Stop Pretending

[Completed] Next up: Boss, Meeting's Over! Scroll down for the blurb~

1.

Jin Taixi's family are part of the demolition-and-relocation crowd.

Ever since she discovered this secret, all she's wanted is to lie flat and collect rent.

Her father watches his good-for-nothing daughter and sighs. "With you acting like this, when will our family go from rich to nouveau riche?"

Jin Taixi sucks on a popsicle while playing a game. "Don't rush. I'll find you a cultured, refined son-in-law who'll marry into the family."

The next day, a man shows up with a rental advertisement in hand.

Tall and upright, he asks politely, "We went to school together. Could you give me a discount?"

Jin Taixi's teeth ache from the popsicle. "Zhou Muye, did your family go bankrupt?"

2.

Jin Taixi was Zhou Muye's classmate for three years. Everyone said he was a lofty plum blossom atop a snowy branch, but only Jin Taixi knew there wasn't a single truthful word in his mouth.

He slept in class yet came first in every subject. In reality, he'd hired eight tutors and studied late into the night.

He got MVP the first time he played a game. In reality, he'd played hundreds of matches on an alternate account and had a 37% win rate.

He sat by the window, quietly reading Kafka, while secretly hiding shojo manga underneath.

He clearly looked down on her, yet when he got drunk, he grabbed her wrist and wouldn't let go, asking, "Do you hate me?"

3.

When the big shot falls, it's only right to pick on him.

Jin Taixi points at the cramped storage room. "This is what you're getting. Take it or leave it. Do the laundry and cooking, and I'll cut the rent in half."

Zhou Muye obediently picks up the mop. "Where should I start?"

Jin Taixi: Poverty really does make a person virtuous.

Later, when he runs into money trouble, Jin Taixi takes pity on him. "Help me put on a good show in front of my dad, and I'll cut your rent in half again."

Zhou Muye immediately calls him Dad, praises his refined literary taste, and chats with him about everything from North Carolina's scenery to the art of the Louvre. They hit it off like old friends.

Jin Taixi: Is it really worth doing all that for such a little bit of money??

When the lease expires, Zhou Muye becomes Young Master Zhou again. Not only does he refuse to leave, he pushes his luck: "It's too cramped for two people in the storage room. Can we move to a bigger one?"

Jin Taixi throws his luggage out the door. "Get out. Don't interfere with me collecting rent!"

Blurb for Boss, Meeting's Over!

1.

Bei Tangxi is one of Xie Zhiyan's eight secretaries, responsible for arranging meetings.

Setting the agenda, sending notices, arranging nameplates, and adjusting the PowerPoint are all part of her job. Fortunately, President Xie is a man of few words and hates long, pointless meetings.

But lately, he's been holding more and more meetings: eight a day, one right after another.

By evening, after a long day's work, Bei Tangxi is exhausted and ready to go eat some barbecue.

Then President Xie's profile picture lights up again: "Get a meeting ready."

Cursing as she replies, Bei Tangxi asks, "Sure, boss. Who needs to attend? What's the agenda?"

"You."

Assuming he hasn't finished his message, Bei Tangxi responds, "I'm listening, boss. Go ahead."

"A date."

Bei Tangxi gets to her feet and kicks over her chair.

Damn it, I can't do this job anymore! Meeting's over!

2.

Xie Zhiyan has eight secretaries, each with their own responsibilities, and everything runs smoothly.

But the new girl doesn't seem to know her place. She keeps trying to get his attention. Later, he decides he can't always leave it to the woman to make the first move, so he asks her out.

And she hands in her resignation on the spot?!

Theme: Work honestly and run a business lawfully.