Lu Yudong saw Jiang Ci standing at the door and immediately knew she had changed her mind. He felt even more disdainful: playing hard to get in front of him, overestimating herself.


    Jiang Ci quickly regained her composure, knowing she was here to ask for Lu Yudong''s help, so her voice inevitably carried a hint of flattery, "Good morning, Mr. Lu."


    Lu Yudong opened the door, sat in his office chair, turned on his computer, and flipped through some documents.


    "Is there something you need from me?" Lu Yudong asked Jiang Ci in a cold, indifferent tone.


    Hearing his slightly hoarse voice, Jiang Ci remembered the heavy rain last night and that he hadn''t taken an umbrella, so she quickly asked, "Did you catch a cold, Mr. Lu? Drink more water, do you have any medicine?"


    Getting caught in the rain wasn''t a big deal, but it wasn''t trivial either. Her father once worked overtime in the rain at a construction site and was bedridden for several days.


    "Get to the point." Lu Yudong''s voice was a bit impatient.


    To him, Jiang Ci''s concern sounded insincere.


    "Mr. Lu, does what you said yesterday still stand?" Jiang Ci asked, bracing herself.


    "What?" Lu Yudong didn''t even look up.


    Jiang Ci wondered: Is he pretending, or did he really forget?


    "The thing about getting married," Jiang Ci raised her voice, her tone slightly trembling.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    It seemed like Lu Yudong just realized, "That matter? What''s up?"


    In fact, Jiang Ci had anticipated Lu Yudong''s attitude. Once she took the initiative to ask him, he would put on airs.


    But even if he did, Jiang Ci had no choice. After all, she had lost the upper hand; now, Lu Yudong held the knife, and she was the fish.


    "Do you still need someone to marry?" Jiang Ci tried to make her voice sound flattering.


    And Lu Yudong picked up on that flattery.


    "I do." Lu Yudong lit a cigarette, sitting leisurely in his office chair, staring at Jiang Ci.


    "You approached me yesterday, and I wasn''t sure then. But after thinking it over, I''m okay with it." Jiang Ci endured her shame.


    But to Lu Yudong, this seemed like she was putting on a show.


    "I do need someone to marry, but how do you know I haven''t found that person yet?" Lu Yudong countered.


    "Ah?" Jiang Ci''s eyes showed some anxiety as she quickly calculated what she would do to raise money elsewhere if the path with Lu Yudong didn''t work out.


    Seeing Jiang Ci''s expression, Lu Yudong thought: She thought she was playing the game, but now she''s caught. He had thought she was confident, but it turned out she was just this capable, and now she was panicking.


    "Why the sudden change of heart? I remember you saying you had a boyfriend." After a moment of silence, Lu Yudong asked.


    "You said yesterday that I could set conditions. I''m doing it for money, and you''re doing it to give your grandfather an explanation. It''s mutually beneficial. I think that''s a good enough reason."


    "Alright. Very straightforward." Lu Yudong curled his lips into an enigmatic smile, "Can I ask, at your young age, why do you need the money?"


    Jiang Ci thought for a moment. If she said her mother was seriously ill, it would inevitably reveal her frequent absences, affecting her position at New East. Since the lie about her boyfriend was already out, she decided to continue using "boyfriend" as a cover.


    "You know, housing prices in Jiangzhou are very high, about sixty to seventy thousand per square meter. My boyfriend and I would need to save for about two hundred years without eating or drinking to afford a place. My boyfriend told me yesterday that he''s going to intern out of town, so I want to use this time to earn some extra money and surprise him when he gets back." Jiang Ci lied skillfully, without a hint of hesitation.


    "Would your boyfriend agree to this?" Lu Yudong continued to ask.


    "Of course not. I''ll keep it a secret from him. A tight secret."


    "How much do you want?" Lu Yudong asked coldly.


    "How much can you offer?" Jiang Ci returned to a righteous tone.


    Lu Yudong initially wanted to say five million, but since she was so eager to earn money, and he was increasingly unimpressed with her, he suddenly didn''t want to make it easy for her. He wanted to make her suffer.


    "A basic salary of one million. Additionally..." Lu Yudong said nonchalantly, "There will be some detailed terms. I''ll give you a written agreement later, with performance evaluations. In short, with me, five million a year is no problem, and if you stay for two years, you''ll get a house."


    Jiang Ci was stunned. Five million a year? Was it that easy to make money with Lu Yudong?


    "Alright, deal. Let''s add each other on WeChat, so you can notify me if there''s anything."