Of course, making a wish was clearly useless.
As Yang Xueyi sat in the cramped economy class on her return flight, she couldn’t help but recall how Ying Yun, looking relaxed and composed, had breezed through the priority lane into business class.
The memory made her grind her teeth in frustration.
She’d nearly run herself ragged trying to catch the flight, almost to the point of coughing up blood.
Li Junxin and the rest of the wedding guests were still vacationing in Japan.
Unfortunately, Yang Xueyi’s annual leave was limited, and with the company’s annual meeting scheduled for tomorrow, she had no choice but to return early with Qiao Qianqian, who was also pressed for time.
As a doctor, Ying Yun probably couldn’t take too many days off either.
So, as luck would have it, she found herself stuck on the same flight back with this annoying guy.
But people’s fates are never equal.
Yang Xueyi felt a pang of envy at the business class treatment.
Yet Ying Yun never showed off or looked smug about it.
On the contrary, he was calm and natural, as if flying business class was as routine for him as eating or drinking—just a normal day in the life of a young master.
While Yang Xueyi waited quietly at the tail end of the economy boarding line, Ying Yun had already boarded ahead of her.
Almost immediately, her phone buzzed with a new message.
The same black profile icon as always, just as irritating as ever—
[Looks like I haven’t been struck by lightning, and you haven’t had a change of luck, either.]
[You really are unlucky, huh.]
How could there be such an infuriating man in the world?
After boarding and during a trip to the restroom, Yang Xueyi caught a glimpse of the business class section as the flight attendant drew back the curtain.
She spotted Ying Yun’s familiar face for a moment.
Even on a plane, this annoying guy sat with perfect posture, as if to better read the documents on his tablet, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses.
It only made him look more like a refined scoundrel.
At that moment, this refined scoundrel was carelessly resting one hand against his forehead.
His fingers were long and slender, the nails clean and neatly rounded—a pair of hands that had never known hardship or the grime of the real world.
As he moved, a glimpse of an expensive Patek Philippe watch showed at his wrist, just a minor detail in his life of luxury.
Ying Yun was like an exquisite display piece in a high-end boutique—something you know you can’t buy, but can’t help admiring anyway.
Yang Xueyi was convinced he was all show and no substance, but she had to admit, the premium aura he exuded did have value.
Qiao Qianqian had clearly fallen into the trap of that aura.
After sneaking a few more glances at Ying Yun’s face, she was completely smitten.
“He’s really unbelievably handsome! Even my random candid shots of him have a vibe—he’s flawless from every angle, not a single bad photo!”
Yang Xueyi snorted.
“He’s not the one getting married, you know. No matter how great your photos of him are, he’s not going to pay you.”
“But what if he’s so satisfied with my shots that he asks me to take his wedding photos someday?”
“You keep dreaming,” Yang Xueyi said, unimpressed.
“Look at all your candid shots—his expression never changes. Add a caption and it’s always: ‘Young Master hasn’t smiled in ages. Who knows where the woman who can make Ying Shaoye smile is? Maybe he’ll never smile in this life.’”
“Alright, alright, let’s not talk about Ying Yun.”
Noticing Yang Xueyi’s obvious dislike for him, Qiao Qianqian sensibly changed the subject.
“So, what’s going on with Li Junxin now?”
“All good.”
The topic finally perked Yang Xueyi up.
“We’re in the ‘playing hard to get’ stage.”
Even though she’d been kicked out of the chapel by Ying Yun, the drama had only served to ignite Li Junxin’s protective instincts.
Ying Yun’s interference had probably made it even more thrilling for Li Junxin—there was a sense of rebellion, doing something forbidden right under someone’s nose.
Yang Xueyi didn’t push or pull too hard, using a bit of strategic retreat and gentle affection, plus the longing from their brief separation.
It was almost too easy to reel Li Junxin in.
Yang Xueyi was certain, “He’ll confess to me within three days.”
Li Junxin might have his flaws, but at least he was a thousand times better than his scummy cousin Ying Yun.
At least he wasn’t blind—he knew how to appreciate Yang Xueyi’s beauty.
Yang Xueyi’s confidence wasn’t baseless; Li Junxin had even less self-control than she’d imagined.
The very night she returned home, Li Junxin’s confession arrived in a flurry—he said that ever since Yang Xueyi left Japan, he’d been restless and couldn’t eat or sleep.
To prove his sincerity, he was flying back the next day and even sent her his flight details.
His tone was earnest, but Yang Xueyi ignored it.
Rather than reply to Li Junxin, she chose to respond to the man sitting across from her at the dining table—her direct supervisor at work, Li Liming, who was also Li Junxin’s father.
Li Liming looked like a middle-aged version of Li Junxin.
They were about 80% alike, but Li Liming’s hair was thinning, his skin oily.
Still, he dressed impeccably and wore Gulang Shui cologne, the overpowering scent growing even stronger as he leaned toward Yang Xueyi, making her uncomfortable.
“Yang, I admire that after a trip, you’ve come to your senses.”
He spoke as if he were a caring elder, patting Yang Xueyi’s hand on the table, but after the pat, he didn’t seem eager to move his hand away.
Yang Xueyi quietly withdrew her hand.
Li Liming didn’t mind, grinning like a fox who’d stolen a chicken.
“After the annual meeting tomorrow, let’s find a place where just the two of us can talk.”
He lowered his voice meaningfully.
“Stick with me, and you’ll never lose out.”
Yeah, right, Yang Xueyi thought. Who do you think is going to lose out here?
If anyone’s going to suffer, let it be you first.
Li Liming, who’d promised Yang Xueyi would never lose out, made good on his word that very night.
As a “welcome gift,” the byline for the Xin Yao Zhuce translation in the company workflow was changed from Tang Qi to Yang Xueyi.
In the Yiyao Fanyi Bu, where Yang Xueyi worked, translation output and quality were subject to KP Assessment each year.
The results were tied to bonuses, and outstanding employees could even get the chance for training at Meiguo Zongbu—a direct path to promotion.
Yang Xueyi’s translation volume and quality were clearly the best in the department.
Yet ever since Li Liming parachuted in as her boss, he’d frequently altered her byline after she submitted her work, giving her only a “reviewer” title while Tang Qi’s name stood out boldly as the translator.
At first, Yang Xueyi thought it was just a mistake and tried to communicate with Li Liming nicely a few times.
But after a while, and especially after Li Liming started making inappropriate advances, she realized he was deliberately sidelining her, forcing her to give in through pressure and coercion.
Now that she’d “given in,” Li Liming was finally satisfied, naturally excited.
But Tang Qi wasn’t so happy.
The very next morning, when Yang Xueyi showed up at the annual meeting in a deep red dress, Tang Qi immediately started sniping at her with thinly veiled sarcasm.
“Is it really worth getting this excited just for having your name on the Xin Yao Zhuce translation? Will that bonus even buy you a few extra bucks? You dress up in red like you’re celebrating a major victory—how petty.”
With that, she snorted and strutted off in her high heels.
Yang Xueyi stayed calm, but Chen Xi, her colleague, was fuming.
“Does Tang Qi have any shame? What does she mean by saying you stole her byline? That’s just returning things to their rightful owner! You did all the work, and she’s so used to stealing your achievements that she thinks your name on the byline is somehow wrong!”
“Besides, everyone knows Tang Qi is always giving gifts to Li Liming. Not just to him—even his wife gets gifts: expensive skincare, designer handbags—she sends them over all the time. I heard the two of them are practically besties now.”
She snorted.
“Otherwise, why do your high-quality translations always end up with her name on them?”
“She’s shameless, really. Not only does she want to steal your work, she even wants to steal your love life! Remember Zeng Lin, the Cornell University grad from six months ago? He was clearly interested in you, but Tang Qi kept getting in the way, practically glued herself to him. Too bad he went back to the US after half a year. Did you ever keep in touch? He was so into you…”
“No, we lost touch,” Yang Xueyi said with a smile, not elaborating.
She just asked, “Where’s Li Liming?”
“He’s in the refreshment area, bragging about his son again,” Chen Xi rolled her eyes.
“Everyone in our department could recite it by heart: Li Junxin, young and accomplished at twenty-seven, Vice President of SpeedSilver Technology, talented, handsome, makes men feel inferior, women go crazy, even dogs drool…”
If not for Li Liming’s endless bragging, how else would she have pinpointed Li Junxin so easily?
When Yang Xueyi found Li Liming, he was indeed boasting about his son, turning his flirtatiousness into charm and his aloofness into charisma.
Tang Qi was right there, fawning as usual.
“I once saw a photo of Li Zong’s son on his desk—I thought he was a celebrity!”
What a blatant lie.
But that was fine—everyone was here, which made things easier.
“Li Zong,” Yang Xueyi bowed her head, “I have a work report for you.”
Li Liming turned and, seeing Yang Xueyi in her red dress, couldn’t take his eyes off her for a moment.
After a brief pause, he cleared his throat and pretended to be serious.
“Alright, work comes first. Everyone, excuse me. I need to step aside with Xiao Yang to discuss some work.”
Yang Xueyi didn’t say a word, but deliberately shot a furtive glance at Tang Qi, as if she had something to hide.
Sure enough, Tang Qi’s expression immediately turned wary.
Behind the stage curtain, Tang Qi’s heart was pounding.
Given the tense relationship between Yang Xueyi and Li Liming over the byline issue, why would Yang Xueyi take the initiative to talk to him at the annual meeting?
And why did she look so sneaky?
Tang Qi’s suspicions grew, so she quietly followed them.
She never expected to stumble upon such a shocking secret.
Yang Xueyi and Li Liming went backstage, where rehearsals hadn’t yet started and no one else was around.
While Tang Qi was still wondering why they’d picked such a secluded spot, she saw Yang Xueyi shyly pull out a hotel room card and slip it into Li Liming’s hand.
Then, Tang Qi heard Yang Xueyi’s aggrieved voice, “Li Zong, the room is booked—1501.”
Li Liming’s delighted reply came immediately, “Wait for me upstairs. I’ll come later. We’ll go separately to avoid suspicion.”
Yang Xueyi, sounding unwilling but resigned, pleaded, “Can we not turn on the lights…?”
“Afraid of being seen? Fine, we can leave the lights off this time. But once we’re together, I’ll want to turn them on and take a good look at you…”
No wonder the byline that should have been Tang Qi’s was suddenly handed back to Yang Xueyi!
So Yang Xueyi had resorted to trading her body for favor!
Shocked, Tang Qi accidentally knocked over a plastic bag.
Fortunately, after Li Liming left, Yang Xueyi didn’t seem to notice, only glancing in the direction of the sound before walking away as if nothing had happened.
Of course, a woman who’d just seduced her boss wouldn’t have the energy to notice her!
Tang Qi took out her phone, sneering coldly.
If you cross Tang Qi, you’re bound to have bad luck.
Those gifts she’d sent weren’t for nothing.
She scrolled to Li Liming’s wife’s contact, her hands trembling with excitement.
Yang Xueyi left the backstage area and went to the hotel lobby to catch her breath.
The charade with Li Liming had drained her.
Their company’s annual meeting was always extravagant, held at one of Yun City’s top five-star hotels.
But today, there seemed to be another business forum going on.
As Yang Xueyi stood in the lobby for a few minutes, she saw a steady stream of men in suits coming in through the revolving doors.
After a short break, she pulled out her phone and called Li Junxin.
Since her return, she hadn’t replied to his confession at all, which only made Li Junxin more anxious—her silence drove him wild.
He’d sent her over a dozen WeChat messages, called three times with no answer, even updated her on his return flight, all in the hopes she’d give him a chance.
Well, now was the time.
After a few days of suspense, when Li Junxin finally got her call, he was so excited it was obvious in his voice.
“Xiaoxue, I’m serious about you! Have you thought it over? Will you be my girlfriend?”
“I want to, but I’m scared,” Yang Xueyi twisted her arm until tears sprang to her eyes.
“I’m afraid I’ll drag you into this.”
Pressed by Li Junxin, Yang Xueyi “reluctantly” revealed her troubles, “He threatened me—if I don’t become his lover, he’ll make my life hell. His family has some power. I don’t dare date anyone, because I’m afraid he’ll not only target me, but also my boyfriend. Today he even booked a room and is forcing me to go now…”
“So you didn’t reply to me because of this?”
“I’m fine, but I’m afraid he’ll hurt you…”
When Li Junxin heard that Yang Xueyi was being cornered by a married, middle-aged man and didn’t dare commit to him because of that, he was furious.
“Just stay put at the hotel. I’ll be right there. Don’t worry, my family has background too. That old bastard is nothing! I’ll take care of him for you today!”
Half an hour later, Li Junxin rushed over.
The moment he saw Yang Xueyi in her red dress, he lost all reason.
Taking the room card from her, he was already raring to go.
“1501, right?”
Yang Xueyi nodded.
“You go up first and wait. I’ll call him over. Close the curtains and don’t turn on the lights, or he might realize it’s you.”
“Got it. Don’t worry, I’ll handle him.”
With that, Li Junxin dashed upstairs.
At the same time, Yang Xueyi sent a message to Li Liming, telling him she was already waiting in the room.
As for Tang Qi, she was probably busy making her own “efforts.”
Now that all the actors were in place, the real drama was about to begin.
The tension of the past few days finally melted away.
Yang Xueyi allowed herself a genuine smile.
Just as she was about to turn and leave, someone grabbed her wrist from behind.
Yang Xueyi turned around and found herself facing Ying Yun.
He was dressed in a suit, his face cold, looking at her as if she owed him millions and had finally been caught after years of hiding.
Why was it him again?
“Are you crazy, Ying Yun? What do you want from me?”
But Yang Xueyi quickly realized she was mistaken.
“Ying Yun, aren’t you coming to the conference?”
A voice called out from behind Ying Yun, his companion casting a curious glance at them.
Yang Xueyi glanced at the electronic screen in the hotel lobby and realized that today’s event wasn’t some business forum—it was the Yun City Orthopaedics Summit.
No wonder this annoying guy was here.
“I have something to do. I’ll be there in a bit,” Ying Yun said, then pulled Yang Xueyi aside with a dark expression.
“I saw you hand the room card to Li Junxin.”
“I’ve told you before, stay away from Li Junxin. It’s not good for you.”
Ying Yun’s face was impatient.
“Aunt Yang called me an hour ago, said she couldn’t reach you. Call her back now.”
Why was he so nosy?
Yang Xueyi was getting annoyed.
“Can’t you just turn a blind eye for once? Please, just let me ruin my own life. Pretend you didn’t see me. I’ll call my mom after I take care of things.”
“No,” Ying Yun said coldly.
“If I didn’t see it, then it never happened. But now that I’ve seen it, I can’t just ignore it.”
Yang Xueyi tried to pull away, but Ying Yun’s grip was unyielding.
“If you must meddle, next time pick a place where I can’t see you.”
“I can’t be bothered with your business, but I promised Aunt Yang.”
“If you don’t call her, I’ll do it and tell her exactly what you’re up to.”
Yang Xueyi was about to explode.
How could anyone be as infuriating as Ying Yun?
Her perfect plan, her perfect day, was completely ruined by his appearance.
“Ying Yun!”
Yang Xueyi was nearly shaking with anger.
“Do doctors at your hospital get rewarded every time they’re given a silk banner? You’re so nosy, and yet so ‘kind-hearted.’ Should I give you a banner next time?”
Ying Yun replied icily, “I’ve never treated you, so what would you give me a banner for?”
“‘Guardian of Chastity in the New Era,’ ‘Walking Human Chastity Lock,’ ‘Director of the Lost Girls Rescue Center,’ or ‘Chief of the Meddlesome Rat Research Institute’—take your pick. Or do you want all four?”