Lin Jianqing eventually accepted the job Guan Ju recommended.
Accepting it wasn’t something to be pretentious about.
His sister’s tuition, his mother’s medical bills, rent, and a pile of bills that came at him from all directions the moment he opened his eyes—none of these could be chipped away with his meager hourly wage at the milk tea shop.
He needed money. Desperately.
So when Guan Ju told him that Lingqi Network was willing to hire him early and even arrange both an internship and a part-time position, Lin Jianqing’s first reaction wasn’t happiness, but bewilderment.
‘Why would such a good thing fall into my lap?’
‘Could it be that the heavens finally saw how miserable I was and decided to send me a compensation package?’
‘If they’re sending one, can they also clear my hospital bills with one click?’
Lin Jianqing’s mind was a mess of random thoughts. In the end, he called Guan Ju. Guan Ju sounded visibly relieved, as if she was afraid he would turn down the opportunity, and soon she called him to the school meeting room.
In the meeting room sat school administrators and a few formally dressed women. Lin Jianqing had thought he would go through a very formal interview, even rehearsing his self-introduction three times in his head.
But the moment they saw him, they just paused briefly, then pushed a contract directly in front of him.
“Lin Jianqing, right? The internship salary is 5,500 per month, and working hours will try to match your class schedule. You can read through the contract slowly. If there’s no problem, just sign it.”
Name.
Lin Jianqing held those few pages, his mind stalling.
5,500.
That amount was like rain after a long drought.
He read the contract several times, confirmed there weren’t any outrageous penalty clauses or obvious traps, and then carefully signed his name.
Even after signing, he still felt a sense of unreality.
Lin Jianqing was walking down the street when it suddenly started raining. A stranger nearby handed him an umbrella.
Even though he didn’t know if the umbrella was a trick, the rain was already pouring down, so he had no choice but to take it.
He didn’t have the right to be picky. After coming out of the meeting room, Guan Ju looked much softer than usual, only telling him that if he encountered any problems at the company, he must tell her immediately.
Lin Jianqing nodded. He knew Guan Ju was genuinely helping him, so he felt even less comfortable making her worry.
When he returned to the dorm, messages from Sister Zhang quickly came through: WeChat friend request, work group, location, badge photo—the whole process was as fast as if it had been pre-scripted.
In less than half an hour, Lin Jianqing went from a part-time milk tea shop worker to a new intern at Lingqi Network.
The speed was too surreal.
So surreal that Lin Jianqing stared at his phone for a long time before finally consoling himself: ‘Maybe there really is warmth in the world, and Lingqi has a living Buddha.’ (Three days later, Lin Jianqing: ‘More like a living King of Hell.’)
But what he didn’t know was that, on the other side, Shen Huaixue was sitting on the sofa, slowly flipping through his information.
Lin Jianqing, Linzhou University, College of Fine Arts, third year.
Father died in a rift incident at the border city; mother Lin Anping suffered severe mental problems after serious injuries; sister is still in high school; the family owes a huge amount in medical bills.
Shen Huaixue looked at the photo in the file—delicate and beautiful to the point of being almost glaring—and her brow twitched slightly.
So similar. Too similar. He was a man, yet he had that kind of face.
She didn’t like men, had never liked them since she was a child. But Lin Jianqing’s face happened to be somewhat similar to the woman in her memory.
This was annoying. So annoying that Shen Huaixue stared at the photo for a long time.
Too bad current technology couldn’t turn a man into a woman…
Moreover, Shen Huaixue knew that her family would never allow her to mess around.
In the end, she picked up her phone and dialed a number.
“Is it arranged?”
The person on the other end quickly responded.
Shen Huaixue leaned back on the sofa, her voice light and cold.
“Then continue. Don’t make it too obvious.”
After hanging up, she looked at Lin Jianqing’s photo again.
“Blame your bad luck.”
“Or rather, looking too much like her.”
Early the next morning, Lin Jianqing arrived at Qingtian Building.
He rarely took the bus during rush hour, so experiencing the packed crowds for the first time left him a bit dazed. Qingtian Building stood in the busiest area of Linzhou City, its glass facade dazzling in the sunlight.
Lin Jianqing looked up for a moment, thinking only one thing: ‘Does this company really need an intern?’
Someone at his level coming in here was a bit like a caveman wandering into a top-secret aerospace facility—‘I’m probably going to get myself killed.’
Fortunately, Sister Zhang soon came down to pick him up. She smiled and handed him his badge, then took him to the ninth floor.
Lingqi Network’s workspace was far more comfortable than Lin Jianqing had imagined—almost absurdly so.
The work area only occupied part of the ninth floor; the rest was all lounge areas, a fitness zone, a tea room, and even a kitchen.
Lin Jianqing fell silent.
‘Is this really a company? Isn’t this lifestyle a bit too cushy?’
Sister Zhang, however, took it in stride, saying that the boss didn’t like squeezing employees, and the company didn’t encourage overtime—just get the work done.
Lin Jianqing listened, feeling even more unreal. Then a calm voice sounded from behind.
“Talking about me?”
Sister Zhang instantly straightened up, and Lin Jianqing turned around.
Shen Huaixue stood not far away, wearing gold-rimmed glasses and holding a cup of coffee. She looked cool and beautiful. Lin Jianqing felt she seemed familiar but couldn’t immediately recall where he had seen her.
Shen Huaixue looked at him, the corner of her lips moving slightly.
“You must be Lin Jianqing?”
Lin Jianqing lowered his head.
“Hello, President Shen.”
Shen Huaixue stared at his face for a few seconds, as if confirming something or suppressing some emotion.
“Don’t be so nervous. We’re not one of those companies that squeeze employees. I’ve heard about your situation. If you’re having financial difficulties, you can talk to Sister Zhang. Even an advance on your salary is possible.”
Those words were too gracious, so gracious that Lin Jianqing almost believed she was a good boss.
He thanked her quietly. Shen Huaixue didn’t say more, just asked Sister Zhang to show him around.
Before leaving, she casually mentioned that the company had a celebration banquet that evening and he should come along.
Lin Jianqing wanted to refuse. What was an intern on his first day doing at a celebration banquet? It would be awkward.
But Sister Zhang directly blocked his escape, saying the school had already synced his class schedule and knew he had no classes that night.
Fine. Now he couldn’t even pretend to have evening self-study. Lin Jianqing had to brace himself and go.
The celebration banquet was held at a Sichuan restaurant. The private room was already full of people.
As soon as Lin Jianqing entered, he was surrounded by colleagues asking questions. Not being good at such occasions, he could only nod, smile, and answer questions all the way.
His mental state was like a mascot forced to perform.
The atmosphere at the table quickly heated up.
As the boss, Shen Huaixue only had one glass of wine before switching to juice, and she said seriously that today was a celebration, not a business dinner—those who didn’t want to drink didn’t have to.
Lin Jianqing just breathed a sigh of relief when he heard Shen Huaixue laugh and steer the conversation toward him.
“But since it’s a newcomer, everyone should get to know him.”
Lin Jianqing: ‘Thanks… I relaxed too soon.’
The colleagues meant no harm, just a bit too enthusiastic. Lin Jianqing tried to decline but was eventually persuaded to have a few drinks. He didn’t eat much, but he started to get dizzy.
By the end of the banquet, he had slumped in his chair and fallen asleep.
Shen Huaixue stood beside him, her eyes deep. She let the others leave first, saying she would take Lin Jianqing back herself.
No one thought anything of it.
After all, President Shen was also from Linzhou University—taking a drunk intern back to campus sounded reasonable.
Only Shen Huaixue knew that she didn’t intend to take him back to the dorm. As for what she planned to do, even she was hesitating at that moment.