Chapter 25: Becoming Fu Huaizhou’s Secretary

That evening, Ruan Li had planned to stay at a hotel for a few days, but Ye Mian kidnapped her to the Ye family’s house, under the pretext of an “interrogation.”

When the two arrived at the Ye family’s house, Ye Ze had just returned from work, and his excitement was written all over his face when he saw them.

“Do you have any business here, bro?” Ye Mian asked disdainfully, casting her brother a sidelong glance. Although he had returned to the country earlier than most, Fu Huaizhou still managed to beat him in certain matters. Ye Ze might have a chance against others, but when it came to the “true prince,” he stood no chance.

“If not, go handle your work in the study,” Ye Mian said, clearly eager to dig into some gossip.

Ye Ze didn’t quite understand what she was up to, and before he could exchange more than a few words with the girl sitting on the sofa, Ye Mian had dragged Ruan Li to her own room.

“There’ll be plenty of chances in the future anyway,” Ye Ze didn’t mind. In a few days, they’d be recording the show at Ye Group, so they’d see each other all the time. This one moment didn’t matter.

As soon as they were in the room, Ye Mian pushed Ruan Li onto the bed, glaring at her seriously. “When did you and Fu Huaizhou get involved? Why do I feel like even Shi Xun knows, but I’m the last to find out?”

“It happened at that recognition banquet…” Ruan Li explained, thinking how that whole event felt like a strange twist of fate. Who would’ve guessed that a drink from Ruan Shu would end up trapping her and Fu Huaizhou together?

“Tell me everything. Don’t leave anything out,” Ye Mian demanded. From what she saw of them today, it was clearly more than just a one-night affair. The subtle tension between them was almost impossible to hide. “My brother told me Fu Huaizhou is always so calm, and today he actually looked angry. That’s rare.”

Ruan Li muttered softly, “He’s plenty capable of getting angry…”

It seemed like every time she saw him, he was either angry or on the verge of it.

Ruan Li recounted everything that had happened recently, including her fallout with the Ruan family.

“Four billion!?” Ye Mian was shocked. She was often by Ye Ze’s side and heard plenty about the power dynamics in the capital’s elite circles. “I heard that after the Fu family canceled their engagement, they pulled out of several deals with the Ruan family. Now that their cash flow is drying up, it makes sense why they’re demanding such a huge sum from you.”

Ruan Li was troubled. The most valuable thing she owned was the pink diamond Fu Huaizhou had given her. Even if she sold everything she had, she could maybe give the Ruan family two billion, but that would include all her savings and luxury items from over the years.

“But breaking ties with them is a good thing. That ‘Fanzhou Group’ isn’t anything decent. I’ve heard gossip that the guy has violent tendencies. His ex-wife died because of it, and everyone avoids him.”

“So, what are you going to do?” Ye Mian asked. “Do you want me and my brother, or Shi Xun, to help you pay?”

“Absolutely not.” Ruan Li had never considered that option and hadn’t mentioned it before precisely to avoid this situation.

“Why not?” Ye Mian thought that with her own connections and Ruan Li’s years of hard work, they could scrape together the four billion.

Hugging Ye Mian’s pillow, Ruan Li, who had shared many nights in bed with her friend before, said seriously, “I’ve always believed that friends should stay purely as friends, or that relationships should be purely about business. You can’t mix emotions and benefits. Doing so would only hurt the things you truly care about.”

Ye Mian knew that once Ruan Li had made up her mind, she wouldn’t change it. She could only brainstorm other solutions. With so many opportunities in the capital, there had to be another way.

By the third day, when it came time to record the show, Ruan Li ran into trouble. She had been staying with Ye Mian, but because they were filming a segment in her personal wardrobe, she had returned to her own place early in the morning.

“This is my wardrobe,” Ruan Li explained to the cameraman as they entered. The design of her room had left an entire level dedicated to clothing and accessories. “This section is for evening gowns that I often wear. The room next door is for things I no longer use.”

Because of Shi Xun’s influence, the show had already shot up in popularity, and many people stopped by Ruan Li’s live stream to take a peek.

“This wardrobe is bigger than my entire house… Is this really the level of a ‘minor star’?”

“There are so many couture items in here that haven’t even been publicly released. And that red carpet dress? That’s one of a kind.”

Suddenly, the tone of the comments changed, and a wave of viewers flooded into Ruan Li’s stream.

“This is the fake daughter kicked out of the family, still acting like she belongs here. Are these things even hers?”

“Someone fill me in, what’s going on?”

When Ruan Li saw her assistant, Chen Jing, looking troubled, she grabbed her phone and glanced at the screen. As expected, she had shot up to the trending topics, and photos of her looking pale as she left the Ruan family were circulating everywhere.

“So, the new girl is the real daughter? Must be awful to have your spot stolen for so many years.”

“Isn’t it obvious? One’s in some random house, the other’s in a true mansion. No contest.”

“Fake heiress, get out of the entertainment industry!”

Ruan Li’s live stream was flooded with hateful comments. Chen Jing looked worried, but Ruan Li shook her head and continued the broadcast with a calm expression.

“I’ve never taken anything that didn’t belong to me, so I have no reason to feel guilty,” Ruan Li said, still poised as she stood in front of her jewelry case. “Everything I have, I’ve earned.”

Among the barrage of insults, some comments stood out.

“That pink diamond is huge! It could knock me out!”

“She seems more like the real heiress to me, compared to the other girl. Her aura is way more refined.”

“She probably has a sugar daddy. With that face, she could get one without even trying.”

But the majority of the comments continued to attack her. The show’s directors didn’t intervene, knowing that this kind of drama was what kept the ratings high. Meanwhile, Shi Xun and Ye Mian’s live stream was trending at another level entirely.

“This is a real princess and a real young master,” became one of the top trending topics, along with “Ruan Li vs. Ruan Shu: The Heiress Scandal.”

“We’re heading to a top company now. It’s going to blow your minds,” the show’s directors teased in their usual dramatic style.

Ruan Li rested her eyes, unsure of what her next steps should be. All she could think of was repaying the Ruan family the two billion. When the car stopped, she hadn’t yet snapped out of her thoughts.

No matter how fancy it was, she figured they were just heading to another branch of the Ye or Shi family businesses.

“Fu Corporation?” The comments exploded when they saw the sign, as Fu Corporation was a household name in the capital.

“Where did this show get its connections?”

“Didn’t we know Shi Xun and Ye Mian are top-tier young masters in the capital?”

The Fu Corporation had set aside a meeting room specifically for the show’s use. Ruan Li had thought this was just for show, but it turned out they were seriously going to do orientation and hold a morning meeting.

Ruan Li watched as a man walked into the room, wearing a crisp suit with cold eyes. The cameramen were only allowed to film from his neck down.

“Does the big boss himself really need to come to this meeting?” Ruan Li leaned toward Ye Mian and whispered.

Ye Mian was also baffled. Wasn’t her brother supposed to film at the Ye Group? How did they end up at the Fu Corporation? Everyone knew Fu Corporation was infamous for overworking its employees. She glanced at Ruan Li, teasing, “Could it be… he’s here for you?”

Ruan Li suddenly understood and nodded, “I get it, it’s aimed at me.”

Ye Mian: “…”

The two were exchanging glances when a deep male voice directly interrupted the undercurrents below, “Fu Corporation welcomes everyone, but please do not interfere with the work process of other employees. Best of luck to you all.”

The live comments hadn’t stopped since they entered Fu Corporation. “He sounds so young, is this the real overbearing CEO?”

“Why can’t we see his face? Maybe he’s camera-shy? I’ll take back that statement for a billion.”

Ruan Li quietly glanced at the man in the main seat, but Fu Huaizhou, with a cold expression, only instructed Assistant Qin to distribute the employee badges and left without giving the group another glance.

The director was still guiding the process, “Everyone, please reveal the positions on your badges, and then we’ll start live broadcasting from different camera angles.”

Ye Mian flipped over her badge and, unsurprisingly, it said “Design Department.” “I’ve been interested in Fu Corporation’s design department for a long time. Third Brother still has some good sides. What’s yours?”

When Ruan Li heard her change the way she addressed him, she knew Ye Mian had already been won over. She turned over her badge, and it boldly read—”Secretary Department.”

She couldn’t say much in front of the cameras, but she exchanged a glance with Assistant Qin, gritting her teeth as she said, “What a coincidence.”

Becoming Fu Huaizhou’s secretary was like walking straight into a trap, but facing the camera, she couldn’t just breeze through like she usually did.

“Ah, I heard the Secretary Department at Fu Corporation has the highest turnover rate,” Ye Mian turned her head to look at Shi Xun, almost unable to hold back her laughter. “Venture Capital Consultant. You couldn’t escape finance, your least favorite thing. Don’t bankrupt the company.”

Shi Xun’s face turned dark. He was the one who told them about the show, and now they were repaying kindness with enmity?

As for the remaining Ruan Shu and Pei Ze, they were probably assigned to the logistics department by the show’s team, aiming to stir up some romantic sparks without Fu Corporation’s interference.

Before Ruan Li could fully process the fact that she was going to be Fu Huaizhou’s secretary, Assistant Qin was already standing beside her, reminding her, “Miss Ruan, we need to go to the top floor to familiarize ourselves with the job.”