I Just Want to be a Throwaway Character - Chapter 39

Chapter 39: The Morning After

On the white hotel sheets, a small figure stirred. Ji Wan opened her eyes with a headache, her memory of the previous night a blur. All she could remember was throwing herself at a woman, and then nothing.

She struggled to sit up, confused, and looked around the hotel room. Is this a hotel? She checked her clothes, which were perfectly neat. Seeing no one, she thought, That person must have helped me. What a good Samaritan. She breathed a sigh of relief and walked to the bathroom.

“Ah!” a cry of horror escaped her lips. Ji Wan looked at her reflection in disbelief. Her lips were swollen, and there were bright marks on her neck. Did… did I have an allergic reaction to the alcohol? She tried to remember what happened last night, but all she could recall was drinking a bottle of red wine, two cans of beer, and a cocktail. Then, a blank.

Tsk, tsk, I’m never drinking again. This is awful, Ji Wan thought, as she quickly washed up and left. She swore she would find a way to repay this anonymous good person. She completely missed the note on the nightstand that read, “Wait for me.”

When Jiang Zhi Li returned with food, Ji Wan was long gone. Jiang Zhi Li’s grip on the bag tightened, her eyes becoming dangerously cold. Did she just ghost me?

First Day on the Job

By the time Ji Wan made it back to her small apartment, it was already ten o’clock. The apartment was close to the office, just a few minutes away, and at 80 square meters, it was spacious enough for one person. It even had a luxurious one-bedroom, one-living room layout. The original owner had thrown a fit, but her father had packed her up and sent her here to “learn responsibility.”

Ji Wan was grateful that the apartment had a fingerprint lock, or she’d be sleeping on the streets tonight. Holding her rumbling stomach, she used her phone to order fried chicken. As she waited, she began to sort out the plot.

The story was now at the point where the fake daughter had started working at the Ji Corporation and met the female lead. The fake daughter, jealous of the female lead’s talent and looks, had started throwing her weight around, using her status as a “Ji family young lady.” This earned her the dislike of the other employees but made the female lead stand out and catch the eye of the Ji father. From now on, the fake daughter’s every scheme would fail, and she would be humiliated by the female lead.

“So I have to play a brainless, spoiled rich girl?” Ji Wan thought to herself, annoyed. And I have to start work tomorrow. This is so much trouble. I just want to lie down and do nothing.

Just as she was wallowing in her misery, the doorbell rang. “Yes!” Ji Wan jumped up and ran to the door. It was the fried chicken.

Stuffing her face with crispy chicken and a cold soda, Ji Wan’s face showed no sign of worry. What can’t be solved with a box of fried chicken? If that doesn’t work, eat two.

The next morning, Ji Wan hit snooze for the sixth time before finally crawling out of bed, a grumpy expression on her face. She yawned widely, her eyes half-closed and her hair sticking up. She shuffled to the bathroom and splashed cold water on her face.

After finally waking up, she opened her closet. Looking at the mess of luxury brand clothes, Ji Wan frowned. She managed to find a simple white hoodie, black sweatpants, and white sneakers. By the time she was ready, there were only 15 minutes left before she was late. I can make it, she thought, as she trudged slowly toward the company building, a tired expression on her face.

As she entered the lobby, a security guard stopped her, saying she didn’t look like an employee but a student. He insisted the company was not for kids to wander into. Ji Wan tried to argue, but the stubborn security guard wouldn’t budge. Finally, her manager, Sister Zhang, had to come down and let her in. What Ji Wan didn’t know was that a car had stopped nearby, and a pair of dark eyes had watched her argue with the guard for a long time.

After completing the paperwork, Ji Wan settled into her cubicle. But before she could get comfortable, Sister Zhang pulled her up, saying they all had to go welcome the new director. Ji Wan reluctantly squeezed into the crowd. If she wasn’t mistaken, this was the talented and beautiful female lead, Jiang Zhi Li.

Finally, the person walked in. Ji Wan, blocked by the taller people in front of her, couldn’t get a good look. She tried to stand on her tiptoes but was a moment too late. She only saw the slender back and dark, smooth hair of a person in a professional suit. She looked powerful. Then, Ji Wan heard the people in front of her gasp in unison and start to whisper.

“Wow, she’s so beautiful.” “Ah! So imposing. When she looked at me, my legs almost gave out.” “Say no more. She’s my new husband.” “I heard she graduated from the best university in the country and got a PhD in finance at such a young age. Oh, this is like an idol drama.” “Ahhh, wife! Look at me!”

…

The New Boss

Meanwhile, in Jiang Zhi Li’s office, she looked at Ji Wan’s employee file, her finger tracing the girl’s face in the photo. A cold smile appeared on her lips. “Heh, it’s you. So your name is Ji Wan. Interesting.” Just as Jiang Zhi Li thought she would never see Ji Wan again, fate had delivered her right to her. A playful look came into Jiang Zhi Li’s eyes. You dare to ghost me? You’ll have to face the consequences of messing with me.

Ji Wan’s hand, typing on the computer, twitched. She felt a sudden chill run down her spine. All morning, she had been a model employee, doing everything she was asked. She was also pretty and cute, and her quiet obedience quickly earned her the affection of her colleagues, especially the women. She couldn’t bring herself to be the haughty person the plot required; she thought people who acted that way had something wrong with their brains. She didn’t want to play a fool.

When noon finally arrived, Ji Wan rubbed her eyes and collapsed into her chair. She hadn’t eaten breakfast, and her stomach was rumbling. To avoid the concerned eyes of her colleagues, she snuck off to a nearby convenience store, bought some instant noodles, and hid in the empty tea room to eat.

She opened the seasoning packets with a guilty conscience. This company’s tea room only had coffee and tea, not even soda. The smell of instant noodles would be a shocking addition. Just as she was about to pour the boiling water into her cup, a cool, indifferent voice asked, “What are you doing?”

Jiang Zhi Li was leaning against the doorway, watching Ji Wan’s secretive actions. Startled, Ji Wan’s hand shook, and hot water splashed on the back of her hand.

“Hiss,” Ji Wan hissed in pain, her skin immediately turning red. Before she could react, someone grabbed her hand, turned on the faucet, and held her hand under the cold water. The voice was filled with a rare panic and concern. “Why are you so careless? What if you hurt yourself?”

Ji Wan’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat. She looked at the woman holding her. She was beautiful, with a graceful profile and a hint of concern in her eyes. Her aura was cool and charming, her nose was high, and her lips were thin. She seemed more worried than Ji Wan was.

Realizing how close they were, Ji Wan pulled her hand away, blushing. She looked down at her hand, then up at the beautiful woman. “Thank you,” she said sincerely, her eyes showing no sign of recognition or panic.

Jiang Zhi Li didn’t say anything. She didn’t call Ji Wan out on her pretense. She just watched her, a cold sneer in her heart. Pretending to have amnesia? Let’s see how long you can keep that up.

“Uh, is there anything else you need?” Ji Wan asked, confused by the strange woman’s intense stare. Does she want me to repay her? The atmosphere between them was strange. And the smell of instant noodles was now everywhere!

“Uh, what’s your name? I’ll treat you to dinner to thank you. Does that work?” Ji Wan couldn’t take the intense staring anymore.

Jiang Zhi Li took a step closer. Ji Wan instinctively backed away until her lower back hit the cold tile counter. Seeing the beautiful face so close, Ji Wan’s face flushed uncontrollably. “Remember this. My name is Jiang Zhi Li.”

With that, Jiang Zhi Li walked away, a pleased smile on her face that Ji Wan couldn’t see. Ji Wan felt the pressure disappear and breathed a sigh of relief. That person is so weird. Just because she’s pretty, she thinks she can do whatever she wants. Ji Wan suddenly realized that the woman’s clothes looked familiar. She had seen them somewhere before. Wait.

What did she say her name was? Jiang Zhi Li?

The female lead!

Ji Wan was so shocked that by the time she snapped out of it, her noodles were mushy. She ate them with tears in her eyes. Ah! Bad things happen whenever I’m near the female lead. I have to stay away from her, she swore.

But she soon realized how naive she was. Just because she didn’t seek out the female lead didn’t mean the female lead wouldn’t seek her out. This was the fifth time she had been called into the director’s office to revise her proposal. Every time, the feedback was different—the formatting was wrong, the content was too much, the punctuation was incorrect. Ji Wan was on the verge of tears. Her colleagues, who had been doting on her, could only watch helplessly, wondering how their little sweetheart had managed to anger the big boss.

The sixth time she was called in, she was on the verge of tears. Her face was haggard from all the revisions. If this one isn’t good enough, I’m done. She can do it herself. Hmph. But when she stood in front of Jiang Zhi Li, she cowered, unable to speak, only watching as Jiang Zhi Li scanned her proposal with a blank face. Ji Wan’s heart rose and fell with every move of Jiang Zhi Li’s eyes. When Jiang Zhi Li finally finished reading and said nothing, Ji Wan breathed a sigh of relief, sweat beading on her forehead.

But the next second, Jiang Zhi Li crushed her hopes. “The entire direction of the proposal is wrong. You’re not going back to your desk. Stay in my office and work on it until I’m satisfied.”

Ji Wan wanted to splash the coffee on Jiang Zhi Li’s cold, heartless face. This is too much! Are cannon fodder not people? This demon woman! Jiang Zhi Li looked at Ji Wan’s expression—daring to be angry but not daring to speak—and found it endearing. She wanted to see how long Ji Wan could keep up the pretense.

By the time Ji Wan was working on the seventh version of the proposal, it was already dark, and the workday was over. Her stomach was rumbling. She glanced at Jiang Zhi Li, who was typing furiously on her computer with a focused, expressionless face. The light from the screen made her skin look flawless and ethereal, her face as if it had been meticulously carved. Ji Wan found herself staring, mesmerized.

When Jiang Zhi Li finally noticed, she saw Ji Wan staring at her intently. A slight smile touched Jiang Zhi Li’s lips as she looked back. The moment Jiang Zhi Li turned her head, Ji Wan’s eyes darted away, her face turning red. Her little, embarrassed reaction was so cute that Jiang Zhi Li’s mood inexplicably brightened.