Chapter 23

The next day, as Xie Rongzhuo pushed open the bedroom door, she saw Shen Mi standing outside.

She was wearing a light-colored shirt, and her fishtail skirt accentuated her mature curves. Her ponytail was neatly tied up high, with slightly curled ends that added a playful touch. Her bright smile made her look elegant and gentle.

“Boss, good morning.” Her voice was sweet and charming.

Xie Rongzhuo lowered his head, squinting as he assessed her expression, which seemed to say, “Please begin your performance.”

Shen Mi held up a box of pastries with one hand, her smile sweeter than sugar: “Do you want to try some snow skin mooncakes? They have cherry filling.”

In reality, Xie Rongzhuo didn’t like cherries.

He chose the cherry flavor because he knew Shen Mi loved blueberries.

“No, thanks.”

Shen Mi maintained her smile, tilting her head slightly, and raised her other hand: “How about fried rice noodles?”

Xie Rongzhuo glanced at the fried rice noodles in her hand.

“You made this? No thanks.”

His meaning was clear: he wouldn’t eat anything she made.

“I didn’t make it, I bought it. It has nothing to do with me.”

Shen Mi placed the bag on the dining table, rolled up her sleeves, and went to wash her hands. She picked up the water cup before Xie Rongzhuo could reach it, filling it with hot water for him. A smile played on her lips: “Be careful, it’s hot.”

Xie Rongzhuo sat down at the table with the water cup: “Where did you buy it?”

“From the place you took me to last time.”

That shop didn’t open in the mornings. Shen Mi had tracked down the chef’s home through various means, arriving late at night with ingredients in hand. She had literally dragged the chef out of bed to make the fried rice noodles for her.

Xie Rongzhuo chuckled: “You have some skills.”

Shen Mi modestly replied: “Just average, average.”

These were all basic operations for a secretary. Shen Mi had done even more outlandish things while working under Wang Bo.

She opened the food box and presented the chopsticks to Xie Rongzhuo with both hands.

“Low oil, no onions, the meat is top-quality tenderloin, your favorite flavor.”

Xie Rongzhuo reached out to take the chopsticks and picked up a piece of tenderloin, putting it in his mouth.

Seeing that he had eaten it, Shen Mi immediately handed him a napkin. Xie Rongzhuo used the napkin to dab at his lips and looked up at her: “Shen Mi, I snatched you away from Wang Bo. With your work skills, you could secure your five social insurances and one housing fund at any company.”

He knew her needs, and Shen Mi wasn’t surprised. Xie Rongzhuo understood her life situation completely.

In those four years, he had completely figured her out.

Shen Mi looked back at him with a twinkle in her eyes: “You’re testing me.” She said seriously: “I won’t leave, I want to stay by my master’s side and inherit your legacy.”

Xie Rongzhuo suddenly smiled, the warm lamplight illuminating him, the shimmering light refracting through his glasses, making his already cold and aloof face look stunning.

Shen Mi was momentarily blinded by his smile.

She realized that Xie Rongzhuo was also looking at her, his gaze lingering with a strange tenderness. Shen Mi quickly averted her eyes and opened the pastry box.

“For breakfast, it’s not good to eat something too heavy. Have some fruit.” Her voice sounded a bit unnatural.

Xie Rongzhuo lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping over the soft, sweet pastries before returning to Shen Mi’s face.

She was naturally charming, and the elegant demeanor she cultivated couldn’t hide her true nature, at least not from him. In fact, her facade was full of holes.

Under Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze, the smile on Shen Mi’s lips faltered.

What did he mean by staring at her like that? Was he going to buy it or not?

The string in Shen Mi’s heart tightened under Xie Rongzhuo’s ambiguous look, ready to snap any second. She almost held her breath.

“Is the down payment enough?”

His voice was like an angel singing to her.

“Enough!”

At this moment, even if it wasn’t enough, it had to be enough. Shen Mi quickly pulled out a document from her bag. It was the application form she had asked Lao Gao for late last night.

“Then, could you sign this application form?” The sweet smile returned to her face.

Xie Rongzhuo reached out, and Shen Mi quickly placed the pen in his hand. He lowered his head and signed his name without hesitation.

He didn’t make things difficult for her.

Shen Mi was incredibly excited. She put the application form back into her bag: “Thank you, Master! I’ll work hard and not disappoint your expectations.”

She knew Xie Rongzhuo must have some conditions in exchange. She waited quietly for him to speak.

Sure enough, Xie Rongzhuo tilted his head slightly. Shen Mi understood and leaned over the table, her ear close to his.

Xie Rongzhuo lowered his eyelids, his nose brushing against her cheek, and whispered: “Don’t go around telling people I have a thing for raising daughters.”

Shen Mi: ???

“But actually—” he added: “My favorite game is boss and secretary.”

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Shen Mi mechanically turned her head, meeting Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze, trying to hide the shock in her eyes.

She seemed to have learned a terrible secret.

Xie Rongzhuo glanced sideways at her.

“Do you remember?”

Shen Mi swallowed: “I remember.”

She stammered, “I won’t tell anyone.”

Xie Rongzhuo’s gaze swept lightly over her face before turning away. His expression softened suddenly, and he lowered his head to continue eating the snacks Shen Mi had made.

•  

With Xie Rongzhuo’s approval, the process moved quickly.

The contract he offered was also very reasonable. One clause stipulated that if an employee left before working for Ruixing Huashang for ten years, they had to return the subsidy. Another clause stated that Ruixing Huashang had the right of first refusal to buy the house, preventing anyone from engaging in malicious speculation.

The welfare housing was already half-sold and half-given, plus a large subsidy, so the down payment wasn’t that much.

Shen Mi cleared all her savings and borrowed some from Zhang Zhiqing, finally managing to scrape together enough for the down payment.

When she received the house contract, Shen Mi felt like she was dreaming.

She had a house.

She finally had a place of her own.

Shen Mi hid in the bathroom and cried, feeling pathetic.

She was grateful for the version of herself who hadn’t given up on her studies back then, allowing her to enjoy the benefits of being a highly skilled professional.

She was also grateful to Xie Rongzhuo. If he hadn’t founded Ruixing Huashang and implemented this welfare program, she might never have been able to afford a house in her lifetime.

“You can transfer the ownership after paying social security for three years.”

Old Gao stamped the contract with his official seal and clapped his hands, laughing, “Congratulations, Secretary Shen, this apartment is yours. You’re the sixth person to sign the contract today, it’s a lucky six!”

Shen Mi couldn’t hide her excitement, clutching the contract tightly, “Thank you, Mr. Gao.”

Old Gao said, “I bought my apartment too early, Mr. Xie hadn’t taken over the company yet, what a loss! It’s a good thing you came at the right time, should I say or not.”

“Yes, yes.” Shen Mi smiled with narrowed eyes.

“I envy you young people who haven’t bought a house yet. The company just finished inspecting two new buildings before the new year, and the notice came down this morning. All employees in the president’s office who don’t own a house have received the purchase qualification.”

Old Gao’s mouth was like honey, he would praise anyone, “But everyone might have gotten this chance because of you, Secretary Shen. The boss approved yours, and then conveniently approved everyone else’s.”

Huh, did they approve everyone’s application?

Then what Xie Rongzhuo said this morning… was he teasing her?!

It doesn’t matter, I have an apartment now, everything else is a small matter.

As long as the big boss is happy, she can play along with whatever he wants, no matter how extravagant it is.

Forget about him wanting to play “raising a daughter,” even if Xie Rongzhuo wanted to play “ancestor raising grandson” now, she could act it out for him!

Shen Mi stopped in her tracks.

No, how could she lose her principles just because of an apartment? Pfft, she won’t act.

•  

That night, Shen Mi held the contract and lay in bed, laughing for over an hour.

After the excitement subsided, she felt a bit of melancholy. It was like she had sold herself to Xie Rongzhuo.

Ten years, she had to work for him for ten years.

Shen Mi clicked on Xie Rongzhuo’s WeChat profile picture, took a picture of the contract and sent it over, ready to act cute and maintain their master-student relationship.

Shen Mi: Wuwuwu I have to work for you for ten years.

But Xie Rongzhuo didn’t reply for a long time, Shen Mi suddenly remembered something, grabbed her phone and clicked on the chat box, staring at the message she just sent.

Her face flushed red, and she quickly typed: I didn’t mean that!

Shen Mi: Don’t think wrong!!

dsm: ?

dsm: Think wrong about what?

Shen Mi: “…”

dsm: You don’t want to work for me?

“…”

Why did it feel like Xie Rongzhuo was doing this on purpose?!

•  

The next day, seeing Xie Rongzhuo’s noble and aloof face, Shen Mi confirmed that she had overthought it last night.

Xie Rongzhuo wasn’t the kind of person who would use foul language.

But when she imagined those words coming out of Xie Rongzhuo’s mouth, she felt strangely embarrassed and excited.

“Shen Mi, what’s wrong with you?” Xie Rongzhuo looked down at her, “You can’t even tie a tie?”

Shen Mi finally noticed that her tie was knotted wrong, and she hurriedly untied it, “Sorry, boss.”

Xie Rongzhuo: “You got a house, don’t want to work hard anymore?”

“No.” She still had a lot of debt, Shen Mi steadied her mind, “…I didn’t sleep well last night, I was confused.”

Xie Rongzhuo chuckled softly, “What are you nervous about? It’s not even time to work yet.”

Shen Mi felt like Xie Rongzhuo was sending electricity her way, his gaze making her heart itch.

She looked away and pointed at the dining table, “Have breakfast.”

Xie Rongzhuo raised his eyebrows, “Hmm.”

After work, Shen Mi returned home and stood on the balcony looking at the building across the street. It had been raining lightly for the past two days, and the mural painter hadn’t come to work.

It was too dark outside, and Shen Mi was afraid of the dark, so she turned around and closed the door, hiding in her room.

When she had money, she would buy a power pole and build two streetlights outside, turning them on when it got dark.

Lying in her own apartment, she felt a sense of belonging she had never experienced before. Shen Mi thought to herself that she was truly a common person, a common person who was willing to become a house slave at a young age.

So be it, being a common person was better than being a vagrant.

For her first house, Shen Mi planned to save money for renovations, which would be a considerable expense.

She had to make more money!

•  

The next evening, Shen Mi suddenly received a call from Wang Bo, who said he had two projects for her to choose from, asking if she would take on some freelance work and earn a commission.

Shen Mi was short of money now, but the more it was like this, the more cautious she became. She had been scammed too many times by part-time jobs in the past.

Wang Bo was a shady character, Shen Mi didn’t trust him, and she demanded that he courier the project report and the materials provided by the analyst to her, so she wouldn’t end up being a scapegoat.

Wang Bo readily agreed, which made Shen Mi even more cautious.

She called Zhang Zhiqing and asked her to introduce her to Zhao Bailis, to find out more about the A2 project.

This project was Zhao Bailis’ responsibility, and she knew the most about it.

Although Zhang Zhiqing didn’t like working, her network was solid. She directly pulled a group for discussion.

Zhao Bailis directly started a group voice chat: “Actually, it’s very simple. This is my first project, and my competitor is the second son of the Bi family. Wang Bo doesn’t dare offend me, and he doesn’t dare offend the second son of the Bi family, so he wants you to take the fall.”

Zhang Zhiqing: “That guy is so vicious!”

Shen Mi, however, thought about another layer of benefits and calmly said, “Ms. Zhao, do you think this fall is worth taking?”

Zhao Bailis: “Don’t be so formal, just call me A-lis. Of course I have confidence in my project, and if you ask my opinion, I definitely hope you join my side.”

Shen Mi: “A-lis, be honest with me, is your boss unwilling to participate?” Otherwise, Wang Bo wouldn’t have thought of using her.

Zhao Bailis laughed, “People who have worked under Wang Bo are different, they’ve all been tricked by him. That’s right, my uncle isn’t interested in my project. He’s focused on the secondary market and doesn’t want to get involved in our trial business. It’s Wang Bo who’s interested.”

Shen Mi: “Do you know why he’s looking for me?”

Zhao Bailis didn’t hide it from her, “You’re your uncle’s person. If you’re brought in, there’s a high probability that your uncle will come in. More people means a sense of security.”

In other words, if they crash, they crash together. With Xie Rongzhuo there, they won’t crash too badly. Wang Bo is a typical example of someone who’s not good but has a big appetite for risk. He needs a scapegoat before he’s willing to play.

The two continued chatting for another half hour.

Shen Mi asked, “A Li, if after I finish reviewing the materials, I’m more interested in the Bi family company’s project, you won’t give me trouble, right?”

Zhao Bai Li promised, “I’ll directly go after Wang Bo.”

Shen Mi was straightforward, “If I help you secure investment, what’s the maximum I can get?”

“No less than two points,” Zhao Bai Li said. “Of course, it also depends on the contract amount. If you can bring in your uncle’s investment, I can give you three points.”

“Alright, I’ll contact you after I finish reviewing the materials.”

“Stay in touch.”

A soft snoring sound came from the phone. Shen Mi probed, “Qingqing?”

Zhao Bai Li: “She must have fallen asleep.”

…

Three days later, Shen Mi received the materials sent by Wang Bo.

One project was a big-name online shopping platform from Bi family’s subsidiary, the other was Zhao Bai Li’s short video software.

Shen Mi was very interested in Zhao Bai Li’s project.

But she didn’t know how to convince Xie Rong Zhuo.

Although she was genuinely trying to attract investment, and everyone would win if they made money, she always felt a bit like a scammer when she brought up those three percentage points…

She felt guilty even though she hadn’t done anything wrong after taking the money.

Lying in bed, Shen Mi touched her conscience and thought, if she didn’t have those three percentage points in commission, would she still want to cooperate with Zhao Bai Li?

The answer was:

—Yes!

With a clear conscience, she sat up and opened Xie Rong Zhuo’s WeChat: Master, are you free to chat?

Xie Rong Zhuo was attending an industry summit abroad, and had been gone for two days.

A few seconds later, the screen popped up with a video invitation from “dsm.”

This was the first time Xie Rong Zhuo had sent her a video call. Shen Mi tidied her hair, knelt on the bed, and raised her phone to answer.

Xie Rong Zhuo’s flawless, handsome face filled the screen.

She smiled and sweetly called out, “Master~” with a voice that was quite intentional.

In response to her pretentious demeanor, Xie Rong Zhuo seemed to be immune, calmly staring at the screen for a moment before showing a knowing expression.

Shen Mi felt a bit guilty under his gaze, her eyes slightly wandering, trying to maintain a facade of obedience: “Master, why did you suddenly video call me?”

Xie Rong Zhuo replied, “Just wanted to see you.”

Shen Mi’s cheeks felt slightly warm: “What do you want to see me for?”

Xie Rong Zhuo said, “I wanted to see what kind of expression my precious disciple has when she’s trying to scheme against me.”

Shen Mi: “…”

Author’s note:

Admit it, Uncle Xie, you just wanted to see the girl!!