The interview notice arrived much faster than expected.
At nine o’clock the next morning, Chu Yiran was squatting in the bathroom brushing her teeth, her mouth full of foam, when her phone vibrated on the sink.
An email.
“Dear Ms. Chu Yiran, thank you for applying for the Administrative Affairs Specialist position at Shen Group.”
“After preliminary screening, we cordially invite you to attend an interview at 2:00 p.m. today at the Human Resources Department on the 37th floor of Shen Group Headquarters Building.”
Chu Yiran nearly swallowed her toothbrush.
This afternoon?
She glanced down at her wrinkled pajamas and the red rash on her neck that hadn’t fully faded—not a good sign.
But time waits for no one. One day of the three-day deadline Shen Yu had given her had already passed; she had to seize every opportunity.
Over the next three hours, Chu Yiran cleaned herself up, over and over again.
Makeup, blow-drying her hair, changing clothes.
The closet was filled with the original owner’s gaudy dresses, none of which looked suitable for a formal interview.
After rummaging for a long time, she found a basic black blouse and a pair of gray trousers tucked away at the very back. They were probably bought by the original owner when she accompanied Song Qingwan to a business event—the tags were still attached.
After putting them on, she looked at herself in the mirror.
Not stunning, but at least she looked like a normal professional.
She deliberately used concealer to cover the rash on her neck, making sure it wasn’t noticeable from a distance, then grabbed her bag and headed out.
Shen Group Headquarters Building was located in the heart of Hecheng’s CBD. The entire sixty-two-story structure was clad in glass curtain walls, reflecting a cold, hard sheen under the sunlight.
Standing at the entrance, Chu Yiran looked up, and her heart began to beat uncontrollably faster.
The first floor of the building had a reception desk and security check.
Chu Yiran presented her interview email at the reception desk, registered her visitor information, received a temporary access card, and passed through the turnstile into the elevator lobby.
There were others in the elevator, all dressed in suits, expressionless, each holding a coffee cup.
The air was filled with the distinctive scent of a high-end office building—coffee, perfume, and air-conditioning filters mixed together, smelling expensive.
Chu Yiran stood in the corner, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible.
Ding.
The thirty-seventh floor arrived.
The receptionist at the Human Resources Department was a young woman wearing glasses. After Chu Yiran gave her name, she was led to a small conference room to wait.
Three people were already seated in the conference room, all seemingly there for interviews.
Two men and one woman, each looking down at their phones, the atmosphere quiet and somewhat oppressive.
Chu Yiran took a seat near the door, pulled out her phone to pretend to check messages, while secretly observing her surroundings.
The conference room walls were adorned with Shen Group’s corporate culture slogans—words like “efficiency,” “precision,” and “excellence,” each character written with sharp strokes.
After waiting about twenty minutes, the receptionist came in to call numbers.
“Chu Yiran?”
“Here.”
When she stood up, her legs felt a bit weak, but she managed to maintain a calm exterior.
The person interviewing her was a supervisor from the Human Resources Department, in her early thirties, with short hair, wearing a sharply tailored gray suit. A work badge pinned to her chest read “Zhao Ling.”
Zhao Ling flipped through Chu Yiran’s resume and glanced up at her.
“Chu Yiran, twenty-two years old, graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Management from Hecheng University of Technology.”
“Your previous work experience is listed as… personal assistant?”
“Yes.”
Chu Yiran straightened her back. “I previously worked as a personal assistant for an entrepreneur for two years, mainly responsible for schedule management, travel coordination, and document organization.”
It was all fabricated—the original owner’s experience as a personal assistant amounted to carrying Song Qingwan’s bags. But Chu Yiran had prepared her responses thoroughly, ensuring every detail could be justified.
Zhao Ling asked a few more routine questions: proficiency with office software, willingness to work overtime, and salary expectations.
Chu Yiran answered each one calmly and confidently.
Eight minutes into the interview, Zhao Ling set down the resume and leaned back in her chair, looking at Chu Yiran.
“To be honest, your qualifications aren’t the most outstanding among today’s candidates.”
Chu Yiran’s heart sank.
“But there’s one thing I’m curious about.”
Zhao Ling pointed to a line on the resume. “In your self-evaluation, you wrote: ‘Extremely resilient under pressure, adept at solving problems quickly in high-stress environments.'”
“Can you give an example?”
Chu Yiran looked at the line, her mind racing.
Then she smiled and said, “The boss I previously worked for had a very short temper.”
“Once, during a business trip, he suddenly demanded changes to the entire itinerary—including flights, hotels, and the timing of three meetings—and gave me two hours to sort it all out.”
“At the time, there were no available options to change the flights. I contacted the VIP hotlines of three airlines while simultaneously coordinating hotels and meeting venues in two cities. In the end, I completed all the adjustments in one hour and forty-five minutes.”
Zhao Ling’s expression softened slightly.
“Alright, that concludes today’s interview. You’ll be notified of the result within three business days.”
Chu Yiran thanked her and stood up to leave.
Just as she reached the conference room door, Zhao Ling suddenly called out from behind.
“Chu Yiran.”
“Hmm?” She turned around.
Zhao Ling hesitated for a moment before saying something cryptic: “The direct supervisor for the Administrative Affairs Specialist position is the Deputy Director of the Administrative Department.”
“The Deputy Director hasn’t been in the best mood lately. If you receive an offer, be prepared.”
Chu Yiran was taken aback but nodded and thanked her.
As she walked out of the Human Resources Department, she couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhao Ling’s final remark was a bit odd.
But then again, difficult bosses were all too common in the workplace. If she dared to work in Shen Yu’s territory, why should she fear a deputy director?
While the elevator descended, she took out her phone and glanced at it.
There were no new messages in S’s chat window—unusually quiet for a man who would transfer money three times in a row.
Chu Yiran put her phone away and silently cheered herself on.
Stepping out through the revolving doors of the Shen Group building, sunlight fell on her face. She took a deep breath of fresh air.
The first step had been taken.
Back at her apartment, she opened her laptop and began the second task.
Researching the organizational structure of the Shen Group.
If she was going to work there, she needed to figure out one thing in advance: which floors and areas Shen Yu frequented, so she could avoid them like the plague.
There was plenty of publicly available information about the Shen Group.
Annual reports, press releases, industry analyses—a quick online search turned up dozens of pages.
The CEO’s office was on the 62nd floor, the executive level occupied floors 58 to 61, and the general administrative departments were spread across floors 30 to 40.
Chu Yiran’s position as an Administrative Affairs Specialist would place her on the 35th floor.
That should be far enough.
Additionally, the CEO typically uses dedicated elevators and VIP channels when traveling, so their paths hardly overlap with those of ordinary employees.
A faint smile touched the corner of her lips.
The safety distance was sufficient.
However, while researching, she noticed a detail that sent chills down her spine.
For the past six months, Shen Group had been fiercely competing with the Song family for a major project—the development rights of the integrated complex in the Lin’gang New District of Hecheng.
Both sides had entered the final bidding stage, and the results were reportedly set to be announced next month.
The rivalry between the two had escalated to a fever pitch.
And she, coincidentally, was someone who had fled from the side of the Song family’s heiress.
If someone investigated her background and discovered her previous private assistant work was linked to Song Qingwan…
Chu Yiran wrote a line in her memo: “Under no circumstances should Song Qingwan’s name appear on the resume.”
Fortunately, the work experience she had fabricated used fictional employer information, so no one would dig deeper for now.
But she had to remain vigilant at all times.
At ten o’clock that night, as Chu Yiran lay in bed staring at the ceiling, ready to fall asleep, her phone rang again.
It wasn’t S—it was Song Qingwan.
“Feeling better? Has the allergic reaction subsided?”
Chu Yiran rolled over and replied, “Much better. The rash on my neck is almost gone. Thanks for your concern, Wanwan.”
“Alright. There’s a brand event the day after tomorrow. Are you coming?”
Chu Yiran thought for a moment and replied, “The doctor said my immunity is low lately and advised me to avoid crowded places. Can I take a few days off?”
Song Qingwan sent an exasperated emoji.
“Fine, I’ll find someone else.”
Chu Yiran put down her phone, her feelings complicated.
She didn’t like what the original host had done to Song Qingwan.
Secretly taking photos, stealing images, using the other’s face to scam money—no matter how you looked at it, Song Qingwan had at least treated her decently on the surface.
Though she often ordered her around, she never delayed her salary, and today, when something happened, she had arranged for medical help immediately.
But as touched as she felt, she couldn’t stay by Song Qingwan’s side any longer.
The closer she was to Song Qingwan, the closer she was to Shen Yu discovering the truth.
Once she entered Shen Group, she would have to find a way to gradually cut ties with Song Qingwan.
Quietly, without leaving a trace.
She rolled over again, pulling the blanket over her head.
Just who was that deputy director of the administrative department Zhao Ling mentioned, the one in a bad mood?