"Since I can’t make a living on the internet, can I be your assistant?"

An assistant?

Jiang Wan froze, finding the suggestion quite tempting.

For one, Xu Lu loved to surf the net. She was a veteran of social media platforms like Weibo, Douyin, and Xiaohongshu, and in some areas, she was even more skilled and knowledgeable than Jiang Wan.

For another, Jiang Wan felt she really did need an assistant to help manage her Douyin account and lighten her workload.

After all, she also had her counselor duties to attend to, and the combined workload was a bit much.

Things like setting up fan groups and filtering information all required time and energy to handle.

Moreover, these tasks had to be done by someone she could trust.

’And that made Xu Lu an excellent choice!’

So, after giving it some thought, Jiang Wan nodded.

"Lu, I can agree for now, but I’ll have to ask for Lin Shen’s opinion later."

"A huge part of my account’s success is thanks to him, so I can’t give you a definite answer just yet."

"Really? Thank you so much! Wan, you’re my goddess!"

Xu Lu gave Jiang Wan a huge, excited hug before eagerly asking,

"So when are you planning to see him?"

"Um... In a little while. My work has been pretty busy lately, and besides, I still haven’t figured out what gift I should get Lin Shen for the next time we meet."

Jiang Wan said, looking troubled.

"He helped me make a viral video. I have to give him something in return, right? Otherwise, it would be too thoughtless of me."

’Repay him?’

The word suddenly sparked an idea in Xu Lu’s mind, and her eyes lit up.

’Since the decision of whether I can become Wanwan’s assistant rests with Lin Shen, I have to do my best to get on his good side!’

’But their relationship is too delicate.’

’If I try too hard to please him, it might affect my friendship with Wanwan.’

’But if I’m too distant, the assistant job might fall through!’

And so, Xu Lu came up with a brilliant, unconventional idea!

’After all, she knew exactly what guys liked.’

’In that case, why not just turn Wanwan into the kind of girl Lin Shen likes?’

With a mischievous grin, Xu Lu suggested,

"I know how to repay Lin Shen in a way that will make him happy!"

Oh?

Seeing Jiang Wan’s curious expression, Xu Lu took out her phone, did a quick search, and then held the screen out to her.

"Here, this outfit. If you give yourself to Lin Shen as a gift, he’ll definitely love it!"

!?

The moment Jiang Wan saw the picture, a blush involuntarily crept onto her pretty face.

She had been roommates with Xu Lu for so many years that, under her influence, she had long since become immune to these kinds of shameless, risqué topics.

But to actually do it herself, she would still need to be fully prepared mentally.

"This... isn’t a good idea, is it?"

"What’s not good about it?"

Xu Lu said confidently, pointing at the phone screen.

"This uniform is perfect for you!"

"..."

Jiang Wan crossed her arms, glared shyly at Xu Lu, and after a moment of thought, asked tentatively,

"Are you sure Lin Shen will like it?"

"Absolutely, one hundred percent!"

Seeing Xu Lu’s dead-serious nod, Jiang Wan bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, and then whispered,

"Then send me the link."

"No need, I’ll buy it for you!"

Seeing Xu Lu’s jubilant expression, Jiang Wan seemed to understand why she was being so "proactive."

’Oh, I see!’

’So I’m just a tool for you to get on Lin Shen’s good side, is that it!’

Although Jiang Wan had guessed Xu Lu’s little scheme, she still decided to help her best friend out.

’After all, Lin Shen is going to start a media company in the future. Maybe he can bring Lu on board to work with them.’

Just as Jiang Wan was starting to fantasize about this wonderful future, Xu Lu’s muttering snapped her back to reality.

"Oh, right. I also bought you some other things from the same shop while I was at it."

"What? Let me see."

"Oh, just some little trinkets, like bells and stuff. I figure you might have a use for them."

"Xu Lu!!"

——

——

「11:00 PM.」

Sunac Binjiang No.1 Courtyard, Building 8, Unit 2102

The sound of rushing water echoed from the lit bathroom.

Lin Shen washed his face with cleanser, braced his hands on the edge of the sink, and looked up at the mirror, noticing the faint, lingering smile on his lips.

’I didn’t expect Nan’s reaction to be so...’

Lin Shen shook his head with a laugh, tossed his shirt into the laundry basket nearby, and turned off the light before leaving the bathroom.

In the living room, bathed in soft, warm yellow light, Qin Yuenan was lying on her side on the sofa, her delicate body curled up facing the backrest, seemingly too shy to even be seen.

Lin Shen smiled knowingly, walked over, and patted her on the shoulder, only to have his hand swatted away as she snapped in a muffled, shy voice,

"Don’t touch me! I hate you!"

"Hey—"

Lin Shen sighed, drawing out the sound.

"Nan, I was just trying to comfort you."

"That’s not how you comfort someone!" 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Qin Yuenan turned her head and glared at Lin Shen, her pretty face already beet red.

’She never would have thought that Lin Shen would actually...’

’...do that kind of thing to her!’

The more Qin Yuenan thought about it, the more mortifying the earlier scene became. She turned away again to face the back of the sofa, seemingly unwilling to talk to him.

Seeing this, Lin Shen had no choice but to activate the two robot vacuums to clean the living room floor.

Auto-washing, mopping, and hot-air drying.

"Alright, don’t be angry anymore."

Lin Shen leaned close to Qin Yuenan’s ear and sincerely apologized.

"I was wrong."

"It’s not a question of being right or wrong..."

Hearing Lin Shen’s gentle tone, Qin Yuenan’s heart instantly softened, and most of her shame dissipated.

In truth, she wasn’t angry at all.

She just felt too ashamed to face him after doing something so embarrassing.

’But in reality, she had actually quite liked it...’

Qin Yuenan bit her lip, finally turning around slowly, intending to ease the somewhat awkward atmosphere.

"What are you doing?"

"Nan, do you remember what you promised me?"

Lin Shen didn’t move. Instead, he put his hands on his hips with a wicked grin.

"You said you’d grant me one small request..."

"..."

Qin Yuenan didn’t get it at first, but once she realized what Lin Shen meant, a certain image was seared into her mind, impossible to shake.

"No!"

Qin Yuenan said, utterly mortified.

"You promised me the request wouldn’t be too unreasonable!"

"Is this unreasonable?"

Lin Shen said, feigning hurt.

"But..."

Qin Yuenan started to speak but stopped. Knowing she was in the wrong, she couldn’t find a reason to refuse.

And most importantly, perhaps because the effects of the alcohol hadn’t completely worn off, she felt a flutter of anticipation inside, a desire to try something new.

’After all, I just dumped so much of my work stress on Lin Shen. It’s time I properly rewarded him.’

After a fierce internal struggle, Qin Yuenan bit her lip and averted her blushing face.