When they were just a few traffic lights away from Gu Jiayan’s home, Lin Chu suddenly got a call from Zhang Peng.

He answered.

"Brother Chu, you wanna come see something hilarious? Absolutely hilarious! I almost died laughing."

He sounded extremely hyped up and excited.

This kind of emotion was rare for Zhang Peng, especially after he became the general manager.

After all, he had a position to uphold and had to be mindful of his image.

Lin Chu: "Hm? What’s up? You win the lottery?"

His curiosity was piqued. ’What on earth could make President Peng this ecstatic?’

Zhang Peng replied in a rush, "No, winning the lottery is nothing!"

"You know how I posted our job openings on that recruitment site? The salary we’re offering is pretty high, so we get tons of applications every day. I was screening them today when I came across one that just cracked me up."

"And unless I’m mistaken, or my eyes are playing tricks on me, the person who applied is none other than your ex-girlfriend, Yaoyao. The one I met before."

Hearing this, Lin Chu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’What are the odds?’

’Damn, that’s freaky.’

’Stay away. Don’t go near her. She’s bad luck.’

Of course, at this moment, Lin Chu couldn’t help but feel a little smug. Life really is full of boomerangs. Back then, she’d looked down on him for his low salary, saying he could never support her.

And now...

"Yaoyao? Who’s that?"

"I don’t recall knowing anyone by that name."

"Just let it go. I’ve already forgotten about her."

Lin Chu said with a carefree laugh, his tone light and easy.

’There’s no way I’d actually hire her, so bringing her in would just be to humiliate her. What’s the point?’

’It’s not that I’m some saint; it’s just pointless.’

The last time he saw her was when he was having a late-night snack at a place near Sky City. Even then, Lin Chu had felt it would be the last time they’d ever meet.

Anyway, he wasn’t one to get tangled up in lingering attachments.

’There are plenty of other fish in the sea.’

’There’s no point in going back.’

Hearing Lin Chu’s response, Zhang Peng chuckled. "Alright, I get it. Okay, I’ll take care of it."

Lin Chu: "Mm."

With that, he hung up.

In the car, Gu Jiayan had faintly overheard their conversation. ’Huh? Is that some gossip about President Lin?’

’Something about an ex-girlfriend?’

But Lin Chu hung up quickly, so she immediately pretended to be busy on her phone, not daring to seem like she was prying.

She did, however, notice out of the corner of her eye that President Lin seemed to be in a rather good mood.

...

In the company office, after Zhang Peng hung up, he looked at the resume on his computer screen and couldn’t help but shake his head and smile.

’Looks like Brother Chu is really over it.’

’That’s only natural.’

’The fastest way to get over an old flame is to find a new one.’

’Brother Chu has been living the high life for so long. Just among the women I’ve seen him with, there were some prettier than this Yaoyao, some with better figures, some who were gentler, kinder, richer, and even younger...’

’Why the hell would he still be thinking about his ex?’

’What’s to miss? The fact that she didn’t do housework? Or her bad temper?’

Besides, if I’m remembering the timeline correctly, Brother Chu only started his meteoric rise right after breaking up with her. Everything started going his way, and the money just started pouring in.

’She was probably jinxing him before.’

After a moment’s thought, he replied via the official chat on the recruitment website, "We’re sorry, but the chairman of this company is Lin Chu. Therefore, you do not meet our hiring requirements. Thank you for your application."

After sending the reply, Zhang Peng lit a cigarette and suddenly felt a little petty himself.

’But... whatever.’

’Who gives a shit.’

’Go ahead and regret it, lady. Never look down on a young man just because he’s poor!’

「On the other end of the line.」

When Li Yaoyao saw the reply on the recruitment website, she froze completely. A long-buried memory suddenly came rushing back, and an uncontrollable flood of emotions washed over her. It was unbelievable, and at the same time, incredibly painful.

’Lin Chu?’

’The chairman?’

"What are you talking about? Whose company?"

She typed a reply, only to discover that the company had already blocked her on the site.

Taking a deep breath, unwilling to give up, she continued to look up the company’s information. She even checked a corporate records database and saw that Lin Chu was, indeed, the chairman.

Of course, it was possible it was just someone with the same name, but the chances of that were extremely slim.

Moreover, the company’s registered capital was five million yuan.

Furthermore, the company was located in a high-end office building: Zhuoyue Center.

Her expression suddenly became impossibly ugly, and the rims of her eyes reddened. Her defenses shattered. They were completely shattered. She hadn’t felt this crushed even that time at the barbecue joint.

After all, even though Lin Chu had a woman on each arm that night... those trashy nightclub girls were a perfect match for a trashy man. A bitch and a dog, a match made to last.

And now...

She felt utterly crushed by his sheer success.

The very man she had once looked down on was now high above her, completely out of her league.

"What’s wrong, babe?"

The young man beside her seemed to notice her expression wasn’t right and asked gently with a smile.

The anger in her heart suddenly found an outlet. "What’s wrong? What’s wrong? Is that all you know how to ask?! Can’t you see what’s wrong with me? You don’t understand me at all anymore, do you! You weren’t like this when we first got together! You just don’t love me anymore!"

She raged, then suddenly burst into tears, which streamed down her face.

The guy: ?

’But... weren’t things fine just a moment ago?’

’What’s gotten into her now?’

Awkwardly scratching his head, he patiently tried to soothe her. "Okay, okay, okay, babe, I... I was wrong. I don’t get it, it’s my fault. Do you want some bubble tea? I can order it right now. And then we can get hot pot, your favorite Haidilao! Will that make you feel a little better?"

...

Lin Chu, of course, knew nothing about any of this.

He dropped Gu Jiayan off at the entrance to her alley. She thanked him politely, "Thanks, President Lin. I’ll head in now."

Lin Chu chuckled. "Is that all? Just an empty ’thank you’? You’re not going to buy me dinner?"

Hm?

Gu Jiayan seemed a little flustered for a moment, but she quickly recovered with a graceful smile. "I can only treat you to pork trotter rice. If you don’t mind, I can even add an egg. That’s generous, right? I usually just get the fifteen-yuan version, but I’ll get you the twenty-five-yuan one. There’s a place nearby that makes a really delicious pork trotter rice." 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

Lin Chu couldn’t help but laugh.

"Thanks, but I’ll pass. Not hungry. I’m off."

Gu Jiayan couldn’t help but let out a triumphant laugh.

Seeing a boss like President Lin get shot down gave her a sudden, inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

’Being poor is my greatest weapon.’

Lin Chu made a U-turn and drove off.

She watched him go for a few seconds, a smile returning to her lips. Then, with a spring in her step, she disappeared into the narrow alley.

...

...