10:50 AM.

The subway Line 3 gently came to a stop with a chime.

Crisp, carrying a backpack, followed the throng of crowd out of the carriage.

Holding her phone, her fingers darted across the screen swiftly.

The dorm’s WeChat group was having a heated debate about her personal safety.

[Crisp: "Oh, come on, don’t worry, I’ve been chatting with her for over two years now, she seems pretty nice."]

[Little Ya: "A self-proclaimed media company shareholder, holding several film projects, lurking in a goofy anime fan group for two years? Does that make sense? Isn’t this even more ridiculous than the ’CEO’s Little Wife’ you watched last time?"]

[Jiajia: "Exactly! Crisp, you really need to be cautious! There are so many scammers online now, they specifically target pretty young college girls like you who aren’t worldly-wise."]

["If you get tricked into going there, they might take indecent photos to blackmail you, or just harvest your kidneys and sell them, you wouldn’t even have a place to cry!"]

...

Reading her roommates’ alarming messages and memes, Crisp’s heart gradually sank, and her palms began to sweat.

It shouldn’t... be that bad, right?

She admitted, she indeed acted a bit impulsively this time.

Previously in the WeChat group, Qingqing had detailed her work and career.

First, she was a top lawyer, after leaving her domineering CEO ex-boyfriend, she got together with a gentle and considerate classmate.

For her, he directly acquired a media company and a film base.

At first, she thought these were just tall tales.

After all, in this group, including Yunyu, Jing, and others, each person would create an interesting persona for themselves after joining.

It was like role-playing, and everyone knew what was up.

Her persona was an illustrator, but in reality, she was a minor internet celebrity.

Recently, as her internet celebrity career hit a plateau, during a chat, when she heard that Boss Qing was into short dramas, she was naturally intrigued.

She wanted to capitalize on the short drama trend for some exposure.

Unexpectedly, the other party agreed outright and even said they’d give her more scenes.

She didn’t feel comfortable asking which company it was, and with the drama yet to air, it was temporarily untraceable.

Things on the internet are, after all, unpredictable.

Thinking about it now, it indeed feels somewhat unreliable.

Just like her roommates said, would such a high-caliber real-life boss really be in a goofy anime fan group?

Thankfully, the meeting location for this "IRL meetup" was in a seemingly formal office tower, reportedly where Qingqing’s media company was located.

She was here this time to sign a contract.

Once there, she would first assess the situation, and if anything seemed off, she would bolt immediately!

Taking a deep breath, she walked out of the subway exit.

She followed the navigation for a while.

Soon, the structure of Yuhua Business Building came into view.

First, she snapped a photo in front of the building, sent it to the group as a safety report, and then dialed Qingqing’s number.

The call was swiftly connected.

A deep, magnetic voice came from the other side: "Hello? Is this Crisp?"

The voice sounded youthful, like the regal tone of an anime queen, quite impressive.

Crisp took a deep breath and said, somewhat shakily, "Boss Qingqing, I... I’m right downstairs at your company."

"Oh, finally here?" The voice on the other side held a subtle smile, "Just come in through the main entrance, I’m waiting for you in the lounge on the right."

"Okay, okay, I’m coming!"

Crisp hung up the phone, like a warrior heading into battle, quickened her steps, and entered through the revolving glass door.

The interior of the building was brightly lit.

Her eyes nervously turned to the right, her heart racing faster.

Then, a figure came into view.

She was standing by the couch in the resting area.

Her long, shiny black hair was neatly tied into a slick ponytail hanging behind her.

She was wearing a well-tailored navy blue double-breasted suit dress, the high-quality wool gleaming with a subdued yet luxurious sheen under the lights.

The collar of her white silk blouse was slightly open, perfectly highlighting her exquisite collarbones.

She stood tall and elegant, with a proud chest.

A shimmering, clearly valuable watch was on her wrist.

Black stockings enveloped her slender, straight legs, with equally exquisite high-heels on her feet.

She simply stood there quietly, without looking at her phone, or casting about, exuding a powerful confidence and composure.

Seemingly aware of her gaze, the woman turned around, meeting her eyes.

This... is "Boss Qingqing"?!

This aura, this appearance, this fashion taste...

It matched! Everything matched!

The mysterious persona in the group who sometimes bragged, sometimes shared luxuries, and sometimes revealed astonishing industry insights.

At this moment, perfectly coincided with the classy yet striking elite woman in front of her!

In that instant, Crisp’s mind spontaneously played the end theme of "ALDNOAH.ZERO"—"aLIEz".

The intensely impactful prelude began, followed by that voice tearing through the sky, singing "I say cry!".

She stood in place, almost afraid to step forward.

"Tap, tap, tap—" The crisp sound of high heels echoed.

"Boss Qing" had a cold gaze, a calm expression, and gracefully walked towards her.

In Crisp’s eyes, the whole world turned into slow motion, every step of "Boss Qing" carried a "destructive" aura.

As if the next second a giant mech would be summoned.

"Hello, Crisp." Her voice was cold yet pleasant, a smile on her face as she proactively extended a hand: "Nice to meet you for the first time, I’m glad we could meet here. Let’s formally get acquainted, I am Xu Qing."