Girl, where is your usual sharpness

"Boss Cao gracing us with his presence truly brings honor to this humble place..."

"You flatter me, General Manager Liu... It's been a while, but you still look as vibrant as ever. Something good must be happening—a promotion, perhaps?"

"Oh, not at all, hahaha..."

Suddenly, they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

This newly appointed deputy general manager had a good relationship with Young Master Cao.

It couldn’t be helped.

After all, it was Young Master Cao who had stumbled upon that USB drive, freeing up so many positions.

General Manager Liu’s rise wasn’t just due to his own competence and connections—he owed much of it to Young Master Cao.

Skills and connections were only part of the equation. Who didn’t have some connections these days?

What really mattered was whether there was an opening.

"Heh... Boss Cao really knows how to live the good life. Unlike me—the moment I open my eyes, I’m buried under a mountain of work. It’s only been a short while, but I feel like I’ve aged a decade." General Manager Liu glanced subtly at Lin Zhi, who stood nearby.

She was clearly the secretary type.

Beautiful.

Great figure.

Impeccable fashion sense, and that sharp wit in her eyes—definitely not some naive, airheaded girl.

And here she was, accompanying Young Master Cao. What else could she be but a personal secretary?

General Manager Liu understood.

He understood all too well.

After all, he had one too—though he had to be discreet and couldn’t just bring her around casually.

That was the difference between him and Young Master Cao.

Young Master Cao didn’t have to answer to anyone, didn’t fear scrutiny, and couldn’t care less about scandals.

Envy-inducing.

Young, wealthy... and in the prime of his life, free to do as he pleased.

"Aged a decade? Then you should try our company’s skincare products—youthful vitality, healthy living," Cao Cheng said with a laugh.

General Manager Liu nodded. "I don’t usually use cosmetics, but since Boss Cao recommends it, I’ll go steal some from my wife later... By the way, who’s this...?"

"Oh, let me introduce you. She’s one of our own—graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, and her acting isn’t half bad either..." Cao Cheng casually explained. "The new season of Great Detective starts filming in a few days. I’m planning to have her join as a guest, kind of a debut through variety shows."

General Manager Liu was momentarily speechless. He’d assumed she was a secretary.

Turns out she was more of a kept woman.

That... elevated her status slightly.

Lin Zhi greeted him warmly. "Hello, General Manager Liu."

"Hello, hello. Since you’re one of us, if you run into any issues during filming, just give me a call. With Boss Cao’s backing, no one would dare mess with you," General Manager Liu assured her.

"Thank you, General Manager Liu."

......

They took a car into the city.

Instead of heading straight to the studio, they went to a luxury hotel that had ties with the network—the kind where celebrities usually stayed.

The penthouse suites were reserved for A-listers or top executives.

General Manager Liu had one arranged for them and personally escorted them up.

Along the way, Cao Cheng discussed the show. It followed a "production-broadcast separation" model—though not in the strictest sense.

More like a 50-50 split. Young Master Cao barely invested any capital but held the copyright, earning hefty royalties.

He also had some say in the guest selection.

Roughly half and half.

Each episode featured six guests, and Cao Cheng could replace three of them at will.

However,

the permanent cast didn’t count.

They couldn’t rotate the entire lineup every episode—that would be terrible for the show.

......

Back at the hotel, General Manager Liu excused himself to prepare for the evening banquet.

Lin Zhi had barely spoken the entire trip, quietly absorbing everything.

She’d pieced together some key details.

She was going to be part of a brand-new variety show.

As the sole permanent female cast member.

The other regulars were all men, with only occasional female guest stars.

And this show was groundbreaking—a detective-themed format that hadn’t been done anywhere in the world yet. The first to take the plunge.

Like Young Master Cao’s previous hit, The Voice, which had taken the talent show format and added a fresh twist with the spinning chairs.

Lin Zhi didn’t know much about variety shows.

But she knew that anything new either exploded in popularity or flopped spectacularly.

And since this was Young Master Cao’s project, co-produced with a major network, the odds of success were high.

Her heart raced with excitement.

Who didn’t want fame?

Who didn’t want money?

But still...

"Young Master, I... I don’t know if I can do this. I’m not even a celebrity, and my first gig is a variety show? People will tear me apart," Lin Zhi fretted, her anxiety outweighing her excitement.

She lacked confidence.

Had no prior work to her name.

"Black publicity is still publicity. Look at me—I get roasted daily, but I’m still famous, aren’t I?" Cao Cheng inspected the room before settling onto the sofa.

He gestured for her to come closer.

Lin Zhi’s pulse quickened as she sat beside him.

A faint fragrance lingered between them.

"......"

Cao Cheng raised a brow, amused. "What’s this? Offering yourself? I meant hand me the laptop and make some tea. Where’s your usual attentiveness?"

"!!!"

Lin Zhi’s face burned crimson.

Normally, she was sharp—a single gesture from Cao Cheng, and she’d fetch tea or adjust his tie.

But the setting was different now.

Back home, she played the role of the elegant attendant—carrying bags, fetching items, brewing tea.

So her mind was always tuned to those tasks.

Here, in a hotel suite, after being mistaken for something else, and with Young Master Cao handing her such a huge opportunity...

Was it any wonder her thoughts had wandered?

So when he gestured, her mind went... elsewhere.

......

Head bowed, cheeks still flushed, Lin Zhi retrieved the laptop from her bag and placed it on the coffee table. Then she rummaged for the tea set to brew a pot for Young Master Cao.

She looked every bit like an embarrassed ostrich, too mortified to meet his eyes.

She just felt... cheap.

Worried he might misunderstand, or worse—disapprove.

In the future, professionals might recognize this as a subtle form of PUA—a tailored obedience test, playing on her personality.

The kind that flew under the radar, making the manipulator seem like a gentleman just teasing her.

In reality,

taming someone started with a joke, then escalated to small humiliations, gradually pushing boundaries.

Of course,

Cao Cheng wasn’t doing it deliberately. It was just instinctive for him—he teased her because he found it amusing.

Nothing more.

Definitely not some calculated training regimen.

Nope.

Absolutely not.

......

"Do you read detective novels?"

"Uh... not really?" Lin Zhi shook her head.

Cao Cheng slid the laptop toward her. "You’ve got three days. Read as many as you can. I’m not expecting you to solve crimes, but you should at least have some basics down, so people don’t call you an airhead."

He added, "Being pretty, having a great body, dancing well, even acting chops—it’s not enough. Dabble in other fields. In this industry, versatility makes you stand out."

Lin Zhi nodded earnestly.

She barely processed the rest, but "pretty," "great body," and "dancing well" stuck.

And she was glad she’d packed a dance outfit in her suitcase. Maybe she could perform for Young Master Cao later.

......

Before long, evening arrived.

General Manager Liu knocked on the door personally.

Lin Zhi set down her laptop and stood up to answer it.

"General Manager Liu," Lin Zhi greeted.

"Ah, little sister-in-law, uh... where's Boss Cao?"

"Little sister-in-law" was a term of respect, unrelated to age.

Those who understood, understood.

"..." Lin Zhi's cheeks flushed slightly, but she didn’t correct or explain. Instead, she said, "Young Master is showering and changing."

Young Master.

Oh?

Now that’s an interesting way to address him.

General Manager Liu caught on but kept his expression neutral as he nodded. "Then I won’t disturb you, little sister-in-law. I’ll come back after Boss Cao finishes."

"Ah, alright. Thank you, General Manager Liu."

"Don’t mention it."

General Manager Liu was a perceptive man. While waiting inside wouldn’t technically be an improper situation between a man and a woman alone, what if?

What if Boss Cao minded?

Better to step outside for a couple of cigarettes instead—no need to risk crossing any lines.

---

After showering and changing,

Cao Cheng led Lin Zhi and General Manager Liu to the banquet hall, where many high-ranking executives had gathered.

Glasses clinked.

And let’s be honest—the cuisine of eastern Hunan was delicious, though it left Lin Zhi panting from the spice.

As a girl from Shandong Province, she’d never grown up eating spicy food.

By the end of the dinner, at least three projects had been settled.

Casually, Cao Cheng brought up a new show—one that existed in the dream world but not on Earth—a large-scale parent-child search program called Where Did Dad Go?

There was also a laid-back cooking show, Gourmet’s Retreat.

Both were solid concepts.

He also mentioned some music and dance programs.

Especially when Cao Cheng, seemingly tipsy, declared: "So what if The Voice got sold? We’ll just create a brand-new talent show, the best in Asia, and air it on our network. Deal?"

The moment those words left his mouth,

the room erupted in excitement, and toasts started flowing again.

By the end, half the executives were slumped over, and Cao Cheng was drunk too, supported by Lin Zhi as they left.

---

Once inside,

Lin Zhi heaved the deadweight Young Master Cao onto the couch, panting heavily.

"So heavy... whew—"

"Ugh!"

After catching her breath, she stood up, momentarily unsure how to handle the situation.

After all, propriety dictated distance between men and women.

If she took matters into her own hands, people might accuse her of taking liberties.

Still,

she had experience with drunk people.

As a girl from Shandong, she’d grown up dealing with a father who often stumbled home late at night, reeking of alcohol.

It was routine.

But she couldn’t use her family’s methods on Young Master Cao—that’d get her fired.

Lin Zhi recalled how her mother used to handle it: a swift kick to roll him onto the floor, toss a blanket over him, and leave him be.

If she did that, she’d definitely face consequences when he woke up the next day.

...

Never mind.

Better to think of her mother’s younger days—when she was still gentle.

Preparing a towel, washing his face, his hands, his feet...

Now that she thought about it, her mother had been incredibly tender back then, taking meticulous care of her father whenever he came home drunk.

But day after day, month after month, year after year—anyone would grow weary, wouldn’t they?

Luckily,

in the half year Lin Zhi had known Young Master Cao, this was the first time she’d seen him drink, let alone get drunk.

Probably not a habitual drinker.

And his drinking manners were decent—no whining, no nonsense, no grand proclamations.

Unlike her father, who before drinking was just a man from Caoxian, but after drinking, acted like Caoxian belonged to him.

The sheer audacity.