Previously, in the office, Ruan Jiaqi had always seemed frugal and somewhat provincial in their eyes.
She never participated in group orders for afternoon tea, and her clothes were overly plain.
Her outfits were as bland as plain boiled water. To put it nicely, they were simple and clean. To be blunt, they were dowdy—neither fashionable nor stylish. In short, she had absolutely nothing to do with the word “fashion.”
The magazine regularly dealt with batches of sample clothes sent by brands for photo shoots. Employees could purchase them at discounted internal prices, yet Ruan Jiaqi had never been seen buying anything for herself.
They figured her family must not be well-off, and the man she married was probably nothing special either. He could pull strings to get her a job, but apparently wasn’t willing to spend money on her.
She was always so stingy and careful with money, yet now that she was about to leave, she suddenly wanted to put on a show and pretend to be wealthy. It seemed being dismissed from her job had really gotten to her.
Someone like her, who had neither an overseas education background nor any fashion sense, had occupied a position far beyond her abilities for long enough. It was about time she ran into some obstacles.
Everyone was waiting to see her make a fool of herself.
Half an hour later, Ruan Jiaqi sent several photos of clothes into the group chat.
[Could everyone help me take a look? Which one suits me better?]
The group members immediately began chattering away, pretending to be tactful while helping her choose several pieces.
They deliberately picked runway pieces that looked obviously expensive at first glance but were completely impractical for everyday wear.
They were convinced that Ruan Jiaqi was merely putting on a brave front and trying to save face. They were simply waiting to see how long she could keep up the act.
[Jiaqi, remember to take a photo of the receipt after you check out and send it to the group. We can help you see whether the sales associate added the points to your account~]
Ruan Jiaqi: [Okay~ Thank you, everyone.]
Not long afterward, a clear photo of a POS payment receipt appeared in the chat.
The group chat, which had been scrolling rapidly with chatter just moments ago, instantly fell silent.
Units, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, one hundred thousand…
One million…
…She had actually paid for everything?!
Everyone in the group was stunned. No one had expected her to have that kind of spending power.
Their original prediction had been that Ruan Jiaqi would grit her teeth and buy one or two pieces costing a few thousand yuan, take photos to show off in the group, and then immediately find an excuse to return them.
They never imagined she would actually swipe her card and spend over a million yuan in one go.
Whether she would eventually return the clothes was no longer important.
What mattered more was…
Her card could actually handle a million yuan.
The colleagues exchanged glances, each of them able to practically hear the others sucking in cold breaths from their respective workstations.
After a brief silence, someone struggled to break the tension.
[Jiaqi… spending this much money on clothes, won’t your husband get angry with you?]
[Yeah, maybe you should return the clothes. Don’t let a moment of impulse affect your relationship!]
Their words were filled with probing and utter disbelief.
An image of Hua Feng handing her this bank card the previous night flashed through Ruan Jiaqi’s mind. She thought for a moment before replying.
[No. He said this money was for me to use.]
The group fell silent again.
The sourness practically seeped through the screen.
Someone unwilling to give up continued piling it on.
[Did you only buy clothes? You should at least get one or two pieces of jewelry to go with them, otherwise it’ll look too plain.]
Jewelry?
Ruan Jiaqi blinked, reminded of something.
She took a pink diamond necklace out of her handbag. Under the bright lights of the store, its brilliance instantly illuminated the entire VIP reception room.
[Would this one work?]
She raised her phone, took a picture, and sent it to the group.
Beside her, the sales associate, who had maintained a professional smile throughout, couldn’t help sucking in a sharp breath.
She had served quite a few wealthy wives and knew her way around expensive jewelry.
The quality, clarity, and size of the pink diamond before her had already reached collector-grade standards. Its value was at least thirty million yuan.
The sales associate’s professional smile immediately transformed into genuine awe and flattery, even tinged with a hint of nervousness. She promptly upgraded Ruan Jiaqi to VVIP status in the system, then brought out numerous gifts such as limited-edition perfumes, custom-brand silk scarves, and leather-care sets, respectfully presenting them to Ruan Jiaqi.
At the same time—
The group chat was completely silent.
Not a single person said another word.
Silence is the loudest answer of all.
Completely transformed from head to toe, Ruan Jiaqi arrived at the entrance of the Hua Group headquarters.
The moment she stepped into the magnificent lobby, she was stopped by security.
“Visitors must register at the front desk first.”
Ruan Jiaqi had no choice but to follow the instructions and walk toward the reception desk.
“Hello, I’d like to see Hua Feng.”
The receptionist looked her up and down, taking in the flamboyant and exaggerated outfit she was wearing.
A pink body-hugging, low-cut mermaid dress, a lace shawl, a crystal tassel hair clip pinned beside her ear, and a huge fake glass diamond hanging around her neck.
She was indeed fair-skinned, delicate, and pretty, and looked much younger than the outfit suggested.
Looks like another bored young girl who had stolen her mother’s or sister’s clothes and come here pretending to be a wealthy heiress.
The boss was simply too handsome. Little girls frequently came to lurk around the building just to take pictures of him. Working in the lobby really wasn’t easy.
The receptionist pulled up a professional fake smile.
“Looking for President Hua? May I ask if you have an appointment?”
Ruan Jiaqi shook her head.
“No.”
“I’m sorry. President Hua has a very full schedule. According to regulations, we cannot allow visitors without appointments upstairs.”
Hearing that she wasn’t being allowed in, Ruan Jiaqi became a little anxious. Looking earnestly at the receptionist, she said, “I’m not a visitor. I’m his wife.”
The receptionist wasn’t at all surprised by the claim.
“Miss, I completely understand how you feel. However, every day we have women like you coming here claiming to be President Hua’s wife or the younger Mr. Hua’s girlfriend.”
With a cold, professional smile, the receptionist began ushering her out.
“Thank you very much for your admiration of President Hua and the Hua Group. However, we neither encourage nor support any form of fan behavior. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.”
Ruan Jiaqi pursed her lips. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it was perfectly clear.
“I didn’t lie. I really am Hua Feng’s wife.”
The receptionist was already beginning to lose patience.
“Why are you making things difficult for us? Fine. Since you say you’re President Hua’s wife, then surely you have his contact information, right?”
“Please call President Hua directly and ask him to notify the front desk through the internal line. As soon as I receive confirmation from President Hua himself or Assistant Chen, I’ll let you through immediately.”
Ruan Jiaqi lowered her head and took out her phone. She searched through her contacts and WeChat, her brows drawing closer and closer together.
There was actually no contact information for Hua Feng in the original owner’s phone.
She turned her head.
The entrance to the lobby was completely empty. Uncle Wu, the chauffeur, had disappeared without a trace. Even when she called him, all she got was a busy signal.
“Tsk…”
A clear, mocking scoff came from nearby.
Ruan Jiaqi looked up.
The receptionist was looking at her with an expression that said, I knew it, the corners of her lips curling into a cold sneer.
“Miss, your behavior is already interfering with our normal work. If you continue causing trouble and refusing to leave, I’ll have to call security and ask them to escort you out.”
An indescribable sense of embarrassment crept over Ruan Jiaqi’s face, and the tips of her ears grew slightly warm.
Just as the two sides were locked in a standoff—
The receptionist’s gaze suddenly passed over Ruan Jiaqi’s shoulder and landed on someone behind her. Her tone carried a hint of sarcasm.
“Look, that’s President Hua’s assistant. Didn’t you say you’re President Hua’s wife? Then Assistant Chen must know you, right?”
Hope immediately lit up in Ruan Jiaqi’s eyes.
She quickly gathered up her skirt and hurried after him.
The receptionist hadn’t expected her to actually be so bold and was startled.
“What happened?”
Chen Xing glanced at the unfamiliar woman who had rushed up to him and frowned at the receptionist.
The receptionist responsible for Ruan Jiaqi quickly stood up.
“Assistant Chen, this young lady insists that she’s President Hua’s wife. She doesn’t have an appointment and refuses to leave, insisting on going upstairs…”
Ruan Jiaqi hurriedly looked up and explained, “I’m really not lying! Please take me to see Hua Feng. Once I see him, you’ll know that I’m telling the truth.”
Chen Xing lowered his head and scrutinized the young woman blocking his path. His gaze swept over her brightly colored clothes, and he frowned, feeling somewhat troubled.
President Hua had been cold toward the woman at home for quite some time. As his chief assistant, Chen Xing had only seen the Madam once or twice, two years ago. His memory of her had long since faded. He only remembered that she had been a very quiet and delicate-looking woman.
As for the girl standing before him…
She was like a flower that had been forcibly coaxed into blooming, far too vivid and gaudy, carrying a kind of desperate, clumsy beauty.
It was simply too difficult to connect her with the image in his memory.
Chen Xing’s brows furrowed even deeper as he silently cursed his bad luck.
He had somehow ended up with a hot potato halfway through his journey. Yet he couldn’t simply have her thrown out. What if she really was the Madam?
After thinking for a moment, he gave Ruan Jiaqi a slight nod.
“Please wait a moment.”
Ruan Jiaqi nodded somewhat nervously.
Chen Xing was already racking his brain, wondering where he could find a recent photograph of the Madam, when a commotion suddenly came from the elevator lobby.
Four or five impeccably dressed executives emerged from the president’s private elevator, surrounding Hua Feng as they walked out.