The meeting continued with the terrifying atmosphere until after 1 am, and Ju Li was already extremely tired, but she still forced herself to stay alert.
As time passed, the task ‘Tears of the Star’ had less than 6 hours remaining.
In fact, about half an hour ago, she had already begun to feel anxious, she had planned what she was going to do next, and every minute spent sitting in the meeting with Boss Zhong was delaying her plan and lowering her chances of success.
By the time the meeting ended, she had already finished organising her notes.
After clicking save, she stood up, said goodbye to Boss Zhong, and without any unnecessary pleasantries, she swiftly left. She was faster than anyone else.
Zhong Liyan watched her hurriedly leave, pursing his lips. He had originally planned to have another cup of warm water…
He turned around, bypassed the meeting room, and walked to the small utility room. He glanced at the kettle, thought for a moment, and ultimately grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the side.
Some people are just like that, they even find boiling water too troublesome.
Or… maybe they don’t even know how to boil water?
…
Back in her room, Ju Li pulled out the ‘heart-opening sweet drink’ in a small cup, and the time was exactly 1:30 am.
She peeked through the peephole, making sure everyone had left Boss Zhong’s room and entered the elevator before she quietly took her room card and the mysterious sweet drink and left her room.
At dinner earlier, she had paid special attention to the information about screenwriter Xiao Yun and the superstar Chen Haoyu.
She remembered that when Chen Haoyu was chatting with Boss Zhong, he had mentioned, “Yes, I’m staying at this hotel too, two floors below yours, but the room is also facing the park. The view is nice, and it’s quiet. I’m a bit nervous, but I sleep quite soundly here.”
From this, Ju Li deduced that Chen Haoyu was staying just below Boss Zhong’s room.
When the elevator reached the correct floor, Ju Li walked toward a room in the same position as Boss Zhong’s while taking deep breaths.
She hoped the person inside wouldn’t think she was offering special services.
After all, it was already so late…
Standing at the door, she first set her phone’s default screen to the dialer, entering 110 in advance. All she had to do was tap it to dial and immediately report to the police.
Once everything was prepared, she reviewed what Chen Haoyu had said during dinner to make sure there was no ambiguity. Only then did she raise her head and face the door.
With each deep breath, she felt like running away.
She thought… forget it, the meagre cash reward, who knows how much it is, maybe just a few bucks.
And she still didn’t know what the brain-activating milk tablets actually were. Although they were supposed to be magical items, they might just be useless things.
But every time she tried to talk herself out of it, she thought of her current poverty and how, if she had money, she could take her little brother to eat meat. That guy was growing taller but not gaining weight; she didn’t even know if he was getting enough to eat…
Also, her first magical pen had been so powerful, it helped her write her speech, and the ‘modest formal position’ from the task reward wasn’t modest at all.
The trashy system loved to be smug, and she thought the meagre cash reward probably wouldn’t be that meagre after all…
Besides, if she kept completing one task after another, wouldn’t she eventually become a rich super white-collar worker?
Thinking about how she could achieve her goal of getting promoted in one day, she felt like it might actually be possible.
She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, and decided to go for it.
Even if waking the person in the room would get her scolded, even if Chen Haoyu might reject her at the door, even if it would be embarrassing… she had to try for her own goal.
Anyone who has truly tasted the bitterness of poverty is a force to be reckoned with.
With this thought, she didn’t hesitate any longer and pressed the doorbell next to the door.
She had expected it to take a long time for someone to respond, but to her surprise, as soon as the bell rang, a voice came from inside asking, “Who is it?”
Ju Li took two steps back, trying to position her upper body within the visible range of the peephole.
The voice from inside was vague when the person had asked earlier, so she wasn’t sure if it was really Chen Haoyu’s voice. But when she heard the sound of slippers approaching and the light from the peephole being blocked, she spoke up directly: “Hello, Mr. Chen. I’m Boss Zhong’s personal secretary. I was sitting next to him at dinner tonight. I’m not sure if you remember me?”
There was a brief silence before the voice on the other side of the door responded, “What’s the matter?”
This time, Ju Li could tell it was indeed Chen Haoyu’s voice.
She quietly exhaled and continued, “Boss Zhong has a few words he’d like me to pass on to you, and also, here’s a sleep aid drink.”
As she spoke, she raised the glass she was holding and shook it in front of the peephole.
Luckily, using the influence of her boss, Zhong Liyan, even though Chen Haoyu didn’t know her, he still opened the door for her.
The handsome man was wearing a bathrobe, but his hair was still impeccably styled.
Ju Li immediately gave him a formal greeting, her expression neutral, as if she were indifferent to his good looks.
Even though she was mentally admiring his appearance, none of it showed on her face.
Chen Haoyu hadn’t paid much attention to this silent secretary at the dinner table, so he didn’t have any strong feelings, positive or negative, towards her.
He peeked down the hallway, then nodded at her before turning around and entering the room.
Ju Li followed him inside and closed the door, entering a grown man’s room in the still of the night and hearing the door shut behind her was a huge psychological shock to her young mind.
But to earn Chen Haoyu’s trust, she had to hide all her unease and emotions, appearing professional and calm.
“Please sit,” Chen Haoyu said, pointing to the sofa by the coffee table in the living room. His tone was cold, but he made an effort to sound polite.
Ju Li didn’t hesitate and sat down first.
She knew that right now, she represented Boss Zhong, and she couldn’t show any weakness.
“This is a sleep aid drink that Boss Zhong specifically asked me to bring to you,” Ju Li began, pretending to engage in small talk before getting to the main point, everything was centred on the ‘heart-opening sweet drink’.
Chen Haoyu took the drink and looked at it. “It’s so pretty.”
Though he didn’t know what it was, anyone with a discerning eye could see that this drink was extraordinary.
He leaned in and sniffed it. A luxurious fragrance wafted up, instantly awakening his appetite.
Before Ju Li could speak again, he couldn’t help himself and brought the glass to his lips, taking a tentative sip,
The taste was sweet, but with a rich aftertaste that filled his mouth.
The sweetness, fragrance, and smooth texture of the drink were intoxicating, and a strange, melancholic emotion surged through him as soon as the drink hit his tongue.
“How is it?” Ju Li asked expectantly. She hadn’t even had a sip of this magical drink herself, she had brought it all for him.
She suddenly regretted not diluting it with water, thinking she could have kept the rest for herself. But then again, if the whole cup was needed for it to be effective, her miserly and greedy behaviour might have ruined everything.
“I’ve never had anything like this before. Wow, it’s really good,” Chen Haoyu said, his previously proud and aloof expression starting to falter. His true thoughts and emotions began to show through his words and expressions.
His tone and choice of words became more lively and friendly.
Then, she watched as the handsome man drank the whole cup of the beverage, sip by sip.
“…” Ju Li stared at him without blinking, making him feel slightly embarrassed.
The luxurious and proud leading man at the dinner table was gone, and the distant and aloof superstar had disappeared. Under Ju Li’s gaze, he seemed like an ordinary person, unguarded and sincere.
He looked a little embarrassed, glancing at the empty cup. He licked his lips and dryly said, “It’s really good. I drank it all in one go…”
“Yes, I could smell it on my way here, and I thought it must be delicious,” Ju Li quickly replied, trying to ease his embarrassment.
“I shouldn’t just drink things that others give me… But it smelled so tempting. How could I resist?” Chen Haoyu seemed to have some reservations now, speaking those words while looking at her with a confused frown.
This was probably a look that no fan had ever seen before, and Ju Li actually felt a little excited.
The mysterious sweet drink was really something. Now, could she do whatever she wanted with him?
Leave a Reply