Enticing Offer

His laughter echoed. "What do you think?"

This made her flinched. She didn't miss the amusement in his voice. Why was he so happy? "Do you like Mr. Quinn?"

"What's not to like?"

Sera widened her eyes. She blinked and blinked again. "You— "

"You silly girl. What are you thinking this time?"

"I just… " She lowered her head, scared that it will show all the mischievous things in her mind. "So… Mr. Quinn is also like you?"

This made Cross silent. "Like me? What do you mean?"

"I mean… is he… you know… does he like men too?"

"Who told you that I like men?" He squinted and laughed. "What are you thinking?"

"Nothing!"

"Oh… wait… I remember seeing some comics in your room before. Was it… some boy's love comics that— "

"Hey! I don't have something like that!" She could feel her face turned hot. "Stop slandering me."

"So, the smart Miss Zhang actually — " Cross didn't have to finish his words. He threw his head back and laughed. "Tell me. What were you thinking?"

"Nothing, alright. It's just some comics plot. You know… the domineering boss who doesn't like other people. A germaphobe CEO that everyone fears. And then… then one day the CEO will meet a nerdy, hardworking man. And they will fall in love. Of course, the question of who gets to stay on top is… hehe…"

"So you have dirty thoughts."

"Hehe…"

"You should stop reading stuff like this."

"Hehe…"

She really wanted to find a hole where she can bury herself. How embarrassing. Sera ignored the weird look he was giving her as she started drinking her own coffee.

"The Quinn Media might find you soon. If my guess is right, they would try to recruit you."

"Oh." She silently thank the gods for making him change the topic. "Not working."

"You are hell-bent on starting your own company?"

She nodded in response.

"Then… do you need my help? I have contacts in some IT companies if you are looking for people to work for you, I can always call them. Maybe they can recommend someone."

"It's fine. I will see my classmates soon. I might be lucky to recruit some of them soon."

"Then how about I invest in your company? Surely you are looking for investors, right?"

"You—?" she eyed him.

"I may not look like it, but I saved all my salary while working in the finance industry. I also have a lot of investments."

"Then, how much are you going to invest?"

"Three million," Cross answered. "Three million RMB should be enough, right? Tell me if you need more."

Sera held her breath. "You have three million?"

"Do you really think I am a poor bachelor? I was preparing this for my wife, alright? You should not fail me. If your company goes bankrupt, I won't be able to marry anymore."

"You—" Sera thought about Cross's lifestyle. The man always rode trains and buses. He doesn't even have his own car. He was living a life like that for his future wife? "Hehe… then… if I go bankrupt, how about I just marry you?"

The smile on his face froze. "You will?"

"I wouldn't be able to pay you if I go bankrupt. But you can always marry me. How about that?" To be honest, he was expecting him to laugh at her joke. Instead, his expression turns serious.

"Alright, I will remember your words."

"…"

...…

After the competition, Sera and Cross went home, and she watched as the latter pack his things for his business meeting. When Sera woke up the next day, Cross was no longer there. She shrugged and decided to find a space that she could use for her new office.

The knock on the door interrupted her.

"Hello, I am Liu Chengyu from Quinn Media, may I come in?"

Sera smiled. "May I know why someone from the Quinn Media wanted to see me?" She didn't invite him in. "Please show me an ID."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Here you go." Liu Chengyu gave a wry smile. In the past, every time he mentions his company, people would act as if he was some celebrity and would never ask for an ID.

"You are a lawyer?" Sera squinted. "Lawyer Liu? The Lawyer Liu?" The man was a very well-known corporate Lawyer. Sera knew this because… well… Hacking is illegal. She needs to know the law, and the known lawyers that she could pay to defend her in case something happened.

"Ah, I remember having some speeches at Bright University before." A cordial smile appeared on his face.

"Please come in…" Sera gestured the middle-aged man inside.

"Thank you, Miss Zhang."

"Would you like some tea? Coffee?"

"Water is fine, thank you."

After giving the man water, Sera sat opposite him and asked, "Can I help you with anything?"

"Well… Miss Zhang, I am here on behalf of Quinn Media. I would like to offer you a job."

"Mr. Liu, I don't understand. I didn't win the competition yesterday. So… I don't think I qualify to work with your company?"

"You were right. However, we are very interested in your skills. Quinn media always valued talents and skills. We already offered another contract to the person who won. But we also wanted to offer you the same thing."

Sera gave a wry smile.

"I understand that Miss Zhang might be hesitant to work with us, but… " Lawyer Liu opened his briefcase and gave her an envelope. "Please take a look."

Sera accepted the folder, expecting it to be an employment contract. She was wrong. "You — These are— "

"A consultation contract." The lawyer smiled. "We don't need you to work with us full time. Just lend us your time. Two hours every day. You will work five days a week. You can see the bonuses is also there. Paid time off and vacations. Health insurance, too. Please take a look."

"This — " Now, this is really making her suspicious. "May I know why you wanted me to work with the company?"

As if sensing her thoughts, Lawyer Liu smiled. "Actually, we don't want you to officially work with us. The position that we are offering is unconventional, to say the least. We want you to take care of the internet. You are a cybersecurity expert, so we wanted your help in scandals and PR. You will be task to investigate the sources of questionable images and videos posted to discredit our artists and fix them. Given your skills, I believe these are considered very simple tasks, no?"

"You only wanted me to work for two hours?"

"Or as long as there is an emergency. If you take a look, the overtime pay is very generous too."

"…" But why her?

"Ah, I know what you are thinking. I know you are curious why we picked you. This is because of your skills. We know that you will be very difficult to track. You can stay in this apartment and do your work, and the world will never know who you are. We have studied your background and we… know that this is your expertise." Lawyer Liu smiled. "What do you think? Do you think this offer is very enticing?"