Chapter 6: Internship

The moment those words left his mouth as pure reflex, Song Jingyao’s scalp immediately went numb.

Heat shot upward from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head.

He was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a crack into the floor and crawl inside it.

This damn mouth of his.

Hopeless.

What kind of nonsense had he just said?!

“Idiot, you’re so handsome!”

Was that supposed to save the situation?

That was clearly shoving himself directly into a pit of fire!

Hadn’t he already decided that while he had to maintain his character setting, he should at least avoid provoking the male lead too severely?

What kind of existence was the male lead?

A protagonist blessed by plot armor and heavenly light.

A cannon-fodder side character like him would probably get burned into ashes if he challenged him head-on.

And overbearing CEOs were exactly the type who cared most about face and held grudges forever.

Right now, in front of both the male lead and his admirers, Song Jingyao had directly called him an idiot.

Finished.

Absolutely finished.

No saving it now.

He definitely just earned himself another line inside the male lead’s little blacklist notebook.

And later he still had to compete with him for the heroine too.

What a miserable life.

Feeling guilty inside, Song Jingyao desperately wanted to reduce his own presence.

He shifted slightly to the side, pretending not to see Shen Xiuzhu while trying to quietly slip past him like nothing had happened.

Just as they were about to brush shoulders—

A hand suddenly pressed down onto his shoulder and firmly held him in place.

Song Jingyao instantly bristled.

He glared at the man beside him, looking exactly like a rebellious teenager caught sneaking into an internet café by a parent.

But Shen Xiuzhu didn’t mention the embarrassing sentence from earlier at all.

Instead, he naturally pulled a tissue from beside the sink and handed it over to Song Jingyao, signaling for him to dry his wet hands.

Song Jingyao froze briefly.

After realizing what was happening, he curled his lips and snorted unhappily, but still obediently accepted it.

Earlier, while washing his hands and overhearing the female side characters insulting him, he had immediately started arguing with them.

How would he still remember to dry his hands?

Only someone as fussy and overly attentive as Shen Xiuzhu would notice such tiny details.

Song Jingyao roughly scrubbed his hands twice with the tissue before crumpling it into a ball.

Then he very naturally handed the used tissue to Shen Xiuzhu.

Not intentionally provocative.

Purely because Shen Xiuzhu happened to be standing closer to the trash can.

And Shen Xiuzhu calmly accepted it too, casually throwing it away for him.

It was an unintentional little action, but it revealed an unmistakable familiarity and closeness between them.

Watching this, Liao Rong felt jealousy rise uncontrollably inside her.

Even though she knew Song Jingyao wasn’t a girl.

She simply couldn’t help it.

Because the Shen and Song families were close, Song Jingyao had spent so much time around Shen Xiuzhu since childhood, occupying a huge portion of Shen Xiuzhu’s attention.

Sometimes, Liao Rong even wished she herself could become Shen Xiuzhu’s brother instead.

At least then she could stay close to him and receive his concern.

Liao Rong and the others stared intensely at Shen Xiuzhu.

The admiration in their eyes was obvious.

But Shen Xiuzhu acted as though he saw absolutely nothing.

His disregard was so thorough it bordered on ruthless.

From beginning to end, he never even glanced at them once.

Instead, he directly said to Song Jingyao, “Grandpa and the others are waiting.”

“We should go.”

Song Jingyao nodded.

“Oh.”

Then he turned around and left together with Shen Xiuzhu.

Walking side by side.

Song Jingyao tilted his head slightly and secretly examined the person beside him out of the corner of his eye.

Not long afterward, Shen Xiuzhu seemed to sense the gaze and looked back at him too.

Under the bright lighting, Shen Xiuzhu’s side profile appeared extraordinarily handsome.

That calm expression paired with slightly raised brows somehow carried an inexplicable teasing quality.

Endlessly alluring.

His proper business suit and restrained demeanor only intensified the urge people felt to conquer him.

To tear apart that composed exterior.

To force different expressions onto his face.

To drag him into desire and passion until he became impatient, uncontrollable, maybe even rough—

Driven mad for someone else.

People like him naturally attracted countless admirers.

Every inch of him radiated overwhelming hormones.

Dangerously charming.

Song Jingyao’s gaze flickered slightly.

Then he shrugged and looked away.

Noticing Song Jingyao avoiding his gaze again, Shen Xiuzhu remembered the earlier sentence—

“How can you be this handsome?”

The corners of his lips unconsciously lifted.

His mood was excellent.

Meanwhile, the group of female supporting characters who had just been abandoned and ignored stood there with ugly expressions.

One woman said uncertainly, “Isn’t Shen Xiuzhu supposed to be gentlemanly and well-mannered?”

“Different from those spoiled rich heirs?”

That was certainly how rumors described him.

And during previous banquets, he had indeed behaved that way.

So why did he intentionally ignore them today and leave without even greeting them?

Someone guessed, “Could it be because he saw us arguing with Song Jingyao and got unhappy?”

“But didn’t he and Song Jingyao start disliking each other since high school?”

“Weren’t they only maintaining contact because of their families?”

Another person immediately said, “Of course he wouldn’t genuinely associate with someone like Song Jingyao.”

“What kind of person is Shen Xiuzhu?”

“He’s the heir to the Shen Corporation.”

“How could Song Jingyao possibly compare to him?”

“He probably just dislikes seeing people quarrel publicly.”

Once those words came out, everyone else found them very reasonable and nodded in agreement.

In the future, they decided it would be better not to provoke Song Jingyao anymore.

Arguing with him lowered their own status and also displeased Shen Xiuzhu.

No benefits whatsoever.

When they arrived outside the private room, they happened to run into Old Master Shen and the others coming out as well.

After encountering the female supporting characters earlier, Song Jingyao suddenly felt it was necessary to warn Su Ran again.

Otherwise, she might still end up manipulated into helping bully the heroine just like in the original plot.

Even if he didn’t know whether the storyline could truly be changed, he still had to try.

He pulled Su Ran aside and quietly asked, “You’re not hanging around with Liao Rong and those people, right?”

The moment he began speaking, Su Ran already knew what he wanted to say.

“Brother, how many times have you already said this?”

“I’m not the same type as them.”

“We don’t click at all.”

“And do you really hate them that much?”

“You’re acting so childish with that whole ‘I don’t like her so you’re not allowed to play with her either’ thing.”

“How old are you already?”

Song Jingyao rolled his eyes.

“I’m concerned about you.”

“If you stay around idiots too long, your IQ gets dragged down too.”

“Your brain already doesn’t work well enough as it is.”

Su Ran: “…Hey!”

What a biological brother indeed.

While they whispered together nearby, Shen Xiuzhu walked ahead alongside the Song parents.

He slightly tilted his head.

His gaze landed on Song Jingyao not far behind him.

Seeing those two standing rather close together, Shen Xiuzhu unconsciously pressed his lips together.

The atmosphere around him suddenly chilled.

His mood worsened.

Mother Song spoke beside him.

“Yaoyao has a lively personality.”

“He’ll definitely cause you lots of trouble during the internship.”

“If he misbehaves, you don’t need to be polite.”

“Just discipline him directly.”

“Auntie will support you.”

Shen Xiuzhu withdrew his gaze and turned back around.

Very quickly, his usual calm expression returned.

Politely and gently, he replied, “Auntie doesn’t need to worry.”

“It’s not troublesome at all.”

Rather—

He was more than happy to do it.

Since the elders had repeatedly emphasized that he must go intern at the Shen company, naturally Song Jingyao had no choice but to obey.

On the highway, a bright yellow Lamborghini sped forward.

Flashy and eye-catching.

Whenever it stopped at red lights, people in neighboring cars couldn’t help turning their heads repeatedly to stare enviously.

The man inside wore sunglasses.

The visible half of his face was refined and handsome, his aura exceptional.

One hand rested casually against the car door, revealing an extravagant silver wristwatch on his wrist.

The instant the light turned green, he slammed the accelerator.

The supercar roared forward first, carving out an arrogant curve just like its owner.

By the time pedestrians snapped back to reality, all they could see was the rear of the car disappearing into the distance.

Wearing sunglasses, Song Jingyao stepped into the Shen Corporation branch office where Shen Xiuzhu worked.

His long legs strode forward boldly, as though he owned the place.

Naturally, the receptionist immediately noticed this unfamiliar man with his overwhelming presence.

Like a celebrity standing beneath a spotlight, he practically glowed.

Every step felt as though he were walking across a red carpet.

And once he got closer, his sharp aura became even more oppressive.

He almost looked like someone here to smash up the place.

Song Jingyao stopped at the front desk.

His slender fingers lightly tapped against the surface.

“I’m looking for Shen Xiuzhu.”

The receptionist froze after suddenly being hit by such a handsome face at close range.

“…Uh, who?”

Song Jingyao paused briefly.

Then he couldn’t help smiling.

“Your CEO.”

“You don’t recognize him?”

The receptionist reacted a second too late.

Once she recovered, embarrassment instantly flooded her.

She had dealt with all kinds of people before.

How had she actually blanked out over a handsome man?

Too humiliating.

Quickly adjusting herself, she put on a professional smile and politely asked, “May I have your name, sir?”

“And do you have an appointment?”

Song Jingyao pondered for a moment.

Technically, they had only verbally mentioned he would come sometime in the next few days.

No exact time had been decided.

He tapped the desk lightly, removed his sunglasses, and said, “Song Jingyao.”

“As for whether there’s an appointment…”

“I’m not sure either.”

At such close range, the receptionist suffered an even stronger beauty attack.

The man before her had pale skin like flawless white jade.

Those beautiful eyes tilted slightly upward with a faint peach-blossom charm.

And when he smiled openly at someone—

It was devastating.

Enough to unconsciously stop someone’s breathing and accelerate their heartbeat.

The receptionist secretly blushed.

Hurriedly looking away, she stammered slightly, “S-sorry.”

“I’ll check immediately.”

A moment later, the receptionist awkwardly looked up again.

“…Sir, there’s no appointment under your name.”

“President Shen is very busy.”

“Why don’t you contact him first and arrange another time to come?”

Song Jingyao raised an eyebrow.

But he didn’t appear angry.

The elders had already arranged everything beforehand.

Would the mature and reliable Shen Xiuzhu really forget?

Could it be that he was deliberately trying to establish authority over him immediately?

Although Song Jingyao was the young master of the Song family, only people within their circle really knew him.

He never visited company offices, so it was perfectly normal for the receptionist not to recognize him.

Now, if it were nightclub managers instead, they could probably identify him from miles away and greet him enthusiastically.

Song Jingyao waved a hand.

“No need.”

“I’m already here.”

“If I can’t go upstairs today, then even if he begs me in the future, I won’t come again.”

Receptionist: “…???”

Beg?

Who would beg?

Their cold abstinent CEO?!

After saying that, Song Jingyao stopped chatting with her.

He turned around, pulled out his phone while typing, and walked toward a nearby chair.

He was calling Shen Xiuzhu.

The person who answered was a woman.

Politely, she said, “Hello.”

“President Shen is currently in a meeting.”

“I’m his assistant.”

“May I ask who this is?”

“If there’s anything important, I can pass along the message.”

Song Jingyao asked, “How much longer until the meeting ends?”

Assistant: “Around ten minutes.”

Song Jingyao: “Oh.”

“I’m Song Jingyao.”

“Tell him this—”

“I’m downstairs in the company lobby.”

“If he doesn’t personally come down to pick up this young master within ten minutes, then I’m leaving.”

Assistant: “…Understood.”

“I’ll pass the message along.”

Satisfied, Song Jingyao hung up.

He absolutely did it on purpose.

Not just because of his character setting.

He personally also hated the idea of working beside Shen Xiuzhu.

Watching that man wander around in front of his eyes every day—

If his parents hadn’t threatened to cut off his allowance, he never would’ve come.

Since he couldn’t refuse directly, he might as well make Shen Xiuzhu lose patience first.

Then Shen Xiuzhu could complain to his parents and have him kicked out.

After the meeting ended, the assistant walked over and informed Shen Xiuzhu about the call.

Shen Xiuzhu froze briefly after hearing it.

Then a faint smile curved across his lips so subtly it was almost impossible to notice.

The assistant even wondered whether she imagined it.

Did…

Did the CEO just smile?

Not the usual polite social smile either.

He genuinely looked like he was in an excellent mood.

In the next moment, President Shen handed his documents over to her and instructed her to return them to the office.

He said he was heading downstairs.

The assistant was stunned.

He was really going down personally to pick someone up?

Who exactly was this person?

The caller ID had displayed the name “Brother Yao.”

Was he President Shen’s older brother?

But she distinctly remembered hearing that President Shen was an only child.

The assistant couldn’t make sense of it at all.