The magazine where Ruan Jiaqi worked was called The Age of Quiet Luxury, a fashion publication primarily aimed at urban women. Her position was assistant to the deputy editor-in-chief.
She changed into a loose-fitting brown plaid qipao with a mandarin collar and short sleeves. After a quick wash and getting ready, she hurried downstairs.
The Hua family had its own dedicated chauffeur. The other members of the Hua family did not usually live at this villa, so Uncle Wu only needed to be responsible for her transportation.
The car assigned to Uncle Wu by the Hua family, although nowhere near as extravagantly luxurious as Hua Feng’s Shadow Extreme, was still a luxury vehicle worth tens of millions of yuan. It was comfortable and rode smoothly.
On the way to work, Ruan Jiaqi took the opportunity to study her little phone.
It was clear that the original owner, like her, was someone with very few friends. There were no unread messages, and the posts on her social media feed were equally monotonous.
The only pinned contact was saved under the name “Aunt.”
The long chat history unfolded coldly before her eyes. Almost all of it consisted of one-sided transfers of money from her, sometimes large and sometimes small, with only a few words scattered among them.
Relying on the fragmentary memories of the original owner, Ruan Jiaqi spent some time familiarizing herself with the various functions of the phone. When she finally looked up, the car had just stopped in front of the magazine office where the original owner worked.
The office was located in the trendiest district along the river in Shanghai, neighboring international luxury brands such as Hermès and Chanel. The interior was also decorated with a strong sense of design.
The moment Ruan Jiaqi stepped into the office, the faint chatter abruptly died down.
Everyone’s gaze, like leaves stirred by the wind, instantly converged on her. Yet as she approached, they all pretended not to see her, scattering in every direction as though avoiding her.
Ruan Jiaqi was standing there alone, looking around for her workstation, when the editor-in-chief called her into the office.
The editor-in-chief, Anais, was a woman in her early forties from Shanghai. She had short hair and dressed in a simple, gender-neutral style. She looked like a capable, decisive, and highly sophisticated career woman.
The editor-in-chief’s office was decorated in cool shades of gray and white, with expansive river views visible through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
“Have a seat.”
Anais handed her a bottle of sparkling water. Her fingertips unconsciously tapped against the smooth tabletop as she turned her gaze toward Ruan Jiaqi.
“There’s something I need to bring to your attention. Deputy Editor Wang received a temporary assignment from headquarters last night. She’s going to Paris to participate in a six-month collaborative project for young designers.”
“You know that our magazine originally didn’t have a position for an assistant editor. We created this headcount specifically because of your circumstances. Deputy Editor Wang was responsible for mentoring you, but now that she’ll be away for six months…”
Anais paused slightly, watching Ruan Jiaqi’s reaction.
Seeing no change in her expression, Anais adjusted her posture and spoke in a gentle yet almost non-negotiable tone.
“Given the current situation, several of our senior writers have made it clear that they don’t have any suitable work to assign you for the time being.”
“So my suggestion is, Jiaqi, that you temporarily take a leave of absence and go home to rest for a while. Once a position more suited to your abilities becomes available, we can see how to arrange things.”
Her words were impeccable, leaving no room for refusal.
Ruan Jiaqi’s clear eyes quietly rested on Anais’s face.
“So, does that mean I can go home now?”
“Yes.” Looking at the excessively calm face before her, Anais found that all the prepared lines she had rehearsed were completely useless. She could only nod. “You can leave now.”
“Okay.”
Ruan Jiaqi stood up, then hesitantly shook the bottle of sparkling water in her hand and asked softly, “Excuse me, may I take this with me?”
Anais froze for a moment and instinctively stood up as well.
“Of—of course. Take it with you and drink it on the way.”
The young woman held the transparent glass bottle of sparkling water with both hands, her eyes curving into a bright smile.
“Thank you, Editor-in-Chief. Goodbye.”
Watching that slender, tranquil figure gradually disappear from view, Anais could not help but sigh softly.
She was such a good child. Not only was she exceptionally beautiful, but she was also rare in being diligent and conscientious. She had never made a mistake in any task assigned to her.
What a pity.
Marrying into a wealthy family was like swallowing a needle.
Anais slowly withdrew her gaze, picked up her phone from the desk, and sent a message to Zeng Yunhua.
[Madam, the matter you instructed me to handle has been taken care of.]
Back in the car, Ruan Jiaqi first held the exquisitely crafted glass bottle up to the sunlight, admiring and playing with it for a while. Then she curiously twisted open the cap and cautiously took a sip.
Mm…
Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!
How awful!
There wasn’t the slightest bit of sweetness, and there was even a strange, slightly bitter taste.
Ruan Jiaqi wrinkled her little face and forced herself to swallow it before reluctantly twisting the cap back on.
She still preferred the iced Coke from last time.
But… if she didn’t finish it, it would feel like such a waste.
Ruan Jiaqi stared at the glass bottle, frowning in troubled concentration, her tiny eyebrows knitted together.
Suddenly, her phone, which had been as quiet as a brick, began ringing incessantly.
The Hua Group had numerous businesses under its umbrella, and the actual controlling company of The Age of Quiet Luxury was also one of Hua’s subsidiaries.
The original owner had always kept a low profile. Apart from the editor-in-chief and deputy editor-in-chief, none of her other colleagues at the magazine knew her true identity as the wife of the president of the Hua Group. They simply assumed she was an ordinary nepotistic hire who had been parachuted into the company, and therefore they had always intentionally or unintentionally excluded her.
Now that they had learned that this well-connected employee had actually been the first one to lose her job, her colleagues began sending her fake expressions of concern while secretly enjoying the spectacle and releasing some of their pent-up workplace stress.
Ruan Jiaqi opened her phone and discovered that she had been added to a group chat.
[Jiaqi, are you okay? Are you all right? [Hug]]
[Don’t be sad! It’s just a job. You can always find another one. It’s not worth crying and making yourself sick over!]
[You worked so hard for Deputy Editor Wang all this time. How could such a great opportunity to be sent abroad on assignment come up and she not take you along? I’m really heartbroken for you…]
Ruan Jiaqi knew nothing about workplace intrigue. She genuinely thought they were concerned about her, so she carefully typed out her reply one letter at a time.
[Thank you, everyone, for your concern. I’m fine. I’m not sad at all. [Smile]]
Everyone in the group fell silent.
They had been waiting for Ruan Jiaqi to completely lose it and storm into the editor-in-chief’s office to make a scene.
But not only had she not cried or thrown a tantrum, there wasn’t even the slightest trace of dejection on her face!
How was that possible?
Surely no one in this world could lose such a good job without feeling anything inside.
It had to be an act.
The colleagues refused to give up and changed their approach.
[Jiaqi, what are you planning to do next?]
[Yeah, do you need us to help you get a referral somewhere? But the job market isn’t great right now, so you might not be able to find a salary at the same level as ours. You should prepare yourself for a pay cut.]
[Oh, you guys worry too much! Jiaqi has such powerful connections and resources. She was able to parachute into our magazine as an assistant to the deputy editor-in-chief right after graduating. So what if she was asked to leave? She has plenty of connections and definitely won’t have trouble finding another job, right, Jiaqi?]
Ruan Jiaqi had only just arrived in this world and had yet to develop the ability to detect sarcasm from text alone.
Having experienced such warm concern for the first time, her heart felt touched. So she decided to open up to her new friends.
Ruan Jiaqi: [Next, I’m planning to go see my husband.]
…
The group chat exploded instantly.
[What??? You’re already married? Aren’t you only just out of university? [Shocked]]
[Jiaqi, you’re only twenty-two! You actually got married this young… No wonder.]
[Where’s your husband’s photo??? Hurry up and send it so we can see! [Wicked grin] [Wicked grin]]
Ruan Jiaqi remembered that the original owner had deliberately engineered a situation involving Hua Feng and taken intimate photographs of him before using them to marry into the Hua family. Those photographs were an absolutely forbidden and sensitive topic between her and Hua Feng.
So she lowered her head, feeling a little guilty as she carefully considered her wording.
[Sorry, that wouldn’t be appropriate. He’d be angry.]
On the other end of the screen, the faces that had been excited just moments ago now looked as though someone had overturned a five-flavored condiment jar. Their expressions turned green, then red.
They had failed to provoke her and instead ended up being force-fed a display of affection.
Hmph. So she was being supported by a man. No wonder she wasn’t anxious at all.
[Oh my, who would’ve thought? You’re actually one of those wives who are scared of their husbands~ We really hate to see you leave. Another rare species is disappearing from our magazine, haha.]
[Jiaqi, you said you’re going to see your husband later? You’re probably going on a date, right? Then you’d better dress up properly. That qipao you’re wearing today… well, it’s a little hard to describe…]
Ruan Jiaqi lowered her head and looked at the plaid qipao she was wearing, remembering the mockery from the wealthy young ladies at the banquet.
So, in the eyes of the people here, this kind of outfit really wasn’t considered attractive…
Her fair fingers curled slightly against her knee.
Ruan Jiaqi pursed her lips and humbly asked:
[I want to buy a new outfit. Could you recommend a few nice clothing stores for me?]
As if they had been waiting for her to say exactly that, someone in the group immediately sent an address.
It was the most expensive luxury shopping center in all of Shanghai, where the average customer spent 100,000 yuan.
After sending it, they didn’t forget to continue taking subtle jabs at her, thoughtfully adding:
[The shopping center is just a short distance from the intersection next to our office! [Location]]
[They’ve just launched their new seasonal collections! There are so many gorgeous new styles, and they’re perfect for dates~ You’d better look around carefully. Don’t miss out!]
[Exactly! Jiaqi, whatever you buy, make sure to post it in the group later! The girls can help you choose your outfit together. We’ll definitely put together the most stunning OOTD for you!]
Faced with so many enthusiastic suggestions, Ruan Jiaqi wanted to express her gratitude and also try to get along with her new friends.
So she deliberately imitated the way they typed and replied with a cute emoticon:
[Okay~ (๑•.•๑)]