Lady

The exam on the history of Chinese and foreign sculpture lasted an hour and a half. Ju Hui and Yun Aonan left the exam room one after the other. Outside the classroom, two or three students huddled together with their heads down, then scattered in different groups, forming the Big Dipper constellation on the corridor.

Marvin has been fired.

The class monitor pulled Ju Hui to the side of the wall to make way for others, as they were all looking at the new notice on the school's official website.

The reason given was that the person was detained for drunk driving, which had a negative impact.

"He's destined to be fired sooner or later. He hasn't been to the dean's office for two or three months. Didn't he say he wanted to go abroad to pursue a PhD? He's probably already out of here by now."

Yun Aonan had a clear idea of ​​Ma Wengui's intentions. She pulled Ju Hui to leave the school. Ju Hui stood still and checked the class monitor's phone. Only after confirming that the brief notification did not mention "reported" or her or Sheng Jiashu's names did she say goodbye to the class monitor and leave.

The news caused a small ripple in the sculpture department; no one felt sorry for her, and Ju Hui didn't think it was inhumane. With January drawing to a close, she needed to get recommendation letters from professors, so leaving now was perfect; she didn't want Ma Wen to announce her study abroad plans to the world.

"Forget about that servant, Little Ma. We're both awesome. We can recite every definition we can think of." Yun Aonan laughed smugly. "But what's that negative space? I've never heard of it. Oh well, it's only two points."

"Don't be so smug, or we'll end up with one of us at 59 and the other at 61."

"Pah! Pah! You're even more vicious than getting 100 on the CET-4."

As they walked toward the school gate, they turned toward the nearest library. Yun Aonan made her touch the wooden handle on the gate, and after she touched it, he slapped her on the head three times.

Ju Hui sighed in shock. Was this a habit of Ruo Bei's?

Yun Aonan blinked, pulled her arm down and hugged her, chuckling, "Are you still spending the New Year in Ruobei this year? Come to my house for a visit then, and I'll ask my brother to help you catch the mountain zither."

“It’s uncertain this year. You forgot I blocked Jiaping,” Ju Hui said. “Let’s talk about Shanqin’s matter after the New Year… or when she’s better off.”

"Huh? Why should I?"

Yun Aonan released her, and a gust of wind swept by. Her expression became exceptionally serious. "She almost ran off with the money. You only paid attention to you because you knew her school could get personal information. Is she a thief or a liar!"

"A conman who deceives your feelings will leave you with nothing but money and emotions." Yun Aonan brushed the hair that had been blown across her face by the wind and raised an eyebrow at Ju Hui. "What do you think?"

Ju Hui nodded hesitantly. Yun Aonan's sharp eyes could see through everything; the liar seemed to be cursing her. Bian Jiaping was left behind, smoking several more packs of cigarettes. Her phone was still ringing for him, but he hadn't received a single call.

“What’s the big deal when someone’s poor…” Yun Aonan, who was continuing to speak, choked, meeting Ju Hui’s unperturbed expression, “Anyway, she has to pay a price.”

The person who suggested visiting the Qin family in the mountains during the Spring Festival was Ju Hui.

Yun Aonan didn't understand and thought it was about celebrating the New Year. After she explained it to him, he realized that it was about going to someone's house to sign an IOU. When Ju Hui was a child, she often opened the door for uncles she didn't know.

Ju Hui reassured her, and the two strolled leisurely to the school gate. She secretly removed Bian Jiaping from the blacklist, and when she looked up again, Sheng Jiashu's car slowly stopped outside the stone pier not far away.

"Aonan, really not going shopping together?"

Sheng Jiashu rolled down the window. Yun Aonan lowered her head, her long hair hanging down her chest. She smiled at the boss and said, "No, my brother asked me to meet him. He wants to invest in my startup."

"What are you planning to do if you start a business?"

Ju Hui had never heard her mention it.

"I won't tell you; secrecy is key to success," Yun Aonan said, using her motto to deflect the question. "Also, let Ruobei spend the New Year at Sister Shu's house."

Yun Aonan cast his fishing hook, and Sheng Jiashu followed suit by casting her bait.

While browsing a baby store, Sheng Jiashu saw nail clippers and started talking about her dog and cat at home, whose claws were so sharp that they needed to be held down to have them trimmed; seeing comfort toys, she talked about having an entire wall of dolls and several Sonny Angel toys waiting for a kind person to open them...

Ju Hui could hardly imagine that she and Sheng Qijing were sitting at the same table having New Year's Eve dinner. She picked up the gold ingot used for the baby's first birthday celebration, squeezed it between her hands and made a squeaking sound, and then politely declined her offer by saying that she needed to find a job to earn money during the winter break.

Sheng Jiashu exclaimed "Ah!" and after a long while asked, "...Doesn't President Bian give out year-end bonuses for the New Year?"

Ju Hui smiled and said, "My year-end bonus is not as much as what I earn."

When Ju Hui used to work like crazy, she thought the holidays were too short. She set up a stall, taught handicrafts, and earned triple pay at McDonald's... She could find thirty ways to make money in thirty days, all of which were quick money.

This year, regardless of whether it was more convenient for her or not, Bian Jiaping put aside her IELTS tutoring, and Ju Hui's finances and English ability were severely impacted. During this winter break, she hopes to find a student to practice speaking with.

Ju Hui relaxed when she saw that Sheng Jiashu had stopped talking about home. But then, a mischievous thought popped into her head, and she asked, "So, now that you're on vacation, you're looking for a job, right?"

"Yes," Ju Hui said, regretting her lie, "I'm contacting the bosses I've worked with before."

"Can't we work with people we've never worked with before?" Sheng Jiashu poked herself repeatedly. "Me? I'm a boss too!"

-

As the year draws to a close and banquets become more frequent, Burgundy wines, with their vintages, brands, and quotas, are a form of hard currency that can better influence political and business relationships than money.

Among them, the Sheng family's Laorun Winery stands out. In the eyes of outsiders, it is backed by a mysterious blue ocean, and red wine can always be turned into money. Everyone loves it.

As the winery's spokesperson, Sheng Jiashu's most important task at the banquet was to maintain relationships. Sometimes, she had to ask her tactless assistant to say some unpleasant things, and it had to be a rookie who was ready to leave at any time.

Enticed by Sheng Jiashu's almost free reward, Ju Hui agreed to become her disposable assistant.

Along the Bund, a refreshing breeze blew in tonight's cruise ship dinner thanks to Ju Hui.

She was more composed than Sheng Jiashu had imagined. She wore a Prada suit she had brought herself, a wide-cut white shirt paired with a wool pencil skirt, without any accessories, perfectly capturing the image of a sophisticated yet unassuming office worker.

"Did you work at a boutique before?" Sheng Jiashu said. "There are Prada outfits suitable for these kinds of occasions. Today in first class, I asked you to stretch your legs out. You wouldn't laugh at me for loading up the goods, would you?"

"No, boss." Ju Hui fixed her hair. "Unless you take me to a high-end exclusive sale on the plane."

Sheng Jiashu secretly pinched her, "Yes, boss, I'm too poor!"

Sheng Jiashu gently hooked her finger around Ju Hui's lower back, and Ju Hui accompanied her to sit down by the dance floor.

The ballroom design on the cruise ship pays homage to the piano duel scene in "The Legend of 1900," with a bar in the corner and carved wooden seats arranged in a spread-out pattern facing the dance floor.

Sheng Jiashu brought Ju Hui to the bar and asked someone to serve her for a while.

Ju Hui was more relaxed than expected tonight. Most of the guests were mild-mannered, and Ju Hui refused to drink directly, so they did not insist.

"Why haven't you thanked me for helping you with Marvin's matter... The boss is right next to you, openly playing on your phone?" Sheng Jiashu looked at her, and while she was pouring a glass of wine, she started chatting with someone else.

"Oh right." Ju Hui turned off her phone. "Thank you, boss. The school didn't ask you too many questions, did it?"

"Who are you talking to, a man or a woman?" Sheng Jiashu hissed.

"Boss, this is a matter of personal privacy."

"Assistants have no privacy during work hours."

Under her "guidance," Ju Hui personally locked her phone in her handbag. Sheng Jiashu wore a ruby ​​ring on her index finger, as red as pigeon blood. Ju Hui stared at the color and her gaze slowly shifted towards the dance floor...

Sheng Jiashu pointed to Sheng Qijing in the crowd, who was dancing in the center.

The young woman placed her left hand on his arm and clasped his right hand in hers, her dance graceful and light. Sheng Jiashu leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I didn't say you were coming. Go over and invite him to dance, scare him a little."

Ju Hui gasped.

For the past month, Ju Hui, carrying the Mo Cun employee's computer that hadn't yet been recalled by Hui Ling, was busy with paperwork and final exams, completing all online applications ahead of schedule. She immersed herself in her busyness, trying to overlook one fact—

Ju Hui slept with him on New Year's Eve.

As if to confirm that they were all right, Ju Hui didn't like him, and he didn't like Ju Hui, he drank two celebratory drinks with Pu Yinyun and Aonan, and the two of them left at the loft without prior arrangement.

According to Sheng Qijing, only those who dislike someone would not shy away from such tender moments, and Ju Hui would only take the initiative to end the relationship if she had fallen in love.

Ju Hui's phone vibrated again in her handbag.

Sheng Jiashu's brow twitched. Seeing that Sheng Qijing in the dance floor had no time to send messages to Ju Hui, she pushed her closer from the side with more force.

Sheng Qijing hadn't seen her yet.

He made no attempt to avoid eye contact with his female companions, leaning close or whispering, and gentlemanly accepting their views on future business development. However, these matters were none of his concern; if they were to discuss them with him, it meant they had misjudged him.

Tonight's dinner was still boring.

"Sheng Qijing," Sheng Jiashu called to him.

Sheng Qijing looked up quietly, and Ju Hui appeared before him.

-

"I can't jump."

Ju Hui's cheeks flushed slightly as Sheng Qijing held her hand and waist. She widened her eyes and, mimicking others, paused every three steps, slowly blending into the dark teak floor.

But she was quickly expelled from the floor again, stepping on the tips of Sheng Qijing's shoes, once on each foot.

“You did very well.” Ju Hui couldn’t see Sheng Qijing’s expression, but she could hear his laughter. “Better than I expected.”

The jazz piece "Night Fragrance" was different from the elegant piano piece just now. Ju Hui noticed that most of the young guests had left, and the older guests, dressed in low-key outfits with pearl earrings and suits, were dressed in their own way. She felt even more out of place and couldn't help but wonder if all eyes were on them.

"Why did you come here?" Sheng Qijing asked. "And you're wearing the same perfume as Sheng Jiashu."

“Part-time assistant,” Ju Hui replied. “I borrowed her perfume; it’s fresh and pleasant, like mint and grass.”

"Mmm, smells nice."

The four-minute jazz piece was very short. Even two seconds of silence with Sheng Qijing felt too long. Ju Hui's senses compelled her to keep talking, discussing Ma Wen's resignation and the aftermath of the 798 fire. The organizers have yet to catch the suspect, and the truth behind it remains unresolved.

My steps became a little smoother.

She had just breathed a sigh of relief when, while turning around, she caught sight of Sheng Jiashu chatting idly outside the arena. She then spoke to Ju Hui using lip reading:

Fun.

Before she could finish saying "play," Ju Hui noticed Sheng Jiashu's mouth was agape and she was frozen in place. The handbag on the table that was vibrating incessantly caught her attention, and Sheng Jiashu raised an eyebrow.

"There's a phone call, I'll answer it for you."

Ju Hui stared intently, clearly seeing the shape of her lips.

As the music was about to end and the guests were about to leave, Sheng Qijing realized that he wasn't the only one whose palms were burning. He leaned close to Ju Hui's ear, his breath brushing against her like a thin veil.

"Are you nervous around me? Because I guessed right."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sheng Qijing waited for her reaction. Judging from Ju Hui's lack of contact for so long, his judgment was correct. He waited for her to blush from her neck down and accept his kiss on the cheek with a shy and annoyed expression.

"Feel sorry."

The sobbing melody faded into the darkness, replaced by resounding cheers and applause. Ju Hui ran off, the buttons of her shirt catching on his suit collar, towards Sheng Jiashu.

"Don't worry, I didn't answer."

The phone that Sheng Jiashu held halfway to her ear emitted a dim light.

Ju Hui was incredulous, as was Sheng Jiashu. She hadn't expected Ju Hui to actually believe it and even run over. Although she tried to avoid her, she couldn't help but glance at the name on the screen and see the WeChat message that popped up immediately after the call ended.

"Xu Siran".

Sheng Qijing looked down from behind and read the fleeting words to the screen above Ju Hui's head: "Baby, see you tomorrow."

"baby?"