Up front, Lu Zhixia was having her ear twisted. Behind her, the brothers who’d been watching the spectacle saw the tide turning against her and came rushing out in a clamor.
The four guys behind Shen Wanqing snapped to attention at her side. Lu Zhixia waved them off. “Stand down. They’re one of us.”
At those words from her, Shen Wanqing released her grip.
She turned and swept a cool glance over them. The underlings exchanged uneasy looks before dropping their heads and chorusing in unison, “Big Sis-in-Law.”
Shen Wanqing pressed her lips together, fighting back a smile. Lu Zhixia’s face turned beet red as she barked, “Cut that crap out!”
Lu Zhixia shooed them farther away. Shen Wanqing snatched the IOU from Lu Zhixia’s hand.
A few minutes later, Shen Wanqing had gotten the gist of the story straight from Lu Zhixia herself.
The company was stiffing them on pay. The migrant workers had no choice—legal channels were a dead end—so they’d rather shell out their own cash to hire muscle for debt collection.
“Who knew you had the guts to chase any kind of money,” Shen Wanqing said. She yanked open the car door and slid inside. “Get in here and talk.”
Lu Zhixia ducked into the passenger seat. Adopting the manner of a concerned elder, Shen Wanqing probed how long she’d been in the business.
“Not long. Two years before I went abroad, and this is my first gig since coming back.” Lu Zhixia fudged a few details but came clean on the rest, pleading earnestly, “Please don’t tell my mom. I don’t want her worrying about me.”
“You know damn well it’s dangerous.” Shen Wanqing lightly tapped Lu Zhixia’s forehead with the IOU.
Lu Zhixia scratched at the itchy spot. “The money’s secondary. I just can’t stand people busting their asses for nothing. My dad got screwed over the same way back in the day.”
“I’ll get this money for you,” Shen Wanqing said, tucking the IOU away. “This was your first job. It’s also going to be your last.”
Lu Zhixia clammed up. Shen Wanqing let out a hiss and twisted her ear again. “You hear me?”
“Ow! Yeah, I heard you.” Lu Zhixia winced. “Your hands are too damn fast. I can’t even block them.”
Shen Wanqing let go. Lu Zhixia clapped both hands over her ears and scooted back. “I’m warning you, don’t stick your nose in my business. I…” Her words trailed off under Shen Wanqing’s icy stare. Straightening up, she blustered on, “Like I said that day—we’re square. You stay in your lane, I’ll stay in mine. I don’t owe you any favors.”
“Looks to me like you’re the one with too much time on your hands.” Shen Wanqing switched to flicking her forehead. When Lu Zhixia guarded that, she went back to the ear.
Lu Zhixia flailed wildly, cheeks puffed in outrage. “Hey! Hands off!”
Her ear got nabbed again. Speechless, Lu Zhixia threw up her hands. “Fine, fine! I won’t do it anymore. I’ll find something else. Happy now?”
Shen Wanqing released her ear. “One last question. You were a solid translator at the Translation Bureau. Why quit?”
“You can’t breathe a word of this,” Lu Zhixia said, locking eyes with her.
Shen Wanqing said nothing. Lu Zhixia leaned in dramatically. “If a third person finds out besides you and me, I’ll have to silence you.”
“Go ahead. Do it now.” Shen Wanqing leaned closer. Lu Zhixia shoved the door open and bolted a few meters away. “You go collect the money. I’ll wait right here. Those workers need their lifeline cash.”
Shen Wanqing headed upstairs. Minutes later, she came back down with a leather bag in hand.
Lu Zhixia’s eyes lit up. “That quick?”
“Come and get it.”
“Toss it over.”
The underlings lurking in the back muttered among themselves. “The Big Boss’s woman is something else. Got the cash that fast.”
“So what? Big Boss wouldn’t even touch it herself.”
“Do all Alphas fear their wives or what…?”
With her crew watching, Lu Zhixia wasn’t about to lose face. “Whatever beef we’ve got, we hash it out later. I grab the money, split it with the others, and deliver it.”
Shen Wanqing’s phone buzzed. She lobbed the bag over with a toss of her wrist. “No more of this crap from now on. Need a side hustle? I’ll hook you up.”
Lu Zhixia hefted the bag to leave when Shen Wanqing called after her. “Lu Zhixia.”
Lu Zhixia didn’t turn. Her underlings clustered around her as she strode forward. Shen Wanqing switched tack. “Little Dog.”
Everyone but Lu Zhixia whipped around in shock. She drew in a deep breath and fixed Shen Wanqing with a chilling glare.
“Call me when it’s done. Otherwise, I’m telling your real mom.” Shen Wanqing brought out the big guns. Lu Zhixia shot her a fierce look. “I got it! Now beat it!”
In the underlings’ minds, it was settled: Big Sis-in-Law was even calling her “mom” now. Definitely family. Nicknames like “Little Dog”? Total couple vibes.
Lu Zhixia wasn’t thrilled with how this job had gone down today. Shen Wanqing had thrown a wrench in the whole thing.
The underlings tried to talk sense into her. “Big Boss, you’ve got a real home and hearth waiting. Ditch this line of work. It’ll drag the rest of us down too.”
Truth be told, for all their tough looks, these young hotheads were decent at heart.
No theft, no robbery. Before Lu Zhixia came back, nobody was steering them into debt collection. They knew fists alone didn’t cut it anymore, so they’d all pivoted to hard labor gigs.
Recently, word got around that the Big Boss was back, so they all gathered to help collect the debt.
“Looking bad is the least of our worries. What if we run into some tough customers? Our brothers could get hurt. Big Boss, you’re not on your own—you’ve got a family.” The guys chimed in one after another, leaving Lu Zhixia with a sour taste in her mouth.
Some people threw around money like it was dirt; others could barely scrape by.
“The money’s split. You all take your shares, and I’ll drop off the rest.” Lu Zhixia grabbed her bag to head out, but someone called after her: “Big Boss, what about your cut?”
“I’m not hurting for cash. I do this for the thrill.” Lu Zhixia flashed a grin and waved them off. “See you around. Stay in touch.”
Lu Zhixia delivered the cash to the workers, who were sweating it out at the construction site. They burst into tears of joy when they got it.
She let out a long sigh and advised them, “From now on, stick to legal channels as much as you can. Sign contracts whenever possible—it gives you some protection. Got it?”
Everyone knew that every line of work had its own rules, and society had laws to keep order. But some people set those rules, while others knew how to game the system.
Most folks were just scraping by at the bottom, trying to play by the rules and follow the law.
When you were up against some big shot who wouldn’t pay, migrant workers had no way to fight back with rules or lawsuits.
Lu Zhixia stepped out of the site into the blazing midday sun.
Her phone buzzed with an incoming email.
She ducked under the shade of a tree and opened it. It was an offer letter from Haijing Senhua.
When she saw the salary, way above her expectations, her heart skipped with excitement.
The letter outlined her role: Executive Assistant to the President.
She’d report directly to the new president, once they officially started.
On top of that, Lu Zhixia had a confidential assignment. The new president would be on a probation and observation period.
During that time, as special assistant, she’d need to compile and report every single work-related detail—public or private—straight to the email provided.
The address ended in a foreign domain; Lu Zhixia had no idea who it belonged to, but it was probably someone from headquarters.
She stared at the line about “whether public or private” and tsked. Rhine Group sure stuck their noses in everything.
Her start date was next Monday—the day after her mom’s wedding. Perfect timing.
Thanks to Shen Wanqing’s help today, the debt collection had gone off without a hitch.
Lu Zhixia texted Shen Wanqing as promised to update her.
Shen Wanqing fired off a WeChat message: Come see me.
Followed by a location pin.
Sister’s Little Dog: Nope.
Shen Wanqing’s brows furrowed slightly as she replied: I have something to tell you.
Lu Zhixia’s hackles went up, and she fired back stiffly: Why do I always have to do what you say? I’m not coming. Say it here or don’t bother.
Shen Wanqing: If you’ve got the chops, I can listen to you.
Lu Zhixia: If you’ve got the chops, I still won’t listen to you. What’re you gonna do about it?
Shen Wanqing didn’t reply. Lu Zhixia chalked it up as a win, feeling a smug little rush.
On her way home, she got a WeChat from her mom: If you’ve got nothing going on, pick up some groceries. Making a big feast tonight to improve our meals.
The shopping list was long enough to crash her phone. Lu Zhixia replied: All my favorites. Thanks, Mom.
Ever the dutiful daughter, Lu Zhixia grabbed some reusable bags and her shopping cart.
She went on a mad procurement spree that afternoon, sticking to her mom’s budget but picking only the best.
Back home, she snapped photos for her mom—posing dramatically amid piles of produce, her cheeks flushed pink.
She sent the pics along with a voice message, pitching her voice into an exaggerated, cutesy accent: “Oh, my dear mommy, I’m sooo exhausted! Please whip up lots of delicious treats tonight! Thank you so much in advance, my great mother!”
Not even three seconds later, the door swung open.
Lu Zhixia toppled right onto the floor, her own squeaky voice leaking through the crack. Her mom stared at her in bewilderment.
Lu Zhixia flashed a sheepish grin. The door creaked open wider, revealing the person standing beside her.
Taller than Yan Fanghua, with an enigmatic expression and striking heterochromatic eyes that gleamed.
Shen Wanqing… it was Shen Wanqing again! Lu Zhixia scrambled to her feet and bolted for her bedroom. Her hard-earned reputation as the Ultimate Fierce Alpha lay in utter ruins.
Yan Fanghua shook her head, half exasperated, half amused. “Wanqing, the kid likes to goof around sometimes—no harm in it. Go talk to her. I’ll handle dinner prep.”
Shen Wanqing didn’t stand on ceremony. “It’s not that I don’t want to help. I don’t know the first thing about cooking.”
“No, no, you’re fine.” Yan Fanghua gave her a gentle push.
Shen Wanqing shook her head, her expression a mix of innocence and faint grievance. Helplessly, she said, “If I don’t go to little sister, she doesn’t like me. She won’t open the door for me.”
Yan Fanghua’s patience snapped. She grabbed Shen Wanqing’s hand and pounded on the door. “Open up, Little Xia.”
Lu Zhixia cracked the door open a sliver and peeked out, catching sight of Shen Wanqing lurking behind her mom—looking a little innocent, a little wicked.
“You don’t like Wanqing?” Yan Fanghua pushed the door open, scolding her. “She’s such a catch, and you still won’t give her a chance. Get along from now on—if things don’t work out, take a good look at yourself first.”
Then, in a soft, coaxing tone, she smiled at Shen Wanqing. “Wanqing, Little Xia warms up slowly. Give it time, and she’ll come around. You two chat.”
On her way out, Yan Fanghua shot Lu Zhixia a stern glare before heading to the living room and flicking on the TV. It was just in time for an episode of the classic Dream of the Red Chamber.
Shen Wanqing shut the door behind her. Lu Zhixia huffed in annoyance. “So that’s why you sent me out for groceries—for you.”
Shen Wanqing leaned against the door and beckoned her over. “Come here.”
“No way.” Lu Zhixia sauntered over to the bed. “This is my turf. I…”
Thud.
She hit the mattress hard, tackled right onto the bed. Before she could roll over, Shen Wanqing pinned her down.
Lu Zhixia squirmed, but Shen Wanqing held her fast, nuzzling into the gland at the back of her neck and inhaling deeply with a light sniff.
Lu Zhixia shrank away, her voice quivering. “What are you doing? That tickles like crazy!”
Shen Wanqing drew in another deep breath, fierce yet oddly tender and coaxing, her voice low and restrained. “Be good. Don’t move.”
