"Why would Qi Lin show up at the train station?"
"Oh! I get it now—it must have been that bastard who set up!"
"Damn it! I knew he was no good!"
"He even lied to , saying he and you were first cousins. It wasn't until you told that you're distant relatives—barely related at all—that I realized he actually has his eyes on you!"
Jiang Lei's eyes were filled with hatred. That night when he treated Qi Lin to supper, Qi Lin had wrapped an arm around Qi Xueyao’s shoulders right in front of him. And him? Forget putting an arm around her—he hadn’t even held her hand before.
"Are you sure this was Qi Lin's doing? My dad said that you—"
Qi Xueyao hesitated. After all, her father was adamant that Jiang Lei had scamd him.
"He’s a rich second-generation kid. What can't he do?"
"Xueyao, listen to —move out of his villa tomorrow. I don’t mind living in a smaller place, and I can rent a nice apartnt for you."
Jiang Lei tried to persuade her. But he had no idea what Qi Xueyao had been through.
For the sake of her training classes, she had already given up everything to Qi Lin—except her dignity. If she really moved out, knowing Qi Lin’s personality, he would definitely spill everything to Jiang Lei. At that point, things would spiral out of control.
"Even if I wanted to, my dad wouldn’t let . He’d never allow to move out and live on my own."
Qi Xueyao glanced at Jiang Lei and forced a bitter smile.
"Besides, you should be careful. Don't let my dad see you for now. He has a deep misunderstanding of you. If that misunderstanding isn’t cleared up, then the two of us—"
Jiang Lei couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
"Xueyao, are you seriously going to let your dad dictate your marriage? If he doesn’t approve of , does that an we can’t be together?"
Qi Xueyao shook her head.
"My marriage is my own decision, but I don’t want my dad to be absent from my wedding. You don’t understand his personality—if I go against his wishes, he’ll disown ."
Jiang Lei clutched his head in frustration.
"Xueyao, we've been together for four years. If my parents didn’t approve of you, I’d still stay with you. I’d even elope if I had to. Can’t you make a sacrifice for too?"
Qi Xueyao's expression turned cold.
"We’re not even officially together yet. Isn’t it too soon to talk about this? Either way, try to clear up the misunderstanding with my dad first."
With that, she returned to class, leaving Jiang Lei standing there, fists clenched, eyes burning with resentnt.
"Qi Lin, you bastard! You set up!"
"Just wait—once my company takes off, I’ll make sure you lose everything!"
At Qi Lin’s villa, Qi Dong sat on the couch while Qi Lin prepared to leave.
"Uncle, I have things to do this afternoon, so I won’t be staying for lunch. I’ll have Aunt Chen cook for you. Eat first, and I’ll make it up to you tonight."
Qi Dong waved it off with a smile.
"Go ahead and take care of your business, Xiao Lin. Don’t worry about —I already had a full al at a restaurant earlier."
"Honestly, it’s embarrassing. I’m over forty years old, yet I got scamd by so pretty-boy fraudster. That was the most expensive al I’ve ever had in my life."
Qi Dong laughed at himself. On their way ho, he had told Qi Lin all about how he got tricked. What he didn’t realize was how hard Qi Lin had to suppress his laughter. Luckily, Qi Lin was an exceptional actor—he barely managed to keep his composure.
At the entrance of Rose Bay Shopping Plaza, Li Jiaming and Chen Shuyi were chatting.
"Shuyi, do you think Miss Qiu is just ssing with us?"
"She said she’d give us the renovation contract, but she hasn’t signed anything yet."
"We gave her our business card, but it’s been a whole day, and she hasn’t contacted us."
Li Jiaming was getting anxious. They had been waiting since early morning for Qiu Yuelin to show up.
They had no other choice—Chen Shuyi had given Qiu Yuelin her business card, but they didn’t have any way to contact her. Desperate not to lose this big deal, she and Li Jiaming had camped outside the plaza, waiting for her.
"Don’t talk nonsense. Miss Qiu doesn’t seem like the kind of person who goes back on her word."
"She’s a wealthy heiress. Of course, she’s busy. We just have to be patient—sooner or later, we’ll run into her."
Chen Shuyi remained optimistic, smiling as she reassured him. And sure enough, their patience paid off.
Just as they were chatting, a Passat pulled up in front of them.
"Miss Qiu!"
Seeing Qiu Yuelin step out of the car, Chen Shuyi's face lit up with joy.
"Shuyi, have you been waiting long? I’m so sorry—I was busy this morning, so I didn’t have ti to contact you."
Of course, this "Qiu Yuelin" was actually Qi Lin in disguise. As soon as "she" stepped out of the car, she smilingly hooked her arm around Chen Shuyi’s.
"No problem, Yuelin. Didn’t you say I’m your personal renovation consultant now? It’s only natural for to wait for you."
Chen Shuyi's cheeks flushed red. Qiu Yuelin was standing far too close. Her elbow was pressing right into her chest.
"I just love how adorable you are. Co on, let’s go to your company and sign the contract."
Qiu Yuelin pinched Chen Shuyi’s cheek playfully. Hearing that she was ready to sign, Chen Shuyi bead.
"Alright! No problem. Let’s go right away, Yuelin!"
"Hey, you—yeah, the guy standing there like an idiot! Can’t you see two ladies need their car door opened?"
Qiu Yuelin glared at Li Jiaming.
"Oh! Right away!"
Li Jiaming forced a smile. Both of them were sales reps. But while Chen Shuyi was treated like a bestie, arm-in-arm with Qiu Yuelin, even getting her cheek pinched, he, on the other hand, was being ordered around like a lackey.
They arrived at City Renovation, a company that had been around for less than two years. It had about 100 employees and rented an office space of around 500 square ters. But Qi Lin didn’t underestimate it.
"If I rember correctly, within a few years, this company will beco one of the top ten renovation brands in the country and even go public on the New York Stock Exchange."
"Right now, it’s still in its infancy… Maybe I should consider buying it?"
A hint of amusent flickered in Qi Lin’s eyes. He was already plotting his next move.
They were greeted by the company’s vice president—a seductive woman whose sharp eyes imdiately marked her as a professional PR expert. Ah, what was a "professional PR woman"? Simple. A woman who’d do anything to close a deal.
"Take your ti looking over the contract, Miss Qiu. Have so tea first."
"If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, let us know—we can revise it anyti."
"If you have any additional requests, we can include them in the contract as legally binding clauses."
Zhang Man smiled charmingly, her almond-shaped eyes full of warmth. If this were a male client, she would have already started using her tricks. But since Qiu Yuelin was a stunning woman, she didn’t dare overstep—lest she get slapped in the face.
"This contract is completely unacceptable. The pricing is unclear, the brands of the materials used are not specified, and many critical materials lack details regarding their quality. Furthermore, the allocation of responsibility for potential issues is vague. Does your company think that just because I’m young, I can be fooled so easily?"
Qiu Yuelin’s beautiful eyes held a hint of displeasure as she stared at Zhang Man. As soone who had lived another life, Qi Lin knew everything about the ins and outs of renovation companies. Others might be clueless, but he was fully aware of every trick in the book.
Zhang Man was slightly surprised to see that the woman in front of her was so knowledgeable. However, as a seasoned businesswoman, she quickly adjusted her expression and smiled apologetically. "I’m so sorry, Miss Qiu. It seems that my staff accidentally gave you the wrong contract. This is the correct one."
She handed over a new contract.
Qiu Yuelin glanced through it briefly. This version was clearly the best possible agreent and quotation. As expected, in business, people spoke one way to ordinary custors and another way to the well-inford.
"This contract is acceptable, but I want to add two additional terms," Qiu Yuelin said with a faint smile.
"Please go ahead, Miss Qiu," Zhang Man replied politely.
"First, my point of contact must always be Chen Shuyi. If she is ever removed from handling my store’s renovation, I have the right to terminate the contract and get my money back. Second, once the contract takes effect, Chen Shuyi cannot unilaterally terminate it. If she does, she will be required to pay twice the penalty fee."
"That’s all."
Qiu Yuelin glanced at Chen Shuyi.
"These are minor adjustnts. If Miss Qiu wants them included, there’s absolutely no problem."
Zhang Man initially thought it would be so unreasonable demand, but it turned out to be just special treatnt for this new girl, Chen Shuyi. Smiling, she turned to her and said, "Did you hear that, Shuyi? From now on, you’ll be responsible for all communications with Miss Qiu. You must follow all her instructions, and you cannot withdraw from the contract. Otherwise, the company won’t step in, and you’ll have to personally compensate her twice the penalty fee."
Chen Shuyi bit her lip, not fully understanding why Qiu Yuelin wanted these clauses.
"Just sign it. Once this contract is finalized, you’ll be officially promoted and receive a commission equal to 5% of the contract’s value," Zhang Man said casually.
"Alright, I’ll sign it."
Although she still had doubts, Chen Shuyi couldn’t resist the lure of this lucrative contract and signed her na.
With everything settled, Qiu Yuelin smiled, revealing two charming dimples.
"Shuyi, I’m sorry to inform you, but I’ll be heading to Xinnan for a vacation, so I won’t be handling the project personally anymore."
"The store's asurents are scheduled for today, right? Go to the store and wait for your new contact person. You two will be working together from now on."
Qi Lin, in his own identity, could never have tricked Chen Shuyi into signing such a binding contract. But as Qiu Yuelin, it was a different story.
Chen Shuyi’s expression was full of confusion. She had no idea what had just happened.
"Alright, we’ll et again if fate allows."
With that, Qiu Yuelin’s role ca to an end. The next ti she and Chen Shuyi t, they might very well be calling each other "sisters."
It was common in the renovation industry for a business owner to delegate tasks to soone else. As long as the contract was in place, it didn’t matter who managed the process.
After Qiu Yuelin left, Zhang Man turned to Chen Shuyi. "You and Li Jiaming should take the asuring tools and blueprints to the store and get started."
"Miss Qiu is clearly from a wealthy family. She may have more projects in the future or introduce new business to us. So, throughout this renovation, make sure everything is done perfectly. We can’t afford any mistakes, understood?"
"Got it, Sister Zhang," Chen Shuyi responded.
Zhang Man was a skilled businesswoman, and Chen Shuyi, who had just entered the industry, was still a bit intimidated by her.
"Shuyi, do you think the new contact is a man or a woman? Do you think they’ll be easy to work with?" Li Jiaming asked curiously as they walked.
Chen Shuyi shook her head, looking slightly worried. "I feel like sothing is off about this contract, but I just can’t figure out what."
"I’d prefer if the new contact was soone like Miss Qiu—an easygoing woman. But that’s not up to us. Let’s just hope they’re not difficult to deal with."
As they talked, they arrived at the entrance of Rose Bay.
Just as they stepped off the bus, Chen Shuyi spotted a young man leaning against a black Passat, smoking a cigarette. Her face imdiately froze.
Why was Qi Lin here?
At first, she thought it was just a coincidence and decided to ignore him. To avoid making Li Jiaming suspicious, she pretended not to see Qi Lin and kept walking.
"Shuyi, we have the sa mother. Are you really going to ignore like this?"
Qi Lin smirked and blocked her path.
"Who has the sa mother as you? Qi Lin, can you stop flattering yourself?"
Chen Shuyi spoke coldly.
"Shuyi, who is this?"
Li Jiaming had been stunned the mont he saw Qi Lin.
Not only was this man incredibly handso—clearly surpassing him—but he also drove an expensive car. A flash of wariness appeared in Li Jiaming’s eyes.
"He’s the rich kid I told you about. My mom works as a housekeeper for his family."
Chen Shuyi’s tone was indifferent.
Hearing her introduction, Li Jiaming’s expression instantly turned into one of disgust.
Chen Shuyi had told him before that her mother worked for a wealthy family. She had also ntioned that the rich heir of that family was arrogant, unprincipled, and had his sights set on her.
With this in mind, Li Jiaming stepped forward protectively and spoke with hostility. "What do you want? This is a society governed by law—you can’t just do whatever you please."
Qi Lin chuckled. "You have such a narrow perspective. Why do you automatically assu I’m here to cause trouble? Do you not recognize this?"
He pulled out the contract signed by Qiu Yuelin and Chen Shuyi.
"Why do you have Miss Qiu’s contract?"
Chen Shuyi imdiately recognized the docunt, and her face filled with shock.
"Miss Qiu? You an Sister Qiu?"
"Sorry, but I’m her sworn younger brother. She’s going on vacation in Xinnan, so she left the renovation project in my hands."
Qi Lin grinned.
Chen Shuyi was speechless.
No wonder her right eyelid had been twitching all morning. It turned out Qiu Yuelin’s chosen contact was the one person she despised the most.
"Sister Qiu told that from now on, you are the assigned project manager from 'CityRenovation' for my case. Since you’ve already signed the contract, you can’t refuse any of my reasonable requests."
"If it’s reasonable, then fine. But if you make any unreasonable demands, I will refuse."
Chen Shuyi took a deep breath. She already anticipated that her job would be troubleso.
But it was fine. She was only responsible for the renovation. If Qi Lin dared to step out of line, she would shut him down imdiately.
"That’s right, only reasonable requests. Right now, I’m thirsty. Li Jiaming, right? Buy a bottle of water."
Qi Lin smiled, trying to send Li Jiaming away so he could talk to Chen Shuyi alone.
"I’m a asurent specialist, not your servant. Get it yourself," Li Jiaming snapped.
"Oh? So you won’t do this small favor for ? Guess I’ll have to call your company and file a complaint then."
Qi Lin smirked and pulled out his phone.
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