Secretly Seducing the Third Female Lead Behind the System’s Back - Chapter 14

Chapter 14: Birthday

After Jiang Yisheng got home, she immediately tapped into Bai Chu’s Moments on WeChat.

She had already braced herself to see nothing there.

But instead, all she saw were promotional posts from Renyuan Company.

Not a single personal post.

Curled up on the small sofa, Jiang Yisheng clicked into each post, checking every image carefully, hoping Bai Chu might appear in one.

Meanwhile, after returning home, Bai Chu habitually opened WeChat and noticed she had 56 notifications in her Moments tab.

All of them were likes from Jiang Yisheng.

Bai Chu tapped on their chat and sent:
“Home safe.”

“Yay, rest early~”
Jiang Yisheng replied instantly, following up with a cute emoji.

Bai Chu locked her phone and lay flat on her bed with her eyes closed for a moment. But when she opened them again, her gaze turned cold and sharp.

She pulled out a second phone from under her pillow, opened her only conversation thread, and typed:
“Any progress?”

…

“The past year has been filled with both opportunities and challenges. It was a year of hard work and determination, a year when all members of Yuyiang Company joined hands to ride the waves together. Now, at this annual celebration, let’s enjoy this moment of honor that belongs to every Yuyiang employee. I’m your host, Lu Yao. I now announce—the annual party begins!”

Thunderous applause broke out.

The lights dimmed. The first performance was a street dance routine. When the stage lights flared, the dancers moved with sharp, dynamic flair, leaving Jiang Yisheng wide-eyed in awe.

She munched on fruit while watching, applauding enthusiastically for every unique act.

After the performances, it was time for the prize draw. Everyone went on stage to redeem their prizes based on the numbers they had drawn.

Zhang Tao won a car.

“What did you get?” Jiang Yisheng asked her.

“Three-year usage rights to a Mercedes GLE,” Zhang Tao read from her prize card.

“Damn…” Jiang Yisheng muttered, glancing down at the laptop she had won, then turned to look at Yu Mushan.

Yu Mushan spread her hands innocently. “Totally fair and square.”

By the time the prize drawing ended, it was nearly 11:50 p.m. Jiang Yisheng looked at the time—already that late.

She glanced around. Everyone was still energized, not the least bit tired.

She nudged Zhang Tao. “Peach, you’re not sleepy?”

“Nope,” Zhang Tao shook her head, catching Jiang Yisheng’s curious look.

Zhang Tao smiled, then leaned in to whisper, “This year’s year-end bonus is double last year’s. No one’s tired.”

Jiang Yisheng nodded. If she were an employee, she wouldn’t be tired either!

At 11:56 p.m., the lights in the venue dimmed again.

Jiang Yisheng turned toward the stage in the dark, waiting for the next act.

Exactly at midnight, the lights came on—and a massive bouquet of flowers appeared before her eyes.

She froze for a second, then turned to see Jiang Hang pushing out a cake while Yu Mushan gently placed a birthday hat on her head.

The entire venue broke into a chorus of “Happy Birthday.” Jiang Yisheng stood dazed—she had forgotten it was January 28th, her own birthday.

She looked around at everyone in the venue, at their sincere expressions, and her eyes immediately welled up.

Jiang Hang pushed the cake in front of her and said warmly, “Happy birthday, my precious daughter.”

Yu Mushan lit the candles and smiled. “Make a wish.”

Jiang Yisheng swallowed hard, clasped her hands together, and closed her eyes.

I wish for peace and smooth journeys for everyone in this world.

She opened her eyes and blew out the candles with her parents.

Yu Mushan stroked her head and looked at her tenderly.

She picked up the microphone and addressed the room:
“Thank you all for celebrating my daughter’s 26th birthday with us. As her mother, I’d like to say a few words.”

Jiang Yisheng’s eyes sparkled as she looked at her mother intently.

“From the moment I became a mom, I wanted to give you all the best things in the world. But in the end, I realized—you are the best thing in this world. Your father and I didn’t want to interfere in your life—we wanted to let you be free—but we couldn’t help but worry. We were afraid you’d take the wrong path or get hurt.

“We haven’t always done everything right. We hope you can forgive us. Now that you’re a year older, we hope you continue to enjoy all the beauty this world has to offer. You don’t need to worry about anything else—just be happy. No matter what happens, we will always be here. We will always love you.”

Jiang Yisheng bit her lower lip, tears falling uncontrollably.

She ran into her parents’ arms and hugged them tightly.

“Thank you, Mom and Dad.”

Now, Jiang Yisheng finally had parents of her own.

She cried loudly and without restraint—but all she received in return were gentler comforts.

She never expected the love she’d always lacked would be made up for inside a novel.

Jiang Yisheng devoured her birthday cake, savoring every moment. She smeared cream on her dad’s face, snuck up behind her mom to tickle her—and no one scolded her. Instead, they worried she wasn’t having enough fun.

She had always been an optimistic person. When her cousins bullied her growing up, she told herself, At least I have food to eat. When she didn’t do well on her college entrance exam and only got into a second-tier university, she comforted herself with, At least I can still study what I love. After starting work, even though her salary was low, she could read novels, do what she enjoyed, and still support herself.

She had always been content. Grateful to still be alive.

But she had also compared herself to others, felt disappointed, and complained.

Knowing she wasn’t loved had taught her to love herself even more.

Now, suddenly surrounded by love, she was overjoyed. Even if she wasn’t the “real” Jiang Yisheng, she was truly, deeply happy—and grateful.

That night, she went home with her parents to the old house. She snuggled into bed with her mom, arms around her neck, listening to stories from her youth, and drifted into a blissful sleep.

…

The next morning, after breakfast at home, Jiang Yisheng rushed to wait downstairs at Bai Chu’s company.

She thought she had arrived early, expecting Bai Chu hadn’t come in yet—but just moments later, Bai Chu walked out from the building, not seeing Jiang Yisheng at all.

It was Zhang Tao who reminded her to call out in time.

“Bai Chu-jie!” Jiang Yisheng greeted her eagerly.

With a quick glance, she noticed there was another woman beside Bai Chu—and more importantly, it wasn’t He Youran.

The woman had dyed highlights in her wavy hair, a shiny nose stud, and gave off an unmistakably anti-men vibe.

The smile on Jiang Yisheng’s lips froze. Narrowing her eyes, she immediately sensed something was off.

“President Jiang?” Bai Chu was surprised to see her there so early.

“You’re early to the office today. I thought you hadn’t arrived yet,” Jiang Yisheng said to Bai Chu, though her eyes remained fixed on the other woman.

“Chu Chu, who’s this?” the woman asked, also looking at Jiang Yisheng.

“Let me introduce—this is Jiang Yisheng, General Manager of Yuyiang Company. This is President Xu Hui, GM of Shenghai Company’s France division.”

“Hello, President Xu.” Jiang Yisheng took the initiative to extend her hand politely.

“Pleased to meet you, President Jiang. I’ve heard your name for a long time, but never had the pleasure of meeting you in person until today,” Xu Hui replied graciously.

“You two headed somewhere?” Jiang Yisheng looked at Bai Chu.

“President Xu just got back from abroad. We’re grabbing a meal,” Bai Chu explained.

“Oh, oh.” Jiang Yisheng nodded quickly and enthusiastically opened the car’s passenger door for Xu Hui.

“After you, President Xu,” she said with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“Thank you, President Jiang,” Xu Hui responded, a little flattered.

But when the door opened, Jiang Yisheng didn’t see her plush toy in the front seat. Her smile faded instantly.

Turning to Bai Chu, she asked gently, “Where’s the plush toy I gave you?”

“In the back,” Bai Chu replied, not noticing the shift in Jiang Yisheng’s tone.

“Alright then. Drive safe.” Jiang Yisheng waved cheerfully at her.

As soon as Bai Chu got in the car, Jiang Yisheng ducked into her own and barked, “Quick, follow her!”

…

At the sushi restaurant.

As soon as Bai Chu and Xu Hui sat down, a familiar voice chimed in:
“What a coincidence, Bai Chu-jie!”

Jiang Yisheng acted surprised. “You’re here for sushi too? What are the odds! Mind if we share a table?”

She looked at Xu Hui. “Do you mind, President Xu?”

Xu Hui gave her a knowing look. “Not at all.”

“Great, thanks.” Jiang Yisheng naturally sat next to Bai Chu, opened the menu, and handed it to Xu Hui. “Order whatever you like. No need to be polite with us.”

She already had the air of a hostess.

Bai Chu noticed something strange about that comment, but couldn’t quite place it.

At the table, Jiang Yisheng was diligently attentive—first rinsing utensils for Xu Hui, then for Bai Chu, and finally for herself.

She wasn’t used to raw food, but didn’t want to seem impolite, so she forced herself to eat slowly.

At the wrong moments, Bai Chu could be oddly attentive.

“President Jiang, are you feeling unwell today? You’re barely eating,” Bai Chu asked with concern.

“Nope.” Jiang Yisheng shook her head and popped a piece of salmon in her mouth.

Then she gulped down juice to wash it down.

But she still appreciated Bai Chu’s comment—it made it clear she and Bai Chu often dined together, a subtle signal to Xu Hui.

To mask the taste of the raw fish, Jiang Yisheng added more wasabi, steeling herself before taking a bite.

The second it hit her mouth, she realized—she was not steeled enough.

Tears streamed from her eyes as her face turned bright red.

Xu Hui hurriedly handed her tissues, while Bai Chu rubbed her back and passed her more juice.

“You okay, President Jiang?” both of them asked, worried.

Jiang Yisheng drank deeply, wiped her tears, and croaked, “I’m fine.”

Just then, Xu Hui’s phone rang.

She answered it without stepping away, speaking softly. Though the words weren’t clear, her expression was tender.

When she hung up, Xu Hui looked a little shy and said, “Sorry about that—it was my girlfriend.”

Jiang Yisheng froze, looking at her. “You have a girlfriend, President Xu?”

“Yes,” Xu Hui nodded sweetly, then looked between her and Bai Chu with a teasing smile. “You two…”

“President Xu, try this one—it’s really good!” Jiang Yisheng quickly interrupted, standing up to serve her food.

Xu Hui smiled knowingly but said nothing.

“Why is your face even redder now? Still feeling that spice?” Bai Chu asked, concerned.

“I’m fine. You should eat more too,” Jiang Yisheng replied quickly, her face burning hotter with the shame of being caught in the act.