An idol?!
Qiuyun glanced at Qiu Ze. Though the sun had tanned him, his features were still well-defined. At least they were siblings—if the sister was this beautiful, her brother couldn't turn out too bad.
Qiuyun searched online about the idol industry and made a decision on the spot. This would be the job. Not only did it pay better, but the work environment was relatively simple. Compared to being a rapper, there was none of that messy smoking, drinking, complicated relationships, or shady dealings. It wasn't easy to pick up bad habits. All he had to do was train hard at dancing and singing every day and genuinely give back to his fans.
By the time Qiu Ze finished eating, Qiuyun had already mapped out the path he would take.
"Sis?" Qiu Ze scratched his head, looking at his sister's expression with confusion.
"I found you a new job." Qiuyun paid the bill and stood up. "Come on, let's go to your construction site first to quit."
"Oh." Qiu Ze had no objections and simply followed behind his sister, letting her take charge.
He quit the job and even got half a day's wages. The foreman was very reluctant to lose such an honest and hardworking laborer. "Hey, young man, if you're ever short on cash, come find your uncle. My crew always has room."
Qiu Ze grinned, showing a row of pearly white teeth. "No problem, Uncle."
Qiuyun silently shook her head. She took him to the mall first, stopped by a spa for a shower, then dragged him to a hair salon. Modeled after the most popular male idols, they cut his hair and styled it. Afterward, she dressed him in the clothes she had bought, straightened him up, and headed to MR Entertainment.
On the way to the mall, Qiuyun had researched many entertainment companies online. She ultimately chose MR after finding out through Qichacha that it was wholly owned by a subsidiary of the Jiang Group. She understood the principle of having connections in high places being helpful, so she decisively picked MR.
"Sis?" Qiu Ze stood in disbelief in front of the company's floor-to-ceiling windows, which were spotless and bright. With his final exam math score of twenty-three, how could he work at a place like this?
"Come on, I'll take you to sign up."
Since this was her first time here and she had only just arrived at the Jiang family, Qiuyun naturally didn't flaunt her cards. Instead, she followed the procedures for registration, interview, and evaluation. Luckily, one essential condition for becoming an idol was looks. Other requirements could take a backseat to appearance. Once MR learned that Qiuyun, with her face, was his biological sister, they hired Qiu Ze on the spot.
In less than half an hour, Qiu Ze smoothly passed the evaluation and became a trainee at MR Entertainment. The interviewer even asked Qiuyun if she wanted to join the company's training as well.
Qiuyun naturally refused.
She was skilled in many things, but dancing was not one of them.
After receiving the contract and confirming there were no obvious traps, Qiuyun signed it together with Qiu Ze as his guardian. Most underage trainees signed twenty-year contracts. Only with a long commitment would the company invest effort in training them and then bring them to market to monetize.
"Sis, I—I passed the interview?" Qiu Ze was incredulous.
All he had to do was sing and dance every day, and he would get free room and board plus a monthly base salary of three thousand? How could such a good thing exist in the world!
Qiuyun said, "Train hard at the company and listen to them. Call me if anything comes up."
"Got it!"
Glancing at the people behind Qiu Ze, Qiuyun leaned in and whispered, "If anyone bullies you at the company, tell me. I'll have your back."
"Sis!" Qiu Ze's eyes filled with tears.
"I'm off now." She patted his shoulder. Before leaving, she added, "Oh, and if Mom and Dad come looking for you, don't tell them about our situation. Just say you're still working at the construction site."
"Okay, I'll do whatever you say, Sis!"
After settling her brother's job, Qiuyun went to take care of her real business.
She went to the bank counter and withdrew the remaining eighty thousand yuan. Carrying her bag, she arrived at the Eldest Young Master's building and pressed the video intercom.
"Who is it?" Jiang Lin'an was a bit puzzled. As far as he knew, no one besides his two younger siblings should know about this place.
"Eldest Young Master, I'm the Seventh Miss's live-in assistant," Qiuyun said politely.
It had only been one night, so Jiang Lin'an hadn't forgotten. "What is it?"
"The Miss instructed me to bring you something."
Jiang Lin'an remembered the twenty thousand yuan that had appeared on the tissue box yesterday. She had probably left it secretly.
"Come on up." He released the access.
A minute later, Qiuyun arrived at the Eldest Young Master's doorstep.
Jiang Lin'an handed the twenty thousand yuan back to her. "Tell Little Seven, I appreciate her kindness, but your Eldest Brother isn't so poor that he needs to rely on his sister's allowance to get by."
To his surprise, Qiuyun didn't take the money. Instead, she pulled out an even thicker brown paper envelope.
"Eldest Young Master, you know that to the Miss, this is no more than a week or two of pocket money—she'd spend it on something without a second thought. But if this money were used for the 'Eldest Brother who's run away from home and is all alone,' it would hold far more meaning and value for her."
Jiang Lin'an caught the implication in this assistant's words and couldn't help but see her in a new light.
Yes, to both of them, this was small change. But allowing his younger sister to have the experience of helping a family member through tough times—that was worth more than the money itself.
"What's your name?" he asked.
She wasn't wearing the pitch-black maid's uniform with a nametag since she was out on errands.
From start to finish, Qiuyun kept her eyes slightly lowered, never looking straight at the eldest grandson of the family. Her manners were impeccable.
"Qiuyun."
Jiang Lin'an nodded. "I'll take the money. Go back and tell Little Seven not to worry about me. I won't be going out much lately. If she misses me, she can come see me here. I'll cook for her."
Qiuyun had naturally noticed the aroma wafting from the kitchen, but she had assumed it was the Eldest Young Master's girlfriend cooking. She hadn't expected him to be doing it himself.
"Understood." Just as she was about to leave after completing her task, the elevator door behind her opened.
This was a luxury residence with key-card or facial recognition access for each floor. The Seventh Miss and the Fourth Young Master had come here yesterday. So this new arrival was likely...
"You're here early." Jiang Lin'an looked at Yuan Yu, his expression somewhat subdued.
Yuan Yu smiled sweetly as she came over and hugged her boyfriend. "I missed you, so I came earlier."
Then her eyes landed on the plainly dressed woman in front of her, whose beauty was undeniable despite her simple clothes. Alarm bells rang in her head, but on the surface, she asked casually, "And who is this?"
"Someone from the family." Jiang Lin'an patted his girlfriend's lower back. "Go to the kitchen and check the stove for me."
Yuan Yu obediently agreed. "Sure."
Ever since she found out her boyfriend was the heir to the Jiang Group, she didn't dare boss him around like she used to in their earlier dating days.
The lingering scent of perfume at the door didn't fade even after the newcomer left.
"Don't tell the family about this," Jiang Lin'an said flatly.
Qiuyun kept her eyes downcast. "If the Miss doesn't ask, I won't bring it up."
For the first time, Jiang Lin'an, as the Eldest Brother, found himself unable to command a subordinate from his branch family.
"And if she does ask?" He raised an eyebrow, pressing further.
Qiuyun replied with neither humility nor arrogance, "I am the Miss's assistant. Naturally, I will be open and honest with her about everything."
For some reason, Jiang Lin'an felt she resembled Grandpa's butler, Manager Lin—an old-fashioned, rigidly loyal servant.
