Ruan Li had thought Shi Yu was just teasing her.
But she never expected to actually receive an offer from the Fu Corporation.
The person who contacted her was named Wang Ying, the HR director of the Fu Corporation’s Haicheng branch, instructing her to report to the branch within three days.
Ruan Li felt dizzy and wondered if she was dreaming.
Quitting the client side to join the client?
Was such a satisfying plotline really happening to her?
Ruan Li immediately took her internship certificate to the HR department to get it stamped.
Passing by the administrative office, she overheard people gossiping:
“Have you heard? The new person in the planning department is the future Crown Princess.”
“Lily is really pitiful. Before, no one in the whole company believed she could secure the contract with the Fu Corporation, but she managed it all on her own. Now that the project is a success, a Crown Princess has been parachuted in to take the credit. How tragic!”
“Isn’t that girl making a fuss?”
“Ah, she has no background and a soft temper. Otherwise, Manager Chen wouldn’t have been bullying her all this time. You know how the economic environment is these days. It’s already a miracle she got to stay at Jiang Corporation after graduation. How could she dare say anything?”
Just then, Ruan Li knocked on the door. “Hello, I’m here to resign.”
“Resign?” The HR staff looked surprised.
“Yes, and to get my internship certificate stamped with the official seal.”
“So sudden? Have you found another job?”
“Yes.”
“Which company?”
Ruan Li smiled but didn’t answer.
To the HR staff, this seemed like she was putting on a brave face.
They advised her, “The job market isn’t great right now. If you’re feeling wronged at work, just endure it a little longer. It’s not worth resigning over.”
Ruan Li just smiled, maintaining a pleasant demeanor.
Soon, her internship certificate and resignation procedures were completed.
The scent of red ink mixed with paper smelled like the most wonderful perfume to her. Ruan Li felt completely at ease.
After leaving the administrative office, she could still hear people inside gossiping:
“Young people these days can’t handle hardship. Resigning might feel good in the moment, but finding another job is like walking into a crematorium.”
“She’ll probably want to come back and work here again in a few days.”
“Exactly, I’ve seen this kind of situation many times.”
…
Ruan Li returned to the planning department to pack her things.
Since she had been planning to resign for a while, she didn’t have much to pack—just one bag.
Her colleagues were all in a meeting, and she didn’t plan to say goodbye to them anyway, as their relationship hadn’t been particularly pleasant.
Just as she stepped out of the office, she ran into Jiang Siyan.
Jiang Siyan was furious. “Ruan Li, where have you been? Why didn’t you attend the meeting?”
“I resig—”
Before she could finish the word, Jiang Siyan fired off like a machine gun, “Are you always this lazy at work, skipping department meetings? Are you taking advantage of your relationship with me to slack off at the company? If that’s the case, you should leave as soon as possible!”
Ruan Li laughed in disbelief. “What relationship do we have?”
Jiang Siyan replied, “Of course—”
“A Si, what are you doing here?” A sweet, crisp female voice interrupted Jiang Siyan.
It was An Shengnan, who walked over and linked arms with Jiang Siyan.
“A Si, the people from the Fu Corporation have arrived. They’re waiting for my presentation, and I’m a little nervous. It’s a shame the Fu Family Crown Prince didn’t come.”
“Relax, you’re already doing great,” Jiang Siyan comforted An Shengnan.
He then turned to Ruan Li with a dissatisfied look. “If you want to keep working at Jiang Corporation, prepare a written apology as soon as possible and apologize to Nan Nan in front of the entire company tomorrow.”
“Why should I apologize?”
“Because you tried to take credit for Nannan’s work. It’s despicable and utterly shameless.”
Ruan Li laughed.
Perhaps it was because she was about to get her household registration booklet, or perhaps it was because the Fu family had extended an olive branch, giving her the confidence to escape this arranged marriage.
She stared at Jiang Siyan. “With a blind and foolish heir like you, the Jiang family is truly a blessing for its competitors.”
With that, without even glancing at Jiang Siyan, whose face had turned as dark as a pot, she turned and left the Jiang Corporation building.
Ruan Li returned to school and submitted her internship certificate.
To save up for a house, she picked up her previous part-time jobs again. She specifically contacted the owner of the bridal shop where she used to work as a model, asking if they still needed one.
The owner was thrilled. “Yes, yes! It’s great that you can shoot! The new collection will arrive in a few days! But, Lili, are you really not considering shooting couple photos? I can pay you double.”
Ruan Li was tempted.
The owner added, “You can look forward to the male model this time. He’s from your school too! That face, that waist, those legs—he’s practically a supermodel!”
Ruan Li was curious. “Who is it?”
“Well…” The owner hesitated awkwardly. “I don’t know his name yet. He’s not interested in modeling, and no matter how much I tried to persuade him, it didn’t work. But trust me, sweetie, his looks paired with yours would be a perfect match! You two would be the ultimate power couple in bridal modeling!”
The owner got all fired up.
Though Ruan Li had no idea what she was so excited about.
Double pay was very tempting. Previously, she had avoided couple bridal shoots because of Jiang Siyan.
Now that she had firmly decided to leave him behind, she naturally wouldn’t pass up this opportunity.
“Alright, let’s do the couple shoot then.”
“Great! See you this weekend!”
Perhaps leaving the Jiang Corporation had brought Ruan Li some good luck.
In her part-time job group chat, she picked up another dog-walking gig.
The client was a female executive with a Bernese Mountain Dog. Ruan Li had walked it a few times before.
Energetic, gentle, friendly with people, and most importantly, adorable.
Ruan Li had once considered getting one herself but gave up after checking the price.
Too expensive!
As usual, the pet owner gave Ruan Li a one-time door lock code, and she went to walk the dog.
Familiar with the route, Ruan Li arrived at the villa area.
“Lulu,” she called the Bernese Mountain Dog’s name.
“Woof! Woof!” The large dog, who had been lying listlessly on the floor, perked up at the sound, opened its mouth wide, wagged its tail, and ran into the living room, nearly knocking Ruan Li over.
“Good boy.” It had been a while since Ruan Li last saw Lulu, so she affectionately patted its head. “Where’s your leash?”
“Right here.” A male voice sounded.
Ruan Li froze, her first thought being that the dog had gained sentience.
Realizing the voice came from the wrong direction, she hesitantly looked up and saw someone she never expected to find here.
“Shi Yu? What are you doing here?”
“Work.”
“Oh.” Ruan Li gave an “I understand” look but couldn’t help asking, “For people in your line of work, home service must be expensive, right?”
“What are you thinking!” Shi Yu raised his hand and tapped her forehead. “Legitimate work.”
Fu Shiyu had come to discuss business with his cousin, but she had an unexpected international meeting and stood him up.
Just as he was about to leave, he spotted the girl cuddling and kissing the dog.
“My cousin said she hired someone to walk the dog. I didn’t expect it to be you.” Shi Yu leaned against the arched doorway. “Don’t you think this is fate?”
Ruan Li ignored him, her attention entirely on the dog.
It had been a while, and the Bernese Mountain Dog had grown even bigger.
The fluffy texture felt wonderful to hold in her arms.
She raised her hand, “Give me the leash.”
Shi Yu’s dark eyes deepened.
His cold, pale, slender fingers toyed with the black leash he had just bought for the Bernese Mountain Dog. Then, he handed it to Ruan Li.
Ruan Li’s attention was entirely on the dog. She took the leash but found she couldn’t pull it.
She looked up in confusion, her pupils trembling.