Monday, the first day of work.
Lin Chaochao looked at herself in the mirror—tall and slender, with striking features. She had never denied her own beauty, but she simply felt that appearance was just a bonus; capability was what truly mattered.
She arrived at the Huo Corporation ten minutes early. Sister Wang from HR looked at the beautiful woman before her and greeted her politely, telling her to wait a moment as there was another new hire coming.
Five minutes passed, and finally the other person arrived—it was Haili, who had interviewed alongside her that day. Haili greeted her warmly: “Hi, we meet again. I’m Haili.”
Lin Chaochao hadn’t expected Haili to be her fellow new hire: “Hi, nice to meet you. I’m Lin Chaochao.”
Under Sister Wang’s guidance, the two collected their employee badges and were assigned to their respective workstations.
As newcomers, Lin Chaochao and Haili each introduced themselves, but everyone seemed busy and barely paid them any attention.
Once everything was settled, Lin Chaochao’s sharp ears caught the gossip from nearby colleagues.
“Word on the street is that the Huo family’s young master is back and ready to take full control of the Huo Corporation. Those overseas orders from a couple of days ago were all negotiated by him. No one knows exactly what he looks like—even the media haven’t dug up anything.”
“If he’s really a handsome guy, all the young single women in this company are going to go crazy.” The other colleagues chimed in.
Hearing their chatter, Lin Chaochao didn’t pay it much mind, because it had nothing to do with her—and besides, no matter how handsome he was, he couldn’t be more handsome than that man.
“Huh, why am I thinking about him?” Lin Chaochao gently shook her head, brushing the thought away.
Their direct supervisor was Alice, the design director—someone who had won the nation’s top design award.
Lin Chaochao walked over to Alice’s dedicated workstation: “Hello, Director. I’m Lin Chaochao, the new intern designer.”
Alice sized up the young woman before her and nodded with relative satisfaction: “Just call me Alice. I heard Miss Lin graduated from a university in the States?”
Before Lin Chaochao could answer, she continued: “I only care about results, and my standards are very high.”
Lin Chaochao stood there, understanding the implication—that no matter how beautiful a vase was, if it wasn’t put to proper use, it was just decoration. So she replied with perfect poise: “Thank you for the reminder, Alice. I won’t let you down.”
Alice could tell Lin Chaochao was sharp, and she radiated confidence—confidence that came entirely from her abilities. Alice appreciated people like this: proud yet composed.
“Hey, Lin Chaochao, here’s a form you need to fill out. Friendly tip: Director Alice doesn’t like people fudging the truth,” a nearby colleague kindly reminded her.
“Thanks.” Lin Chaochao was genuinely grateful for the well-meaning heads-up.
Because the collaboration with the American company had been secured, the design department had been working overtime lately. However, since it was Lin Chaochao’s first day, she didn’t have access to core documents yet—she only helped spot errors or organize materials.
“All design department staff, come upstairs for a meeting.” An urgent notice came through the group chat.
Lin Chaochao tidied up briefly and followed everyone upstairs. Looking at the spacious conference room, she found her seat and sat down.
The design department had eight people in total, and she and Haili both sat at the back. The employee next to her whispered gossip, “Apparently, the young master himself is coming to the meeting, so you can tell how important this is.”
Lin Chaochao took a deep breath and waited quietly.
Before long, the conference room door was pushed open, and a tall, straight-backed figure walked in, then steadily took a seat in the chair at the front.
Lin Chaochao was a bit stunned. She stared blankly at the man in front.
Huo Nanting’s gaze swept over the people below one by one, and finally found that familiar figure. Their eyes met, but only for a few seconds before he spoke:
“The situation is urgent. The US side needs us to produce another set of diamond ring designs because next month is the engagement day of President Gill’s most beloved youngest daughter. This is a rush order, so the timeline might be a bit tight. Everyone, show us what you’ve got.”
Alice said, “President Huo, I happen to have two new designers who just arrived, and one of them just came back from the US, so she should have a better understanding of the culture and customs over there. So I’d like to request that they be allowed to join this design project.”
Lin Chaochao hadn’t expected to be singled out by her supervisor on her very first day at work. And with the man sitting up there, she wasn’t too keen on drawing attention to herself.
“The new one?” Huo Nanting stared directly at her and asked outright.
This time, Lin Chaochao had no choice but to stand up and greet everyone: “Hello, President Huo. Hello, everyone. I’m the new designer, Lin Chaochao.”
Huo Nanting asked again, “Which university in the US did you graduate from?”
Lin Chaochao replied, “Chelman International Academy, majoring in Jewelry Design.”
Everyone’s eyes lit up at the mention of it. The prestige of that school needed no further explanation.
Especially Haili—although being an outstanding graduate of A University was impressive in its own right, it paled in comparison to a top-tier institution. Haili looked at Lin Chaochao with eyes full of envy and admiration.
Huo Nanting nodded. “Good. Then this time, all designers may participate. We’ll filter through the submissions layer by layer, and whoever gets selected will receive a bonus at the end of the month.”
At the mention of a bonus, everyone immediately felt motivated.
After the meeting adjourned, Lin Chaochao sat in her chair, still not having recovered from the fact that Huo Nanting was the president. Although she’d known in her heart that his status was no ordinary thing, she hadn’t expected it to be this big—the young master of the Huo family, someone standing at the very pinnacle of the pyramid.
So he’d gone to the US on a business trip.
So that’s what he meant when he said: “Next time we meet, we’ll definitely have a meal together.”
He’d known all along that she would join the Huo Corporation. He’d known all along that they would meet again.
Lin Chaochao felt that the gap between their statuses was far too wide. Even if she had some other little thoughts in her heart, it was time to put them away.
Huo Nanting had no idea what was going through Lin Chaochao’s mind at that moment. Watching the woman’s surprised expression from earlier, he found it rather adorable—she looked just like a little white rabbit. He was also looking forward to seeing her brilliant design.
After a while, Lin Chaochao walked over to Alice’s desk. “Thank you, Director, for giving me this opportunity.”
Alice looked at her and deliberately teased, “Show me what you’ve got. After all, someone who made it into a major US company can’t be lacking in skill. If you’re not up to par, I’ll pass on you as soon as possible.”
“You won’t get that chance. Please look forward to it.” Then Lin Chaochao happily returned to her workstation. To encounter such a supervisor right after returning to the country, she felt nothing but gratitude. She kept this kindness in her heart, waiting for the day she’d have the chance to repay it.
When lunchtime arrived, Haili took the initiative to walk over and invite her to eat together. Lin Chaochao had no reason to refuse—in her eyes, Haili was also quite impressive.
The two went together to a restaurant near the company, each ordering their favorite food. Through their conversation, they got to know each other better. For Lin Chaochao, she didn’t think it was the right decision to share too much about herself with someone she’d just met, so she didn’t reveal too much personal information.
After finishing their meal, the two returned to the company. Lin Chaochao’s desk was very close to the break room, so she poured herself a glass of water and then started her afternoon work. Today, her main tasks were to familiarize herself with the environment, understand the current department’s work assignments, and build good relationships with her colleagues.
She received a phone call—it was her good friend Su Jiani, mainly checking in on how her first day at work was going.
The woman busied herself all afternoon, searching for some reference materials online as design inspiration.
Lin Chaochao’s floor was the 14th, while Huo Nanting was on the 15th. Logically speaking, the chances of the two meeting were very slim.
But as luck would have it, when she was getting off work, Lin Chaochao was waiting for the elevator when she saw one coming down from above. Without a second thought, she stepped right in. Only after entering did she realize Huo Nanting was inside—and he was alone.
At that moment, Lin Chaochao wanted to back out, but the elevator doors had already closed. She could only steel herself and greet him politely: “Hello, President Huo.”
Huo Nanting noticed her discomfort: “Miss Lin is very impressive.”
“Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Huo Corporation.” Lin Chaochao didn’t deny the man’s assessment of her.
“We meet again. Does what you said before still count?” Huo Nanting asked directly.
“Huh?” Lin Chaochao was playing dumb, her eyes involuntarily looking down at the floor.
“Surely Miss Lin hasn’t forgotten about treating me to dinner?” Huo Nanting deliberately called her out.
“No, no, how could I forget? It’s just that President Huo must be so busy with important matters that you probably don’t have the time.” Lin Chaochao desperately wanted to get out of this.
“I’m free today. I can accept the dinner invitation.” Huo Nanting seemed to be in a good mood.
Lin Chaochao knew she couldn’t avoid it. Anyway, he had helped her twice, so treating him to a meal shouldn’t be a problem, right? After this meal, everything would be settled once and for all.
So she paid for the meal. Huo Nanting was driving a Bentley today, and he drove himself. Lin Chaochao was again arranged to sit in the passenger seat.
Her mood this time was completely different from when she’d ridden in his car before—perhaps because of the shift in their relationship.