Chapter 76: A Sudden Invitation

“Mmm… ah, this… a, a competition?”

Faced with this proposal, Zhou Ruoyu felt a bit pressured. She asked softly, “Is there a deadline for that competition?”

“Submit by this Friday, then… awards next week? But you can still make changes before the judging. Yeah… time is a bit tight, but hey, it’s the thought that counts. Quite a few people are joining, so no need to worry about embarrassment. Besides… if you win right after joining, you’ll make a great impression on the Planning Department. Great for socializing!”

Ling Bo earnestly advised the girl to participate. Zhou Ruoyu thought for a moment, then nodded, making up her mind.

“Okay! Then… I’ll join too. It’s the thought that counts, and I can get familiar with the work on the side, cough… but will this affect my assigned tasks?”

Zhou Ruoyu tilted her head, still uncertain, but Ling Bo quickly dispelled her worries. She patted the girl’s shoulder and said softly, “Don’t worry. These days, this will be your only task. Get familiar with it first. Around here, my word carries some weight~”

“Mmm… okay~ Thank you, Sister Bo~”

…

So, over the next few days, Zhou Ruoyu delved into researching fashion designs from other online games. She looked at hundreds of outfits, big and small, until her eyes were dizzy. She pondered on her own, doodled for a long time, and finally put down her pen.

Just as she was about to slack off, a message suddenly popped up at the worst possible time. Zhou Ruoyu yawned, picked up her phone, and read the message. Hmm… huh—

Gu, Gu Jiachen?!

The moment she saw the sender’s name, the long black-haired little loli, who had been lounging comfortably in the office, immediately sat up straight. She gulped nervously, mentally prepared herself, and then opened the message.

[Gu Jiachen: Little bunny, how’s it going? What’s the situation? Doing okay lately?]

[Gu Jiachen: What’s this? Not contacting your master? Planning to run away? I’ll send someone to bring you back~]

Hiss—

Seeing this blatant threat, Zhou Ruoyu sucked in a sharp breath and quickly typed a reply:

[Zhou Ruoyu: No, no, no! Not running away! No need to trouble the capture team, um…]

[Zhou Ruoyu: Sorry, President Gu. I just got transferred and am adapting to the new job. I’ve been busy, so I didn’t have time…]

Ah, that was a lie. In truth, though she was indeed a bit busy, even if she had all the free time in the world, she would never willingly provoke that damn rival, the pervert President Gu! Are you kidding? Hadn’t she been taken advantage of enough? Ugh—!

After all… the mark on her butt still hadn’t faded. Mmm… it didn’t hurt anymore, but there was a distinct red patch. When she took a picture of it in the mirror, her face flushed with shame, and a humiliating fact echoed in her mind: she had been branded by Gu Jiachen, branded by her enemy. Ugh~

Too, too terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!

So, of course she would neglect Gu Jiachen… Um, rather, why should she get close to him? She was forced into this corner, enduring humiliation to survive, with tears in her eyes… Guh~

[Gu Jiachen: Ah, I see~ How’s the new position? Not more tiring than before, is it?]

He worried that he might have done a good deed that turned out bad by transferring her, only to tire her out even more.

[Zhou Ruoyu: Mmm… it’s okay. But these past few days, I’ve been busy collecting materials and designing for a competition, so it’s been a bit hectic. It’ll be less busy afterward.]

Reading her message, Gu Jiachen breathed a sigh of relief. He thought for a moment, then couldn’t help curling his lips as he typed:

[Gu Jiachen: Sounds tough~ Then, little bunny, since you’re so tired, I must reward you this weekend~]

[Gu Jiachen: After work today, let’s meet up somewhere. How about a restaurant on the commercial street?]

[Gu Jiachen: This is your master’s date invitation. No refusing~]

No refusing, then why ask! Just tell me straight! Damn it!

Seeing the message from her rival president, Zhou Ruoyu let out a long sigh. It took her a moment to realize that he was actually asking if meeting at a restaurant was appropriate.

What else could she say? Of course it was appropriate! She was going to make him pay dearly for dinner, ugh~!

Despite her reluctance, Zhou Ruoyu finally typed a [Okay]. Her pathetic state as a kept canary was fully exposed. She wanted to complain that she wasn’t that pitiful, but after thinking about it, she had no argument… She could only console herself with ‘enduring humiliation’—ugh—

“Hey, little Ruoyu, want to grab lunch together?”

Just as she closed her eyes to concentrate, Sister Ling Bo suddenly appeared beside her. The gloomy long-haired little loli immediately pouted and grumbled, “No!”

Waaah, she wasn’t eating a bite at noon! Just wait until tonight, when she would bankrupt Gu Jiachen!

With that resolve, Zhou Ruoyu growled through gritted teeth. Only after a moment did she realize she had been rude. She quickly turned around and explained to Ling Bo:

“Sorry, Sister Bo, I was spacing out. Let’s go eat now!”

“Pfft~”

Ling Bo waved her hand with a laugh, not seeming angry. Instead, she teased Zhou Ruoyu:

“Who got our little Ruoyu all riled up? Don’t let it affect your work. Oh, right, how’s your fashion design coming along?”

“Mmm… almost done! I just need to add a few finishing touches.”

“You have to submit it this afternoon, though~”

Ling Bo tilted her head, reminding her. Zhou Ruoyu immediately felt a sense of urgency and hurriedly waved her hand:

“Ah, ah, ah, I almost forgot! There’s no time to lose. Sister Bo, let’s go eat quickly! When we get back, please teach me how to write the proposal!”

“No problem~”

Ling Bo smiled and linked arms with Zhou Ruoyu. The two skipped off together. The surrounding colleagues watched the scene and couldn’t help marveling at how close the two had become in just a few days.

In truth, Sister Ling Bo had been taking care of her all this time. They were practically inseparable—eating, leaving work, even going to the restroom together. Sister Ling Bo was like a caring big sister, trustworthy and reliable. Unlike Liu Ruyan, she was the ideal boss and best friend in a girl’s dreams.

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