From now on, he is Brother Yi's most loyal dog

Jiang Ruolan adjusted her outfit in front of the mirror, but just as she was about to leave, she paused and sat back down.

She took out a soft-toned lipstick and applied it to her lips.

After pressing her lips together, she lowered her gaze and studied her reflection, as if something was still missing—something not quite right.

She murmured softly, "This seems too formal."

After a moment’s thought, she loosened a strand of hair from behind her ear and let it fall forward, softening her look with a touch of gentle allure.

Only when she was fully satisfied did she hurry out the door.

"Little Wen, I’m heading out. Call me if anything comes up."

"Got it, Sister Lan."

"Oh, and let everyone know to put their coffee orders in the group chat. I’ll bring them back later."

"Thanks, Sister Lan~"

Jiang Ruolan moved quickly, gathering the necessary documents before driving straight to her destination.

When she arrived at the café, her elegant entrance immediately set off alarm bells in Su Ning’s mind.

She had seen this woman on trending searches before and knew then that Jiang Ruolan was extraordinary—her beauty, education, and emotional intelligence were all top-tier.

Jiang Ruolan walked in with a graceful smile.

"President Zhou," she greeted Zhou Yi first before turning to Su Ning.

"You must be a friend of President Zhou’s. Hello, I’m Jiang Ruolan."

Her smile was warm and poised, though her eyes held a hint of appraisal as she took in the girl before her.

She’s really beautiful...

And here with President Zhou, sharing coffee—their relationship must be more than casual.

Jiang Ruolan lowered her gaze as she shook Su Ning’s hand, masking the flicker of unease in her expression.

Once again, she was acutely aware of the age gap between herself and Zhou Yi.

This delicate, pretty girl was his peer—from a distance, they looked like a young couple.

A strange feeling twisted in Jiang Ruolan’s chest. She knew it was jealousy.

[Jiang Ruolan’s Affection Points +5]

Su Ning was thinking along similar lines.

Zhou Yi’s assistant was stunningly beautiful and so gentle.

Could she be the "kind-hearted girl" he had mentioned before?

"Hello, I’m Su Ning."

Her tone was cool.

Su Ning reserved her warmth for Zhou Yi alone; to everyone else, she remained the proud, aloof young miss.

She couldn’t help stealing glances at Jiang Ruolan—subtle, but another woman would notice.

This girl has feelings for President Zhou, Jiang Ruolan concluded.

Pretending not to notice, she took a seat beside Zhou Yi.

Not across from him—right next to him.

Su Ning, seated opposite them, felt a surge of irritation.

She huffed and took a gulp of her coffee, only to burn her tongue. Zhou Yi glanced at her.

"Are you okay?"

Su Ning stubbornly replied, "I’m fine. Go ahead with your conversation."

Jiang Ruolan stifled a laugh. This girl really doesn’t know how to play the game—most would use this moment to act pitiful or coquettish.

Even if not outright acting cutesy, softening up in front of someone you like is basic strategy.

She shook her head inwardly. No competition here.

Jiang Ruolan chided herself for overreacting. Feeling threatened by a student? Ridiculous.

But emotions were hard to control, especially when it came to Zhou Yi.

With a gentle smile, she said,

"President Zhou, I thought sitting here would make it easier to discuss the project. I hope you don’t mind?"

Her tone was all business, leaving Zhou Yi no reason to refuse.

"Not at all. Go ahead. Oh, order something first—we can talk after."

Zhou Yi called the waiter and handed the menu to Jiang Ruolan.

"Take a look. I’m not sure what you prefer, but they have a good selection here. Even milk tea, if you’d like."

His considerate demeanor stung Su Ning deeply.

She told herself Zhou Yi was just being polite—a gentleman’s habit—but it didn’t ease the ache in her chest.

Then Zhou Yi suddenly looked up and asked, "Ningning, do you want something else? That coffee might still be too hot."

[Su Ning’s Affection Points +2]

Ningning. That simple nickname sent two women’s thoughts spiraling in different directions.

For Su Ning, it was the first time Zhou Yi had called her so intimately—and he had noticed she’d burned herself. Her face brightened instantly.

"I’ll switch to milk tea. I’m craving something sweet now."

Jiang Ruolan, meanwhile, tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and lifted her gaze with practiced charm.

"I’ll have whatever President Zhou is drinking. The same is fine."

The contrast was stark.

Su Ning was outmatched.

After Zhou Yi placed their orders, Su Ning found herself sidelined.

The conversation between Zhou Yi and Jiang Ruolan revolved around company matters—things she couldn’t follow.

Jiang Ruolan was undeniably impressive in work mode, Su Ning had to admit.

The woman laid out documents, analyzing each project’s merits with precision, even offering her own insights. Though Zhou Yi had given her full authority to decide investments, Jiang Ruolan still walked him through every detail.

"Sounds good. Let’s proceed as you suggested—you have my full support."

"Thank you for your trust, President Zhou. I hope I won’t disappoint you."

Jiang Ruolan relaxed with a relieved smile.

Zhou Yi then shifted topics.

"Any updates on the film investment opportunities I asked you to look into?"

Jiang Ruolan nodded, producing another file.

"President Zhou, these are the production companies seeking collaboration. When would you like to review them?"

"Do we visit their studios?"

"Smaller companies will submit scripts directly to us, but major studios require investors to attend meetings in person. With multiple backers vying, they need to vet us too."

In short, the big players needed proof of Zhou Yi’s credibility.

"Let’s meet the smaller ones tomorrow afternoon—I’m free after class. What about the larger studios?"

"Three major companies scheduled a collective investor meeting this Saturday. Should I attend, or...?"

"You’ll come with me. For film investments, I need to review scripts personally—otherwise, it’s off the table."

"Understood, President Zhou."

Throughout their discussion, Su Ning sat ignored.

The gap between her and Zhou Yi had never felt wider.

"I should go. You two continue."

Su Ning stood abruptly, no longer able to bear feeling like an outsider.

Zhou Yi didn’t press her to stay, merely nodding. "Sorry for neglecting you. Let me call you a cab."

"No need. I’ll manage. Goodbye."

She picked up her backpack and nodded at Jiang Ruolan. "Goodbye, Miss Jiang."

"Goodbye, Su Ning."

As Su Ning walked away, her heart ached unbearably.

Wandering down the street, she suddenly felt lost.

What could she possibly do to win Zhou Yi back?

Or should she just forget him?

But if she could do that, she wouldn’t have confessed her feelings in the first place.

He was the only person she had ever loved—how could she ever forget him?

So what else could she do...?

Perhaps there was one thing within her power.

She could support him in his career, just like Jiang Ruolan did.

As the eldest daughter of the Su family, her resources and connections far surpassed those of a mere assistant like Jiang Ruolan.

She dialed her brother’s number.

"Hey, brother, I need your help with something..."

Meanwhile, Zhou Yi had no idea what Su Ning was up to. All he heard was the system notification that her affection for him had increased by another point.

After Su Ning left, Jiang Ruolan tactfully took a step back and sat across from Zhou Yi.

She had only acted that way earlier because Su Ning was present. Now that she was gone, Jiang Ruolan resumed the proper distance expected between a subordinate and her superior.

She was always a woman who knew her place.

With business matters settled, casual conversation could begin.

"How’s the company? Is everyone in good spirits?"

"Don’t worry, everyone’s pumped up like they’ve had a shot of adrenaline. They’re practically begging for tasks from you, Mr. Zhou. Honestly, I’ve never seen anything like it."

Jiang Ruolan smiled. To her, the office felt more like home than her actual apartment—lively and warm, unlike the cold emptiness of her rented room.

Zhou Yi seemed surprised.

"Everyone’s eager to work? They’re not just trying to impress you, are they?"

"Not at all. You’ll see when you visit. Actually, why not drop by the office now? The team would love to meet you."

Jiang Ruolan had two motives: to show Zhou Yi that the company was thriving under her temporary leadership, and to spend a little more time with him.

"Alright, let’s do that. We should bring something for the team—a token of appreciation before work picks up. We can also brief them on the new project today."

"Great. I’ll order coffee first, and we can decide what else to get for everyone later."

Jiang Ruolan went to the counter and placed an order for dozens of coffees.

With so many drinks in hand, Zhou Yi couldn’t very well ride Zhang Wu’s rickety bicycle to the office.

He called Zhang Wu.

"Little Wu, where are you?"

"In the dorm, Yi-ge."

"Can you come pick up your bike? Something came up."

"Sure, just send me the location. I’ll head over now."

As soon as Zhang Wu hung up, his dormmates started snickering.

"Wow, climbing the social ladder, huh, Old Zhang? Zhou Yi’s calling you personally now."

"Must be nice. Unlike some of us, you’ve got no shame—bullying him before, now licking his boots like a dog."

"Hey, give him credit. A real man knows when to bend. We just don’t have Old Zhang’s ‘vision.’"

Zhang Wu smirked. "Damn right I’m climbing. And this ladder’s solid."

"Yi-ge already promised me a job at his company after graduation. Meanwhile, some of you wouldn’t even qualify to be his dogs. Am I right?"

The others fell silent with a scoff.

Zhang Wu wasn’t bothered. If they had the chance to cozy up to Zhou Yi, they’d be sprinting faster than him at the first call.

He hurried to the meeting spot, where Zhou Yi and Jiang Ruolan stood under a tree. He recognized her as Zhou Yi’s assistant.

"Hello, Miss Jiang," he greeted politely.

Jiang Ruolan returned the smile. "Hello."

Zhou Yi and Jiang Ruolan had already bought cakes and desserts, now loaded into the car.

When Zhang Wu arrived, Zhou Yi handed him the bike keys, a coffee, and a pastry.

"Here, Little Wu. You can hang these on the handlebars if you ride back, or just eat at the café if you’re worried about spills. I got these from there."

He pointed to the coffee shop they’d visited earlier.

Zhang Wu blinked, swallowing hard. "F-for me?"

Zhou Yi nodded. "Yeah. I’ve got to go now. Take care of these."

Dumbfounded, Zhang Wu accepted the treats and stared as Zhou Yi drove off.

Looking down at the food in his hands, his expression twisted with guilt.

Memories of how he’d treated Zhou Yi in the past flooded his mind.

Zhou Yi hadn’t retaliated—instead, he’d been kind. Zhang Wu felt like the worst kind of scum.

If the system could measure regret, his levels would’ve maxed out.

Right then, Zhang Wu vowed to be the most loyal follower Zhou Yi could ever have.

From this day forward, he’d be Yi-ge’s most devoted hound.