“Alright, thanks.”

Beside the milk tea shop, a woman held up her phone, looked at the photo she’d taken with Leng Shuang and the other three squatting on the ground, then left in satisfaction.

“Sigh, I don’t even know how many people have come over for photos by now.”

“Well, who told Leng Shuang to blow up overnight~”

The other three looked at Leng Shuang with smiles on their faces.

“Forget that for now. Xiaoqian, Xiaohua, what jobs did you two find?”

Leng Shuang glanced helplessly at the woman who’d just left happily with her photo. He took a sip of milk tea, then asked his two classmates.

“Mm, we checked out two front desk jobs at bars, and one film company. Right now, we like the film company the most. They do photography and video shoots, and they also take modeling gigs and web dramas. Even some movies go to them when they’re looking for supporting roles. The base salary is 5,000 a month, and commissions depend on what jobs you take...”

“Xiaohua and I are both pretty satisfied with it. Even if we just clock in and do nothing else, it’s still 5,000 a month. Not to mention taking jobs. If we pick up a few in a month, our monthly income can hit around 14,000. It’s perfect for two lazybones like us~”

“14,000?!”

Leng Shuang raised a brow, a little surprised. Shanghai had high living costs, so high wages were normal. But light workload and high commission too? That was something else.

“Leng Shuang, don’t look so doubtful. That recent web drama, Addicted to Stock Trading: A Niu, most of the supporting cast and even a lot of the main cast came from that company.”

Addicted to Stock Trading: A Niu... that sounded a little familiar.

Leng Shuang thought back. That web drama had gotten pretty popular not long ago. The production cost wasn’t high, but it blew up all over the internet. It had probably made a lot of money too.

Leng Shuang had watched a bit of it before. The story was decent enough. More importantly, it had a lot of handsome guys and pretty girls. Hearing his classmate explain it now, he more or less understood. That company mainly recruited attractive men and women with good figures, then used looks as their way to make money.

Honestly, that was a pretty good business model. There were plenty of thirsty people in this world. A market for beautiful people definitely existed.

“Leng Shuang, Yumo, what kind of jobs did you two find? Let’s compare.”

The two girls looked at Leng Shuang and Yumo and asked.

Today, they were going to settle on their jobs right here at the milk tea shop.

They’d been spending a bit too much these past few days. Just take milk tea for example. Whenever they had nothing to do, they’d grab a cup. Then one cup turned into another, and before they knew it, they were hooked. A single cup cost over ten, sometimes twenty yuan. In this scorching weather, now that they’d let themselves go a little, they really couldn’t keep their mouths in check.

At the very least, they had to start working before the day after tomorrow. Otherwise, they’d just be eating through their savings. At this rate, they wouldn’t even be able to afford milk tea later.

“Ours were pretty good at first, but compared to your film company, they fall short. We found four jobs. One was a secretary position. The pay was insanely high, and it even came with a huge year-end bonus. But the requirements were good looks, a nice figure, and age between eighteen and twenty-five. The moment we saw that, we felt like... yeah, that job wasn’t exactly proper.”

Yumo gave a dry cough and continued, “Another one was assistant in the materials department at a small company. Mostly helping the department head organize documents. During probation it’s 6,000 a month, then 8,000 after becoming full-time. It includes full insurance and housing fund, plus a year-end bonus. Pretty solid.”

“There was also a high-end restaurant server job. That one’s simple and brainless, really suitable for Leng Shuang... ow! Why’d you flick my forehead? Anyway, the boss personally received us. She said if we joined, we’d only need to carry dishes in the premium section. The salary is 7,500 a month, meals included. Not only is the workload light, it’s only six hours a day! Four days off every month, and overtime is paid separately!”

“The last one was atmosphere crew. Basically nightclub hype staff. Leng Shuang took one look and walked away.”

After hearing that, the two girls exchanged a glance, then looked at Leng Shuang and said meaningfully, “Looks like this world really does run on looks.”

“What does that have to do with looks?” Leng Shuang raised a brow awkwardly.

“I’m telling you, if it hadn’t been you two, that restaurant server job probably wouldn’t be paying that much.”

“Exactly. That’s the truth. When the boss saw Leng Shuang, her eyes practically popped out,” Yumo said while sipping his milk tea. “But she’s actually pretty nice. A bit of an older woman with a young heart, maybe, but she’s straightforward. Not the kind that makes people uncomfortable.”

“So? What are we picking?”

Leng Shuang got straight to the point.

“Xiaohua and I are choosing the film company. If you two want to come too, that’s fine. Leng Shuang is super popular online right now, and companies like that especially love recruiting pretty girls and handsome guys. If you go, your commissions might be really good.”

Xiaoqian looked at the two of them and made the suggestion.

Everyone hoped the four of them could work together. That way they could look out for each other too.

“That kind of work is hard to handle. Modeling and stuff means wearing weird outfits, shooting videos, web dramas, maybe even movies. I don’t think I can do it.”

“Same here. I’ve heard the relationships in that kind of circle can get pretty messy.”

After thinking it over, Leng Shuang and Yumo both turned down the film company proposal.

“Then you two decided on carrying dishes?”

“Yep. No need to use our brains, and the pay isn’t low. The cost-performance ratio is amazing~”

Yumo analyzed it for a moment, then grinned smugly.

“Alright then. Even if we’re splitting up, all our workplaces are still around this area, so it’s not too bad.”

Once they settled on their jobs, the four split into pairs and each contacted their respective bosses to confirm everything.

The next day, Xiaoqian and Xiaohua got up early, put on some makeup, and headed out.

On Leng Shuang’s side, he and Yumo also set off for their workplace.

The one receiving them was still the restaurant owner, a plump middle-aged woman with a warm smile. She looked like the kind of person who was easy to get along with.

Before signing the contract, Leng Shuang remembered what the milk tea shop owner had told him back when he was doing part-time work outside. So he spent a little money and had some online contract reviewers look it over. After they confirmed there were no issues, he signed it.

The work the boss assigned them was simple. Just like she’d said from the start, they were responsible for service in the premium section. None of it was difficult. A little verbal instruction was enough to get them started.

The boss also told them something else. If they worked in the premium section, rich customers might leave tips when they were in a good mood. As long as they talked sweetly enough, they could earn some.

Of course, the tips were paid together with the bill, and the boss would naturally take half.

Even with the tip cut, the two of them were still very happy.

Especially Leng Shuang. He hadn’t even officially started yet, and he’d already decided to work overtime.

Because even without tips, the pay was genuinely high.

On his first day, Leng Shuang was a little slow, but at least he didn’t make any mistakes. And the customers were pretty happy just looking at his face and figure. Sometimes they’d quietly joke around a little. Leng Shuang had run into that before during part-time work. As long as they didn’t go too far, he’d just give them a professional smile and let it pass.

The six-hour shift ran from 10:00 to 13:00 in the morning, and 17:00 to 20:00 in the evening. The hours weren’t bad, and the workload was manageable.

Of course, overtime was also possible. After 20:00, the shift could continue until midnight. If you could handle it, you could even stay until 3 a.m. After all, this was a city that never slept. There were always customers.

But Leng Shuang couldn’t stay up that long. By midnight, he was done.

As for Yumo, that guy just flat-out slacked. For a six-hour workday, he wasn’t willing to do even one extra second.

Several days passed like that. Leng Shuang kept doing overtime every day, while Yumo vanished the moment he clocked out. He was probably out partying like crazy in the sleepless city.

“That guy disappears every single time he gets off work.”

At midnight, the city was still as lively as ever. Neon lights flashed, and outside, plenty of people were still gathered in small groups, chatting and having fun.

After stepping out, Leng Shuang took a deep breath. His head felt a little dizzy.

After four days of overtime, he did the math. Overtime paid 60 yuan an hour, which meant an extra 960 yuan already. That was really high. It was hard to find rates like that elsewhere. Only in Shanghai. And only because his appearance stood out enough to earn that kind of pay.

Leng Shuang had also asked the other male staff working in the same premium section. Their wages were a tier lower than his.

Their base salary was 6,000, and overtime was 50 yuan an hour.

And Leng Shuang knew he brought plenty of value to the boss too. For example, tips. When customers paid through the boss, she and Leng Shuang split them fifty-fifty, with her taking half.

On top of that, because of his looks, more and more people had started coming here to eat.

They called him over to take orders. They called him over to pour drinks. Some even wanted him to sit with them, eat, and chat, offering tips directly offline. Of course, some also occasionally said things with a suggestive edge.

When facing customers like that, Leng Shuang always acted like he didn’t understand what they meant and gave them a professional smile.

He understood one thing very clearly. Once you stepped into society, a lot of things weren’t up to you. Especially for someone like him, with no background at all. When facing powerful people, it was easy to get controlled.

“960 in overtime pay, and over 400 in tips.”

Leng Shuang roughly estimated his earnings. Thinking about how his little wallet was finally getting fatter, his slightly dizzy head felt much more awake.

“Keep it up!”

After sending Lin Mo a little after-work video as his daily check-in, Leng Shuang headed toward Ping River.

Because of where he worked, the way home took him across Ping River Bridge.

Since it was on the way, he could enjoy the night breeze too. It was actually a pretty nice route.

“Hello, I’ve been looking for you for a long time. I’m Miss Qin from 91 Media Company. Here’s my card...”

After reaching Ping River Bridge and strolling while enjoying the sea breeze, he soon ran into another wave of media company people. This one was a tall beauty in a uniform, with very formal makeup.

“Sorry, I’m not interested in doing that stuff.”

Before she could finish listing the benefits, Leng Shuang rejected her outright.

This wasn’t the first time. Ever since that video blew up online, it had spread like a gust of wind, and certain capital-backed companies had caught the scent of traffic. They often came looking for him at this exact spot.

Not long ago, Leng Shuang had already turned down several media companies. On one day alone, he’d even rejected nearly ten of them.

Mado Media, Swag Media, Yiben Dog Media, Owl Media, Tanhua Media, and a bunch of other very popular companies.

Leng Shuang had made his stance clear. He strongly rejected these media companies. He just wanted to live as an ordinary person.

But those companies still came to him from time to time, hoping to work with him on some earth-shaking, ghost-weeping masterpiece.

After turning down 91 Studio, Leng Shuang kept walking home in the river breeze.

The daytime heat was harsh, so the night wind by the river felt much cooler.

The breeze coming toward him lifted his hair and smoothed the clothes against his body, outlining his perfectly proportioned figure.

On his cold and beautiful face, perhaps because the cool river wind had put him in a good mood, a faint smile curved at the corner of his lips. It was like an immortal from a painting had shed some of his untouchable chill, leaving behind a warmer, gentler smile.

That stunning sight made quite a few people stop and stare. Some went up to strike up a conversation. Others wanted a photo.

He’d gone viral because of one video, but Leng Shuang had chosen not to follow the path of capital and hype. Over the past few days, the people who liked hanging around Ping River Bridge had all seen him reject many studio offers.

They filmed those moments and posted them online, which made a lot of people like him even more. They called him “a beauty untouched by capital” and said, “He has principles of his own.”

Of course, some people said that. But others made malicious guesses too.

“He’s just setting up a bigger game.”

“Who knows, maybe these videos of him rejecting studios are all part of the hype!!”

People argued endlessly online, but when Leng Shuang saw it, he only smiled faintly.

People were always arguing on the internet. But no matter how much they argued, there would never be one unified answer.

As long as it was online, no matter how outstanding someone was, there would always be people jumping out to say they weren’t good enough.

Arguing until your face turned red through a virtual world, all just to make others accept your opinion... that was such a waste of time. Completely unnecessary.

Live your own life, and let others say what they want. As long as it doesn’t affect your life, that’s enough.

But Leng Shuang didn't know this. In the middle of his peaceful life, he'd already caught a woman's attention. From now on, his life and future would both carry her shadow...

Inside a luxury suite at Xihai Tower, after wrapping up the strategic plans for her branch company, Kazue Iinoue lay back on the sofa and sipped expensive red wine. Yet her beautiful phoenix eyes were slightly unfocused.

"What is this feeling? Why do I care a little...?"

Kazue Iinoue set down her wineglass and slowly closed her eyes. She recalled that instant, inexplicable flutter in her heart from a few days ago, when she passed Pinghe Bridge and saw that man.

Her wine-red hair was strikingly vivid. It made her fair skin and cold, breathtaking beauty stand out even more. As she lay on the sofa, her alluring proportions were on full display. Her two long, slender legs were crossed, their graceful lines carrying a faint softness as they stretched outward.

Lying there with her eyes closed, she looked like a gorgeous yet icy queen.

No one knew how much time had passed before Kazue Iinoue slowly opened her captivating phoenix eyes.

"I need to find him. That's the only way I'll know!"