Volume 1, Chapter 4: It’s Just a Shame He’s Sick
By the time Jiang Zhiwan returned to school, it was almost 9:30.
The dormitory was a four-person room, but for now only Jiang Zhiwan and Fu Baozhu lived there.
At this hour, Fu Baozhu was probably still on her way back, and the dorm was pitch black.
After turning on the lights, Jiang Zhiwan went straight to the bathroom with her pajamas.
Only after taking a long, satisfying hot shower did Jiang Zhiwan feel warmth spreading through her limbs.
She had just finished blow-drying her hair when the dorm door opened from the outside, and the next second she saw Fu Baozhu walking in carrying bags of all sizes.
Jiang Zhiwan got up to help take the bags from her hands. “That’s so much. Why didn’t you call me to come down and help you carry them?”
“They’re not heavy,” Fu Baozhu said.
Actually, Fu Baozhu was worried about disturbing Jiang Zhiwan’s rest.
She knew the burden on Jiang Zhiwan’s shoulders was heavy—so heavy it was nearly suffocating.
Every Sunday night was one of the rare times Jiang Zhiwan wasn’t working a part-time job and could rest in the dorm.
Besides some daily necessities, Fu Baozhu had also brought two servings of late-night snacks from home.
After helping Fu Baozhu put away her luggage, the two sat together to share the snacks.
Taking this opportunity, Jiang Zhiwan told Fu Baozhu that she planned to visit the Jiang family tomorrow.
Hearing this, Fu Baozhu furrowed her brows, then looked at Jiang Zhiwan and asked, “Does it have to be tomorrow?”
Jiang Zhiwan was taken aback, not quite understanding what Fu Baozhu meant.
“I heard from Chi Chen that the Jiang family and the Bai family have been running around like headless chickens lately.”
If Jiang Zhiwan went to Jiang Shuchen for money at a time like this, she’d definitely be asking for trouble.
Jiang Zhiwan had no way of knowing what was happening in high society circles, so naturally she was completely in the dark.
As she recounted the whole story to Jiang Zhiwan, Fu Baozhu couldn’t help the gleeful smile spreading across her face.
“Come to think of it, the spark that started this whole thing was actually because of you.”
Jiang Zhiwan found this hard to believe.
Fu Baozhu continued, “You remember that banquet at the Bai family’s place, right?”
Of course Jiang Zhiwan remembered it all too clearly—it was the banquet not long ago where her stepsister had humiliated her to curry favor with a young lady from a branch of the Lu family.
“Actually, that day of the banquet was also the day Lu Yanshu, the head of the Lu family, returned to the country.”
“Apparently, when he came to the banquet, he happened to see your stepsister dumping a glass of red wine over your head in the corner to amuse that young lady from the Lu family’s branch.”
That very night, the branch family’s household was purged from the Lu family on grounds of improper conduct.
The Jiang family and the Bai family, who had hosted the banquet, naturally couldn’t escape the fallout either.
So that was it.
Jiang Zhiwan had been wondering why her stepsister hadn’t come to cause trouble for her after all this time.
Jiang Shuchen did dote on his stepdaughter on ordinary days, but that was only on the premise that she didn’t affect his interests.
Fu Baozhu felt nothing but satisfaction. “Who was it that said Lu Yanshu was cold-blooded and unfeeling?”
“From where I’m standing, Lu Yanshu is practically the most upright and decent man there is.”
Jiang Zhiwan curved her lips into a small smile too.
Holding a greasy drumstick in her hand and taking big bites, Fu Baozhu said regretfully, “It’s just a shame he’s sick.”
“Hm?” Jiang Zhiwan looked puzzled.
Fu Baozhu deliberately lowered her voice, her round eyes sparkling with gossipy excitement. “A little… problem in that department.”
This only confused Jiang Zhiwan even more.
Seeing that she had piqued Jiang Zhiwan’s interest, Fu Baozhu stopped being mysterious. “I heard from Chi Chen that it’s a mental issue—he can’t sleep all year round, but external sounds can help him fall asleep.”
“Ever since Lu Yanshu returned to the country last week, the Lu family has been searching for that voice. If they actually find it, they’ll definitely reward the person handsomely.”
Wait… handsomely reward…
Fu Baozhu looked up thoughtfully at Jiang Zhiwan, who was sitting across from her with her head lowered, wiping grease stains off the table with a tissue.
“Why don’t you go give it a try?” she suggested.
Jiang Zhiwan needed money, after all.
If she got lucky and landed this job, given how important she’d be to Lu Yanshu, even Jiang Shuchen’s family wouldn’t dare treat her like that anymore.
After all, this was Lu Yanshu, the head of the Lu family.
Thinking about it that way, this position couldn’t be more perfect for Jiang Zhiwan.
Jiang Zhiwan kept her eyes lowered and said softly, “There’s no way something this good would happen in this world.”
Even if it did exist, it wouldn’t be her turn.
Fu Baozhu urged, “How would you know if you don’t even try?”
Although Fu Baozhu had never met Lu Yanshu and didn’t know what kind of person he was, she trusted Chi Chen’s judgment.
Chi Chen, who had risen to prominence in Wangjing over the past two years, had already met Lu Yanshu a few days ago.
In Wangjing, where various powers were deeply intertwined, there weren’t many people Chi Chen would praise.
Under Fu Baozhu’s relentless persuasion, Jiang Zhiwan hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing.
The moment she relented, Fu Baozhu happily called Chi Chen.
Chi Chen was extremely efficient and quickly shared a business card with Jiang Zhiwan.
After opening the card, Jiang Zhiwan sent a friend request.
It was already quite late, and Jiang Zhiwan had assumed she wouldn’t receive a response to her friend request until the next day.
To her surprise, no sooner had she turned off her screen and set down her phone than the screen lit up again.
That fast?
Jiang Zhiwan quickly greeted the other party: [Good evening, sorry to disturb you. I was referred by Mr. Chi.]
The response was brief: [Mm.]
A few seconds later, the other party sent over an image.
It appeared to have just been taken—a literary work seemingly pulled at random from a bookshelf.
[You can pick any passage and read it aloud.]
Following the other party’s instructions, Jiang Zhiwan quickly sent over a voice recording.
After receiving the file, the other party only left a message saying, “I’ll contact you if needed,” before going silent.
It was nearly 11:30 PM. Fu Baozhu, who had finally managed to end her phone call with Chi Chen on the balcony, walked in and headed straight for Jiang Zhiwan.
“How did it go?”
“Did you get added?”
Jiang Zhiwan answered truthfully, “The interview is already done.”
Fu Baozhu was taken aback, her eyes widening. “That was way too fast.”
Jiang Zhiwan pulled up the chat history and showed it to Fu Baozhu.
After reading through it, Fu Baozhu fell silent for a moment.
Given how perfunctory the other party’s responses were, the chances of getting the job seemed quite slim.
However, Jiang Zhiwan didn’t take the matter too much to heart.
.
On the other side.
The butler, carrying a tray with a porcelain bowl, quietly arrived outside the study door. After steadying his nerves, he knocked.
A faint voice came from within.
“Come in.”
The butler pushed the door open and placed the porcelain bowl from the tray beside Lu Yanshu’s hand.
Having delivered the bowl, the butler should have taken his leave, but he hesitated in place for a moment.
Lu Yanshu kept his eyes lowered, not looking at him, the line of his jaw sharp and cold.
Those who had worked under Lu Yanshu since childhood all knew that he almost never spoke harshly to anyone.
But just his sitting there, lifting his eyes to look at you, was enough to inspire awe and fear.
“Is there something else?” Lu Yanshu asked in a low voice.