Chapter 2

Wen Jiu boarded the subway for her first interview of the day at a design company.
The advantage of spam-applying for jobs was finally showing, send enough resumes, and you’re guaranteed someone will call you in.
“Our benefits are great. Salary? Three thousand a month. Of course, as your years accumulate, there’s room to grow. Hours? Nine to six daily, one-hour lunch. Overtime? Flexible schedule, depends on the workload. Overtime pay is ten yuan an hour. Job responsibilities? You’re young, you need polishing. You’ll have to do…”
Wen Jiu: “…”
She watched the HR lady’s mouth flap open and closed, every sentence more inhumane than the last.
No wonder they responded so quickly, they were waiting to bait someone.
Wen Jiu stormed out, seething, the three yuan she’d spent on subway fare a punch to the gut. She jogged toward the nearest patch of shade, escaping the scorching sun.
For the next few companies that invited her, she smartened up, messaged them online first. If anything sounded wrong, she didn’t bother going.
Of the thirty companies she applied to, only a few seemed decent.
She’d been careless that morning and overlooked the original body’s academic background, accidentally applying to a bunch of exploitation factories that fed on fresh graduates.
With a Beicheng University degree, the original Wen Jiu was absolutely qualified to apply to Chu Corporation, where the male lead worked.
Ding,
“HR from Chu Corporation has replied.”
Wen Jiu slapped a hand over her mouth. Speak of the devil, she really summoned them.
She hadn’t even realized she’d accidentally sent a resume to Chu Corp during the morning resume storm… yet here was the reply.
She’d applied for a position at headquarters, but judging from the job description, it involved off-site assignments.
Whatever. Work comes first, who cares about following the novel’s plot?
“We’re very pleased with your resume. Within three business days, we’ll give you our decision.”
During the interview she’d spoken smoothly, cheeks flushed with determination. But as soon as she stepped outside, her mind turned into static. She couldn’t remember a single thing she’d said.
Downstairs, behind a glass wall, tiny cakes sparkled under soft cafe lights.
Tempting her. Seducing her.
Wen Jiu stood at the entrance, drooling for a good while.
A girl must treat herself well.
She checked her balance.
She regretted it immediately. Air caught in her throat; she nearly fainted.
Balance: 2.01
Bank card: 0
Alipay: 0
WeChat Pay: 2.01
Not a cent extra.
She staggered outside, grateful the fresh air kept her conscious.
Could she… return that 30,000 yuan deposit to get back the 7,500 rent she’d paid this morning?
Tears burned her eyes as she bade a mournful farewell to the beautiful cakes behind the glass.
She’d come back for them someday.
Her poor overworked phone, after running around with her all day, finally reached 20% battery under the flaming evening sky.
Two yuan wouldn’t even cover subway fare, she could only afford a bus. And who knew whether 20% battery would last the ride home?
Rain leaked everywhere in her life. Even if Chu Corp hired her, she wouldn’t have money to commute there. She might have to walk,
She checked the map.
The 7,500 rent was well-spent; this apartment was indeed in the city center. From home to Chu Corp, she could walk fifteen minutes.
Instant peace of mind.
Wen Jiu decided not to waste money on the bus either. She’d walk home.
But the moment she stepped out of the shade, the windless summer evening hit her like a wave of fire. Heat rose from the pavement, practically melting her shoes off.
Her stomach growled.
She’d skipped lunch, surviving only on two lettuce leaves and two boiled eggs from that morning.
Her fridge was empty. The only thing waiting for her at home was the last egg from her landlady.
Forget takeout, she couldn’t even afford vegetables.
Crying on the inside, Wen Jiu’s soul collapsed into a cartoonish little stick figure sprawled flat on the floor.
She opened Qin Yao’s chat, staring at the glorious 10,000 yuan transfer.
Her fingers twitched.
What to do? She wanted it so badly.
But she didn’t want to be cannon fodder.
Then, [Bank of China: Your account ending in 0152 has received salary: 35,270.65 yuan. Balance: 35,270.65 yuan.]
A huge transfer. Wen Jiu’s curly hair practically stood on end.
She didn’t even have a job, where did salary come from?
And it was over thirty-five thousand! Was this a mistake?
She checked again, there were payments every month prior to this, all marked as processed by Qin Group.
Her jaw slowly dropped.
She dug through the original body’s memory and finally found the explanation.
Working as the Young Lady’s lackey came with a real salary.
After the original left university, she’d stayed by Qin Yao’s side, earning over thirty thousand a month.
Wen Jiu: !!!
Suddenly, she felt reborn.
The Young Lady just liked Chu Yan, how did that make her a “vicious supporting character”?
For the sake of long-term job stability, Wen Jiu decided she must change the Young Lady’s tragic fate, so she herself wouldn’t be doomed as cannon fodder.
And since she was staying as a lackey anyway, she stopped hesitating and immediately accepted the 10,000 yuan transfer.
Still within the 24-hour window, so the transfer hadn’t expired.
With 35,270.65 in her bank account and 10,000 in WeChat Pay, Wen Jiu felt a deep, fiery devotion rise within her.
For the Young Lady, she would gladly bleed.
Wen Jiu: Miss Qin, I’m all better now.
Qin Yao: I see you. You’re in front of Chu Corp.
Wen Jiu slammed the chat shut and looked up.
Under the blazing sunset, a soft pink Rolls-Royce pulled up by the curb.
The rear window lowered. A breathtakingly pretty girl appeared, her delicate face framed by curls cascading behind her shoulders. Her voice was sweet and airy, but her tone uncompromising, born of someone used to being adored:
“Wen Jiu, come here.”
That innate, pampered aura washed over her in waves, arrogant, imperial, overwhelming.
Under normal circumstances, Wen Jiu might’ve trembled, but after seeing her salary and pocketing the 10,000 yuan, she felt nothing but loyal enthusiasm.
She scurried over and climbed in from the other side.
The driver raised the divider, leaving them in a private space.
“So you lied about being sick.” Qin Yao’s voice was soft enough to melt into honey, but in Wen Jiu’s ears it cracked like midsummer thunder. Wen Jiu shot upright, spine rigid, eyes locked forward.
Her brain spun, scrambling for a response.
“You must’ve wanted to surprise me,” Qin Yao continued serenely.
“I heard you came to interview at Chu Corp. You must’ve been preparing for days.
When you start working there, you’ll be able to keep an even closer eye on Chu Yan for me.”
That heart of hers, which had been hanging by a thread, slowly sank back into place.
Unbelievable. After all this running around, she’d ended up right back at the beginning, tailing the male lead.
Now she was going straight into his company. Embedded surveillance.
“You did very well. I’m pleased.”
“I’ll take you to buy a few outfits. You can’t walk into Chu Corp looking shabby, people will think I can’t even dress my own assistant properly.”
Qin Yao lowered the divider again and instructed the driver to head for the mall.
“It’s almost evening anyway. I’ll take you to dinner.”
Chu Corp’s headquarters sat in the heart of the most expensive district, and the mall wasn’t far, at least in theory. In practice, Wen Jiu spent half her life stuck in traffic on the way there.
Behind the mall sat a tucked-away private Chinese restaurant. Qin Yao led Wen Jiu through a side entrance and straight inside.
Once they were settled in a private room, Qin Yao handed her the menu.
“Order whatever you like. I’ll pay for everything.”
Heavenly music.
The moment Wen Jiu opened the menu, she was so moved she nearly drooled tears right off the corner of her mouth.
Private home-style Chinese dishes, no matter where she flipped, everything looked like destiny.
“If you can’t decide, we’ll just order the whole menu,” the Young Lady said languidly, sipping her tea, eyes sliding over with a sidelong glance.
“We’ll never finish that,” Wen Jiu murmured, already thinking about asking for boxes.
“When you start at Chu Corp, I’ll have them send your meals from here every day. Stop embarrassing yourself thinking about leftovers. You’ve been with me for years and still haven’t grown at all.”
At the words “deliver food every day,” Wen Jiu’s eyes lit up like neon.
She could cling to the Young Lady for ten years and be perfectly content to “never grow.” How could Qin Yao be this good?!
They ordered several dishes. Wen Jiu ate in a daze of gratitude, her almond eyes shining against her oval face.
Qin Yao watched her for a moment, then commented, “You looked half-dead before, but this is better. You’re much prettier now. I don’t feel like I’m dragging a corpse around.
Otherwise it’s like having a ghost trailing behind me.”
Wen Jiu: “…”
She didn’t dare say a word, terrified she’d slip up.
Fortunately, her well-honed bootlicker instincts kicked in hard enough that Qin Yao didn’t notice anything off.
After dinner, the Young Lady took her into the mall.
Outside a high-end boutique, velvet ropes blocked off the entrance, and staff stood by the door to greet clients.
Until today, Wen Jiu had never set foot in a place like this. Just passing outside and accidentally making eye contact with a clerk was enough to make her flee in awkward, self-conscious panic.
Who would’ve thought that one day she’d come in, and those same clerks would be enthusiastically, attentively serving her?
Qin Yao sat on the sofa, ignoring the sweets laid out on the coffee table. She only took a few delicate sips of tea.
As Wen Jiu tried on outfit after outfit, Qin Yao didn’t care what Wen Jiu liked. The only standard that mattered was whether she liked it.
“That’s fine. Not bad.”
“That works.”
“Looks pretty good.”
Piece by piece, under the Young Lady’s cool verdict, Wen Jiu didn’t just gain a few new outfits. By the time they were done, she had twenty-two sets of clothes, enough to wear something different to work every weekday for an entire month.
“Leave your address. I’ll have them send everything to your place later,” Qin Yao said, calling Wen Jiu back from her fortune-induced stupor and passing her a pen.
Everything felt so unreal that when Wen Jiu stepped out of the store, her feet barely felt the ground.
Her eyes sparkled, dewy and bright, fixed on Qin Yao’s back. Even the little curls bouncing at the ends of Qin Yao’s hair seemed dazzling to her.
No one had mentioned that being the Young Lady’s lackey came with this package.
Where was the so-called vicious supporting role? Where was the cannon fodder fate?
All she could see was an avalanche of wealth.
Like this, she was fully prepared to be Qin Yao’s lackey for life. Even if she really did get sacrificed in the end, so be it.
“What are you spacing out for? Don’t you want shoes?” In another shop, Qin Yao continued to outfit her from head to toe.
“I’ll have the butler send you some jewelry later.”
The Qin family dealt in jewelry; nothing bought outside could compare to something personally picked out by Qin Yao.
“Miss Qin, you’re just too good to me,” Wen Jiu said, eyes brimming.
“So gross. Don’t wipe your tears on me,” Qin Yao replied, pushing her away. Her voice was soft and spoiled, like a walking cotton candy cloud.
In that moment, Wen Jiu looked at her and saw a tsundere little princess, none of that arrogant, oppressive presence she’d sensed at first.
The Young Lady was just blunt. Not stuck-up at all.