“Hello, I’m here for the interview.”
Si Yao appeared at a subsidiary company formerly under the Ding Group, carrying her resume. According to the information provided by the system, Ding Hongyuan worked at this subsidiary. As long as she could join the company, being “close to the water” would make it much easier than trying to manufacture coincidences from the outside.
“Xiao Youyi, right?” the HR representative scanned the materials. “You are number 19. Just wait for your number to be called.”
Si Yao had arrived quite early. The lobby chairs were already filled with applicants, and the queue extended toward the side entrance. She walked to the very end of the line and sat down. She had always been the one interviewing others; she hadn’t expected that after so many years, she would be the one being interviewed.
Si Yao couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Looking at the large blank spaces on her resume, she felt an even greater headache. She felt helpless over how many times the original host, Xiao Youyi, had neglected her studies; now she couldn’t even produce a decent-looking resume and would have to rely entirely on improvisation during the interview.
More applicants arrived in quick succession. The line grew so long that there weren’t enough chairs, and people began probing one another for backgrounds and insider tips. Si Yao heard rumors that the Ding Group had recently been acquired by a large conglomerate, resulting in a purge of personnel and many vacant positions. No wonder there were so many people here.
The interviews began on time. Several interviewers arrived five minutes early. In the crowd, one could immediately spot a handsome man in a sharp suit.
One of today’s interviewers was also Si Yao’s target—Ding Hongyuan.
Ding Hongyuan didn’t notice her. He looked straight ahead with an air of integrity, making many of the female job seekers feel a flutter in their hearts. Si Yao only gave him a faint glance. While he was handsome, he wasn’t her type. Her first impression was average; if not for the mission requirements, she likely wouldn’t want any interaction with him at all.
Meanwhile, the girls nearby were already discussing who the interviewer was. Only Si Yao sat upright, eyes focused and mind calm, repeatedly rehearsing her interview lines in her head.
It was soon Si Yao’s turn. She performed with composure and clear logic. She had never been nervous even when negotiating billion-dollar projects, let alone a mere job interview. However, her lackluster work history and educational background still cost her points. The final result was for her to “go home and wait for notification.”
Si Yao was satisfied with this result. She could feel Ding Hongyuan’s probing gaze on her throughout the process; he had been smiling the whole time, clearly pleased with Xiao Youyi’s physical appearance. Simultaneously, the favorability progress bar turned from gray to red, instantly jumping to 10.
If not for the other interviewers present, he probably would have handed her his phone number then and there. She figured that, barring any accidents, Ding Hongyuan would make sure she stayed. Finally, she could end her part-time job at the bar.
Ding—
[System]: Current task completed. Releasing next task. [System]: Ding Hongyuan will appear at the bar tonight. Increase favorability to 20, exchange contact information, and successfully secure the job.
In the days after Xiao Youyi left, Cang Xuehe had several dreams at night. The face in those dreams belonged to Xiao Youyi, leaving her feeling lethargic and increasingly regretful that she hadn’t asked for her contact information first.
Cang Xuehe sighed once more. Zhao Yi, hearing her sigh several times throughout the evening, finally couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you have something on your mind? You’ve been sighing all night.”
“Ah?” Cang Xuehe snapped back to reality. “Have I?”
“Ask them if you don’t believe me.” Zhao Yi tilted her chin, throwing the question to the manicurist. The manicurist smiled and said, “Miss Cang seems to have something on her mind.”
“Ugh…” Cang Xuehe pursed her lips. She looked at her nails; the previous host’s messy manicure had been stripped away, and the terrifyingly long nails had been trimmed until they were smooth and neat. Only then did she feel comfortable.
The manicurist, being tactful, quickly said, “Miss Cang, your nails are finished according to your requirements. I’ll step out now; just call me if you need anything.”
Only the two of them remained in the private room. Zhao Yi was waiting for her nails to dry. After thinking it over, Cang Xuehe decided that Zhao Yi was currently the best person to talk to about this private matter.
“It’s like this… a few days ago, I met someone near the bar.”
“??!” Zhao Yi’s eyes lit up instantly, sparkling with the spirit of gossip. “Now you’ve got my attention! Is a ‘second spring’ coming your way?”
“What are you talking about?” Cang Xuehe frowned. “We only met once, but I’ve been dreaming about her constantly for the past two days.”
“That’s ‘thinking by day, dreaming by night,'” Zhao Yi said, sounding like an expert on relationships. “Otherwise, why would you dream of her after just one meeting? It can only mean she left a deep impression on you, and you’re longing to see her again.”
“I say, since you’ve dreamed about her several times already, just ask her out and see her. Save yourself from those ‘vanishing dreams.'”
“What ‘vanishing dreams’!” Cang Xuehe glared at her. “My dreams are very pure! We’re just ordinary friends.”
“Yes, yes, yes,” Zhao Yi nodded dismissively. “Ordinary friends can also be asked out. Who knows, maybe things will upgrade.”
“To be honest, I don’t have her contact information,” Cang Xuehe frowned. “Forget it.”
“Don’t!” Zhao Yi said hurriedly. “Which family’s son is he? You should at least know his name? I’ll help you look into it.”
“You won’t be able to find out.” This was what worried Cang Xuehe. If Xiao Youyi were the daughter of some conglomerate, it would be easy to find out everything through friends. But Xiao Youyi was just an ordinary citizen. In a city of tens of millions, finding one person wasn’t easy, and she couldn’t exactly post “Missing Person” notices all over the streets.
“I can only say we were meant to meet, but not meant to be.”
Seeing Cang Xuehe’s dejected look, Zhao Yi thought she didn’t look at all like the “demon” Miss Cang who had tortured her scumbag ex-boyfriend. She looked exactly like a pure-hearted girl in the throes of first love without realizing it!
Truly, wonders never cease.
“You didn’t really fall in love at first sight, did you? Then you have to find him. Since you’re single now, find him, get to know him better, and if it feels right, start a new relationship.”
“Let’s not talk about this anymore.” The more they talked, the more frustrated Cang Xuehe felt, so she cut the conversation short.
“Alright.” Zhao Yi checked the time. “We’re done with the nails and it’s still early. I’ll take you to the bar—drown your sorrows in a drink!”
“No, I don’t want to go.” Cang Xuehe refused without a second thought. At first, it was for the novelty, but later she realized these rich second-generation kids spent all their time in bars. She couldn’t stand it and preferred finding a quiet bar to sit and chat.
“Didn’t you say you met him near the bar? There’s a high probability he hangs out there. Maybe you’ll run into him as soon as you go. Are you sure you don’t want to go?” Zhao Yi tempted her on purpose. “It’s a fifty percent chance~~ if you don’t go, the chance is zero.”
Cang Xuehe hesitated, but under Zhao Yi’s persuasion, she eventually agreed. Deep down, she had a tiny bit of hope that she would see Xiao Youyi again.
She wanted to tell her… that the breakfast was quite delicious.
That was all!
After finishing their nails, the two didn’t linger and headed straight for the bar. On the way, Zhao Yi glanced at Cang Xuehe in the passenger seat through the rearview mirror.
“Xuehe, I was saying, it’s about time you went to get a driver’s license. Before, you had that scumbag Ding as your dedicated chauffeur, but now it’s inconvenient for you to get around, and you won’t let your family arrange a driver for you.”
“Oh, right.” Cang Xuehe realized belatedly—she had been feeling like something was off. In the real world, she had taken advantage of student discounts during university and gotten her license early. After getting it, she’d hit the road a few times, but once she started working, she mostly commuted by subway and forgot she even had a license.
But… that was the real-world version of herself. The Cang Xuehe of this world didn’t have a license!
“I need to go sign up at a driving school and get my certificate as soon as possible!” Cang Xuehe’s fighting spirit soared. she was already imagining herself driving a Ferrari with one hand—the very thought was magnificent.
As they passed the street corner where she had encountered Xiao Youyi that night, Cang Xuehe couldn’t resist rolling down the window and poking her head out to look.
The weather was lovely today, though the night breeze was a bit chilly. There were only a few drunk people on the road, walking unsteadily with their arms around each other’s shoulders.
“Hey, tell me about that person you fell for at first sight,” Zhao Yi asked, unable to suppress her gossipy soul. “Is he handsome?”
Cang Xuehe knew immediately that Zhao Yi had misunderstood, but it wasn’t surprising. The original female lead had been desperately in love with Ding Hongyuan; she was clearly a straight woman. If she revealed now that the person was a woman, Zhao Yi would probably slam on the brakes in shock and go flying. Besides, it wasn’t certain they’d even meet again, so she figured she should just dodge the topic for now.
“Pretty good-looking.”
“What are his features?”
Features?
Cang Xuehe thought about it carefully. Aside from Xiao Youyi being beautiful and tall, there wasn’t anything particularly striking. Her hairstyle wasn’t flashy either—just long hair falling past her shoulders, like the girl next door.
However, the aura she radiated was a type of maturity that didn’t match her age at all.
“None,” Cang Xuehe snapped back to reality. “Just that she… he… is good-looking.”
Zhao Yi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You really are a sucker for a pretty face.”
“Wait!” Cang Xuehe suddenly remembered. “I think there’s a tattoo on her wrist.”
“What kind of tattoo?”
“I don’t know!” She vaguely remembered it being pink and quite small, but she hadn’t looked closely at the time.
“…”
Zhao Yi sighed and maneuvered the car perfectly into a parking space.
“Alright, let’s not dwell on it. Big sister is going to take you to find a romantic encounter tonight!”
Cang Xuehe had been here several times now and was already a regular. Usually, she and Zhao Yi sat in a spacious booth for comfort, but this time Zhao Yi dragged her to sit at the bar.
The bar offered a great vantage point, allowing them to take in the diverse crowd around them.
“Oh,” Zhao Yi let out a small gasp of surprise. “Guess who I see.”
Without even turning her head, Cang Xuehe replied, “It couldn’t possibly be my lover.”
“I see Ding Hongyuan and his gang.”
The moment the words left Zhao Yi’s mouth, Cang Xuehe turned around quickly. She saw several wealthy young playboys sitting in a nearby booth, but Ding Hongyuan wasn’t among them.
“Ding Hongyuan is usually with them. I just saw him heading toward the restrooms,” Zhao Yi said. “That scumbag seems to be in a good mood today; he’s even in the mood for a drink.”
Cang Xuehe had been feeling bored, but now things were getting interesting.
“Then I’ll just have to ruin his mood.”
Cang Xuehe huffed coldly. Even if the engagement between their families had been called off, it hadn’t been that long since the breakup, yet Ding Hongyuan was already at a bar looking for a “romantic encounter.” It seemed he hadn’t cared much about the relationship at all; the original female lead’s two years of youth had truly been wasted on him.
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“No need.” Cang Xuehe waved her hand and said without looking back, “Even if you gave him ten fingers now, he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on me.”
There was a long corridor leading to the bar’s restrooms. Being far from the deafening center of the club, it was much quieter, and couples would occasionally flirt there.
Cang Xuehe stood at the entrance of the corridor. She saw Ding Hongyuan.
The scumbag was talking to a girl selling liquor. Without even thinking, one could tell Young Master Ding had his eye on her and was flirting.
From her angle, she could only see the back of the liquor girl. From behind, she was tall, with long, slender legs beneath a hip-hugging skirt.
Ding Hongyuan had a grin on his face that was something else entirely; his eyes were practically glued to her.
“Then I’ll…” Ding Hongyuan took a business card out of his pocket to hand to her, but out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Cang Xuehe. His expression changed instantly, his face freezing completely.
He didn’t dare move a muscle.