some of the oppressive, untouchable aloofness years in power had given her.

Qin Yao was beautiful today. Her makeup was heavier than usual, emphasizing the sharp lines of her features and her deep-set eyes. She didn't have that trendy influencer look; hers was the full, radiant, dignified beauty of a proper young lady from a distinguished family—a classic face you'd recognize anywhere.

With bone structure and looks that close to perfect, combined with that frosty aura, no one could doubt that her years at the helm of Qin Group were owed to anything but her own ability.

Every viewer had the same thought the moment they laid eyes on Qin Yao: this President Qin has real chops.

She was stunning, and yet no one dared underestimate her for a second.

Qin Yao gave a faint nod, betraying no sign of any closeness with Xu Chun. Her gaze passed lightly over her without a flicker of anything else. "Since everyone's here, go get familiar with your respective posts."

As she finished, one guest ventured hesitantly, "There's still one person who hasn't arrived."

Just then, a minivan pulled smoothly up to the company entrance. The door slid open, and a long, slender, perfectly straight leg entered everyone's field of view first, followed by a face the others didn't know, but one Xu Chun could have recognized even if it were reduced to ashes.

Xu Chun couldn't help blurting out, "Jiang Banxia?!"

What was she doing here on this godforsaken workplace variety show? Wasn't she a proper young lady who could just go home and inherit the family fortune? Wouldn't that be nicer?

The moment she stepped out of the car, Jiang Banxia quietly scanned the crowd for Xu Chun. When the other woman called her name, she instinctively looked over, but the expression on that face was shock, hesitation, anything but a warm welcome. Jiang Banxia pushed the car door shut behind her. "What, that unhappy to see me?"

That wasn't it at all. Xu Chun shook her head like a rattle drum. "I'm just so surprised—why didn't you tell me you were joining this show?"

Jiang Banxia's expression was perfectly normal. "If I'd told you in advance, where's the surprise in that?"

Surprise? Xu Chun thought sourly. More like a scare.

Seeing the two about to fall into conversation, Qin Yao cut in without hurry, repeating her earlier words to Jiang Banxia, then calling out to Xu Chun, who hadn't taken her eyes off Jiang Banxia since she appeared. "Let's go, Assistant Xu."

Xu Chun didn't react at first. Fu Xin gently tugged at her sleeve. "Sister Xu, President Qin is calling you."

"Huh? Oh." Xu Chun snapped back to attention and hurried after Qin Yao and Jiang Zhaolie, who had already turned toward the building, while calling back to Fu Xin, "If anyone gives you trouble later, just tell them my name!"

Fu Xin watched her stumble on the spot and nodded worriedly. "Sister Xu, maybe worry about yourself first."

Xu Chun, who had just caught her balance with her toes still stinging, felt her breath catch. "..." Fair enough.

Qin Yao and Jiang Zhaolie hadn't even settled scores with her for that earlier crash yet. Jiang Zhaolie especially—Xu Chun had openly fantasized about her mother in front of everyone. She'd lose face for sure, and she'd definitely make some kind of move.

Xu Chun pursed her lips and obediently clasped her hands in front of her as she followed Qin Yao and Jiang Zhaolie into the president's private elevator, secretly wondering how a disaster this explosive had landed on her, of all people.

She couldn't figure it out, and Qin Yao and Jiang Zhaolie didn't give her time to.

After an oppressive, endless few dozen seconds, Qin Yao strode off toward her own office, while Jiang Zhaolie stopped Xu Chun. "Come with me first—I need you to organize all the materials for this afternoon's meeting."

Xu Chun's foot caught sideways mid-stride. "?"

When Jiang Zhaolie shoved a stack of documents into her arms, Xu Chun's eyes widened in disbelief. "This?"

Jiang Zhaolie's expression was genial. "Better get going, or you won't have enough time." She smiled faintly. "It's your first day on the job. Show some of that passion and vitality of a newcomer—set an example for the livestream audience."

Xu Chun: "..." Forget it, forget it. A gentleman's revenge is never too late. For the sake of that hundred-thousand-a-month salary, she'd endure.

By now the bullet comments were dying of laughter: 【I knew it! I knew Jiang Zhaolie wouldn't let her off easy! Xu Chun has turned Jiang Zhaolie's love life upside down—if she kept playing dumb, she wouldn't be human.】

【Ugh, my Chun-bao just got here and she's already offended two bosses. How is she supposed to survive from now on?】

【How else? One step at a time. It's just a variety show anyway. It's not like she's really going to work under these two for the rest of her life.】

【I believe in my Sister Xu—beaten but never broken, indomitable. She'll carve out a bloody path through this love-triangle hell.】

Xu Chun had no idea what the comments were saying, because she was staring blearily at a pile of documents full of technical jargon. Just as she was running out of patience, a fair-skinned, pretty, sweet-looking young woman in a business suit walked over. "Hello, I'm President Qin's assistant, Bai Xianxian. You can call me Assistant Bai."

"My work used to overlap with yours. You're new to Qin Group and still getting the hang of things, so I'll go through these with you."

Xu Chun was immensely grateful and promptly handed out a good-person card. "Thank you, you're a really good person."

Bai Xianxian smiled and pulled out the chair beside Xu Chun, sitting down. "You're going to have a run of bad luck this coming month, so you need to be careful and meticulous in your work."

"You can read that stuff?" Xu Chun raised her head in surprise. Bai Xianxian nodded. "Someone in my family works in that field, so I picked up a bit."

At that, Xu Chun immediately put down her pen and grabbed the other woman's hand enthusiastically. "Master! Can you read my love fortune and my wealth fortune? I'll pay generously!"

Bai Xianxian opened her mouth, but a sudden "Xu Chun! You've barely walked in and you're already holding another girl's hand!" startled Xu Chun badly. She thought it had come from Bai Xianxian, but Jiang Zhaolie's figure quickly came into view, her face taut. "Grabbing at a female colleague in front of the cameras, with all those viewers watching—what kind of behavior is that?"

Jiang Zhaolie came on strong. Xu Chun frowned and retorted right back. "What's wrong with me touching a female colleague's hand? Does touching a female colleague's hand bother you? Are you secretly in love with me, is that why you're so controlling?"

She suddenly leaned in close to Jiang Zhaolie, eyes boring into her. "You tell me the truth."

The instant Xu Chun leaned in, Jiang Zhaolie retreated fast. "Stop spouting all this nonsense at me. If it's work hours, then work." Something unnatural flickered through Jiang Zhaolie's eyes, gone in an instant—so fast almost no one noticed.

Xu Chun had a rebellious streak by nature, especially since Jiang Zhaolie was clearly picking a fight over nothing this time. After facing off with her for a while, she finally drove her off with the line, "Can't forget me, huh? Still want to eat the grass you already trampled."

Jiang Zhaolie didn't know why her legs had carried her in Xu Chun's direction just now. By the time she came to her senses, she was already standing at the door of the assistant's office. She hadn't even had time to decide whether to leave when she caught sight of Xu Chun eagerly taking Assistant Bai's hand—an intimacy that was simply offensive to the eyes.

They were still livestreaming. How dare she do something so brazen in front of the cameras?

And more than that, she went around every day declaring she was going to marry Qin Yao and become her stepmother. Now she was publicly grabbing at another woman in plain sight. Did that make her worthy of her? Of her mother?

So Jiang Zhaolie had pushed the door open without hesitation and marched in to scold her sternly, only to find the other's combat power overwhelming. She hadn't lasted long before beating a sorry retreat.

Jiang Zhaolie pressed her lips together in vexation. She really does have real chops. That's exactly how she's got my mother so thoroughly bewitched.

She glanced expressionlessly at the assistant's office a couple more times, suppressed the faint anger in her chest, and turned back toward her own office with feigned composure.

After Jiang Zhaolie left, Xu Chun hesitated a moment but didn't dare grab Bai Xianxian's hand again. Bai Xianxian didn't mind; she smiled and said, "President Jiang is usually the strictest about work. From now on, all your work has to go through her review before it can be submitted to President Qin. You're going to be busy."

"By the way, do you like getting off work?" Bai Xianxian suddenly asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

Xu Chun nodded instinctively. "I do. Who doesn't like getting off work?"

Bai Xianxian's smile deepened. "Then you're in luck. From now on, you can get off work seven times a week."

Xu Chun's heart gave a violent lurch on the spot. "...???"

Xu Chun was so busy all morning that her head spun. She couldn't even steal a moment to cultivate feelings with Qin Yao, let alone catch a glimpse of her. Worse, from ten in the morning until half past noon, she didn't even have time for the bathroom; for a full two and a half hours, her backside hadn't shifted half an inch from the chair.

She'd finally gotten Jiang Zhaolie's materials mostly organized when Bai Xianxian suddenly handed her a single page. "There's a problem here, and President Jiang is the one most familiar with this part. So you understand what I mean, right?"

Xu Chun's eyes were glazed over from work. She didn't particularly want to understand.

But right now only Jiang Zhaolie could help her, so she gathered up the documents and, following Bai Xianxian's directions, went to Jiang Zhaolie's office and knocked lightly. A voice came promptly from inside. "Come in."

Xu Chun immediately pushed the half-open door wide, squeezed out an extremely artificial, plastic smile, and spoke with utter sincerity and guilt. "Sorry, President Jiang. Earlier I accidentally spoke to you a little too loudly."

Jiang Zhaolie eyed her, puzzled. What little trick is she trying to pull now?

Before that puzzled thought had even finished crossing her mind, Jiang Zhaolie heard the woman in front of her say, "Assistant Bai said there's a problem with the content on this document, so I'd like to trouble you to take a look." As she spoke, she gently set the page on Jiang Zhaolie's desk, then fixed the other woman with a stare. "Is that okay?"

Jiang Zhaolie: "..."

She'd meant to send the other woman back and have Xu Chun look the materials up in the company library herself, but the moment she opened her mouth, a faint feminine fragrance drifted to her nose, very light, almost imperceptible. Only now, with the two of them this close, could she catch a hint of it.

So the words already on her tongue somehow stopped, though Jiang Zhaolie was still unrelenting. "Before the show started, didn't you read those professional books I sent over especially?"

"I read them, but the content was too basic—why would it cover this part?" Xu Chun was gradually losing patience. She was starving and exhausted, on the verge of a total brain shutdown, so naturally her attitude toward Jiang Zhaolie wasn't great. "Just hurry up and take a look. Out of everyone in the whole company, you're the only one I came to for help, so don't be ungrateful."

Her tone was fierce. It didn't sound like she was asking for help at all, more like she was issuing a threat.

Jiang Zhaolie wanted to snap back at her, but thinking of Xu Chun's sharp tongue and her talent for twisting right into wrong, she ultimately swallowed her anger in silence. Forget it. Just help her finish quickly and send her off; out of sight, out of mind.

With her question answered, Xu Chun finally had time to fill her stomach, and her mood improved considerably. Smiling brightly, she grasped the door handle. "Thank you, President Jiang. Good afternoon, President Jiang."

Jiang Zhaolie, still seated, suddenly felt stifled.

Xu Chun hadn't even closed the door properly when, in the instant before it shut, she suddenly pushed it open again and poked half her head in. "By the way, President Jiang, where does President Qin usually have her lunch?" She grinned widely, utterly innocent. "Don't misunderstand. I just want to get familiar with President Qin in advance so I don't make some mistake in my work later."

The excuse was flawless; Jiang Zhaolie had no reason whatsoever to refuse to answer. "Her own office."

Xu Chun finally closed Jiang Zhaolie's door, thoroughly satisfied. "Thank you, great benefactor."

That "great benefactor"—impossible to tell whether it was sincere or deliberately sarcastic, meant to needle her and ruin her mood. Jiang Zhaolie looked at the lunch on her desk, still unopened, and suddenly lost her appetite.

After Xu Chun filed the organized documents and locked them in a drawer, she went to Qin Group's company cafeteria and got a diet meal. She picked up the food container, and Fu Xin's voice came from beside her. "Sister Xu." When she looked over, Fu Xin was staring at the lunchbox in her hands with a puzzled frown. "You only just finished?"

"Yeah." Xu Chun answered absently and was about to walk over, sit down, and ask how Fu Xin was doing, when she turned her head and found not only Fu Xin there, but all the other guests, Jiang Banxia included, staring at her without blinking. Xu Chun's step swerved mid-air; she changed direction on the spot and abandoned any thought of catching up with Fu Xin. "You all go ahead and eat. I still need to stop by President Qin's office."

She said it with such righteous conviction that it sounded like the truth—if the group hadn't just been huddled together watching this morning's livestream footage, they probably would have been fooled.

Jiang Banxia's eyes darkened, and she suddenly spoke up. "What are you going to President Qin's office for?"

"The company has a meeting this afternoon." Xu Chun stopped in her tracks, not even out of breath. "I need to get a handle on the work I'll be doing during the meeting." She glanced at Jiang Banxia a couple of times, gave her no chance to press further, and whoosh—vanished from sight.

Seeing this, Fu Xin tried to cover for Xu Chun. "Her workload seems to be heavier than all of ours." And by a lot, too.

Jiang Banxia could guess a thing or two. Other than Jiang Zhaolie, who else would deliberately assign Xu Chun so much work? But what Jiang Banxia couldn't figure out was this: Jiang Zhaolie and Yu Sui'an were already finished. The two weren't even love rivals anymore. So why was Jiang Zhaolie still targeting Xu Chun like this?

She wasn't so petty as to deliberately make trouble for Xu Chun on the show over a mere Yu Sui'an, was she? What benefit would that bring her?

Jiang Banxia's fingertip traced lightly over her phone, and her eyes gradually narrowed.

Xu Chun ran off fast. After quickly finishing her diet meal, she carried the stack of organized documents to Qin Yao's office and knocked. "President Qin."

Qin Yao looked up from inside. "Come in."

Once she had permission, Xu Chun carefully pushed the door open and poked half her head in. "President Qin, I've organized the materials for this afternoon's meeting. I brought them over for you."

Besides Qin Yao, there was someone else in the office—someone Xu Chun had seen before. Qin Yao's personal secretary, surname Zhao, if she remembered right. Secretary Zhao saw her and came over on her own to take the stack from her hands, intending to pass it to Qin Yao. But the instant she got a grip on the documents and started to pull, the other end pulled back with equal stubbornness.

Secretary Zhao looked up. "?"

Xu Chun's stubborn face came into view. Secretary Zhao looked at her, then back at Qin Yao, the corner of her mouth twitching uncontrollably, before she slowly let go and turned to Qin Yao. "President Qin, I still have some work I haven't finished. I'll head down first."

Qin Yao glanced at her and nodded.

Xu Chun watched Secretary Zhao catch on fast and promptly take her leave, giving her and Qin Yao some private space, and her fondness for Secretary Zhao soared. As expected of someone on a high salary—what sharp perception. A big reward is definitely in order!

Once Secretary Zhao's figure had completely vanished, Xu Chun furtively carried the documents over to Qin Yao, eyes shining, voice lowered. "Jie-jie, it's been so long since I've seen you. I truly can't eat or drink, everything tasteless as wax; I don't even have the strength to eat or work anymore."

She was being glib. Qin Yao paused her work. "Is that so."

The moment their eyes met, Qin Yao saw that the young woman's brows and eyes were full of laughter, her delicate features softened by it, making her look utterly pure and innocent—nothing like the person who usually brimmed with mischief and often angered Jiang Zhaolie half to death.

"Of course." Xu Chun edged a little closer. As she drew near, she caught the faint scent of Qin Yao's perfume. The other sat upright at her desk, her black suit complementing the deep black sandalwood desk perfectly. The pairing was beautiful from every angle.

Xu Chun's heart pounded. But before she could make a move, the office door was knocked again, and Jiang Zhaolie strode in, ramrod straight. The instant her gaze landed on Xu Chun, Jiang Zhaolie's brows knitted tight. "Xu Chun, what are you doing so close to my mo—President Qin?"

"Reporting in." Xu Chun turned, glaring at Jiang Zhaolie through gritted teeth. Why was she always haunting her like a ghost? Xu Chun had finally gotten some alone time with Qin Yao—what was she doing here making a scene?

She glared hatefully at Jiang Zhaolie, who drove her off without mercy. "Even though you're President Qin's assistant, from now on you can just report these things to me. There's no need to bother President Qin with such trivial matters."

Bother? She dared to call it bothering Qin Yao. Xu Chun raised a trembling finger, and mindful of the cameras, it took her a long moment to squeeze out, "Utterly unconscionable!"

"When you're done, go wait in my office." Jiang Zhaolie smiled faintly. "I'll come hear your report when I'm finished."

You like reports so much? Fine—this month I'll make you report until you've had enough.

Xu Chun was so angry her mouth twisted crooked. Unwilling to give up, she looked at Qin Yao. "President Qin..." Jiang Zhaolie cut her off ruthlessly. "Don't tell me you're already trying to stir up trouble on the show on your first day? President Qin has a thousand affairs to attend to; where would she find time to listen to your nonsense? Out."

She shooed Xu Chun out of the office like chasing off a fly. Xu Chun, refusing to give up, tossed one last line inside—"President Qin, I'll come find you tonight"—making Jiang Zhaolie's brow twitch violently several times before she sauntered off.

Qin Yao regarded Jiang Zhaolie, her tone calm. "Now every word and action of yours is under the cameras. Mind your boundaries."

"Don't you know what she's scheming about you?" Jiang Zhaolie clenched her palms. Qin Yao was silent for a moment, then asked lightly, "What scheme?"

Jiang Zhaolie was agitated. "She's clearly set her sights on you, wants to..." Under Qin Yao's gaze, Jiang Zhaolie slowly closed her mouth. An inexplicable unwillingness rose in her heart, and she suddenly asked stubbornly, "Then what do you think of her?"

"You should get back to work." Unfortunately, Qin Yao didn't answer her. Jiang Zhaolie, though unwilling, had no choice but to let it go.

Xu Chun ran into Assistant Bai outside Jiang Zhaolie's office. With nothing to do, she immediately pulled Assistant Bai over to chat, feigning ignorance as she fished for information. "Assistant Bai, is your President Qin married? Does she have a partner? Does she like men or women? Is there anyone close to her—some first love she's never gotten over?"

Assistant Bai looked at her, baffled. "Why are you asking this?"

"Just asking casually." Xu Chun's expression didn't change. "I just think President Qin is so good-looking, so I wanted to gossip a bit."

Assistant Bai had a sudden realization. "President Qin's private life... I'm not very clear on that either." Then she handed Xu Chun a proposal. "This is the host for our company's livestream sales tonight. What do you think?"

Xu Chun took it, her eyes dutifully blocking out the mess of text at first glance and landing precisely on the host's photo, which lit up slightly. "What do I think? I love looking at her!"

Assistant Bai's face was full of question marks. "???" That wasn't what she was asking!

"How much do you love looking?" Jiang Zhaolie's voice suddenly sounded as she leaned in darkly from behind Xu Chun. "If you like looking so much, go watch to your heart's content in the livestream room tonight."

Tonight? She was supposed to go find Qin Yao tonight. Xu Chun refused on the spot. "No need. I'm not interested in these female hosts."

Is that so? Jiang Zhaolie sneered, then suddenly turned her head toward the door. "They're here."

Xu Chun turned back reflexively. "Where... Banxia?!"