Her soft, shy words drifted into his ears, and for a fleeting moment, his heartbeat skipped a beat.
“I promise I’ll do my job well. Can I?”
Shen Nuan looked at him expectantly, her voice carrying a trace of pleading.
“If you want to submit a resume, that’s your business. There are no back doors.”
Realizing he had almost softened, Fu Shijing threw out those words and left directly.
There was a front door, Shen Nuan thought, but he simply didn’t want to open it.
【Boss has already spoken so sincerely and earnestly, yet the male lead still refuses. That’s too much.】999 complained.
【It’s okay. As long as nothing is decided yet, there’s still a chance.】
Although the odds were slim, having a chance was better than none. Besides, he had helped her twice in the past two days. Previously, she wouldn’t even have dared to dream about it.
After composing herself, Shen Nuan opened the door. The room was still filled with the smell of alcohol.
Looking at her father, who was drinking again, she felt a pang of sorrow.
Walking over, she saw the many wrinkles etched onto his weathered face under the light.
Shen Nuan held his hand.
“Dad, I’m back. Where’s Mom?”
“Your mother is still working. Nuan Nuan, have a drink with Dad.”
Unexpectedly, Shen Xiao wasn’t drunk today, though he still refused to put down the bottle.
Her voice choked.
“Today, President Lei’s men surrounded me. They almost took me away, but luckily someone helped me.”
She said it because she knew Shen Xiao loved the original owner deeply and wanted to awaken his fatherly love.
She understood his pain, but her family was in danger. If this continued, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Shen Xiao’s cloudy eyes widened in panic as he looked at his daughter.
“Nuan Nuan, were you hurt? President Lei clearly promised me more time. How did this happen?”
“I don’t know.”
She slowly shook her head and asked hoarsely, “Dad, do you want Mom and me to be taken away too?”
Shen Xiao froze, “I don’t.”
Tears glimmered in Shen Nuan’s eyes as she spoke sadly, “You know Mom works every day for us. Even when she’s scolded, she endures it silently. Dad, if you keep sinking like this, how can you face Mom, who has shared hardships with you and devoted herself wholeheartedly to this family?”
It wasn’t that he didn’t know. He simply felt powerless to change their situation.
Shen Xiao pounded his chest heavily, his face full of pain.
“Nuan Nuan, I know your mother has been supporting this family all by herself. I’ve failed both of you.”
Shen Nuan quickly grabbed his hand.
“Dad, stop drinking and pull yourself together. I believe that if our family works together, things will gradually get better.”
“I ruined everything for you and your mother. It’s my fault. I’m useless.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong. You just trusted your friend too much. We’re family. No matter what happens, we’ll face it together. Whether we’re rich or poor, as long as we’re together, that’s enough.”
His daughter’s maturity filled Shen Xiao with guilt.
Ever since the bankruptcy, all the pride he had once possessed had vanished.
Only now did he understand that having his family together was already happiness.
Shen Xiao decided that he would speak to Lei Hao clearly. He couldn’t allow his wife and daughter to fall into danger again.
Seeing him lost in thought, Shen Nuan didn’t know whether he had truly listened.
She knew such things couldn’t be rushed. At least he had stopped drinking and returned to his room.
Afterward, she went back to her own bedroom.
Sitting on a small plastic stool, Shen Nuan rubbed her ankle and asked,
【Little Nine, how much did we earn today?】
【The System credited a total of one million eight hundred thousand yuan tonight. You’ve broken your highest single-day record. Before, you never even reached one million.】
Although she had broken a record, the gap was still enormous.
However, this made Shen Nuan realize that if Fu Shijing rescued her from danger, the reward would increase several times over.
【I have to keep working hard and become his personal assistant. Only then will I have more opportunities to spend time with him.】Shen Nuan felt full of energy.
【Keep it up, Boss. You’ll definitely complete the mission.】999 made an encouraging gesture.
Halfway Mountain Forest Villa.
His phone vibrated.
Another message from her.
“Fu Shijing, thank you so much for helping me. Good night, and sweet dreams.”
His lips curled slightly upward.
Suddenly remembering something, he dialed another number.
On the other end, Zhou Wensi picked up quickly and joked, “Calling me at this hour? Don’t tell me you miss me?”
Fu Shijing teased, “I think you’re the one eager to get married. Uncle Zhou should be very happy.”
“I don’t have any plans for that. I surrender. What’s the matter?”
Zhou Wensi immediately stopped joking. He didn’t want to be set up by his friend.
Fu Shijing got straight to the point.
“The Shen family owes Lei Hao money.”
“Owing that ruthless Lei Hao money? He’ll strip them to the bone. But how do you know about this?”
More importantly, this was the Shen family’s private business. Why was he interested? Could it have something to do with Miss Shen?
“If you don’t need to know, don’t ask.”
Something was wrong, very wrong.
Since when had he started interfering in strangers’ affairs?
And Shen Nuan was supposedly the woman he disliked.
Zhou Wensi didn’t press further.
“Then what should I know?”
“Handle it in my name.”
“That’s fine, but I’m curious. Why aren’t you handling it personally? That’s not your style.”
What was going on?
Zhou Wensi was dying of curiosity.
Fu Shijing had no intention of explaining.
“You can satisfy your curiosity slowly.”
“Is it because of Miss Shen? You don’t want her to know?”
After all, helping the Shen family solve their debt crisis couldn’t possibly be because of Shen Xiao.
“I’m hanging up. I want the results tomorrow.”
Looking at his disconnected phone, Zhou Wensi was convinced he had guessed correctly.
Rejecting her confession while secretly helping her.
Did he like her or not?
Since his friend wasn’t sure, he might as well lend him a hand.
Just because he himself wouldn’t reveal the truth didn’t mean Lei Hao wouldn’t.
Perhaps one day his friend would thank him.
…
The next morning, Shen Nuan had planned to go to work at the coffee shop, but the manager gently refused because of her injured foot.
“Manager, I won’t let it affect my work.”
She still wanted to fight for it.
“You should focus on recovering first. This is the supervisor’s arrangement.”
“Alright then. Sorry for troubling you.”
Shen Nuan didn’t want to make things difficult and gave up.
【Boss, missing one day of work isn’t a big deal. Recovering your foot is more important.】999 persuaded.
【But if I stay home, I won’t have any chance of running into Fu Shijing.】
And without that, she couldn’t make money.
Their relationship had improved compared to before, and that alone was precious to her.
999 analyzed rationally.
【Boss, you’ve already made great progress. Let’s plan what you’ll say next time you meet him. Also, you successfully sent him a text last night. Since he hasn’t blocked your number, you can continue sending sweet messages appropriately.】
【You’re right. Sending messages is also a form of caring.】
Once she made up her mind, Shen Nuan immediately searched online for flirtatious lines.
Finding sweet words wasn’t difficult, but finding ones suitable for herself was.
After reading several posts, she finally found something she liked.
To match the mood, she even took a picture of the sun.
【Why are you taking a picture?】999 asked curiously.
【To send to him.】
Shen Nuan sent the photo with a caption.
【Every morning when I wake up and see the sunshine, I wish you were here too. That’s the future I want.】
【Oh heavens, that’s so cheesy.】999 rubbed the goosebumps on his arms.
Even Shen Nuan thought it was cheesy, but compared to her life, this was nothing.
As long as the message was delivered, it didn’t matter if he replied.
She wasn’t just blindly sending sweet words either.
She added another message.
【Fu Shijing, do you know the difference between you and the stars?】
Of course, she had no idea whether he would pay attention.
Opening her bedside drawer, Shen Nuan took out strips of blue paper she had bought online.
【Boss, why did you buy those?】999 spun around leisurely, unable to understand.
【To fold stars and give them to him.】
Back when she was studying, she’d seen classmates confess with love letters, paper cranes, and folded stars.
She couldn’t just confess and do nothing.
She had to show her sincerity.
Originally, she wanted to fold paper cranes, but stars seemed more fitting.
【Then how many are you planning to fold?】999 asked curiously.
【I prepared a little bottle. It should be full today, and then I’ll find an opportunity to give it to him.】
999 didn’t understand this sort of thing.
【Will that work?】
【How would we know without trying? Don’t worry, I already have a plan.】
【Okay.】999 looked full of anticipation.
Fu Corporation, conference room.
The phone on the table vibrated.
Seeing that it was a message from her, Fu Shijing glanced at it.
Soon, it vibrated again. He glanced at it once more with interest.
Every vibration made the people attending the meeting nervous.
No one dared even breathe too loudly.
Everyone knew that unless it was extremely important, the president never dealt with personal matters during meetings.
Since his phone kept vibrating, they assumed it was something serious and worried they would become collateral damage.
Fu Shijing raised his brows.
The difference between him and the stars?
What kind of question was that?
Seeing their boss staring blankly at his phone, Xiao Ang gathered his courage and called out several times.
“President Fu. President Fu.”
Fu Shijing calmly put down his phone.
“What is it?”
Smiling politely, Xiao Ang said, “It’s your turn to speak.”
This was the first time he’d seen his boss distracted during a meeting.
Fu Shijing swept his gaze across the room and slowly stood.
“As for Moon Bay Resort…”
Half an hour later, when the meeting ended, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since seeing that message, Fu Shijing couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The difference between him and the stars?
Wasn’t that simply the difference between a person and scenery?
He smiled slightly. He had to admit he was curious.
Very curious! He wanted to know why she had asked such a strange question.
Shen Nuan waited the whole day without receiving a reply.
However, she had folded many stars, enough to fill an entire bottle.
…
After resting for a day, her foot still hurt a little, but it had improved considerably.
She arrived early at Encounter Coffee House, hoping to earn money and perhaps encounter the same luck as before and see Fu Shijing.
For that reason, she even brought the bottle of stars she had folded.
Fu Corporation, President’s Office.
Xiao Ang placed a cup of coffee on the desk.
“President Fu, these are the candidates who passed the initial screening. Among them, there’s one person…”
He hesitated, Fu Shijing noticed.
“Speak.”
“Miss Shen is among them.”
Since it involved Miss Shen, Xiao Ang didn’t dare make the decision himself.
Fu Shijing raised an eyebrow.
He hadn’t expected her to really submit her resume.
Professionally speaking, a personal assistant had to handle countless matters large and small.
She wasn’t qualified. Personally speaking, her intentions were obvious.
He wouldn’t keep someone who coveted him by his side.
Whether publicly or privately, she wasn’t suitable.
Yet when he thought of the hope in her eyes and all the effort she had put into staying near him, he felt that seeing her every day wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Xiao Ang waited for instructions.
Should she pass or fail?
After a long silence, he carefully asked again, “President Fu, your decision?”
Silently, he worried for Miss Shen.
Fu Shijing lifted his eyelids.
“Send me her resume.”
“Yes.”
Then Xiao Ang continued, “One more thing, President Fu. I saw Miss Shen at Encounter Coffee House today.”
He wasn’t sure whether he should say it, but considering his boss’s attitude toward Miss Shen, he thought it best to mention it.
Fu Shijing frowned slightly.
Only one day had passed and she had already gone back to work?
“Bring me a cup of coffee.”
Then he added specifically, “Coffee from Encounter Coffee House.”
Xiao Ang immediately understood.
“Yes, President Fu.”
Encounter Coffee House.
After finishing her work, Shen Nuan rested in the kitchen.
【Little Nine, it’s been two days since I submitted my resume and still no news. Has he already rejected me?】
【As far as I know, the position is still open, so probably not.】
Shen Nuan decided,
【If I still don’t get an interview notice today, I’ll invite him to dinner. Luckily, I still owe him one meal.】
【That’s a good idea.】
“Shen Nuan!”
“Coming!”
Hearing someone call her, she walked out.
“Manager, what’s wrong?”
“This coffee is for Fu Corporation. They specifically requested that you deliver it to the front desk.”
“Specifically me? Why?”
Although she found it strange, she was especially enthusiastic about delivering coffee to Fu Corporation.
The chance of seeing Fu Shijing was slim, but slim wasn’t the same as impossible.
The manager waved his hand.
“No idea. Do you know someone at Fu Corporation?”
“I don’t.”
Well, she knew Fu Shijing and Assistant Xiao, but she obviously couldn’t say that.
Could they have ordered it?
Impossible, right?
Seeing that only the front desk was listed and no department specified, she decided to deliver it first.
“Hello, this is…”
“You’re here. I’ll take you to the president’s office.”
The receptionist smiled brightly.
“The president’s office?”
Shen Nuan was surprised.
Was it really them?
But was it Fu Shijing or Assistant Xiao?
Before she could ask, the receptionist explained,
“Assistant Xiao ordered the coffee. Just take it upstairs.”
“Alright.”
After swiping the elevator card for her, the receptionist left.
【Strange. Why would Assistant Xiao specifically order coffee for the president’s office? Doesn’t Fu Corporation have a break room?】 Shen Nuan wondered.
【Maybe Assistant Xiao is creating opportunities for you.】999 offered his opinion.
【Unlikely! We’re barely acquaintances.】
【I suppose that’s true.】
Since she couldn’t figure it out, she stopped thinking about it.
【Let’s deliver it first.】
Ding~ The elevator reached the top floor.
Shen Nuan stepped out with the coffee and saw Xiao Ang waiting.
“Miss Shen.”
“Assistant Xiao, here’s your coffee.”
Xiao Ang smiled. “Please deliver it to the president’s office. It’s President Fu’s coffee.”
“So that’s how it is.”
Shen Nuan smiled faintly.
【Little Nine, did you hear that? It’s Fu Shijing’s coffee.】
999 nodded enthusiastically.
【Boss, your opportunity has arrived.】
【Exactly!】
She probed carefully.
“Assistant Xiao, have you seen my resume? I really want this job.”
Xiao Ang merely smiled. Shen Nuan understood immediately.
“Assistant Xiao, do I still have a chance?”
“Miss Shen, it’s better to ask President Fu yourself.”
“Alright.”
Clearly, Xiao Ang knew she had submitted a resume, but the final decision belonged to Fu Shijing.
If she wanted to stay by his side, she had to convince him.
Following Xiao Ang into the president’s office, she entered after he knocked and received permission.
“President Fu, your coffee.”
“Put it down.”
Shen Nuan placed the coffee on his desk and tried to attract his attention.
Instead, she heard him say, “Close the door on your way out.”
He continued reviewing documents, but from the corner of his eye, he observed her movements.
Shen Nuan had no intention of leaving.
She didn’t come all this way just to deliver coffee.
【Boss, don’t forget. Five stars, assistant.】999 reminded me anxiously.
【I haven’t forgotten. You’re too impatient.】
【Being too impatient isn’t good for your health.】
999 covered his mouth and laughed.
【I’m a System. Nothing can hurt me.】
Shen Nuan had no answer to that.
She leaned closer, a gentle smile blooming on her face.
“President Fu, you look so handsome when you’re working.”
Fu Shijing ignored her and pretended to focus on his documents.
“Did you see the messages I sent?”
He raised his brows but didn’t answer.
After sending so many messages, and since he hadn’t blocked her, there was no way he hadn’t seen them.
Shen Nuan took out the small glass bottle filled with blue stars from her apron pocket and placed it on his desk.
“Fu Shijing, this bottle of blue stars is for you.”
Finally, his gaze fell upon the ordinary bottle.
Giving him stars?
What was she trying to do this time?
Resting one hand on the edge of the desk, Shen Nuan looked at him with sparkling eyes.
“Fu Shijing, the difference between you and the stars is that the stars light up the night, but you light up my heart.”
Her words suddenly made those ordinary blue stars shine brilliantly, endowing them with a charm capable of bewitching hearts.
And at that moment, Fu Shijing was bewitched.