Chapter 5

The topic about He Chuang was brushed aside just like that.

Zhao Shede drove Lin Koukou to her home.

The house was bought a few years ago. Since she hadn’t been in Shanghai for the past year, she had entrusted Zhao Shede with its care. It was cleaned monthly, and now looked even tidier than when she left.

The duplex with six-meter-high ceilings gave a spacious feel.

The modern decor carried a crisp, cool edge. When the lights were turned on, the bright illumination revealed scattered trophies, medals, and certificates in the wall cabinets.

To welcome Lin Koukou back, Zhao Shede had specially brought a fine bottle of wine from the bar, uncorking it to breathe as soon as they got home.

Unfortunately, Lin Koukou’s alcohol tolerance was rather modest.

Having spent the past year in the mountains at Clear Spring Temple, where drinking opportunities were scarce and the temple forbade alcohol, her tolerance had only diminished further.

Before long, she was tipsy and restless.

She sprawled on the sofa, enjoying the cool breeze from the balcony, watching Zhao Shede down one glass after another while chattering about the events of the past year. Slowly, she began to smile.

It was a somewhat hazy smile, but genuine.

Zhao Shede caught sight of it and suddenly forgot what she was about to say. Propping her chin on one hand, her eyes bleary with drink, she asked, “What are you smiling about?”

Lin Koukou’s voice was as light as a dream. “It’s good to be back.”

Without a doubt, Lin Koukou was heading to Crossroads.

Though many companies had extended olive branches to her—including offers from the Big Four Headhunting Firms with generous terms—after her experience at Direction, she had grown weary of the complex interpersonal dynamics in large corporations. A compact yet high-caliber firm like Crossroads better suited her current mindset.

Even though…

With Pei Shu at Crossroads, it might not be so easy to handle.

But there was no better choice than Crossroads now—

She had always preferred focusing on headhunting rather than management. Back when she joined Direction, aside from her friendship with Shi Dingqing, a major reason was that Shi would handle the management side. At Crossroads, the division of labor between Pei Shu and Sun Kecheng roughly mirrored her previous arrangement with Shi Dingqing. However, Sun Kecheng was less domineering and more accommodating—even managing to effortlessly handle someone as difficult as Pei Shu, which spoke volumes about his capability.

For Lin Koukou, joining Crossroads meant getting management support for free.

For Crossroads, it meant gaining a formidable ally.

—A win-win.

So the next day, after sobering up and freshening up, she called Sun Kecheng.

Sun Kecheng was practically jumping for joy on the other end.

They briefly discussed their intentions over the phone, after which Sun Kecheng sent her Crossroads’ basic information and organizational structure. They negotiated her compensation online.

Since Lin Koukou had just returned to Shanghai, she wasn’t in a rush to sign the contract immediately. They agreed she would visit Crossroads the following Monday.

She spent the weekend sorting out her life.

Unused items and old mementos related to Direction were packed into boxes and stored in the balcony storage room.

In the blink of an eye, Monday arrived. After tidying up, Lin Koukou finally made her way to Crossroads.

For a company with flexible working hours like this, early mornings should be the least crowded time. After all, there’s no need to clock in—performance at the end of the month is all that matters. Who would want to drag themselves out of bed early just to sit idly at their desk?

Yet today, the entire office area was packed to the brim.

Even Ye Xiang, the leader of Group Two, who usually never showed up before noon, had put on a full face of makeup and was sitting at her desk, secretly buzzing with excitement as she waited.

Crossroads was a small firm, so the headhunting department was split into just two teams.

Ye Xiang led Group Two. Cheerful and lively, she was full of passion for her work and one of Pei Shu’s top performers. Meng Zhixing, on the other hand, led Group One. With his oval, frameless glasses, he was more reserved and meticulous, exuding a tightly wound elite vibe. He was another long-time ace under Pei Shu.

Their desks happened to face each other.

Whenever Meng Zhixing looked up, he could see Ye Xiang craning her neck to peer toward the entrance. Unable to hold back, he remarked, “Are you sure you’re not here for a blind date today?”

Ye Xiang turned and shot him a glare. “The line of guys chasing me stretches all the way to the Huangpu River. Why would I need a blind date?”

Meng Zhixing deadpanned, “It’s not that far from here to the Huangpu River.”

Ye Xiang grabbed a pen from her desk and hurled it at him. “If you don’t know how to talk, sew your mouth shut. My idol is coming today—don’t ruin our company’s image.”

Meng Zhixing, well-practiced, tilted his head and effortlessly caught the pen. Sarcastically, he said, “First time I’m hearing that Lin Koukou is your idol.”

Last week, Sun Kecheng had dropped a bombshell in the company group chat—

Lin Koukou, former Director of the Headhunting Department at Compass Headhunting, was joining Crossroads.

The entire group chat exploded.

In a way, Crossroads and Direction were old rivals. Given how dominant Direction and Lin Koukou had been back then, there were plenty of times when Crossroads had been steamrolled by her team. Whenever her name came up, even if people didn’t outright despise her, resentment was thick in the air.

And now, Lin Koukou was joining their company?

Headhunters from both teams couldn’t believe it. They pressed Sun Kecheng for details and only then learned that Lin Koukou had already visited their office the previous week—disguised so inconspicuously that no one recognized her.

Ye Xiang had gone wild in the group chat, spamming a flood of crying emojis.

No one understood.

Meng Zhixing didn’t either.

But now, it seemed to click: “You were so hyped in the group chat because Lin Koukou came, but you missed her?”

Ye Xiang flipped open her compact mirror to check her mascara, not even looking up. “Duh, it’s Lin Koukou. I got into this industry because of her legend. First impressions matter—I want my idol to remember me.”

Meng Zhixing studied her. “Does Boss know you’re such a big fan of Lin Koukou?”

Ye Xiang: “…”

Her fingers, mid-adjustment of her lashes, froze. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his.

Meng Zhixing said, “Relax, I won’t snitch.”

Ye Xiang immediately clenched her fists. “My body may toil for Boss Pei, but my heart will always belong to Director Lin!”

Meng Zhixing was speechless.

But seeing Ye Xiang like this, even he couldn’t help but wonder—

Just what kind of person was this legendary Director Lin?

In the office, Pei Shu and Sun Kecheng were also waiting.  

Sun Kecheng glanced at his watch. There were only two minutes left until the scheduled time. He asked Pei Shu, “Why were you so sure earlier that she would come?”  

Pei Shu, holding a cup of coffee, stood by the floor-to-ceiling window and replied indifferently, “If one day we have a falling out and I get kicked out of Crossroads, I’d go straight to Direction too.”  

Sun Kecheng: ???  

Why bring up such an example out of nowhere?!  

He was genuinely startled by Pei Shu’s words and quickly made a spitting gesture three times. “I’m nothing like Shi Dingqing. I’m the kind of person who’s a simp. Didn’t Lu Xun say it? ‘Simp, simp, in the end, you’ll have it all.’ Our partnership isn’t going anywhere!”  

Pei Shu thought to himself, *You’re pretty self-aware about your persona.*  

He chuckled and didn’t say anything more.  

Outside in the open office area, everyone was whispering among themselves.  

After waiting for what felt like ages, it was almost 10:30, and there was still no sign of her. Some couldn’t help but grow impatient. Given that Lin Koukou had always been a competitor to Direction, not everyone liked her as much as Ye Xiang did, so their complaints weren’t exactly polite.  

“Didn’t they say she’d come in the morning? This is way too late.”  

“The Boss has been waiting inside for ages. Is she putting on airs or something?”  

“I’ve been meaning to ask—with Pei Shu already in the company, what’s she even here for? And did Pei Shu actually agree to her coming?”  

“Speaking for myself, I’m not welcoming her.”  

“Why isn’t she going to the Big Four? What’s she doing here…”  

“Hard to say. She’s been out of the industry for a year. Who knows if her skills are still as sharp as they used to be?”  

“Skills aside, but her looks…”  

Mid-sentence, one Headhunting Consultant, who happened to be facing the entrance, suddenly froze, completely forgetting the rest of his words.  

Everyone was taken aback and followed his gaze.  

For a moment, they all sucked in a sharp breath, collectively struck speechless by the aura of the person who had just walked in.  

Today’s Lin Koukou had shed the casual demeanor from last time. She wore a white suit, the single button loosely fastened, with a smooth silk blouse underneath and a loosely tied hanging bow. The impeccably tailored trousers draped over her snow-white feet in high heels, accentuating the straight, slender lines of her figure.  

The outfit wasn’t overly formal.  

Yet it gave off an effortless, intellectual, and composed vibe.  

Her light makeup enhanced her already striking features, adding just enough color to radiate a cool, dazzling brilliance.  

Who could look at her and dare say she’d been in a slump after a year away from the industry?  

This was unmistakably Lin Koukou, standing at the peak as if she’d never left.  

For a few seconds, the office was so quiet that the only sound was the soft click of her heels against the floor.  

Then she glanced at the crowd, paused slightly, and nodded in greeting.  

Only then did everyone snap out of it, unable to resist whispering among themselves.  

Inside the office, Pei Shu and Sun Kecheng had already seen everything through the glass wall, including Lin Koukou walking toward them.  

Sun Kecheng couldn’t help but sigh as he watched.  

Pei Shu asked, “What’s wrong?”  

Sun Kecheng clenched his fists tightly and said fiercely, “Watching her walk in, I feel like our company isn’t just twenty people—we might as well be a Fortune 500! Unreal. Absolutely unreal.”

Pei Shu turned his face, his gaze also falling on Lin Koukou as she approached. Surprisingly, he showed no intention of refuting this remark.  

Sun Kecheng walked to the door to greet her.  

Lin Koukou stepped inside.