Extra chapter released!

Beside a foreign lake, Jiang Chen glanced at his reddened hand from the cold, then got into a black car. The interior was hushed, and outside, snow had begun to fall again.

As the car moved, his phone vibrated softly twice. He picked it up carelessly and glanced down; several red dots hovered over Ye Mian’s soft and adorable profile icon.

[Sweet Dreams: I think this is really unfair.]
[Sweet Dreams: Why can you prepare a New Year’s gift for me, but I can’t do the same for you?]
[Sweet Dreams: I’ll give you another chance—just accept the red envelope.]

The light inside the car was dimmer than outside. Jiang Chen’s gaze lingered on the transfer notification above the messages. His long finger pressed the voice recording button.

“Keep it and spend it on yourself.”

After that, he placed the phone face down on his lap and leaned back slowly, his hand resting lightly over his eyes, shutting out all the light.

Yet the slight curve at his lips never faded.

There wasn’t much he could give.

He only hoped, within his means, to bring the girl happiness.

It was both an apology for refusing her and a form of compensation.

Thinking this, a hint of self-loathing flickered across his brow.

He sighed inwardly, wondering if the young girl’s affection was only because she’d never met anyone truly good—and thus found herself drawn to someone like him, a person with nothing to offer.

When he returned, the girl in his memories would only become more outstanding, having seen and experienced so much more.

By then, she would forget him.

At this thought, an inexplicable ache welled up inside him—a tingling, numbing pain mixed with a trace of unwillingness.

Even the cleverest people can fall into their own blindness.

Ambition can make a person strong, but when faced with someone as pure as the one they hold dear, they can’t help but feel unworthy.

True affection isn’t love at first sight—it’s a reverence that dares not overstep its bounds.

Ye Mian didn’t know what Jiang Chen meant.

But she did know that Jiang Chen refused to accept her red envelope.

After a moment’s thought, she typed another line and sent it to him.

[Sweet Dreams: You’re really the honest one, aren’t you? Not even accepting a New Year’s red envelope.]

Seeing no reply, she felt she hadn’t sent enough and transferred several more red envelopes before throwing herself into work.

She posted her completed draft in the company chat group and then scrolled through the content published by the three girls she’d recruited.

Riding the wave of New Year’s excitement, traffic surged—not just a little. In a short time, the three new recruits were already making a name for themselves in certain circles.

Of them, Zhou Yan attracted the most attention. Since her last singing video was uploaded, she’d gained a base of fans, and her daily video updates kept accumulating.

In the courtyard, beneath the persimmon tree, she sang a song about the New Year. That video alone received over ten thousand likes.

There weren’t many users on the platform yet, so this was already a sensation.

Ye Mian pondered for a moment, then sent her a voice message: “Keep posting videos. Once the studio opens, I’ll sign a contract with you. Not just a base salary—after we start making a profit, I’ll give you a share. And I’ll send you to music and dance classes. Work hard, and you’ll succeed.”

Zhou Yan never imagined she could become popular.

After all, only celebrities had fans.

She hadn’t expected that, as an ordinary person, she could have fans too—and even earn money from their support.

Naturally, she took Ye Mian’s words to heart, agreeing to everything.

The chance to learn dance and music delighted her. “Okay, boss, I’ll do as you say.”

From Zhou Yan’s response, Ye Mian could already see the future clearly. Confidence filled her as she envisioned the internet being overtaken by the influencers she would cultivate.

Turning over, she propped her chin on her hands, legs swinging, a smile gradually spreading across her face.

Everything was going so well.

Once she became rich, the very first thing she’d do would be to shower Jiang Chen with money!

Jiang Chen was a businessman, wasn’t he? He must love money most of all.

Stick ‘em up—give me your votes! Love you!

(The end of this chapter.)