Volume One, Chapter 16: Shen Qingzhu Accepts an Interview

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So that was how it was…

Shen Qingzhu laughed aloud.

So Shu Ya had never truly wanted to befriend her back then. She had not revealed even the slightest hint of something like this. Fortunately, Shen Qingzhu had never believed Shu Ya’s false sincerity either. All she had wanted was money, and she had taken everything Shu Ya possessed for herself.

That, however, was an injustice to Shu Ya.

At the time, Shu Ya had hidden her abilities because she was afraid Fu Yichen would think she was too formidable and that his pride would be wounded.

But none of that mattered anymore.

A wave of panic rose in Shen Qingzhu’s heart.

She was not as beautiful as Shu Ya, nor did she have as good a figure. The reason she had been able to win Fu Yichen’s heart all these years was that Shu Ya had stayed at home as a full-time housewife with no ability to earn money, while she was different—she shone brilliantly in the workplace.

Fu Yichen often said that he loved the way she looked when she was focused on her work.

Now that Shu Ya had also entered the workplace and possessed such formidable ability, would she soon begin to shine as well? Would Fu Yichen still love her then? Would he turn around and live happily with Shu Ya, leaving her to become the one who was abandoned?

A tremendous terror enveloped Shen Qingzhu.

No!

Shu Ya absolutely could not remain in the workplace.

She had to find a way to pull Shu Ya down from that position.

Shen Qingzhu’s gaze sharpened.

She had it.

She knew what to do now.

—

Mingcheng Tower.

Forty-eighth floor.

“Master Fu, I’ve found the nanny you wanted.”

Zhang Fan was a capable assistant. He never asked unnecessary questions about his employer’s instructions. He simply buried himself in the work and completed everything with astonishing efficiency.

Fu Jinyan sat in a leather chair. Dressed in a white shirt, his black silhouette made his skin look even paler and colder than frost and snow. He raised his eyes.

“Send this nanny to Shu Ya without making a fuss.”

“Ah?”

Even Zhang Fan, who was always professional, could not help staring blankly for a moment. He quickly suppressed the shock on his face, lowered his head, and said, “Understood.”

It was no wonder he had lost control of his expression.

This was simply too unbelievable.

He had been following Master Fu for ten years. In his eyes, Fu Jinyan cared only about wealth and power. He did not care about his own health, much less anyone else.

Zhang Fan had always assumed that Fu Jinyan was simply cold-hearted by nature and treated everyone the same way. Yet this time, Master Fu had actually taken an interest in Miss Shu’s inability to find a nanny—not only asking him to find one, but also instructing him to deliver her quietly to Miss Shu.

Master Fu treated Miss Shu so differently.

Perhaps he should also mention that other matter to him.

After considering it for a few seconds, Zhang Fan spoke.

“Master Fu, Miss Shu went to Fuyu today. She was parachuted in as the chief perfumer, so the other perfumers banded together to make things difficult for her. She even agreed to a competition with an extremely talented perfumer. If she lost, she would have to leave the company.”

Fu Jinyan’s eyes grew colder.

“So she lost?”

That woman really knew how to cause him trouble.

Zhang Fan shook his head.

“No. Miss Shu won.”

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Fu Jinyan’s gaze swept toward him.

Zhang Fan continued slowly, “The perfumer who competed against Miss Shu graduated with straight A’s from Kyoto University’s perfumery program. Even someone that outstanding lost to her. Miss Shu appears to be very capable.”

Fu Jinyan withdrew his gaze.

“Oh?”

He had originally thought Shu Ya was nothing more than a pretty face.

It seemed she did possess some ability after all.

But it was only a little ability. His standards were exceedingly high, and in his eyes, Shu Ya’s current achievements were utterly insignificant.

At that moment, Fu Jinyan had no idea that the seemingly weak woman he kept would one day stand on equal footing with him in her career—and would also hold him firmly in the palm of her hand where love was concerned.

—

Shu Ya returned home.

Mrs. Chen was cooking in the kitchen.

Mrs. Chen was a very capable nanny. She had worked in the household for six years and had taken excellent care of both Shu Ya and Nan Nan.

A nanny like her was harder to find than a lantern in broad daylight.

Yet she had gone over to Shen Qingzhu.

For now, Shu Ya would not replace Mrs. Chen. This pawn might still prove useful in the future.

But she would never trust Mrs. Chen again.

She needed to find a better nanny to look after Nan Nan.

There was a saying circulating in their social circle: a good nanny was even harder to find than a good man. Shu Ya had always believed it.

For the past few days, she had been asking around for a suitable nanny.

Yet she still had not found one.

“Brrring…”

Her phone rang.

It was Mrs. Wang.

Shu Ya answered warmly. “Sister Wang.”

Mrs. Wang spoke with a hearty northern accent.

“Weren’t you looking for a nanny? Someone recommended one to me. She has a good temperament and adores children. She worked for her previous employer for eight years without making any serious mistakes, and that employer couldn’t praise her enough.”

“Her employer is moving abroad to develop their business, but she’s very attached to her homeland and doesn’t want to leave for another country. So she’s looking for a new family. Would you like to consider her? If you’re interested, I’ll give her your contact information.”

Shu Ya hurriedly replied, “Of course. Thank you, Sister Wang. I’ll treat you to a meal another day.”

After exchanging a few more pleasantries with Sister Wang, Shu Ya hung up. Not long afterward, her phone rang again. This time, it was the nanny calling.

Over the phone, Shu Ya briefly asked about the nanny’s name, home address, and general circumstances. Nothing raised the slightest red flag. She added the nanny, Liu Xiu’an, on WeChat, and Liu Xiu’an sent her several certificates.

There was no need to mention her nanny certification. She also possessed an advanced nutritionist certificate, a standard Mandarin certificate, a College English Test Band Six certificate, a chef’s certificate, and many others.

Shu Ya’s eyes lit up when she saw them.

A high-end nanny like this was highly sought after on the market.

She quickly arranged for Liu Xiu’an to come to the house the day after tomorrow and spend some time getting used to the child. If everything went well over the next three days, they could sign a contract.

The nanny matter was temporarily settled.

Shu Ya finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Life would surely keep getting better.

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—

“Chief, would you like to take a look at this perfume?”

“Chief, I can never seem to blend these fragrances properly. Could you help me figure out why?”

“Chief…”

Shu Ya dealt with each matter one by one.

“Let’s not consider launching this perfume for now. The cost is too high. If we price it accordingly, no one will buy it, and we’ll end up taking a loss.”

“Let me smell it. You’ve used too much moth orchid, which has overwhelmed the birch-leaf note. I also don’t recommend combining moth orchid with birch leaf. Try replacing the moth orchid with ginger lily instead. It should pair better with the birch leaf.”

“As for this part…”

Shu Ya spoke at an even, unhurried pace. No one could underestimate her, nor could anyone feel that she was giving orders with an unpleasant edge. Besides, her skill in perfumery was unmatched. Problems that had troubled others for a long time took her only a single question to pinpoint, after which she would offer a solution.

In the workplace, ability was what mattered.

Her abilities had already won over the vast majority of people.

After resolving every issue, Shu Ya felt somewhat tired.

She stood before the floor-to-ceiling windows of her office and looked down from the twenty-eighth floor. Towering buildings stood row upon row, while people below were as tiny as specks of dust. She had grown fond of the sensation of looking down from above and surveying all living things.

It was a feeling she had never experienced as a housewife at home: novel, exhilarating, and filled with a sense of achievement that seemed to make every pore in her body relax.

Knock, knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the office door.

Shu Ya turned around. “Come in.”

The door opened.

It was Zhu Ting.

Shu Ya was somewhat surprised. Ever since Shu Ya had defeated her, Zhu Ting had never shown her a pleasant expression. Whenever they encountered each other at the company, Zhu Ting would roll her eyes at her. For her to come to the office of her own accord was truly unusual.

Zhu Ting stood in the doorway with her arms crossed.

“Miss Shu, didn’t you say that you would lead our company past D&R? D&R revealed details of their new spring perfume this morning, and it’s already attracting a great deal of attention. Since we’re going to use them as our benchmark, we should hold a meeting and study next year’s new release together.”

Shu Ya had been thinking the same thing.

What surprised her was that Zhu Ting had brought it up herself.

Was this a gesture of goodwill?

Shu Ya’s principle was simple: if someone respected her, she would return that respect tenfold. She smiled and said, “All right. I’ll send a message in the department group and have everyone meet in the conference room.”

Half an hour later.

The conference room.

Shu Ya sat at the head of the table.

She was extremely busy. She knew that D&R had released an interview revealing details of its new product that morning, but she had not had time to watch it. Zhu Ting thoughtfully downloaded the interview onto a flash drive for her. Once the conference room door was closed and the blackout curtains drawn, the promotional video was projected onto the screen.

At the beginning of the interview, there was a completely white backdrop.

Shen Qingzhu sat in a vast, immaculate room. Her features were both delicate and resilient, and against the all-white background, she seemed like a solitary flower standing defiantly on a cliff—lonely yet tenacious. For some inexplicable reason, she stirred a desire in people to protect and cherish her.

The moment Shu Ya saw that face, she felt as though she had swallowed something foul. She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the displeasure in her heart, and continued watching.

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