C12 Kneel down and Sing Conquest

Jian Yun stared at the screen, glancing at all the photos Wu Wenjing had secretly taken. Although they weren't very clear, it was obvious that the man in the frame was none other than Liancheng. Even his picture was enough to intimidate the onlookers.

"He's just not my type." She wrinkled her nose, pushing the phone away. Although she had been interested in him at first glance, the man was far too aloof to hold a conversation. "The guy's way too cold, and you should've seen him when he speaks–it's just...it's just outrageous! Before you could have a chance with him, you would've already died of frostbite."

They had already met three times in a span of two days, and she knew for a fact that Huo Liancheng wasn't an easy man to get along with. Coupled with the fact of his status and good looks, he was already way out of her league.

"But you don't understand!" Wu Wenjing crawled up to her bed and placed her hands over her face. She kicked her legs up in the air, and her eyes glistened. "A man like President Huo is like watching a prize from afar–knowing its contents yet still not allowed to take it for yourself. But if you take him for yourself, just imagine the things that the man could do! He could probably buy an entire island for your honor! And imagine what he could do in the bedroom."

Suddenly, the image of Liancheng sprawled across the sheets with muscles out in display scoured through Jian Yun's mind, and her cheeks immediately reddened. The hairs at the back of her neck stood up, and she immediately swatted her friend. "Shut it! You speak as if you know him so well."

Shaking her head, she grabbed a glass of water from her bedside table and took a sip. Although she knew that Wu Wenjing was only saying this to divert her attention, she couldn't help but think of all the events that had transpired from last night.

Yesterday, Luo Yanyan had just told her how Lin Lanlan was back in town. Today, Lin Rong had gone through great lengths just to provoke her mother. It seemed that they were brewing something, one that she didn't want to be a part of.

"Oh yeah! You still haven't told me how you met President Huo!" Wu Wenjing snapped her fingers as the thought occurred to her. "You were talking about how cold he is, and how he speaks. You even have his coat in the wash! Are you enemies or something?"

"Enemies? No! I just met him." She sighed, flinging a magazine at her head. The last thing she wanted to talk about was that jerk.

This time, Wu Wenjing jumped up and dodged the magazine. Without even bothering to hesitate, she tickled her sides. Jian Yun laughed out loud until she was out of breath. Giving up, she finally told her friend everything that had happened the night before.

Once she was finished, Wu Wenjing's jaw dropped. It took her a few seconds to recover before she sighed and shook her head. "I really didn't think you'd have such bad luck on these blind dates," she murmured. "But somehow, I feel like President Huo seems interested in you."

Jian Yun had been drinking water this entire time. Upon hearing her words, she spat right on her face before bursting into laughter.

Wu Wenjing glared at her resentfully.

"I'm sorry!" Yet she looked far from apologetic. Clutching her sides, she bent over as a few chuckles slipped her lips. "It's just–what you've said, it's so ridiculous that it's funny!"

"You're impossible!" She stomped back into the bathroom. Not long after, she headed back into the room and glared at her. "I'm being serious here, and I'm usually right. Besides, I saw the way he acted around you, and it's far different from all the other women in the office. He obviously doesn't see you as just another employee."

Jian Yun stared at her, speechless. "I think you're forgetting the fact that we've just met yesterday, and the fact that I've insulted him right in his face. Bet he treats me as his enemy rather than this co-worker."

"Don't you believe in love at first sight?"

Love at first sight! At the sound of that, she rolled her eyes and giggled. This was already getting even more preposterous by the day. "You want to tell me that President Huo, one of the richest men alive, would fall in love with an ordinary employee like me."

Wu Wenjing nodded seriously.

"God, you're hopeless!" She threw her a pillow. "Do you really think this is some kind of Cinderella story? Should I be expecting a glass slipper now? A fairy godmother, perhaps?"

"Just forget it!" Wu Wenjing collapsed back onto the bed, grabbing the pillow. Although their statuses were different, she believed that love knew no borders. Huo Liancheng could be the richest man on the planet, and cupid's arrow couldn't care less.

Besides, she wasn't blind! The two times Jian Yun had fallen onto Huo Liancheng's lap back at the car, she could see how focused the man had been in gazing down at her. They acted as if they were the only ones in the world, and it was that sight that could make any woman swoon in jealousy.

In this world, absolutely nothing is impossible, especially when it came to love.

The skies had gradually darkened, and silence ensued. Wu Wenjing had already fallen asleep, leaving Jian Yun alone to stare up at the ceiling. Various memories rushed into her mind as she chewed on her bottom lip. Her childhood was probably one of the best times in her life. Her mother was a middle-school teacher, and her father was a businessman. Although her family was as prominent as Liancheng's, she didn't have to worry about food or clothes. For many, she was a little girl living her own fairytale.

However, when she was twenty-one-years-old, she realized that even such fairytales, no matter how bright, could be taken away from her with a single blow.

When Lin Lanlan, her best friend for more than ten years, admitted to being pregnant with Xu Haiyang's child it felt as if her entire world had collapsed all around her. She remembered the tears rushing down her cheeks as she mustered up the courage to even speak.

This was the same woman with whom she had shared her curry, the same woman whom she had treated like family, and she had already turned her back on her. Not only was Lin Lanlan the daughter of the woman who had wrecked her fairytale into two, but she also held a major part in actually tearing her life apart.

It seemed that her life was like one of those reality show reruns.

As Jian Yun was about to fall asleep, she heard two clicks from the door, followed by a pair of footsteps.

"No." Afraid that she would wake Wu Wenjing up, she hurriedly left the bedroom to greet her friend.

Luo Yanyan peered into the bedroom. "Wu Wenjing's here?"

"Yeah, we went out to eat, and by the time we were done, it was already late." A bitter smile threaded across her lips. Well, that was the watered-down truth. However, upon seeing the look on her friend's face, Jian Yun frowned. "Is something wrong?"

Luo Yanyan looked as if she wanted to say something else but later changed her mind. She rubbed the back of her neck. "I was wondering if you'd lend me three thousand dollars," she murmured nervously. "I promise I'll pay you back next month. I just..."

"You don't have to explain it to me. Give me a second." Jian Yun grabbed a hold of her phone and opened one of her apps. "I don't have the cash on me, so is it okay if I transfer it to you?"

"That's fine with me!" Luo Yanyan nodded vigorously. When the amount was deposited, the nervousness in her features had vanished. Instead, an unsettled glint appeared in her eyes. "Thank you so much, Yun. I swear I'll pay you back!"

"It's nothing!" Jian Yun wanted to ask her why she needed the money until she remembered that Luo Yanyan's mother and brother had visited earlier. Of course, knowing them, they must've drained her wallet empty.

If it weren't for those leeches, how could Luo Yanyan, as strong and prideful as she was, ask for money? Jian Yun shook her head in disbelief. Ever since they were university students, she had always seen her friend struggling to make ends meet–both for her tuition and her family's endless wants.

As she watched Luo Yanyan retreat in her bedroom, she leaned back against the wall. There were just some problems where she had to deal with herself. These were unthreaded waters, one that wouldn't always be as smooth sailing as one might wish.

Jian Yun stared out the window as a melancholy smile made its way to her lips. No matter how miserable she felt, there were other people who had it worse than her, and she could only wish that all of them could wave through these murderous waves.