Chapter 58 – Auntie, I Don’t Want to Try Anymore (Part 4)

The entire Design Department instantly fell silent, hurrying back to their own desks and pretending to work. No one dared make a sound, their nerves stretched taut with anxiety, fearing that if Liu Qingru flew into a rage, she might unleash all her anger on the design team.

Even if Yu Liuxue wracked her brain, she could never have predicted the crash-and-burn moment would come this fast.

Tears brimming in her eyes as she looked at Liu Qingru striding through the doorway with those long legs, she inappropriately shouted at the system, “Face the hurricane!”

System: “…”

While everyone, overtly or subtly, tried to guess how Liu Qingru might punish Yu Liuxue, that cheeky troublemaker who never watched her mouth, Liu Qingru acted as though she hadn’t heard a thing. She didn’t even glance at Yu Liuxue. With an emotionless expression, she walked right past her and entered the department head’s office without a word or look back.

Even after Liu Qingru left, the scent of her perfume lingered.

Yu Liuxue felt like she’d just been granted a second life. She took a deep breath facing Liu Qingru’s departing back and said to the system, “Oh~! That damn woman reeking of money is just too damn sweet!”

The system finally couldn’t take it anymore and rolled its eyes. You must be insane.

While Liu Qingru was in discussion with the department head, the entire office behaved like a bunch of frightened chicks, not daring to make a single sound. Once she finally left, some life returned to the design department. Yu Liuxue was busy answering questions and didn’t notice the subtle way Liu Qingru had glanced over her figure before leaving.

System: “…?”

Better not tell the host, it thought. Otherwise she might just do a full-speed sprint and end up stripping down and hopping into Liu Qingru’s bed that very night, ready to be ravished.

Guo Zao sat at her desk, nervously darting glances between the door and Yu Liuxue. She was confused. Didn’t Team Leader Qiao have a super handsome boyfriend? Then how did she end up getting entangled in rumors with Boss Liu?

Yu Liuxue turned her head and immediately spotted the giant question marks written all over the female lead’s small face. She flashed a seductive scoundrel’s smile, and with high heels clicking flirtatiously, she sauntered toward Guo Zao. Under the system’s horrified gaze, she successfully began corrupting the female lead.

Yu Liuxue confidently declared, “Falling for two people at once isn’t my fault—it’s the world’s fault.”

Guo Zao: “Huh?”

Qin Feng had done all the digging he could and finally got Guo Zao’s info from a primary school classmate. As soon as he had her contact, he changed his profile pic and added her with a note: “It’s me.”

When Guo Zao received a friend request, she opened it and was instantly confused upon seeing Qin Feng’s profile. Why is Team Leader Qiao’s boyfriend adding me?

After much hesitation, Guo Zao declined the request.

Qin Feng chuckled at the rejection. Is she shy? Holding his phone, he sent another friend request. Guo Zao rejected it just as quickly. Qin Feng failed again and again, and eventually, Guo Zao couldn’t even be bothered to hit “decline” anymore and just ignored him altogether.

But her rejections only made Qin Feng more intrigued.

All his life, Qin Feng had a problem—he always wanted what he couldn’t have. The harder something was to get, the more he wanted to conquer it. That was true of Qiao Ruo in the past, and now Guo Zao was the same. She had officially entered his “hunting list.”

Guo Zao was getting driven crazy by Qin Feng. She couldn’t understand why Team Leader Qiao’s boyfriend kept trying to add her. Was he planning to cheat? She hesitated as she stared at Yu Liuxue’s profile, unsure whether or not she should tell her.

But… when Team Leader Qiao had asked her to deliver flowers that time, she’d clearly warned her not to speak a single word to her boyfriend. If she told her that Qin Feng was harassing her, would Qiao Ruo think she was the one trying to seduce him?

Guo Zao slumped over her desk, blinking her clear deer-like eyes in confusion.

But not telling her didn’t sit right either. If Qiao Ruo found out one day, wouldn’t it be even worse for her?

In truth, Yu Liuxue had already heard everything from the system—every move Qin Feng made. She even knew Qin Feng was planning to show up at the office today in his G-Wagon just to see Guo Zao. Rubbing her hands in anticipation, Yu Liuxue sighed, “If only I hadn’t been put on Liang Yin’s death blacklist…”

The system thanked its lucky stars. Good thing the host got blacklisted, or else this story would’ve spiraled into pure chaos.

That day, the whole design department had to work overtime. When Qin Feng swaggered up in his G-Wagon, the departing employees from other departments couldn’t help casting curious glances. Who in the company was lucky enough to date this flashy rich kid? Some even threw him flirtatious glances.

But Qin Feng didn’t spare anyone a look. He called Guo Zao, pretending to be a flower delivery guy and successfully tricked her into coming downstairs. Guo Zao was confused—she hadn’t ordered any flowers, so why was someone delivering them?

Still pondering this, she walked out of the building and didn’t see any courier, only spotted the flamboyant Qin Feng leaning coolly against his car.

Startled, Guo Zao instinctively took two steps back and turned around to leave, anxiety rising. What the hell is going on with Team Leader Qiao’s boyfriend?

Qin Feng quickly caught up with his long legs and grabbed her wrist, seriously asking, “Guo Zao, why won’t you accept my friend request?”

It was rush hour and people were everywhere outside the building. Guo Zao panicked, afraid people might mistake her for a homewrecker. Her face flushed red and she said quietly, “I’m sorry, I don’t know you. Please let go, or I’ll call the police.”

To Qin Feng, this looked like bashfulness out of concern for appearances. Ignoring her protests, he forced her into his G-Wagon and drove off. When Guo Zao tried to open the door to get out, he locked it. Furious and anxious, she snapped at him, “Qin Feng, show me some respect!”

Even while angry, she didn’t curse—just turned red with frustration. Qin Feng chuckled and looked her over meaningfully. He said slowly, “Didn’t you just say you didn’t know me?”

Guo Zao immediately shut her mouth, unsure how to explain.

She was so flustered, terrified that Yu Liuxue might find out and make her life miserable at work. But Qin Feng wasn’t worried at all. In fact, he was in a good mood and asked, “What do you want for dinner?”

Then he added, “If you don’t eat with me, I’m not taking you back.”

The threat worked. Guo Zao gave in with a defeated, “Whatever.”

News that Yu Liuxue had been cheated on spread through the company in no time. Lots of people had seen Qin Feng come looking for her before, and Yu Liuxue hadn’t exactly hidden the fact she had a boyfriend. Some said she had the fate of an abandoned wife, while others claimed that she was always trying to seduce Liu Qingru and deserved to be cheated on.

Yu Liuxue quickly gathered her last design draft and delivered it to the department head. But on her way to the elevator, she accidentally caught a glimpse of a familiar figure—

Liu Qingru!

Yuliuxue’s eyes lit up as she dashed into the elevator. Inside, there was only Liu Qingru. Liu Qingru seemed momentarily surprised to see her, but said nothing when she saw Yuliuxue quickly closing the elevator doors. Yuliuxue stood at a distance that was not too close, not too far—just right. It neither made her seem overbearing, nor distant, and it maintained just the right touch of ambiguity.

Yuliuxue was trembling with excitement. “This place is absolutely perfect for—”

Ding—

The elevator suddenly stopped. As the doors opened, a flood of people getting off work surged inside. The moment they made eye contact with Liu Qingru, everyone instinctively stepped in from the left side, staying as far away from her as possible. And just like that, Yuliuxue was unwittingly squeezed right next to Liu Qingru, like a little lamb being offered to a demon queen.

She wore a nervous expression on her face, but inwardly, she was bursting with joy.

Still, she didn’t dare to overstep her bounds. Her hands were properly folded in front of her as she tried her best to project a demeanor of trying to avoid Liu Qingru. She carefully avoided any physical contact—lest everything she’d built be ruined in an instant.

The atmosphere in the elevator grew heavy. Soon, more people entered, chatting and laughing, paying no attention to Yuliuxue and Liu Qingru, who’d been pressed into the corner.

A petite girl standing near the elevator door suddenly spoke, “Do you think Qiao Ruo will go all out and just sleep with President Liu after being cheated on by her boyfriend?”

A snort of derision came from somewhere deep in the elevator.

Yuliuxue: “…?”
Wait, is that really how you people see me? Like some tacky, shameless seductress?

Her whole body stiffened, and when she sensed the sudden drop in Liu Qingru’s aura, she instinctively tried to edge away. But the chubby middle-aged man next to her either intentionally or “accidentally” shoved her with his elbow—pushing her straight into Liu Qingru’s arms.

A sweet, fragrant scent enveloped her. Then came the softness of Liu Qingru’s body—unexpectedly smooth skin, an alluring figure, and a waist so slim it fit perfectly in one’s grip. It was the kind of figure that made you want to force her into performing some very high-difficulty maneuvers.

Yuliuxue put on a timely expression of panic and anxiety. She quickly straightened up and, after standing beside Liu Qingru for a moment, deliberately lowered her voice to whisper an apology: “I’m sorry, President Liu. I didn’t mean to.”

Liu Qingru replied with a cold, elegant, and lofty, “Mm.”

Once they reached the first floor, the people ahead of them filed out. Yuliuxue reluctantly moved her feet, nearly looking back at Liu Qingru every few steps as she exited the elevator.

Happy moments were always so short-lived.

Just then, the system, after observing Liu Qingru staring at Yuliuxue’s retreating figure for a while, suddenly noticed something important—

Wait a minute! Isn’t that Liu Qingru’s private elevator right next to them? Why did she purposely squeeze into the employee elevator during rush hour? And thinking back to how Liu Qingru had quietly sized up the host’s figure earlier…

The system shivered. No way, right?

Meanwhile, Guo Zao’s meal was tasteless and joyless. She was worried that Yuliuxue might catch her having dinner with Qin Feng, and at the same time, she was afraid she’d get punished for skipping work. Her anxiety was written all over her face. But Qin Feng misunderstood, thinking she was just nervous because she was having dinner with her crush, and shy in front of him, hence her discomfort.

Qin Feng took the initiative, “Is this place to your liking?”

Guo Zao snapped out of her thoughts, blushing hard. She swallowed her food in small bites and replied softly, “It’s pretty good.”

As she spoke, she finally gathered the courage to look at Qin Feng—only to find him watching her with a teasing look, a smirk that screamed “scoundrel.” Her heart raced uncontrollably. She bit her lip and thought, How is Qiao Ruo’s boyfriend just as roguish as she is?

Still, she keenly sensed that Qin Feng was very interested in her. That same predatory intent—the kind that made you feel like you’d be swallowed whole—was exactly the same as Qiao Ruo’s.

Guo Zao suddenly felt lost. What is it about me that both Qiao Ruo and her boyfriend find so appealing?

When she got a grain of rice on the corner of her mouth, Qin Feng reached out and wiped it away without hesitation. Startled, Guo Zao’s face turned bright red. She immediately lowered her head and quickly shoveled a few more bites into her mouth before standing up in a panic. “Sorry, I have to work overtime today, so…”

Before she could finish, Qin Feng also stood up and drawled, “I’ll take you back.”

“No, Qin Feng, I really have to—” Guo Zao paused, stunned. She thought he’d start pestering her again like before, but to her surprise, he actually offered to take her back to the office?

Qin Feng chuckled, “What? You don’t want me to?”

Guo Zao, anxious about work, nodded quickly. “Thank you, Qin Feng,” she said softly.

What a dummy, Qin Feng thought.

I’m the one who unreasonably dragged her out here, yet she’s thanking me now.

And then he thought: Compared to Yuliuxue, this girl was just too innocent, too adorable, too endearing. Just one dinner, and he’d already found himself emotionally invested. After dropping Guo Zao off at the office, Qin Feng leaned against his car door, watching her back as she walked away, unable to look away.

After getting into his car, he didn’t drive off. Instead, he posted a cocky claim of ownership on his social media: “This woman is mine. No one’s allowed to fight me for her.”

His friends flooded the comments:
“Yo? Young Master Qin’s got a new girlfriend? Wasn’t Qiao Ruo pretty good?”

Thinking of the “new and improved” Qiao Ruo, Qin Feng scoffed. Qiao Ruo? Good? What a joke. These days, all she ever did was try to scam money off him. Gone was the aloof, unworldly girl from before. Now they both knew the score—neither of them had broken up because they still had use for each other.

Qiao Ruo wanted money from him, and he just wanted to use Qiao Ruo to go against Liang Yin.

Back at the office, Guo Zao remained on edge, terrified that Yuliuxue would find out and come after her. Every time she overheard coworkers gossiping about how Qiao Ruo had been cheated on, her heart skipped a beat, worried she’d be exposed as the “homewrecker” and publicly shamed.

Yet, oddly enough, no one seemed interested in finding out who the woman Qin Feng had gone on a date with was. They all just focused on the surface-level scandal about Qiao Ruo being cheated on.

After enduring two days of this, Guo Zao couldn’t take it anymore. She pulled aside a coworker she was friendly with and cautiously asked, “Nuannuan, do you know who that girl is—who Qiao Ruo’s boyfriend is seeing from our company?”

Nuannuan looked at her strangely and asked back, “Why would I know?”

Guo Zao faltered, then slowly said, “But everyone’s been talking about it lately… Aren’t you curious who stole Qiao Ruo’s boyfriend?”

“Not really. What’s more interesting is Qiao Ruo’s promotion.”

Just yesterday, Yuliuxue was summoned into Liu Qingru’s office again. Liu Qingru’s expression remained as cool and detached as ever as she said a few inconsequential things… and then promoted Yuliuxue to manager of the design department.

Yuliuxue walked out of the office in a daze. Standing by the door, she turned to the system with suspicion and asked, “Do you think…”

A bad premonition welled up in the system’s heart.

“…Liu Qingru might be into me?”

“Should I strike while the iron’s hot and push a little harder…”

The system didn’t hesitate to shut Yu Liuxue down. “No.”

Yu Liuxue: “…”

Still unconvinced, she tried again, “Actually, I think Liu Qingru must have taken a liking to me for some reason.”

“Could it be… she’s lusting after my body?!”

The system would absolutely not tolerate Yu Liuxue’s overactive imagination getting in the way of mission progress. Without a second thought, it replied, “There’ve been major personnel changes at the company lately. Everyone has a lot of opinions. Liu Qingru is deliberately pushing you into the spotlight as a scapegoat.”

Yu Liuxue: “…?”

So this is how ruthless a capitalist sugar mommy’s “love” really is.

Devastated, Yu Liuxue returned to her office. Sure enough, ever since her promotion paperwork had come through, people had been watching her every move—whether she was getting a drink or simply walking down the hallway. What’s more, everyone made no effort to hide their snide insinuations about the reason behind her sudden promotion.

Coworker 1: “If I were a little better looking and shameless enough, I could’ve gotten two promotions in such a short time too.”

Coworker 2: “See? Truly, those with no shame are invincible. Some people don’t have any real skills, but their bed-climbing game is top-notch. With that kind of talent, maybe she should crowdfund a book to teach us her ways?”

Coworker 3: “What’s become of this world? Why is it that hardworking people never get recognized, while those with a little personal connection to the boss get promoted and paid more without a hitch?”

The rumors grew nastier by the day. Some even began writing formal complaints, demanding Liu Qingru fire Yu Liuxue for breaking workplace norms.

Yu Liuxue was completely dumbfounded. Like the grieving Meng Jiangnü, she collapsed at the system’s metaphorical feet, heartbroken. “I swear I’m innocent! It’s been ages and I haven’t even touched Liu Qingru’s hand!”

“I want her to sleep with me, but she’s not even giving me the chance!”

Even that glorious elevator encounter had been ruined by employees leaving work.

Yu Liuxue was brimming with grievances that couldn’t be put into words. The system, secretly pleased, nodded in satisfaction. That’s more like it. Once the host is heartbroken enough, she’ll turn sorrow into hatred, punch Qin Feng, kick Guo Zao, finish the mission in one go, and walk away.

But the system’s smug grin didn’t last three seconds before it heard Yu Liuxue declare with burning resolve, “Since everyone already thinks I got promoted by sleeping with Liu Qingru, wouldn’t it be an unforgivable sin if I didn’t live up to their expectations?”

System: “…?”

A familiar sense of foreboding crept in.

Yu Liuxue rose from the floor, fists clenched, swearing with steely determination, “I, Yu Liuxue, solemnly swear: if I can’t sleep with Liu Qingru within a month, I’ll—”

The system instantly tensed.

“—switch to seducing Liang Yin instead!”

“???” How is that better?!

If you actually succeed in seducing Liang Yin, that’s not just a mess—that’s hell mode! Both the male and female leads would have to call you “Mom”! What’s the point of racking your brain to complete the mission after that? You’d basically win by default!

Having successfully driven the system half to death, Yu Liuxue dropped her fists in satisfaction and dove headfirst into planning how to get Liu Qingru into bed.

For the past two weeks, Yu Liuxue had made over a hundred attempts to woo Liu Qingru. Today, Liu Qingru eyed her warily as she approached, wondering what new stunt she’d try this time. Just yesterday, Yu Liuxue had pretended to skip breakfast and “fainted” from low blood sugar right into Liu Qingru’s arms. The day before that, she faked a stomach ache and clung to Liu Qingru’s clothes, refusing to let go even with several people trying to pull her off.

The day before that, she claimed she had something urgent to report, but after entering Liu Qingru’s office, she just plopped down on the sofa and wouldn’t leave. Even after a long round of coaxing by the assistant and secretary, she stayed put—until Liu Qingru finally said, “If you don’t go back now, I’ll fire you.”

Only then did Yu Liuxue relent.

And so, today, the moment Yu Liuxue got close, the secretary and assistant instantly went on high alert, four eyes locked onto her, ready to intercept any sudden ambush.

Yu Liuxue’s eyes sparkled with mischief. She stopped in front of Liu Qingru, tilted her face up, and slowly pulled a bottle of water from behind her back. Smiling sweetly, she said, “President Liu, you must be thirsty, right?”

The secretary and assistant froze, glancing nervously at their boss. Liu Qingru’s expression shifted slightly but quickly returned to calm. She rejected the offer flatly and firmly: “I’m not.”

Then she walked past Yu Liuxue without a hint of emotion.

Holding the water bottle, Yu Liuxue muttered, “I don’t believe it. Even if she’s made of iron, I’ll melt her down with my warmth!”

The system was completely dead inside and refused to respond.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng was becoming bolder in his pursuit of Guo Zao. Guo Zao, while rejecting him on the surface, worked under Yu Liuxue in constant anxiety—it was like living in fire and ice. But over time, she gradually got used to it… and even began to enjoy the thrill.

Qin Feng was handsome, rich, young, and came from a good family. A man like that, who would ignore his own girlfriend and shower all his affection on her, made Guo Zao feel proud and secretly flattered. Though she’d never dated before, it felt exhilarating to be the first woman a man would choose—even over his own partner, who happened to be her boss.

Guo Zao couldn’t help but think, So what if Manager Qiao is all that? Her boyfriend still fell head over heels for me.

Too busy chasing Liu Qingru, Yu Liuxue had no time to deal with the female lead. As the month neared its end, she realized Guo Zao had begun developing a similar air of shamelessness. But she had no time to worry about that—not when today was the final day of her one-month deadline. If she couldn’t sleep with Liu Qingru today, she’d have to shift her sights to seducing Liang Yin, who clearly wanted nothing more than to tear her to pieces.

She’d made a bold declaration, and even if she had to crawl, she was going to see it through.

Yu Liuxue rushed to Liu Qingru’s office, only to be told by the secretary that she’d already left for the day. Her vision went dark as she clutched the wall for support, muttering weakly, “So it was fate all along… that Auntie Liang and I are doomed to a love-hate entanglement…”

Okay, that’s enough. Stop adding drama to your own script.

Just then, Qin Feng called and asked Yu Liuxue to come home with him for dinner. He planned to use her as a cover story—pretending they were getting married so he could ask Liang Yin for money. But that money wasn’t for Yu Liuxue; he wanted to use it to pursue Guo Zao.

Lately, Guo Zao had been less resistant to his advances, and Qin Feng thought he saw hope on the horizon—thus, the plan.

After taking a massive L, Yu Liuxue listlessly agreed. Curling up in the corner, she thought to herself, Even if Liang Yin hates me, she’s still a rich, elegant woman. As long as I behave and act obediently, she won’t hold past grudges against a kid like me, right?

Besides, once I become the male and female leads’ stepmom, when they get married, I’ll freeze Qin Feng’s bank account and kick Guo Zao out of the house. Mission complete, easy win!

With that thought, her spirits lifted again.

After meeting up with Qin Feng, the two of them sat silently in the car, each lost in their own thoughts. Halfway through the ride, Guo Zao called. Afraid Yu Liuxue would find out and cause a scene, Qin Feng didn’t answer.

Meanwhile, Liang Yin had just walked out of the kitchen when a petite black-and-white blur zipped over and threw itself into her arms, wrapping its arms around her waist and cooing sweetly, “Hi, Auntie Liang~”

Qin Feng: “…?”

Okay, sure, say hi. But did you have to get all handsy about it?

Qin Feng yanked Yu Liuxue down with a dark face. After shooting her a warning look, he rushed anxiously back to his room to return Guo Zao’s call.

As soon as Qin Feng left, Yu Liuxue clung back on. With a fawning smile, she grabbed Liang Yin’s hand, completely ignoring the other woman’s cold expression, and said sweetly, “Auntie Liang, it’s been so long since I saw you—I missed you so much.”

“I know I was wrong before. I shouldn’t have had feelings for two people at the same time, especially when the other person was President Liu, your friend. Auntie Liang, I realize my mistake now. Please give me another chance, won’t you forgive me?”

“I promise I’ll be completely devoted to you from now on. I’ll be good and listen to everything you say. I won’t dare to have any other thoughts ever again.”

Liang Yin let out a cold laugh. “Oh? Not interested in your President Liu anymore?”

Yu Liuxue immediately shook her head. “No, no, no. Auntie Liang, you’re still the most important person in my heart. Back then, I was just briefly dazzled by her beauty, which made me feel tempted.”

“President Liu? She’s nothing. She doesn’t even compare to a tenth of your charm…”

Liang Yin couldn’t stand her fake, punch-worthy attitude anymore. She looked past Yu Liuxue to the figure who had been standing behind her all along and spoke up, “Qingru, did you hear what she just said?”

“???”

Qingru? Which Qingru?

Yu Liuxue stiffened and slowly turned her head. The moment she saw Liu Qingru’s cold, indifferent face, her vision went dark. “…!”

It was over.

It was really over this time.

She stammered, “P-President Liu… why are you here?”