After getting off work, Lin Yue didn’t even eat dinner. She went straight to the mall to buy a tie, planning to go home and practice by following videos.
When Qin Yan came back, Lin Yue was sitting on the carpet in the living room. On the coffee table was a cream-colored pumpkin—narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The funny thing was that it had a black tie hanging on it.
Qin Yan took out her phone, walked closer, and started snapping photos of Lin Yue nonstop.
Hearing the shutter sound, Lin Yue glanced sideways. “What are you doing?”
Qin Yan laughed as she looked at her photo album. “I just think it’s hilarious. Why are you practicing on that? You even drew eyes and a mouth on it—hahaha…”
Lin Yue shrugged. “No choice. I tried other methods before, but the results weren’t great. They were too thin. Only this pumpkin kind of looks like a person.”
Qin Yan collapsed onto the sofa from exhaustion, then showed the photos to Lin Yue. “Can I post this on Moments?”
Lin Yue glanced at it casually, her hands never stopping as she practiced tying the tie. “Sure.”
Qin Yan quickly edited a post and uploaded it.
[Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter. Just how hardworking can my roommate be for her job?]
After posting, Qin Yan tugged at Lin Yue’s sleeve. “By the way, have you eaten?”
Lin Yue instinctively shook her head. “No. I’m not hungry.”
Qin Yan clicked her tongue. “Such a workaholic. I’ll cook you a bowl of noodles.”
“No, no,” Lin Yue hurriedly stopped her. “You’ve been in class all day. Just rest. I’ll cook something myself later.”
It was summer vacation, but Qin Yan was still attending extra classes at school.
Qin Yan stood up and said, “It’ll only take ten minutes. It’s not tiring. Just wait. I’ll cook those greens we bought two days ago too, or they’ll go bad.”
Lin Yue sighed. “Alright. Thanks, Qin Yan. Tomorrow our boss doesn’t have much scheduled, so I should be able to get off work on time. I’ll treat you to a meal.”
“Deal,” Qin Yan replied as she walked toward the kitchen.
Lin Yue had a big appetite, but she had to maintain her figure, so she could only eat bland, boiled food every day.
Qin Yan knew this. Since she also needed to stay in shape, she shredded some cucumber, cooked konjac noodles, and blanched two greens. Their simple dinner was ready.
Just as they started eating, Qing Jing came back.
Qin Yan quickly greeted her. “Qing Jing, have you eaten? Want some?”
Qing Jing glanced at the plain food on the table and shook her head. “No, thanks.”
Her tone was slightly stiff, and she went straight back to her room without another word.
Lin Yue didn’t even look up.
After dinner, Lin Yue washed the dishes and returned to the living room to continue practicing. In fact, she already knew how to tie a tie, but her speed and neatness weren’t good enough.
When Qing Jing came out holding clothes to go shower, Lin Yue was about to head back to her room.
Unexpectedly, Qing Jing walked straight over, stared at her for a moment, and couldn’t help saying sarcastically, “Why don’t you go practice in your room? Is tying your boss’s tie that impressive? Who are you showing off to?”
Lin Yue’s hands stopped. She closed her eyes for two seconds, then opened them and suddenly threw the tie in her hand. The cream pumpkin fell to the floor and rolled a couple of times.
Lin Yue stood up and looked at Qing Jing, snapping back directly, “If you’re sick, go to a hospital. Don’t bark here.”
Lin Yue didn’t believe Qing Jing didn’t understand. The job of a secretary—especially working for a big boss like He Yuan—required knowing everything from major matters to trivial details. It was a comprehensive role that combined service, confidentiality, and coordination. A secretary had to handle all kinds of small tasks efficiently to help the boss work better. In daily life, it even included knowing what the boss liked or disliked to eat, health conditions, allergies, and so on. Tying a tie was just one small, everyday task.
She didn’t want to be misunderstood for no reason, nor did she like Qing Jing’s attitude.
Qing Jing sneered. “Weren’t you good at enduring things before? Why not now? Ever since you became President He’s secretary, your mouth has gotten sharper.”
Lin Yue sneered back. “I used to tolerate you because I still considered you a classmate, a friend. But now, I’ve realized some people only take advantage when given an inch. Why should I keep putting up with it? Am I a fool?”
Qing Jing’s expression turned ugly. She had already heard from people in the company that Lin Yue had been praised by President Zhao from Dachuang and had helped He Yuan successfully close a deal.
As for herself, she wasn’t even doing as well as a secretary. Her boss made her do housekeeping tasks all day, with no involvement in real business work.
Her parents were disappointed in her because of this, and she was competitive—how could she accept losing to Lin Yue, whom she believed was inferior to her in everything except looks?
Qing Jing even thought maliciously: Could it be that Lin Yue became He Yuan’s secretary just because of her pretty face?
Qin Yan, wearing headphones, didn’t hear what was happening outside.
Lin Yue picked up the cream pumpkin, put it back in the kitchen, and returned to her room.
Feeling upset, she curled herself up, hugging her knees, resting her chin on them, and started browsing rental listings on her phone.
The apartment they lived in was far from the city center. It belonged to Qing Jing’s relative. She used to think it was fine except for the long commute, but given the current situation, it would be better to move out soon.
Meanwhile, in a luxury riverside apartment, He Yuan wiped his damp hair as he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window.
The apartment was located in the heart of the bustling city, in a prime location—west of the elevated highway, east of Metro Line 1, with a view of famous city landmarks to the north and a long river to the south.
It had four bedrooms and two living rooms, covering nearly 600 square meters, worth over a hundred million.
From this height, it seemed like the entire city’s scenery could be taken in at a glance. The lights below looked like strings of stars scattered across the ground.
But some people had no interest in admiring the view. He Yuan casually picked up his phone from the coffee table and scrolled through it. When he saw a post about his younger brother, He Lin, being punished by their mother for handing in a blank test paper, he smirked and casually gave it a like.
Unexpectedly, that “like” caused trouble. The next second, his phone rang. He Yuan answered helplessly, and his mother’s loud, energetic voice came through.
“My big baby, you still have time to like posts? Why don’t you use that time to find a girlfriend?”
“Got it,” He Yuan said helplessly. “Mom, can we discuss something? Can you change the way you address me?”
“Did you discuss it with me when you moved out? Hmm? Something’s off—you used to dodge this topic, but now you agreed so quickly. Don’t tell me you already like someone?”
He Yuan chuckled. “More or less.”
From the other end of the phone came an excited scream, and then the call was abruptly hung up.
He Yuan shook his head. No need to think—she must have gone to tell his father.