Chapter 41: #1 Employee (32k)

No one was at the entrance of 0418.

Chen Yansen looked at his watch: 7:57 p.m.—three minutes until eight. He felt no disappointment, only a faint sense of relief.

He pushed open the door and stepped inside, unbuttoning his shirt from top to bottom; as he reached the last button, a loud knock echoed at the door.

Chen Yansen’s expression froze instantly, a flash of irritation crossing his eyes—but he quickly recovered, exhaled deeply, and replaced his expression with a cocky, carefree grin.

Women are all the same!

Chen Yansen sneered dismissively, walked to the door, and slowly pulled it open.

Song Yuncheng stood at the threshold, clutching her laptop; unlike her fierce demeanor during their first meeting, she now radiated nothing but caution.

“What are you standing there for? Come in!”

Chen Yansen tapped the doorframe, speaking sharply.

“Oh.”

Song Yuncheng bit her lip, glancing up at Chen Yansen—his face sharply chiseled, lips curled in a sly smile, undeniably handsome, but definitely not a good man.

In an instant, the courage she’d mustered vanished. As she took a step back, ready to turn and flee, Chen Yansen grabbed her collar and yanked her inside with clear disgust.

Bang!

The front door slammed shut!

“Let’s begin.”

Chen Yansen sat on the sofa and ordered Song Yuncheng.

“Begin what?”

Song Yuncheng’s heart pounded. She thought she was prepared—but that single slam of the door had thrown her mind into chaos.

“Obviously, the interview. I’ll give you one more chance. With your performance just now, in the past, I’d have already rejected you.”

Chen Yansen snorted, his face showing clear dissatisfaction.

“Ah? Okay, right away.”

Song Yuncheng bit her lip hard, forcing herself out of her daze. Carefully, she opened her notebook, plugged in the USB drive, and launched the file:

“Here’s my portfolio—product designs, e-commerce posters, brand logos. Which one do you want to see first?”

“All of them.”

Chen Yansen shrugged. His expectations were low—flat design work from over a decade ago was usually ugly and outdated. He mainly wanted to assess her design philosophy and fundamentals.

Song Yuncheng nodded, dragged the mouse, and introduced each of her designs to Chen Yansen one by one.

As expected, her portfolio resembled a millennium-era design textbook—there was nothing outstanding to be found.

“Do you need money badly?”

Chen Yansen shook his head, then looked at Song Yuncheng.

“Yes. Why are you asking?”

Song Yuncheng crouched before the coffee table; startled by his sudden question, she answered instinctively, then immediately followed up.

“Your skill level can’t handle a UI designer role. How about I offer you a new position: my part-time girlfriend. Ten thousand a month.”

Chen Yansen spoke casually—he’d said this many times before, each time with different pay and different women.

Chen Yansen, I knew you had no good intentions! I just want to earn money with my own abilities—you haven’t even given me a single design brief. How can you say I’m not capable?

Song Yuncheng exploded like a startled cat, leaping to her feet, shouting at Chen Yansen while pulling out a brick the size of a palm.

No wonder her pockets were bulging—she’d been hiding a weapon!

She glared fiercely, ready to smash the brick into his head at the slightest provocation.

“You have one hour to design a cartoon mascot for a shopping website—something like Taobao or JD.”

Chen Yansen narrowed his eyes, studying her for a moment, then spoke.

Watching her raise the brick, he couldn’t help smiling. Beautiful girls were common—but he preferred interesting ones.

“If you do this again, I won’t hold back—I’ll smash your skull.”

Song Yuncheng’s cheeks flushed red as she warned him angrily.

“Yes, yes, yes—so, do you accept my interview task?”

Chen Yansen crossed his arms, clearly not taking her threat seriously.

“Hmph! Fine—one hour, one hour.”

Song Yuncheng picked up her laptop, pulled out the chair beside the dining table, and began working in silence.

Chen Yansen smiled faintly, grabbed his pajamas and towel, and walked into the bathroom without looking back.

Soon, the sound of running water filled the air.

Song Yuncheng’s hand paused on the mouse. She remembered their first meeting—herself bathing in the bathroom while Chen Yansen waited outside.

“Ten thousand a month—he’s offering a lot.”

Song Yuncheng thought to herself. She’d checked job sites: as a second-tier design graduate, six thousand a month was a miracle—and only if she worked in Shanghai, Beijing, or Shenzhen.

“Song Yuncheng, what nonsense about a part-time girlfriend—it’s just being his mistress. Remember: never compromise!”

Sensing her inner wavering, she quickly warned herself.

Time flies when you’re busy.

Chen Yansen finished showering, dried his hair, glanced into the living room, saw Song Yuncheng still drawing, then returned to the bedroom, lay on the bed, and started chatting with Meng Jie.

As they talked, he fell asleep.

In his dream, Wang Zihao wore a Chanel blazer, radiating authority, and beckoned him: “Chen Yansen, you think being reborn lets you escape?”

“Wang Zihao, I’d marry a pig or a dog before I marry you!”

Chen Yansen turned and ran. A bicycle stood by the roadside—he leapt onto it and pedaled desperately.

“Chen Yansen, wake up! Wake up!”

Half-asleep, a frantic voice called out. Chen Yansen felt the world collapsing ahead—he snapped open his eyes, exhaled deeply, and realized he’d been dreaming again.

“Chen Yansen, I designed it as you asked. Take a look.”

Song Yuncheng stared at Chen Yansen with a strange expression, wondering: Who is Wang Zihao? What could scare this bastard so badly?

Chen Yansen sat up on the bed, turned to Song Yuncheng crouched beside him, and smiled bitterly: “I thought you’d already left. Let me see.”

On the screen was a lively, adorable little fox—orange and white, gold coins dangling from its ears, holding a golden ingot in its paws.

“I studied it—you’re building a cashback-style shopping platform, called CPS in ads. The fox symbolizes cleverness and wit, matching the site’s purpose: helping users shop smartly and earn cashback…”

Song Yuncheng explained her design concept and subtle details with serious focus.

Chen Yansen gazed at her profile—her skin was pale, faintly flushed, a soft strand of hair fell beside her ear, her rounded nose added a touch of innocence, her lips were dry but a beautifully pale pink.

“Actually, you don’t have to work so hard. Being my girlfriend isn’t shameful.”

Chen Yansen suddenly spoke.

“Do you still want your head?”

Song Yuncheng, interrupted, frowned and shook the brick.

“Two thousand a month, weekends off, six hours daily. If you have class, make up the hours on weekends. Salary paid at month-end.”

Chen Yansen chuckled dryly, then spoke seriously.

“You mean… I passed the interview?”

Song Yuncheng pointed at herself, incredulous.

She knew Chen Yansen had bad intentions—but for that sliver of hope, she’d prepared thoroughly. She’d expected him to mock her, then sneer: “Sorry, you’re not qualified.”

“One-month probation. If you mess up, you’re fired.”

Chen Yansen added harshly.

“Thank you, boss! I’ll work hard!”

Song Yuncheng smiled brightly, her usual gloom gone.

“But I asked for one hour. Look at the time now.”

Chen Yansen raised his wrist, shoving the watch face into her view: “10:47 p.m.—you took nearly three hours!”

“You slept for three hours. I couldn’t wake you up no matter what.”

Song Yuncheng lied stubbornly—this job was too precious to lose.

“So you’re not going back to your dorm? You plan to stay here?”

Chen Yansen raised an eyebrow, reminding her.

Song Yuncheng froze, then snapped to attention. She snatched her laptop, flung open the door, and sprinted downstairs.

Five minutes later.

Chen Yansen stood on the balcony, watching Song Yuncheng crouch in front of the girls’ dorm, hesitating—wanting to knock but too afraid to. He found it amusing.

He picked up his phone and called: “I’ve got a spare spot on the sofa.”

“No, I’ll… I’ll call the dorm supervisor.”

Song Yuncheng’s voice was weak, drained of energy.

“I’ll wait five minutes. If you don’t come, I’m locking the door. I’m warning you—if you wake me up, you won’t be reporting to the startup park tomorrow.”

Chen Yansen didn’t waste words—he hung up decisively.

With Song Yuncheng’s temper, if she’d really planned to call the supervisor, she’d have done it long ago. Why wait now?

The supervisor would register her department and student ID, then log her for overnight absence.

As expected.

Song Yuncheng trudged back, head down, clutching that broken brick tightly.

“The living room has AC. Disposable underwear and towels are in the storage cabinet by the door. Take what you need. I’m sleeping.”

Chen Yansen gave a few brief instructions, then turned and returned to his room.

"Thank you, Mr. Chen."

Before Song Yuncheng could finish speaking, Chen Yansen had already stepped into the room.

She smiled awkwardly, searched for the spot Chen Yansen had mentioned, pulled out a box of disposable underwear and a towel, and tiptoed into the bathroom.

She held that half-brick for most of the night.

Only in the late hours did a loud "clatter" sound as the brick fell to the floor; she had stubbornly stayed awake for hours, but the event she’d feared never came, and finally, unable to hold on any longer, she collapsed onto the sofa and fell into a deep sleep.

"Maybe Chen Yansen isn’t that bad," was her final thought before falling asleep.

She woke up the next day.

Chen Yansen noticed Song Yuncheng was still fast asleep, breathing heavily, her white T-shirt rolled up to her lower abdomen, revealing a stretch of pale skin—her small belly free of any fat.

"Hmph, with her stingy eating habits, it’s a miracle she isn’t skinnier."

Chen Yansen chuckled softly, thought for a moment, grabbed a blanket, and tossed it over her; seeing no reaction, he went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, wash his face, changed into clean clothes, and headed straight for the startup park.

As soon as he entered the startup park, Cao Dahua rushed forward with a beaming smile: "Little Chen, you’re right on time—I saw your space was empty, so I got you a few sets of desks and chairs."

Why would this guy be so generous?

Chen Yansen frowned suspiciously, instantly on guard.

(End of Chapter)