Shen Mi recalled the aristocratic young man she had seen earlier that day, whose peach blossom eyes had thrown her off balance.

She typed back: “He looks like a total player.”

Just as she was about to continue sharing how she’d been spellbound by the “Player’s” gaze and had been distracted for the entire afternoon, the system suddenly prompted her:

— *”Friend “Very Mysterious” has logged off.”*

— *”Guild “Very Mysterious” has logged off.”*

**”Your direct master “Very Mysterious” has logged off.”**

…Disconnected?

Shen Mi rarely waited patiently to recharge her points for her master to log back in. Ten minutes later, her master’s avatar was still offline.

Power outage?

Her master often AFKs, but once offline, it’s normal for her not to be seen for days or even weeks. Over the years, Shen Mi had grown accustomed to her master’s unpredictable presence. She closed the game and lay down on her bed, using her phone to catch up on work.

It was already almost ten o’clock, and Wang Bo was really good at making things complicated. He asked her for the meeting notes from the day and then had her print and scan the client’s emails for him.

After finishing the tasks assigned to her at the last minute, it was already 1 a.m. When Wang Bo received the scanned documents, he casually said: “I’ll just look at the email directly.”

Shen Mi: “…”

After being a secretary for nearly two months, Shen Mi felt like there was nothing she couldn’t endure anymore.

*

The next morning, Shen Mi was suddenly given a transfer order to the headquarters office.

This was unprecedented, and it caused a stir in the employee group for an entire afternoon.

Wang Bo was infamous for his short temper and quick temper, and being ordered around by him for two months was equivalent to two years of work experience. The headquarters was in need of talent, so it was entirely normal for the big boss to transfer someone as capable as Shen Mi.

— But, would Wang Bo be able to tolerate this?

Today, everyone seemed to be particularly thirsty, constantly “passing by” Wang Bo’s office. Xiao Zhou was lucky enough to overhear Wang Bo’s furious yet helpless voice: “The person I’ve worked so hard to cultivate, and you’re saying they can just be transferred away? Why haven’t I worked hard? I’ve been making her work overtime day and night to train her… How did it become that I’m using one person as ten? … I’m not guilty… Didn’t you say she’d temporarily help me here? How did she become your person?”

“…I didn’t think she’d be so capable… I just want someone who can handle hardship, bear the pain, and be competent. You get me another one, or I’ll quit… What? You—”

Unexpectedly, even Wang Bo had moments when he couldn’t bear to let someone go. Shen Mi’s future was truly limitless.

Xiao Zhou returned to her desk and saw Shen Mi staring at the screen, looking serious and focused.

In reality, Shen Mi was just zoning out.

The black and white words, with the big boss’s signature on them.

Shen Mi looked at the transfer order, specifically at the three characters  (Xie Rongzhuo) written with a strong and elegant stroke, and fell into deep thought.

It wasn’t that she was overly suspicious or overthinking, but the coincidence was too much—yesterday she had kicked him, and today she was being transferred there.

But that kick had been pretty forceful.

High heels, a swift kick—if even elephant legs would bruise, his leg should’ve felt it.

The young master from the Beijing circle being a bit proud and “delicate” was normal. She had kicked him in the leg, and he could very well hold a grudge, maybe even make her life difficult… It wasn’t impossible.

The document required her to report to the headquarters by the 20th of this month at the latest, otherwise, it would be considered as giving up.

Today was the 18th.

With the boss so eager to transfer her, Shen Mi suspected that her bad luck was at play again, and she was about to face some punishment.

“Shen Mi, going to the headquarters is a promotion, it’s a good thing, why are you sighing?” Xiao Zhou looked at her in confusion. “You didn’t get a boyfriend and want to stay here, did you? Let me tell you, don’t be soft-hearted. Men won’t appreciate your efforts. When a good opportunity comes, you have to grab it immediately, don’t hesitate. Men are just obstacles to women’s careers…”

Xiao Zhou spoke earnestly, and Shen Mi took all her words to heart.

That’s right, going to the headquarters was a promotion.

A promotion meant a raise.

Being tortured by the big boss or by Wang Bo, either way, it was torture—so why not choose the one with the higher salary?

Shen Mi lowered her voice and asked, “Sister Zhou, did you just say that the salary would increase if I go to the headquarters?”

The company prohibited employees from discussing salaries, but everyone had an idea of what others were earning privately. Xiao Zhou made a gesture with her fingers and whispered, “If it weren’t for my husband working here, I would’ve already tried to apply to the headquarters. Where you work doesn’t matter—making money is the hard truth.”

Shen Mi immediately checked the rent, cost of living, and prices in the city center of Suicheng.

She had paid a deposit of two months’ rent, a total of five thousand, and if she didn’t stay for at least six months, she wouldn’t get any of it back. Moving to the headquarters would only give her a two-thousand raise… it was like working for two months for free and then facing the boss’s harsh treatment.

It wasn’t worth it. She decided not to go.

*

Today, Wang Bo rare gave Shen Mi a slightly kinder tone. “Have you thought it through? This is Beijing. Once you leave, it’ll be hard to come back unless you marry a man with a Beijing household registration.”

“Thank you for the reminder, Mr. Wang. I will consider it carefully.” Shen Mi had already decided not to go to the headquarters, but she didn’t outright reject the offer.

Whether she went or not depended on whether he was going to approve her probation and raise her salary.

Working under Wang Bo, a boss with eight hundred schemes, Shen Mi had unconsciously picked up two hundred herself.

Wang Bo didn’t yell at Shen Mi the entire afternoon, but that didn’t stop Shen Mi from working overtime until 10:30 PM.

When she returned to her rental apartment, she found the door wouldn’t open—there had been a change in the lock.

She called the landlord and found out that her roommate had gone to meet the top streamer, and now the story had made the news.

—A married man had spent over a million on gifts for a female streamer, and his wife had beaten the streamer in public.

The landlord came over late that night, saying, “This afternoon, the door was covered in paint. I told them the house is mine, but those scoundrels wouldn’t stop. They kept saying I was protecting the mistress. Girl, you should stay with a friend for a few days until it’s safe to come back. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll return your deposit. I’m not renting this place anymore, I don’t care about the money, but let’s not have any trouble.”

Shen Mi finally noticed the glaring red paint on the ground. She called her roommate, but the phone was turned off.

“Alright. Auntie, I won’t be renting this place anymore.”

The return of her rent deposit became the catalyst for Shen Mi’s decision to go to the headquarters. After just ten minutes of thinking, the decision grew into something bigger—she decided to take a gamble.

—As long as she could prove herself to the big boss, she’d have her chance to rise.

Shen Mi called Wang Bo to let him know she’d made her decision. She was leaving tonight. Wang Bo didn’t say much; after all, there wasn’t much for her to hand over from her current job. As long as she could take the criticism, it was fine. Plus, the transfer order came from headquarters, and even Wang Bo, no matter how arrogant, wouldn’t dare oppose Xie Rongzhuo.

Before hanging up, Wang Bo asked if she had money for a plane ticket. Shen Mi said no, and Wang Bo replied, “Then, I wish you a safe journey.” Then he hung up.

Shen Mi: “…”

*

Shen Mi didn’t have much luggage. A 26-inch suitcase was enough to hold all her valuable belongings. She managed to snag a train ticket for the next morning and spent around 20 hours on a rickety green train, arriving in Suicheng at 10:30 in the morning.

After getting off the train, it felt as though the ground was still swaying beneath her feet.

Shen Mi dragged her suitcase to the subway station, looking for the route to take. She planned to check in at the company first and then figure out where to stay.

It was already the end of October, and seeing everyone on the streets in shorts and T-shirts, Shen Mi silently took off her coat. She found a restroom, changed out of her thick leggings, and touched up her makeup. After leaving her suitcase at a small convenience store, she spent a lot of money hailing a taxi to the Ruixing headquarters.

The CEO’s office closed at 12:00 PM. Shen Mi kept glancing at her watch, and the driver, speaking in Cantonese like a character from a TVB drama, asked, “Pretty girl, in a hurry?”

“Yes,” Shen Mi replied. “How long will it take to get to the Ruixing office building from here?”

“At least thirty minutes,” the driver switched to Mandarin.

It seemed like she might not make it in time…

“Can we get there before 12:00?”

Seeing her anxious expression, the driver suddenly got excited. “Leave it to me!” he said, quickly swerving the steering wheel into an old street. After a series of twists and turns and a sudden brake, he announced, “We’re here!”

Shen Mi felt like she had been in a police action film. She checked the time—fifteen minutes had passed.

“Thank you, driver!” she said, grateful.

The driver, full of energy, replied, “No problem!”

Shen Mi dashed into the office, barely making it in the last three minutes, panting as she introduced herself, “Hello, I’m Shen Mi, the one transferred from Beijing.”

—

Author’s Note:

Welcome to the “online dating meets reality” phase →_→

—