"Mmph—!"
Before Zhao Jianing could finish, Qin Yuenan shot up and clamped a hand over her mouth. She glanced around nervously. Only after confirming no one was paying them any mind did she let out a soft sigh of relief.
"Don’t say another word!"
Qin Yuenan said coldly, warning Zhao Jianing with her eyes.
After all, she knew all too well how her best friend loved to tell dirty jokes.
If she didn’t shut her up, she could probably talk a man into blushing.
"I’m just telling the truth. Believe it or not, it’s up to you."
Zhao Jianing shrugged. ree
"If you find a good man, he can help you take your career to the next level. A relationship is about complementing each other."
"You can’t just shoulder everything yourself, can you? In the past twenty-eight years, have you never once had the slightest thought of relying on someone else?"
"..."
Qin Yuenan fell silent once again.
It was just as Zhao Jianing said. Her journey to becoming the marketing director of Pet Guardian Home in just three years was certainly not smooth sailing.
Only she knew the hardships and exhaustion involved.
More than once, she had felt completely drained, both mentally and physically, wanting to stop and take a good long rest.
But she couldn’t.
Qin Yuenan’s biggest dream was to buy a house and settle down in Modu, then bring her parents over from her hometown to live with her.
This was the only way for her to move up in social class!
So she couldn’t rest. She had to work twice as hard!
But...
Qin Yuenan slumped onto the sofa, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes to rest.
Utterly exhausted, the image that now came to her mind was, surprisingly, of the time she went hiking with Lin Shen.
That weekend had been her happiest time in the past year.
Her mind had been empty and she was completely carefree. She didn’t have to think about anything; she just had to enjoy her freedom.
Qin Yuenan suddenly started to seriously consider what Zhao Jianing had said.
"Helpful to you at work," "you’ll be influenced by his personality"...
’No matter how I look at it, these traits seem to describe Lin Shen!’
Qin Yuenan’s eyes suddenly widened. She pressed her thin lips together, hesitating for a long time before finally stammering.
"I... hired an assistant."
"A man or a woman?"
"A man."
!?
The moment the word "man" left Qin Yuenan’s lips, Zhao Jianing’s ears perked up. Her eyes went wide as she stared at her with undivided attention.
"Who is he?!"
"Let me make this clear first, I don’t have any feelings for him or anything. I just purely appreciate his talent."
Qin Yuenan made sure to clarify, then slowly began to explain.
"He’s one of my subordinates. His name is Lin Shen."
"Do you have a picture?"
’A picture...’
Qin Yuenan suddenly remembered that she and Lin Shen had taken a photo together while hiking.
Without thinking too much about it, she took out her phone and showed the photo to Zhao Jianing.
"Holy crap! He’s so handsome!"
After seeing Lin Shen’s selfie, Zhao Jianing was completely stunned. She grabbed the phone and started analyzing it.
"His facial proportions, his jawline... he’s a total dreamboat! And his skin is so well-maintained. That’s so rare for a guy!"
"And look! His eyes are sparkling!"
"That’s because he’s wearing contact lenses."
"Oh, my bad..."
Zhao Jianing stuck out her tongue, her eyes instantly filling with curiosity.
"Nannan, how come you never mentioned you had such a handsome guy working under you?"
"He only recently lost the weight."