Chapter 1 The Weird Stranger

In the midst of the bustling J city, a voice plagued Wu Jiayi's brain.

"You would never be good enough," her stepmother's voice screamed inside her head, drowning out all her happiness.

After working hard for five years and failing three times, Wu Jiayi finally became a multimillionaire. Her net worth was more than a hundred million dollars. However, her stepmother's words had tossed her into a spiral of self-doubt.

Before Wu Jiayi could address her racing thoughts, she bumped into a lamppost on the sidewalk.

"Pfft," a mocking chuckle said. She looked in the direction of that sound.

It was a handsome Japanese man, dressed in a suit. His chuckle that had turned into laughter was orotund as if it was asking her to take notice of it.

Wu Jiayi looked into his alluring, round-shaped eyes. She could not pull away from them.

"You should look up when walking," the man advised in Mandarin. His tone was suggestive.

"I'm sorry?" Wu Jiayi inquired, and her big doll eyes narrowed slightly in confusion. She was too engrossed in her thoughts to pay attention to the man's intentions. Was he flirting with her, or was he just genuinely advising her? Whatever the reason, Wu Jiayi couldn't care less.

The man clearly detected her lack of interest. "Did she not recognize me?" the man thought to himself.

After waiting for a split second, Wu Jiayi walked away. She had only taken one step when the man abruptly stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Excuse me?" she questioned the man politely.

In response, the man introduced himself in Japanese. Wu Jiayi tilted her head and flashed an unperturbed smile at him.

"I don't really care," she replied monotonously in Japanese and walked away, not giving him a chance to stop her again.

The man was not surprised by her answer; instead, his lips curled up in a mischievous smile.

The exchange with that man from before had shifted Wu Jiayi's focus. She was now wondering why the surname Minami sounded familiar. She knew she'd heard that name before, but she couldn't place it. She didn't get the chance to think more about it as her phone alarm started ringing.

Wu Jiayi had a weak memory. She placed a lot of alarms on her phone with a to-do list to remind her of the tasks she was supposed to do in case she forgot.

It was one of those alarms that started ringing. The alarm was named "Submit my resignation." The ringing reminded her of the reason for her outing.

When she was about to turn off the alarm, her phone rang. It was her manager; she rejected the call. Wu Jiayi was going to see him anyway, so what was the point? She was not going to be labeled a traitor by anyone.

Her dearest stepsister, Wu Xiaoniu, had bribed everyone at the company to treat her like trash.

After a year of abuse, she chose to taint Wu Jiayi's career forever by accusing her of selling information to their competitors. Wu Jiayi never wanted to come back to J City, however, she was forced by her father, Wu Bolin, to leave her successful career as an architect in Japan and work for him in the name of family. If she had not returned, he would have had her maternal grandmother killed. The old lady was the only family she had left in this world.

She tried to rescue her grandmother eight times, but Wu Bolin would tighten the security after every attempt, leaving her with no choice but to bend to her family's wishes.

Wu Jiayi soon reached her destination, Shancun. On the way to the office, she stopped by a local coffee shop and met a strange man. The man only handed her an envelope and left without giving her a chance to express her gratitude.

Wu Jiayi took a deep breath before opening the translucent glass door of her department. Upon entry, she was met with all kinds of looks and whispers.

"Look, isn't this the nepotism baby who couldn't appreciate her father's kindness and chose to jeopardize his business all for her own greed," a woman exclaimed. She was Qi Ru, the manager's sister. She hated Wu Jiayi's guts and always thought of herself as better than Wu Jiayi. She was also responsible for making her experience an absolute hell.

Wu Jiayi's stoic expression, devoid of any emotion, remained unchanged after hearing her poisonous words.

"Is your brother inside".

"Yes, what are you going to do? Seduce him?" Qi Ru mocked her in return.

She looked at Qi Ru as if she were a clown, but she still responded.

"I think you are the expert at seducing people. Your life's only achievement has been sleeping with clients, am I right?" Her rebuttal had started another round of whispering, which surprised Wu Jiayi. She always thought it was obvious.

Wu Jiayi used to speak with facts. She knew that Qi Ru was not the main player, just a pawn being controlled by her stepsister. Hence, she was not going to try and prove her innocence to her, but she was going to make sure that Qi Ru got what she deserved.

"Aren't you going to sleep with a new client today?" Wu Jiayi innocently questioned her. She sounded so concerned that Qi Ru almost fell for it. Qi Ru was at a loss for words and escaped, dressed in a micro skirt. Every time Qi Ru moved, her pink underwear was visible.

Wu Jiayi went to see the manager, Qi Lai. He read the papers carefully. His expression became unsightly by the time he finished reading them. He put down the papers and rested his chin on one hand. His face was ashen with fear.

"Tell me, Wu Jiayi, did I ever bully you in this company?"

"No," she instantly answered.

"Did I ever try to frame you for something you never did?" he interrogated.

"Never," Wu Jaiyi said without hesitation.

Qi Lai was the fairest person in this entire company. He never bullied her or burdened her with a heavy workload. He didn't protect her either, no matter the situation or the people involved, he had always remained impartial. It was because of his impartiality, that her experience was ruined. His impartiality had also landed his sister in the trouble she was in now.

"I will accept your resignation, but I am begging you not to pursue legal action against my sister," he said, placing his hands on the table.

Wu Jiayi was shocked to see a man like Qi Lai beg for a sister who would sleep with any rich man. For a split second, she was envious of Qi Ru. Having someone love her unconditionally was a lifelong dream of hers.

"Ok".

"Make sure your sister stays away from Wu Xiaoniu or else she might get into even worse trouble," Wu Jiayi warned him.

Qi Lai was astonished to see Wu Jiayi take a step back. She did plan on taking legal action but Qi Lai's sincerity moved her heart. Hence, she begrudgingly took a step back.

Wu Jiayi headed off to a restaurant after she was done with Qi Lai. However, life didn't grant her the leisure to eat. Her phone, which was in her back pocket, started to ring.

It was a call from Wu Bolin. Wu Jiayi knew that it sounded like trouble. She fought the urge to ignore it and attended it.

Apparently, they wanted her back home as it was an urgent matter. Wu Jaiyi only acknowledged the part where he said he wanted her home, not the part where he said it was an emergency.