Seize power—be the master of yourself, the master of others, the master of the game.
Fate belongs to oneself.
It cannot be fenced off by someone else's "rules."
"Let's go."
After several rounds of drinks, the man was slightly tipsy.
The matter at Buying Hall had come to an end. Boss Wang left with a bow and a scrape, but before he went, he cast a meaningful glance at Chen Zhuyue and said in a fawning tone, "Little Chen, since you're friends with Chairman Zhao, that makes you a friend of mine too. I hear you're renting a place now—how can that be! I happen to have a newly purchased property on hand. It's not big, just three bedrooms and a living room, a little over a hundred square meters. Perfect for a young lady like you. If you don't mind, find some time later and I'll have someone help you move in."
This was Shengjing.
A property of over a hundred square meters, worth millions—just given away like that?
From Boss Wang, Chen Zhuyue once again witnessed the existence of power.
When you stand high, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Even someone as insignificant as her, a nobody at Chan Gong, could see her value skyrocket just because of a signal from Zhao Linye.
Chen Zhuyue was not tempted, nor did she show any delight on her face.
She knew all too well that in Boss Wang's eyes, she was nothing.
She merely stood behind Zhao Linye, and beneath his shadow, she drew attention.
"You're too kind, Boss Wang. I don't deserve such favors without merit. I'm just one person—my rented place suits me just fine."
She smiled in response, declining politely.
Boss Wang was an old fox. He wasn't angered by the refusal. Instead, he smiled again and reminded Chen Zhuyue, "Chairman Zhao has had a few too many drinks. Make sure you see him home."
Chen Zhuyue nodded without a word.
Once he was gone, the man beside her straightened up slightly. "You're quite sharp."
Chen Zhuyue was startled and quickly looked at him. "Chairman Zhao, you're not drunk?"
His eyes were clear, his brow composed—he didn't look drunk at all.
"The wine at a banquet is honey, it's poison, it's double-edged duplicity. You thought I was drunk—where were you planning to take me?"
He had heard everything just said.
Chen Zhuyue's heart raced again, but she answered with perfect composure: "You have Secretary Cheng in the car, Chairman. Wherever you need to go, you don't need me to see you home. Boss Wang's words weren't aimed at me—they were aimed at you."
Zhao Linye fixed his gaze on her, his eyes deepening.
Then he suddenly smiled. "People say that whoever enters Chan Gong dreams of plucking a branch from the laurel tree. Chen Zhuyue, your name is beautiful, and so are you. Tell me—when you entered Chan Gong, which branch did you hope to pluck?"
The scent of alcohol washed over her as he stepped closer.
Perhaps it was the rain outside, or the way the drink made the man even more captivating—his sharp brows, his languid manner, mature and magnetic—Chen Zhuyue's heart pounded faster and faster.
She gripped the umbrella in her hand, her fingers tightening. Zhao Linye leaned down slightly, his gaze fixed on her face. "You know I like clean scents. You don't wear perfume—that was deliberate."
Chen Zhuyue's expression shifted slightly. She opened her mouth—
"Calculating, scheming, a little clever too. But still too green. Are you… up to it?"
He raised his hand, his fingers brushing lightly across her cheek. "To rise above others, the price is steep and the road is hard. Chen Zhuyue, your eyes are beautiful—like stars in the sky, filling the night."
He was very close now, his breath warm against her face.
It was like an appraisal, or perhaps a study.
Chen Zhuyue dared not move, her heart thundering in her chest. But the man's lowered brow seemed only to look at her more closely—he made no further move.
After a moment, Zhao Linye straightened up, and the faint flicker of emotion in his eyes once again hardened into lofty indifference and detachment.
"Think it over carefully. Give me your answer."
Zhao Linye said. The luxury car pulled into the portico, and Zhao Linye got in. The car paused momentarily. As Chen Zhuyue watched in surprise, Secretary Cheng stepped out and handed her a business card, a smile in his eyes. "Miss Chen, the Chairman said that if you've made up your mind, give him a call."
A card. A name. A string of numbers.
It was his private number.
Chen Zhuyue took the card with careful hands, and suddenly her blood was boiling.
The hook had been cast. The first signs of success were showing.
"Beep, beep beep!"
Sister Chu's car pulled up, and the window rolled down. "Get in. I'll take you back."
Chen Zhuyue hesitated. Sister Chu said, "Chairman Zhao's orders."
She let out a breath and opened the door to get in.
Sister Chu drove well, steady and smooth. The words she spoke were part advice, part warning: "To a man, a woman is nothing more than a novelty. If you want to hold a man for the long term, you need more than your body—you need your own skills."
Using beauty to please is no long-term strategy.
"Thank you, Sister Chu."
Loose lips sink ships. Chen Zhuyue pretended not to understand. Sister Chu's deep gaze swept over her, and she said no more.
Back at her rented apartment, Chen Zhuyue called her father. "I've gotten close to Zhao Linye. That's half the battle won. But he said he wants me to think it over carefully."
She understood what "think it over carefully" meant.
Father Chen was silent for a moment, then spoke in a weary tone: "Yueyue, you didn't make this call to ask for my opinion. You made it to inform me."
Chen Zhuyue's eyes glistened slightly. "Dad, in this era, it's hard for a woman to succeed. One path is relying on a man, the other is relying on herself."
In ancient times, even the one and only Empress—didn't she first rely on a man?
No matter how formidable a woman is, she can never escape the bonds of romance and allure.
Father Chen fell silent again, this time for even longer. Chen Zhuyue didn't hang up; she waited patiently.
Father Chen finally spoke. "As for Zhao Linye, you're reaching above your station, and he's settling for less. Since he gave you his business card, it means there's something about you he admires. Your father isn't much of a man—I can't help you, and I'm only making you worry about the family…"
"Yes, I know."
Clean, innocent—or rather, foolishly naive—that was what he needed.
A man skilled in scheming most desires a piece of pure, untainted ground.
And she, as it happened, was beautiful, and she was that pure ground.
So she stepped into the game.
"Yueyue, be careful in everything."
The call ended.
Chen Zhuyue checked the time—ten o'clock at night.
She took a deep breath, ran a bath, and washed herself thoroughly clean.
No perfume, just the fresh scent of soap.
After drying her hair, she sat on the bed and called Zhao Linye.
At eleven o'clock, his private phone rang on the desk in his study.
Caller: Chen Zhuyue.
Zhao Linye had long since had everything about her investigated.
A girl from Shancheng, college graduate, twenty-three years old, with clear ambitions—Plucking the Laurel from the Moon Palace.
Beyond that, her height, weight, preferences, and tastes—all of it was on his desk.
He picked up the phone but didn't speak, waiting for her to make the first move.
"Chairman Zhao, this is Chen Zhuyue. I'm sorry to disturb you so late."
Her soft voice drifted into his ear, like the cheerful babbling of a mountain stream when the spring snow melts.
Crisp and clear, utterly pleasant to the ear.
The corner of Zhao Linye's mouth lifted slightly. His back, stiff and weary from poring over documents, shifted as he rolled his shoulders and sat upright against the chair.
"Have you made up your mind?"
His steady voice seemed to carry the power to command hearts.
Zhao Linye listened to the sound of rain outside, thought of the girl's lovely figure, and then of her fair, rounded skin.
Gradually, desire stirred within him.