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

Zhou Siyan sat in the president's office, the blinds were half-closed, and the sunlight was cut into strips.

He had just seen the pale yellow dress Lin Wanzhi was wearing, the same one from the photo from the day before yesterday.

But he felt something was off.

He couldn't quite put his finger on what was different, but it just wasn't.

Zhou Siyan frowned slightly.

However, he had seen too many people in the business world who were good at disguising themselves.

Some people are completely different people online and in real life. They can act cute and charming on screen, but become so nervous that they can't speak when they're face to face.

Maybe she's just nervous. Maybe she's not in the zone yet.

He then thought of the girl next to Lin Wanzhi—

Xia Ruo.

The girls were recruited under a contract.

She was dressed in a sharp-tailored business suit, her hair was slightly curled and draped over her shoulders, revealing a face that was almost too bright.

Peach blossom eyes, with slightly upturned corners, appearing as if they are filled with water when looking at people.

She has a high, straight nose, and her lips are a beautiful light pink that looks good even without lipstick. Her jawline is so smooth it looks like it was drawn in one stroke.

Zhou Siyan only glanced at her.

It wasn't because she wasn't good-looking—quite the opposite, she looked too aggressive.

That kind of beauty isn't the kind that makes you want to get closer, but rather the kind that makes you want to back away.

Like a flower that blooms too intensely and too brightly, you're afraid that getting too close will make you dizzy from the fragrance.

He looked away and categorized Xia Ruo as "not worth paying attention to".

An intern who was casually brought in by his best friend is not worth his time or effort.

He mentally labeled Lin Wanzhi as "under observation".

-

Zhang Nan led the two girls around the office area, showing them the locations of the tea room, printing room, and meeting room, before leading them to an empty workstation area.

"These will be your workstations from now on. The two by the window have good lighting."

Lin Wanzhi put down her bag, and before she could even sit down, she felt gazes coming from all directions.

It wasn't peeking; it was a blatant, undisguised scrutiny.

Old Zhou from the technical department was the first to lose his temper, leaning halfway out and whispering to the person next to him:

"Is this the girl from those two resumes from the other day?"

"Wow, she looks even better in person than in photos." Xiao Chen from the marketing department put down his coffee cup, his eyes wide with amazement.

"I like the one in the skirt," said Liu, the head of the design department, pushing up his glasses and smiling kindly.

"It looks like a little rabbit, all white and soft, and not aggressive at all."

"What? The other one is clearly better!"

Sister Su from the operations department crossed her arms and glanced at Xia Ruo from head to toe.

"She's stunningly beautiful, and paired with that professional attire, she exudes an aura of power."

Look at that look in her eyes, she's definitely not someone to be trifled with. In two years, she'll definitely be the next powerful businesswoman.

"A strong woman? She looks more like the kind who can win over the boss to me," Xiao Li from the technical department said with a sly smile, only to be slapped on the back of the head by Lao Zhou next to him.

"Shut up, you dare to make up stories about President Huo?"

"I didn't say President Huo, I meant—"

"What do you mean 'what do you mean'? Get back to work."

Sister Wen from the administration department leaned over and lowered her voice even further: "Have you heard that these two people's monthly salary is this much?"

She made a "ten" gesture with her fingers.

"One hundred thousand?" Xiao Chen gasped. "Really? I've worked for three years and only made twenty-five thousand."

"So they had President Huo personally put in a good word for them," Liu smiled meaningfully. "Don't bother comparing, you can't compete."

Sister Su raised an eyebrow: "You mean—"

"I didn't say anything." Da Liu looked down at the screen, pretending to edit the photo.

Sister Su rolled her eyes, glanced in Xia Ruo's direction, and thoughtfully stroked her chin:

"But to be honest, that girl really does have a face that makes you want to spend money on her."

"What are you saying, Sister Su!" Xiao Chen said with a smile, giving her a nudge.

"I'm stating the facts," Sister Su said firmly.

The murmurs drifted over intermittently, like the buzzing of mosquitoes.

Lin Wanzhi's ears turned red as she listened, and she lowered her head, pretending to organize her bag. Xia Ruo, on the other hand, remained calm and even glanced slightly at the direction from which the sound was loudest.

When not smiling, peach blossom eyes do indeed exude a cold and aloof aura that says "keep away."

The people in that direction immediately fell silent.

-

Zhang Nan cleared her throat and clapped her hands, neither too loudly nor too softly:

"Alright, alright, stop watching the show and go do what you were supposed to do."

The crowd dispersed like a tide, but their eyes lingered.

"Alright, that covers our company's basic business. Do you two have any further questions?"

"My sister is no longer with us."

Lin Wanzhi smiled awkwardly, her fingers fidgeting with the bag strap.

"Well... there were too many, I've forgotten them all, hehe."

She spoke frankly, her tone conveying a genuine sense of "I'm an idiot, but I'm trying."

Zhang Nan was amused by her honesty, and chuckled softly, her voice as gentle as if she were coaxing a child:

"That's normal. The company has a lot of work to do, so you'll get used to it gradually. I couldn't remember everything when I first came either, and it took me half a month to figure it out."

"Then we can rest assured~"

Xia Ruo stood to the side, listened quietly to the conversation, and then asked a question she felt was very important:

"Sister Zhang, what kind of work are we going to do?"

Zhang Nan hummed in response, drawing out the sound:

"Since Mr. Huo hasn't officially assigned you your positions yet, and you're not very familiar with the business, you'll be working on projects with me for the next few days."

"Follow you?" Xia Ruo asked.

"Yes, I happen to be working on a campus recruitment project and we're short-staffed."

Zhang Nan said with a smile

"It's not a difficult job; it's just basic work like organizing data, contacting schools, and compiling statistics."

"You guys should familiarize yourselves with the company's rhythm first. Once President Huo has made his decision, you'll be officially assigned to specific departments."

Lin Wanzhi's eyes lit up: "Great! Following Sister Zhang is the best!"

Zhang Nan's heart melted when she called her "Sister Zhang," and she couldn't help but reach out and ruffle her hair: "You have such a sweet tongue."

Xia Ruo nodded, but was thinking about something else.

Working on projects with HR meant her workload wouldn't be too heavy, she wouldn't be too busy to reply to messages, and she wouldn't be so busy that she could use it as an excuse to "avoid meeting in person." That wasn't what she wanted.

What she needs is endless overtime, countless meetings, and countless PowerPoint presentations, so busy that she can come up with a hundred reasons for "no time" the moment Zhou Siyan mentions "meeting".

But now she can't possibly ask Zhang Nan, "Sister, can you arrange a more tiring job for me?"

She could only accept this arrangement for the time being, and then... she would think of another way.