Chapter 270: Human-Shaped Koi Fish
After hearing Liu Xiangyi’s story about how her parents died, Xu Youyou couldn’t help but ask, “There aren’t more deaths after this, right?”
Liu Xiangyi’s expression was a bit conflicted, as if unsure whether she should continue.
Xu Youyou took a deep breath and said, “Please go on.”
Liu Xiangyi said, “After my mom and little brother passed away, the family of the driver who caused the accident compensated us with over a million yuan. Originally, the money should have been split among us three sisters.”
“But my eldest sister’s husband owed a lot of money from his business. My eldest sister took all the compensation, and together they squandered it. Later, my brother-in-law got drunk, fell into a ditch, and ended up paralyzed. I thought their situation was pitiful, so I didn’t chase them for the money.”
Xu Youyou increasingly felt that Liu Xiangyi was somehow cursed. Her brother-in-law being paralyzed might well be because they took Liu Xiangyi’s money.
“Are all these people your own relatives?” Xu Youyou asked.
After some hesitation, Liu Xiangyi decided not to hide anything and said, “During my third year of college, a classmate stole my boyfriend. Later…”
Xu Youyou asked, “Did the homewrecker and your boyfriend die together?”
Liu Xiangyi shook her head. “They got married right after graduation. But after my classmate gave birth to triplets, my boyfriend’s family went bankrupt. All their properties were auctioned off, and the whole family had nowhere to live. The young couple also ended up with millions in debt.”
Xu Youyou gasped. In a bankruptcy, if the older generation takes on the debt, it’s one thing. But here, even two young people became blacklisted for bad credit — and with three babies to feed? This was basically a total disaster, almost no different from dying.
For Xu Youyou, a few million wasn’t much, but for ordinary people, it was a crushing burden.
“At least they have a lot of descendants, so it’s not all bad,” Xu Youyou said, forcing herself to say something she didn’t even believe.
Liu Xiangyi sighed deeply and said, “Before I went abroad, I saw the two of them. They looked so aged I almost didn’t recognize them. Thank goodness she stole my boyfriend back then; otherwise, I’d be the one raising triplets and shouldering millions in debt.”
Hearing this, Xu Youyou wasn’t too surprised. She thought, although Liu Xiangyi’s relatives suffered a lot, it was often because they tried to block Liu Xiangyi’s path first.
Those with such ominous fates — the so-called “lone stars” — might be hard on others, but they were lucky for themselves. After all, they rarely suffered misfortune themselves.
Liu Xiangyi was just like that: barely passing major exams but still making it through, while those who tried to hold her back either got hurt or died.
Still, Xu Youyou couldn’t help but worry — wasn’t it risky to be around someone so heavily favored by fate? She immediately asked the system:
“Will I be affected by her special fate?”
The system quickly replied:
[Of course you will.]
Xu Youyou: “…”
Could you at least have hesitated for a second?
Keeping Liu Xiangyi might get Xu Youyou punished by fate; losing her would mean punishment from the system.
“Are you trying to revoke my failure penalty exemption?” Xu Youyou asked.
System: [Fate might punish you, but it might also reward you. Throughout history, there were many with the ‘lone star’ fate. For example, women with ‘husband-killing’ destinies were often seen as extremely noble. Even if their husbands died, people just thought their husbands weren’t good enough. Such women weren’t short of suitors, like Empress Dowager Wang Zhengjun.]
Xu Youyou remembered that story — Wang Zhengjun, the mother of Emperor Cheng of Han, lost two fiancés before entering the palace. Although she wasn’t much favored, she gave birth to the emperor, later became Empress Dowager, and lived to see her nephew Wang Mang usurp the throne. Still, she lived to the ripe old age of 84, a rare long-lived empress in history.
“Liu Xiangyi has a husband-killing fate? Then she should be looking for a husband, not a company,” Xu Youyou said to the system.
System: [What’s the difference between a husband and a company nowadays? Why do you think all the companies she’s been in went bankrupt? Of course, it’s because they didn’t deserve her and treated her poorly. Do you want to become an unparalleled company to match this unparalleled employee?]
Xu Youyou immediately said, “Yes, yes, yes!”
Liu Xiangyi had been prepared to be excluded by Xu Youyou and Xu Fang, but unexpectedly, Xu Youyou grabbed her hand and said:
“I don’t believe in all that stuff. I believe good companies don’t just collapse. I sincerely want you to join us. Please give me a chance.”
Such a respectful attitude stunned both Liu Xiangyi and Xu Fang.
Xu Fang opened her mouth to say something, but when she saw Xu Youyou’s eyes, she immediately changed her words:
“Xiao Liu, our boss has always been sincere. Give her a chance. Plus, you’ll get to chase your idol up close. Isn’t that a win-win?”
Liu Xiangyi shook her head. “I can’t repay kindness with ingratitude.”
Xu Youyou asked, “Were your previous companies good to you?”
Liu Xiangyi had only worked at shady companies after college. Her résumé wasn’t strong enough for top firms, and each company treated her worse than the last.
“You see, shady companies that exploit employees deserve to collapse. It has nothing to do with you. Our company doesn’t exploit employees. You can rest assured,” Xu Youyou said.
Liu Xiangyi had been worried about finding a job after returning home. If not for fearing she’d harm Xu Youyou, she would have agreed long ago. Hearing Xu Youyou’s repeated sincere invitations, her defenses finally crumbled.
“Okay, I… I’ll agree… But Miss Xu, if anything happens to the company, I’ll resign voluntarily. I won’t ask for severance pay!” Liu Xiangyi said.
Xu Youyou didn’t care about such a small sum. She said, “We are a legitimate company. Everything from hiring to resigning follows proper procedures. You’ll get every penny you’re owed.”
Liu Xiangyi was deeply moved and silently prayed that the company would last a long time.
Actually, a strange idea had just flashed through Xu Youyou’s mind: if Liu Xiangyi’s “skills” were this powerful, Xie Ran could have just planted her into Star Diamond Group — they’d probably go bankrupt in no time. That would be the fastest revenge.
But the thought only flashed by. Xu Youyou sternly reminded herself to walk the right path.
She couldn’t even wait to return home. Right there abroad, she signed an employment contract with Liu Xiangyi.
The moment the contract took effect, a pleasant system notification sounded in Xu Youyou’s ears.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! The “bargain-hunting” mission is complete.]
Just as Xu Youyou thought the system notifications were done, another line appeared on the system interface:
[Liu Xiangyi: a human-shaped koi fish. She may seem ordinary on the surface, but whenever she encounters danger, she can always turn misfortune into fortune, find a way out of desperate situations, and in good times, she can lift everyone around her to new heights!]
