Before Xiang Ge returned, Song Zhi hadn’t seen Qiao Xin again.

Boss Song was incredibly busy every day, his feet barely touching the ground.

One of his arduous tasks was arranged blind dates.

Song Zhi was twenty-eight years old by Chinese age reckoning and twenty-nine by Western reckoning. Approaching thirty, he had never brought a woman, or even a strand of a woman’s hair, home.

Last month, Old Master Song chatted with the elderly Mr. Lu next door. Mr. Lu smiled, saying that his beloved grandson had finally brought his future granddaughter-in-law to meet him.

That Lu kid was younger than Song Zhi—how did he already have a fiancée?

Old Master Song finally realized the gravity of the situation and frantically arranged a series of blind dates for Song Zhi. On Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays, he had dates; on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and holidays, he rested. Old Master Song believed he was being very humane by leaving time for his grandson to rest.

Song Zhi’s temperament certainly wouldn’t make him grateful for his grandfather’s thorough planning. He didn’t attend any of the dates.

The women he was supposed to meet were from families with notable backgrounds, born with silver spoons in their mouths and raised delicately. Even if they were well-educated and refined, encountering such an impolite blind date candidate would surely not go unspoken.

When they complained to their parents, the parents approached Old Master Song, asking why his grandson treated their daughters so disrespectfully.

This enraged Old Master Song, and Song Zhi, having no choice, reluctantly agreed to the blind dates.

Qiao Xin felt quite lonely these past two days.

Xiang Ge had just finished filming Cocoon and hadn’t been back for long. They hadn’t met many times, and she was about to head to Paris for Fashion Week in a few days.

Qiao Xin was both happy and unhappy. She wanted Xiang Ge to stay longer but was also happy for her. The only dissatisfaction was that her seemingly invincible Xiang Ge was going as a substitute, which she felt gave too much face to the Z family.

Qiao Xin first met Xiang Ge not at Global Entertainment but at a KTV.

She was working there when Xiang Ge entered with a group of people. They seemed like her friends but also not.

They must have already partied before arriving, as men and women chatted and laughed together. Only Xiang Ge stood quietly to the side, leaning her arm against the marble counter while silently using her phone.

Next to the counter was the KTV supermarket, a long space separated by glass. Qiao Xin, wearing her uniform, held two bottles of alcohol while arranging them on the shelf, occasionally glancing at her.

Her nose was high, her eye sockets deep, and her eyes long. Her skin looked radiant under the crystal chandelier in the KTV lobby.

Her legs were long, dressed lazily in black clothes, with a cigarette between her lips, unlit.

Though she had a very feminine appearance, it wasn’t the soft allure type. Instead, she exuded a carefree, laid-back, handsome, and sexy vibe.

Qiao Xin blinked, quickly returning her gaze to arrange the alcohol. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone call out a name. She glanced over and watched as the person slowly straightened up and walked over calmly.

A girl who worked with her came over, seeing Qiao Xin blink: “Why is your face red? Are you hot?”

Qiao Xin reflexively slapped her cheeks, squeezing her slightly chubby face together, her lips pouting: “No, no!”

Just now, that guy called her… something like Xiang Ge…

Later that year, many things happened.

After deciding not to take the college entrance exam and entering Global directly, she encountered Xiang Ge again.

On her first day, no one showed her around. The person who brought her only told her to wait in the studio and left. Qiao Xin stood in the corner waiting all morning.

By noon, everyone left, and she slowly followed behind.

After standing all morning, her legs felt stiff, and she hopped along in small steps at the back. Suddenly, the person in front turned around.

Qiao Xin was startled, her eyes widening slightly, staring unblinkingly at her.

Xiang Ge tilted her head, her beautiful eyes looking at her: “Newcomer?”

Qiao Xin nodded.

Xiang Ge understood: “Shall we eat together?”

Qiao Xin nodded again.

Then, realizing something, she lightly shook her head.

This was downtown, and she looked wealthy; the place where she ate must be expensive.

Actually, she really wanted to have a meal with her!

Qiao Xin slowly shook her head, her voice low and somewhat disheartened: “No, it’s okay...”

Xiang Ge looked at her, said nothing, showed no expression, and walked away.

Qiao Xin watched her back, feeling like crying but unable to. The goddess had just invited her to eat, and she rejected it—she actually rejected it! Waaah...

Qiao Xin stood dejectedly in the same spot for half a minute, then went downstairs with a drooping head, bought two rice balls from a nearby convenience store, and queued up to pay and heat them.

In front of the glass wall of the convenience store, there was a long wooden table. Qiao Xin sat on a high stool, holding the rice ball, opening the plastic packaging, and took a bite.

Next to her, a delicate white hand pushed a carton of milk towards her.

Qiao Xin looked up.

Xiang Ge sat next to her, holding a pair of chopsticks, with a box of beef and egg rice from the convenience store in front of her, her fingertips still resting on the milk carton: “Will you be full eating just rice balls?”

Qiao Xin was stunned.

Then she almost choked.

The goddess also eats convenience store food!

The goddess is sitting right next to her!

The goddess even gave her milk to drink!!!

Ahh, spiraling circles of happiness.

Qiao Xin reverently and carefully accepted the milk Xiang Ge handed her, which seemed to amuse the person next to her. They started chatting casually.

The goddess was not aloof at all, and she looked so good when she smiled.

From some point on, the two gradually became closer.

In Qiao Xin’s life of more than ten years, she had never seen such a girl. It was as if just standing there, she emitted light, free and unrestrained.

She was completely different from her, and probably someone she could never become in her lifetime.

Such a person deserved the best of everything in the world.

There was no reason for her not to shine brilliantly.

When she talked about this with a classmate from high school, the boy fell silent for a moment and suddenly asked, “Do you like women?”

Qiao Xin: “??”

Before leaving for Paris, Xiang Ge told Gong Mo to keep an eye on Qiao Xin if she had time.

That girl was soft-tempered and would silently cry if bullied without saying anything, like a little dumpling hiding to cry.

Song Zhi overheard this and thought Xiang Ge made perfect sense.

That girl was simply foolish.

Until the next day, Old Master Song arranged a blind date with the second daughter of a real estate tycoon. Song Zhi finished his afternoon tasks early and prepared to obediently go on the date. As he reached the elevator lobby, a woman’s scream came from behind the heavy iron door of the nearby safety exit.

There were sounds of fighting, curses, and sharp, piercing female voices, among which the clear voice of the girl was particularly striking.

Urgent and aggrieved, with a suppressed sob and panting.

“Xiang Ge is not that kind of person! Shut up!”

“What kind of person? What resources has she received this year? Why is she able to go to Fashion Week now after being in third-rate magazines a few months ago? Isn’t it because she pleased the sponsor?” the woman sneered, “Are you a fool, Qiao Xin? What has Xiang Ge given you? Don’t you feel tired being her lackey every day? She has flown high now, movie lead role, Paris Fashion Week. And you? Has she given you any benefit? You dare to push me for her? Want to hit me?”

Ding dong, the elevator doors opened slowly in front of him.

Ignoring it, Song Zhi turned and pushed open the white iron door.

In the safety passage, three women were wrestling together. Qiao Xin was pinned down on the steps, her hair pulled backward. Despite this, she struggled to resist.

Her face bore shocking red marks, her big eyes were red, and tears were held back in her sockets.

Seeing someone opening the door, the two women looked up, saw Song Zhi, and their faces instantly turned pale as they stumbled to stand up.

Song Zhi turned his head, his gaze icy: “Is my place a marketplace? A place for women to fight and curse randomly?”

No one dared to breathe loudly. Qiao Xin also stood up, her head hanging low, tears finally couldn’t hold back, falling drop by drop on the marble floor.

Song Zhi stared at her, his voice rising pitch by pitch: “You still have the face to cry? You and your Xiang Ge are truly close. Hanging out with her, you learned how to cause trouble? Today she fights for you, tomorrow you fight for her? You two sisters are great, each more capable than the other.”

The young girl was scolded, scared into lowering her head further, her small shoulders trembling.

“Lift your head! Are you afraid now? What were you thinking just now!” Song Zhi coldly said.

Qiao Xin lifted her head shakily. Her makeup was off, her plain white face covered in tears, her eyes red like a little rabbit.

She wiped her tears messily, looking pitiful yet stubbornly at him.

Song Zhi narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow: “You’re still quite defiant?”

Qiao Xin cried while hiccupping: “No... I’m not defiant.”

Song Zhi felt utterly disgusted, too lazy to look at her anymore. He raised his eyes and asked the names of the two people beside him.

Hearing their responses, he nodded: “Get lost.”

The two women hurried away, breathing a sigh of relief. At the doorway, they were stopped again.

Song Zhi didn’t turn around, his voice indifferent: “Global doesn’t need those who gossip behind others’ backs. Leave and don’t come back.”

Qiao Xin watched the two women leave, their faces pale, lips trembling, too scared to beg or speak.

Scared, her tears dried up, hiccupping with a sobbing voice: “Mr... Mr. Song...”

Song Zhi crossed his arms, leaning against the wall, watching her calmly.

“Mr. Song, waaah, please don’t fire me, I won’t dare anymore...”

Her hair was messy, her socks torn, and her face had scratch marks from long nails. She looked utterly miserable.

She appeared more like a bullied little stray cat than ever before.

Every time he saw her, she was crying snottily to him.

Why did she have so many reasons to cry?

The suppressed sobs of the girl beside him made Song Zhi’s head ache. Annoyed, he closed his eyes briefly, sighed, suppressing his impatience, and softened his tone slightly: “Alright, I won’t fire you, stop crying.”