Su Yuhan suppressed her frustration with the client's moody and capricious nature, forced a smile, and turned to look at Qi Lianxiu.
"Is there anything else you need, sir?"
Qi Lianxiu glanced at her without a word. He casually pulled one of his own photos from Lin Haoyang's drawer, signed it, and tossed it to Su Yuhan.
"A reward for you."
Su Yuhan looked at the autographed photo in her hand, the corner of her mouth twitching. "...I'm really not your fan."
"Hm?"
'Ah, forget it. Best not to cause more trouble.'
Su Yuhan took a deep breath and said with heartfelt sincerity, "Thank you for the autograph. I'll be sure to treasure it."
Only then was Qi Lianxiu satisfied. He nodded, dismissing her.
As Su Yuhan walked out the office door, his gaze returned to the desk. "She knows my tastes so well, yet she still dares to say she doesn't like me," he said, not without a touch of smugness. "Heh."
"PFFT—" Lin Haoyang, who had just started drinking a carton of soup, choked so hard it nearly shot up his nose. "Old Qi, did you get kicked in the head by a donkey today?"
"..."
"You can get out too!"
Lin Haoyang: ???
She was completely unaware that in a certain someone's mind, she had already been labeled as 'playing hard to get' and 'feigning disinterest'.
Su Yuhan returned to her desk with the autographed photo, about to shove it into a drawer. But then she saw Sister Zhang from the next cubicle walking over with a cup of water. An idea suddenly struck, and she immediately thought of a good home for it.
"Sister Zhang, didn't you say this morning that your daughter is a fan of Mr. Qi?"
"That's right. Why?"
"I was lucky enough to get Mr. Qi's autographed photo. It's no use to me, so why don't you take it for your daughter?"
Sister Zhang was stunned. "You actually managed to get an authentic autograph from Qi Bao?"
"Is... that hard to get?"
"Of course it is! The general manager was worried that too many people would bother Qi Bao, so he issued a strict order forbidding us from approaching him. We're not even allowed to tell anyone outside the company that he's here. The punishment is a pay cut at best, and termination at worst. Everyone's been privately complaining about how unreasonable the GM is because of it."
'...' 'Is it possible the general manager isn't letting you get close to Qi Lianxiu because he's afraid you'll disturb him, but because he's worried that if you all saw his true colors, your fan goggles would shatter and you'd instantly go from fans to haters?'
So thought Su Yuhan, who, after only two encounters, had already mentally tagged her future Sugar Daddy as a 'moocher', 'narcissist', and 'moody'.
Sister Zhang took the autograph and confirmed again, "Are you really giving this to me?"
"Of course. I'm not his fan, so this picture is useless to me. It's better to give it to someone who'll appreciate it."
"You're a good girl! I owe you one for this. I'll thank you on my daughter's behalf!"
"Don't mention it."
Once Sister Zhang confirmed that Su Yuhan genuinely wanted her to have the autograph, she carefully placed the photo in a plastic sleeve, then tucked it into an inner pocket of her handbag, ensuring it wouldn't get a single crease or wrinkle on the way home.
Su Yuhan watched this with a complex expression. She suddenly felt a little envious of Sister Zhang's daughter. Outwardly, Sister Zhang might complain about not understanding her daughter's obsession with celebrities, but inwardly, she indulged her child's little hobby, protecting her small world.
But Sister Zhang misunderstood her expression and looked a little sheepish.
"My daughter says Qi Bao is incredibly popular right now, and his schedule is a total mystery. Very few fans like her can ever interact with him in private, let alone get an autograph. In their fan circles, a single photo like this can sell for this much."
Sister Zhang held up one finger.
"A... a hundred?"
Su Yuhan clutched her chest, already feeling a pang of regret.
"So cheap? It's a thousand."
"PFFT—" Su Yuhan felt like she was going to cough up blood.
"A thousand for just one photo?" Su Yuhan's voice trembled with regret.
Sister Zhang seemed to realize something and quickly hid her bag behind her back. "Xiao Liu, you're not having second thoughts, are you? If you really can't bear to part with it..."
"..."
"..."
'Go on, I dare you to finish that sentence!'
From Sister Zhang's attitude alone, she knew that autograph was like a meatbun thrown to a dog—gone for good.
Su Yuhan swallowed her bitter tears and accepted the silent loss. "Of course... not. There's no sense in taking back a gift, right?"
'Big deal. The next time I see Qi Lianxiu, I'll just find a way to fleece a few more autographs out of him. For the good of the fans, of course!'
Sister Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. Perhaps feeling guilty for taking advantage of the younger woman, she spent the next few days doing her best to repay the favor, bringing Su Yuhan snacks and fruit every day. This, at least, helped soothe Su Yuhan's pained little soul.
Thanks to Qi Lianxiu's unexpected meddling, Su Yuhan couldn't find an opportunity to openly approach her walking money tree for the next several days. Until...
"Who's that young lady? Is she a new hire for our department, too? She looks about the same age as Xiao Liu."
Hearing her name, Su Yuhan subconsciously looked up. She saw their department head walking toward the office, smiling as he led a young woman.
'Why is it her?'
Before Su Yuhan could dwell on it, she heard Sister Zhang let out a surprised whisper beside her.
"Sister Zhang, do you know her?"
"I only saw her once by chance. If I'm not mistaken, that girl with our department head is the daughter of Manager Wang from the purchasing department."
'Oh, I get it. A nepo baby.'
'But this Manager Wang...'
Su Yuhan's eyes glinted as she recalled the old, fraudulent accounts she had stumbled upon while slacking off at work over the past few days.
'If things go as expected, this Manager Wang is likely the main culprit behind the company's impending bankruptcy and the boss's imprisonment.'
'Then again, that doesn't really have anything to do with me. I'll be leaving this company soon anyway.'
However, it seemed even fate couldn't stand her watching coldly from the sidelines.
Just before the end of the workday, the little nepo baby swaggered into the finance department, marched straight up to Su Yuhan's desk, and announced imperiously, "Get up. I want your seat."
"..."
'Oh, great. The nepo baby is here for me.'
Half an hour later, Su Yuhan was leaving dejectedly, clutching a box with her few belongings. Sister Zhang and the senior colleague who had interviewed her saw her off with sympathetic eyes.
"Xiao Liu," the senior colleague said, "I've seen your performance over the last few days. You're excellent, very grounded and capable. There's absolutely nothing wrong with your skills. It's just... not a good fit with our company."
The senior's comforting words were artfully processed, one could say, and quite tactful.
Su Yuhan instantly heard the real message and couldn't agree more.
'The tragedy of the working class is that no matter how good you are or how much your boss likes you, you can never win against a nepo baby.'
'You do the work, you take the fall, and you're always first on the chopping block for layoffs!'
"I understand. It's no one's fault. I'm just not fated to stay with the company. Everyone has been so good to me these past few days, and I've been very happy. Since I'm leaving anyway, could I do one last thing to say a proper goodbye?"
"What is it?"