Chapter 3
I sat at my desk clutching my phone in a daze until my coworker, Xiao Yang, poked me.
“Ji Ran, you’re still playing with your phone?”
She leaned closer and whispered, “Rumor has it the president might drop by our department for a surprise inspection today. Nobody knows when, so don’t let him catch you.”
Xiao Yang and I had joined the company at around the same time.
Aside from the two of us, most of the department consisted of overseas returnees and people with connections.
Naturally, we had banded together for warmth and mutual protection.
She also knew that my family was ordinary and that I had worked incredibly hard to land a job at Tiansheng Technology.
If management caught me slacking off during work hours, the best-case scenario was a pay deduction. At worst, I’d go straight onto next quarter’s layoff list!
Xiao Yang meant well by warning me.
I snapped back to reality.
The president? That meant Cheng Qian, didn’t it?
Buzz, buzz—
Two new messages appeared in the group.
They were from Cheng Qian. “Can’t chat anymore. I have something to do.”
Song Cheng ing: “Where are you going? Are you coming back for lunch?”
“I have to inspect every department at the company today. My dad ordered me to, so I can’t skip it.”
【@City Wage Slave Sis, we’ll talk next time!】
【I’ll treat you to a meal when we have time!】
【Cute kitty.jpg】
Song Cheng ing: 【Aren’t you already near the office?】
Cheng Qian: 【Yeah. I’ll be there in five minutes. Gotta go.】
…
Ten minutes later, I saw him in person at the office.
The lively, exuberant man from the internet had transformed into a privileged young heir with an entourage around him.
Cheng Qian wore an immaculate suit, every strand of hair perfectly groomed.
Surrounded by several department heads, he walked slowly down the corridor.
His expression remained detached.
The managers who usually lorded over us seemed to become completely different people in front of him…
Fawning. Obsequious.
Cheng Qian didn’t stay in Marketing for long.
His gaze never rested on me for even a second.
People like him lived in an entirely different world from people like us. Giving us their attention would simply be a waste.
That was true of him.
It would be even truer of Fu Yan.
In that moment, I finally understood the distance between them and me.
So I made a decisive choice—break up with him!
Better to cut my losses and get out now than wait for several powerful families to discover I’d deceived someone online, join forces to retaliate, cost me my job, humiliate me, and blacklist me across the entire industry.
This job had been hard to get. I treasured it!
Rich heirs never lacked girlfriends. If I broke up with Fu Yan, he probably wouldn’t care that much.
He could just treat the whole thing as a laugh.
But these people had been pampered all their lives. Surely they couldn’t tolerate being deceived!
Even though I truly hadn’t meant to deceive anyone.
At that moment, the little girl who had spent her life committed to absurd jokes quietly shattered.
…
I stewed over it for several days, then began deliberately picking fights with Fu Yan.
My behavior grew increasingly unreasonable.
At first, Fu Yan soothed me patiently. Eventually, even he seemed unable to take it anymore.
“Babe, has something happened to you lately?”
“You’ve seemed emotionally unsettled. If something’s wrong, you can tell me. (hug)”
My eyes lit up.
Here was my chance!
“You’re saying I’m emotionally unstable?” I demanded. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
Fu Yan: “?”
Me: “Fine. I get it. You’re tired of me.”
“Let’s leave it here, then. We’re breaking up.”
After sending that, I completed the full sequence: blocked him, deleted him, and pulled out my SIM card.
Once I had dealt with this dire threat, I sat alone in my empty room, grieving.
Wah… Damn it, why couldn’t Fu Yan have been poor?!
He had good character, a good temperament, and a handsome face. I really did like him!
After thinking it over, though, I found some consolation.
Maybe his wonderful temperament had a lot to do with his privileged upbringing.