The young lady hired me to help her and the young master have an online romance.

The screen displayed two words—Mom.

Jiang Wan answered the phone, her voice still sleepy, "...Mom?"

Happy birthday, Wanwan!

Fang Ru's voice came through the receiver, full of energy.

You can feel the heat even from nearly 100 kilometers away.

"Remember to eat something good today, don't skimp on food. Mom sent you a red envelope, please accept it."

Jiang Wan squinted and opened the chat window with her mother, feeling a warmth in her heart when she saw the amount transferred.

Five hundred and twenty yuan.

"Mom, you're spinning too much."

"What's the big deal? Just remember to treat yourself to something good today!"

Jiang Baishan's voice followed immediately, "Sweetie, Daddy wishes you a happy birthday too."

"But your mom has all of Dad's money, so she can't send you red envelopes."

Jiang Wan smiled, but as she smiled, her eyes became a little hot.

"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom."

"Alright, alright, that's enough, we have customers coming in." Fang Ru hung up the phone in a hurry.

Jiang Wan held her phone and noticed that her younger brother, Jiang Feng, had also sent her several WeChat messages a few minutes earlier.

She clicked on it—

Happy birthday, dear sister!

Little brother, I'm short on cash, so I don't have any gifts~ But after the college entrance exam, I'll get a summer job and give you all my wages.

I won't call you today, I don't want you to be busy. Remember to buy me a cake!

Jiang Wan smiled and replied, "I know, study hard."

Jiang Wan felt an indescribable sense of comfort upon receiving blessings from her family early in the morning.

This is perhaps what is meant by "being liked is like having a powerful backer".

The only downside to having a birthday is—

I'm another year older.

Although 22 is still young, who doesn't want to stay 18 forever?

Jiang Wan sent a greeting message to Shang Shixu because she had class in the morning.

I got up, washed up, changed my clothes, and went to class with Zhou Feiyan.

Zhou Feiyan walked while holding her phone, sending messages in a small group chat of three people.

Zhou Feiyan: [@Everyone, when will the cake arrive?]

Wang Yurong: [Seven o'clock, I'll go pick it up then.]

Li Zhile: [I bought the colored lights, they're in my cabinet, don't go through them.]

Zhou Feiyan: [OK, everything is proceeding according to plan]

Jiang Wan saw Zhou Feiyan about to kick the trash can, so she reached out to pull her away. The latter jumped back with a "whoosh," looking extremely nervous.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Wan asked, puzzled.

"N-nothing's wrong," Zhou Feiyan blinked guiltily. "I was just scared."

Jiang Wan gave a meaningful "Oh".

Last night she saw Wang Yurong and Li Zhile whispering to each other on the balcony.

This morning, Zhou Feiyan gave the two of them a look, and the three of them took turns looking at their phones.

And her nervous behavior just now, as if she was afraid she would see her phone screen.

All these unusual behaviors point to one answer—

They were preparing to celebrate her birthday.

Jiang Wan pretended not to know anything and went along with the surprise.

After the morning classes ended, Jiang Wan was dragged to the cafeteria by Zhou Feiyan.

The food in the cafeteria today was no different from usual, but Zhou Feiyan insisted on buying an extra corn and pork rib soup.

Jiang Wan couldn't help but laugh as she looked at the large bowl of soup she was carrying. "Xiao Yan, are you trying to feed me like a pig?"

"You're too thin, eat more." Zhou Feiyan pushed the pork rib soup towards her. "You have to finish it today, no waste allowed."

Jiang Wan looked at the sumptuous meal in front of her and smiled, "Okay~"

There are classes from 4 PM to 6 PM.

After finishing her meal, Jiang Wan continued writing the essay in her dormitory.

At 3:30, the task was finally completed.

After checking, it was sent to Pei Heyun.

Take a look, and I'll revise it if you're not satisfied.

The message was sent but received no reply for a long time.

However, Jiang Wan didn't care.

Pei Heyun was an international student, she knew that.

Although I don't know which country he studied in, there is still a time difference between him and Haicheng.

He'll reply when he sees it.

At four o'clock, Jiang Wan sat in the classroom listening to the lesson.

At six o'clock, the bell finally rang to signal the end of get out of class.

Amidst the surrounding noise, Jiang Wan's phone vibrated.

She took it out and saw that it was a message from Shen Che:

[Wanwan, I just finished work and am getting ready to go to the restaurant now.]

Have you finished class yet?

Jiang Wan replied to him: "get out of class just ended, I'm coming over now."

She turned to Zhou Feiyan and said, "Xiaoyan, please take my schoolbag back with you. I need to go out for dinner now."

Zhou Feiyan took the schoolbag, her expression mocking. "Going to find Shen Che?"

Jiang Wan nodded.

Zhou Feiyan's lips curled into a smile, and she lowered her voice, "Go ahead, go ahead. If you can take pictures, remember to take a lot of pictures of my idol. I want to use them as wallpapers."

"understood."

Jiang Wan walked out of the school gate, hailed a taxi, and gave the address of the restaurant that Shen Che had sent her yesterday.

The car drove onto the main road and merged into the traffic.

She leaned against the car window, the afternoon sun shining through it onto her.

It feels warm and cozy, like a gentle, large hand.

*

The entrance of a high-end restaurant in Haicheng.

A black minivan slowly pulled up in a temporary parking space outside the gate.

Shen Che sat in the back row, holding his phone.

He was wearing a dark gray coat over a white crew-neck T-shirt, and his hair was styled simply.

She looked clean and refreshed, as if she had just come from a TV appearance.

"Teacher Shen, we've arrived," the driver reminded him, turning around.

Shen Che hummed in agreement, put on his sunglasses and mask, and prepared to get out of the car when his phone suddenly rang.

It's agent Li Bin.

He pressed the answer button, "Brother Li."

"Chezi, I have good news for you." The manager's voice was filled with excitement.

"I just received news that the director of 'The Hunt' and several investors are having a gathering at the Yunshang Club. You should hurry over and try to build a relationship with them."

"The Hunt" is a film project that Shen Che has been eyeing for a long time. It's a police and gangster film, and the director has won a major award.

Shen Che had read the script and found the male lead's character to be very impressive.

If he can land this role, his career will definitely reach a new level.

"Okay, I'll go now." After saying that, Shen Che instructed the driver, "Go to Yunshang Club."

The driver responded and turned around.

Shen Che held his phone, tapped the screen twice with his index finger, and then dialed Jiang Wan's number.

"Wanwan, have you arrived yet?"

"I just got off the bus and was about to go inside."

Shen Che pursed his lips, his voice tinged with apology, "I'm sorry, I suddenly got a job offer that I can't refuse."

"I'll make it up to you for your birthday tomorrow, okay?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line, followed by a quick reply, without a trace of disappointment.

"It's alright, it's alright, you go ahead and get busy, work is important."

Shen Che hung up the phone, and the driver's voice came from the front seat, "Teacher Shen, Yunshang Club will be there in about twenty minutes."

"Um."

Shen Che leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes.

The guilt in my heart was overshadowed by the desire of the male lead in "The Hunt".

It's fine to celebrate my birthday tomorrow.

Wanwan is so understanding, she won't mind.

*

Jiang Wan stood at the restaurant entrance, holding the phone.

The storefront is decorated in a very high-end style, so the prices of the dishes must be quite "eye-catching".

Jiang Wan put her phone in her pocket and looked for an ordinary restaurant along the roadside.

Her stomach growled in agreement, and she covered it with her hand, muttering to herself, "Stop growling, dinner's almost ready."

After walking about 800 meters, we came to a street lined with all sorts of small restaurants.

Jiang Wan was starving, so she chose a small pot rice noodle shop nearby.

She pushed open the door and went inside; there were five or six tables in the shop.

It was lunchtime, and all four tables were full.

The only seat by the window was in a corner and no one was sitting there yet.

Jiang Wan walked over and sat down, ordering a bowl of tomato-flavored rice noodles.

The rice noodles were served quickly, steaming hot, with the sweet and sour aroma of tomatoes filling the air.

Jiang Wan couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and start eating when her phone suddenly rang.

An unfamiliar local number in Haicheng.

She answered the phone, and a young man's voice came from the other end.

"Hello, are you Ms. Gu Manning?"

Jiang Wan paused for a moment, then said, "Um...it's me."