Chapter 122: Liao Liao, You Liar!

Half an hour later.

When Yang Mei saw the aerobics performance list Jiang Ning handed over, her first reaction was that she must have misread it.

She rubbed her eyes.

Looked carefully again.

And couldn’t help but laugh.

She laughed while shaking her head, asking helplessly, “Jiang Ning, how did you convince Li Duoyong to participate in this aerobics performance?”

Jiang Ning obviously wasn’t going to say she had suddenly recalled some embarrassing stories about Li Duoyong and used them as leverage—threatening him while dangling a meal as a reward. With a mix of hard and soft tactics, she had finally persuaded this old classmate to represent Class 3 in the aerobics show.

“Teacher, it was Li Duoyong who volunteered himself for the performance,” Jiang Ning replied.

“He said he wanted to bring honor to our Class 3.”

Yang Mei didn’t want to listen to this pretty girl’s nonsense, but since someone had signed up, she couldn’t be bothered to dig into the details.

She waved her hand to signal that the matter was settled.

Then, she pulled out a test paper from beside the desk and placed it in front of Jiang Ning.

Jiang Ning glanced down at it.

It was last week’s monthly Chinese test paper. Her heart suddenly sank.

When she saw the name and score on the test, her expression instantly turned awkward.

[Jiang Ning – 123 points]

The full score was 150. Scoring 123 was honestly a decent result for most students.

But for Jiang Ning, who usually scored over 130, this was a noticeable drop.

Especially when Yang Mei pulled out the essay paper.

Jiang Ning’s expression became even more awkward.

[Essay – 53 points]

Which meant the objective section only scored 70 points.

This was likely the main reason why Yang Mei had brought the test paper out in the first place.

Sure enough, Yang Mei flipped straight to the recitation section.

Looking at the series of red crosses, Jiang Ning shrank her head in guilt.

In truth, she already had a bad feeling after taking the test last week.

Several recitation questions had left her stumbling and unsure.

But she had been swamped at the store.

And dealing with that so-called Food and Beverage Industry Association had drained her further.

She barely had time for memorization, which led to this historically low score.

But she had no choice.

Human energy is limited, and Jiang Ning hadn’t learned how to clone herself yet.

In the end, she had to trade all her leave slips for the next month just to walk out of the office in one piece.

But as soon as she stepped out, a wave of regret hit her.

If she couldn’t take any leave for the next month—

What about the renovation progress of the new store?

What about the grand opening?

Was she going to rely entirely on her cousin Tian Wenhao?

Or rope in his wife too?

Not to mention, the two of them were already managing the university branch and the train station branch respectively, barely keeping up with their own stores.

If she dumped this on them, they’d probably implode on the spot…

So—

Jiang Ning looked toward the setting sun in the distance.

The evening glow turned the sky red.

Half the sky was ablaze with clouds, the other half fading into dusk.

Under this picturesque scene, Jiang Ning thought of tomato and scrambled eggs.

Then naturally, her mind drifted to that paparazzi girl who was still vacationing in Jiangzhou.

And just like that—

She had an idea.

Half an hour later.

At the school gate.

Jiang Ning watched as the girl with the camera bag, baseball cap, and windbreaker outfit walked up to her.

Jiang Ning turned to greet the security uncle and then walked out with Wang Jianguo.

“Boss, where are we going?”

“Dinner.”

“But I just ate…”

“My treat. Eat again.”

“Okay~”

Wang Jianguo never said no to free food.

Even if she couldn’t finish it, just the aroma was worth it.

And so, the two girls walked through the neighborhood and arrived at the most upscale Western restaurant nearby.

Looking at the elegant façade, far classier than any average spot—

Glancing around at the luxury cars parked at the entrance—

And recalling the street food stalls she usually ate at with her boss—

Wang Jianguo suddenly felt a sense of dread.

“Boss, let’s be clear—payment for service! Just because I charge a bit more doesn’t mean you get to extort me for dinner!”

Extort you?

Jiang Ning gave the little paparazzi girl a side-eye.

“You got a hundred bucks in your wallet?”

“And I’m the one extorting you?”

The moment those words left her mouth, Wang Jianguo’s face changed, and she clutched her wallet tight.

“H-how did you know?!”

“Boss! Peeking into someone’s wallet is illegal!”

“Who peeked into your wallet?” Jiang Ning pointed to a bulge on Wang Jianguo’s camera bag.

“Canon EF 300mm. Professional L-series telephoto lens. Retail price: ¥4988.”

“I gave you ¥5000 two days ago as payment, remember?”

“How much you got left now?”

That sentence was like a needle—instantly piercing through Wang Jianguo’s tough act.

Her expression faltered.

“Uh… that… heh heh…”

“Boss, you into photography too?”

From the moment the dishes arrived, Jiang Ning noticed that the paparazzi girl avoided eye contact.

Even though she was a few years older than Jiang Ning, she looked like a scolded little puppy.

“Food good?”

“Tasty…”

“Want to eat like this often?”

With just that one sentence, Wang Jianguo instantly pieced everything together.

She raised her head and quietly stared at Jiang Ning with a pair of jet-black eyes.

“Boss, are you trying to hire me?”

“Mm. Long-term,” Jiang Ning added.

Jiang Ning added one more sentence.

Over the time she had spent with this girl, she had discovered many of her strengths.

She could endure hardship and had patience.

This was evident from how she could squat in a bush for over three hours without moving just to take one photo.

She was also bold but meticulous.

Initially, Jiang Ning had only asked her to take more photos of a certain someone and the people close to him.
But this girl actually managed to snap photos of them sleeping together and doing… things.

Even though it was just a silhouette, it still scared Jiang Ning so badly that she immediately destroyed those photos and negatives on the spot.

On top of that, the girl was extremely cautious.

Just to deliver a single letter, she went through a whole disguise routine and even paid someone else to deliver it to the designated mailbox.

So, apart from her obsession with food and photography, every other trait of hers matched Jiang Ning’s ideal employee profile.

Given that there was really no one available lately, Jiang Ning decided she might as well bring her in and make use of her.

Once she understood Jiang Ning’s intention, Wang Jianguo slowly put down her knife and fork, wiped the black pepper sauce from the corner of her mouth, sat up straight, cleared her throat, and said seriously:

“Boss, I’m a contracted photographer for Top Entertainment. What exactly would I be doing if I worked for you?”

“My personal secretary.”

“But I’m not used to wearing suits…”

“No worries. What you’re wearing now is just fine.”

“What about salary and benefits?”

“It won’t be lower than what you get at Top Entertainment.”

“Really?!” Wang Jianguo’s eyes immediately lit up and darted slyly.

“Boss! My salary at Top Entertainment is five thousand—”

Before she could finish, she saw the young boss in front of her pull a phone out of her pocket and point at the contact named ‘Liao Liao’ on the screen.

Wang Jianguo’s expression collapsed.

“Alright…”

“My salary is five thousand a year…”

“Boss, just… pay me whatever you think is right…”

“Just don’t let me starve, okay?”

In the end, Jiang Ning offered Wang Jianguo a monthly salary of 2,000 yuan, along with housing.

She would be living in Du Xinrui’s villa.

There were plenty of rooms anyway, and Wang Jianguo wasn’t the destructive type.
Besides, after Du Xinrui left, there was no point in letting the whole place sit empty.

Even though Aunt Hu came by to clean daily, a house without people eventually deteriorates.

As for performance bonuses and dividends, those would be tied to the new stores.

On paper, Wang Jianguo was the inspector for both new stores, but in reality, she was Jiang Ning’s personal secretary.

Her current job scope was simple: oversee the renovation progress of both new stores, handle staffing and miscellaneous arrangements, and report to Jiang Ning each night.

That way, Cousin Tian Wenhao could focus on managing the university and station locations without being so overwhelmed he didn’t even have time to be affectionate with his wife.

Tsk, tsk, tsk.

This little sister-in-law sure was breaking her back for the family.

In the following days, everything went just as planned.

The cousin and his wife focused on the old stores.

Wang Jianguo ran between the two new locations.

Meanwhile, good news came from Top Entertainment as well.

That debut single was going to be released under the name of the country’s first virtual idol—“Jiang Jiang.”

Even though it was an animated character, Jiang Ning could still spot hints of her own figure in the design.

Those eyes…

That figure…

Those legs…

Damn it.

Hold up.

Hey!!!

Didn’t we agree—no skirts?!

Liao Liao, you liar!?

(End of Chapter)