As Jiacheng’s boss, Cheng Jun was very fair.
He left An Rou one final bit of appearances, since after all, after being dismissed from Jiacheng, An Rou would definitely be reassessed by industry insiders. Those not in the know all said that An Rou had to leave the country because of some family issue. Before she left, the company paid her the rest of the year’s salary and bonus as compensation for all the work she had done for them.
By the time Ruan Jiu Jiu heard about it, An Rou had long ago caught a flight out of the country.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was genuinely shocked.
When she then got the news that Jiacheng wanted to hire her, she was both surprised and a little uncertain.
The three-day vacation concluded ahead of time. Because Jiacheng was in the middle of an important project, Ruan Ju Jiu would probably have to start learning the ropes immediately when she got back and would be so busy she wouldn’t have any time to rest.
Sitting in the plane, Ruan Jiu Jiu shot a glance at Cheng Jun, who was in the middle of eating some dragonfruit. She quietly called out his name.
“Hey, Cheng Jun.”
“…” Cheng Jun gave her a look.
“You’re pretty high up on the ladder.” When An Rou and Cheng Jun went head-to-head, An Rou was actually forced to leave. Ruan Jiu Jiu genuinely felt that Jiacheng Corporation was really daring and a bit too firm.
Cheng Jun took a bite of dragonfruit and didn’t respond.
Being ignored, Ruan Jiu Jiu angrily sat up straight in her seat.
She suddenly realized that she didn’t know if Jiacheng’s boss, Tu Nan, and the others were flying back. There wasn’t a trace of them in the first-class cabins. They were probably still vacationing and had extended their stay.
The three people on Ruan Jiu Jiu’s mind were currently sitting in economy with heavy hearts.
They had obviously wanted to fly first class but they didn’t dare do so.
Their boss was currently fostering feelings with his wife. If they went over, wouldn’t they be three massively conspicuous third-wheels? Tu Nan looked at his chicken and rice and sighed for the hundredth time. If it wasn’t chicken and rice, it was fish and rice. Couldn’t they come up with something new for once?
A perfectly wonderful vacation ended just like that, without much fanfare.
……
After returning home, Ruan Jiu Jiu pounced onto her huge bed and starfished, falling into the soft mattress. She firmly nuzzled her favorite blanket.
Compared to the fancy hotel, man, her own bed was still the best.
Ruan Jiu Jiu’s mood suddenly lifted.
Tu Nan gave her two days to prepare. Once Ruan Jiu Jiu thought that these beautiful, halcyon days would soon be far behind her, she became a bit reluctant. But very quickly, she became happy and grateful that she could go work at a big company like Jiacheng Corporation.
What was the first thing to do before starting work?
Buy work clothes, duh!
Ruan Jiu Jiu used work as an excuse to buy a few more nice outfits. Before, her wardrobe mostly revolved around casual wear. There weren’t many office-appropriate pieces. Once the thought of shopping crossed her mind, she immediately regained her vigor. She was full of energy as she changed and put on some makeup, ready to go out.
Cheng Jun saw all this and suddenly thought, if she could work with such drive and energy, then even Jiacheng would be a stepping stone for her.
When Ruan Jiu Jiu went out to shop, she also brought along the pebbles that she had collected. A boutique jewelry shop could shape and punch holes into the stone, but Ruan Jiu Jiu only wanted the holes. As for the shape, they looked perfectly fine as they were.
By the end of the day, Ruan Jiu Jiu had shopped till she dropped. Her back hurt, her sides were sore, and her feet ached.
She carried ten plus shopping bags and suddenly thought of the pebbles that she hadn’t retrieved yet.
By the time she returned to the shop, the boss had been waiting for a long while. He chuckled and said, “Miss, your pebbles are pretty good looking. I’ll throw in some bracelet chains for you.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu held the bag of pebbles and hailed a taxi home with a satisfied heart.
The taxi steadily drove forth.
Ruan Jiu Jiu opened the bag and carefully sifted through the stones. Suddenly, a smooth black pebble drew her attention. The pebble was beautiful and made her immediately recall Cheng Jun’s languid pupils. When he looked at someone, his heart seemed as untainted as that pebble.
Ruan Jiu Jiu decided to keep this pebble for him.
Cheng Jun was holed up in his study as usual.
Ruan Jiu Jiu had eaten outside, but still traumatized, she didn’t dare gorge herself on her own and specially took the initiative to bring him takeout. Feeling a bit sick of seafood after eating it constantly at the resort, Ruan Jiu Jiu bought him barbeque and rice and for dessert, some mixed fruit in sweet yogurt soup. She even included a few snacks.
It was hard to fathom how such a weak and delicate looking woman like Ruan Jiu Jiu managed to carry so much stuff back home.
Ruan Jiu Jiu warned Cheng Jun, “Don’t you dare say ‘scraping by’ to me again!”
Cheng Jun slowly made a noise of assent.
As he was in the middle of eating, Ruan Jiu Jiu recalled something and went back to her room. She dug around in the bags and finally found that little black pebble. When she returned to the dining room, Cheng Jun had finished eating his barbeque rice and was now leisurely savoring his fruit dessert.
Ruan Jiu Jiu, “…” This guy doesn’t have two mouths, does he? For example, something like one in front and one on the back of his head.
She stared helplessly, but didn’t forget her original goal.
Ruan Jiu Jiu sat down on the other side of the table and shook the pebble in front of Cheng Jun’s face, saying, “I have a gift for you!”
Cheng Jun responded, “What is that?”
“Take a guess.”
As Ruan Jiu Jiu stared encouragingly at him, he thought for a moment.
“Dung beetle ball?”
……
……
……
In the depths of the night.
Ruan Jiu Jiu gave a fake laugh. “Why didn’t you guess kidney stone?” With Cheng Jun’s remark, the perfectly good pebble did look a little like a dung beetle ball from afar.
This was a bit awkward. Ruan Jiu Jiu’s words were stuck in her throat.
“Never mind, if you don’t want it, I’ll keep it.”
Cheng Jun moved a smidgeon faster than her. His arm was long and it easily snatched the pebble in her hands.
He then stuffed it into his pocket and continued eating.
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “???”
“I’ll scrape by with this,” he slowly remarked.
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”
Some people really knew how to latch on to others’ weaknesses. In her mind, a mini Ruan Jiu Jiu snatched Cheng Jun’s Yakult and gave him a good beating.
※
Ruan Jiu Jiu would be going to work at Jiacheng, which meant that Cheng Jun would have to minimize any possibility of running into her at the office.
Tu Nan really didn’t understand why this couple had to hide from and dodge each other. You hide, I hide. In his forever-alone bachelor mind, he mulled it over and concluded it was probably for amusement’s sake.
First day at work.
Ruan Jiu Jiu finished applying a sophisticated makeup look and tied up her hair, revealing a pale, slender neck. She looked very enthusiastic and capable. Her pair of low heels clicked back and forth against the floor. After busying herself about an entire morning, she finally finished her preparations to leave the house.
After a while, Cheng Jun rubbed his temples and with a weary look on his face, walked out of the study. As he habitually took out a bottle of Yakult, his phone buzzed. Tu Nan had tagged him in the group chat.
“Is Sister-in-law here yet? Boss, what do I do I’m so nervous!”
After finally getting back into the titled “Group Chat” group chat, Tu Nan didn’t dare let loose. He obediently awaited Ruan Jiu Jiu’s arrival.
Jiao Fan: “I would like to file a report that Tu Nan put mousse in his hair today.”
Fu Zi Cheng: “He’s wearing his sexiest shirt.”
Jiao Fan: “Fu Zi Cheng is wearing a new pair of shoes.”
Fu Zi Cheng: “…Bro, are you stalking me? Fuck, there’s only a single white stripe that’s different from my old pair how tf did you notice!”
The group chat was in uproar, it quickly shot over 99+ notifications.
Cheng Jun watched them kicking up a fuss, and didn’t say anything in the chat.
Only at the end did he think for a moment and message, “Don’t give her any special treatment.” Even though Ruan Jiu Jiu looked very happy-go-lucky on the surface, she was actually quite ambitious. It was impossible to keep things secret forever. If by any chance when she found out, she mistakenly believed that everything she worked for was awarded to her purely based on her background, that would be a seriously horrible feeling to have.
Tu Nan didn’t have time to reply before the front desk called and said that Mrs. Ruan had arrived in the lobby.
Rumors spread in the company, saying that some unknown person from God knows where had taken over An Rou’s position. Everyone had a bucket of popcorn ready.
But when Ruan Jiu Jiu stepped through the door, their eyes bulged—Were they recruiting animators or models? The company had always been a wolf den with not enough meat to go around. The programmers were so overjoyed that they nearly howled in delight. They all tried to sound out her background. For a moment, the excitement shook the entire office in a raucous din with no signs of quieting down.
Ruan Jiu Jiu’s boss was a seasoned employee who was a bit on the older side. He was a cute old uncle named Mr. Meng. His office was plastered in Ai Haibara posters.
He had a very good personality and explained things with patience. Ruan Jiu Jiu was nervous at first, but slowly, she acclimated and started asking the occasional question.
Tu Nan’s heart wasn’t in the work the whole entire day. He was waiting for Mr. Meng’s evaluation.
Just as Ruan Jiu Jiu was learning the ropes in the office, Mr. Meng stealthily slipped to Tu Nan’s office and said, “I thought you guys just randomly picked someone off the streets and didn’t bother recruiting. Her skills are pretty good.”
Tu Nan was suddenly overjoyed. “Can she do it?”
“No problem. As long as she’s willing to put in the work, she’ll be trained in no time.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu had even more drive than they thought. On the first day of work, she stayed into the night learning. Tu Nan didn’t dare leave before her. He still had to send her home in a taxi. With that thought, his heart sank. The couple were both workaholics. Would he even have a life now?
His phone suddenly lit up.
Cheng Jun: “Still not done?”
Tu Nan quaked and replied, “I’ll send her back soon.” He didn’t dare tell Cheng Jun that because Ruan Jiu Jiu stayed late today, more than half of their company’s single men were excited into busting their ass to work overtime.
It could be called a good thing. If they didn’t have thoughts about the boss’s wife, it’d be even better.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was still preoccupied with looking at the design plans, which covered the game’s backgrounds, its entire art style, up to the ancient style of the characters and their special characteristics. She carefully pored over the pages again and again, and with each repetition she gained more and more insight.
Right at that moment, someone knocked on the door. Ruan Jiu Jiu stretched. She thought it would be Mr. Meng, but unexpectedly it was Tu Nan.
“Your progress today has already been pretty good. Go home to get some rest, you can continue tomorrow.” Chuckling, Tu Fan boasted, “Your health is an asset. We’re all about sustainable development here, gotta make sure we don’t burn ourselves out.”
Ruan Jiu Jiu nodded to show her understanding. Only then did she notice that her shoulders felt a bit stiff and sore.
“I’ve called a taxi for you. It’s not convenient for women to go home by themselves so late.”
“There’s really no need…”
“Don’t worry, don’t worry. There aren’t that many women around here so they’re all carefully treasured.” Especially Sister-in-law, we can’t let anything touch a single hair on your head.
Only
Ruan Jiu Jiu sighed in admiration. “As expected of Jiacheng. They treat people so well.”
Tu Nan awkwardly smiled and was suddenly feeling a little guilty.
A tune sounded. It was Tu Nan’s phone. He didn’t treat Ruan Jiu Jiu as an outsider and directly answered. “Gu You?”
Hearing Gu You’s name, Ruan Jiu Jiu’s heart clenched.
If she remembered correctly, it was around this time that Gu You experienced his life’s greatest setback.
On the other side of the phone, Gu You’s heavy voice sounded.
“Sorry, I’ve hurt my hand. I can’t compete anymore.”
Author’s Note: Cheng Jun’s cover is on the verge of being blown lolol
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