I was exposed for adding my female boss to my group of female friends.

"Oh, by the way, I also found a potential secretary," Chen Ya said.

Ruriko's eyes narrowed like a cat's.

"Did you hire a secretary, or a woman?"

Chen Ya was taken aback, then immediately lowered his head and said, "It was found for the company, not for myself."

Ruriko still squinted, and said sourly, "So, you're admitting you're a woman?"

"Hmm... Although she is a woman, it's really just a matter of valuing talent. She has all the qualities to be a perfect secretary."

"Hmph~?" Ruriko drawled, "She agreed to be your secretary?"

“We haven’t gotten her yet.” After Chen Ya finished speaking, he saw Liuli’s eyes and immediately added, “What I mean is, she’s still young and needs to be trained, and her heart isn’t in her work.”

"Oh, let me verify that you're thinking about work, or something else... Hmm? You're not thinking about work!"

Chen Ya pushed away Liulizi's hand that had slid down and said:

"With you lying on top of me like this, you're definitely... you know. By the way, how's Haiya's work going?"

The mere mention of this caused Ruriko's face to fall.

"Let me state upfront that this quarter's financial report will definitely not look good, but you can't blame me for that."

“That definitely won’t look good,” Chen Ya said. “Tell me, what’s the problem?”

Haiya Company's transformation direction is to overturn the previous Lu family's exploitative business model and shift to in-depth artist cultivation. This model will definitely require a large investment and yield small returns in the early stages.

It's normal for financial reports to look bad.

Liulizi said:

"The current shift is too radical. If I hadn't taken such a radical approach, I would have had many ways to achieve high returns, and I wouldn't be suffering such a devastating blow. The problem now is that some other companies are poaching talent, and some artist teams are losing a lot of members."

The decline of the Lu family can be described as a whale falling and everything springing up, with many small companies growing like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

For example, Wen Limin's cultural company is a case in point.

His company had been struggling for two years. His best option was to join Aihua Company, but now that the Lu family had fallen, Aihua had changed its allegiance, and the food that had been leaking from his fingers had made him fat and bloated.

That's why he became so arrogant that he wanted to pursue Liulizi. Six months ago, he would have looked up to Haiya Company with awe and felt inferior.

Besides these well-fed small companies, other capital is also eager to make its move, eyeing the opportunity to reshuffle the market and disrupt things.

It is because of these factors that Haiya's transformation has encountered numerous obstacles.

Although these companies are not Aihua, they all learn from Aihua's business model, which is also exploitative, offering artists exorbitant salaries and squeezing every last drop of potential from them.

Although it sounds terrifying, who doesn't want to make big money and make quick money? A person's youth only lasts a few years. Instead of burying your head in the sea, you might as well switch jobs to those companies that offer high salaries and have a good time.

Liulizi asked, "Do we really want to continue with such radical reforms? While the Aihua faction still holds an absolute advantage, we can close the door as soon as possible and shut down those capital... like trapping a dog."

Chen Ya shook his head.

“The shift has to be radical, which is determined by the recent situation,” Chen Ya said. “There will definitely be relevant policy changes in the near future, and those companies that learn from the Aihua model will suffer a major setback. If we don’t hurry up and improve our ecosystem, we will suffer even more serious losses.”

Hearing Chen Ya say this, Liulizi felt a little more at ease.

Since Chen Ya has already said so, then it will definitely be like this. Just keep going like this.

“It was precisely because of this matter that I came to the capital,” Chen Ya said. “The policy changes are slower than I expected, which must be due to considerable resistance. I can take this opportunity to investigate.”

Ruriko nodded. Then she asked:

"When can I finish this job?"

“It will be soon,” Chen Ya said. “Gu Yuqing and I have arranged for Haiya to return to Beichen and Aihua to return to Yuncheng. Beichen is also making active preparations. Once their team is ready, you can retire gracefully.”

“You keep saying that…” Ruriko lowered her head.

Although Gu Yuqing and Chen Ya have a good relationship, in business, the two have always maintained the fine tradition of being both fierce business rivals and good partners.

Even married couples should keep clear accounts.

The agreement between the two was that after they acquired the Lu family, Aihua and Haiya would be separated. Aihua would shift her focus to music and film production, while Haiya would be responsible for idol and internet-related aspects.

By competing in different areas, both sides can capture the entire entertainment market.

Beichen has never had an entertainment background, and Chen Ya himself couldn't easily step forward. He originally wanted Jiang Xinhai to return to Haiya Company to help hold things together for a while, but Jiang Xinhai was unwilling to go back.

Then he thought of Liulizi.

However, in order to persuade Liulizi to come out of seclusion, he made a gentleman's agreement with her—during the period when Liulizi was in charge of Haiya, Chen Ya could not go and rekindle his relationship with Jiang Xinhai.

This is also why Chen Ya has not contacted Jiang Xinhai.

Poor Jiang Xinhai was completely unaware of the agreement between the two.

After saying that, Chen Ya seemed to remember something and turned to ask:

"Now that everyone knows about our relationship, what if people start to doubt my identity?"

Liulizi didn't care at all. The blanket slipped off, and her long, shapely legs sticked out from under the covers.

"What's the big deal? So what if they know? At worst, we'll just release another little tabloid story to cover it up."

"The phrase 'trying to cover up the truth' is misused; it should be 'to deceive people's eyes and ears'."

What does "trying to cover up something only makes it more obvious" mean?

"The more you try to cover it up, the more obvious it becomes."

"Then my love for you is only more obvious than it seems."

"It works well. But you weren't trying to cover it up, were you?"

"Because right now I want to have sex with you."

"...?"

"Wushan Clouds and Rain?"

Where did you learn all this??

"Awoo."

……

……

Liu Ruying sat in a private room, looking at the misty Weiming Lake beyond a few weeping willows in the distance, and sipped her coffee.

She sat in a private room admiring the scenery, while others on the road admired her.

Liu Ruying gently brushed the hair at her temples, revealing her smooth, fair profile, her expression serene.

Passersby dared not breathe, seemingly afraid of disturbing this beautiful scene.

That's just how she is. Every time she shows that expression, it reminds others that the title "Peking University's Campus Belle" is well-deserved.

At this moment, her phone screen displayed a public account called "Entertainment Gossip".

Given Liu Ruying's personality, she would never have had the slightest interest in this public account before.

The only reason she read this article on the public account was because of its title:

"Breaking News! The female CEO of Haiya Company is obsessed with young men, indulging in nightly pleasures with her male lovers!"

"Yesterday, at a salon on the campus of Peking University, the newly appointed beautiful president of Haiya Company actually pounced on one of the people present, and the scene was quite exciting!"

"The two then went to the hotel together and did not come out for a long time."

According to what I've learned, the male protagonist is just an ordinary employee, but because of his handsome appearance, he became the female CEO's lover. The two are inseparable and spend every night together!

"It is understood that the man is just an ordinary employee of a company, but because he hooked up with a rich woman, he gets hundreds of thousands of yuan in pocket money every month. It's really enviable!"

This article has become quite popular, already garnering 20,000 to 30,000 views and numerous comments.

"Nonsense, how could a mere company like Haiya possibly spend that much money?"

"Waaaaah, I want to be kept by a rich woman too! Auntie, I don't want to work hard anymore!"

"You all want to be kept women, but I want to be a rich woman so I can party with young, handsome men every night!"

……

Liu Ruying put down her phone with a worried expression.

Many comments didn't believe what the article said, but only she knew that what the article said was very likely true.

Chen Ya is just an ordinary employee, yet he can afford a watch worth over a million. Where does he get so much money?

She really wanted to meet with Chen Ya and ask him if what he had said before still held true.

If he truly becomes obsessed with the rich woman's sweet talk and decides not to continue the charade, then his gamble will be completely ruined.

Old Master Lu arranged a marriage between Lu Ruixiang's family and the Liu family. Originally, it was his cousin Liu Ruyan who was to marry Lu's son.

As a result, due to Liu Ruyan's sudden disappearance and her declaration of severing ties with her father, the marriage was left uncertain.

So the eldest uncle found Liu Ruying and wanted to adopt her into his family. He promised her that if she could marry the Lu family's son in place of Liu Ruyan, he would make a will and leave all his inheritance to her.

This is a huge gamble because Liu Ruying has no way out.

She also has a younger brother.

The Liu family tradition dictates that wealth should not be shared with outsiders, and they place great importance on clan ties.

Therefore, Liu Ruying understood from a very young age that the houses and wealth her parents had worked so hard for were all prepared for her younger brother.

She received a lot of ridicule and sarcasm from her mother and brother for agreeing to be adopted by her uncle.

They all felt that she shouldn't leave her own family to be adopted by someone else as a goddaughter, and that the inheritance might not even be hers.

They were all waiting to see Liu Ruying make a fool of herself.

Only Liu Ruying herself knew that she never had a choice.

Whether she stays with her family of origin or goes to her uncle's house, she will not receive any help from her own family.

Now that she's been adopted by her uncle's family, the little warmth her own family had for her has vanished.

Therefore, once the arrow is released, there's no turning back.

Her choice was a one-way street from which there was no return.

If she fails to fulfill the arranged marriage by Old Master Lu, she will end up pleasing neither side.

Not only is there no place for her in her uncle's family, but her own family will also no longer accept her.

Therefore, she had to ask Chen Ya clearly... no, she had to win Chen Ya over to her side and make him give up that rich woman.

But before meeting Chen Ya, she had to find out his background.

For example, what exactly is "Baiyujing"?

"Junior Sister Liu, I'm sorry I'm late."

A man in a trench coat and black-rimmed glasses appeared opposite her, placed his backpack on the table, exhaled a puff of white breath, and rubbed his hands vigorously.

"There was a minor accident in the lab just now. Some junior student somehow managed to kill two of the mice by pinching them. It's really a headache..."

Liu Ruying leaned back in her chair, her supple waist swaying, making the boy opposite her stare wide-eyed.

"It's nothing. By the way, senior, Professor Fang, she...?"

The man with black-rimmed glasses said, "Don't worry, I'll contact Ms. Fang by phone right away. You know she's very busy, and I can't just make an appointment with her casually."

"Then I'll have to trouble you, senior."

"It's nothing, it's nothing. I'm happy to help a beautiful lady."

The boy with black-rimmed glasses took out his phone, and Liu Ruying stopped talking, her beautiful eyebrows and eyes lowering slightly.

The boy in front of her was Professor Fang Bai's doctoral student, and Liu Ruying had to ask around several times before she could get in touch with him.

She wanted him to help arrange a meeting with Fang Bai to ask about "Bai Yujing".

Fang Bai and Jin Rubing both knew about Bai Yujing, but neither of them were people she, as an ordinary student, could easily meet.

That's why she asked Fang Bai's doctoral student to gather intelligence.

The man with the black-rimmed glasses finished his call, turned around, and said with a hint of apology:

"I'm sorry, junior Liu, Teacher Fang is going out of town for the next few days and we can't meet for the time being."

"Oh, really? It's nothing."