Chapter 4: Work Badge

Su Yu was the top seller in her department. Taking time off was never a problem.

After freshening up at the hotel, she called a car and headed straight to her apartment. It wasn't far from the sales center—ten minutes by car.

Su Yu was twenty-five, three years out of college. She'd been slated for an airline career, but chose real estate sales instead.

Her best friend, Mu Ran, had gone the aviation route—a natural fit for her major. She'd never understood why Su Yu would give up flying to do a high-pressure sales job.

Su Yu had told her at the time: "I don't want to earn flight-hour pay. Word is, sales is where the quick money is."

In truth, she'd been gambling when she said that. She hadn't known if she had what it took to be a good saleswoman.

Reality proved that a beautiful woman could, to a certain extent, open doors. But Su Yu also had a sharp mind and solid people skills to back it up.

She'd joined Hengda Group and stayed three years—rising from green rookie to seasoned elite. Her numbers had been consistently strong, and the company had wanted to promote her to project sales director. She'd turned it down. Su Yu figured managing herself was hard enough; managing other people was beyond her. So she'd let her colleague Chu Yao take the director seat.

With a killer face and killer instincts, Su Yu thrived in the industry.

Back at her apartment, she showered, changed into fresh work clothes, and drove to the office.

She hadn't driven last night—knowing the team dinner would involve drinking.

Arriving at the project site, her first stop, as always, was the restroom to fix her hair.

Chu Yao was just coming out. She spotted Su Yu at the mirror reapplying lipstick and walked over to wash her hands. "You vanished last night. We thought you ran into trouble at the bar."

The comment dragged Su Yu's memories back to the wild, hazy night—

And that face.

Su Yu wiped a stray streak of lipstick from the corner of her mouth with her middle finger, laughing softly. "Maybe I did."

Chu Yao took it as a joke.

She studied Su Yu's reflection in the mirror. "Look at you. Absolutely lethal. If I were a man, I'd pin you down right here."

Su Yu capped her lipstick, smiling seductively. "Yao-jie, want to give it a try?"

Meaning: Go ahead. I dare you.

Chu Yao laughed and cursed. "Get lost. You actually took me seriously."

Chu Yao was her closest ally at the company. The two traded banter whenever they had a free moment.

They walked out of the restroom together. Chu Yao gave Su Yu a swat on the rear. "That face of yours is pure fox-spirit. Clients take one look and want to swallow you whole."

Su Yu waved it off with a laugh. "It's not that bad. I'm a very pure, very kind girl."

"Pfft. Drop the act. That's not what you were saying last night when you were drinking."

"Last night? What did I say last night?" Su Yu played dumb.

The two bantered their way to the front desk.

"Yao-jie, I'm up—my shift."

"Where's your badge?" Chu Yao eyed Su Yu's empty chest.

Meanwhile, Shen Yan had returned to the hotel.

He wanted to see if she was still there.

He pushed open the door to the suite. Empty.

But the rumpled sheets and the wreckage of the room made it abundantly clear what had happened there last night.

He walked to the bed. A faint red stain on the white sheets made his eyes narrow.

"First time, for real?" he murmured to himself.

He'd assumed she was just talking.

As he turned to leave, he spotted something on the floor by the door.

Su Yu's work badge.

It bore her name and her project's name.

"Su Yu. Not a bad name."

He pocketed it with a smile.

Su Yu's missing badge wasn't a catastrophe. She just couldn't figure out whether she'd dropped it at the bar or the hotel.

Chu Yao filed a replacement request with HR on her behalf.

Before clocking out each day, the team held a wrap-up meeting.

Su Yu sat on the sofa, half-listening as her colleagues reported on their day's clients and existing accounts.

She fiddled with a pen, mind elsewhere—replaying scenes from last night on a loop.

That striking, angular face. Those deep peach-blossom eyes. Her heartbeat picked up without permission.

And then, unbidden, the man's voice: "Am I up to it or not?"

Her face flamed. She shook her head sharply, trying to evict him from her brain.

Chu Yao gave her a strange look. "Su Yu, why is your face so red? You feeling okay?"

Su Yu snapped back, forcing calm. "Fine. Just stubbed my toe."

The excuse was pathetic.

Chu Yao: "..."

But since Su Yu had said so, Chu Yao let it drop.

After the meeting, Su Yu grabbed her bag to leave—only for Chu Yao to flag her down.

"Su Yu, hold up." Chu Yao hurried over, thermos in hand.

Su Yu had already slung her bag over her shoulder. She turned, puzzled. "Yao-jie, what's up?"

"The developer has two VIP referrals who need entertaining. Director Zheng wants me to bring you along."

Su Yu frowned slightly, sighing. "Fine. I thought I might get off early today and catch up on my beauty sleep."

So much for that.

Chu Yao looked pained, pressing the thermos against her chin. "Same. My husband already had dinner waiting. Now he's eating alone."

Su Yu got hit with an unexpected mouthful of PDA.

Everyone at the company knew Chu Yao and her husband were sickeningly in love.

"Oh, we know. Your husband adores you."

Su Yu drove her car home, then rode with Chu Yao to the dinner.

The venue was a private kitchen restaurant tucked inside a villa complex in the city center.

Su Yu and Chu Yao had barely entered the private room when the developer's VIP clients walked in behind them.

Chu Yao leaned close to Su Yu's ear, voice low. "Director Zheng said these two are big fish. Land them, and it won't be just two units."

Su Yu murmured acknowledgement.

Sometimes a connected client buys one unit, then brings their relatives and friends—setting off a chain reaction. Nail that chain, and the commissions stacked up fast.

Director Zheng followed the clients in.

"This is President Li and President Chen." He introduced them to Su Yu and Chu Yao.

The two women stepped forward immediately, greeting the men and introducing themselves by name.