As expected, the day after Ju Li submitted her resume to Zhanyun Media, she received an interview notification.
She only met with a minor administrative supervisor before receiving an offer—Zhanyun Media’s infamous, gruelling multi-round interview process? She didn’t experience any of it.
Her position: administrative department staff, with a six-month probation period where the salary matched that of full-time employees.
The monthly salary was 6,200 yuan with five insurances and one housing fund, plus additional housing fund contributions, an annual overseas trip benefit along with a year-end bonus of at least two months’ salary…
Ju Li had long known that Zhanyun Media offered high base salaries and great benefits.
Beyond what was written in the contract, there were also perks like afternoon tea, holiday gifts and countless extra days off.
The moment she received the offer email, she immediately called her younger brother.
“Ju Jing! Your jiejie got hired at Zhanyun Media!”
“No, not as a janitor!”
“Of course not as a security guard either!”
“Not as a bouncer! Do you think my tiny frame could scare off criminals by pretending to be a ghost? Ju Jing, are you looking for a beating?! … Obviously, it’s a proper nine-to-five job in the administrative department!”
The city was wrapped in the night’s glow and the gentle drizzle sounded like nature composing a beautiful melody.
Neon lights added a touch of mystery to the rainy night, making Jianghai City seem like an enchanting woman, even more mesmerising in the summer night.
Inside a low-rent shared apartment in Pudong, though the lights were off, an excited young woman lay awake.
Tomorrow was her first day at work and Ju Li was so thrilled she could almost dance on her bed.
Lying at the edge of the bed, she turned to her brother, who had come over to celebrate and was now sleeping on a makeshift floor bed in the narrow space beside her.
“I’m going to be working in Huangpu District—at Hong Kong Plaza1! Wow, it feels like I’ve reached the peak of my life!”
“After rent, food and other expenses, I can save at least a thousand yuan every month. With my year-end bonus and annual salary raises, we’ll start building up our savings soon.”
Ju Jing gazed at his sister’s eyes, which shone as brightly as stars—full of life and hope.
“You just joined the company. You’ll need to buy work clothes, shoes and bags and go out for meals with colleagues. That all costs money. I’ll keep sending you your living allowance for now—get yourself settled first. Once your salary goes up in a couple of years, then you can start saving.”
His voice was low and steady, gentle yet reliable—not like a younger brother at all, but more like an older one.
“No way. You haven’t even bought yourself new shoes in years. Now that your jiejie is making money, you should take it easy too. Start thinking about yourself.” Ju Li wasn’t just planning to stop taking money from her brother—she was already thinking about saving up to buy him a house.
In ten years, she’d surely have a decent amount saved. Combined with her brother’s own savings, it should be enough for a down payment in Jianghai City.
By then, he’d only be in his early thirties, which wasn’t a late age to get married in a big city.
Thinking about it, she didn’t feel daunted by the long wait. Instead, she was filled with excitement about the future.
Ju Jing didn’t respond. He sat up and gently patted his sister’s head—just like their mother used to do when lulling them to sleep.
“Stop overthinking. Tomorrow’s your first day at work. You can’t be late. Sleep now.”
Ju Li nodded, hugging her pillow and nuzzling the edge of the bed. Under her brother’s soothing pats, she finally started to feel drowsy.
Her tiny rental room was barely ten square meters and with the floor bed laid out, there was no space left for anything else.
But at this moment, the cramped space felt warm and comforting.
Outside, the rain had softened into a gentle drizzle, its rhythmic sound bringing a sense of calm.
Only after Ju Li fell asleep did Ju Jing lie back down on his floor bed.
With his arms folded behind his head, he stared at the ceiling.
From the other side of the thin wooden wall, he could hear the sound of a neighbour turning over in bed.
There wasn’t even enough room to stretch out properly.
Pressing his lips together, he turned his gaze back to his sister’s sleeping face. Under the dim light, her features looked soft and peaceful.
His heart ached slightly.
Sometime later, when both of them were deep in sleep, the phone beside Ju Li’s bed lit up.
For the ninth time, a notification from the [Little Secretary System] popped up, urging its bound user—‘the poor working-class girl Ju Li’—to open the app.
A simple dialogue box appeared with just a few lines of black text:
[Congratulations, Host ‘Poor Low-Level Worker Ju Li’ has completed the newbie task!]
Task Reward: 1 Lucky Spin Ticket
Use now? Yes / No.
Ju Li was hired by Zhanyun Company!
—Soon, this explosive news spread like wildfire in the class group chat.
The entire group congratulated her—it was the liveliest day since the group was created.
Everyone was asking: how exactly did she manage to pass Zhanyun Media’s notoriously difficult interview process?
In fact, the mere fact that Zhanyun Media even let Ju Li take the interview was already unbelievable.
Sun Hong, a classmate, recalled that not long ago, Ju Li was interning at a small company just like her—filing documents, making PowerPoint presentations. But now… Ju Li had suddenly soared to Zhanyun Media?
She really got in?
Really???
Unbelievable…
Ju Li must have hit the jackpot!
Had Zhanyun Media lowered its hiring standards?
The thought struck Sun Hong and she immediately polished her resume and quickly found Zhanyun Media’s application portal.
She wasn’t the only one. Many classmates, while outwardly congratulating Ju Li, secretly submitted their own applications, fueled by a mix of jealousy and disbelief.
But soon, they realised—none of their resumes got a response.
So… how on earth did Ju Li get her resume noticed and pass the interview?!
The first day at the company wasn’t as exciting as she had imagined.
Among the employees working as usual, their expressions indifferent, Ju Li’s eyes shone brightly, full of energy.
Some passing colleagues couldn’t help but sigh upon seeing the fresh-faced newcomer:
Ah, youth is such a wonderful thing… A little innocent soul who hasn’t been worn down by the cruelty of society yet… Tsk tsk!
Like the administrative department, Ju Li’s office was on the 38th floor—the same level as the president.
Under the curious gazes of unfamiliar colleagues, she received her laptop, signed her probation contract, registered her fingerprint at the entrance (since fingerprint access was required to enter the company), collected stationery and was assigned a workstation…
A busy morning passed before she finally finished all these tasks.
The company’s restroom was located outside the fingerprint-secured door. As Ju Li used her fingerprint to enter the main office for the first time, she had to press down the corners of her mouth to stop herself from grinning like an excited newbie.
Like her other colleagues, she pretended to be busy. After entering, she smiled at the receptionist before turning left toward the administrative department.
At that moment, a man wearing a polo shirt and casual trousers, hands in his pockets, walked toward her.
“…” Ju Li.
“…” Zhu Jingyi.
Upon seeing Ju Li, Zhu Jingyi hesitated.
He had helped her out because they shared common interests and because she was smart and capable.
But now that Ju Li had actually joined the company, he was worried she wouldn’t maintain proper boundaries and would still speak to him too casually—failing to recognise the vast hierarchical gap between them.
He was about to give her a brief nod, intending to maintain a distant and professional demeanour to subtly warn her—
But before he could, Ju Li spoke first.
She nodded at him, maintaining a respectful yet composed tone and addressed him as ‘Second Senior Brother’ before briskly walking past him.
Since Zhu Jingyi’s surname was Zhu and he headed the administrative department, many subordinates called him ‘Second Senior Brother’2 as a sign of respect mixed with familiarity. Over time, the nickname had spread across the entire company.
Earlier that morning, when a colleague from HR introduced Ju Li to her supervisor, Fang Fei, she was also added to the administrative department’s group chat—where she noticed everyone calling Zhu Jingyi “Second Senior Brother.”
Ju Li passed by him swiftly. If Zhu Jingyi had been worried that her casual attitude would undermine his authority, she, on the other hand, was even more concerned about maintaining distance from him.
After all, she had only managed to enter the company thanks to Zhu Jingyi’s special approval. If she got too close to him, wouldn’t that just provide her colleagues with more gossip material?
Zhu Jingyi was surprised. This girl was even more determined to avoid suspicion than he was?
Pausing for two seconds, he resisted the urge to turn around and look at her, then continued walking. Today was the first day that President Zhong Liyan would be working in the Shanghai headquarters after moving the main office to Jianghai City. That afternoon, Boss Zhong would be coming in for a meeting. Zhu Jingyi planned to eat early and take a nap at noon so he could be fully prepared to deal with their difficult president.
Lunchtime arrived and employees began heading out in pairs.
Ju Li, not knowing anyone yet and in no hurry to integrate quickly, planned to go out alone and find something to eat.
That was when Zhang Beibei appeared. Ju Li remembered her—she had joined the company two days earlier. A master’s graduate from Yan University, majoring in journalism.
The girl was about 1.67 meters tall, half a head taller than Ju Li. She was lively and carefree, bouncing over to Ju Li’s desk and leaning on the table as she introduced herself again.
As she spoke, the bells on her wrist jingled. She exuded an energetic, youthful charm.
Naturally, Ju Li and Zhang Beibei ended up eating together. Claiming it was to celebrate Ju Li joining the company, Zhang Beibei insisted on treating her to Japanese ramen.
As they sat at the table, Ju Li focused on eating, while Zhang Beibei did most of the talking.
Watching Zhang Beibei’s cheerful smile and expressive eyes, Ju Li couldn’t help but envy her for her likeable appearance, confident demeanour and carefree personality.
“Have you heard of our company’s president, Zhong Liyan?” Zhang Beibei soon brought up the company’s most high-profile gossip.
Ju Li savoured the firm texture of the noodles and absentmindedly nodded.
“I heard the reason Boss Zhong is such a workaholic is that… he’s not interested in women,” Zhang Beibei said, lowering her voice as she glanced around to make sure no colleagues were nearby. Then she whispered dramatically, “He’s not… capable.”
She even made an exaggerated expression to go along with it.
People even gossip about things like that?
Whoever spread this rumour must be camping under Boss Zhong’s window, eavesdropping 24/7.
Though Ju Li found it ridiculous and didn’t believe a word of it, she didn’t want to spoil the fun. So, she played along casually: “Really?”
“It’s true!” Zhang Beibei nodded earnestly, fully embracing her role as a professional rumour-monger. “He’s already in his thirties and has never even had a scandal.”
Now that was surprising.
As the president of an entertainment company, Zhong Liyan had countless opportunities to be around showgirls at CJ events3 or interact with actresses during drama productions.
Men are biologically wired to ‘sow their seeds’. Even if he had a high IQ, strong self-control and a rational mindset, a golden bachelor like Zhong Liyan remaining completely scandal-free was indeed astonishing.
“But even if Boss Zhong isn’t, you know, incapable… no one would want to marry him.” Zhang Beibei continued enthusiastically.
“Why? He’s rich and only 33. There must be plenty of women willing to marry him.”
“You don’t get it—he’s a total workaholic! Just wait, within a month, our company will renovate a one-bedroom suite with a bathroom. Boss Zhong will end up eating and sleeping in the office.”
Zhang Beibei shook her head and added, “Even HR hasn’t been able to hire a secretary for him yet. The moment candidates hear they’d be working for a workaholic-slash-tyrant like Zhong Liyan, they run away—no matter how high the salary.”
“Does Boss Zhong eat people or something?” Ju Li chuckled. That sounded too exaggerated.
“Once, a pregnant employee nearly died in the office at nine months pregnant. In the end, she lost the baby.” Zhang Beibei widened her eyes dramatically.
For the entire meal, Zhang Beibei kept feeding Ju Li horror stories about President Zhong Liyan. It was surprisingly entertaining.
On the way back, Ju Li bought several cups of coffee—one for Zhang Beibei, one for herself and the rest for the HR colleague who had helped her with the contract, as well as her direct supervisor, Fang Fei.
As they stepped out of the elevator on the 38th floor, their president-related gossip was still going strong.
“Do you think the president is gay?” Zhang Beibei suddenly leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.
“…No way…” Ju Li frowned.
This was getting more and more ridiculous.
“Who knows? I’m going to the restroom, Madam, you head back first.” Zhang Beibei bounced away with a jingle of bells toward the restroom—since Ju Li’s name sounded like ‘Madame Curie’ in Chinese, the lively Zhang Beibei had simply given her the nickname ‘Madam’.4
Ju Li turned her head and saw a tall, well-built man standing outside the company’s glass door, seemingly locked out.
He seemed to have overheard their conversation and slowly turned his head to take a look.
The receptionist was away from her desk. It was lunchtime, so people were either eating or napping at their desks and no one was around to open the door for the man.
Meeting his gaze, Ju Li walked to the entrance, only turning her head to get a better look when she stood beside him.
His black shirt was impeccably pressed without a single wrinkle. Though he wasn’t wearing a tie, he had a pair of finely crafted cufflinks.
Because she studied English, Ju Li had researched British history and customs and even done translations on the topic. She knew that high-class gentlemen paid attention to details like cufflinks.
By coincidence, Ju Li recognised these particular cufflinks—a single pair cost 3,800 yuan.
Looking further down, his belt was Loewe—she recognised the brand’s logo.
His suit pants were sharply tailored, outlining his long, straight legs.
On his feet, he wore a rare pair of iron-grey Hermès leather shoes…
This entire outfit could sustain her for over a year.
Only then did she finally lift her gaze to his face. He appeared to be around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.
He had a tanned complexion, thick brows and long, monolid eyes—a sharp, stylish look. His neatly combed short hair added to his elite aura, though there was also a strong, untamed edge about him.
Judging from the fact that he couldn’t enter the company, Ju Li guessed he was a visitor without fingerprint access.
She wasn’t the warmest of girls, but she was always polite and composed. Seeing that he needed to enter and thus needed her help—
She stepped forward, smiled and then, realising both her hands were occupied with coffee, looked up and asked with a small smile, “Could you hold this for me?”
Such a small request shouldn’t be refused. After asking, she gently extended the coffee bag in her right hand toward him.
The man had been waiting for her to open the door with a serious expression, probably not expecting to be ordered around. He froze for a moment before, almost instinctively, taking the coffee bag as she naturally handed it over.
Without minding his gaze, Ju Li calmly pressed her thumb on the fingerprint scanner.
The small screen immediately displayed a successful recognition and the glass door slid open at a leisurely pace.
“Thanks~” Ju Li was polite yet slightly distant, lacking the overt enthusiasm that many career women displayed.
She didn’t even glance at the man’s handsome face as she took back the coffee from his hands—
If it had been any other girl, even if they saw him as just another visitor, they would likely be more eager, maybe even a little fawning, given his looks and refined outfit.
But Ju Li was too self-aware. She never harboured any fantasies about snagging a wealthy husband, which made her attitude toward rich and handsome men seem distant, even rejecting.
She didn’t want to give off an impression of being ‘too forward’, like those times in school when certain wealthy and attractive seniors would respond to enthusiasm with condescending, smug expressions.
Being sensitive, she had long mastered the skill of keeping her distance from people who were prone to arrogance.
The man watched as the girl, who had so nonchalantly taken the coffee from his hands, walked through the entrance without sparing him a second glance.
He raised an eyebrow slightly before striding inside.
Just then, the receptionist returned to her desk with printed documents, immediately pausing in her tracks when she spotted the man entering.
She tensed up and greeted him politely, “Good afternoon, president.”
Zhong Liyan gave no response. Without looking sideways, he strode straight toward the executive office at the far end of the right-hand workspace.
At that moment, Ju Li had just turned left toward the long reception desk.
Hearing the receptionist’s words, she instantly froze.
Her body stiffened mechanically as she slowly turned her head, realising that there were no other men within six meters of the reception area.
And the receptionist was still gazing intently at the man’s retreating figure.
“…”
?
When she helped the boss open the door and asked him to hold something for her, that… wasn’t offensive, right?
Uh…
…What was Zhang Beibei saying when they got out of the elevator just now?
Did the president hear all of that?
Rumour had it… that Boss Zhong was ruthless when firing people!
Like, having security drag them out for public humiliation, then giving them a good kick on their way out…
When Zhang Beibei returned from the restroom, she found Ju Li standing motionless at the reception desk, clutching her coffee, her face ashen.
Huh?
What happened?
- Huangpu District (黄浦区) is a central district in Shanghai, known for its historical landmarks, commercial hubs, and vibrant cultural scene. Hong Kong Plaza (香港广场) is a prominent shopping and office complex in this district, featuring luxury retail stores, restaurants, and business spaces, making it a key location for both locals and visitors. ↩︎
- Second Senior Brother” (二师兄) is a well-known reference to Zhu Bajie (猪八戒), a character from Journey to the West (西游记), one of the Four Great Classical Novels of China. In the story, Zhu Bajie is the second disciple of the monk Tang Sanzang, following Sun Wukong (孙悟空). In modern Chinese workplace culture, calling someone ‘Second Senior Brother’ may carry a playful undertone while still acknowledging their seniority. ↩︎
- In this context, ‘CJ’ likely refers to ChinaJoy (CJ), which is China Digital Entertainment Expo & Conference—one of the largest gaming and digital entertainment expos in China. At ChinaJoy, there are often ‘showgirls’, who are promotional models hired by gaming and entertainment companies to attract attention to booths and events. ↩︎
- The name 鞠礼 (Jū Lǐ) is a homophone for 居里 (Jū Lǐ), which is the Chinese transliteration of Marie Curie (居里夫人, Jūlǐ Fūrén). Because of this phonetic similarity, the lively Zhang Beibei playfully gives Ju Li the nickname “夫人” (Fūrén, meaning “Madam”), referencing Madam Curie. ↩︎
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