After Transmigrating into a Book, I Was Bent by the Villainess (GL) - Chapter 24

Physically and mentally exhausted, Xia Chuci slumped on the table counting rice grains, with no appetite for food.

Su Yiming reached out and stroked her head, the technique identical to petting a cat, and asked, “What’s wrong? Is work not going smoothly? Tell me about it and see if I can help you.”

Xia Chuci sighed, put down her chopsticks, and weakly recounted the setbacks she had encountered during the day.

“No big deal. Eat first. I’ll tell you what to do after you’ve eaten.”

Xia Chuci’s eyes sparkled with surprise and she asked, “Really? You really have a solution?”

Su Yiming picked up a piece of stuffed fried eggplant and placed it in her bowl, saying, “Be a good girl, eat first. If you don’t eat, I won’t tell you.”

Upon hearing this, Xia Chuci immediately returned to her nature as a rice eater (slang for someone who eats happily and heartily) and switched to eating mode.

Su Yiming was very pleased with this. She fed her while accompanying her to eat slowly and deliberately.

While Xia Chuci enjoyed the delicious food, her mind was not idle. She complained to the system: System, a question. As the protagonist’s cheat, how come you are completely useless? The protagonist has to rely on the villainess for help to complete the mission. Don’t you feel ashamed?

System: [……]

If it weren’t for the principle of “the customer is God,” the system really wanted to retort: You, as a protagonist, are everywhere freeloading off the villainess. You don’t feel ashamed, so what does this system have to be ashamed of?

The heroine Xia, completely lacking a sense of shame, happily stuffed herself under the villainess Su’s feeding, then slumped motionlessly on the sofa.

At this moment, a certain system was complaining in a peer chat group: Seriously, it takes all sorts! After working in this industry for so many years, this is the first time I’ve met such an oddball user—incompetent, lazy, and demanding!

Su Yiming, having finished cleaning up the dishes, couldn’t stand it anymore. She pulled her up and took her for a stroll in the community garden downstairs, under the pretext of aiding digestion.

Xia Chuci walked through the garden with her hands behind her back, looking carefree and leisurely, a stark contrast to her listless self from before. This was what Su Yiming admired most about her: her worries came and went quickly, and she was very easygoing.

But the problem still needed to be addressed. Seeing that Xia Chuci had completely forgotten about it, Su Yiming had to initiate the conversation: “Have you thought about why you can’t get them to follow your instructions?”

At the mention of this, Xia Chuci wilted again: “Why would I need to think about that? Of course, it’s because I’m just a small fry. I’m not their leader. Why should they listen to me?”

“That’s one reason. Are there any others?”

Xia Chuci thought for a moment and said uncertainly, “Uh, I don’t know how to socialize, and my relationship with everyone is just so-so?”

“Mm, not bad. You’re quite self-aware. Anything else?”

Xia Chuci became disgruntled. She stopped, put her hands on her hips, and pouted, “Hey, hey! Are you trying to mock me on purpose?”

Su Yiming chuckled, “How dare I? In my eyes, you’re always the best.”

“Hmph, no sincerity. I don’t believe it.”

Su Yiming saw that her pouting lip could practically hang a bottle of oil. She stopped teasing her. If she really made her mad, she’d have to coax her later. Why bother?

She quickly got to the point: “There’s an idiom called knowing people and using them well. To leverage the power of others to achieve your goals, you must first fully understand them.”

“That’s true, but in such a short time, how can I get to know these people? Besides, I don’t run an intelligence agency. Where can I find their information?”

“It doesn’t have to be that complicated. The anniversary dinner isn’t important enough for such a large effort. You only need to divide them using two dimensions, and then apply the right strategy to easily solve the problem.”

Xia Chuci asked curiously, “Huh? Which two dimensions? Is it really that powerful?”

“Of course. Capability and Willingness. With these two dimensions as coordinates, you can divide them into four quadrants. You adopt different strategies based on the characteristics of each quadrant. For example, people with high capability and high willingness can be given authorization.”

Xia Chuci was still half-understanding.

Su Yiming continued, “Li Siyu belongs to this type. She is young but is Minister Liu’s capable assistant. She has rich experience in stage planning and execution. Since she has taken on this task, she will definitely do her best. So, you only need to grasp the big picture. You can safely entrust the control of details to her and fully authorize her.”

“Mm, that part isn’t difficult. The difficult part is people with high capability and low willingness. Minister Dai Xiumei is like this. Her ability to manage the catering for the dinner goes without saying, but she’s not willing, and I can’t do anything about it.”

“For people in this quadrant, you can only persuade them, making them willing to work.”

Xia Chuci said gloomily, “Then how do I persuade her? I can’t offer her any benefits, and I don’t have a relationship with her. Why would she willingly help me?”

“Everyone has something they care about. A minister, especially a management executive with considerable ambition like her, will certainly value what higher-ups think of her. As long as you can make her believe how much the headquarters’ leadership values this dinner, she will naturally know to seize the opportunity to perform well.”

“It’s that simple?” Xia Chuci was skeptical.

“It’s easy in a way, and difficult in another. Dai Xiumei is a smart person. You can’t say it outright, but you have to subtly imply it. She will naturally seize this hard-won opportunity. As far as I know, her transfer to the subsidiary was a forced choice. You can start from that angle.”

“I see. I know what to do now. If I had half your intelligence, I wouldn’t be so helpless when facing such a small setback.”

Xia Chuci’s eyes sparkled, instantly turning into a little fan girl.

Su Yiming smiled, “Don’t underestimate yourself. You just lack experience. You will get better.”

Xia Chuci grinned and nodded shamelessly. She suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, right. Before leaving work, the little sister at the front desk asked me if I could let her help with the dinner preparation. She wants to learn and gain experience. But she’s also a newcomer and has no experience in this area. I was afraid she would mess up, so I didn’t directly agree. What should I do with someone like her?”

“That’s a typical example of high willingness and low capability. Naturally, you shouldn’t turn these people away. You should involve her. You can assign her some simple tasks, but you need to be careful: when you assign the task, you need to be detailed and specific, clearly explaining every step of the execution, and follow up promptly.”

With Su Yiming’s assistance, Xia Chuci suddenly saw the light. She finally found a way to solve the jumble of tasks she previously couldn’t grasp.

It had to be said that Su Yiming was an excellent manager. Thinking that the Su family would eventually fall into her own hands, she couldn’t help but feel nervous. Would she really bankrupt the Su Group?

“Aren’t you curious about how to motivate the low capability, low willingness type?”

“Huh? Don’t you just fire those people?” Xia Chuci said as a matter of course.

“There are quite a few people like this. A significant portion of the grassroots staff belongs to this type. They don’t seek progress, they just drift along, and slack off.”

Xia Chuci looked up at her askance and said dangerously, “I have reason and evidence to suspect you are alluding to me!”

Su Yiming smiled without a word and continued walking forward.

Xia Chuci was so angry that she stomped her foot, gritting her teeth and glaring at the retreating back. She quickly caught up, jumped onto Su Yiming’s back, and shouted, “Take that! The Taishan Press!”

If it were anyone else using this move, Su Yiming would have executed an over-the-shoulder throw with lightning speed, mercilessly slamming the attacker to the ground. But since it was Xia Chuci, it was a different story.

Afraid that she hadn’t grasped securely and might fall, Su Yiming slightly bent her waist, wrapped her arms back, and supported the slipping Xia Chuci. Then, with a smooth scoop, she straightened up and carried the person on her back.

Xia Chuci had originally intended to tackle her to the ground, but Su Yiming had easily diffused it, leaving her at a disadvantage. She immediately felt embarrassed.

What a miscalculation! Su Yiming is trained in martial arts. Even a burly man couldn’t defeat her. Why did I, with my small physique, overestimate myself and rush to be defeated?

Although Su Yiming looked slender and delicate, she was actually well-built. Xia Chuci had once glimpsed her defined abs when she was changing clothes, and her slender arms were quite powerful.

She still remembered when they first lived together, they were playing a game. Xia Chuci lost and was not resigned, so she tickled her. To her surprise, Su Yiming was incredibly strong and easily subdued her.

She still couldn’t forget how she, unable to move at the time, was thoroughly tickled by Su Yiming’s magic claws, making her itch all over, rolling on the bed, and laughing until she couldn’t breathe.

A bloody lesson! Since then, she had never dared to challenge Su Yiming’s strength. Why had she lost her mind today?

Xia Chuci made a final, desperate struggle, shaking twice and saying, “Put me down! Hurry and put me down.”

Su Yiming patted her butt and threatened, “If you don’t behave, I’ll throw you on the ground.”

This finally made Xia Chuci behave. She rested her chin on the other person’s shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and softly pleaded for mercy, “I know I was wrong. I absolutely won’t sneak attack you next time. Be the bigger person and forgive me this time, okay? Please, will you put me down? Hm?”

Su Yiming bounced her up slightly and said helplessly, “Silver-tongued. If there’s a next time, see how I’ll punish you.”

Xia Chuci immediately swore to the heavens, “There will absolutely not be a next time! I promise!”

Seeing that Su Yiming still had no intention of putting her down, Xia Chuci asked, “You’re not going to put me down? Are you planning to carry me back like this?”

“Mm.” Su Yiming continued her verbal attack: “You’re a bit heavier than before.”

“Hmph, you’re the one who made me fat. You’re the last person in the world who has the right to complain about my weight.” Xia Chuci argued logically.

Su Yiming surrendered, “Alright, alright, I won’t complain. You’re plump and feel good to the touch. I like it more.”

Everyone loves beauty. Although Xia Chuci pretended not to care, she secretly began to contemplate dieting.

Of course, dieting was doomed to fail. Su Yiming was doting and permissive in everything else she did, as long as she was happy. But when it came to eating, she was extremely strict, demanding nutritious meals on time.

Xia Chuci had resisted at one point but was ultimately defeated by the temptation of the other person’s delicious cooking.

The grand plan of losing weight was ultimately destined to fail.

The next day, Xia Chuci subtly disclosed a piece of gossip to Dai Xiumei: the administrative manager at the Group headquarters’ contract was about to expire and they did not plan to renew it. The company planned to fill the position internally, selecting a suitable person from the Group’s subsidiaries.

The reason Dai Xiumei was transferred from an administrative supervisor position at the Group headquarters to a marketing manager here was due to her incompatibility with the administrative manager and her lack of promotion prospects.

She had originally intended to endure for two years, and when the subsidiary grew and needed to establish an administrative head position, she could directly transfer back to her old profession.

But now she didn’t have to endure. The opportunity for internal promotion to administrative manager at the headquarters was right in front of her. How could she not seize it firmly?

With the two capable assistants, Dai Xiumei and Li Siyu, Xia Chuci’s work progressed smoothly.

After being busy for half a month, the preliminary preparations were basically in place. Special Assistant Zhang gave her immense affirmation for her work efficiency. This gave Xia Chuci a great sense of accomplishment, and she worked with even more enthusiasm.

Some were happy, others were troubled. While Xia Chuci was enjoying her success, Miaomiao was at a loss. Although she had worked tirelessly, she had ultimately lost her trusted position with Special Assistant Zhang after cleaning up that previous mess.

Today, General Manager Chu Qian came to the subsidiary office. Special Assistant Zhang asked Xia Chuci to brew the tea. Although it was just a trivial task of pouring tea and water, the person she was serving was the General Manager. This was definitely a great opportunity, a perfect chance to become familiar.

Previously, this task was exclusively Miaomiao’s job. Since her big mistake, Special Assistant Zhang had assigned this task to Xia Chuci.

It must be said that the pantry was truly the gathering place for workplace gossip. The young white-collar workers gossiping here were no different from the local old women spreading rumors at the village entrance.

Xia Chuci generally avoided getting involved in such things. Even if she encountered it, she would quietly steer clear. But today, she was caught right in the middle. She couldn’t delay brewing tea for the General Manager, so she was forced to listen to a few sentences while making the tea.

“Have you heard? Miaomiao leaked company secrets and might be fired.”

“Really? No wonder she’s been looking so gloomy recently and ignores everyone.”

“Your news is wrong. I just received news yesterday that Miaomiao hooked up with an executive from a rival company and was secretly helping them poach our clients…”

These people chattered incessantly. Xia Chuci felt a headache coming on. She only wished time would pass quickly so she could finish the tea and leave. Staying in this place of strife would inevitably bring trouble.

Sure enough, Murphy’s Law is only delayed; it never fails to show up.

One of them said, “Chuci, you work with Miaomiao. You must know, right? Which one is the truth?”

Xia Chuci genuinely didn’t know about Miaomiao’s affairs. She never liked prying into other people’s private lives, and she and Miaomiao were frankly not close. Furthermore, even if she did know something, she wouldn’t condescend to gossip with others.

But she wasn’t foolish enough to attract hatred either. She simply gave a perfunctory reply, “Sister, you’re joking. How would I, a newcomer, know these things? You ladies keep chatting. I have to deliver the tea now.”

Xia Chuci hurried out with the freshly brewed tea. When she suddenly saw Miaomiao standing at the pantry door, she nearly dropped the teacup. She steadied herself and smiled at the other person as a greeting.

Miaomiao walked into the pantry with a blank expression. The room instantly fell silent, the awkwardness practically spilling out. Xia Chuci didn’t dare to linger and turned to leave.

With half an hour left before quitting time, Special Assistant Zhang, who had finished her meeting with Chu Qian, came to Xia Chuci’s workstation and instructed her to go in and refill the General Manager’s tea, reminding her, “The General Manager wants to chat with you. Don’t be nervous. Relax.”

Xia Chuci nodded. What was coming would come. This was determined by fate (the plot). No matter how low-key she tried to be, she couldn’t escape the destiny of intersecting with her biological mother.

Chu Qian was born into a scholarly family, a genuine lady from a prominent family. Her facial features were gentle, giving her a benevolent look. She didn’t look like a businesswoman at all.

Whether it was because of her kindness or their bl00d relationship, Xia Chuci felt a genuine sense of closeness to the woman in front of her.

Chu Qian looked her up and down and smiled kindly, “Mm, you’re a good child. Yiming often talks about you.”

Oh wow. Su Yiming actually mentioned her to her family. She was truly flattered.

Xia Chuci replied softly and obediently, “Really? Yiming and I are good friends. I didn’t expect her to mention me to her family.”

“That child has been cold-natured since she was young. It’s rare for her to have a close friend. I hope you’ll bear with her in the future. If she ever makes you feel upset, just come and tell me. I’ll take care of it for you.”

Su Yiming’s character design as the cold and aloof villainess made her slightly isolated personality very normal. It was natural for her to lack close friends, but she had a good mother who understood her nature and valued her feelings.

“General Manager, you flatter me. Yiming is very kind. She usually takes care of me more often. It’s my good fortune to be her friend.”

“Calling me General Manager is too distant. You and my daughter are good friends. Just call me Auntie Qian privately. It’s more intimate.”

Xia Chuci responded with a wide smile.

With the anniversary dinner about a week away, Special Assistant Zhang began to focus on this matter. Fortunately, Xia Chuci had been closely monitoring the situation in the early stages, and everything was progressing on schedule. So, she was only slightly busier than before, not flustered or overwhelmed.

Su Yiming had also been very busy recently. She was gradually becoming involved in the Group’s strategic management, spending most of her time shadowing and learning from the Group Chairman, Su Wenhua. The successor’s transition plan was also progressing in an orderly manner.

This day, Xia Chuci woke up early. Su Yiming was very surprised and asked, “Why are you up so early today?”

Xia Chuci replied while washing up, “Tonight is the anniversary dinner. Since I can’t sleep anyway, I might as well get up and think about if there are any oversights.”

Su Yiming embraced her from behind, looking at her in the mirror, and gently reassured her, “Don’t be nervous. Tonight will definitely go smoothly.”

Having worked hard for so long, and finally about to see the results, and being responsible for such an important project for the first time—she would be lying if she said she wasn’t nervous.

However, Xia Chuci didn’t want her to worry, so she nodded and leaned back a little more. Feeling the solid backing, her fluttering heart slowly calmed down.

She didn’t know when it started, but Su Yiming’s presence gave her a complete sense of security. Thinking of their future antagonistic relationship, Xia Chuci felt distressed and worried.

Su Yiming rubbed her cheek against her side and comforted her, “Don’t worry. I’ll be there tonight too. If there are any problems, we’ll solve them together. How about that, hm?”

The trailing sound of that “hm” was like a feather, gently stroking her heart, quietly stirring up an indescribable emotion.

Xia Chuci attributed this strange feeling to guilt. Not to mention humans, even pet cats and dogs develop affection after spending a long time together.

Her initial intention for being good to Su Yiming was just to cling to her and boost favorability. But Su Yiming’s kindness to her was genuinely treating her as a good friend. Thinking this, she suddenly felt a bit like a scumbag, playing with a little rabbit’s feelings.

Bah! What little rabbit? That was the big villain, the big bad wolf. Xia Chuci, wake up! Don’t be fooled by the illusion in front of you!

The two little people in her mind were arguing, and for a long time, neither side won. Xia Chuci temporarily put it aside. The most important thing was to focus on the present task.

Xia Chuci didn’t need to go to the company today. Instead, she went directly to the hotel where the dinner was being held. She personally went over every detail twice, for fear of missing any step.

At eight in the evening, attendees from various departments began to enter. As the assistant to the chief planner, Xia Chuci had no opportunity to clink glasses with the big business shots. She spent the entire time in the monitoring room, overseeing the progress of the procedures and coordinating all parties.

At this moment, on the main monitor screen, a man was on stage, eloquently discussing the company’s future development. His every gesture exuded an elegant and composed demeanor, yet he did not lose the commanding aura of a business mogul.

This man was Su Wenhua, the Chairman of the Su Group, and also Xia Chuci’s biological father.

Xia Chuci couldn’t help but sigh: That Su Wenhua and Chu Qian could give birth to a novice like Xia Chuci is truly a great waste of such good genes. In contrast, a genius like Su Yiming seems more like their child. Alas~ See how important acquired education is!

Fortunately, every procedure of the dinner was progressing in an orderly manner. With Special Assistant Zhang in charge, and the two experienced and capable assistants, Dai Xiumei and Li Siyu, major blunders at the dinner were unlikely.

Xia Chuci was idly picking at her fingers, worried about her advanced mission.

She couldn’t go to the banquet hall and was confined to this small monitoring room all night. Not to mention getting the attention of the key mission initiator, she probably couldn’t even find his shadow.

“Grumble~” To make matters worse, she had only eaten a small bun for lunch and hadn’t had time to eat anything for dinner. Now, the famished Xia Chuci could only swallow her saliva while looking at the tables laden with delicacies on the screen.

She was probably the most down-and-out and useless person among all the transmigrators. She had no face to show her peers!

Just as she was weakly resting her head on the table, calculating the probability of “accidentally crashing” the banquet hall and bumping into the mission initiator, someone suddenly stroked the unruly cowlicks on her head.

Looking up, it was Su Yiming. Tonight, she was wearing a haute couture gown and had exquisite, appropriate makeup. She was noble and grand yet stunningly beautiful. This was not the demeanor a major villainess should have—she was clearly a major heroine!

Xia Chuci suppressed the envy in her heart and asked, “Why are you here?”

Su Yiming said, “To see you. Have you eaten dinner?”

Before Xia Chuci could answer, her stomach grumbled right on cue. She explained a little shyly, “It was too busy this afternoon. I didn’t have time to eat. Let’s eat after the dinner is over and we go back.”

“Let’s go. I’ll take you out to eat. The catering arranged by Minister Dai is indeed good, pleasing to the eye and the taste buds.”

Xia Chuci stood up, pointing at her clothes, and said, “If I go like this, wouldn’t people laugh at me?”

Everyone in the banquet hall was dressed up and glamorous. Her work attire was completely out of place and did not conform to the dinner’s dress code.

Su Yiming looked as if she had expected this, saying, “Don’t worry. I’m here. I brought clothes for you.”

Ah, ah, ah, ah, what kind of angel is she!

The little person inside Xia Chuci was already jumping for joy.

Su Yiming not only brought her an evening dress but also specifically arranged for a professional makeup artist.

In just about ten minutes, Xia Chuci was completely transformed. Wearing a customized small evening dress, complemented by a fresh and playful hairstyle and makeup, she might not be as dazzling as Su Yiming, but she was elegantly understated, more than qualified to mingle in the banquet hall and eat and drink.

There were rows of long tables on the left and right sides of the banquet hall, laden with delicacies. It had been half an hour since the meal started, but at a glance, the food looked untouched.

However, this was normal. The people attending the banquet were here to socialize. Their attention naturally wasn’t on eating and drinking. They were all holding stemmed glasses, looking for opportunities to network with important figures.

For these young white-collar workers, the biggest gain of the night would be to toast a high-ranking leader, chat briefly with these wealthy and influential people, and perhaps catch the eye of some important figure.

Xia Chuci couldn’t care less about all that. She had only two missions here: one was to fill her stomach, and the other was to find the key mission initiator.

There was still over an hour until the end of the dinner. She unhurriedly took out a plate, took a little bit of everything that looked delicious, filled the plate in less than five minutes, and found an inconspicuous spot to eat heartily.

Su Yiming did not leave her to socialize. Instead, she thoughtfully served her a bowl of soup, saying, “Don’t rush. Eat slowly. I’ll take you to meet some people after you finish.”

“Mm-hmm~ It’s delicious.” Xia Chuci managed to reply while busy eating.

When she was about seventy percent full, Su Yiming said, “Alright, you still have to drink some wine later, so don’t eat too much.” As she spoke, she was holding a napkin, carefully wiping the grease from Xia Chuci’s mouth.

She was too close, and her wiping motion was gentle. Suddenly enveloped by Su Yiming’s unique scent, Xia Chuci felt a little unnerved. She instinctively leaned her head back and whispered, “Mm, got it. Um~ I can wipe it myself…”

Su Yiming placed her left hand on the back of her head, preventing her from leaning back, and carefully wiped her mouth with her right hand, whispering, “Don’t move. It will be done soon. I’m helping you touch up your lipstick.”

Hmm… Well, perhaps she was overthinking things. Her feeling of invasion of private space might just be the negative sensation brought by the major villainess’s inherent powerful aura.

Su Yiming suddenly leaned in, and her lips pressed firmly against Xia Chuci’s. Xia Chuci’s pupils dilated. A loud boom seemed to explode in her ears, her mind went blank, and she was utterly bewildered.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Yiming finally released her. Her fingertip traced the shape of Xia Chuci’s lips, and she said with satisfaction, “Good. The color is even. It looks good.”

“This, this, this…” Xia Chuci’s tongue was tied. She couldn’t even speak clearly. She forced herself to calm down and asked incredulously, “Were we just kissing?”

Given how astonished her expression was, full of disbelief, Su Yiming had to clear her throat to soothe her fragile soul and said, “I didn’t use my tongue, so how can it count as kissing?”

Xia Chuci muttered dubiously, “Is that so?”

She glanced at Su Yiming again. Seeing her clear eyes and serious demeanor, it truly seemed like she had overthought things again.

Female friendships were indeed a bit more intimate than male or mixed-gender friendships. Things like walking hand-in-hand to the restroom or stripping naked to change clothes in front of each other were perfectly normal.

Thinking this way, helping a good friend touch up lipstick didn’t seem like a big deal. It really seemed like she was simply inexperienced and making a mountain out of a molehill.

However, this method of touching up lipstick was certainly unique, unheard of and unseen.

“Then… do you touch up other people’s lipstick like this too?”

“How could I? I only touch up your lipstick.”

“Oh.” Well, then. It seemed she had been presumptuous. Xia Chuci avoided eye contact and said, “Well, you know, I don’t have many close friends, and I didn’t know you could touch up lipstick like this. Sorry, I made a big fuss.”

Su Yiming said magnanimously, “It’s okay. You can’t be blamed.” Then, she seemed to remember something and instructed her, “However, you can’t touch up lipstick like this with anyone else. Not men or women, understand?”

Xia Chuci asked puzzled, “Why?”

Su Yiming said seriously, “Because I only touch up your lipstick this way, so you can only touch up my lipstick this way for me.”

That actually makes sense…

Oh, forget it. Now was not the time to dwell on trivial matters. Finding the key mission initiator was the top priority.

Xia Chuci shook off all the irrelevant thoughts in her head and said, “Then let’s go. Didn’t you say you were going to introduce me to some important figures?”

Most of the attendees today were subsidiary employees. Only a small number, about ten or so high-level executives from the Group headquarters, were invited. These were the key people Su Yiming wanted to introduce her to.

For Xia Chuci, who was somewhat face-blind and had a poor memory, it was just a matter of saying a few formal words of greeting. She completely forgot them afterward, so it could hardly be considered building any good connections.

After introducing the people in the hall, Su Yiming took her to a VIP lounge next to the banquet hall. Two men and one woman were sitting on the sofa, while another man and woman stood behind the sofa holding documents.

She recognized two of the ladies: General Manager Chu Qian and Special Assistant Zhang. The person sitting in the center was Su Wenhua, whom she had just seen on the monitor screen.

According to Su Yiming’s introduction, the man standing behind Su Wenhua was Minister Qin from the Headquarters Legal Department, and the man sitting next to Su Wenhua was Su Wenchang, Su Yiming’s uncle and Su Qirong’s father.

She looked up, and several large, golden, shining words appeared clearly above Su Wenchang’s head: KEY MISSION INITIATOR.

Xia Chuci: “…”

System, this isn’t just cheating; it’s practically Divine Illumination!

However, I like this simple and direct way of prompting. System, keep up the good work!

System: [……]

Since she had found the initiator, the next step was to get his attention.

This Su Wenchang was not a person to be trifled with. In the original novel, this very person was the mastermind behind the swapping of the prince and the commoner drama.

That year, Chu Qian unexpectedly went into premature labor, and Su Wenhua happened to be abroad on a business trip and couldn’t return in time. He could only entrust Su Wenchang, who was in the country, to take good care of her.

That day, Su Wenchang accidentally discovered a newborn abandoned baby in the restroom. An idea immediately struck him. He quickly bribed a nurse to swap the babies while the newborns were being cleaned. Afterward, he smuggled Su Wenhua and his wife’s biological daughter out of the city to dispose of her without anyone knowing.

The key mission was to expose the truth about the swapped daughters and trigger Su Yiming’s villainous transformation. It seemed perfectly logical for the mission initiator to be the mastermind of this event.

Xia Chuci worried about her own intelligence. Not guessing this meant she had a pig’s brain. So, how should she attract his attention next? How did Su Wenchang recognize Xia Chuci’s true identity in the original work?

That’s right, the birthmark.

How could a dog-bl00d Mary Sue novel lack such a secret weapon!

These days, if you didn’t have a special mark on your body, you couldn’t even claim to be a lost pearl of a wealthy family!

If she remembered correctly, she had a pale pink, petal-shaped birthmark about the size of a fingernail behind her right ear. The mark was very faint, and since Xia Chuci usually wore her hair down, very few people knew about it.

But today, to match the style of the evening dress, the makeup artist had given her a refreshing updo. The birthmark behind her ear was completely exposed. Fate is truly helping me!

After concluding the business matters, Minister Qin and Special Assistant Zhang left first, leaving only the Su family and Xia Chuci.

Xia Chuci felt quite constrained. They were a family chatting amongst themselves, and her presence as an outsider felt particularly awkward. She couldn’t contribute to the conversation at all and could only force a polite smile, quietly remaining a transparent figure.

“I heard from Special Assistant Zhang that Chu Ci contributed greatly to the smooth execution of this anniversary celebration,” Chu Qian suddenly shifted the topic to her.

Xia Chuci was momentarily stunned. She quickly said humbly, “Oh no, it was all due to Special Assistant Zhang’s excellent leadership. I was just helping out.”

Su Yiming quickly gave her credit, saying, “She worked overtime every day to make this anniversary celebration successful. She didn’t even have time to stew soup for me. Look, I’ve lost a circle of weight.” After speaking, she didn’t forget to wink at her.

Chu Qian poked her forehead and chuckled, “She’s so busy, and you don’t take good care of her but still ask her to cook for you? How can you be so thoughtless?”

Xia Chuci slightly lowered her eyes and smiled shyly.

Su Wenhua heard this and finally scrutinized the girl in front of him, who was held in high regard by his family. He let out a faint “Oh?” of surprise, then turned to Chu Qian and said warmly, “This child actually bears some resemblance to you when you were young. It seems she is quite fated to be with our family.”

Chu Qian glanced at him and teased, “Are you implying that I’m very old now?”

Su Wenhua was filled with the urge to survive and quickly reassured her, “Haha, my wife misunderstood. In my heart, my wife will always be as vibrant and captivating as ever.”

A faint, embarrassed blush spread across Chu Qian’s face. She said, “Silver-tongued. You dirty old man.”

Su Wenhua and his wife had been married for many years but were still deeply affectionate. Su Yiming was long used to it. She leaned close to Xia Chuci’s ear and whispered to her.

Their conversation, however, caught Su Wenchang’s attention. He curiously observed this girl who was highly regarded by his elder brother’s family.

At this moment, Xia Chuci was turning her head to whisper to Su Yiming. The birthmark behind her right ear was fully visible.

Su Wenchang let out a surprised “Ah!” and stood up abruptly in a flustered manner. Everyone looked at him in confusion.

“What’s wrong?” Su Wenhua asked curiously.

Su Wenchang snapped back to attention and quickly suppressed his panic. He forced a smile and said, “Oh, nothing. I just noticed that Miss Xia has some of my sister-in-law’s charm in her features, and I was a little surprised.”

Chu Qian asked dubiously, “Really?”

Everyone’s gaze focused on Xia Chuci, this time carrying a subtle sense of scrutiny.

This made her feel a little uncomfortable. Xia Chuci smiled and said, “With so many people in the world, it’s normal for people to have some similarities.”