Chapter 15

Yan the Demon King finished two whole bowls…

One drizzled with spicy beef sauce, the other mixed with peanut-mushroom sauce. The peanut-mushroom sauce contained small bits of meat, making it both savory and rich. As Wen Xin poured the sauce over her rice, even she couldn’t help but salivate.

Completely satisfied, Yan the Demon King finally deigned to give Wen Xin a proper look before picking up his hat and leaving.

Wen Xin: “…” Why did she feel an odd sense of accomplishment?

But her skills didn’t stop at cooking. Even without the system’s enhancements, she had always been good at whatever she set her mind to.

She had worked in various industries, picking up new skills through sheer grit. Since high school, she had taken on part-time jobs during summer and winter breaks, learning all sorts of things. Some jobs lasted only three to five days, while others stretched on for months. She even trained in massage for half a year.

That massage training came from a high-end spa and bathhouse called “Elegant Charm” on Huansi Road. She had landed the job through a recommendation from a senior in college.

Ordinarily, such establishments wouldn’t hire students with irregular schedules, but her striking looks had won her the job. She had a beautiful face, a perfectly proportioned figure, and, most importantly, an incredible figure that turned heads. The hiring manager took one look at her and immediately agreed to let her work six-hour evening shifts, offering a pay rate that was significantly higher than her usual part-time gigs.

At first, she wasn’t even there to learn massage—she was simply working at the front desk as a sort of “face of the establishment” during peak hours.

She had only started picking up massage techniques during downtime, figuring it was a useful skill to have. But soon, she realized that young female masseuses in such places often lived in a gray area. It wasn’t outright selling themselves, but when wealthy clients offered generous tips…

She had only ever “sold her skills, not her body,” but eventually, she left that line of work.

Now, all those miscellaneous skills she had picked up were useless. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, her talents had nowhere to shine.

Making money? Impossible. She was now reduced to working as a glorified housekeeper, relying on manual labor and cooking to survive.

What sense of accomplishment was there in that?

Her mood instantly plummeted.

After breakfast, He Wenyan shot Wen Xin a satisfied smile.

And why wouldn’t she be satisfied?

At first, when she was forced to take Wen Xin in, she had been full of resentment. But after considering various factors and facing pressure from her parents, she reluctantly agreed. Unexpectedly, Wen Xin turned out to be completely different from what she had expected.

Not only did she meet He Wenyan’s high hygiene standards, but her cooking was also exceptionally delicious. Receiving praise from He Wenyan was no small feat.

On top of that, Wen Xin always carried a warm, respectful attitude, making He Wenyan feel appreciated and at ease.

Of course!

Wen Xin had experience in customer service. The first rule of service work? The customer is always king. A welcoming and pleasant smile was the most basic skill in the industry. It was the social equivalent of a second face—one that made others instinctively lower their guard, revealing their true thoughts. And when the timing was right, a well-placed move would make them willingly open their wallets.

Earning money through service was completely natural.

After clashing with Yan the Demon King yesterday, she had already regretted it. She was a professional, after all!

Besides, with her keen eye for people, someone like Yan Zeyang wasn’t hard to handle. If the pay had been higher—say, enough to buy half a house in a month—she would have already won him over effortlessly.

Her strategy? Keep him comfortable, smooth out any resistance, and reap the rewards of her efforts.

As for He Wenyan’s praise, Wen Xin didn’t take it too seriously.

In modern times, this level of service was nothing special. It was practically routine.

If He Wenyan had seen how much effort she had put into selling high-end cosmetics—tracking every client’s preferences in a notebook—she would have been even more shocked.

Back then, she only took those jobs because she desperately needed money for tuition. Once she had enough, who would still want to serve others?

…

After returning from a mission, Political Commissar Ye Jianzhou followed Yan Zeyang back to his office.

“Ask the patrol soldiers how they managed to sneak out? I think the training tasks these past couple of days have been too easy.” Yan Zeyang entered the office, tossed his hat onto the coffee table, walked over to his desk, and glanced at the report on the table.

The commissar sat on the sofa and tried to reason with him. “Just punish those troublemakers for two days and let it go. They’re just a bunch of hotheaded rookies. Yesterday, when they saw the delicate and charming female soldiers from the arts troupe, their eyes practically lit up like wolves spotting prey. It’s understandable—after all, they’re still teenagers. Seeing girls, how could they not get excited? Not everyone is as composed as you…”

Yan Zeyang lifted his gaze from the report and shot a glance at Ye Jianzhou. “Oh? You’re giving me a lecture now?” He put the report back on the table. “Fine. Just this once. It won’t happen again.”

Huh? He’s being this easygoing today?

Ye Jianzhou gave him a curious look, then suddenly smirked and said meaningfully, “Zeyang, listen, technically speaking, I was a soldier under your father back in the day, so you should be calling me ‘Brother Ye,’ right?”

“It’s ‘Uncle.'” Yan Zeyang lifted his head and corrected him flatly.

“Fine, fine—Uncle!” Ye Jianzhou waved his hand impatiently. “Now tell me this—those seventeen- and eighteen-year-old recruits see a woman and their eyes go green with excitement. Even if it means breaking the rules, they’ll charge ahead. But you? You’re twenty-six already! Why aren’t you in a hurry? There are so many beautiful women in the arts troupe. You could close your eyes, randomly pick one, and she’d still be a great catch. Are you not interested at all? What kind of woman are you waiting for? Tell your uncle, I’ve been a political commissar for years and have a few brothers I’d trust with my life. Based on your criteria, I can definitely find a good match for you…”

Ye Jianzhou was genuinely worried. The commander was always busy with official duties and had no time to worry about his son’s personal life. Yan Zeyang’s mother had passed away, so there was no one else to arrange these things for him. Logically, it made sense for Ye Jianzhou to step in, and it shouldn’t have been an issue. But this brat’s standards were simply too high!

Throughout the entire military district, the women in the arts troupe were the most outstanding—each one more beautiful than the next.

And yet, after all this time, this guy hadn’t shown interest in a single one. Plenty of women liked him, but none of them could catch him.

Just the other day, Ye Jianzhou had run into the commander, who had even stepped out of his car specifically to say, “Xiao Ye, that boy Zeyang… his mother isn’t around anymore, and no one’s helping him find a match. Keep an eye on him for me, will you?”

What could Ye Jianzhou say? That was the old commander speaking—the same man who had been his regimental commander back in the day. There was no way he could refuse.

But the result?

He was failing miserably in fulfilling the commander’s request!

Why couldn’t this brat understand? How could he not feel anything when he saw a woman?

Take that other day—he had introduced a high-ranking official’s daughter to him. She was confident, charming, and well-mannered. The moment she met Yan Zeyang, she had extended her hand gracefully. “Hello, Commander Yan. I’ve heard so much about you. Meeting you in person today, I can see you truly live up to your reputation.”

Yan Zeyang had shaken her hand, and for a moment, Ye Jianzhou thought things were finally looking promising.

But when he followed up a few days later, this brat actually said: “Huh? She’s a woman?”

Ye Jianzhou nearly had a heart attack on the spot! The girl had short, neatly trimmed hair and carried herself with military precision, but how on earth could she not be a woman?

In the past, if Ye Jianzhou had brought this up, Yan Zeyang would have brushed him off with something like, I’m too busy with inspections, or I need to study reports, or I don’t have time. But today, he was unusually quiet, simply organizing the documents and reports on his desk.

Sunlight streamed in through the window behind him, illuminating the desk. Even Ye Jianzhou had to admit—this brat certainly had the looks that women would be drawn to.

His buzz-cut hair framed a sharply defined face, with features as precise as if they had been sculpted by a blade. His brows arched with a natural sharpness, his eyes could shift between reserved and piercingly intense, his nose was straight and well-defined, and his lips—neither too thin nor too full—held a stern firmness when he wasn’t smiling. But when he did smile, very few people could resist him.

It was no wonder he had high standards. With a face like that, a powerful background, and formidable skills, an ordinary woman truly wouldn’t be a match for him. But even the most well-matched candidates in their circles hadn’t caught his eye.

Because of this, Ye Jianzhou was practically losing his hair from stress.

On the other side, Yan Zeyang finished tidying up his desk, aligning everything precisely in its designated spot, ensuring that all four corners of each document were perfectly squared. Only then did he glance at his watch. Time’s up.

With that, he rose sharply to his feet—standing at over 1.8 meters tall, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a frame of solid muscle. Even among soldiers, he was one in a thousand.

“You’re heading home early these past two days? Not eating at the cafeteria?” Ye Jianzhou asked when he saw Yan Zeyang grab his hat and prepare to leave. He knew about the situation at the commander’s house—Yan Zeyang didn’t get along well with his father’s second wife. While their relationship wasn’t outright hostile, it wasn’t close either. Most of the time, he avoided going home, preferring to eat at the cafeteria unless he had no other choice. But these past two days, he’d been acting strangely—skipping the cafeteria for both breakfast and dinner, heading straight home instead. Something was off.

“I’m eating at home.”

The two of them stepped out of the office and walked out of the building. Outside, several soldiers were still being punished with weighted laps.

“Let them eat in the cafeteria once it opens,” Yan Zeyang ordered.

Ye Jianzhou nodded. Now this is more like it. After all, this is a military district, and the male and female soldiers are only separated by a wall. It’s like having a herd of sheep penned in next to a pack of wolves—of course, the wolves are going to stare. It’s only natural. This whole incident started because they couldn’t stop looking.

“After they eat, have them continue. Increase the training intensity. Only those with weak wills get defeated by sugar-coated bullets. Useless!”

Ye Jianzhou: “…”

You’re one to talk! You train like a machine, and no one in the entire military district can beat you. But for all your so-called discipline, you still haven’t found yourself a wife! These rookies are doing better than you—they’re at least looking at women!

…

When Yan Zeyang got home, he saw a small group of people gathered near his house. Among them was Wen Xin.

She was enthusiastically telling the others, “…I’ve been using this for ages. It’s amazing for your skin! It has multiple herbal ingredients that help with whitening. Whitening means making your skin lighter—like mine. I use it all the time, not just on my face but on my entire body. Look at my hands!”

With that, she confidently rolled up her sleeves.

She revealed her snow-white, smooth-as-jade arm. The two women beside her reached out to touch it—it was soft and silky, leaving them utterly mesmerized.

“Really? You can use it on your body too? It’ll make our skin like yours?”

“Of course! But you have to use it consistently. I’ve been applying it regularly—not just on my face, but also on my hands and other areas.”

As she spoke, she naturally lifted her shirt slightly, revealing her slender waist and smooth, toned stomach to demonstrate.

Yan Zeyang: “……”

His face darkened without him even realizing it. This woman!