Chapter 304: You Asked for This

"Ding!" The elevator arrived at the nineteenth floor.

Yan Qingxue reached the door of Room 1902 and pounded on it.

Chen Shiya had long since grown impatient; hearing the knocking, she ran over to open the door immediately.

The moment she saw Yan Qingxue, she began to complain.

"Why are you so slow?"

"Traffic jam." Yan Qingxue walked into the room and sat directly on the sofa.

Chen Shiya really knew how to enjoy herself; even just to negotiate with her, she had to book a presidential suite.

She wondered how much longer Chen Shiya could keep up her reputation as a "talented fashion designer" without her.

Chen Shiya rolled her eyes in secret as she closed the door.

Could a traffic jam really last for over four hours?

It was clearly this bitch who had intentionally stood her up, making her wait for so long!

Once she tricked her into signing the contract, she would show her how she would deal with her!

Chen Shiya naturally wasn't willing to pay Yan Qingxue over ten thousand a month, so she planned to tamper with the contract. As long as Yan Qingxue made any slip-up in her work, she would have the right to deduct a portion of her bonus.

This way, as long as she picked a few faults in Yan Qingxue's designs, she could deduct several thousand yuan every month.

Most importantly, once the contract was signed, if Yan Qingxue didn't cooperate, she could use the massive breach-of-contract penalty to threaten her, forcing her to be her slave.

This bitch who loved to take advantage of small gains would soon fall into her trap; just thinking about it made her want to laugh out loud.

"What are you giggling about? Didn't you want to talk about a partnership?" Yan Qingxue watched Chen Shiya's sly smile and knew this person was definitely plotting to screw her over.

"Nothing, I just wanted to talk about the partnership! You were too slow; do you know how much time you've wasted for me?" Chen Shiya suppressed her triumphant emotions and deliberately put on a stern face as she sat across from Yan Qingxue.

"Traffic jam, I couldn't help it." Yan Qingxue shrugged, her gaze sweeping toward the clock on the hotel wall as she got straight to the point: "Tell me, how much do you plan to pay to get me back?"

"What did you say?" Chen Shiya was stunned. "Didn't we already agree on the price?"

"Heh, you don't really think that pittance is enough to make me compromise, do you?" Yan Qingxue sneered. "You want me to continue being your ghostwriter, yet you only offer that much? You're not being sincere at all."

"Then exactly how much do you want?" Seeing the duck that was about to be cooked flying away, Chen Shiya couldn't hold her composure. "Fine, I'll give you fifteen thousand. This salary is twice what you had before; don't be ungrateful."

"Twice as much? So what? Do you think I can't find a job at another company?" Yan Qingxue remained unmoved by her offer.

"You have no experience and no background; who would want you!" Chen Shiya lost her patience. "How about this? For the sake of our friendship, I'll give you twenty-five thousand a month. My own salary is only a little over thirty thousand; don't push your luck!"

"Twenty-five thousand?" Yan Qingxue raised an eyebrow.

This woman must really think she was an idiot.

Chen Shiya was right that her salary was only thirty-something thousand, given Xu Rixin's stingy nature, but now that she had gained recognition in the fashion world thanks to the designs and styling she had created, that value was immeasurable.

"Yan Qingxue, don't forget your current situation." Chen Shiya saw she wasn't speaking and pressed her advantage. "You think you can find a suitable job outside? Your father has already lost his power, and the current heir of the Yan family doesn't want your family to have any chance of rising again."

"Besides, you have no experience and no portfolio. Even if you applied to other companies, you'd only start as a small assistant. Do I need to tell you how much an assistant makes? You might not even earn twenty thousand in a whole year!"

"I'm willing to pay you twenty-five thousand a month; that's already being benevolent. If you won't think of yourself, you should at least think about your parents who are in debt. You don't want them to keep working odd jobs without being able to retire, do you? You should know how to choose."

"Women should be realistic; don't go against money. Once you have money, who would dare look down on you?"

"Fine, but how do you guarantee you won't go back on your word?" Seeing that the time was about right, Yan Qingxue couldn't be bothered to keep playing along.

"I've already thought of that." Chen Shiya had been worried Yan Qingxue wouldn't sign, but seeing her take the bait, she was overjoyed.

She immediately took a contract and a pen out of her bag.

"Sign this contract, and you won't have to worry about me not honoring it." Chen Shiya put on a facade of looking out for Yan Qingxue. "I wouldn't have needed to go through this trouble, but I wanted to look after your feelings, so I had a lawyer write this up."

Yan Qingxue coldly took the contract, a flash of mockery in her eyes.

Looking after her feelings?

Chen Shiya was only doing this to lock her in, forcing her to be a ghostwriter forever.

Thinking she could fool her with such an excuse—Chen Shiya really took her for a fool.

"Sign it quickly, and once you're done, get to work on three god-tier outfits: one for men and two for women. Next Sunday, Rixin and two of the company's actresses are attending a fashion event. Draw the sketches tonight and bring them to me for approval tomorrow morning."

Chen Shiya impatiently raised her arm, the watch encrusted with crushed diamonds on her wrist sparkling brilliantly.

"Chen Shiya, are you really that stupid, or have you just been playing dumb all along?" Yan Qingxue stood up from the sofa, holding the contract.

"What do you mean?" Chen Shiya was stunned for a moment, then aggressively demanded: "What? Is the money not enough? I'm telling you, this is the highest offer! Don't think you can push your luck! Do you really think you're irreplaceable? I'm hiring you out of old friendship; don't think I can't do without you!"

"Is that so? Then go find someone else!" Yan Qingxue smiled, then tore the contract into pieces and threw them directly into Chen Shiya's face.

"Ah!" Chen Shiya covered her face in a panic, shaking off the paper scraps. "Yan Qingxue, have you lost your mind? How dare you?"

"How dare I?" Yan Qingxue stared down at Chen Shiya. "Do you think a few stinking coins are enough to make me sell my dignity?"

"Crazy!" Chen Shiya stood up from the sofa and lunged at Yan Qingxue, claws bared.

Yan Qingxue blocked her arm with one hand and slapped her three times in a row with the other.

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

"Slap!"

"These three slaps are what you asked for. If you ever dare to come looking for me again, I'll beat you every time I see you!"