Temptation on the Tip of the Tongue - Chapter 1

In the sweltering heat of June, Beijing felt like a steamer basket.

At noon, the scorching sun blazed overhead, and the lush green leaves that had been vibrant in the morning now drooped listlessly. The few pedestrians on the streets hurried along under their parasols, eager to escape the oppressive heat.

On the 20th-floor balcony of a luxury apartment in the CBD business district, Gu Lansheng leaned against the railing, her back to the sun. Dressed in black shorts and a white T-shirt, her glossy black hair cascaded like ink, shimmering under the sunlight.

With a sullen expression, Gu Lansheng gazed down at the street below, taking a big bite of her vanilla ice cream. The coolness rushed down her throat, sending a shiver through her body.

“If only it would rain,” she murmured to herself, lifting a hand to rub her sun-baked hair, which still radiated heat from the intense rays.

The ice cream vanished between her lips, and after a brief moment of relief, she was immediately enveloped again by the suffocating 39.9°C heat.

Her hair now about 80% dry, Gu Lansheng couldn’t stand the stifling air any longer. She hopped back inside the living room and quickly shut the balcony door, sealing out the heat.

Yet the air inside was still muggy. She hurried into the study, where a wave of coolness greeted her, instantly refreshing her mind and body. She turned on her computer, ready to get down to business—updating her resume and job hunting.

Three months ago, Gu Lansheng had landed a new job with a monthly salary of over 10,000 yuan, working as the Sales Director at Siyuan Technology, a company specializing in intelligent security products. To celebrate her career leap, she had finally splurged on renting a two-bedroom apartment in a prime location. Though pricey, the carefully decorated space exuded a warm, homely vibe, making her feel it was worth every penny.

But the good times didn’t last. Her well-paying job ended abruptly this past Monday.

After the morning meeting, her impeccably suited boss pulled her aside and said apologetically, “Director Gu, you certainly have the skills, but after three months of working together, I personally feel that you aren’t the best fit for this role. As an out-of-town company expanding into Beijing, we’re still learning the ropes. It seems a local Sales Director would better help us quickly establish our market presence. So, we’ll end the probation period today. Does that work for you?”

Gu Lansheng understood the subtext: Your so-called extensive resources turned out to be empty promises. We need fast results, but you haven’t closed a single major deal in three months. How is that acceptable?

At least the company had tried to sound considerate. Gu Lansheng simply replied, “Alright, I understand. Thank you.” The suited man seemed surprised by her humility. “The standard probation period is six months, but since it’s been nearly three, we’ll pay you for the full three months. Maybe we’ll work together again in the future.”

“Sure, thank you.”

The outcome didn’t shock her. Over the past three months, through her deep dive into the company’s platform and products—as well as conversations with colleagues—she had realized that the advertised features of their products didn’t match reality at all.

While some exaggeration in marketing was expected, it should at least be grounded in truth. Yet functionalities like command dispatch, precise positioning, and facial recognition—none of which had even been developed—were boldly claimed to be “100% stable” and “100% reliable” in their promotions…

Gu Lansheng wasn’t afraid of new products lacking a market—she feared products that weren’t good enough. Fine wine needs no bush; as long as there was genuine quality, she was willing to put in the effort. But for Siyuan Tech, the exaggerated claims made her feel guilty when pitching to clients. She had already been hesitating whether to wait a few more months or resign… and fate made the decision for her.

Gu Lansheng decided to polish her resume and rejoin the job-hunting army.

Before Siyuan Tech, she had worked at a Fortune 500 Korean company, crawling at a snail’s pace from a junior sales position to a section chief. In Korea’s hierarchical corporate culture, a section chief was a lower-middle management role. Mid-level management was the hardest—Korean companies had a strong drinking culture, and business trips and overtime were the norm. As a lower-middle manager, Gu Lansheng had to lead by example in everything. Working hard was one thing, but being forced to keep up in drinking was beyond her.

While others improved their alcohol tolerance with practice, hers only worsened—perhaps because she was always inwardly resistant. As her position rose, so did her business trips. Short-term overtime was manageable, but back-to-back trips left her exhausted with no time to recover. For a while, she worried about overworking herself into illness, but she couldn’t bear to abandon the small foothold she’d fought so hard to gain.

Until…

A severe flu nearly left her dead at home with no one knowing. The next day, her company forced her on a business trip. The long-simmering resentment finally boiled over, and she resigned—just months away from a promotion to department head.

Gu Lansheng didn’t want to start from the bottom again, but landing an upper-middle management role at another Fortune 500 company with her current experience was tough. To ensure steady career progression, she chose a startup—Siyuan Tech, which had just bid her farewell.

With Siyuan Tech behind her, Gu Lansheng set her sights back on Fortune 500 companies. Startups were built from scratch, requiring time-consuming groundwork with no guarantee of success. She didn’t want to waste more time—after all, she was nearing thirty.

She meticulously selected Fortune 500 companies, tailoring her resume to each one’s style for the best job fit.

Unemployed on Monday, it was now Thursday. In three days, she’d sent out 15 resumes.

Six responded. After initial phone interviews, four couldn’t agree on salary, one offered only one day off per week, and the last—after an in-person interview—required her to assist a Korean project team upon hiring. Gu Lansheng immediately declined. She wanted nothing to do with Koreans again, especially if another heavy drinker was involved…

In an era where master’s degrees were a dime a dozen, Gu Lansheng knew the job market was tough, but she refused to rush.

Of course, saying she wasn’t anxious at all would be a lie. Beijing’s high cost of living, plus her newly rented apartment… just thinking about it made her wince. Maybe she shouldn’t have splurged. But the cool breeze and thoughtful decor made her feel the move was worth it.

As she logged into the job site, halfway through entering her password, her phone rang.

“Hello, this is the HR department of Huaxin Group.” The sweet voice instantly triggered Gu Lansheng’s mental search mode.

One of the Fortune 500.

A leader in the electronics industry.

Her family’s TV was a Huaxin.

Last year’s bonuses were huge.

…

The problem was, she hadn’t applied to this company. Could there be someone with the same name? Gu Lansheng asked, “May I ask if your company is Huaxin Television…”

“That’s correct, Miss Gu.” The HR specialist from Huaxin Group extended an interview invitation to Gu Lansheng for a marketing-related position. The specific role would be determined based on her performance. The reason for the invitation was: “Huaxin Group has its own headhunting consultants. Your resume was forwarded to headquarters by a headhunter. Would you be available for an interview this afternoon?”

Gu Lansheng took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement. “Yes, I can.” After confirming the exact location of Huaxin Group, she checked the time—11:05 AM.

Showering, makeup, changing clothes… Gu Lansheng calculated the time.

“Would 2 PM this afternoon work for you?” the HR specialist asked while she was still planning.

“Yes, that’s fine.” Gu Lansheng hung up the phone and rushed out of her cool apartment.

From freshening up to preparing her outfit, it took her 30 minutes. Back in her study, she checked the exact location and realized taking the subway might be faster than a taxi—just a short walk from the station.

As someone with a naturally poor sense of direction, leaving early was a basic survival skill for someone like her.

Before heading out, she checked the weather forecast: sunny, with a high of 39.9°C.

Dressed in a white blouse and a pencil skirt, she slipped on her heels and hurried out the door.

There was wind, but it carried waves of heat, nearly flipping her umbrella inside out.

Walking against the wind was a struggle, even though it hadn’t seemed strong from upstairs.

She closed her umbrella and braved the scorching sun, her cheeks flushed and breath slightly labored by the time she reached the subway entrance.

Inside, the cool air was a relief. “So much better,” she sighed.

The next train was due in 5 minutes. She checked the time—almost noon. She’d make it.

But as the countdown hit zero, the screen suddenly jumped to 10 minutes.

Confused, she looked around just as an announcement played: “Subway delay due to technical issues. Repairs underway…”

She asked a staff member, who said, “We’re not sure, but it should be fixed within 5 minutes.”

Should she leave and take a taxi? The thought of the heat outside made her hesitate. She decided to wait a little longer.

Finally, at 12:35 PM, the train arrived—later than expected.

On the subway, Gu Lansheng used her phone to review the interview invitation and familiarize herself with Huaxin Group through their official website. After a quick study session, she closed her eyes to rest, mentally rehearsing potential interview questions.

At 1 PM, she stepped out of the subway. The clear sky had somehow gathered dark clouds, and the wind had grown stronger since she left home.

Worried about being late, she considered hailing a cab. But every driver she asked shook their heads at the mention of “Huaxin Group.” “That area’s a traffic nightmare. You could walk there faster than driving.”

After several rejections, she gave up.

She had wanted a taxi for speed—and also because she was worried… about rain.

Her words and thoughts must have been prophetic. Earlier, she’d wished for rain to cool things down. Now, she feared it.

And just like that, fat raindrops began to fall. She had barely taken a shortcut based on her navigation app when her phone screen was pelted by the downpour.

Damn it! Gu Lansheng couldn’t run very fast in her high heels. Watching the gale sweep up dark clouds, she abandoned her delicate little parasol and looked around for shelter from the rain.

A nail salon had its doors tightly shut, and the staff at a foot massage parlor were closing up. Further inside… Despite the distance, with her 20/20 vision, Gu Lansheng could clearly see the eye-catching promotional poster plastered on the storefront—it was an adult novelty self-service shop.

Without a second thought, Gu Lansheng dashed straight for it. Thankfully, no one was around.

She glanced down at her half-soaked clothes, feeling more frustrated than ever.

Heavens, you must be jealous of my good luck.

Pinching the fabric of her blouse, she flapped it back and forth, hoping it would dry faster. The torrential rain outside would probably let up soon.

Checking the time—1:12 PM—she figured she could still make it if she waited for the rain to stop.

Catching her breath, Gu Lansheng turned around and immediately flushed crimson.

She had only ever passed by such shops on the street, occasionally curious but never daring to enter. Today, “by sheer coincidence,” she had taken shelter here.

Being the only one in the store eased her embarrassment a little, and she stepped closer to browse.

Her face burned, her heart raced, and her eyes widened—the items on sale were far beyond anything she had ever encountered. What does a sexy dress even look like?

Absorbed in her browsing, she suddenly heard a loud bang behind her, followed by the howling wind and rain.

Instinctively, she spun around, her cheeks flushed as she stared at the woman who had just entered. The woman was at least 170 cm tall, with honey-brown wavy hair, oversized black sunglasses covered in water droplets, and a black face mask that concealed her delicate features.

Gu Lansheng immediately felt at a disadvantage—she couldn’t see the woman’s face, but the woman had already scrutinized her from head to toe. Remembering her half-drenched clothes, she crossed her arms over her chest and turned slightly sideways.

Logically, her body language should have been clear enough. Yet, instead of looking away, the woman kept staring shamelessly.

“Hey! What are you looking at?” Gu Lansheng snapped, humiliated and angry. If this were a man, I could sue for harassment!

“How do you know I was looking at you?” the woman countered lazily. Though muffled by the mask, her voice was crisp and smooth—mature, with a hint of sensuality. No, not sensuality… sophistication.

As someone highly attuned to voices, Gu Lansheng found the woman’s tone oddly soothing, delaying her retort by a second. “I saw you checking me out just now.”

“You’re overthinking it.” The woman took a step forward. Gu Lansheng, shorter and feeling the pressure, instinctively retreated. The woman advanced again, forcing Gu Lansheng to shield her chest defensively. “W-what are you doing?” She felt cornered.

At this close distance, Gu Lansheng caught a whiff of the woman’s fresh, floral-fruity perfume—refreshing and pleasant.

Then came an even more captivating sound—a voice as smooth as jade. “I was looking at this.”

What followed was even more startling. The woman raised her arm, reaching past Gu Lansheng’s shoulder to point at the transparent display case behind her.

Gu Lansheng knew she was indicating a specific item, but this position… Was she just pinned against the wall?