He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

Xia Ruo stared at the words on her phone screen, her smile gradually freezing on her face.

Ask her to... send a voice message?

Say "I love you, brother"?

She also said, "I like my older brother the most"?

Do we still have to "wait for my brother to return to China"?

She instinctively wanted to type "no," her fingers hovering above the keyboard, but she couldn't bring them down.

Because she knew all too well that the original owner of this body would not refuse.

Not only would the original owner not refuse, but she would also take the initiative to ask, "What kind of song does brother want to hear?" and then send three messages in a row, each one sweeter and more charming than the previous one, so sweet that Zhou Siyan felt cloying even through the screen.

She transmigrated into the book. She can't break character.

Especially at this crucial juncture when you're about to have an interview.

Xia Ruo was frantically trying to mentally prepare herself when her phone vibrated again.

Zero: [If my baby doesn't tell me... I really can't work here in peace.]

Xia Ruo's pupils suddenly contracted.

Threat!

This is a pure threat!

Zhou Siyan, you are so ruthless!

Xia Ruo bit her lip, cursing the capitalists a hundred times in her mind, then took a deep breath, turned to Lin Wanzhi who was packing her things, and forced a nonchalant smile:

"Wanwan, take your time getting ready, my stomach hurts a little, I need to go to the bathroom."

Before Lin Wanzhi could react, he grabbed his phone and rushed into the bathroom, locking the door behind him.

She looked up and saw a bright and beautiful face reflected in the mirror—her peach blossom eyes were slightly upturned, her eyelashes were thick and curled, her nose was high and straight, and her lips were a light pink that looked good even without lipstick.

But at this moment, those peach blossom eyes were filled with a profound sense of despair.

Xia Ruo opened her mouth in front of the mirror and tried to say, "Do you love your brother?"

His voice was dry and monotonous, like he was reading a textbook, and his tone was so flat it could be used to drive on the street.

No.

She cleared her throat and tried again, trying to make her voice sound sweeter and softer: "I love my brother the most~"

It still didn't work. To herself, it sounded like she was reciting a eulogy, her voice trailing off with a tragic, almost resolute tone.

Xia Ruo closed her eyes and took three deep breaths.

She needs to prepare herself mentally; she's completely resisting right now, and her voice automatically carries the filter of "I was forced" as it comes out of her throat.

She mentally rehearsed her lines for a full five minutes—

You are Xia Ruo.

You are Xia Ruo, the gold digger who hooked up with Zhou Siyan for half a year and swindled him out of more than ten million yuan.

You say these things as naturally as breathing; you're not selling your dignity, you're just doing your job.

Then she pressed the record button, closed her eyes, and said in the sweetest, most cloying voice she had ever used:

"I love you, brother~ I love you the most~ I'm waiting for you to come back to China~"

Her voice rose at the end, trembling with a hint of coquettishness, and she even let out a soft "hmm" after saying the last word, as if she had rubbed against his chest.

She listened to it after recording it.

Goosebumps shot all over my body from the soles of my feet to the top of my head, and I almost threw my phone down the toilet to flush it away.

But she gritted her teeth, her face flushed, and clicked send.

The moment the voice message popped up, Xia Ruo felt that she had sent out the last shred of dignity she had in this world.

She squatted on the bathroom floor, burying her face in her knees, feeling ashamed that she would never be able to face anyone again.

-

On the other end of the phone.

Zhou Siyan clicked on the voice message.

The girl's soft, sweet voice flowed from the receiver, with a slightly cloying tone at the end, as if whispering in his ear.

The words "I love you, brother" were spoken so softly and gently, like a feather brushing against my heart;

"I love my brother the most," she said, her lips curving upwards slightly, like a kitten's paw gently scratching at his heart.

The last sentence, "Waiting for my brother to return to China," contained a barely perceptible tremor—was it nervousness, shyness, or something else?

Whatever it was, it dimmed the light in his eyes inch by inch.

Zhou Siyan leaned against the floor-to-ceiling window, sunlight falling on his shoulder and casting a thin layer of light on his cool profile.

He closed his eyes briefly and listened to the voice message again.

Then it happened again.

One more time.

After listening to it three times, the corners of his lips slowly curved into a smile, and the light in his eyes was deep and burning, as if tempered with dark fire, or as if a hunter had finally heard the footsteps of his prey stepping into the trap.

He slowly typed out a line of text:

Zero: [I love you too, baby.]

-

"Ruoruo, are you alright? Did you eat something bad?"

Lin Wanzhi's voice came from outside the bathroom door, filled with genuine worry.

Xia Ruo had been inside for almost ten minutes, and given her flustered appearance when she rushed in, Lin Wanzhi was really worried.

"No...it's okay, Wanwan, I'll be right out!"

Xia Ruo quickly wiped away the tears that had welled up in her eyes from her disgust, stood up, straightened her clothes, picked up her phone, and sent another message:

"Brother, I'm going to a job interview with my roommate, so I'm not telling you yet~"

Zero: [Okay, good luck, baby. Don't be nervous during the interview, and remember to call a car.]

(Transfer: 10000 yuan)

"Thank you, brother~"

Xia Ruo accepted the transfer and took one last look at herself in the mirror—her face was still flushed, and her eyes were still watery; she really did look like she had just had an upset stomach. She took a deep breath, opened the door, and went out.

Lin Wanzhi looked her up and down, and only felt relieved after confirming that her complexion was normal.

The two finished getting ready and prepared to leave.

Lin Wanzhi's gaze fell on the sapphire necklace on the table, and she casually asked:

"Ruoruo, aren't you going to wear your new necklace?"

Xia Ruo followed her gaze.

The Tiffany necklace lay quietly in a small, deep blue box, the sapphire reflecting a cool light under the fluorescent lamp.

To be honest, she was planning to wear it—the necklace really did look great with her off-white knitted cardigan today.

But suddenly, alarm bells went off in her mind.

What if... what if Zhou Siyan finds out about the company she interviewed with one day? What if he wants to check the surveillance footage?

This necklace is so eye-catching, with a sapphire pendant; it's clearly not a cheap item. Even if she fails the interview, it will still leave a lasting impression.

What if the HR casually mentions "that girl wearing the Tiffany necklace," and what if it gets back to Zhou Siyan's ears...

She didn't dare to gamble.

Xia Ruo subtly withdrew her gaze and smiled at Lin Wanzhi:

"What I'm wearing today doesn't match this necklace, never mind."

Lin Wanzhi tilted her head to look at her cardigan, then at the necklace, and nodded seriously:

"That's so true! My Ruoruo is amazing, she can put together outfits effortlessly~"

Xia Ruo smiled, took her arm, picked up her bag, and walked out of the dormitory.

The sunlight was just right in the corridor, and the late spring breeze blew in through the window, carrying a hint of sweetness from locust blossoms.

Xia Ruo took a deep breath and suppressed the unease in her heart.

It's fine.

She's just going through the motions; she definitely won't pass the interview, and even if she does, she won't go.

Zhou Siyan is far away abroad, so her lies won't be exposed for the time being.

She has plenty of time to figure out a solution.

The president's office of Dingxin Media.

Zhou Siyan exited the chat window, placed her phone on the table, and casually tapped the surface with her fingertips, the smile in her eyes deepening little by little.