The whole thing sounded pretty unhinged, but as long as she got paid, Su Yuhan didn't mind playing along with a rich Sugar Daddy's crazy scheme.
In the end, Su Yuhan managed to pester Yuan Xiangxiang into having her friend send her the boss's contact information.
That same night, she added the boss on WeChat and explained her intentions.
The boss wasn't an idiot. When he learned Su Yuhan was willing to take a risk and infiltrate the enemy's camp for his company, his first reaction wasn't joy, but suspicion.
For a split second, he even suspected his plan had been exposed and his arch-rival had beaten him to the punch, sending someone to turn the tables on him.
Fortunately, they eventually came to an agreement.
The boss would pay her a five-thousand-yuan deposit after she successfully interviewed at the rival company, with the final payment of fifteen thousand to be paid upon completion of the job.
So, the next morning, after helping her grandmother with her hospital discharge, Su Yuhan took her home early to get her settled. Afterward, she spent two or three hours doing her makeup.
It was a skill Su Yuhan had learned from a beauty vlogger, one that promised a transformation so complete it was like getting a new face.
This way, after she completed her mission and made a run for it, even if the company's boss really wanted to seek justice for that poor money tree, he wouldn't be able to find her so easily.
With all her preparations complete, Su Yuhan took her prepared resume and headed to the rival company—the one with the money tree by its entrance.
The company was called Shenghong Real Estate. Like Yuan Xiangxiang's friend's company, it was in real estate development.
Su Yuhan was interviewing for an accountant position. There was a lot of competition; in the short time she was waiting, six or seven other people showed up to interview for the same role.
Thanks to having specifically chosen to pursue a double major in accounting in college, and having managed the company's finances for a time while juggling multiple roles during the early days of a startup with friends, the first half of Su Yuhan's interview went very smoothly.
She fluently answered all the technical questions posed by the senior employee conducting the interview.
But some companies don't just ask about your professional qualifications during an interview. For instance…
"Compared to the other applicants, what would you say is your greatest strength?"
"I graduated from University A, the most renowned university for finance and economics in the country. Furthermore, my mentor once spent a few years in Tilan Q Prison for… certain sensitive matters. I was his star pupil and inherited his mantle perfectly. If I am fortunate enough to join your esteemed company, I will certainly follow my teacher's example, dedicate myself to the company's success, and fight until the very end!"
As soon as the words left her mouth, the interviewer couldn't help but lower his glasses to get a better look at Su Yuhan.
Their eyes met, and they shared a gentle, knowing smile of mutual understanding.
"Understood. You can go home and wait to hear from us."
'In the bag!'
Su Yuhan's heart settled. She smiled faintly, stood up to take her leave, and made a graceful exit.
That night, just as she was researching several other Sugar Daddies and their respective companies' stocks, she received the expected call and onboarding text message from HR.
Su Yuhan sent a screenshot of the onboarding message to her employer and smoothly received the five-thousand-yuan payment.
The next morning, Su Yuhan deliberately arrived ten minutes early to check in at the company, finally getting a chance to see the money tree her employer considered a thorn in his side.
The money tree was said to be by the entrance, but it wasn't by the company's main entrance. Instead, it was placed at the entrance to the finance department.
Su Yuhan took a couple of extra glances as she entered. Its branches and leaves were lush and verdant; you could tell at a glance that it was very well-cared for.
Just as she was plotting how to secretly poison this menace, she saw another one appear brazenly right in front of her.
"Sister Zhang, that person who just walked by… who is he?"
The moment Su Yuhan saw him walk in, she ducked behind a folder in fright. Only after he had entered an office did she furtively ask her colleague at the next workstation.
She had no idea her question would be misunderstood.
"Xiao Liu, don't tell me you're a fan of Qi Bao too?"
"Qi… Qi Bao?" Su Yuhan was taken aback by the overly familiar nickname.
'Qi Lianxiu might not be old—only in his early twenties—but surely he's not young enough to be called by a nickname fit for a baby?'
'Or does it just prove the saying that men will be boys until the day they die?'
"Oh, that's just what my hopeless daughter calls him. All the kids her age are into celebrities, you know? She's one of Qi Bao's 'mom fans.' I really don't get what goes through kids' heads these days. They're not even that old themselves, but they're already thinking about being someone's mother…"
Seeing Sister Zhang about to veer off into a lecture on child psychology, Su Yuhan quickly interjected to get the conversation back on track. "Oh, I see. I'm not his fan. I've just heard of him and know he's a pretty famous celebrity. It's just a bit surprising to see someone like him in the office. Does he have a partnership with our company?"
'Like being a spokesperson or something,' she thought. 'It's not common for celebrities to endorse real estate, but it's not unheard of.'
"Not exactly. He and our company's General Manager—who is the boss's son—are childhood friends. They're very close. Whenever Qi Bao gets into a fight with his agency or his manager, he runs over to our General Manager's office to hide out. Everyone in the company is used to it by now."
At first, Su Yuhan was confused. 'Wasn't that scandal from a couple of days ago perfectly resolved?'
'Just as expected, Qi Lianxiu had even gained a large number of "guilt fans" from the incident. So why was he fighting with his manager and agency again?'
Then she recalled the first part of what Sister Zhang had said and was struck with an ominous premonition.
"You just said the boss's son is a really good childhood friend of Qi Lianxiu's? What did you say our boss's last name was?"
"Xiao Liu, you didn't do your homework very well before starting, did you? How can you join a company without knowing the boss's name? Our boss's surname is Lin. He's Lin Jiancheng."
"Then what's our General Manager's name?"
"Lin Haoyang. The 'Hao' from 'bright moon' and the 'Yang' from 'sunshine'."
"..." 'It really is a small world!'
Hearing that exact name, the last shred of hope in Su Yuhan's heart died.
As one of the five male leads with a relatively significant role in the book, Qi Lianxiu had his own complete circle of friends, and Lin Haoyang was the most prominent member of that circle.
Adhering to the principle that every man falls for the female lead, this General Manager Lin was also one of Jiang Yuxi's admirers.
But in a world where stories of best friends and brothers turning on each other over love were a dime a dozen, Lin Haoyang was truly a breath of fresh air.
He was secretly in love with the female protagonist, but because he knew his good friend Qi Lianxiu also loved her—and because his own family background was far inferior to his friend's—he never dared to confess his feelings. Instead, he chose to silently protect both the love of his life and his best friend.
Later on, after his family suffered a major blow and went bankrupt, he felt he was no longer worthy of being near either of them and chose to leave, disappearing without a trace.
Before he left, he even sent them a message, wishing them a long and happy life together, filled with mutual respect.
Su Yuhan: "..."
'Now that's a level of simping I've never seen before. I thought Qi Lianxiu was a classic case of a love-struck simp, but I didn't realize there was an even bigger master of the craft!'