: Paid Consultation

2

Silas Sterling hung up the phone and turned his head. His sharp brows furrowed, and his voice was tense. "What are you looking at?"

My hand trembled.

I hastily made an excuse. "Nothing. I was just going to say that coffee tastes best when you drink it hot."

His cold, heavy gaze swept over my face. "Leave."

"Yes, sir." I exited the office, my expression calm and composed.

The moment I was out, I sprinted back to my own office like it was a hundred-meter dash, shut the door, and locked it.

I pulled up the webpage and quickly found Silas Sterling's post.

I started scrolling through the advice and strategies in the replies.

"Go for it! As long as she's not married, it's not crossing any moral lines."

"What are moral lines? For me, you just have to follow your heart."

"So what if she has a boyfriend? Even if she were married, I could get her to divorce him."

"Is your mouth just for decoration? If you love her, say it! At least you won't have any regrets."

"Set the mood, have a few drinks, get her into bed, and knock her up. Everything else will fall into place after you've slept together."

"To the guy above me, you really know how to have a 'deep' conversation."

I was having a great time reading all of this.

Suddenly, Silas Sterling posted a new comment.

"Are there any relationship experts here? I'm willing to pay for a consultation."

Every fiber of my being lit up.

Silas Sterling... the man at the helm of the Sterling Corporation, the number one family in Kingsford.

'Would a man like that really offer a paltry sum?'

Fun and games are one thing, but you don't joke around when it comes to money.

I quickly registered a new account, created an alias, and transformed myself into a veteran Love Guru.

Then I reached out to Silas Sterling.

Silas Sterling didn't hesitate, transferring a huge sum of money directly into my account.

"Deposit." A single word, concise and to the point, just like the man himself.

"If I succeed in winning her over, there will be a generous bonus."

I counted the four zeros in the transfer amount, and my lips stretched into a grin shaped like the Nike swoosh.

I thumped my chest and made a guarantee.

"Don't worry. Just follow my instructions, and I guarantee everything will sleep into place."

'Crap.' In my excitement, I had typed "sleep" instead of "fall."

My scalp tightened. I instinctively sent a correction. "`Fall` into place."

'Right, we're separated by a screen right now.'

I put my professional mask back on.

"There are four key elements to pursuing a woman. One: A good physical impression. Two: Your speech and demeanor. Three: Knowing how to start conversations based on her interests and hobbies. Four: Using humor."

A moment later, he typed back, "Mm!"

He was always the one giving me orders.

Suddenly, our roles were reversed.

I had to admit, it felt pretty good!

"Alright, let's start with the girl's interests and hobbies. What does she like to eat or drink? Starting from there will make it easier to win her over."

After I sent the message, I waited a long time before he typed back three words: "I don't know."

'Hm.'

'Great!'

'Just peachy!'

'Are you sure you actually want to pursue a woman?'

"Well, you can at least describe her, right? Her appearance, personality, how she dresses?"

This time, Silas Sterling didn't disappoint me.

"Oval face, big eyes, long straight hair. There's a mole near the corner of her eye. When she smiles, her eyes curve into crescents. She's very capable, and when she works..."

He rambled on, sending a huge block of text.

'Looks like he's really fallen for this girl. I've never seen him type so much at once before.'

But... come to think of it...

The girl Silas Sterling was describing sounded a lot like me.

'I was thrilled. My chances of success just got a whole lot better!'

: A Teachable Student

3

I told him, "That kind of girl never needs some grand surprise. What she cares about are the small, subtle moments of warmth in daily life."

"If you want to win her over, you have to get to know her better. Once you know what she likes to eat, what she likes to drink, or the books and movies she usually enjoys, you can tailor your approach. That's how you'll slowly find your way into her heart."

Silas Sterling really was a good student, receptive to advice.

That afternoon, a questionnaire about employees' personal preferences landed in my hands.

Huh?

A jolt went through me.

'The person Silas Sterling likes is in the company?'

'Who is it?'

The gossip fiend in me began to stir.

After quickly filling out my own questionnaire, I made a point of 'caringly' looking over those of my female colleagues.

After all, if I could latch onto that golden thigh sooner rather than later, it would be all pros and no cons for me.

I praised myself internally.

'I'm such a clever little devil!'

For the rest of the afternoon, I was as giddy as someone who held the company's biggest secret.

As quitting time approached, my younger brother sent me a WeChat message.

"Sis, you must be tired after working all day, right? How about I drive over and pick you up personally?"

Tch!

'This kid, trying to play his little games with me.'

'I knew what he was up to the moment he opened his mouth.'

'But I'm in a good mood today.'

"Alright, spit it out. What do you want to eat this time?"

"You get me, Sis. I heard a new private kitchen just opened in North Kingsford. How about we go give it a try?"

'What's the point of earning money?'

'To enjoy a better life, of course.'

I made an OK gesture.

Then I quickly started packing up.

Just as I stepped into the elevator, I looked up and was surprised to see Silas Sterling.

"President Sterling."

I greeted him respectfully and stepped back to stand on one side of the elevator.

"Going home?"

'Huh?'

I froze for a second.

'Since when did Silas Sterling start practicing the art of stating the obvious?'

But, upholding my professionalism as both a good employee and an outstanding love consultant, I knew I absolutely could not let the conversation die.

"Oh, I heard there's a good new private kitchen in North Kingsford. I thought I'd go try it."

"Besides going out to eat, what other recreational activities do you do?"

'Not bad!'

'The boy is teachable!'

'He even knows to practice on someone else first.'

"I'm a bit of a homebody, so I'm not a big fan of overly crowded places. After work, I might occasionally meet up with a friend to grab a bite, see a movie, or go shopping, but most of the time I prefer to be by myself, maybe drinking coffee and reading a book."

Silas Sterling seemed to be listening very intently, nodding from time to time.

To make sure that five-figure consulting fee wasn't a complete waste, I kindly reminded him, "Of course, I'm just one example."

As I walked out of the elevator, I saw my younger brother waving enthusiastically at me from a distance.

Silas Sterling lowered his gaze, his eyes fixed on me. "Is that the 'friend' you mentioned?"

I...

'We're just boss and subordinate. I didn't owe him an explanation.'

: If He Smiles, I'll Lose Weight

4

I hopped on my younger brother's little scooter.

I didn't realize where we were going until we arrived—a Sichuan restaurant.

"Absolutely not!" I put on my sternest big-sister face.

My brother's been suffering from some bad inflammation lately, and Mom strictly forbade him from touching anything spicy.

But when it came to food, my brother had no shame.

He grabbed my arm, shaking it coaxingly, and held up one finger to show his resolve.

"One time. Just this once. I'll listen to you from now on, I swear."

I mercilessly called his bluff. "You made that same promise three days ago."

"Did I? I forgot. Doesn't count!"

"You're pretty casual with your promises." I couldn't help but worry for his future wife.

"But my heart is always true to you."

"Heh. Do you even believe that yourself?"

"Oh, come on, don't be so particular. Life's short; you just have to be happy. And tonight, this place is my happiness." My brother pointed at the Sichuan restaurant. "You wouldn't have the heart to take that away from me, would you?"

He blinked his big, earnest eyes, trying to make me give in.

And, as it turned out, I did give in. "Fine."

A waiter showed us inside.

My brother got up to use the restroom, wanting to make more room for later.

I opened the menu.

I expertly ordered all our favorite dishes.

A dark shadow fell over me from the front.

Puzzled, I looked up.

My gaze traveled up a crisp suit, a strong neck, a sharp jawline, and straight into a pair of deep, dark eyes.

I subconsciously shot up from my seat. "What a coincidence, President Sterling. You're eating here too?"

"You just let him have his way like that?" Silas Sterling's deep voice held a heavy note.

"Huh?" I didn't immediately grasp what he meant by that.

Not until my brother started walking back toward us.

Silas Sterling's gaze fell on my brother.

I let out a dry laugh. "Heh, yeah."

The moment the words left my mouth, the atmosphere around us seemed to shift.

But that wasn't my focus right now.

I was more concerned about my brother.

He was currently giving Silas Sterling a very rude, scrutinizing look, eyeing him up and down, then down and up again.

A cold sweat broke out all over me.

'This damned kid...'

'Doesn't he understand the meaning of politeness and respect?'

Fearing my brother would cause some kind of trouble, I hurriedly introduced Silas Sterling. "This is President Sterling, from my company."

Then I pointed to my brother to introduce him to Silas Sterling. "He's my..."

My brother looked as if he'd just made a monumental discovery.

He pointed at Silas Sterling and turned to ask me, "Is he the 'GrinAndThin' you saved in your phone?"

'Okay, serious question: how many steps would it take to sew this brat's mouth shut?'

'I'm waiting for answers online. It's urgent!'

After clenching and unclenching the hand hanging at my side several times,

I finally managed a stiff smile and turned to meet Silas Sterling's 'eager-to-learn' gaze.

"Heh heh."

"It's a motivational slogan for myself."

'Do you believe that?'

'Well, I believe it, anyway.'

"I want to lose weight, but I've never been able to be strict with myself."

"You're always so serious at the office, I've never even seen you smile."

"So... heh heh, I felt like both things were pretty hard to achieve, so I just combined them on a whim."

I watched the expression on Silas Sterling's face, choosing my words with extreme care.

But alas, the man's facial muscles were too rigid.

I couldn't decipher his current emotional state from his expression at all.

I just felt my scalp tingling, tightening inch by inch.

RING—

Silas Sterling's ringtone saved me.

He took a call, said he had something to attend to, and left.