On a workday noon after the National Day holiday, Hu Lai was having lunch with familiar colleagues in the company cafeteria.

The Kunlun Technology cafeteria was bright and welcoming, occupying an entire floor of the building. The menu was diverse, featuring a rich array of dishes, and seasonal new items were introduced every quarter. The food was clean and affordable, with yogurt and fruit available at all four meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late-night snacks. It was said that the company spent a significant amount on meal subsidies each year.

Unlike other internet companies, Kunlun Technology never boasted about free snacks or irregular team-building events. Instead, they genuinely cared about employees' dining experiences, which Hu Lai appreciated most about her company. Free snacks were just a gimmick, offering competitive salaries and actively addressing employees' meal issues was the most sincere approach. As for team-building, it often felt more like a burden.

With at least forty hours spent with colleagues each week, they spent far more time together than with family or friends. Even in romantic relationships, seeing each other every day could breed contempt, let alone with ordinary colleagues. Moreover, many companies' team-building activities encroached on personal time, requiring employees to spend their own money and time under the guise of company benefits—what a joke.

National Day was traditionally a peak travel time for the entire country, and colleagues were no exception, chattering about their respective trips while eating.

It was pretty much the same every year.

Waking up at three in the morning, leaving at four to catch a less crowded highway, only to still be stuck in traffic in Hangzhou by nine.

There weren't enough restrooms at tourist spots, forcing women to use the men's facilities.

Hotels raised their prices, restaurants had long queues, creating chaos and noise.

Especially this year, with COVID-19, while in previous years some people could travel abroad, this year everyone was crammed into the 960,000 square kilometers of the country.

"Hu Lai, where did you go during the National Day holiday?"

Liu Zhixue, who worked in the same group for story planning, noticed Hu Lai quietly enjoying her steak and decided to ask her.

"I didn't go anywhere, just stayed home like a corpse."

"Hey, didn't you go out for a date?" They had worked and trained together, and Hu Lai hadn't hidden the fact that she had a little boyfriend.

Jiang Yuming had good looks and manners, people often remarked that it was great for someone like Hu Lai to have a young guy to flirt with even during training.

Hu Lai poked at the broccoli, it was a bit tough today, and she didn't like it. "There were too many people outside, I didn't feel like going out."

"Hey, didn't the young guy look for you?"

"We broke up a while ago." Unless she was very close to someone, Hu Lai wouldn't specifically tell others about her relationship or breakup, it just wasn't anyone else's business. If people asked out of curiosity, she would tell the truth. Since the breakup over a month ago, hardly anyone had inquired about her relationship status, assuming she was still deeply in love with the young guy.

"How come, do you have a new partner?" Zhao Ranran from the marketing department asked with a look of disbelief. Every time she went through a breakup, it was like peeling off a layer of skin. No matter who initiated it, she was always the heartbroken one. But Hu Lai, not to mention being heartbroken, had been seen happily several times, not like she was putting on a brave face. It wasn't that she took it lightly or ignored it, it was more like she found someone new first.

"I don't have a new partner, I have new interests. Men, whether old or young, just aren't that interesting."

Liu Zhixue glanced at her and then at Zhou Huaiyi, who was smiling quietly beside her. "Are you planning to become a nun or find a girlfriend? These days, all the pretty girls seem to be looking for girlfriends."

Having worked together for three to five years, they had developed a good rapport. Zhou Huaiyi didn't hide her se.xual orientation, so Liu Zhixue knew she had a girlfriend. Her girlfriend was a former HR manager from their company and had a daughter. The three of them had a great relationship. Perhaps due to preconceived notions, she always felt that Hu Lai looked completely straight, with no hint of being anything else.

When Hu Lai smiled, her eyebrows arched slightly, and her eyes sparkled like they were electrified.

Liu Zhixue and Zhao Ranran covered their eyes together, "Don't try to use your charming eyes to turn us gay."

Catching a glimpse of President Yang Hui, Hu Lai quickly changed her words. "Dating is so exhausting, it's better to focus on work and gaming. The project we're working on right now is really interesting. In the game, you can do whatever you want, it's way better than dating. It cuts out all the unnecessary steps and keeps things simple. How great is that?"

Yang Hui, the President of Kunlun Technology, was a big shot in the tech world, good-looking and charismatic, with a presence that felt eight meters long. She was like the real-life version of a domineering CEO or a super elegant woman from a novel. Just then, she was feeling hungry and decided to stop by the cafeteria, where she heard the bright laughter of several female employees and glanced over.

Hearing Hu Lai's words, she thought to herself that today's young women were quite refreshing, not just love-struck. She particularly disliked people who were solely focused on romance, marriage, and having children.

Like a gust of wind, the CEO passed by, and Zhou Huaiyi noticed, commenting that Hu Lai was a cunning woman. After Liu Zhixue and Zhao Ranran returned to the office, she bought coffee with Hu Lai and casually asked, "How's your revenge plan going?"

"It's a bit tricky. Professor Shen, or rather Jiang Yuming's mother, is much more interesting than him. But she's like a puzzle. Talking to her is fun, she's not dull or pretentious. But trying to pry into her life, she seems quite old-fashioned. You know, her WeChat Moments are all about articles like 'Psychological Guidance for Middle and Primary School Students During Home Quarantine' and 'Innovative Education for Preschoolers in the Post-Pandemic Era,' or 'Sharing Helpful Websites for Writing English Papers' and 'Developmental Characteristics of Youth Social Problem Solving,' or even 'How to Recover from Adversity' and 'Do You Have a Clear Understanding of Career Identity'... It's hard to strike up a conversation with her, it's simply indescribable. After finally getting her WeChat, when I ask her what she wants to eat, she always says the cafeteria. It's impossible to make plans with her. I can't just keep sneaking into her Saturday classes, and I fall asleep every time I go. It's giving me psychological shadow."

As she spoke of her troubles, she wore a cheerful smile. Zhou Huaiyi said, "You're really putting in a lot of effort, and you seem to be enjoying it."

"Well, that's true. Professor Shen looks surprisingly good without her glasses, she has that kind of intellectual mature vibe, but at the same time, she's a bit childish, silly and naive, which creates a cute contrast. It makes her overlook her somewhat shabby appearance."

With the contrast in play, Zhou Huaiyi couldn't help but remind her, "You've only been with Jiang Yuming for two months, are you really thinking about someone else already?"

"Thinking about who? Jiang Yuming? No way. I saw his girlfriend the other day, with her petite nose and eyes, she suits him perfectly."

"Then why are you still eyeing someone else's mom? Are you into older women now?"

"Pfft, Professor Shen is quite young, okay? If she changes her clothes, she'd look like she's barely in her thirties. But you're right, I've been with Jiang Yuming for two months, and I've known his mom for over a month now. I've only seen her three times and had one meal together. How long do I have to wait to get her into bed? I need to speed things up."

The young man selling coffee handed the coffee to Hu Lai with a lovestruck expression, wanting to say something, but then he heard this pretty girl talking about trying to seduce someone's mom, and he was completely taken aback.

Zhou Huaiyi facepalmed, and after pulling Hu Lai away with the coffee, she finally asked, "Are you really planning to seduce someone's mom?"

"Of course, we agreed on it!" Hu Lai said matter-of-factly. If she planned something, she would go through with it, that was her principle.

"Who agreed with you? I thought you were just joking. What happens after you get her into bed?"

"After? We'll see about that." As an Aries, she only cared about the present, not the future. They believe things will work out as they should.

But one thing was for sure: there would definitely be a day when Jiang Yuming would be crying.

"Or maybe, just forget about it. Since you said you don't have feelings for Jiang Yuming and his mom is hard to approach, it's best to drop the idea." Zhou Huaiyi advised her kindly. With her years of experience, she could see that Hu Lai had some interest in Jiang Yuming's mom, and she knew that while Hu Lai spoke harshly, she was actually quite soft-hearted. If she sought revenge, she shouldn't end up hurting herself. This is how it goes in novels and movies, where revenge often led to falling in love with the target of that revenge.

"No way. I've finally found something fun to do." Hu Lai seemed to understand what she was thinking. "Don't worry, novels are novels, and movies are movies, you can't mix them with real life."

"But don't forget that real life can be more dramatic than fiction."

Unfortunately, that's just how Aries are. Once they set their minds on something, they don't turn back. While Hu Lai said she would be cautious, in her heart, she was already planning ahead. With the National Day holiday approaching, no classes would be held at school, so of course, she wouldn't have any classes to sneak into. Today was a workday, school would resume, but she didn't want to fall asleep again. It might be a good idea to simply wait for Shen Laoshi to finish her class.

As for the reason, she would figure that out when the time came.

After confirming with Shen Zhengying's anti-fan informant, Wang Baobao, that there was class tonight, Hu Lai went home after work, changed into casual sportswear and running shoes, and waited downstairs at the building where Shen Zhengying taught.

Several boys passed by and whistled at her a few times.

Hu Lai cursed "stu.pid," under her breath, thinking why were they, as students, acting like hooligans. She made a middle finger gesture with both hands.

The boys jeered, and a tall, sturdy boy walked up to her and asked for her contact information.

Hu Lai flatly refused: "I don't add students on WeChat."

The boy was unconvinced. "Are you a teacher?"

"No."

"We're all students. Do you only add male professors on WeChat? Heh, looking all prim and proper, you don't need to stoop so low for grades, do you?"

—"Stoop so low" my ass.

Hu Lai was annoyed at what these boys had on their minds. "None of your business."

Her tone was so harsh and full of disgust, her gaze so disdainful, that even with her beauty, no one could tolerate it. The boy stepped forward. "Watch your mouth. What's so great about you?"

Hu Lai was also angry. Damn it, who do you think you are whistling at? What's so special about you that you need my WeChat? She hadn't even cursed at him yet. Some people thought whistling was a compliment or flirting, sorry, Hu Lai just found it stupid.

"What's going on?" Shen Zhengying, Without needing to wait for the sleepyhead to wake up, left on time as usual. She had just come downstairs when she heard a crisp voice: "I don't add students on WeChat."

The line sounded too familiar.

Just as she thought it couldn't be, there was no reason for it, she heard another phrase, "None of your business."

Clear and resonant, that lively face flashed in her mind.

Not only was she a sleepyhead, but also a troublemaker.

She wanted to ignore it, but her conscience wouldn't allow it. The people's teacher, Shen Zhengying, had no choice but to step forward.

As soon as the real teacher appeared, the male student backed off, muttering a loud "Tch!" as he walked away.

Hu Lai glared at his retreating figure and spat, "Pui, self-righteous, garbage scu.m."

Turning back, she called out with a hint of grievance, "Professor Shen."

The speed of the transition was so swift that it could be considered a complete change in attitude.

Shen Zhengying's scalp tingled.

Was it still possible to pretend she didn't know her?

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