Jiang Ruolan quickly adjusted her expression and stepped forward with a faint smile to greet them. "President Zhou, Miss Kong."
Kong Huaijin nodded at her in return, and Zhou Yi also gave her a brief smile.
When Zhou Yi looked at her, Jiang Ruolan instantly recalled that night—the way his eyes had burned with desire. Uncontrollably, her face began to flush.
She lowered her head, pretending to fetch water, when Zhou Yi suddenly called out to her, concern flickering in his gaze. "Are you alright?"
She shook her head. "I'm fine. Just a little drowsy since I didn’t have coffee this afternoon. Thank you for your concern, President Zhou."
At the office, the two maintained a perfectly professional superior-subordinate relationship, leaving no room for suspicion.
Kong Huaijin didn’t suspect anything either, simply assuming Zhou Yi was genuinely considerate toward his colleagues.
"President Zhou, I’ll go buy some coffee for everyone. Miss Kong, what would you like?"
"Let Ye Chen and the others handle it. No need for you to make the trip. If you’re tired, take a break."
"It’s fine, I don’t mind. I often get coffee for everyone anyway—it’s no trouble."
Seeing her insistence, Zhou Yi didn’t press further.
Kong Huaijin casually mentioned her coffee preference, and an employee from Huanyu volunteered to accompany Jiang Ruolan downstairs. The entire office buzzed with a warm, harmonious atmosphere.
Honestly, Kong Huaijin had never seen a company like this before.
No exhausted gazes, no dark circles that couldn’t be concealed, no numb expressions.
As Kong Huaijin stood momentarily lost in thought, Zhou Yi smiled and said,
"Come on, let me show you my new project."
"Alright."
Zhou Yi didn’t miss the surprise and contemplation in Kong Huaijin’s eyes.
Perhaps, once again, he had unknowingly altered someone’s fate.
Zhou Yi led Kong Huaijin toward the MoYin department, while the rest of the office immediately erupted in gossip.
"Hey, who’s that? She’s stunning, and Jiang Ruolan seems so respectful toward her."
"Didn’t you hear? She’s Miss Kong. Haven’t you checked today’s trending topics?"
"I was too busy napping at lunch—didn’t have time for that."
"That’s Kong Huaijin, the daughter of Huaihai’s richest man! Rumor has it she’s a CEO herself. The trending posts say she splurged a fortune just to invite our President Zhou to dinner—even chased him to his university!"
Those who hadn’t heard the news gasped in shock.
"How much is ‘a fortune’?"
"Ten million, they say."
"This is the world of the wealthy—ten million just for a meal. President Zhou’s charm is unreal."
"I’m dreaming about this tonight. If a CEO offered me even a thousand, I’d say yes in a heartbeat."
"So why is she here at our company...?"
"No idea. But President Zhou doesn’t seem to dislike her. Oh no, is my ship sinking? I’m Team Yi-Lan!"
"I’m Team Yi-Man! Please don’t tell me the future boss’s wife is her. She’s gorgeous, but she seems so... untouchable."
......
Office gossip never ran dry, especially when it involved the boss and a wealthy heiress.
Soon, rumors about Zhou Yi and Kong Huaijin spread like wildfire across fan communities. Some even created a dedicated fan page for their "ship," named A Throw of Gold—a play on their names ("Yi" for Zhou Yi, "Jin" for Huaijin).
Whether it was Zhou Yi riding in her sports car or bringing her to the company, the news reached many.
Plenty of men seethed with envy, sneering that Zhou Yi was using Kong Huaijin to climb the social ladder—a gold-digger, they called him.
Zhou Yi’s fans fired back, accusing them of sour grapes. The two sides clashed online, fueling even more buzz.
[LookAtYourMom: What a pretty boy, living off women. Who knows how he got his company and that Rolls-Royce?]
[WangTengLovesGojiBerries: Starting a company in college? Yeah, right. No way he did it alone.]
[FoxTalksNonsense: Exactly. That woman standing next to the Rolls? Probably his sugar mommy.]
[DoumuGoddess: How shameless to call himself a CEO when he’s just a kept man. No wonder he’s so generous with employees—not his money, after all.]
[RomanceNovelsSuck: Let’s be real, this rich girl’s just playing with him. Wealthy people do this all the time—paying top dollar for male escorts isn’t unheard of.]
[Oh, so you’re speaking from experience? You must be one of those escorts.]
[Sour grapes, much? The stench of jealousy is leaking through my screen.]
[Look in the mirror. No wonder the CEO sister wouldn’t spare you a glance.]
[For the ugly, a closer look is cruelty. For pickled jealousy, a whiff is nausea—just like your words, vomit-inducing the moment you open your mouth.]
The haters were swiftly mobbed by fans, and soon, many tagged Zhang Wu, urging him to tear into them.
[Bro Can, where are you? They’re mocking Yi-ge!]
[Little Can Bro, we need your savage comebacks! Our insults are too weak without you!]
[This is too mild. Where’s our Can Squad Leader when we need him?]
[Hubby, say something!]
Zhang Wu, now the leader of Zhou Yi’s anti-defamation squad, couldn’t resist the sweet pleas of his fangirls.
The moment he saw the posts, he unleashed a verbal storm. The trolls tried to retaliate at first, but soon, they were so thoroughly wrecked that they deactivated their accounts.
Zhang Wu was showered with praise, basking in the glory of his anti-hate crusade.
Meanwhile, Zhou Yi was showing Kong Huaijin the MoYin app. The moment she saw it, she recognized its potential.
She clicked her tongue in admiration. "How did you come up with this? There’s nothing like it on the market. I have a feeling this app will cause a sensation the moment it launches."
With a few celebrities and influencers onboard, some strategic advertising, and partnerships with phone manufacturers, success was practically guaranteed.
"No wonder you were so confident before. This is a brilliant project."
"So, Miss Kong, are you considering it?"
At the office, Zhou Yi didn’t call her "sister." Kong Huaijin knew he kept work and personal matters separate, so she didn’t mind the formal address and likewise referred to him as President Zhou.
"President Zhou, with an idea this brilliant, it’d be a shame not to invest. Only a fool would pass up easy money."
Zhou Yi set down the phone running the beta app and led her back to his office.
"What’s your take on MoYin’s development? You’re more experienced in internet investments than I am."
"Honestly, the initial funding required isn’t much—a few tens of millions will do. But scaling up later—operations, promotions, R&D—will demand significant capital. A conservative estimate would be at least a billion in financing. My suggestion? Bring in multiple investors. Anyone with vision wouldn’t refuse. As for me, I’ll need to discuss it with my father first."
"And how much are you personally considering investing? We can leave the early stage aside—I’m more interested in your long-term commitment."
"If this app develops as I expect, I can invest at least 500 million."
Then, with a faint smile, she added:
"—That's just my personal investment."
"The company's funds are separate."
Zhou Yi: Perfect. It seems he’s finally going to get to enjoy the perks of being a kept man.