The moment I got back to the dorm, I rushed to post on my status feed before I even finished eating. I put up a photo with Song Yan, adding a caption that consisted of three short words: My new boyfriend.

Ten minutes later, my comment section exploded into a wall of capital letters and question marks:

[SINCE WHEN?!] [ISN’T THAT THE COMPUTER SCIENCE HEIR???] [WHO WAS THE ONE WHO SAID THEY’D ONLY EVER FALL IN LOVE WITH MONEY???]

I stared at the screen, falling into deep thought. I mean, I’m still in love with money?

Song Yan didn’t drop a comment, opting for a quiet like instead. He didn’t share the picture on his own feed either, but I didn’t care. As a short-term contract worker, I hardly had the right to demand that the boss participate in brand promotion.

After today’s incident, though, I realized my dating skills were seriously lacking—so low, in fact, that it was severely impacting my sugar daddy’s user experience.

I opened a K-drama app on my phone, fully determined to study a few sweet rom-coms to upgrade my customer service skills.

Just as I settled in…

The dorm door was kicked wide open. My two roommates charged inside like a pair of frantic hurricanes:

“AHHHH YU SISI!!!”

“Spill!”

“Since when are you in a relationship?!”

“You’re dating someone and we have to find out through a feed post?!”

“Tell us everything! Who made the first move? How’d he sweep you off your feet? Did you hold hands? Have you kissed yet? How far have you guys gone?!”

Trapped in the middle of the bed, I blinked back at them in total bewilderment. “Well… it all started…”

“Hold that thought!” Xuanxuan—our room leader and self-appointed chief gossip officer—thrust out a hand to freeze the scene. She calmly walked over to her closet, pulled out two bags of potato chips, ripped one open with a sharp crrrk, and gave a stern nod. “Alright, spill.”

In under three minutes, I laid out the condensed story of how I went from a random passerby to a girlfriend pulling thirty thousand dollars a month.

When I finished, silence descended upon the room. After a long beat, Chen Jiajia finally spoke up, her voice trembling slightly: “Thirty… thirty grand a month? You’re sure this isn’t some elaborate scam?”

Xuanxuan zeroed in on the most crucial detail: “Did you sign a contract?”

I shook my head truthfully. “I got the cash… but no contract.”

“Are you insane?!” Xuanxuan practically crushed the chip bag in her fist. “With money like that, he could legally sue you to get every penny back! Hold on, I’m calling my boyfriend. He’s a law major. I’ll have him draft a contract for you right now.”

She rushed outside to make the call. Jiajia and I sat there, exchanging anxious looks.

Two minutes later, Xuanxuan burst back inside with a dead-serious expression: “Go print a contract. You have to make him sign it.”

Jiajia hesitated. “Honestly, Song Yan doesn’t seem like the type to ask for his money back. My boyfriend is in his department. Word is his family is ridiculously wealthy—he shows up in a different supercar every week.”

“All the more reason to sign!” Xuanxuan slammed her palm onto the desk. “The richer he is, the more careful you have to be! That’s thirty grand, not Monopoly money!”

Her logic was rock solid. The three of us marched down to the print shop below our dorm to get the contract printed. I carefully folded the pages and tucked them securely into my canvas tote.

Xuanxuan took one look at the bag and winced. “Wait a second. You’re pulling thirty grand a month and you’re still carrying a ten-dollar canvas tote with free shipping?”

Jiajia nodded in agreement. “She’s right. You’re a rich heir’s girlfriend now. The least you can do is upgrade your default skin.”

I looked down at the beat-up canvas tote that had dragged through three years of college with me. “But we’re still students… as long as it holds my textbooks, it’s fine.”

Xuanxuan shot that down instantly. “Song Yan hangs out with loaded trust-fund kids. If you dress too plain, people will think your employer isn’t paying his staff on time.”

The reality hit me like a splash of cold water. “You’re totally right!”

The three of us hopped into a cab straight to the mall. Xuanxuan came from a well-off family, so she knew luxury brands inside and out. She handpicked a few chic, minimalist outfits that fit my frame and vibe perfectly.

After a massive shopping spree, we stepped out of the boutique carrying armfuls of shopping bags. Just then, Jiajia lowered her voice: “Sisi… look to your left. Is that Song Yan?”

I turned my head just as she added, “…Wait, why is there another girl next to him?”

“WHAT?! He literally went public today and he’s already stepping out on you?!” Xuanxuan immediately pushed up her sleeves, eyes blazing. “The nerve! How dare he cheat on my roommate right in front of us? Stand back, I’m gonna wreck that homewrecker!”

“Wait, wait, wait!” Panic seized me as I yanked her back.

Working with ninja speed, I whipped out a pair of dark sunglasses and a bucket hat from my bag, pulling them low over my face. Ducking down, I urged, “Move! Don’t let him spot me!”

I dragged both of them into a nearby luxury boutique. Xuanxuan yanked off her sunglasses, thoroughly baffled. “Hold up—who’s the one cheating here? He’s the one stepping out, so why are you running like you’re the one getting caught red-handed?”

I launched into a serious, logical breakdown: “He’s definitely stepping out. But I can’t let him know that I know. What if he gets embarrassed and breaks off the arrangement? A cash cow like this only comes along once in a lifetime!”

Xuanxuan stared at me before giving a slow, reverent thumbs-up. “My bad. I was letting my emotions get the better of me. You’re the one playing the long game.”

So the three of us shamelessly hid inside the boutique until closing time, making absolute sure Song Yan was long gone before sneaking back to campus.

The second I stepped back into the dorm room, my phone buzzed. It was a text from Song Yan:

[Song Yan: Did you go out today?]

I replied instantly without skipping a beat:

[Yu Sisi: Nope! I’ve been in the dorm all day!]

As the days went on, Song Yan and I grew noticeably closer. On mornings when he woke up early, he’d wait for me at the foot of my building. Meanwhile, I began taking makeup art very seriously.

One morning, I got up early, carefully applied a glowing, natural look, styled my hair into soft waves, and slipped into a white dress. When I stepped downstairs, I caught sight of Song Yan’s tall silhouette standing beneath a golden ginkgo tree, leaning casually against the trunk as he smoked.

“Good morning, hubby,” I called out, trotting over.

Song Yan looked up lazily. But the second his eyes landed on me, his hand froze mid-air. His dark eyes locked onto me, taking me in for a long, silent moment. Then, he quietly put out his cigarette and walked briskly over to me.

“Do I look pretty?” I twirled in front of him like a budget Disney princess.

A quiet laugh escaped his lips. “Gorgeous.” He waited patiently for me to finish my little show before asking, “What’s with the effort today?”

“I’m gonna dress up every day from now on,” I said cheerfully, looping my arm through his.

After all… a stellar employee always knows how to upgrade the quality of service.