Wen Xuxue’s body stiffened. Ignoring the message, she calmly sat down to begin the interview.
Because she was a “connection hire,” the HR representative did not give her a hard time, adopting a very relaxed attitude.
The interview felt like a mere formality, and Wen Xuxue smoothly received the job offer.
As she stepped out of the office, she let out a sigh of relief and pulled out her phone, only to see another message from the unfamiliar number.
【Come to the top floor.】
Three words, concise and to the point.
Leaving no room for refusal.
Wen Xuxue pursed her lips and headed toward the elevator lobby.
As the elevator ascended, her view gradually expanded. Looking out, she could see a great river flowing in the distance.
Wen Xuxue suddenly lowered her head and sent a message to Jiang Jing: 【I passed the interview, unusually smoothly. Does your brother work at this company? What’s his position?】
She waited for a while but received no reply from Jiang Jing.
Guessing she was busy, Wen Xuxue stepped out as the elevator doors opened. Carrying her bag, she walked calmly toward the innermost office.
When the assistant pushed the door open for her, the sight that greeted her was the man seated at the desk.
Dressed in a dark suit, he carried an air of extraordinary presence.
At that moment, he was looking down intently at a document. Sunlight streamed in through the window, illuminating his sharp, cold features.
Utterly outstanding, exceptionally handsome.
In the profound silence, Wen Xuxue suddenly dared not make a sound.
He seemed very busy.
Maybe she should just leave.
With that thought, Wen Xuxue turned gently and prepared to walk away.
“Click—”
The sound of a pen cap being closed was particularly abrupt.
Wen Xuxue’s spine stiffened. The next moment, a cool, masculine voice sounded behind her: “Where are you going?”
“I thought you were busy.”
She turned around, met his gaze, and explained.
“Not busy.” Zhou Shijing looked at her, his expression calm and unreadable. “Come sit.”
Wen Xuxue instinctively walked toward him.
But as she walked, she noticed something.
There was nowhere for her to sit.
The spot where a chair should have been was empty.
The sofa was behind a screen.
Wen Xuxue said, “Where should I sit?”
Zhou Shijing replied lazily, “Sit wherever you want.”
Wen Xuxue shot him a glance, feeling displeased. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was doing this on purpose.
She walked up to him, leaned slightly forward, pushed the documents on his desk aside, and then sat right down on his desk.
Her fair, slender calves swayed before him. Zhou Shijing didn’t look at them and asked, “Here for the interview?”
Wen Xuxue said, “Yes.”
Zhou Shijing asked, “Did it go well?”
Wen Xuxue replied, “Yes.”
Zhou Shijing looked at her and said lightly, “Xiao Xue is amazing.”
Wen Xuxue could no longer remain composed.
She met his gaze. The man was as handsome as ever, exuding an aura of nobility and maturity, the very image of someone in a position of power.
But—
He had actually praised her.
Excited, she jumped down from the desk and threw herself steadily into the man’s arms, calling out to him sweetly as she used to: “Older Brother.”
Zhou Shijing wrapped an arm around her waist and said, “Willing to call me Older Brother again? Why didn’t you call me that in the elevator earlier? Or when you came in?”
Caught up in the moment, she had uncontrollably hugged him. But once in his embrace, feeling his scorching body heat, Wen Xuxue suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering that this wasn’t the past, and hurriedly stood up from his lap.
The warm, soft fragrance in his embrace slipped away, and Zhou Shijing’s brows furrowed ever so slightly as he asked, “What’s wrong?”
Wen Xuxue replied, “I just accidentally forgot that I have a boyfriend now.”
“Now that I have a boyfriend, I can’t casually hug Older Brother anymore.”
She looked at him and added quietly.
Zhou Shijing met her gaze, his eyes unprecedentedly calm, and asked, “Do you really like your boyfriend?”
Wen Xuxue remained silent.
He pressed further, “Do you like Older Brother more, or your boyfriend more?”
Wen Xuxue still said nothing.
Zhou Shijing suddenly curved his lips into a smile, but the hint of amusement on his sharp, cold face didn’t convey much joy.
He slowly parted his lips and said, “Older Brother never expected you to find a boyfriend so much worse than him.”
Wen Xuxue bit her lip lightly, stubbornly meeting his gaze, and retorted, “You’re not that great either.”
“What’s not great about me?” Zhou Shijing stood up and called her, his voice naturally deep and resonant, “Xiao Xue.”
He was very tall, and standing before her like this, Wen Xuxue only reached his chin. She had to look up at him and snorted, “You’re fierce, strong, and you like to hit me.”
Zhou Shijing thought of the past, his cool gaze deepening slightly, and asked, “Where did Older Brother hit you?”
Wen Xuxue bit her lip and enunciated each word clearly, “My… butt.”
In the past, whenever she made a mistake or upset him, he would pick her up, place her on his lap, coldly remove her skirt, and spank her without mercy.
It didn’t hurt much, but it was… so… humiliating.
Afterward, he would always start doing something else.
In the end, his fingers would be soaked, and he would wipe the moisture on her collarbone.
Zhou Shijing looked at her and suddenly let out a faint, mocking laugh. “If you didn’t like it, why didn’t you tell Older Brother back then?”
Wen Xuxue pursed her lips and remained silent.
Zhou Shijing said, “You were afraid of Older Brother then, too scared to speak up, right?”
Wen Xuxue obediently lowered her gaze. Just by looking at her like this, he knew his guess was most likely correct. He added, “If you were so afraid of Older Brother, how did you dare to invite me back then?”
Wen Xuxue looked up, her eyes bright and cheerful as she gazed at him, and said, “Because you’re really handsome.”
“Older Brother, you’re truly handsome.”
She praised him again.
A faint, ambiguous curve appeared at the corner of Zhou Shijing’s lips, unclear whether it was pleasure or displeasure.
He paused for a moment and suddenly said, “It’s a good thing Xiao Xue found a job. How about treating Older Brother to dinner tonight to celebrate?”
Wen Xuxue was a penny-pincher and had no intention of spending the money, so she replied, “Older Brother is so rich, shouldn’t you be the one treating me to celebrate?”
Zhou Shijing was surprisingly agreeable. “Alright, then Older Brother will treat you.”
As she was about to leave, he added casually behind her, “Remember to wear the dress you bought with Older Brother’s money.”
Wen Xuxue stiffened for a moment before replying, “Alright.”
After leaving his office, she let out a sigh of relief.
Taking out her phone, she noticed Jiang Jing had replied to her message: My brother told me not to reveal his information. It’s fine, Xiao Xue baby. If anything happens, just call me. If you’re unhappy with the job, we can just quit.
Wen Xuxue replied with a cute kitten emoji, then hailed a taxi and headed home.
Thinking of Zhou Shijing’s words, she felt troubled.
Wen Xuxue didn’t have much desire to shop these days. Rather than buying expensive dresses, she preferred to save her money.
Where should she go to find a beautiful dress…
She rummaged through her wardrobe for a long time before finally pulling out a blue fishtail dress from a dust bag.
It looked brand new, with the price tag still attached.
Wen Xuxue couldn’t quite remember where this dress came from—probably something she bought on a whim in the past and then forgot about.
She decided to wear it.
The dress’s waistband was adorned with a circle of lustrous pearls, and the hem shimmered like rippling water.
She then dug out a white LV Snow White handbag.
Pearls paired with a white bag—a perfect match.
Immediately after, she rushed to style her hair and apply makeup.
Wen Xuxue didn’t know why she was putting so much effort into her appearance, but whenever she thought about having dinner with him that evening, she wanted to look beautiful—even more beautiful.
She never went to such lengths even when meeting her boyfriend.
At 5:00 PM, Zhou Shijing sent her the address.
Along with a message:
[What time do you want Older Brother to pick you up?]