February came to an end all too quickly.
The weather, too, shifted with equal swiftness—gently, subtly. The biting cold of the northern winter had faded, giving way to the soft caress of spring winds brushing against cool skin. Pale pink peach blossoms were hastily blooming, scrambling to flaunt themselves beneath the warm sunlight of spring, as if afraid to miss even a single second of their moment to shine.
The lingering scent of the long holiday still clung to the air, making it hard for people to shake off the festive buzz of the New Year. It showed in their bright expressions and colorful clothing.
But as for Diệp Tĩnh, this kind of weather only made her want to stay buried under a blanket at home.
She let out a long yawn, didn't bother to glance at her pale face in the mirror, quickly dabbed on some muted rose lipstick, grabbed a few random items off her desk, slipped into a pair of worn-out Mary Janes, and dashed out of her cramped 16-square-meter rental room.
This was her fourth year working in Thương City alone.
Even though she was all by herself in this cutthroat city where money could crush you, Diệp Tĩnh found an odd sense of peace.
For the first time in ten years, she finally felt at ease.
The small house back in Province Y was now settled. Her mother loved the quiet life and the kind neighbors there, so she decided to stay for good. Her younger sister, Diệp Huyên, had made it into graduate school and was just one year away from finishing. After that, she was set to stay on and work under her professor at the provincial soil research institute.
Six years of struggling in society, four years of swallowing bitterness in Thương City—all for the sake of securing a stable life for her mother and sister. It was worth it.
She just needed to hang on one more year, and she'd officially become a veteran employee of DTX Group—one of the country's most powerful corporations, ruled by the Dịch family, and ranked in Forbes' Top 100.
To show appreciation for long-term employees, DTX had a tradition: anyone who completed five consecutive years of uninterrupted service would be honored at the company's year-end gala, receiving a commemorative medal and a symbolic reward—either cash or gifts.
Of course, these were just formalities. What Diệp Tĩnh truly had her eye on was something else:
A special five-year employment contract with a 50% salary increase.
Signing that contract meant she no longer had to worry about being fired on a whim. Even if she resigned halfway, the company would still provide a severance package.
Thinking of this, Diệp Tĩnh patted her cheeks to shake off her lethargy, then straightened her back and followed the stream of people into the towering glass revolving doors of the Thần Phong Complex.
She worked as a designer in DTX Group's communications department.
DTX had started in transport and construction, but quickly expanded into multiple fields—biochemistry, electronics, IT, real estate, investment, finance, hospitality, and entertainment.
That meant the communications department was always up to its neck in work, especially when a new product was about to launch. The design team, where Diệp Tĩnh worked, had to sprint just as hard to meet the deadlines set by their counterparts in PR.
Things were already hectic on a normal day—now, the entire building was buzzing with tension. You could feel it in the air.
Why?
Because the official heir of the Dịch family—the only grandson of Chairman Dịch Thiên Khải—had just returned to take over as CEO of DTX, replacing his father after seven years abroad, where he'd been expanding the family's empire across North America.
Since the beginning of the month, department heads had been walking on eggshells. Word was, despite his youth, the new CEO was known for his hardline attitude, sharp decisiveness, and ruthless execution in business. On the negotiation table, he wore a polite smile, but struck like a king of hell—earning him the nickname "Smiling Yama." Half the seasoned businessmen in Thương City got nervous just hearing his name.
Seven years ago, when he was still a young man following Chairman Dịch around, he'd made headlines by crushing a major real estate boss during a bid for land near the Di Dương port—an act that cemented DTX as the king of maritime shipping in Thương City.
Since then, his reputation had soared. Everyone thought the Dịch family would soon hand him the reins, but instead, he chose to go overseas—taking a team of young talents he had trained himself, backed by his grandfather's support—and became a legend for pioneering the company's success in the Western market.
Rumors surrounded this crown prince of the Dịch family like a storm cloud. So when news broke that he was officially taking over DTX, everyone went into a frenzy, scrambling for information and plotting their survival strategies.
Though Diệp Tĩnh was just a low-level designer, she couldn't escape the daily gossip swirling around her, and it left her feeling uneasy.
Chu Anh leaned against the desk with a dramatic eye-roll. "Honestly, stop worrying. You think the CEO has time to notice lowly people like us?"
Lạc Vĩ scratched his head and let out a sheepish laugh. "Yeah, you're right. No point stressing."
Ninh Sương, sitting beside Diệp Tĩnh, leaned over and whispered, "What do you think, Tĩnh?"
Diệp Tĩnh was busy wrapping up her final design file for the communications team. Hearing the question, she glanced up and offered a light-hearted reply: "Clearly, Chu Anh's the only one with any sense around here."
Pleased with the compliment, Chu Anh lifted her nose in pride, then pointed toward an empty desk and said loudly, "Exactly! There are over twenty thousand employees in this company. If the CEO had to meet everyone, he'd drop dead from exhaustion. Obviously, he's only meeting department heads or senior executives."
Everyone in the room knew what she meant. Aside from Lý Minh Viễn, the head of the design department, only Chu Anh had his favor. He shared everything with her, took her everywhere, and even promoted her to Senior late last year, despite her not yet reaching five years at the company.
*A "Senior" is someone with substantial expertise and experience in their field.
Ninh Sương pouted in disappointment. "Honestly, I just want to see the CEO once. I heard he's super handsome."
Diệp Tĩnh joked along, "Just hearing about him makes me curious."
That opened the floodgates. Ninh Sương scooted closer and started whispering excitedly to her.
In truth, Diệp Tĩnh didn't care much about any of it.
But after years of working here, she'd learned how to read the room and go with the flow.
She was just a girl from the countryside, lucky to have landed a job at DTX. In the beginning, many people doubted her qualifications and ability.
But back then, the design team was desperately short-staffed. Diệp Tĩnh had worked as a temp for over a year, and her skills and taste in aesthetics more or less met DTX's standards. More importantly, someone like her—alone, from the provinces, without connections—was easy to deal with and would accept a lower salary than most. That's how this golden opportunity landed in her lap.
Knowing her shortcomings, Diệp Tĩnh forced herself to endure and be patient. She tried to please everyone she could and dodged any traps she saw. All to make sure people saw her as harmless and unthreatening.
Back then, she did every odd job imaginable—buying coffee (over ten cups at once), running errands across a whole kilometer, cleaning desks, organizing cabinets, working overtime to help others, even delivering goods...
All the tasks that the city kids from fancy homes with cozy beds would never dream of touching.
All she wanted was a stable job with a consistent paycheck. Nothing more.
And that's how she managed to survive at DTX for four years.
The chatter in the design department continued all morning, everyone anxiously waiting for the next piece of news...
She was wearing a limited-edition diamond-encrusted smart watch that had just been released at the end of last year.
Anyone looking at the photo could easily tell who it was.
At the recent film awards ceremony, she stole the spotlight on stage with her look—and that very same watch.
Ninh Sương's face went pale. She turned to Diệp Tĩnh. Wasn't this clearly the work of the two of them?
Diệp Tĩnh had been in charge of the product, while Ninh Sương had handled the model coordination.
But now, Ninh Sương didn't dare utter a word. She simply kept her head down, eyes fixed on the floor.
"Why so damn silent? Speak up—who was responsible for this? Don't make me dig through old emails. If I have to, you'd better be ready to pack up and leave."Lý Minh Viễn was still yelling, his voice echoing across the room. No one dared respond, not even with a breath.
Suddenly, the internal phone rang. Chu Anh picked it up, then hesitantly handed it over to Lý Minh Viễn.
"Hello? Yes, sir. I understand. I'll be right there."
His tone on the call was unusually soft and deferential—clearly, the person on the other end outranked him by far.
After hanging up, he stopped shouting. He rubbed his temples and swept a piercing gaze around the room before announcing something that sent shockwaves through everyone:
"The CEO wants the entire design department upstairs to give a full account of this incident—along with the communications team. Get ready."
Just before stepping out of the room, he turned back and shot them all a warning look.
"I'm telling you now—between here and that meeting, you'd better get your stories straight. Don't drag me down with you. And whatever you do, don't piss off President Dịch. I can't cover for any of you."