The next morning, Chen Yan was jolted awake by the vibration of his phone.
Still half asleep, he reached over and checked the screen.
A text message had arrived:
[China Construction Bank]
Your account ending in 3824 received a transfer of 5,000 RMB on June 15.
Current balance: 5,203.80 RMB.
Chen Yan blinked and sat upright.
Who would suddenly transfer money to him?
Before he could think further, another notification appeared.
[Alipay]
Your friend “Brother Li from the Barbecue Joint” has sent you 5,000 RMB.
Note: Little Chen, I forgot to settle your wages last night. This covers the past two months.
Only then did he remember.
He had worked at the barbecue restaurant for two months. Brother Li had always claimed business was slow and repeatedly postponed paying his wages.
Chen Yan had never pushed the issue. As long as he had a place to sleep and food to eat, he wasn’t in any immediate trouble.
After being let go last night, he had already assumed he would never see that money again.
He immediately called the number.
“Brother Li, I got the money. Thanks.”
“Thanks for what?!” Brother Li’s booming voice exploded from the speaker. “It only hit me after you left last night. For two whole months, you were doing the work of three people by yourself. I owed you that money. By the way, have you found another job yet?”
“Not yet.”
“How about I introduce you to one? A friend of mine runs a logistics company. He’s looking for a loader.”
“Sure. I’ll think about it.”
After ending the call, Chen Yan sat quietly on the edge of his bed for a while.
Five thousand yuan.
Added to the four thousand two hundred he already had, he now possessed more than nine thousand yuan.
Even after paying his rent of three thousand eight hundred, he would still have over five thousand left.
That was enough to keep him going for some time.
He got up, washed his face, changed into a clean T-shirt, and headed outside.
The weather was beautiful.
The storm from the previous night had scrubbed the sky clean, leaving behind a brilliant expanse of blue.
Steam rose from breakfast stalls lining the narrow alleyways of the shantytown.
The woman who sold jianbing spotted him immediately and called out with a smile.
“Little Chen, you’re up early today! The usual?”
“The usual. Add two extra eggs.”
While waiting for his breakfast by the roadside, his phone vibrated once again.
Another notification appeared.
It was the same job advertisement he had seen the night before.
[Su Group urgently recruiting Personal Assistant/Private Butler. Starting salary 20,000 RMB per month. Meals and accommodation provided…]
He casually dismissed the notification.
Taking the jianbing from the vendor, he began eating as he walked.
When he reached the entrance of the alley, he stopped.
A fresh recruitment flyer had been pasted onto a telephone pole.
Bold black characters stood out sharply against the bright red paper:
Security Guards Wanted
Monthly Salary: 3,500 RMB
Meals and accommodation provided
Interested applicants please contact…
Holding his jianbing between his teeth, Chen Yan took out his phone and snapped a picture of the number.
At that exact moment, his phone rang.
An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.
“Hello, is this Mr. Chen Yan?”
The caller was a young woman.
Her tone was polite and professional.
“Speaking. Who is this?”
“I’m calling from the Human Resources Department of the Su Group. My surname is Wang. May I ask whether you were near Qingshi Bridge Subway Station yesterday evening?”
Chen Yan paused mid-bite.
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s like this. President Su would like to personally thank you for helping her last night. If it’s convenient, would you be willing to come to Su Group Headquarters at two o’clock this afternoon?”
Chen Yan fell silent.
The image of the woman from the rain resurfaced in his mind.
Her cold yet striking eyes.
And the words she had spoken before they parted.
I will find you.
He had not expected her to track him down this quickly.
“Mr. Chen? Are you still there?”
“Yes.”
He hesitated briefly.
“President Su is being too courteous. There’s really no need for that.”
“Mr. Chen.”
The woman’s voice grew noticeably anxious.
“Could you tell President Su that yourself? She specifically instructed us to invite you. If you don’t come, I won’t be able to explain it on my end.”
Chen Yan was silent again.
He glanced down at his faded gray T-shirt and the pair of sneakers that had barely dried after being soaked by the rain.
“Fine.”
He sighed.
“Two o’clock this afternoon. I’ll be there.”
“Wonderful! I’ll send you the address immediately. Thank you very much, Mr. Chen!”
The call ended.
Chen Yan stood where he was and finished the last bite of his breakfast.
…
The Su Group.
Of course he knew the company.
It was one of the city’s leading corporate giants, focused on the new energy sector and valued at tens of billions of yuan.
He had seen advertisements featuring its president countless times in subway stations.
Su Qingyuan.
A woman who had taken over the company at twenty-five and doubled its revenue in only two years.
The media often referred to her as the Iceberg CEO.
What sort of gratitude would someone like her offer?
After pondering the question briefly, he saved the phone number from the security guard recruitment flyer and continued on his way.
…
At 1:30 p.m., Chen Yan stood outside the Su Group headquarters.
He had passed the building many times before, but this was his first time entering.
The fifty-eight-story skyscraper gleamed beneath the afternoon sun, its glass exterior reflecting dazzling light.
Two security guards in crisp uniforms stood at the entrance.
Everyone entering and leaving wore professional business attire and moved with a sense of urgency.
Chen Yan looked down at himself.
The same gray T-shirt.
The same worn-out sneakers.
He had at least washed his face before coming.
Even so, compared to the atmosphere of the building, he looked completely out of place.
“Hello, who are you here to see?”
A security guard stepped forward to stop him.
“I’m here to see President Su.”
The guard examined him from head to toe.
A hint of disbelief flashed through his eyes.
“President Su? Do you have an appointment?”
“Yes. Two o’clock.”
The guard made a phone call.
At first, his expression remained skeptical.
However, the moment someone answered on the other end, his attitude changed completely.
“Please come this way, sir. President Su is expecting you on the fifty-eighth floor.”
Chen Yan nodded and entered the building.
The elevator carried him directly to the top floor.
When the doors opened, they revealed an enormous reception area staffed by two young women in matching uniforms.
One of them visibly froze for a moment upon seeing him.
Quickly recovering, she smiled professionally.
“Mr. Chen Yan? Please follow me.”
She led him through a long corridor lined with glass offices.
Employees worked busily at their desks.
Several looked up as he passed, curiosity evident in their eyes.
At the very end of the hallway stood a pair of imposing wooden doors.
The receptionist knocked lightly.
A cool, clear voice drifted from inside.
“Come in.”
The doors opened.
Chen Yan stepped inside.
The office was enormous.
An entire wall consisted of floor-to-ceiling windows that bathed the room in sunlight.
Behind the executive desk sat the same woman from the previous night.
Su Qingyuan.
She wore another impeccably tailored business suit.
Her hair was neatly tied up, and her makeup was flawless.
Yet Chen Yan still noticed faint shadows beneath her eyes.
She clearly hadn’t slept much.
Su Qingyuan raised her head.
Their gazes met.
For three full seconds, neither spoke.
“Have a seat.”
Chen Yan sat down across from her.
Su Qingyuan remained silent, simply observing him.
Chen Yan said nothing as well, casually shifting his attention toward the cityscape beyond the windows.
“Nothing you want to ask?”
She was the first to break the silence.
“Why did you invite me here?”
“About last night,” she said, “thank you.”
After a pause, she continued.
“I, Su Qingyuan, dislike owing people favors.”
“You brought me all the way here just to say that?”
“No.”
She opened a drawer, removed a check, and slid it across the desk.
“This is five hundred thousand yuan. Consider it my expression of gratitude.”
Chen Yan lowered his gaze.
Five hundred thousand.
That amount was enough to rent a room in the shantytown for ten years.
Or buy enough jianbing to eat for the rest of his life.
He looked back up.
Su Qingyuan’s expression remained perfectly calm.
It was as though they were discussing an ordinary business deal.
“Take it,” she said. “I know you need money.”
A faint smile appeared on Chen Yan’s face.
“How do you know I need money?”
Su Qingyuan leaned back slightly.
Her hands rested gracefully on her lap, radiating confidence.
“The location where you stood last night has only one nearby barbecue restaurant. I investigated and discovered that you worked there as a temporary laborer until being dismissed yesterday.”
“Your residence is most likely in the nearby shantytown. That’s the only place in the area where rent costs around three thousand yuan.”
“The charcoal stains on your shoes indicate frequent manual labor.”
“The T-shirt you’re wearing is a style from two years ago. It’s been washed so often that the color has faded.”
She paused.
“Therefore, you need money.”
Chen Yan listened quietly.
Then he nodded.
“President Su really is as sharp as everyone says.”
After a brief pause, he added,
“Then you should also understand what kind of trouble someone like me would face if five hundred thousand yuan suddenly appeared in his account.”
A trace of surprise crossed Su Qingyuan’s eyes.
“What do you mean?”
“I’m just a laborer. If five hundred thousand suddenly lands in my account, the bank will ask questions. The tax authorities may investigate. Other people might start suspecting I obtained the money illegally.”
He pushed the check back toward her.
“I can’t accept it.”
For the first time, Su Qingyuan looked at him differently.
“Then what do you want?”
Chen Yan thought for a moment.
“You said you owe me a favor.”
“Sometimes a favor is worth more than money.”
“Let’s leave it on the books for now.”
Silence settled between them.
A few seconds later, Su Qingyuan spoke.
“You’re quite interesting.”
Her gaze lingered on him.
“What is your name?”
“Chen Yan.”
“Chen Yan…”
She softly repeated the name.
Then she opened another drawer and removed a document.
Sliding it across the desk, she said,
“Very well. I’ll owe you that favor.”
“Now there’s another matter I’d like to discuss.”
Chen Yan lowered his gaze.
It was an employment contract.
Personal Assistant / Private Butler Employment Agreement
Su Group
Monthly Salary: 20,000 RMB
His eyes lingered on the salary figure.
Twenty thousand.
“After looking into your background,” Su Qingyuan said, “I discovered that you’ve applied to many jobs online. Most of your applications were rejected because you lack a formal degree and don’t have a stable work history.”
She folded her hands.
“But the person I need doesn’t require education or an impressive résumé.”
“I only need one thing.”
“Reliability.”
Chen Yan looked up.
“Last night, you helped a complete stranger and left without even giving your name. That tells me you weren’t looking for a reward.”
“I need someone like that.”
“Someone who can live in my home and take care of my personal affairs.”
“My personal affairs?”
“Yes.”
To Chen Yan’s surprise, she answered without hesitation.
“I can’t cook.”
“I don’t know how to use a washing machine.”
“I forget to pay utility bills.”
“I frequently skip meals.”
“My sleep schedule is a complete disaster.”
“I’ve hired several housekeepers before, but none of them could adapt to my routine.”
Her tone remained perfectly serious.
“I need someone who can manage my daily life, keep their mouth shut, and avoid creating unnecessary trouble.”
Chen Yan lowered his gaze to the contract again.
Twenty thousand yuan per month.
Accommodation included.
Meals included.
His rent alone cost three thousand eight hundred.
“Why me?”
“Because you’re reliable.”
Su Qingyuan met his gaze directly.
“And because you’re holding a favor over me.”
“If you fail to perform satisfactorily, I can dismiss you at any time, and the favor will be considered repaid.”
Chen Yan laughed.
That was certainly a unique line of reasoning.
“Can I think about it?”
“You can.”
Su Qingyuan rose from her chair.
“But I’ll only give you one day.”
“If you don’t appear by this time tomorrow, I’ll hire someone else.”
She walked toward the floor-to-ceiling windows, presenting him with her back.
Sunlight illuminated her slender figure.
Chen Yan stood as well.
Looking at her silhouette, he asked,
“One last question.”
“Go ahead.”
“How did you find me?”
Without turning around, Su Qingyuan answered calmly.
“When you worked at the barbecue restaurant, you connected your phone to their Wi-Fi.”
“I had someone check the router’s connection logs and retrieve your phone number.”
Chen Yan was speechless.
Using nothing more than the location where he had stood the previous night, she had tracked down the restaurant, accessed its Wi-Fi records, and located his phone number.
Only now did he realize how much he had underestimated her.
“President Su is truly formidable.”
Su Qingyuan slightly turned her head.
Sunlight outlined her profile.
For an instant, a faint trace of amusement seemed to appear in those usually icy eyes.
“Remember.”
“You have one day.”
…
Chen Yan left the Su Group building.
Standing beneath the afternoon sun, he stared at the photo of the employment contract saved on his phone.
Twenty thousand yuan.
He raised his head and looked toward the fifty-eighth floor.
A figure still stood by the window.
The distance was too great for him to see her expression.
He recalled the things she had confessed.
Unable to cook.
Unable to do laundry.
A complete mess when it came to daily life.
A billionaire CEO who couldn’t even manage her own household.
The thought was strangely amusing.
His phone suddenly rang.
It was the number from the security guard recruitment flyer.
“Hello, Mr. Chen? Are you still coming for the interview this afternoon?”
Chen Yan checked the time.
“I won’t be going.”
“Thank you anyway.”
After ending the call, he looked back at the skyscraper one final time.
Tomorrow.
A slight smile touched his lips.
Tomorrow it is.