Ye Shaohua glanced at Liu Yizhou, then grabbed her coat and walked out of the private room without a word.
From start to finish, she remained silent, not asking Liu Yizhou a single question.
In truth, the original host didn’t know much about Liu Yizhou. She didn’t even know what he did for a living, only that his family was extremely wealthy.
Having never been part of high society, the original host had made quite a few embarrassing mistakes due to her lack of knowledge.
Seeing Ye Shaohua leave without a word, a stark contrast to her earlier questioning demeanor, Yu Zhehan sneered, “At least she knows her place.”
The girl who had been sitting nearby frowned and looked at Liu Yizhou. “Yizhou, what’s the deal? Did you deliberately find someone who looks so much like Yijun just to upset her?”
Hearing this, Liu Yizhou’s expression darkened. He tightened his grip on his glass and glanced at the girl.
“Yixian, that’s enough,” Yu Zhehan said, tugging at her sleeve.
“Why should I stop?” Yixian didn’t hold back, her reaction even stronger than before. “Yijun just got back. You should cut ties with this person as soon as possible. You know how proud Yijun is. She wouldn’t stand for something like this.”
At the mention of “Yijun,” Liu Yizhou’s fingers instinctively tightened around the necklace he wore.
He seemed lost in thought for a moment before finally responding in a low voice, “I know.”
—
[This time, the original host has three wishes: First, to take good care of her mother, ensuring she doesn’t die alone in the hospital after the original host’s suicide. This is the main task. Second, to repay Liu Yizhou’s 200,000 yuan as soon as possible. Third, to leave Liu Yizhou.]
Ye Shaohua followed her memories to S University.
It was hard to describe the original host’s mission. She didn’t harbor any resentment toward anyone, not even Liu Yizhou at the moment of her death.
Because during her darkest times, he had given her a glimmer of hope.
He had saved her.
“Shaohua, you’re back?” The original host was in her senior year, juggling internships and part-time jobs.
The four girls in her dorm were all studying finance. Like her, the other three came from ordinary families and couldn’t rely on their parents to secure internships. They had all been placed in a well-known company through the school’s arrangements.
“Are you okay?” Seeing Ye Shaohua take off her coat, her demeanor slightly different from usual, the dorm leader couldn’t help but ask.
Ye Shaohua placed her coat in a basin and soaked it in water, her movements practiced and familiar.
“I’m fine. I’ve just been working a lot of part-time jobs lately. I’m a bit tired,” Ye Shaohua replied with a smile, her acting skills making her seem no different from the original host.
Except for her brighter eyes and slightly better spirits, there was almost no difference.
The dorm leader couldn’t help but marvel. “Somehow, our campus belle looks even prettier than before. By the way, when are you going to get a boyfriend? Our department’s heartthrob has been waiting for you for three years.”
Ye Shaohua shook her head. “You know my situation, dorm leader. I can’t afford to drag anyone else down.”
The dorm leader opened her mouth to say more but, seeing the cool determination in Ye Shaohua’s eyes, decided against it. She simply patted Ye Shaohua’s shoulder.
Most beautiful women would attract jealousy from their peers, but Ye Shaohua was an exception. She had lived a hard life since childhood and remained frugal even in college. While others were busy competing with each other, she was already working two jobs and earning full scholarships.
How could anyone envy someone who was not only more beautiful but also worked harder than them?
Because of this, Ye Shaohua had earned the nickname “Ice Queen” at S University.
“By the way, Shaohua, you missed it last night while you were working. Our company just brought in a new manager, a stunning beauty. The boss treated us to dinner, and I got to see the legendary Harvard-educated, double-master’s-degree manager!” The dorm leader showed her a secretly taken photo.
“I heard the boss offered her an annual salary of three million to keep her.” The dorm leader sighed. “She’s only 26, just three years older than us. How is she so amazing? Oh, and Shaohua, have you noticed? You look a bit like her.”
It was just a slight resemblance, but the dorm leader couldn’t help but feel a bit wistful as she looked at Ye Shaohua.
One was an S University graduate interning at a small company, while the other was a Harvard-educated, double-master’s-degree beauty. They were from completely different worlds.
Ye Shaohua glanced at the photo, recognizing the poised and elegant woman immediately.
She tapped the table lightly, naturally identifying the person in the photo.
The woman the original host could never hope to match—Zhao Yijun.
Ye Shaohua was interning at Fenghai Group and working part-time on her days off. The next day was Sunday, and though she didn’t have to work at the company, she had a shift at a coffee shop.
Without resigning in advance, Ye Shaohua decided to discuss her resignation with the supervisor, planning to leave in three days.
After finishing her part-time job, she hurried to Liu Yizhou’s residence. He had just texted her to come over.
When she arrived at Liu Yizhou’s villa, his male assistant, Chen Zhi, was coming down from the study. Seeing Ye Shaohua, he frowned but didn’t say anything. Affairs like this were common in wealthy families, and it wasn’t his place to judge.
Liu Yizhou was handling some business documents when Ye Shaohua knocked and entered. He set down his pen.
Last night, he had lost control of his emotions.
But now that Zhao Yijun was back, it was time to put an end to this.
He reached out, about to pull out the money from the drawer, when Ye Shaohua placed a cup of coffee in front of him. The temperature was just right. She was playing her role perfectly—the best stand-in.
“This part is wrong,” a pale, delicate finger pointed to a spot on the document he had just signed.
Her fingers weren’t as smooth as those of most young women; they were calloused from hard work.
Liu Yizhou glanced at where she pointed and realized the finance department had made a mistake. Only a professional would have noticed such an error.
This version of Ye Shaohua was different from before. She didn’t cry or ask him why like an ordinary person might. Instead, her cool, almost ethereal demeanor made him take notice.
This momentary distraction kept Liu Yizhou from pulling out the money to end things.
Ye Shaohua walked down the stairs and ran into Yu Zhehan, who had come to check on Liu Yizhou.
“Why are you still here? Didn’t you understand what was said yesterday?” Yu Zhehan’s gaze was sharp as he looked at Ye Shaohua descending the stairs. “You graduated from a prestigious university. Why rely on others instead of standing on your own two feet?”
