Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After graduating from college, like most young people, I moved to a first-tier big city to seek opportunities.

G City, this glitzy and glamorous city, is full of bizarre urban myths. For instance, the person walking down the street in flip-flops might be a self-made tycoon.

Or the cleaning lady sweating profusely on the road could be a wealthy landlord who owns multiple properties.

While looking for a job, I rented an apartment in Yuexiu District. My landlords were a simple and honest family of three: a couple and their daughter, who was around my age.

The daughter was an ordinary office worker who left early and came back late every day. It wasn’t until the weekend that I met her for the first time.

Mrs. Lin, the landlady, pulled Lydia Lin to my door and said, "Janie, this is Lydie, my husband and I’s daughter. You’ve been wanting to find a job nearby, right? Lydie can help you with that!"

Lydia Lin was clearly annoyed by her mother’s meddling. "Mom, I’m just a regular clerk. What help could I possibly be?"

Mrs. Lin pushed Lydia Lin into my room. "Whether it works out or not, just take Janie to check it out. If it doesn’t, we’ll think of other ways. Anyway, you have nothing to do at home – take Janie out shopping! Young girls like you should be lively and cheerful."

"Mrs. Lin, I’ll take good care of Lydie," I quickly nodded at her. It wasn’t until I moved in that I found out Mr. and Mrs. Lin, who worked as cleaners, actually owned the entire apartment building.

After Mrs. Lin left, I made a gesture of invitation. "I’ve been here for almost a week, but I still haven’t adjusted to the time difference in the south. Every morning when I get up, you’ve already left for work, and by the time I wander back, you’re already asleep. It’s nice to finally meet you. I’m Jane Cooper."

"Lydia Lin!" Lydia Lin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a white shirt, and a work skirt, stared at me. "I’m just a regular clerk at a company. I really don’t have the ability to help you find a job."

"I’ll start looking for a job on my own once I get over this jet lag in a couple of days. Mrs. Lin’s just being kind – she saw me doing nothing and wanted to urge me to find work soon," I said.

I walked over to a foam insulated box next to my single bed. "I have iced juice and iced coffee. Which one would you like?"

There was no refrigerator in my rented apartment, and I didn’t have much money on me. Besides, I didn’t plan to stay in this rental for long, so I’d come up with a clever way to keep my drinks cold.

"Juice, please!" Lydia Lin said casually.

I handed her a bottle of passion fruit juice.

Holding the cold passion fruit juice, Lydia Lin looked at me in surprise. "Did you already buy a mini-fridge?"

"No, I’m here to find a job, so I need to spend my money wisely," I replied. I took an iced coffee out of the insulated box and opened it for myself. "I bought this foam insulated box from the supermarket owner. Usually, the ice inside stays frozen for a few hours. I buy drinks in the morning, and that way, I have cold drinks at the right temperature all day long."

Hearing my little money-saving tip, Lydia Lin’s eyes lit up with interest. "That’s such a cost-effective and practical idea – and it doesn’t use electricity either."

"And it’s not affected by power outages. It’s just a workaround since I don’t have better options," I told her honestly. This trick was indeed cheap and useful, but it was also the only thing I could do given my circumstances.

Chatting with Lydia Lin made us quickly become familiar. Before long, she happily agreed to Mrs. Lin’s request and said she’d take me to her company on Monday to see if there were any opportunities.

As luck would have it, a clerk at the company had just resigned because she was pregnant, so my arrival filled the vacancy perfectly – and I ended up sitting right next to Lydia Lin.

"You’re so lucky!" Lydia Lin rolled her office chair over and squeezed into my cubicle. "Sister Wen, the one who just resigned, quit all of a sudden – it was totally unexpected."

I replied naturally, "Well, I’ve always been lucky. For starters, I met kind people like Mrs. and Mr. Lin when I rented this place."

What I didn’t mention was that when I went out "wandering" late at night because I couldn’t sleep, I was actually helping the couple clean the streets – not gallivanting around.

"Please, you’ve wrapped my parents around your little finger – they’re practically ready to give you their salary! I’ve never gotten that kind of treatment. I still have to work hard every day," Lydia Lin pretended to complain.

In reality, I’d only helped them sweep the floor once or twice, but the elderly couple had insisted on giving me a portion of their wages, which I’d definitely refused.

I’d come here to change my life for the better, not to swindle money from an old couple.

After spending the weekend together, Lydia Lin and I had become close friends who could talk about anything – it felt like we’d known each other for years. "Once I get familiar with the work process, I’ll help you out more too. I can’t promise anything else, but I’m definitely good at writing official documents and organizing work schedules."

Lydia Lin refused right away, saying the work here was easy and she could handle it effortlessly. The only downside was having to clock in and out every day.

That was one thing I couldn’t help her with – after all, I was also part of the 9-to-5 crowd who had to clock in.

During my days as a clerk, I accidentally found out that the company was owned by one of Lydia Lin’s classmates – a wealthy second-generation kid, and his father had set up the company for him to gain some work experience.