Sixteen years ago.
Los Angeles orphanage.
The ground was still damp from the recent rain. The air was crisp and refreshing, the lawn glistening with delicate dewdrops, and the flowerbeds exuded the rich scent of earth.
Plop — a pair of polished, exquisite black leather shoes landed in a small puddle, scattering tiny droplets that vanished almost instantly.
A tall man clad in a jet-black trench coat stood with his large hand naturally hanging down. His index finger was tightly grasped by a tender, porcelain-like small hand.
The little girl, no more than six or seven years old, wore a pristine, ethereal white dress. Her fine hair cascaded carelessly over her shoulders, and her yet-to-bloom face bore an exquisite, almost breathtaking beauty.
"Thank you so much for your generous support during our most difficult times," the orphanage director said, tears of gratitude welling in his eyes.
The man smiled gently and patted the girl's head.
"Wanwan, go play for a while. I need to discuss something with the director."
Su Wanwan nodded and walked over to a bench beside the rain-soaked bushes, settling down quietly.
"Your dress is dirty…"
A faint voice came from behind her. Su Wanwan turned to see a girl with two ponytails, dressed in tattered clothes and covered in dirt, cautiously rising from the ground, pointing timidly at the hem of Su Wanwan's dress.
"Yes."
"Are you new here? I can ask the director to let us live together, but you have to play with me."
Su Wanwan explained, "I'm not new. I'm just here to take care of something."
The light in the other girl's eyes instantly dimmed. She fiddled with the soil in silence for a long while before softly replying, "Hmm."
The two fell into a quiet stillness.
After a moment, the man called out to her, "Wanwan, it's time to go."
Su Wanwan sprang up from the bench, sending flecks of mud flying at the edge of her dress.
"I'm leaving. Goodbye."
"Wait… wait!" The girl reached into her tattered pocket and pulled out a handful of candies.
"You're the first person to talk to me, my very first friend."
"The director said good things should be shared with friends."
"You take one."
"I'll take one."
"The last one is yours."
She nervously glanced at Su Wanwan, her sticky little hand rubbing against her pants. The candy had already melted—would she accept such a pitiful gift? It was embarrassing to offer a friend such a shabby present on their first meeting...
Yet Su Wanwan accepted it calmly, without any hint of disdain.
"Thank you."
"N-no… you're welcome! G-goodbye!"
Su Wanwan returned to the man's side and cast a deep glance back at the girl.
…
The red light turned green. The call had ended unnoticed.
Su Wanwan helplessly curved her lips, pressing her temple.
"Oh well, what can I do? After all, I'm the one who brought her out…"
She started the car slowly and drove home.
After a quick shower, Su Wanwan lay down to rest.
She vaguely heard Fu Liangmu return, but drowsiness soon swallowed her last conscious thoughts.
The next morning, the first thing Su Wanwan did at work was hand in her resignation letter.
Having fulfilled her mission and seamlessly infiltrated the Fu Group without raising suspicion, she naturally had no reason to remain.
Ye Nan, upon hearing the news, nearly tumbled off his sickbed in panic.
He hurriedly called Su Wanwan but could not reach her.
Despite his battered state, he took a taxi back to the company.
"Why are you resigning all of a sudden?"
"You've contributed so much to the company, I was planning to promote you to director!"
"Wanwan, can you stay?"
"The company needs you, and so do I…"
Su Wanwan silently handed him the resignation letter.
Ye Nan's heart ached.
"Wanwan."
"I can apologize for what happened before."
"You can be angry with me, but please don't act impulsively."
Su Wanwan replied calmly,
"Do you want me to negotiate with you, or would you prefer someone from the Fu family to come and talk to you in person?"
Hearing her mention the Fu family, the last shred of hope in Ye Nan's heart vanished.
"Actually, this might be for the best. At least now, we owe each other nothing."
Ye Nan gave a bitter smile.
Su Wanwan eyed him suspiciously.
"Have some shame."
What did she owe him? And how could he shamelessly say they owed each other nothing?
Without even gathering her belongings, Su Wanwan grabbed her bag and left.
"Su Wanwan!"
An urgent voice came from behind as she reached the door.
"Are you really leaving?"
Su Wanwan nodded.
Li Manya hurried forward, hesitating to speak. Anyone could see she had something to say.
But Su Wanwan ignored her completely.
"Goodbye."
Li Manya stared at her retreating figure, whispering in disbelief,
"How can she leave so decisively…"
If only she had half of Su Wanwan's courage, she wouldn't have ended up like this.
Su Wanwan hailed a cab and went to the Fu Group headquarters.
The imposing twenty-six-story building radiated authority. Inside, people bustled back and forth, each briskly attending to their duties, the atmosphere of productivity palpable.
Su Wanwan approached the front desk.
"Good day, miss. Do you have an appointment?"
"I'm Su Wanwan, here to see Vice President Cheng."
The receptionist glanced down, then smiled,
"Please proceed to the 24th floor."
"Thank you."
Su Wanwan walked toward the elevator and pressed the button.
Soon, the left elevator arrived, empty. She stepped in and just pressed 24 when a figure barreled in without stopping, colliding into her.
The documents in his hand spilled across the floor with a loud rustle.
Su Wanwan raised an eyebrow and bent down to help him pick them up.
After gathering three or four papers, she noticed something amiss.
Why was the man standing motionless?
"Those seem to be your documents," she said coolly.
The man, about twenty-six or twenty-seven, looked down at her with an air of innate confidence. His chestnut hair was meticulously styled, his expression dark, but a faint, careless smile curled his lips, giving him a sinister aura.
His eyes, narrowed, flickered with probing light, emanating an intense sense of danger.
"Don't you know this elevator is reserved for the president?"
His voice was hoarse and ragged, his brows heavy with menace—clearly not someone to be trifled with.
Su Wanwan replied calmly,
"Before entering, I didn't see any sign stating it was exclusively for the president."
"Besides, are you the president?"
The position of president at Fu Group had remained vacant for years; the patriarch had never granted it to anyone.
The man twirled the ring on his pinky with arrogance.
"I am not the president, but I surpass one."
"You're quite bold for a girl, and quite talkative too."
"Here for an interview, aren't you?"
"No need to waste time going upstairs. I can inform you now that you've failed the interview."
"Wherever you came from, just go back there."