Lin Yanyan found it odd that HR hadn't contacted her directly, instead relaying the message through her manager. Could it be something important? Hanging up the phone, she hurried to HR Manager Miss Li's office.

Miss Li, a kind woman, gestured for her to sit before smiling and saying, "Lin Yanyan, when we hired you, we were actually impressed by your HR background and experience. But you insisted on sales, and we respected your choice. Now, after two months... well, your sales performance hasn't been ideal. Clearly, sales isn't the right fit for you. You saw the announcement on the company system—Jinghui Venture Capital is being rebranded as AIV Venture Capital. With such a major change, there will naturally be some personnel adjustments. We have two openings in HR, and one of them—a Benefits Specialist role—seems like a great fit for you. What do you think?"

Lin Yanyan hadn't expected this. When she'd applied to Jinghui Venture Capital, she'd submitted her resume for a sales position. During the interview, HR had discussed HR roles with her, but she'd insisted on sales. Miss Li had still hired her for sales—something that had always seemed strange. Now, it all made sense: Miss Li must have known this day would come and had been preparing by grooming a replacement.

As for her sales manager, he might or might not have known Miss Li's intentions, but it didn't matter. She was already on the verge of being let go from Sales. If HR poached her, he wouldn't mind—probably even relieved to be rid of an underperforming employee.

Lin Yanyan knew she had no real choice. Her probation period was almost up, and she lacked the skills to stay in Sales. Jinghui Venture Capital wouldn't keep her, and AIV certainly wouldn't either. If she didn't join HR, she'd be unemployed—and her financial pressures made that unthinkable. She had to hold on until her brother, Lin Weiwei, got into university in six months.

After a moment of gritted-teeth contemplation, she sighed. Though she still harbored dreams of conquering sales and reaping the high rewards, she couldn't afford to be stubborn now. She had to be practical. So she agreed.

Miss Li beamed and took her hand. "Great. Come by tomorrow morning to finalize the paperwork. I've already spoken to Old Chen in Sales—I don't want AIV's people walking into a chaotic HR department!"

Lin Yanyan didn't remember how she left Miss Li's office. With the company on the brink of a takeover, her future uncertain, she felt... a twinge of reluctance.

She walked toward the elevators, glancing back down the corridor before descending from the 35th floor. At the end of the hall, a turn led directly to the CEO's office—Jing Chen's office.

She imagined him in meetings with department heads, calm and composed even amid heated debates, always smiling. She pictured him sitting upright, overseeing his team, working tirelessly late into the night with unwavering focus. She missed his silhouette, his face, his laughter, his elegance and refinement. Her heart warmed—but the warmth only deepened her sadness.

She would never see him again. Their paths had crossed for only two brief months. They were worlds apart, like heaven and earth, clouds and mud. No matter how much she missed him, he was unreachable—a dream too distant to even imagine, let alone hope for. She shook her head and walked away.

That evening, Lin Yanyan met Aunt Wang's cousin at a restaurant in the city center, as invited. Since returning to A City, she'd lived in Residential Area 2, a government-subsidized complex mostly occupied by elderly residents. Aunt Wang's children were all away, and she'd taken Lin Yanyan and her brother under her wing, treating them like her own. Grateful, Lin Yanyan couldn't refuse when Aunt Wang offered to set her up with her cousin—even if she wasn't particularly enthusiastic.

The cousin worked in a nearby port city, B City, just a half-hour bullet train ride from A City. At 29, he was tall and spirited, a senior executive at a small company with a decent salary. Five years ago, he'd broken up with a long-distance girlfriend and, too busy with work, hadn't dated since. Lin Yanyan figured, given his decent background and no obvious red flags, she could humor the meeting—surely he wouldn't be interested in her.

When they arrived, the young man was already seated, having reserved a table. Lin Yanyan took one look at him: square-faced, thick eyebrows, bright eyes behind glasses that only accentuated his alertness. Energetic, yes—but his skin was darker than expected, and he wasn't as tall and broad-shouldered as Aunt Wang had described. Then again, she was 1.7 meters tall, and when they shook hands, he barely topped her by a little.

Once seated, the cousin ordered an excessive amount of food, ignoring Aunt Wang's protests until the table was overflowing. Only then did he ask Lin Yanyan what she wanted. She smiled politely, eyeing the mountain of dishes. "Anything is fine."

As they ate, Aunt Wang enthusiastically introduced her cousin, praising his diligence, capabilities, and success, while showering Lin Yanyan with compliments about her gentleness, beauty, and how well they'd match.

Lin Yanyan remained quiet, while the cousin dominated the conversation, detailing the hardships of starting a business in recent years. From his stories, she gathered he was from a small town on the outskirts of B City, the eldest of four siblings. Besides his married older sister, two younger brothers and sisters were still in school, relying on him for support.

Perhaps eager to highlight his filial piety, he kept bringing up his family, oblivious to Aunt Wang's increasingly urgent signals. Lin Yanyan listened calmly, unfazed. Aunt Wang, however, grew awkward and finally interjected, "Yanyan lost her mother too. Her father lives elsewhere, and she’s raising her younger brother alone. You two have both had tough lives—surely you’ll cherish each other and build a happy future together!"

The cousin caught the subtle warning and frowned. "Miss Lin is from a single-parent family? Why doesn’t she live with her father?"

Aunt Wang awkwardly cut in, "Family matters are private. You’ll learn more about each other in time."

The cousin seemed to sense something amiss, and the rest of the meal passed in strained silence.

The blind date ended on an oddly tense note. On the way home, Aunt Wang consoled her, "Yanyan, you’re so pretty—I’m sure my cousin likes you!" After a pause, she added, "Don’t worry, if he doesn’t, I’ll find you someone even better!"

Exhausted, Lin Yanyan bid her farewell at the door. "Aunt Wang, you should rest early—your heart isn’t well. Thanks for tonight. I have work tomorrow, so I’ll turn in too. Good night!"

Once inside, she showered and collapsed into bed, the evening already fading from memory. She didn’t even remember the cousin’s last name—only that the salmon had been decent.

The next morning, Lin Yanyan met with her sales manager, then proceeded to HR as planned. The rest was routine: handing over her duties, packing her things, and officially settling into her new role. After all her efforts to change her fate through sales, she’d circled back to her original field. Hopefully, AIV would offer better compensation.

The entire company was abuzz with cleaning and preparations. Employees, previously lax about dress codes, were now impeccably groomed—IV’s arrival had everyone on their best behavior. Lin Yanyan, ever the rule-follower, dressed exactly as she always did.

At lunch, before returning to work, Miss Li called a quick meeting with the women in HR. "The admin manager just asked for our help. With IV’s team arriving soon, they’re overwhelmed and can’t spare anyone for front desk reception. Since HR and admin are like family, we need to lend a hand. Who’s available?"

All eyes turned to Lin Yanyan. Miss Li smiled. "Yanyan seems like the best fit. You’ll head to admin to support them."

Lin Yanyan realized they’d already discussed it. No way out—she had to agree.

Reception duty wasn’t easy. She had to memorize company overviews and brush up on long-neglected business etiquette. Even then, with IV’s executives—foreigners included—arriving soon, she was bound to embarrass herself. Her English, while good enough on paper (thanks to her college degree), was rusty; she’d forgotten most of it after passing CET-6.

But there was no avoiding it. At 2 PM, IV’s team arrived—several luxury cars parked outside the building. Lin Yanyan, the admin manager, and a clerk stood at the entrance, waiting respectfully.

The first car was a Maybach. Lin Yanyan was certain it was a private vehicle—IV wouldn’t splurge on such an expensive car for client transport. If it was private, the leader of IV’s team must be a local tycoon. She knew IV was a Sino-foreign joint venture with Chinese majority ownership. Could the Maybach’s passenger be the Chinese shareholder?

Curious, she stared at the car until the secretary stepped out and opened the door. Then, the passenger emerged—and Lin Yanyan froze.

The man was tall and broad-shouldered, his tailored suit accentuating his near-perfect proportions, like a model’s. His quarter-Asian features gave him a striking, three-dimensional look, especially his eyes—slightly narrowed, exuding a magnetic charm that made male celebrities envious. With each step, he moved with effortless grace, drawing gasps from bystanders.

Behind him, his male secretary and the foreign-Chinese executive team followed in perfect formation, their polished suits and commanding presence sweeping through the lobby like a gust of wind. IV’s team was formidable, but he—wherever he went—was the undisputed center of attention, worshipped like royalty.

Even the married, 30-year-old admin manager’s eyes gleamed with admiration, while the 22-year-old clerk gaped, starstruck and fumbling.

Lin Yanyan felt only shock. No matter how noble or dazzling he appeared, he was her nightmare—the darkness she desperately wanted to escape.

It was Lu Xintou.