First Day on the Job

That's fine. It's okay.

After all, everyone is an independent individual, a complete, self-contained circle. He and Lin Sangyu were merely intersecting arcs in each other's lives; she still had so much unwritten potential and future ahead of her.

He shouldn't overstep.

Yes, that's it. It's fine.

Jiang Wenzhe let his thoughts churn as droplets condensed on the side of his cup. He took sip after sip of the sugar-free Americano, letting it slide down his throat and settle into his chest with a dull, bitter weight.

[Jiang, Miss Lin went to one of your hotels and has already been hired.]

[Image.jpg]

[Image.jpg]

Jiang Wenzhe opened them with a blank expression, saving each one.

In the photos, two girls were smiling brightly, pressed close together. In one of them, the other girl was bent over, clicking the computer mouse at the front desk, turning her head as if speaking to Lin Sangyu beside her—probably teaching her how to use the computer.

Lin Sangyu stood nearby, her bright eyes shimmering as she listened attentively.

Jiang Wenzhe: [She was hired as a receptionist?]

The private bodyguard replied instantly: [Looks like it.]

At least that was something—better than washing dishes, anyway.

Bodyguard: [Should I say something to the manager?]

Jiang Wenzhe: [No. Don't interfere.]

*

Zhao Ran winked at Lin Sangyu. "Got it?"

Lin Sangyu looked at her with gratitude, barely able to contain the little flutter of excitement in her chest. "Got it, got it. I totally get it now. I finally know how to use a computer."

"I'm the greatest teacher of the people," Zhao Ran said, half-joking. "From now on, just stick with me, and I'll teach you slowly."

Just as she finished speaking, a group of six or seven people poured through the hotel lobby entrance. They carried long guns and big cannons—cameras and equipment—and under the sweltering heat and heavy loads, their thin shirts were nearly transparent with sweat.

The lobby was fully air-conditioned, and the group's irritated expressions gradually relaxed into ease. One young man in a light blue shirt stepped out from the group and approached the front desk. His voice was clear and cheerful. "Hello, I'm the food review photographer booked by your hotel. Here's my ID."

"Okay, okay," Zhao Ran said, taking the ID and verifying it before telling Lin Sangyu, "Take them up. It's the same floor where you just did your paperwork."

Lin Sangyu wasn't sure and was afraid of getting it wrong, so she asked, "Where exactly?"

"That floor. They're just here to take photos, so there's no fixed spot," Zhao Ran explained, lowering her voice. "The main thing is that a few big clients are coming later, and I can't leave the front desk. If I left you here alone, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to handle that crowd."

And just like that, Lin Sangyu officially started the first real job of her life.

"Little sis, you're new here, aren't you?" the young man said, noticing her nervousness and striking up a conversation. "Looks like you're not too familiar with the routine yet."

"Yes, I just started," Lin Sangyu said, hesitating for a moment before asking, "Could you tell me what the food review shoot you mentioned means?"

"It just means we shoot some footage for your hotel and put it online to promote it."

Lin Sangyu paused, then asked out of nowhere, "Does it pay well?"

The young man gave a dry chuckle. "Depends on your skill level. Our team is considered one of the better in the industry—otherwise, we wouldn't have been hired to shoot the promo for Jinglan Huaxi."

Lin Sangyu listened, lost in thought.

When people see beautiful things, they can't help but feel better. The young man caught sight of her long lashes fluttering as she pondered and kept the conversation going. "What, you thinking of getting into our line of work too?"

"No, no. I haven't studied it, and I feel like photography needs some kind of aesthetic talent anyway."

"That's true," the young man said, not bothering to argue just to be pleasant. "But you're pretty and young. You should try other careers. Don't limit yourself to just this."

That last part came from the heart.

"But... but I don't know what I could do."

Human society worshipped academic credentials above all else. She could only read and write—beyond that, she was uselessly clumsy.

Apart from entry-level service jobs, she really had no idea what she could do.

She didn't belong to this world, yet she had to force herself to fit into it.

"You could get into the internet industry. You look like you're made for it," the young man said without hesitation. "Our team's biggest income besides shooting is from the internet. We post the videos online, take on a few small ads, and a lot of the time, that makes more than our actual photography work."

Not far away, another guy from the group shouted toward them, "Yu Cheng, don't get stuck drooling over a pretty girl. Come set up the tripod!"

"Ah, gotta go. See you around if fate lets us meet."

Flirting was flirting, but making money on the job was the real priority.

Before leaving, Yu Cheng tossed out one last line: "If you want to play in the internet space, you need to find your own advantage. A lot of tracks are already saturated. You have to think about what you have that others don't, or what you do better than others." Then he hurried off.

Lin Sangyu stood rooted to the spot, unmoving for a long time, like a candle that had melted, dried, and been nailed back into place.

In front of her, the group split into their roles and threw themselves into what they did best. Amid their banter, camera flashes popped with every click, stinging Lin Sangyu's eyes.

Her thoughts were dragged into another world.

*

As soon as she got off work at noon, Zhao Ran eagerly pulled Lin Sangyu toward the restaurant. "Let me tell you, employees can eat in the guest buffet too. Come on, come on, let's hurry, or all the good stuff will be gone. Some things are limited."

"It's free?"

Jiang Wenzhe had tied his card to her phone and told her she could use it freely.

But how much money could a bankrupt person possibly have?

At a hotel like this, the card would probably get maxed out.

"Of course it is. It's an employee perk," Zhao Ran said. As they reached the restaurant entrance, she stopped, curved one arm against her chest, and swept the other out wide in a grand gesture of invitation. "Go on, let me show you a seven-star buffet."

The entire dining area was trimmed in understated luxury—warm wood and matte metal—with floor-to-ceiling windows as clear as mirrors. Looking down, you could take in the elegant hotel garden close by and the rushing river stretching into the distance beyond.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that Lin Sangyu's eyes swept across the dazzling spread of delicacies and zoomed straight in on her favorite: fried bugs!

She grabbed a pair of tongs and started piling them onto her plate. Zhao Ran, standing beside her, was stunned, her mouth involuntarily forming a small O. "I... oh my god. I can't believe someone actually loves eating these little critters this much."

"Hmm?" Lin Sangyu finally finished scooping, the assorted bugs piled into a small mountain. "Little bugs are delicious. Want some?"

With that, she actually picked up another cluster of bugs and tried to drop them onto Zhao Ran's plate.

Zhao Ran immediately yanked her plate away, waving her hands frantically. "Can't handle it. Can't handle it."

I'm done. The girl I fell for at first sight actually eats things this weird?

Only the heavens knew how unsettling it was just now—Lin Sangyu with her adorable face, holding a handful of dark bugs and moving toward Zhao Ran.

Well, whatever. Respect people's dietary quirks.

Zhao Ran added, "Everyone has different tastes. I just don't really go for these."

Lin Sangyu put the bugs back in their place and said with a resigned sigh, "Fine. Jiang Wenzhe doesn't like them either."

As soon as the words left her mouth, she realized Zhao Ran had no idea who Jiang Wenzhe was, and she immediately shut up.

But Zhao Ran had clearly latched onto the key detail. "Which Jiang Wenzhe?"

"Oh, him... he's... he's a good friend of mine."

Yes, a good friend.

"Well, your friend's got a lucky name. Our top boss is also called Jiang Wenzhe," Zhao Ran said. Then, remembering something, she let out a sly chuckle and leaned in close to Lin Sangyu. "He's one of the top figures in the capital's business scene. Took over the Jiang Group at twenty-four with an iron fist, inherited the family empire—a true elite of the old noble families. Word has it he's devastatingly handsome, decisive in action, and carries an aura that chills the room."

Same world, same name, similar early life path—both in business. One was still shining bright on the road to glory, while the other was already facing bankruptcy.

Lin Sangyu suddenly felt sad. For Jiang Wenzhe.

Still, she dutifully praised, "Then he's really impressive. He's got good luck."

"It's not just good luck. He's the type who'd win the lottery with any random ticket," Zhao Ran said, her lips quirking as the light in her beautiful eyes dimmed. "Honestly, I'm kind of jealous of people like that. If I'd been born into a good family, I could've kept studying and wouldn't be stuck at the front desk."

The urban jungle under neon lights had always been a feast for capital. The starting lines of this world were never on the same footing.

Lin Sangyu felt it deeply and made an exaggerated face. "Boo hoo, I get you."

If only I'd always been a sugar glider, or always human.

"Ah, forget the sad stuff. My pretty baby shouldn't make a sad face. You should be happy all the time!" Zhao Ran pulled Lin Sangyu over to a table for two by the window, and they sat down across from each other.

"Baby? I'm twenty-four. I'm not a baby."

"Baby is just a term of endearment," Zhao Ran explained. "How are you living like someone from the last century? Loads of people call each other that now. Not just girls—guys and girls say it all the time too."

"So calling someone baby means you're close?"

"Not exactly. Word meanings depreciate faster than currency these days. I basically use 'baby' the way I'd use 'hello.'"

Lin Sangyu nodded with vague understanding and took another big bite of bugs.

The plate was empty in no time, and Lin Sangyu trotted back to the nearly deserted counter to grab another one.

Zhao Ran sighed. "You really are devoted. From now on, I'll just call you the Bug Queen."

"Sure." Lin Sangyu never cared about nicknames. She kept her head down and ate. It had been ages since she'd had a bug feast like this.

Fifteen minutes later.

Zhao Ran asked, "I'm done. Are you about finished?"

"Mm, I'm just about there too."

Lin Sangyu swallowed the last bite, completely unaware of the trouble brewing. She shot up from her seat, and for a split second, her expression twisted.

"I'm so full. I think I overdid it a bit," Lin Sangyu said, suddenly clutching her stomach. "When I was sitting, I didn't feel this full."

Zhao Ran asked, concerned, "Ate too much?"

"Mm. Really uncomfortable."

"Come on. I have some digestive tablets. I'll get them for you."

Rubbing her stomach, Lin Sangyu shuffled in small steps behind Zhao Ran into an employee break room. From a locked cubby on the wall, Zhao Ran took out her bag, fished out the digestive tablets, and poured a cup of warm water, handing both to Lin Sangyu.

Lin Sangyu obediently swallowed the tablet with water and said with genuine sincerity, "Thank you. You're really kind. You're only the second person who's been truly good to me."

"Maybe because we're the same kind of people," Zhao Ran said without thinking. Even she froze for a few seconds after the words left her mouth.

"What same kind of people?"

Zhao Ran's fingers curled tightly around the pill box. The plastic wrapper and the outer cardboard shell twisted together in her grip, letting out an ugly, grating sound. She gave a bitter smile. "People who eat free buffet and stuff themselves sick."

It was an abstract thing to say, but Lin Sangyu felt like she understood. Because right now, her own heart ached with a dull, throbbing pain.

Yet the digestive tablet on her tongue carried a faint sweetness, and the warm water soothed her belly.

"Could I have one more digestive tablet?"

This little pill was so sweet. She wondered if Jiang Wenzhe had ever tried one. She wanted to take it back and let him taste it too.