At Shanghai Media Group, Luo Chen sat calmly in a sleek leather chair, the towering windows behind him casting long lines of light across the office floor. A man in a formal suit handed him a stack of documents with a respectful bow.
"Mr. Luo, these are the final company transfer documents, just as Young Miss Meng'er instructed. Please review and sign them."
Luo Chen took the pen without a word, his eyes scanning the papers briefly before signing with fluid precision.
"Thank you, Mr. Luo," the man said again, bowing and stepping back.
Just then, Luo Chen's phone buzzed. He answered it with a flick of his thumb.
"Hey, Luo Chen, are you up?" came a lively voice from the other end—Zhenyi.
"Yeah," he replied evenly. "What's up?"
"Where are you? It's already almost nine. Don't be late!" she said urgently. "I recommended your resume to my company, and if something goes wrong, it'll be a disgrace to me!"
"I'll be there in ten minutes," Luo Chen said calmly.
"Call me when you get here. Don't just walk in," she added before the call ended.
Meanwhile, in the company's office lounge, Zhenyi was finishing the call when a well-dressed female colleague suddenly appeared behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"Yo, Zhenyi~" the woman teased with a smirk. "I heard your boyfriend is coming in for an interview today?"
Zhenyi stiffened slightly. "Eh?"
Before she could respond, another woman joined the conversation.
"So it's true, isn't it?" the first woman continued. "If he caught Zhenyi's eye, then he must be from some rich family. Why would someone like that come to our company?"
Zhenyi quickly waved off the idea with a dry laugh. "What family assets? He's just a poor boy from the countryside. Don't overthink it."
The second lady raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Really? When I was in college, Zhenyi and I were classmates. Even back then, she was always so elegant and selective…"
The first woman scoffed. "Exactly! Zhenyi's so well off—how could she possibly be with someone like that?"
Zhenyi forced a polite smile, but her fingers clenched slightly at her side, her thoughts already drifting to the entrance... and to the man about to walk through it.
"I told them long ago they should break up," the second lady muttered with a dismissive tone. "They're not even from the same world."
The first lady nodded, sipping her coffee. "Exactly. Back in school, it already looked mismatched. Now that we're out in society? The gap between them is only going to grow."
Zhenyi sat silently, both hands clenched around her phone. Her chest felt tight. The quiet mockery in their voices echoed louder than the office chatter around them. Despite her calm expression, she felt humiliated.
Just then, the door swung open.
Luo Chen stepped inside, both hands in his pockets, eyes sharp and indifferent. "Zhenyi," he said flatly.
The three women looked up, stunned.
Zhenyi stood abruptly. "Why did you come straight in? Didn't I tell you to call me first—?"
Before she could finish, the first lady cut in with a bright, fake smile. "You're Zhang Zhenyi's boyfriend, right?"
The second woman narrowed her eyes, displeased. "So that's him?"
Luo Chen simply glanced at them, his expression unreadable.
The first lady leaned toward the other and whispered, "Look at how he's dressed… so plain. Deng Xixi was right after all."
Deng Xixi stepped forward, arms crossed, clearly irritated. "Luo Chen, you're really something. You actually need Zhenyi to help you find a job now? Dressed like that, do you really think you're worthy of her?"
Zhenyi's voice trembled slightly. "Xixi… that's enough."
Luo Chen didn't flinch. He looked directly at Deng Xixi and replied coldly, "Whether I'm worthy or not is my business. It's none of yours."
Deng Xixi's eyes flared with anger. She jabbed a finger toward his chest.
"You've got nothing! Without Zhenyi, you wouldn't even qualify to clean the toilets in Shanghai!"
The tension in the room spiked. Zhenyi's lips parted in shock. Luo Chen, still unmoved, stared calmly at Deng Xixi—as if weighing whether a response was even worth the air it would take.
Just as the tension hung thick in the air, the office door swung open again.
A well-dressed middle-aged man stepped inside, exuding confidence and authority.
"Manager!" both the first lady and Zhenyi called out respectfully, bowing their heads slightly.
Deng Xixi, surprised, immediately straightened her posture and rushed over. "Manager! You're here!"
The man smiled and casually wrapped an arm around Deng Xixi's waist. "I went to the dealership yesterday—paid the deposit on the car you wouldn't stop talking about."
Deng Xixi's eyes lit up. "You really bought it?!"
The manager pulled out a sleek car key from his pocket and dangled it in front of her with a grin. "Just picked it up this morning. Over two million yuan."
"Wow!" she gasped, eyes gleaming with excitement. "That's amazing!"
"Of course," the manager said proudly.
Zhenyi lowered her gaze, her thoughts drifting to Luo Chen's plain clothes and quiet demeanor. The stark contrast between him and the manager twisted in her chest.
The manager clapped his hands together. "Tonight, I'm inviting everyone in the department to dinner—no excuses. Everyone must come!"
Cheers broke out. The first lady clapped excitedly, followed by others, and even Zhenyi joined in, forcing a smile.
The manager's gaze shifted to Luo Chen. "Hey? This brother is…?"
Zhenyi hesitated. "Manager, he's…"
Before she could finish, Deng Xixi leaned in and whispered in the manager's ear. A subtle smirk tugged at the corners of the manager's mouth.
"Luo Chen, is it?" he said aloud. "I'm the manager of the Sales Department. I've already spoken to HR—you'll be joining our team from today."
Luo Chen raised an eyebrow.
"If there's anything you don't understand," the manager added with a patronizing grin, "feel free to ask me."
Zhenyi glanced at Luo Chen nervously, unsure how he'd respond to the veiled condescension.
Luo Chen met the manager's gaze with a cold smile and replied calmly, "Okay."
The manager's grin faltered for a brief moment. He narrowed his eyes, annoyed by Luo Chen's composed demeanor.
According to Xixi, he thought, this guy's just some broke country bumpkin. What's with the attitude? Still chasing after Zhang Zhenyi like this… tsk, it's not a good look.
He forced a smile back onto his face and chuckled, "Hey, by the way, Luo Chen—since it's your first day, I'll give you a little task to help you get familiar with our business."
He handed a thick document folder to Luo Chen.
"There's a major client looking for a new brand spokesperson. We've already negotiated with several artists, but none of them worked out. I want you to follow up and give me an answer that actually satisfies."
A wave of surprise rippled through the office.
The first lady gasped. "This client is notoriously hard to deal with! I tried to sign three artists last time, and they all got rejected."
Another employee chimed in, shaking his head. "Same here. That guy's impossible—too picky, always complaining. Even big agencies struggle with him."
Luo Chen flipped through the documents without lifting his gaze.
Good price… he mused. And it's a decent way to get some cash in hand.
Meanwhile, Deng Xixi had cozied up to the manager, lightly massaging his shoulders as she sneered, "Well? What do you say, Mr. Hotshot? Think you can handle this?"
Everyone turned toward Luo Chen, waiting for his response—some with doubt, others with hidden amusement.
Without hesitation, Luo Chen looked up and said flatly, "I'll take it."
His tone was indifferent, yet it silenced the entire room.