The previous recruitment for a life assistant had been conducted properly, with interviews and all sorts of procedures, but filling a replacement wasn’t so troublesome. The task fell to Assistant Zhao, who put together a priority substitute list and had the HR department call candidates from the previous interviews in order, excluding the boy Song Fu had praised.
A phrase Assistant Zhao always had on his lips was: “Work must be efficient.”
The week Little Wang handled her resignation, the new life assistant arrived. She was a bright and beautiful woman who spoke gently to everyone and said to just call her An An. The System said this Assistant An was the type who relied on her looks to climb up, so Song Fu should pay attention to her and even reference her under the right conditions to prepare for similar character setups later.
Thus, Song Fu paid attention—and then began to doubt her life choices.
As usual, she nestled on the sofa drinking milk tea, staring at the woman who came to deliver snacks and desserts. She watched as the other put down the plate, gave a brief introduction, and left—
‘Are my tinted glasses not dark enough, or am I really astonishingly oblivious?’ After several days, Song Fu looked left and right, up and down, but didn’t sense any hint of seduction from the new Assistant An. The woman even buttoned her shirt all the way to the top. But the little cakes she made were truly delicious.
[……] The System couldn’t see it either, but the basic data related to the plot shouldn’t be wrong.
It hesitated. [Wait a bit longer? Who knows?]
The one equally doubting her life was Assistant An herself, who was resentfully scrubbing a pot.
After desserts, she had to start thinking about lunch, because the previous Assistant Wang had been good at cooking. As her replacement, she certainly couldn’t fall short, so she had to put in extra effort. But she possessed beauty beyond most people—how could she waste her energy on making food tasty?
Assistant An’s goal was clear: she aimed straight for the top and didn’t bother making excuses for herself.
She had known during the interview that the man she wanted to seduce had a fiancée whose beauty was in no way inferior to hers, but men were fundamentally fickle. No home flower could compare to a wild one. She figured taking a different route would work and came full of confidence, but no one had told her Miss Song was so clingy!
She was stared at the entire time, with zero opportunities to make a move.
Question: Who would make little moves in front of the queen herself? That was asking for a beating—unless there was something wrong with her head.
Moreover, the life assistant’s working hours were bizarrely aligned with other employees’, meaning apart from work hours when Miss Song watched her, she had zero time alone with Yan Huai Xu. Judging by how sticky that engaged couple was, they were probably together after hours too, and sending flirty messages was absolutely out of the question.
Assistant An scrubbed the pot listlessly and comforted herself. “Wait a bit longer.”
She refused to believe there was truly an egg without cracks in this world!
……
Assistant An decided to start with the plain and honest approach of gathering information. Know thyself and thy enemy, and you will win every battle.
“Miss Song.” She spoke hesitantly. “Are you and President Yan always arguing?”
Song Fu, who had been studying how the cakes could be so delicious: ?
“No.”
Assistant An gave a dry laugh. “I just see that you two seem different from other couples I’ve met. Like, you don’t even hold hands. You don’t seem very intimate.” She timely showed regret. “I don’t mean to judge or anything. I just feel something’s off. Is it because of President Yan’s personality?”
Song Fu thought about it and realized it was true. Having the fiancée status or not made no difference to her, and while Yan Huai Xu showed no change, she shouldn’t stay the same either. At least she needed to show some eager suitor’s enthusiasm. She glossed over the issue vaguely. “Various reasons.”
She quickly changed the subject. “Can you make a couple more little cakes this afternoon? I want to take them home for a midnight snack.”
“That tray just came out of the oven—don’t get burned.” Assistant An reminded her first, then suppressed a sigh before answering. “Sure, but don’t leave them out too long. Fresh ones are best. Chocolate ones, right?”
“Mm!” Song Fu nodded vigorously.
A week later, “I feel this job isn’t right for me. I want to resign.” Assistant An’s breakdown peaked when she cut her hand while cooking. She could no longer tolerate it. She wouldn’t let her beauty wither in the kitchen!
Yan Huai Xu glanced at her. “Go through the process on the system, and you can leave.” He showed no intention of retaining her.
“Good.” Assistant An agreed obediently on the surface, but inwardly her resentment grew even more. After all her heartfelt cooking, she hadn’t even captured his stomach?!
The one who had captured his stomach was someone else. It was actually Song Fu who asked, “Why?” She hadn’t even started nitpicking yet.
Assistant An gave a rehearsed yet truthful answer. “It doesn’t fit my career plans.”
“Career plans.” Song Fu repeated the words thoughtfully. “Are you going to open a cake shop?”
Assistant An saw expectation in the young lady’s eyes. “No.” As soon as she said it, the other’s expression turned to obvious disappointment. She knew her cakes were good, but she hadn’t expected a rich young miss who had tasted plenty of fine things to like them so much. This made her a bit proud, and she couldn’t help adding, “Opening a shop isn’t that easy. It’s not just about knowing how to make cakes. With land so expensive, the monthly rent alone…”
“I’ll invest in you.” Song Fu clasped her hands together. “Open it near the company—lots of people!”
Assistant An was stunned. “Really?”
Song Fu pushed her toward the door. “Really, really. Let’s go outside and discuss it.”
The door closed, leaving Yan Huai Xu alone. “……”
Whatever.
Assistant Zhao, who was in charge of selections, also felt speechless. This time, he had HR make calls with an added must-ask question: How long can you stay in the position? Skills came second; stability was key!
Song Fu now had hope for more little cakes, and her mood stayed good for days. But when walking with Yan Huai Xu, she inevitably recalled Assistant An’s words.
She hesitated, pursed her lips, then reached for Yan Huai Xu’s hand—and—
It was shaken off.
In the instant their eyes met, both faces showed the same astonishment.
Song Fu opened her mouth, thinking of what she should say. She took a breath. “I’m your fiancée, and you actually…”
Halfway through, her hand was held again. Yan Huai Xu realized what had happened, and his usually indifferent dark eyes widened slightly. “I didn’t know it was you.”
Assistant Zhang, trailing two steps behind, thought it was bad. Miss Song was about to throw a little tantrum.
He waited for the coquettish complaint but didn’t hear it.
Looking again, their Miss Song had closed her mouth after her hand was held, though her expression remained poor. Her brows furrowed, eyes downcast. This was an even worse reaction—not casual fussing, but genuine sulkiness.
Their boss’s instinctive reaction was really something. Who else was by his side besides Miss Song?
Assistant Zhang had noticed, so Yan Huai Xu certainly hadn’t missed it. But he’d already explained, and he’d taken her hand. Why was she still unhappy? A promise would do. “I won’t shake it off next time.”
Song Fu seemed not to hear. She “Mm?”ed vaguely, nodded randomly twice, then pulled her hand back. “I’m going to check on the new assistant. Not walking with you.” Without regard for Yan Huai Xu’s reaction, she turned and left.
Yan Huai Xu looked at his now-empty hand, which he’d held for not even two minutes.
He suddenly realized he wasn’t good at coaxing people—not even able to figure out why she was mad.
……
Song Fu herself didn’t go see the so-called new assistant. Instead, she went to the pantry for a cup of coffee, because she’d just discovered an extremely important fact, and her heart pounded fiercely.
That important fact was that her earlier astonishment and depression hadn’t been entirely feigned. In the moment her hand was shaken off, her heart had truly felt the emotion called hurt. Instinctive, unthinking emotions didn’t lie.
In other words, she was sad because of Yan Huai Xu, because of the male lead’s unwillingness to get close.
It was perfectly normal for the villainess to develop such feelings, but she was Song Fu, the actress. She knew full well how the plot would develop next, yet she still fell for Yan Huai Xu.
Fell for him—no mistake, it was like. Song Fu couldn’t deny or deceive herself.
Describing it as a moth to the flame was most fitting.
Had she hypnotized herself by always saying “I like you so much” out loud every day? Song Fu covered her face with her hand, doubting her life, and said to the System in a daze: ‘I know why you picked me to play the villainess.’
[What?! Real or fake?] The System bristled. [Then you…]
‘Who can say I’m any different from the villainess?’ Song Fu made a bitter little face.
The System grew puzzled at those words. [Host, what’s wrong?] It could only read simple subconscious thoughts. If the host wanted to hide anything, it couldn’t know—and right now, it was utterly confused.
Song Fu gulped down the coffee she’d poured, took a deep breath. ‘I’ll definitely complete the task properly.’
This small world’s villainess specialized in “forceful seizure,” while she herself seemed to have drawn the script of unrequited love tragedy.
Pitiful.
Song Fu amused herself with her own thoughts and helplessly hooked the corner of her mouth.
……
With the new assistant starting, Song Fu lost her previous energy and listened expressionlessly to the self-introduction across from her.
The System said this one was the most despicable, sent by an enemy the male lead had dealt with, with the revenge method being attempting to provide addictive drugs to the male lead.
Anyone with a brain wouldn’t take drugs of unknown origin. Their confidence came from the male lead’s insomnia. Insomnia was a slow torture, each cut on fragile nerves.
They knew the male lead was suffering and believed he couldn’t resist the temptation.
Song Fu knew too.
Come to think of it, the “fated one” the villainess unilaterally believed in fit the leads better. The insomnia-plagued male lead was like a fish out of water without the female lead; only she could heal him. As for the villainess, she was there to annoy the male lead.
The new assistant finished her rambling introduction and exited the office. The door clicked shut.
“What’s this?” Song Fu came back to herself and noticed the exquisitely packaged gift box in front of her.
Yan Huai Xu said it was a necklace he’d bought at an auction.
He didn’t mention the specific cost, but she could guess it was expensive. Song Fu cooperatively showed delight, stood on tiptoe to hug him. “I’ve already thought of which dress to pair it with.”
Yan Huai Xu wrapped his arm around her waist and quietly sighed in relief.
He thought, coaxing people wasn’t that hard after all.
The new assistant couldn’t hold back for even two days. While delivering snacks, she mysteriously took a jar of medicine from her bag, claiming it was miraculously effective for insomnia, produced by a foreign company and not yet on the market. She had connections there and, thinking of her boss’s insomnia, had someone mail her a bottle specially.
Yan Huai Xu toyed with the jar using his slender fingers, his tone cold. “Who told you I have insomnia?”
The assistant faltered, stammering without a clear answer. “Doesn’t everyone know?”
Cold severity flashed in Yan Huai Xu’s dark eyes. His fingers tapped the desk lightly, once, twice—each like a jab at the new assistant’s heart in her throat. “Such good medicine. Have it tested.”
That very day, the new assistant was taken away for investigation, handcuffed—and she crossed paths with Song Fu.
Song Fu: “……”
Fast progress.
But the timeline was right on track. She had to go abroad too. That morning, Mother Song had called, giving her a heartfelt lecture whose core point was that one couldn’t idle all the time and needed to find something to do. Father Song agreed, saying revolving around a man all day was unseemly.
The end result was her going abroad with the famous fashion designer Mother Song to organize a fashion exhibition, broaden her horizons, and meet some people.
This was also the reason why the supporting female character in the plot hadn’t noticed the female lead at the first opportunity.
By the time she went abroad and came back, the male and female leads’ relationship had already developed considerably.
However, before leaving, she had to confirm that the person coming next was indeed the female lead.
Song Fu specifically sought out Assistant Zhao. “Have you decided on the new replacement?”
When Assistant Zhao heard that the new arrival had gotten into trouble again, it felt like the sky had fallen. If this kept up, people would start doubting his abilities!
Assistant Zhao had recently lost a lot of hair. Thinking of the baldness gene in his family made grief well up from his heart. He had already sighed over the resumes for half a day and said with a bitter smile, “Miss Song, I’m working on it. What do you think of this one?”
Name: Su Chuyun.
No wonder the System said there was no need to worry too much.
Song Fu commented, “Looks good. I’m relieved knowing someone can take care of him.”
Then she turned and boarded the plane. She heard that Yan Huai Xu was in a meeting again, so she sent a short message about going abroad: I’m going to find my mom.
Yan: How long?
Song: Not sure. Depends on what Mom says.
Song Fu didn’t give a definite answer.
In the blink of an eye, deep autumn had arrived. The evening wind grew even more desolate, carrying yellow leaves that fell and formed a thin layer on the ground, giving footsteps a new sound.
She was indeed busy, and to avoid disturbing the male and female leads’ relationship development, Song Fu consciously reduced her contact.
The fashion exhibition was more interesting than imagined. The theme was “After the Rain,” and everyone extended and created from their own understanding, sewing clothes that were either beautiful or bizarrely strange. Each one was fresh, like creations from different people.
When the model sister heard that she was Chinese, she excitedly showed off the Chinese she had learned. The first sentence was “Hello,” and the second was “Goodbye.” Song Fu praised her as a beauty and used English to explain the meaning. The model sister repeated after her, and it sounded like she was saying “matchmaker.”
Song Fu wanted to teach her another sentence about handing over a red packet, but Mother Song called her away.
“Listening to your mom is always right. You’ve been holding on too tightly. Loosen up occasionally, and then he’ll start to care.” Mother Song patted Song Fu’s shoulder, full of smiles. “Guess how many times Yan Huai Xu has asked, overtly and covertly, when you’re coming back?”
Song Fu asked, “How many times?”
Mother Song counted on her fingers. “Anyway, more than one hand can count. You’ve only been gone three months, and he’s that worried you won’t come back.”
Song Fu felt like it was describing someone else—not the Yan Huai Xu she knew. She lowered her gaze and browsed the photos in her camera. “It could also be that he’s afraid I’ll go back.”
Mother Song tapped her forehead. “If you really think that way, then don’t go back. Just stay with your mom. That’s pretty much what I told him anyway.” Having her daughter around put her mind at ease.
Song Fu tilted her head from the poke. “I still have to go back.”
The plot wasn’t finished yet.
That very evening, Song Fu received a call from Assistant Zhang. There was a strong wind noise on the other end of the line, and the voice sounded extremely anxious:
“Miss Song, President Yan has gone missing in the mountains. We haven’t been able to contact him, and it’s still raining in the mountains now.”
What if there was a landslide or falling rocks? The consequences didn’t bear thinking about. Assistant Zhang didn’t mention this possibility, afraid of scaring her. “I’d like to ask if President Yan has contacted you since last night?”
“No.” Song Fu’s voice was soft.
Although she knew the plot would definitely end without issues, her heart still uncontrollably lifted a little.
“I’m coming back to the country right away.”
Assistant Zhang responded affirmatively and said with genuine sincerity, “If President Yan knows you’re coming back, he’ll definitely be very happy.”