Chapter 10

Xu Yan, are you sick or something?

Early that morning, Chen Yi learned some terrible news, and no matter what she tried, her mood refused to lift. Yu You’an told her that she was the epitome of not appreciating her blessings while sitting right in the middle of them.

Xu Yan! That was Xu Yan!

How many people in the fashion world dreamed of being Xu Yan’s assistant? And yet Chen Yi had stumbled into the opportunity.

Yu You’an let out a long sigh. “Maybe this is just the will of the gods.”

Chen Yi snorted. “What kind of god? One that’s this unreliable?”

Yu You’an spoke with heartfelt sincerity. “The god of love. Cupid.”

Chen Yi rolled her eyes. “Get outta here.”

Yu You’an sat across from her, grinning mischievously as she stuck out her tongue.

“I’m serious,” Yu You’an said after her laughter subsided. “Chen Yi, this is fate.”

Chen Yi nodded with a smile, though inwardly she thought, What kind of fate is this? The fate my mom cooked up for me. Mom must have figured I’d slack off like crazy during these two months of internship, so she hooked me up with the strictest boss imaginable.

The thought of her upcoming workdays filled Chen Yi with dread.

With a heavy sigh, she raised her hand and patted her cheeks, trying to snap herself out of it.

No big deal!

Two more months of grinding, no matter how tough. Once she powered through this stint, she’d never have to clock in for a job again!

Fortified by her mental pep talk, Chen Yi dove back into her work. At noon, Yu You’an dragged her along to eat with some seniors from the department.

They’d all agreed to head back for a nap after lunch, but midway through, word spread about a celebrity stopping by the magazine for a photoshoot. The group dropped everything and rushed off to gawk.

Chen Yi wasn’t into chasing stars or real-life celebs, so she made an excuse to bow out of the group outing and slipped back to the office lounge. After a couple sips of water, she fired up her game.

The first thing she did on her alt account was check if Fade was online.

As expected, the gray name told her the answer.

What a shame, she thought.

Chen Yi started grinding her daily quests. Halfway through, she heard a noise at the office entrance and looked up warily.

Yu You’an and the others hadn’t returned. Xu Yan had.

In the empty office, just the two of them stared at each other from across several desks.

The game’s background music suddenly blared out.

Chen Yi quickly muted her phone, shoved it behind her back, and shot to her feet. She looked just like a schoolkid caught playing on her phone in class by the disciplinary director—even though she was twenty-one.

“Chief Editor Xu.”

Xu Yan took in Chen Yi’s skittish, on-edge appearance and felt a pang of helplessness. With a cold nod, she acknowledged her.

To ward off awkward silence, Chen Yi jumped in. “Chief Editor Xu, just back from lunch?”

Xu Yan shook her head. “No. From the photoshoot site.”

Chen Yi let out an “ah.” “The one shooting today—Jiang—Jiang—”

“Jiang Nanxi,” Xu Yan supplied crisply. “You really need to brush up on your basics.”

Chen Yi went silent.

Ouch. Another knife to the heart.

“Got it, got it.” Chen Yi was practically groveling in agreement. This topic wasn’t for her, so she switched gears. “If you haven’t eaten yet, Chief Editor Xu, what are you planning to have later?”

Xu Yan replied, “I ordered delivery.”

Chen Yi said, “Oh~”

Xu Yan sighed in exasperation. “Are you going to ask which place?”

Her thoughts spot-on, Chen Yi clamped her mouth shut and blinked innocently.

Xu Yan said, “If there’s nothing to talk about, we don’t have to.”

She frowned slightly, pressing a hand to her stomach as her face drained of color for a moment.

“Get some proper rest.” With that, Xu Yan turned without hesitation and retreated into her private office.

Chen Yi stood there, rooted to the spot.

Xu Yan… she seemed a little off.

Was it stomach pain from skipping lunch?

Unsure what to do, Chen Yi felt her phone vibrate. A special notification popped up in the game.

Fade was online.

Chen Yi’s eyes lit up.

Without a second thought, she messaged Fade—then realized she might be coming on too strong, too eager.

As she hesitated, Fade replied.

Fade: Good afternoon.

Sister Don’t Hit Me: (^o^)

Sister Don’t Hit Me: FFFFFFFF~~~~

Fade: Hm?

Sister Don’t Hit Me: We meet again!

Fade: Mm-hmm.

Sister Don’t Hit Me: Wow! I thought you’d be too swamped with work to log in today!

Xu Yan thought to herself that she hadn’t planned to log in at all.

But someone was waiting for her in the game.

The twisting pain in her stomach brought a sheen of sweat to her forehead. She curled forward, resting her forehead on the desk, phone balanced on her lap as she typed out her responses one letter at a time.

Fade: Not busy today.

Chen Yi was way more animated in the game than at the office. She chattered on to Xu Yan about the latest game update, what she’d been up to while offline, and whether Fade’s cold had improved.

Fade: Not yet. I probably won’t be able to do voice chat for a while—can’t talk.

Chen Yi’s heart ached for her.

Sister Don’t Hit Me: No worries at all! I’m super fast at typing! We can chat that way, hehe!

Sister Don’t Hit Me: Wanna run a dungeon today?

Xu Yan considered her current state. If they tried a dungeon now, the mobs would probably be the ones beating her, not the other way around.

As she pondered how to phrase a polite refusal, Chen Yi beat her to it, shooting down her own suggestion.

Sister Don’t Hit Me: !FF! Can’t today!

Sister Don’t Hit Me: I think my boss is really not feeling well! Gonna grab her some medicine!

Xu Yan paused, straightening her hunched back. She peered out through the one-way glass. Chen Yi, who’d been in the lounge moments ago, was gone.

Her game was still active, but replies were coming slower.

Xu Yan followed up on the topic.

Fade: Boss?

Sister Don’t Hit Me: Yeah! You know I’m interning, right~ One of the leaders in my department.

Warmed to the subject, Chen Yi kept typing as she stepped into the elevator.

Sister Don’t Hit Me: She’s amazing!

Sister Don’t Hit Me: But I feel like she hates me.

Xu Yan frowned, staring at her reflection in the darkened computer screen. Her usual cool expression now held clear bewilderment.

Did she really seem to hate Chen Yi?

She’d even shared so much idle chatter she never told anyone else.

As she debated whether to defend herself a bit under the guise of “Fade,” Chen Yi sent more messages.

Sister Don’t Hit Me: Whatever! I don’t really like her either! Starting tomorrow, I have to be her assistant! I’m super scared! Don’t wanna go!

Xu Yan pressed her lips together.

She typed out her reply, letter by letter.

Fade: Oh, I see?

Who was it that said on day one she absolutely loved her? Had she misheard? Young people these days really couldn’t be trusted.

Oblivious to her predicament, Chen Yi fired back a crying emoji. Yeah, yeah!

Fade: It’ll be fine. It’s just an internship, right? Ride it out.

Fade: Pat pat on the head.

Chen Yi’s lips curved into a smile at those three words.

Exactly! She didn’t like Xu Yan’s icy type at all.

She preferred Fade—gentle and caring!

Still, out of basic human decency, she hustled to a nearby pharmacy and bought a bag of stomach meds.

When she got back to the office, she was so nervous about knocking that she vented to Fade.

Fade encouraged her: It’ll be okay. Your boss probably won’t bite.

Chen Yi thought, You sure about that?

She paced back and forth outside the door three or four times before it suddenly swung open.

Xu Yan stood there, her cold gaze fixed on Chen Yi.

“Something you need?”

Chen Yi straightened up obediently, thrusting the bag forward with both hands.

“Chief Editor Xu, you looked unwell earlier. I bought some medicine.”

Xu Yan felt a complicated swirl of emotions as she looked at Chen Yi. With a nod, she murmured her thanks and took the bag.

“By the way,” Xu Yan added, “I’ve decided to reconsider the assistant position.”

Chen Yi blinked in shock. “Huh?”

Xu Yan wanted to say, Didn’t you just say you hated it? But that would give her away, so she simply replied, “I don’t think you’re the right fit.”

“Thanks for the medicine.” She thanked her once more.

The door to the private office clicked shut, leaving Chen Yi frozen in place, dumbstruck.

Wait—

Xu Yan, are you sick or something?!