The Vicious, Vain Stepsister (Sixteen)

Jiang Xuefu took the things to the marketing department, only to spot someone she never expected to see there.

"Su Jiu?"

Su Jiu, who had just come out of the manager's office, froze. Instead of answering, she walked in the opposite direction.

She's like a ghost that won't leave me alone. I never thought I'd run into her even while interning at Lu Group.

Su Jiu had majored in marketing management at university. With her senior year approaching, Su Jing had privately sought out Madam Lu and arranged for her to intern at Lu Group.

That morning, Su Jiu had just arrived at her desk when she saw her coworkers gathered together, gossiping. Curious, she went over. "What are you all so excited to talk about?"

Her coworker Zhang Yuanyuan glanced around, then brought her phone over to Su Jiu. "I secretly took this in the parking lot this morning. She should be that legendary fiancée who's been with the boss for five years."

Su Jiu looked down. A tall, handsome man had one arm wrapped around the petite woman in his embrace, while his other hand held a black lady's handbag. The gaze he lowered to her was tender and full of love. Even from the photo alone, one could feel the intimate, sweet atmosphere between them.

The photo was blurry, but the small part of the woman's face that had inadvertently shown and her slender, fair calves revealed what a breathtaking beauty she was.

Seeing that she said nothing, Zhang Yuanyuan couldn't help nudging her. "Xiao Jiu, don't you think so?"

"Huh?" Su Jiu came back to herself. "What?"

"I knew you were too dazzled to speak too. Who could blame you? They're such a perfect match, waah!! Idol dramas can't even compare, okay? And the boss's wife is so gorgeous. The photo doesn't capture her beauty at all!"

Judging by Zhang Yuanyuan's excitement, she was already utterly smitten with Jiang Xuefu, whom she had only seen once from afar.

Su Jiu forced a smile, her enthusiasm low. "Really?"

The memory of that morning gradually faded. Back in the present, Su Jiu silently quickened her pace again.

"Why are you running, Su Jiu?"

Jiang Xuefu called after her again. Su Jiu didn't look back, but the call drew repeated glances from the other employees.

"Isn't that the boss's wife? What's she doing here?"

"Whatever, waah! Having such beauty appear before my eyes is a blessing from heaven!"

"She's so beautiful I could faint, oh my god. I'm starting to envy President Lu..."

Whispers spread among the employees and reached Jiang Xuefu's ears.

The corners of her lips curled up discreetly. She didn't call Su Jiu again; Su Jiu was here, anyway, and couldn't get away.

By the time Jiang Xuefu had finished delivering the things and returned to the top floor, she was in an entirely different mood from that morning.

Now that she'd found something fun, she wouldn't be bored.

Su Jiu was working at her computer when a plump woman suddenly came over with a large stack of documents. "Xiao Jiu, check these, then make ten copies for the meeting later."

"Team leader, but I still have work on my hands?"

"That's fine. Give it to Yuanyuan for now."

Su Jiu's hands paused over the keyboard. There were always people assigned to handle copying and such, so when she was suddenly told to do it, she couldn't help wondering.

As it turned out, Su Jiu was right to wonder.

It was already lunchtime, and her coworkers had all gone downstairs to eat. Only Su Jiu remained at her desk, checking the documents.

A little after eleven, the team leader had brought over another box-a whole large cardboard box of the kind used for holding things.

With that much work, it would probably take her two days to finish on her own, yet the documents were needed today. Su Jiu had no choice but to give up her lunch break, but even that was nowhere near enough.

At the afternoon meeting, the supervisor singled Su Jiu out by name. "Some people need to remember that the company pays you to work, not to sit around eating for free. Su Jiu, why was your work so inefficient today? You alone held up everyone's progress. Don't you feel ashamed?"

Those words left Su Jiu angry and aggrieved. A bunch of Jiang Xuefu's lackeys!

All she wants is to make me submit and beg her. Well, I won't.

Su Jiu thought bitterly. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to finish all the work in the early hours of the morning.

Unfortunately, despite having spent so many years with Jiang Xuefu, Su Jiu had still forgotten that Jiang Xuefu wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted.

It was already the fourth day.

At three in the morning, everyone else had long since left the company. Only one light remained on, where Su Jiu was.

The woman lay slumped over her desk, looking frighteningly exhausted.

She had gone to see the supervisor during the day, but the supervisor had merely given her a calm look and said there was nothing she could do to help. They were only following orders for the sake of their jobs.

But did she really have to submit to Jiang Xuefu?

With that thought in mind, Su Jiu's eyelids grew heavier and heavier. She collapsed onto the desk and fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, Zhang Yuanyuan shook her awake.

"Xiao Jiu? Xiao Jiu? Wake up, it's time for work."

"Hm?"

"Assistant Zhou came by just now and said to go up to the top floor when you woke up."

Su Jiu was instantly wide awake, certain only that Jiang Xuefu had thought of some new way to torment her. But she was still at Lu Group, and it wouldn't do to disobey the boss.

After quickly tidying herself up, she went to the top floor, where she had never been before.

As soon as she stepped out of the elevator, the first thing she heard was a woman's coquettish laughter.

The voice was sweet and lilting, pleasing and alluring, enough to make a listener's bones go soft.

Su Jiu, meanwhile, lowered her head and walked forward without a change of expression.

"Assistant Zhou, did you want to see me?"

"Nope, I wanted to see you."

Jiang Xuefu folded her arms and leaned lazily against the office doorway. "It seems such a waste for Xiao Jiu to be an intern. I specifically mentioned to President Lu that Xiao Jiu could be my assistant. What do you think?"

She kept calling her Xiao Jiu, as if afraid she couldn't disgust Su Jiu enough.

Su Jiu was silent for a long moment. "I'll go to the HR department and resign."

She would rather die than be Jiang Xuefu's assistant and wait on her.

"Oh, is that so? But if you resign, you won't have a job, Xiao Jiu. What if Aunt Su worries?"

Jiang Xuefu spoke unhurriedly, idly winding a lock of her own hair around her finger. "You're all grown up now, Xiao Jiu. Isn't it time you thought of your family? Don't keep making us worry."

She was using Su Jing to threaten her.

"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. Now go make a cup of coffee, then come in and massage my legs."

Having said her piece, Jiang Xuefu turned and went into the office without paying any attention to the still-silent Su Jiu. Su Jiu would obediently do as she was told in the end, anyway.

Zhou He kept his head down and racked his brain. He hadn't offended the president's wife, had he? He had seen everything Jiang Xuefu had done these past few days. Although he also thought Su Jiu had it rough, well, she had offended the wife.

When the wife tormented someone, she really tormented them.

Inside the office.

Lu Zhiyan looked at Jiang Xuefu, who was lying on the sofa and had already started playing on her phone. He smiled dotingly. "Happy now?"

"Happy~ Thank you, hubby~" Jiang Xuefu kept her eyes on her phone and gave him a perfunctory kiss.

She still had to think carefully about how to play with Su Jiu over the next few days.

Seeing how perfunctory she was, the man was naturally displeased.

Lu Zhiyan put down his work, went over to the sofa, and bent down to pick her up.

He set her on the desk, his sexy, thin lips brushing suggestively over her exposed collarbone and stirring ripples.

"Fufu, it seems we haven't tried it here yet."

"No, Su Jiu will be in any minute."

Lu Zhiyan drew a deep breath and buried his head in the crook of her neck. "Then I'll collect a little interest first."

With that, he lifted his head and kissed her. The atmosphere grew intimate and lingering.

Su Jiu, who had just reached the doorway with the coffee, stopped in her tracks. She was about to knock, but the moment she touched the door, it swung open a crack. From her angle, she could see the two of them embracing.

She didn't know whether Jiang Xuefu had deliberately or accidentally left the door unlatched. Su Jiu calmly lowered her eyes, concealing the resentment slowly rising in them.

Why can she always win other people's love so easily? Isn't she just a good-for-nothing with nothing but her looks?