Lin Ruoxi’s head had been spinning ever since she walked into the bank. She couldn’t handle crowded environments.

The VIP room was adorned with gold-patterned wallpaper and a crystal chandelier. Though not very large, it looked magnificent, and the decor was a completely different style from the main lobby.

The seating was a plush sofa, not the cold benches of the lobby. Lin Ruoxi curiously took in her surroundings, thinking it was similar to the restaurant Xue Rui’s family owned.

Xue Rui smiled and squeezed Lin Ruoxi’s arm. "My little rich woman?"

Bank President Yang was all smiles, waiting for Lin Ruoxi to speak.

Lin Ruoxi looked up blankly. "I am a little rich woman."

The answer made Bank President Yang’s expression freeze for a moment. ’Who introduces themselves like that?’

"And your surname is, miss?"

"My surname is Lin," Lin Ruoxi replied instinctively.

"You’re supposed to say, ’It’s just Lin’," Xue Rui whispered to her.

"Oh. It’s just Lin," she repeated.

"Never mind. Just chat with Bank President Yang for a bit," Xue Rui said with a laugh. ’They see her as their top client. It doesn’t matter what she says wrong. This can be good practice for her.’ 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Just then, a woman walked in. She was dressed flamboyantly; though she wore the same uniform as the others, she gave off an overly seductive vibe. Smiling, she greeted Xue Rui, "Hello, sir..."

She knew the manager was feeding her another high-value client; he had signaled to her with his eyes just moments before.

Xue Rui merely shot her a cold glance. He’d seen her exchange a look with the manager and suspected there was something more going on between them. With a cold expression, he waved his hand dismissively. "Move aside. Someone is already handling my account."

The woman’s smile froze. Xue Rui made no effort to hide his attitude; his disgust was written plainly on his face.

She walked over to the manager and gave his waist a sharp pinch. "What’s going on?"

"It’s really not my fault. We’ll talk about it when we get home tonight," the manager whispered.

The two whispered to each other for a moment, then stood aside, waiting respectfully.

Xue Rui turned his head to look at Yu Minlan.

Yu Minlan was slightly above average in appearance, wearing a light shade of lipstick and subtle makeup.

While not stunningly beautiful, she had the kind of look that grows on you, her style similar to the everyday makeup of a female college student.

"Come here." Xue Rui smiled and patted the spot on the sofa next to him, gesturing for Yu Minlan to sit down.

Yu Minlan stood frozen in place, her mind a complete blank.

She was just an intern, and securing a permanent position at the bank was incredibly difficult. Her parents had even been begging relatives to deposit their savings at this branch to help her. Unfortunately, she came from an ordinary family with no connections and no background; she had no idea when, if ever, she’d be offered a full-time job.

Her parents had already asked so many people for help regarding her job, but it was no use.

’But just now, all this boy did was change his expression, and the bank president said I could have a permanent position?’

She still felt like she was in a complete daze.

Yu Minlan was naive, but not stupid. She immediately deduced that Xue Rui must have a massive deposit in their bank—an amount so large it could make the president change a staffing decision on a whim.

"Yu Minlan?" Xue Rui called out again.

"Coming!"

Snapping out of her daze, Yu Minlan quickly scurried over to Xue Rui’s side.

She saw Xue Rui gesturing for her to sit down, and she felt extremely uncomfortable.

’A bank, to put it bluntly, is part of the service industry. How could I sit as an equal with one of its most important VIPs?’

’It’s against our training regulations.’

"I told you to sit, so sit." Xue Rui pulled Yu Minlan down onto the sofa.

However, Yu Minlan was extremely tense, perching on just the edge of the sofa, half-suspended in the air. This position was even more uncomfortable than standing, but Yu Minlan felt it helped her feel a bit more at ease mentally.

She was terrified of being reprimanded by the bank president and the manager, ready to jump back to her feet at a moment’s notice.

However, she found that neither the bank president nor the manager had any intention of reprimanding her. Instead, their gazes were exceptionally gentle, like elders looking at a child, a stark contrast to their usual arrogant attitude.

"Did you just graduate from college?" Xue Rui asked with a smile.

"No, I’m a senior doing my internship. I was lucky the school assigned me here—it’s very close to my home." Yu Minlan sat bolt upright, her back as straight as a board.

Xue Rui gave her arm a light tug, intending for her to lean back, but he nearly made her lose her balance and fall to the floor.

Xue Rui quickly reached out to steady her. "Isn’t it uncomfortable sitting like that?" he asked with a laugh.

"I’m sorry..." Yu Minlan’s face flushed with embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she’d made such a fool of herself.

"What do your parents do?" Xue Rui continued to ask.

Yu Minlan was completely baffled. She had no idea why this high school student, Xue Rui, was asking about her family. Still, he was her benefactor, so she answered truthfully:

"My parents are workers at the salt chemical plant, but my mom took early retirement for health reasons..."

Xue Rui listened intently as Yu Minlan told her story.

A girl like Yu Minlan, with her quiet and non-confrontational personality, was clearly the type to be an obedient, "good kid."

When the manager had tried to steal her client just now, she had only looked dejected. She hadn’t argued with the manager, nor had she tried to use Xue Rui’s powerful status as a weapon by latching onto him.

People like her were kind-hearted and diligent, but they would struggle their whole lives to have any real "prospects" for success.

School taught you to be modest and yielding, but if you still played by those rules after graduation, you would only sink to the bottom rung of society.

Because in this world, every resource had to be fought for and won.

In a way, Yu Minlan was a bit like Lin Ruoxi. Both were naive, but this girl still had her wits about her. She could see the darkness in the world; she just wasn’t willing to become a part of it.

Of course, who was to say that years from now, Yu Minlan wouldn’t be changed by her environment and become a calculating adult herself?