045: Camping Under The Stars? Xia Jian’s Black Stockings In The Workplace?
"View the exclamation point content."
Qi Lin issued the command, and the golden exclamation point expanded, revealing a new dialog box.
[Today is Wang Yunzhi's birthday. Chen Dongxi prepared a special surprise for her: they planned to camp at Mulan Mountain National Park to watch the most beautiful starry sky.]
[In the middle of the night, a strange noise came from outside the tent, waking the two. Chen Dongxi went to check alone and discovered cultural relic traffickers making a trade. Instead of alerting them, he secretly called the police. The police arrived just in time, arrested the traffickers, and Chen Dongxi was awarded both by the police station and the school, leading to a job promotion.]
System: "Ding! Publish the latest mission: disrupt the cultural relic traffickers' transaction and intercept Chen Dongxi's luck. Completing the mission will earn you a large gold treasure box and 10 points of luck."
As expected, this exclamation point didn't disappoint Qi Lin—it was yet another opportunity to intercept Chen Dongxi's luck.
"So, tomorrow is Saturday, and Chen Dongxi has planned a romantic camping trip to Mulan Mountain National Park with Wang Yunzhi to celebrate her birthday."
Qi Lin thought to himself, "Is this the fortune of an A-level protagonist? Even while camping, he stumbles upon cultural relic traffickers and manages to report them without getting caught. It must be his protagonist halo."
But that's fine. Qi Lin had a system, and if there was one thing he excelled at, it was swooping in to take advantage of others' opportunities.
"We can't let Chen Dongxi and Wang Yunzhi get too cozy tonight. I need to prevent Chen Dongxi from going to Mulan Mountain," Qi Lin mused, a smirk forming on his face.
As long as Chen Dongxi didn't show up, Qi Lin could conveniently "run into" Wang Yunzhi at the park. A disappointed wife abandoned by her husband, consoled by a dashing young man—it was a delicious thought.
The award ceremony ended, and Qi Lin's bank account swelled with the 50,000 yuan prize from the school. Adding that to the 60,000 yuan he hadn't yet spent, his net worth was now over 110,000 yuan.
The rest of the morning passed uneventfully, and after school ended at noon, Qi Lin hopped on his motorcycle and headed straight for Xia Jian's workplace.
With only one afternoon left before Xia Jian failed her internship and faced dismissal, Qi Lin needed to act fast.
Xia Jian worked at a place called 'Qingmu Newspaper Company.' Since Qi Lin wasn't an employee, he was stopped at the entrance by security. With no other options, he called Xia Jian.
Being an intern herself, Xia Jian didn't have the authority to let him in, but she rushed down to meet him anyway.
"Ugh, I'm exhausted."
Xia Jian appeared in a professional outfit—a suit and skirt combo, her legs long and slender in black stockings, paired with high heels. It was classic office attire.
Qi Lin couldn't help but admire her appearance, teasing, "I'm not your boss. Why rush down here so eagerly?"
Xia Jian's pretty face flushed with irritation as she glared at him. "You said you were being held up by security! If I'd known you were going to be like this, I wouldn't have bothered coming down."
Qi Lin laughed and threw an arm around Xia Jian's shoulders. "Don't be mad, sis. I've got good news for you."
Caught off guard by the casual gesture, Xia Jian didn't immediately push him away. Her curiosity piqued. "What good news?"
Qi Lin grinned, suppressing a laugh. "Remember when you came over to my house? You promised me Haagen-Dazs and Sichuan skewers once you became a regular employee. Now that your three-month internship is up, shouldn't you keep your promise?"
Xia Jian was speechless, her heart sinking. Qi Lin had a knack for bringing up the most painful topic. She had failed her internship and was about to be fired, and now he wanted to celebrate?
She had been paid during her internship, and while treating Qi Lin to Haagen-Dazs and skewers would be expensive, she would have happily done so. The problem was that she hadn't passed her internship and was about to lose her job. Would this dinner be a celebration or a farewell?
"Sigh… Life in the big city is so expensive. If I fail now, there's no second chance. My parents are waiting for me to send money home, and I can't bring myself to stay at Qi Lin's place much longer."
Xia Jian's family was of modest means. Her parents relied on farming to make a living, and they had borrowed money from relatives to send her to college. She was under immense pressure to succeed.
"Alright, Xia Jian. You promised, and you'll keep your word. You pick the place, and I'll pay for it this time," Qi Lin said with a smile, noticing that her usually fierce demeanor had softened.
Xia Jian's eyes grew red, thinking about her impending failure, but she forced a smile, not wanting Qi Lin to notice her distress.
They headed to Walmart together. Xia Jian picked out a box of Haagen-Dazs while Qi Lin went to order Sichuan skewers from the deli area.
In a little while, he returned with a steaming pot of spicy soup and skewers, ready to treat Xia Jian to a good meal.
"Dingling bell~"
Just as they sat down to eat, Xia Jian's phone rang.
"Who's calling?" Qi Lin asked curiously.
Xia Jian glanced at her phone and looked startled. "Shh! It's my editor-in-chief."
She quickly gestured for silence and answered the call, speaking cautiously. "Editor-in-Chief, what's the matter?"
A cold voice came from the other end. "Xiao Zhang said you went downstairs to meet someone and haven't returned yet."
Xia Jian's tone faltered. "My friend came to see me, so I'm having lunch with him."
The editor-in-chief's voice grew harsher. "Lunch? Do you even have the nerve to eat right now? Today is the last day of your internship. If you don't come back with a solid news story, you're done. Do you understand? Get back here and report immediately!"