"The views on your videos will continue to grow rapidly, so…"He gestured with his finger, signaling for me to hand over my phone.I complied.Mark skillfully tapped on my phone a few times before explaining, "You mentioned that you don't want to run ads, so we'll place links to some of our products on your homepage instead. Hughes Group belongs to Mr. Hughes, who's Willow's father."Think of it as helping her dad promote his products. Plus, if the products sell, you'll earn a share of the profits. This way, you'll have an additional source of income."I blinked.Seeing that I didn't respond, Mark hesitated and set my phone down. "You don't like the idea?" I shook my head. "I just didn't expect to have such a good supervisor and such a great boss."They were genuinely putting so much thought into helping me earn more money.Mark didn't refute. "I also think the boss is great""Do the people helping to promote me get this treatment too?" I asked, looking at Mark.Mark turned
Julian crossed his legs and leaned back, staring at the ceiling. He was pondering this problem seriously.He had never been in a relationship and lacked experience. Should he take a lesson from someone who was experienced? But who would be suitable?…Avery stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, reviewing Aralyn's accounts across various platforms.She clearly remembered that just a few days ago, Aralyn didn't have that many followers. Even the comments and likes were unimpressive. Why did the numbers suddenly surge?Had they started promoting Aralyn already? Avery couldn't understand. Wasn't she Aralyn's editor?If they had begun promoting Aralyn's work, why hadn't anyone consulted her?Avery wanted to go find Julian to ask what was going on. But she hesitated upon recalling Julian's look of disdain in the conference room.After much deliberation, Avery decided to approach Mark. Standing outside his office, she raised her hand and knocked on the door."Come in."Mark looked
Avery remained silent. Luna had been dealing with so many troubles lately, yet she still managed to submit her work on time every day, which was no easy feat.Avery decided it was better not to bother Luna with work-related issues.After thinking it through, she smiled and said, "Nothing. I just saw how fast Aralyn is, and it made me a bit anxious."Luna finally relaxed. "That's good to hear."…Perhaps it was due to the rise in stats, but my drawing pace improved significantly this morning. What usually took me until the afternoon to finish was done entirely by the morning.Although I was exhausted, lying on the couch and watching the followers climb steadily made me feel as if everything I was doing was worth it."Aralyn."Alice, who had grown close to me, no longer bothered knocking before entering my office. She walked straight over to me. "I've got some good news for you.""What is it?"Alice sat beside me, toying with my hair. "After I went home yesterday, I realized yo
Julian merely hummed in response. He then reminded her, "However, Aralyn and I are still developing our relationship, so you need to be careful and not mention that when you're with her."Alice nodded knowingly. "I get it. You're afraid Aralyn will know about it and she'll start avoiding you, which would make it harder to pursue her, right?"Julian rarely showed an approving expression, but he nodded. "Yes."Scanning Alice up and down, Julian hesitated for a long time before asking politely, "May I ask you something?""Me?" Alice pointed to herself incredulously."Yes."Alice, now smug, leaned against the wall and said, "Go ahead.""Do you know how to pursue someone?" Julian got straight to the point.Alice had once pursued him, so she should have experience. Julian decided to learn from her.The smile on Alice's face instantly disappeared, and the way she looked at Julian changed. "Are you trying to provoke me on purpose?" Julian was puzzled. "Why do you say that?"Alice w
Alice suddenly seemed to understand why Julian's company had grown so large. With such amazing benefits, of course, everyone would work hard."We provide three meals a day, housing, and additional subsidies," Mark continued.She felt as if she was dreaming. Did such an amazing company really exist?…After they left the office, I continued drawing. Once I finished today's work, I sat at the computer and turned my colored comics into short videos before uploading them online.Seeing the growing number of followers and comments, I couldn't help but smile.Since they were so supportive of me, I decided to post an extra today.I opened my folder happily, only to find an increasing number of sketches that hadn't been colored yet. It seemed like I couldn't slack off.I buried myself in work.Julian returned to the office, stopping behind me. "Are you tired? Do you need a massage?""A little."I leaned back on the couch. "I wouldn't mind."Julian placed his hands on my shoulders,
Maybe rent was worth too much money. Based on Alice's expression, the answer must be ridiculous.After hesitating for a while, I said, "Coffee?""No, it was mineral water, the kind that costs two dollars per bottle. And also one dollar pack of tissues."I could hardly believe my ears. "Really?""Yes. He calculated every penny he spent on the woman. After five years of dating, he only spent a little over a thousand dollars on her," Alice said disdainfully. I blinked."The woman saw how ruthless he was and couldn't stand him anymore, so she broke up with him. She also added up all the money she had spent on him over the years, and she found out she had spent no less than 200 thousand dollars on him."The woman was furious at that point and threw the bill in his face, demanding him to pay her back," Alice added, clearly enjoying the gossip.This was the first time I had heard of such a situation. "Did he agree to pay her back?""Of course not! He just bought flowers for the woma
Although Luna hadn't interacted much with Aralyn, judging from how Aralyn hadn't contacted Shayne at all after their divorce, it was clear she was a very decisive woman.It was highly likely that Aralyn truly wouldn't get back with Shayne. And Shayne, who was deeply in love with Aralyn, didn't realize his true feelings. The situation was predictable in the short term. Luna was safe.Initially, Luna had planned to find Shayne after dropping Mason off. That way, even if Shayne eventually realized who he truly loved, she could guide him and make Shayne believe that she was the one he loved.But now, she didn't feel like going to Shayne anymore. After all, with the card Shayne had given her, she could buy whatever she wanted. Instead of going to Shayne and inviting trouble, she could live in luxury.As Luna thought this, she glanced at her coffee. She wasn't sure if she had bought good coffee or if it was for some other reason, but the coffee tasted especially fragrant and rich.…
Displeased, Alice walked up to Joanna. "I like flowers, and someone gave me flowers. Isn't that enough? Why does it have to be from a man? Do flowers from men smell better? Are they more valuable?"Alice couldn't understand Joanna's way of thinking at all.Joanna blushed and shyly replied, "Because if a man is willing to give you flowers, it means he loves you."Alice was rendered speechless. She nearly rolled her eyes but managed to hold back and instead put on a smile."My friend sent me flowers because she loves me too. Otherwise, why would she bother spending the money?"With that, Alice hugged her bouquet and returned to her desk.…During lunchtime, I hadn't even finished organizing my laptop when Alice stormed into the office. She sneaked a glance at Julian, making sure he was still seriously focused on work. Then, she leaned in to whisper to me about the latest gossip she'd just overheard.I stared at her in disbelief. She had only been in the gaming department for on
For an ordinary employee, this was indeed a great opportunity. However, Alice had money, but she dared not admit it. With tears streaming down her face, she muttered, "It's really great."Melody was even more puzzled. "Then why are you crying?""I'm happy," Alice said, feeling like she was drowning in a flood of tears. "Next month's paycheck will definitely be huge!"Melody's eyes lit up instantly. "Oh, that's true!"…Julian had just stepped out of the office when Avery, who was hiding nearby, pulled out her phone and called Luna. "Julian is leaving."She quickly added, "Aralyn isn't with him this time.""Alright. I'll go over immediately," Luna replied. She was waiting nearby.She added, "Oh, you need to come downstairs quickly. Later, take the opportunity to find a suitable angle and snap a suggestive photo of us together. Remember to send it to Aralyn once you're back."Avery laughed gleefully. "No problem."She hung up and quickly pressed the elevator button to go down.
Julian would definitely retaliate. However, his methods weren't too obvious. Usually, people didn't realize what had happened until they found themselves in trouble.I stopped what I was doing and walked up to Julian, asking, "There's only one new project in the gaming department, right? I recall hearing you discuss with Mark that this project is especially urgent."Julian smiled faintly. "That's right. She's far too idle in the gaming department. She doesn't do any real work every day, and all she knows how to do is gossip. If I don't assign her to a busy department to train her properly, she would have learned nothing by the time she resigns."Julian held my hand and added, "I just want her to learn more."His gaze lingered briefly on my lips.I nodded, accepting his explanation. "Alright then, I'll get back to work.""Okay, go ahead," Julian responded gently. …Julian stared at Aralyn as she walked back to her cubicle and sat down. Only then did he calmly look away.Alice
Alice replied without hesitation, "No way.""Huh?" replied Melody."When I confessed to him, he made it very clear he wasn't interested in me," Alice said confidently. "Later, when I became friends with Aralyn, he allowed me to work at Hughes Group for her sake." "Oh, I see," replied Melody.She was rather disappointed. "I thought I was about to witness an epic romance!"Hearing this, Alice immediately looked around to ensure no one else was nearby. Once certain, she said, "You absolutely cannot say something like that again in the future. If Julian hears you, he'll really fire me immediately!"Melody quickly covered her mouth. "I'll remember!"…After buying a drink, I opened it and handed it to Julian.He quickly drank a few gulps. Once the burning sensation in his mouth subsided, he suddenly realized that Melody acted like she had a crush on him back then as a way to lower his guard. In reality, Melody's true intent from the start was to mess with him.Julian took my hand
Melody waited in the restaurant for a few minutes before sneaking out. She dashed all the way to Alice at the gaming department. "Alice!"Alice immediately ran to her side upon hearing her. "How did it go?"Melody replied with a mischievous grin, "I did everything you told me to!"Alice smirked wickedly. "Then let's go enjoy the show."Although Julian had been kind to her and even gave her dad valuable advice on work-related matters, she knew it was all for Aralyn's sake. In fact, she had a vague feeling that Julian didn't like her.No, more accurately, Julian seemed to think she was a third wheel who destroyed his and Aralyn's alone time.She and Aralyn were good friends. Spending time together was natural, and Julian had no right to object.Alice grabbed Melody's hand. "Come on!"Melody's excitement grew. "Let's go!"…In the office, I was just about to go back to my couch and continue working. However, Julian tightly held onto my hand. "Lyn.""Yes?" I asked as I turned
Luna thought eagerly that as long as she could get Julian, then everything Aralyn was enjoying now would become hers.It would be nice if that day could come sooner.…Julian picked a small restaurant this time. He also ordered their signature dishes.He then introduced the restaurant to me. "This restaurant was recommended by Mark. He said the food is really good, so I thought I'd bring you here to try it."The dishes were served.I took a bite. The cooking was just right, and the flavors were incredible. I nodded in agreement, "It's indeed delicious."Seeing that I was genuinely satisfied, Julian let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad you like it."I hummed in response and continued eating."Mr. Hughes, is that really you?" A young girl, likely just out of college, suddenly appeared and skipped over to Julian.She had a look of disbelief on her face. "The last time I promoted my parents' restaurant to you, I thought you wouldn't like such a small place. I didn't think you'd
"What? Do you think she's easy to bully because no one's protecting her?""No," Shayne quickly responded."That better be the case," Julian replied disdainfully.With that, he immediately hung up.…Hearing Julian's voice, I slowly walked out of the cubicle and stopped in front of him. "Was that Shayne on the phone just now?"Julian didn't intend to hide that from me. "Yeah. After Luna failed to get you in trouble and got criticized, she probably felt upset and called him to complain. He believed her."As he spoke, he wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me onto his lap. "He wanted to stand up for her."I asked disdainfully, "Are both of them out of their minds?""Yeah," replied Julian as his other hand held mine. He gently caressed the back of my hand and continued, "I don't get it. He's clearly constantly protecting Luna. Where does he get the audacity to say that he loves you?" I sneered and said, "I don't think he has feelings for me at all. He's deliberately sayin
Shayne was here to seek justice for Luna, so he naturally had no intention of hiding it. "Luna," he answered without hesitation.Julian didn't have the time to keep track of what happened online, but he could more or less guess what was happening. It was probably about Luna stirring up trouble for Aralyn online.However, it failed. Since Luna wasn't willing to accept her failure, she got Shayne to stand up for her. Julian crossed his long legs. There was an obvious sneer on his handsome face.Shayne took a deep breath. "Mr. Hughes, this matter has nothing to do with you. I don't want to take out my anger on the innocent, so please hand the phone to Aralyn.""She's my girlfriend," Julian replied, always quick to defend Aralyn. "Mr. Pearce, I've heard a bit about the feud between the two of them today."Shayne saw that Julian wasn't cooperating, so he asked, "So, you want to protect her?"Julian sneered. "Obviously. She wasn't in the wrong from the start. Wouldn't it make me
Everyone thought I made sense and began to criticize Luna. "What's wrong with her?""Was ruining someone else's marriage as a mistress wasn't enough for her? Now she's repeatedly stirring up trouble in the victim's comment section.""Is she nuts?"My mood gradually improved as I read everyone's comments.I lazily leaned back on the couch and calmly thought about Luna. She provoked me because she was jealous that I had so many fans who liked me, right? She was trying to incite my readers into betraying and hurting me.Her goal was to make me stop drawing, but life wasn't that simple. The more she wanted me to quit making comics, the more determined I was to continue. I was also determined to constantly improve the comic's quality. Whether it was the story or the art, I wanted to improve.Only then would more people like me, and Luna would become even more angry.I planned to use this approach to frustrate Luna and make her suffer before she gave birth. I considered it interes
Julian walked faster upon hearing that. Although Mark was very curious about the details, he understood that it was a private matter between Julian and Aralyn as a couple. It would be rude if he went over to eavesdrop on them. As such, he suppressed his curiosity and returned to his own office.…Julian pushed open the office door, walked over to me, and asked, "Are you feeling okay?""I'm feeling great." I then stared at him, confused. "Why do you ask?"He held my hand and said, "Mark told me someone was insulting you. I was worried you'd be upset..."I chuckled and replied, "Oh, you're talking about that. It's nothing—just something Luna stirred up. I resolved it easily and even dragged her down in the process. Now, more people are criticizing her than me."Julian's worry eased. "You're not angry?"I responded confidently, "Things have already reached this point. Getting angry won't solve the issue. It's better to take the opportunity to think about how to turn a crisis into