Chapter 4: The Sky is Bigger than the Earth

Zhan Se smiled casually and stopped defending himself.

"Se Se, you really think just because you got first place in the written exam, you're guaranteed a spot? You're too naive. How many number ones have been screwed over?"

Seeing the look of resentment towards society on Du Xiaoren's face, Zhan Se fell silent.

Previously, both of them had taken part in the exam and were listed for the interview together.

For women of humble origins, it was the only direct path to Heavenly Court. However, Zhan Se took the exam to better provide for her family, while Du Xiaoren believed that in a city where a fallen placard could kill nine out of ten people, marrying a wealthy man and entering high society was the most likely bowl of golden rice.

Everyone has their own aspirations. Zhan Se was neutral about her opinion.

No one can predict the future.

"Zhan Se..."

"Hey, Zhan Se!"

"Zhan Se, what are you thinking about?"

Her wandering thoughts, called back to reality by the incessantly chatty Du Xiaoren on the phone, made Zhan Se give a slight 'ah', she stroked the long hair hanging at her forehead before drooping half her face in a mocking expression, "Du Xiaoren, did you find money? What's got you so excited?"

"Ha! Se Se, our good luck is here!"

With half-closed eyes, she picked up a book to cover her face, "What trouble have you caused this time?"

"Girl! A big shot has summoned us!"

The following evening.

Standing naked in front of a simple wardrobe was Zhan Se.

The dim light of the dormitory accentuated her exquisite curves, outlining the form of a soul-sucking vixen. Her bare skin was unbelievably beautiful in the soft light, like a little fairy coated in fine white porcelain glaze— natural, without any need for makeup.

To 'take a knife in the ribs' for her sister, she had to play the supporting role today. Letting her waist-length hair drape loosely, she picked out an extremely simple outfit and dressed in a way that was frustratingly plain. Before leaving, she thought for a moment and donned a large pair of black-framed glasses, covering up the 'vibrant and charming' side of her that she seldom showed to others.

Being low-profile, not stirring trouble, and not relying on looks were her three major principles in life.

The place to eat was called "No.1 Mansion," a membership-only establishment. It was a well-known private restaurant in the city, and its biggest selling point was not the food but the great lengths it went to guarantee the personal privacy of its diners.

A nice place.

A beauty is a beauty, even if Zhan Se dressed plainly and sat modestly, and though she played dumb, she could not escape the naturally beauty-seeking eyes of men. To her left sat this year's deputy head of the HR department in charge of public recruitment—known as Sun Ershou— who, with his beady eyes like surveillance lenses, peered at her every now and then.

"This is... Little Zhan, right? Come on, eat up, have plenty."

"Thank you, leader."

Zhan Se felt uneasy inside, but she had to smile and deal with it.

"Little Zhan is quite good. First place in the written test, a real talent! Very good, very good. By the way, which unit did you apply to?"

"The system." As she glanced at Sun Ershou's wrinkled, orange-peel face, a sour feeling grew stronger in her stomach.

"Oh! The young lady likes such a tough unit?! Hehe, very good, thoughtful. Do you have a boyfriend yet?"

Sun Ershou was interrogative, as if he wanted to dig up her ancestry to the eighteenth generation. Chewing bitterly on the expensive dishes, she felt like she was eating flies. By her ear, Du Xiaoren's repeated 'Uncle Sun, please look after us' nearly made her wish she'd never known her.

Glass after glass, Du Xiaoren that evening was wound up tight, ceaselessly urging her to toast Sun Ershou.

The so-called 'being in a dilemma' described her miserable state perfectly. Not drink? She had to drink a bit to save face since she came all the way. Otherwise, what should she do? She couldn't just abandon Du Xiaoren, could she?

"Little Zhan, work hard, you have a great future ahead! Come, let's do a shot?" The sudden slap on her shoulder startled her. Awkwardly wriggling free from that claw, her mind instantly categorized the man as the typical 'lecherous and greedy' type. How could she dare keep drinking with him?

"No, I can't, leader. Just a sip makes me fall over."

"Zhan Se!"

Du Xiaoren's winking and gesturing were so annoying she genuinely wanted to kick her.

Suppressing the urge to slap her away, she reluctantly downed the drink.

"Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

She really hadn't wanted to come to tonight's dinner, but she couldn't withstand Du Xiaoren's tearful pleading. However, she never expected that man to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, and she had never imagined his audacity could be so great.

Inside the restroom, as she pondered Sun Ershou's micro-expressions, speech, and body language at the dinner table, Zhan Se could roughly guess his sleazy intentions.

But, how could she get rid of the stubbornly persistent Du Xiaoren?

Slapping her forehead, she felt a headache coming on.

One minute...

Two minutes...

About ten minutes later, she found an excuse and returned to the private room with composure. Unexpectedly, just as she pushed the door open, she saw that aside from Sun Ershou, everyone else was gone, even Du Xiaoren who had been indulging in food and drink was nowhere to be seen.

Her heart skipped a beat, and she became alert.

Without time to think further, she turned to leave, but then suddenly her head started spinning.

Done for, something bad was happening!

"Yo, Little Zhan drunk already?! Come in and rest a bit."

Sun Ershou laughed as he quickly reached out to grab her.

A mixture of alcohol and food odors wafted over her, shaking Zhan Se's foggy mind back into a semblance of clarity. Catching sight of the wide sofa in the private room, she panicked and grabbed the door frame with all her strength.

She'd read enough social news on the internet to know what was happening.

But even though she understood what was going on, her tipsy mind couldn't control her own body. A woman's strength was no match for a man's; she could only watch helplessly as he pried her fingers from the door frame one by one.

What to do?

Call for help? Would anyone bother with her?

Call the police? Even if she had the chance to call them now, even if she really did, who would believe she hadn't approached him willingly? Moreover, Sun Ershou was very adept at wielding his political art; he was just 'concerned' about her. Before anything truly bad happened to her, not only would it be useless, but it would also attract unwanted scandal.

Stay calm. She had to stay calm.

Stay calm. Stay calm. No use...

Her legs were weak, her head was dizzy, her eyes were blurry, her body was heating up, and her mind was increasingly difficult to control.

Her fingers finally released the door frame, the last one pried open!