Volume One, Chapter 5: He Smells So Good!

Xia Yang was seated while Su Yixue stood, a vast distance between them that left neither able to see the other. A crisp, refreshing fragrance emanated from her, instantly intoxicating to anyone who caught a whiff. For Xia Yang, however, it brought no sense of relief.

He tilted his head slightly, shifting his gaze from Su Yixue’s midsection to find Liu Huaide standing behind her, his eyes practically spitting fire.

"I couldn't see your screen from the hallway, so I thought you were working hard! I never imagined you were playing games! And dragging a colleague into it, no less!"

Liu Huaide looked as if he wanted to devour Xia Yang alive. He quickly pivoted, putting on a sycophantic smile for the woman before him. "Chairman Su, Young Manager Su, please don't be angry. I’ll have him pack his things and get out this instant!"

Xia Yang’s heart skipped a beat. He opened his mouth to offer a rebuttal, but the woman interrupted before he could speak.

"You, come with me to my office first." Su Yixue stepped back, her willow-leaf eyebrows arching imperceptibly as she locked eyes with him.

For some reason, Xia Yang detected a hint of... amusement in her expression.

"Young Manager Su, there’s no need to trouble yourself. I can handle firing him!" Liu Huaide interjected.

Ignoring him, Su Yixue looked toward Su Guodong, asked for the location of the office, and walked off alone.

"What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and follow the Young Manager to the office!" Liu Huaide glared fiercely at Xia Yang. "And you! Song Jie! Don't think you're off the hook just because she didn't mention you! When Xia Yang gets back, neither of you is going anywhere!"

Xia Yang snapped out of his daze and hurried after Su Yixue, sighing inwardly. Everyone had been slacking off; why hadn't anyone tipped them off when the boss arrived?

After Xia Yang left, Su Guodong and Liu Huaide departed as well. The office staff finally exhaled, immediately breaking into hushed whispers.

"Judging by that, it looks like she’s here to take over as Chairman!"

"No doubt. That aura of hers is much more intimidating than the original Chairman Su's!"

"We're done for. Looks like we can't slack off anymore!"

"What a pity. It was quite a treat having a handsome guy like Xia Yang in the office. Now we're stuck with that hipster Song Jie."

As the chatter continued, Song Jie, who had been stunned into silence, finally regained his senses. He slumped over his desk, weeping silently. It seemed his job was doomed; he wondered if he could join Xia Yang in setting up a street stall later.

***

In the Chairman’s office, Su Yixue sat in the chair, crossing her legs with a touch of languor as she held a file. She glanced at the document, looked up at Xia Yang standing before her, and finally set the papers down.

"Your name is Xia Yang, isn't it?"

"Yes..."

"Two years on the job, and you finally closed your first sale three days ago. Congratulations." Su Yixue clapped her hands, her lips curling into a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Xia Yang: "..."

He gave an awkward cough. "Congratulations to you too, haha."

Su Yixue: "???"

New officials always bring new rules. Even though everyone in the office had been slacking off, as the one caught red-handed, Xia Yang had prepared himself to be fired on the way to the office. Because of this, he didn't feel particularly nervous or subservient.

However...

"Uh... Young Manager Su, it’s fine if you fire me, I accept that. But the commission for the deal I closed three days ago... you’re still going to pay that, right?" Xia Yang probed.

Su Yixue just watched him silently, saying nothing.

"You are going to pay the commission, right?"

"You aren't actually going to withhold it, are you?" Xia Yang grew anxious.

"When did I say I was going to fire you?" A flicker of amusement appeared in Su Yixue’s eyes. "Not only am I not firing you, I’m promoting you."

Xia Yang was completely stunned, wondering if he was hallucinating. She wasn't firing him despite everything—she was promoting him!

"Young Manager Su, are you a masochist?"

"What did you say!? I didn't hear you!" Su Yixue’s stunning face instantly turned frost-cold. Perhaps it was a trick of the light, but Xia Yang felt the room temperature drop several degrees.

"I didn't say anything..."

Su Yixue let out a cold huff, unwilling to dwell on it. She pointed a finger at the empty space beside the desk and spoke with absolute authority.

"Congratulations on your promotion to my assistant. Go move a desk over; that will be your workstation."

"And the salary..."

"Plus one hundred."

Xia Yang sighed. The good news: he got a promotion. The bad news: his desk was right next to the boss. The worse news: the boss had mood swings.

***

Not to mention, any hope of slacking off was gone.

"By the way, Young Manager Su, about Song Jie..." Xia Yang paused at the door to ask, looking back. After all, he was the one who had dragged Song Jie into the game; if the other man lost his job because of him, he would rather have been the one fired.

Su Yixue waved a hand, not looking up. "Don't let me see him playing games on company time again."

Xia Yang’s eyes lit up. He thanked her hurriedly, his opinion of his new boss shifting significantly. There was hope for the future after all!

Xia Yang closed the door and left, leaving Su Yixue alone. Her gaze remained fixed on the door with an unreadable expression. Suddenly, she flicked her arm. A spatial vortex appeared where her sleeve had been, and a small, white-furred fox crawled out, swiftly scurrying onto her shoulder.

"Xue-xue, it seems he has also awakened a Contracted Demon," the little white fox spoke in human language. Su Yixue showed no surprise, indicating that she, too, had successfully awakened a magical creature.

"Why have so many people awakened in the last two months..."

Su Yixue hadn't expected that even the employees in her family's company would have awakened demons.

"I don't know, but I know that as time goes on, more and more people will awaken."

"Perhaps only the Demon King knows what happened between the Demon World and Blue Star, and why the Demon World has suddenly started consuming it," the little fox sighed.

"However, I smelled a very familiar scent on that man."

"Familiar?" Su Yixue froze.

"Yes, it seems related to his Contracted Demon. I’ve smelled this scent before... but I just can't remember where..."

"It’s fine. Take your time. He’ll be working here from now on, so you might see his contracted demon eventually." Su Yixue stroked the fox’s chin, her voice softening in a rare display of comfort.

If anyone else—even her own uncle, Su Guodong—had seen her looking so gentle, they surely would have shouted: "Whoever you are, get away from my niece!"

The little fox squinted comfortably as she petted it, then added, "Also, there’s one more thing."

"What?"

"He smells... so good~"

Su Yixue: "???"