The first time I went to my CEO boyfriend’s house, his mother served me a bowl of premium bird’s nest soup. I took a sip and casually said, “Auntie, this glass noodle soup tastes pretty good.” Instantly, the atmosphere in his living room dropped to freezing. After dinner, my boyfriend, Arthur, walked me downstairs. His tone was as cold as ice: “Chloe, let’s break up. My mom is right. Bringing a woman as uncultured as you out will only embarrass me.” The very next day, he had a high-profile engagement with Elena, a wealthy heiress who matched his social status. My heart turned to ash. I quit my job and went home to help my dad manage his “ordinary” ecological farm. Years later, to secure the exclusive distribution rights for premium organic ingredients, he came to visit in person. Seeing me in a rough linen uniform, brewing tea, his eyes filled with contempt. “Chloe, you’ve sunk so low that you’re serving tea and pouring water here? Looks like you haven’t been doing well since you left me.” He picked up the teacup, blew on it, and slowly lectured me: “There’s a gap between people. Bird’s nest and glass noodles are, after all, not the same thing.” I lowered my head and handed over a freshly brewed cup of Da Hong Pao. He took a sip and frowned: “Why does it taste like rotten wood?” “Mr. Sterling, this is the specially supplied Wuyi Mountain Mother Tree Da Hong Pao. It costs over ten thousand dollars a gram.” He sneered: “Haven’t seen you in a few years, but you still haven’t kicked the habit of bragging. Someone like you only deserves to drink rotten wood.” 1 Three days ago, I was in New Zealand hosting an international summit on the future of agriculture when I received an urgent call from my dad, calling me back. He said he had found a pretty good young man for me. He said the guy had great character and ability, and his family owned the world’s top luxury travel real estate brand, which perfectly complemented our family’s business. “Dad, I don’t want to go on a blind date.” “It’s not a blind date,” My dad chuckled like an old fox on the other end of the line. “It’s a collaboration. Isn’t our farm’s project at the top-tier ‘Cloudscape’ resort about to launch? The Vance family is our biggest partner. You go, just treat it as an early assessment of our partner.” The identity he arranged for me was the resort’s tea master. “Remember, rein in your temper. Don’t scare the guy away.” “Whether it’s a good fit or not, you decide after you see him. If it really doesn’t work out, we don’t have to do the project. My daughter’s happiness is the most important thing.” I agreed. After all, it was about the group’s strategic layout for the next decade; it was right for me to personally gatekeep. But I didn’t expect that before I even met Julian Vance, right after changing into my uniform and getting ready in the tearoom, I’d run head-on into Arthur. He was in a white suit, his gaze firmly locked onto me, a trace of sarcasm hanging on his lips. “Chloe, long time no see.” I nodded, considering it a greeting, and turned to leave. “Stop right there.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it carried an unquestionable tone of command. “Can I help you, Mr. Sterling?” My tone was flat, devoid of emotion. He frowned, his face darkening: “What, it’s been three years since we broke up, and you’re not even willing to pretend anymore?” “Is this your service attitude? What’s your employee number? I want to file a complaint.” I didn’t speak. His gaze swept over my plain linen uniform, and he suddenly smiled. “You don’t even have a nametag. A temp?” “Makes sense. You never had any ambition when you were at the company. If I hadn’t promoted you, you’d still be making PowerPoints at the entry-level.” “Still, managing to sneak into ‘Cloudscape’ as a temp is quite a feat for you.” “Go get your manager. Your service makes me very uncomfortable and has seriously affected my mood.” I tightened my grip on the tea towel. I really wanted to throw the freshly boiled water right onto his arrogant face. But remembering my dad’s instructions, I squeezed out a standard professional smile. “You’re joking, Mr. Sterling. The past few years have been alright. Just flying all over the world for meetings, occasionally a bit tired from jet lag.” “As for ambition? I’m never short on that.” As the sole heir to the Davis Ecological Empire, future head of the world’s largest organic farms and eco-resorts... How could I possibly be content with the status quo? He smirked contemptuously: “Chloe, what kind of global meetings does a temp go to? Three years later, and you’re still so vain.” “Just like back then, when you insisted that bowl of bird’s nest was glass noodles, completely embarrassing me in front of my mom.” “Although our Sterling family isn’t top-tier old money, we’re still respectable. Did we need a girl from an ordinary family like you to keep up appearances? What exactly are you so insecure about?” He was still harping on about that? I took a deep breath, too lazy to explain again: “I was telling the truth.” He stared at me for a long time, his gaze shifting from mockery to disappointment, finally softening into a trace of pity. “Forget it. For someone like you, living in your own fantasies, why should I even hold out any expectations?” He paced to the window, looking out at the misty lake view, his voice carrying a hint of loneliness: “Brew me a cup of tea.” “The most expensive one you have here.” “Put it on my tab. I’ll give you a thousand dollars tip. That’s enough for you to work here for half a month, right?” I didn’t move. He raised an eyebrow, displeased: “What? Not enough? Or are you saying a temp like you isn’t even qualified to touch the most expensive tea leaves?” “Right away, Mr. Sterling.” I turned and went into the storage room, bringing out the Mother Tree Da Hong Pao my dad treasured, prepared specifically to host Julian. I carefully took three grams and brewed it with mountain spring water. When I returned with the tea set, I saw a familiar figure intimately holding Arthur’s arm. Elena. She was dressed in haute couture, the diamond ring on her hand still blindingly bright in the dim light. Seeing me, she exaggeratedly covered her mouth: “Oh my god! Chloe? What are you doing here?!” 2 Her eyes were full of feigned shock: “Weren’t you a white-collar worker in a top-tier office building downtown? Why did you run off to the mountains to be a waitress?” “I remember your family’s financial situation was just average. The salary for this job probably isn’t high, right? Did you run into some difficulties?” I placed the tea in front of Arthur, ignored her, and turned to leave. “Wait.” she called out to me with a drawn-out voice. “I’ll have the same cup, thanks.” I was just about to go get more tea leaves, but she beat me to it, taking off the necklace around her neck and tossing it onto my tray. “Bulgari, limited edition. Only thirty thousand or so. Take it as a tip for your hard work.” I glanced down at it. It was last year’s old model. The boutiques had put it on clearance long ago. I pushed the necklace right back in front of her, saying lightly: “My family’s storage room is full of boxes of outdated styles like this. They’re all gifts from partners. The designs are too old-fashioned; I can’t be bothered to wear them.” Elena was visibly stunned, then she laughed exaggeratedly, leaning against Arthur: “Chloe, this is real gold and silver, not the fakes you used to buy at street stalls.” The contempt in Arthur’s eyes was practically overflowing: “Take it. Selling it will save you a few years of struggle. Elena is kind-hearted; don’t be ungrateful.” “Are you sure you want to give it to me?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. Elena smiled, resting her chin on her hand, her eyes full of condescension: “Of course.” I picked up the necklace and casually tossed it into the bamboo trash can by the window: “Sorry, our resort has a strict policy against accepting any gifts from guests.” “Chloe!” Elena screamed, lunging toward the trash can. She frantically retrieved the necklace and waved it furiously in my face. “A thirty-thousand-dollar necklace, and you just throw it away? Are you crazy? Do you know this could buy several square feet of that rundown house your family lives in?” I looked at her, amused: “Does your heart ache? I can compensate you. But this style is too old; I might have to hunt for it in the secondhand market.” Elena was instantly speechless. Arthur suddenly sneered: “Pretending to be a rich heiress? With what you’re worth, selling yourself wouldn’t even cover the cost!” My expression darkened immediately. “Give me your payment QR code. I’ll have my assistant transfer the money to you right now…” “Enough!” Arthur sharply interrupted me. “It’s fine if you spout this crazy talk in front of me, but if word gets out, people will just think you’re mentally ill.” Elena immediately chimed in. “Arthur, I forgot she had a habit of bragging. It seems to be getting worse now.” She shook her head with feigned magnanimity. “Forget it. Given our status, how can we argue with a crazy person?” Arthur affectionately stroked her hair and cast a sidelong glance at me. “Elena is so sensible. Unlike some people, who are not only poor but also have a foul and stubborn temper.” Elena sighed pretentiously, putting on a look of profound pity. “My dad is very close with your resort’s purchasing director. How about I ask him to see if they can make you a permanent employee?” “No need.” I cut her off flatly. “We’re old colleagues. We used to have a pretty good relationship back at the company.” She waved her hand dismissively. “It’s just a phone call. It’s no trouble.” If she really made that call, my identity would be exposed immediately, and wouldn’t my dad’s plan be completely ruined? Seeing her actually pull out her phone to dial, I grabbed her hand: “I said I don’t need it! Mind your own business!” Even though she used to always drag me along to hang out back at the company. But I’ll always remember, after she saw Arthur’s mother humiliate me, she turned around and spread it through the company in a sympathetic tone: “Poor Chloe, getting rejected the first time she met the parents.” “Arthur’s mom said she was uncultured and not good enough for him.” Even more ironically, right after Arthur broke up with me, he announced his engagement to her on social media. I quit immediately, and she specifically came to see me off. “Chloe, Arthur always felt you weren’t good enough for him. Only someone with a matching family background like mine can help him.” “I wanted to tell you earlier, but I was afraid you’d be sad.” “You know, that bird’s nest incident was just an excuse for him to make up his mind…” I didn’t need her reminder. I had already noticed the ambiguous interactions between her and Arthur, but I just didn’t want to believe it. “Chloe!” Elena’s shrill voice snapped me out of my memories. “How can you be so ungrateful? I’m trying to help you! Do you even know what’s good for you?” Help me? I only saw blatant showing off and humiliation. I looked up coldly: “Is that so? If you keep pestering me, believe it or not, I’ll throw you into the lake outside to feed the fishes right now.” 3 I turned around with a cold face, and Elena’s hysterical screams came from behind me: “Manager! Manager! I want to file a complaint against this waitress! She threatened my personal safety! She’s a lunatic!” Arthur lunged forward and grabbed my wrist hard. “Elena has always been kind and generous. You’ve made her this angry, aren’t you going to apologize?” I was completely enraged. “Arthur, control your fiancée! If she dares to provoke me again, I’ll make her learn the meaning of regret!” Even the old executives who had followed my dad in the group for decades had to be polite to me. Who the hell was Elena, to throw her weight around in front of me? Arthur’s grip loosened slightly: “Who said she’s my fiancée? We’re only engaged.” “Doesn’t matter!” I shook off his hand, enunciating every word. “Control your woman!” Arthur’s face instantly darkened, and he gave a self-deprecating smirk. “Chloe, I fucking shouldn’t have pushed back multi-million dollar contracts just to come here when I saw your picture on the resort’s brochure!” I was momentarily stunned, not understanding what he meant. “Mr. Sterling came all this way just to bring your woman here to humiliate me?” He seemed choked by my words, unable to say a single syllable for a long time. Just as I was about to leave, Elena suddenly rushed up and slapped me hard across the face. “Chloe! You’re just someone who pours tea and water. Tell me, how are you going to throw me into the lake to feed the fishes?” My cheek burned with a stinging pain, making my ears ring. I raised my hand to strike back, but Arthur yanked me into his arms, holding me tight. “You can’t afford to mess with the Smith family.” He lowered his voice near my ear. “Take this slap as an apology to Elena, and leave quickly. I’ll clean up the mess, unless you want to lose this job.” I struggled fiercely: “A mere building materials supplier like the Smith family, what’s there to be afraid of?” With the sheer size of our Davis Group, making the Smith family disappear from the industry was just a matter of one word from my dad. But Arthur held me even tighter: “Chloe, you don’t have the life of a princess, but you have the 'princess syndrome'!” “You’re so arrogant and ignorant, how am I supposed to protect you?” Seeing him holding me so tightly, Elena’s eyes turned red with jealousy: “Where’s the manager? Where is everyone?! This homewrecker not only threatened me, she’s also trying to seduce my fiancé!” Her shrill voice drew the attention of many other guests. “Oh my god, this is the top resort in the country. How can the staff’s quality be so poor?” “I saw it just now. Miss Smith kindly gave her a necklace, and she threw it in the trash.” “A homewrecker and she’s this arrogant? She deserved to be slapped!” Seeing that public opinion was on her side, Elena grew even more arrogant: “Chloe, I’ve put up with you for a long time! Now, do you still dare to be so insolent?” Even if everyone pointed their fingers at my nose and cursed me, I couldn’t care less. Could I really expect this mob to distinguish right from wrong? Arthur held me in an iron grip; I couldn’t move, so I could only use all my strength to kick Elena. Just as the tip of my shoe touched her pant leg, Arthur shoved me away violently, nervously checking if Elena was hurt. I stumbled a few steps and fell heavily to the ground. The crowd looked down at me, pointing. “In broad daylight, a homewrecker dares to hit someone!” “The staff at this resort are completely lawless!” “Complaint! We’re all going to complain. She must be kicked out!” “Fine,” I slowly stood up, brushed the dust off my clothes, and said word by word, “I’ll personally take you to file a complaint against me!” 4 Arthur looked at me in disbelief: “Chloe, can’t you just swallow your pride? Do you know the consequences of a mass complaint?” “You’ll be completely blacklisted from the industry. Let alone a top-tier resort, even a roadside motel won’t hire you.” Having said that, he turned to the crowd and explained: “Everyone, it’s a misunderstanding. She’s just my ex-girlfriend.” “She’s just a bit stubborn, but she really needs this job. Please do me a favor and let this go.” Elena immediately whined in dissatisfaction: “Arthur! Why are you still speaking up for her?” Arthur gently put his arm around her: “Elena, what I admire most about you is your kindness. Unlike her... forget it.” These words seemed to be helping me out, but in reality, every word was degrading me, painting me as a crazy person who couldn’t let go. We dated for two years, and we’ve been broken up for three. His perception of me was still stuck on that ordinary girl who needed his charity and pity. In that moment, I suddenly found it all so incredibly dull. I had plenty of ways to deal with Elena. Why make myself look so pathetic in front of so many people? Elena held Arthur’s arm affectionately, a victor’s smile on her face: “Chloe, with your lowly status, do you really think you can fight me?” “In this resort, even if Julian Vance, the eldest young master of the Vance family, came, he’d have to give my dad some face!” I gave her a cold side-eye: “Is that so? Then I’ll call him right now and ask him exactly who he should be giving face to.” As I spoke, I pulled out my phone, but accidentally pulled out a small spare packet of tea leaves from my pocket, spilling them all over the floor. Arthur looked down, saw clearly what it was, and his face instantly turned pale green: “What you gave me to drink just now... was this?” “Yeah,” I nodded calmly. “Didn’t you say it tasted like rotten wood?” “Chloe!” Arthur suddenly clutched his chest, looking pained. “You know I have a sensitive stomach, I never drink this kind of cheap tea!” “I didn’t know.” It’s been three years since we broke up. Who remembers his delicate ailments? His eyes dimmed, his voice carrying hurt: “Right, you’ve always been so heartless. Just like how you left me back then without any hesitation.” I really couldn’t understand. He was clearly the one who initiated the breakup back then. How did it become my fault now? Before I could sort through my thoughts, Elena started shrieking: “Oh my god! We ordered the most expensive tea, and you actually tried to pass off this street stall garbage on us? How much of the difference did you pocket?” The crowd instantly became restless. “Are we drinking this rotten tea too?” “Claiming to be the number one eco-resort in the country, are they really this shady?” At this moment, the resort’s Operations Manager hurried over with security. Without a word, she had security restrain me, then turned and bowed deeply to the crowd: “Dear VIPs, please rest assured. All the tea at ‘Cloudscape’ is specially supplied organic tea, absolutely no inferior products. We will seriously deal with this employee who brought in outside tea.” “As an apology, all expenses in the tearoom today are on the house. We wish you a pleasant stay.” Her sincere apology caused the onlookers to gradually disperse. I was about to break free from the security guard’s grip, but Elena pushed her luck and continued to press the issue: “Her service attitude is terrible, and she threatened to throw me in the lake. Is that all she gets, a reprimand?” “I demand that she be fired immediately and kicked out of the resort! I don’t feel safe staying in the same place with such a dangerous person.” Saying that, she shot me a mocking look: “It’s the middle of nowhere here. Being kicked out... you’ll probably end up as wolf food in the mountains.” The manager frowned in a difficult position. “Miss Smith, this is private property. It’s very dangerous to kick her out now that it’s getting dark.” Arthur instantly looked displeased: “Elena, stop messing around! Someone could die.” Seeing Arthur getting a bit angry, Elena curled her lip and reluctantly backed down. “Then, at least fire her. That’s not too much to ask, right?” But the manager smiled bitterly: “She’s someone directly arranged by upper management. We... we can’t touch her.” I was completely relieved. It seems my dad wasn’t completely senile yet. He had at least given the people below a heads-up. Otherwise, given the momentum of these people following Elena’s lead, I would have had to suffer a lot of indignity today. Elena sneered disdainfully. “Upper management? You must know my dad, Robert Smith, right? All the building materials for your entire resort are supplied by our family! If you offend me, do you still want to cooperate on the next phase?” “Don’t tell me you can’t touch her. I’ll call my dad right now, let’s see who dares to say ‘no’!” Arthur stopped Elena, who had already pulled out her phone, and frowned, asking: “Who exactly is this upper management? What’s the name?” The manager kept her head down: “I’m truly sorry, Mr. Sterling. The higher-ups specifically instructed not to disclose that.” The security guard pinning me down let go of me discreetly upon hearing this. I smoothed out my wrinkled clothes and somewhat messy hair, and calmly dialed a number. Seeing this, Elena aggressively pointed her finger at me, lifting her chin high: “Even if the Jade Emperor himself comes today, I’m making you pack your bags!” At that moment, the call connected. I put it on speakerphone and handed it directly to her: “Why don’t you tell him yourself? Tell him to fire me.”
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