Volume One, Chapter 14: A Rocky Start on the First Day of Work

His dark eyes gleamed intensely, lips curving slightly with a faint, elusive smile. His features were strikingly handsome—sharp yet not harsh, exuding a calm and reserved demeanor. The years had only added to his mature charm.

He was simply too handsome to ignore.

“Very beautiful,” the man murmured in a low, unexpectedly husky voice.

“What?” Yu Yaxuan was puzzled, not understanding what he meant.

Cheng Zhengchu quickly clarified, “The dress—you look very beautiful in the dress.”

The warmth of the man’s breath brushed against her in the kitchen, causing her heart to race uncontrollably, her nervousness overwhelming.

“That... thank you...” she replied softly.

An ambiguous tension mingled with the air, fermenting uncontrollably and spreading in delicate threads between them.

Both lowered their gazes, neither daring to meet the other’s eyes.

After dinner, to avoid awkwardness, Yu Yaxuan immediately went to the company to complete her onboarding formalities.

She had missed her entry before due to rescuing Cheng Miaomiao, but thankfully, the HR staff were kind and showed no displeasure.

“Auntie, you can start work tomorrow,” Zhang Li said with a bright smile, handing over her employee badge.

This was a position personally arranged from above—twenty thousand yuan a month, yet only as a cleaning lady.

Clearly, the connections ran deep.

No one knew whose relative she was…

“Thank you, young lady,” Yu Yaxuan said happily, clutching the badge and preparing to head home.

That night, she planned to cook a good meal for Cheng Miaomiao to celebrate landing a job.

A lively family gathering awaited.

“Oh, isn’t this the elder sister? Applying to Cheng Group? Don’t you know your own worth? Rejected, no doubt. Cheng Group isn’t a place for just anyone,” Huang Xiulan sneered with a sharp edge, a stark contrast to her previous demeanor.

Yu Yaxuan understood well—this was her true nature.

She merely pretended to be delicate and innocent in front of Lin Jingsheng.

The man might buy it, but Yu Yaxuan would not.

She retorted mockingly, “You ignore being a wealthy wife to come here looking for work? What, your husband doesn’t care for you? Forcing you to fend for yourself?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I’m here looking for someone!” Huang Xiulan snapped angrily.

Huang Xiulan argued fiercely, “But you, elder sister, married some poor electrician and now have to come out and work. It’s truly pitiful.”

“You’re at an age where you should face reality sooner rather than later. Cheng Group is the largest in Yun City; even cleaners need at least a bachelor’s degree. With your high school diploma, you should stop embarrassing yourself.”

Yu Yaxuan smiled sweetly and displayed her badge. “Sorry, I am already an employee of Cheng Group. And your husband, who you’re so proud of, has been with the company all these years and is still only a deputy manager at a subsidiary. Ever considered that it might be due to his own incompetence?”

“I just casually applied and got hired by Cheng Group,” Yu Yaxuan said.

Huang Xiulan ground her teeth in disbelief. “Don’t think you can fool me with a fake badge. If you got hired, pigs could fly!”

“Want to bet?” Yu Yaxuan countered, her eyes glinting with playful mockery.

For a moment, Huang Xiulan was stunned by the poised, ethereal aura Yu Yaxuan now radiated.

Since their divorce, the woman seemed to have blossomed, wearing custom-made clothes that accentuated her graceful figure, her presence completely transformed.

If she hadn’t memorized Yu Yaxuan’s appearance so well, she wouldn’t have recognized her.

She should have been the one triumphant. So why did this woman show no trace of despair?

In fact, she seemed better off.

Huang Xiulan clenched her fists in bitter rage and snarled, “Fine, if you got hired, I’ll kneel and apologize to you!”

She had married a poor electrician—there was no way she had such connections. This must be a counterfeit badge she bought with money.

It had to be...

Comforting herself with this thought, Huang Xiulan’s mood brightened somewhat.

Her gaze returned to its usual arrogance. “Well? Dare to bet?”

“What is there to fear? I just came from HR. Why not ask the young lady there?” Yu Yaxuan said confidently.

She was already an employee; there was nothing to fear.

Huang Xiulan’s expression was bound to be priceless.

Having been a mistress for so many years, she still dared to act up in front of the legitimate wife—time to teach her a lesson.

Yu Yaxuan smiled faintly and turned toward the HR department.

Huang Xiulan, unwilling to be outdone, clicked her heels and followed.

As soon as she entered, she eagerly tried to expose Yu Yaxuan’s true colors. “Everyone, she claims to be a Cheng Group employee? With just a high school diploma? Isn’t that laughable?”

Huang Xiulan laughed wildly upon entering, but Zhang Li immediately interrupted, “That’s right, Ms. Yu is our employee. She just joined. Who are you?”

Huang Xiulan’s smile froze instantly as she pointed incredulously at Yu Yaxuan. “Young lady, are you sure? She’s your company’s employee?”

Impossible.

A high school-educated housewife abandoned by her husband could never be an employee of Cheng Group.

It was simply impossible!

“She is indeed our employee. Who are you? Do you have an appointment? Cheng Group isn’t open to just anyone. Please leave immediately,” Zhang Li said, standing up to call security.

Huang Xiulan persisted, “Fine. You must have been bribed by this wretch. You’re conspiring to deceive me, aren’t you? It won’t be that easy!”

Zhang Li frowned, wondering where this lunatic had come from.

“Huang Xiulan, if you don’t want to kneel, fine—stop making things difficult for the young lady. Leave quickly. Cheng Group isn’t for just anyone,” Zhang Li said firmly.

Yu Yaxuan watched Huang Xiulan’s flustered state with quiet satisfaction.

Why hadn’t she noticed before how satisfying it was to see her humiliated?

So this was the golden cage bird Lin Jingsheng had painstakingly nurtured?

No different from a shrew.

“Security, please escort this lady out!” Zhang Li commanded.

Huang Xiulan sneered, “I’m a friend of Manager Wang. Dare to disrespect me, and Manager Wang will deal with you!”

Hearing this, Zhang Li hesitated.

She was just a lowly employee—certainly no match for Wang Duorou.

Moreover, given Wang Duorou’s vengeful nature, no one dared to say ‘no’ to her.

Seeing this, Yu Yaxuan quickly diffused the situation. “You’re old enough—why trouble this young lady? You said you’d kneel if I was a Cheng Group employee, but now you won’t stand by your word? I won’t argue with you, just leave and stop being a nuisance!”

“Who cares about your forgiveness? I’m calling Duorou now to have you fired! Let’s see how smug you are then!” Huang Xiulan snapped, dialing Wang Duorou’s number.

“Darling, someone is bullying me—it’s your company’s employee. Please come to HR...” Huang Xiulan’s voice faltered as Zhang Li shrank back like a quail.

It was over.

Her hard-won internship opportunity was about to be ruined.

Wailing silently, she wondered why misfortune kept chasing her.