Chapter 3

Chapter 3

◎ "Nowadays, it's popular to have six social insurances and two housing funds, including supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity." ◎

The streetlight cast its glow on the two of them, stretching long shadows on the ground.

A few seconds later, Shen Ruzhen's shadow moved, swaying closer to Fu Feng's shadow—then stomped right over it.

In reality, Shen Ruzhen gave Fu Feng a faint smile.

Seeing her smile, Fu Feng suddenly felt something strange.

Logically, he was the one in the superior position, yet at this moment, it felt as though Shen Ruzhen was trampling over him from above.

Fu Feng inadvertently glanced down and noticed their overlapping shadows.

Shen Ruzhen said, "I’ve been your stand-in for so long—shouldn’t I get some payment?"

"Payment?" Fu Feng looked baffled, as if he had never heard of the word before.

Women who wanted to be with him could line up from the South Pole to the North Pole and circle the Earth twice—who would dare ask him for payment?

But this audacious woman in front of him seemed dead serious about bargaining: "The stand-in contract clearly states that my working hours are irregular, on call 24/7, with a one-year term until Shen Rujiao returns. I’ll leave on my own without any fuss."

"This contract includes job duties, working hours, location, and duration—it should be considered a labor contract. As the employer, shouldn’t you pay me a salary?"

"Salary..."

The mere mention made Fu Feng’s gut twist.

He glanced at the cart of luxury goods behind Shen Ruzhen, pointing at them in disbelief. "Isn’t this enough?"

Shen Ruzhen crossed her arms, matter-of-factly. "Those are for Shen Rujiao. The salary is for me. Let’s keep things separate."

Fu Feng: "..." For the first time, he felt like hiring this stand-in was like shooting himself in the foot.

"Fine, salary it is!"

Shen Ruzhen nodded. "And don’t forget the five insurances and one housing fund—no, wait, nowadays it’s six social insurances and two housing funds, including supplementary medical insurance and enterprise annuity."

Fu Feng’s face turned stormy.

"Oh, and taxes must be withheld and paid. I wouldn’t dare evade them."

Her words said "wouldn’t dare," but her eyes radiated smug triumph.

Fu Feng laughed in anger. "As if you—"

Shen Ruzhen covered her mouth in mock surprise. "Mr. Fu, for an employee, salary is just one thing—benefits are equally important!"

"Working for you, surely you don’t lack these, do you?"

D-o-n-’-t y-o-u?

Fu Feng felt like a slap to the face, his cheeks burning.

Shen Ruzhen shook her head, looking disappointed. "No salary, no six social insurances and two housing funds, no tax withholding... Mr. Fu, I don’t think this stand-in arrangement can continue."

She took a step back, shaking her head again, her eyes held both reluctance and boundless melancholy. "Mr. Fu, thank you for your care these past days. To show my gratitude, I’ll play Shen Rujiao one last time for you."

With that, she gathered her skirt, spun in Shen Rujiao’s signature twirl, then walked off—pulling the cart of luxury goods with her.

Pulled away...

Pulled away...

Fu Feng opened his mouth, then closed it, despairingly realizing he had no rebuttal.

Shen Ruzhen’s figure disappeared around the street corner, leaving him alone in disarray in the night wind.

Having successfully shaken off Fu Feng, Shen Ruzhen didn’t head home immediately. She decided to sell the cart of luxury goods first.

......

If she didn’t sell them while they were still in demand, they’d end up in her uncle and aunt’s hands the moment she got home.

The system fretted, "But what if the male lead later asks why you’re not wearing the clothes and jewelry he bought you?"

"Oh, I’ll just say—how would Shen Ruzhen know where Shen Rujiao put them?"

You’ve truly mastered Schrödinger’s logic!

Shen Ruzhen quickly found a reputable pawnshop. Though the packaging was intact, luxury resale still incurred some depreciation. But she didn’t care—after all, it wasn’t her money.

The cart of luxury goods sold for 1.02 million, plus the funds her aunt had given her, totaling 1,021,800 yuan.

Plenty to cover legal fees!

The next morning, when Shen Ruzhen woke up, something felt off.

It was as if there was more than just her breathing in the room.

She sniffed—and at the same time, faintly heard an inhale.

She turned her head.

Fu Feng sat in the shadows of the curtains, staring at her with a chilling gaze.

Beside him stood a man in a tailcoat, standing at attention with hands at his sides. He stepped forward and pulled open the curtains, flooding the room with blinding sunlight.

The harsh light hit Shen Ruzhen’s eyelids, making it hard to open her eyes.

Every tyrannical CEO male lead has a right-hand man—one who would go through fire and water for him, take the blow for him in tears, and of course, love what he loves and hate what he hates. Executive Assistant Ye by Fu Feng’s side was exactly that kind of person. Most of the ill-conceived plots against the original female lead had come from him.

Fu Feng gave a slight nod.

Executive Assistant Ye stepped forward and tossed a stack of papers onto her blanket.

Shen Ruzhen didn’t look at the documents. She lifted her head. "I need to put on clothes."

Fu Feng froze—Shen Ruzhen was giving him orders?

Shen Ruzhen repeated, "With you here, how am I supposed to change out of my pajamas?"

Fu Feng: "Do it here. Executive Assistant Ye is like family."

Shen Ruzhen smiled. "Oh? So when you’re with my cousin Shen Rujiao, Executive Assistant Ye is like family too? How magnanimous of you."

Fu Feng: "..."

The words Shen Ruzhen said last night kept replaying in his mind—when Shen Ruzhen was with him, she was Shen Rujiao.

If Executive Assistant Ye saw Shen Ruzhen, it would be equivalent to seeing Shen Rujiao...

This logic seemed flawed yet somehow made sense...

Fu Feng left with Executive Assistant Ye, his face dark.

Outside the door, Fu Feng was warmly invited to sit by Shen Ruzhen’s parents, but something about it bothered him.

After returning last night, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it seemed.

Originally, he had intended to intimidate Shen Ruzhen, to make her obediently play the role of her cousin without any ulterior motives. But in the end, not only had he failed to discipline her, he’d dropped over a million bucks? That aside, the real issue was—she’d dumped him? What the hell was that about!

So today, Executive Assistant Ye came up with a plan: they would enter Shen Ruzhen’s room while she was still asleep to put the fear of god in her—

Get it? Mr. Fu can waltz into even your most private space whenever he wants. Quit messing around and just be a good stand-in.

Yet somehow, it felt like they were the ones who had been intimidated by Shen Ruzhen!

Fu Feng turned to ask Executive Assistant Ye if he had any other ideas, only to find him looking emotional. “Mr. Fu, it seems Miss Shen truly wants to be your stand-in. She’s already living the part of Miss Jiao at all times!”

Fu Feng suspected his usually sharp assistant had lost his mind. Otherwise, why would he not only avoid using her name directly but even add an honorific?

“But she wasn’t even trying to be her yesterday! She didn’t even try!”

Executive Assistant Ye reassured him, “It’s fine, Mr. Fu. Once she signs that contract, we can make her dance to our tune.”

Speaking of the contract, Shen Ruzhen was in the bedroom reading the pile of documents Executive Assistant Ye had thrown at her earlier.

Salary, six insurances and two funds [social security and housing provident fund], transportation, holiday subsidies—everything seemed well-covered. To Shen Ruzhen’s trained eye, honed from years of reviewing labor contracts, it even seemed above board.

Then, she flipped to the last page.

Party B’s Obligations:

Participate in training activities organized by Party A to ensure performance meets all of Party A’s requirements.

The word “all” was even bolded.

System: “Well well, the male lead still hasn’t given up on dragging you into a black site for ‘upgrades.’”

Shen Ruzhen sneered. “But he’s clueless about the law.”

System: “?”

Shen Ruzhen: “Clauses like ‘voluntarily obey all management arrangements’ are inherently invalid. Not to mention, a doppelganger contract itself violates public policy—also invalid.”

“So, whether I sign or not, the result is the same.”

System: “Then why did you haggle over pay with him last night???”

The moment it spoke, the System covered its mouth. After spending so much time with Shen Ruzhen, even its phrasing had become professional.

Shen Ruzhen said seriously, “If I didn’t negotiate, how would I get this contract? How would I get evidence to sue him?”

The System was stunned. It suddenly realized something terrifying.

It had thought Shen Ruzhen was just making up reasons last night to divert the male lead’s attention and escape the black site.

But now, it was clear—Shen Ruzhen’s goal had been to kill two birds with one stone.

On the surface, she had indeed temporarily escaped the threat of the black site. But on a deeper level, she had also dropped a hint in the male lead’s mind—I need a contract.

Once I have this contract, I’ll let you do whatever you want.

But Fu Feng would never guess that Shen Ruzhen’s aims went way beyond just money. Her real goal was to send him to prison.

And lawsuits require evidence.

While Fu Feng smugly believed he had Shen Ruzhen under control, he had also handed her the knife.

Finally putting it all together, the System shuddered.

Shen Ruzhen’s mind was scarily thorough.

Could it really control her?

......

Shen Ruzhen made the people outside wait a full half-hour before leisurely changing and stepping out.

Fu Feng’s face was black as thunder.

Especially when he saw Shen Ruzhen still wearing yesterday’s clothes, he demanded, “Where are the new clothes and jewelry I bought you last night?”

“They’re with Shen Rujiao. How should I know?”

“You—!”

Fu Feng nearly blurted out, *Didn’t you just say you were Shen Rujiao?* But remembering he’d never won an argument over whether Shen Ruzhen was Shen Rujiao, he decided not to bother arguing.

Today’s priority was getting her to sign the agreement.

Once she signed, she’d be in his pocket.

Then, it wouldn’t matter whether she was Shen Ruzhen or Shen Rujiao!

He gave a nod, and Executive Assistant Ye stepped forward, handing Shen Ruzhen a black pen. “Miss Shen, your signature please.”

But Shen Ruzhen didn’t take it.

She set the contract down on the table and asked Fu Feng, “What happens if I don’t sign?”

Fu Feng’s expression darkened instantly, like the quiet before a storm. “Shen Ruzhen, let me remind you again—there are plenty of women who want to be by my side. If not for your face—”

*Damn it, but that face really is irreplaceable!*

Fu Feng bit back his unfinished threat and said coldly, “You don’t have to sign. But I can have someone force your hand to sign. I can have your hand chopped off to sign. I can even snatch your mother and make her beg you to sign over the phone.”

Shen Ruzhen gave Fu Feng a hard stare.

At this moment, Fu Feng truly was every inch the male lead of a *Domineering CEO Novel*—controlling, overbearing, and uncompromising.

“You said that. Don’t forget it.”

Fu Feng wasn’t ready for that response. Instinctively, he said, “Of course I said it.”

“Oh, one more question—you know this doppelganger contract is illegal, right?”

What kind of crap is this? Fu Feng snapped, “I couldn’t care less if it’s legal or not. Sign it now, or I’ll force you. Quit stalling...”

Shen Ruzhen took the pen and scrawled her signature quickly.

She then thrust the contract into Executive Assistant Ye's hands and said, "There are two copies. I want a copy."

Executive Assistant Ye: "...It's fine, you can keep the original."

Fu Feng hadn't expected her to sign so quickly. Eyeing her suspiciously, he examined Shen Ruzhen's signature three times over but found no signs of deception.

Shen Ruzhen yawned. "Done signing. Why are you still here?"

Fu Feng scowled. "Is that any way to speak to your employer?"

But then he remembered—he had paid! For every minute spent with this stand-in, he had paid good money. To get his money's worth, he had no time to waste arguing with Shen Ruzhen!

Softening his tone, Fu Feng said, "Jiaojiao, I’ll be away on business for a couple of days. I’ll come see you as soon as I'm back."

Shen Ruzhen gave a half-hearted nod.

Then, in an instant, Fu Feng’s demeanor darkened. "Shen Ruzhen, I’ll be away for a couple of days. When I return, I’ll bring you to my place and teach you how to properly act as Jiaojiao. Don't go anywhere for these two days—don’t try anything funny."

......

After Fu Feng left, Shen Ruzhen mused and said to the system, "Sometimes, I can’t even tell which of us is the real replacement."

System: "?"

What nonsense are you spouting?

Shen Ruzhen: "He switches personalities far more naturally than I do."

System: "..."

Fu Feng’s visit wasn’t completely pointless. While providing evidence, he also reminded Shen Ruzhen of one thing.

The original Shen Ruzhen still had a mother.

In the original story, Shen Ruzhen and her mother had been living quietly in the countryside until her uncle and aunt found her.

At first, the original Shen Ruzhen had refused to be Fu Feng’s stand-in, but he had threatened her biological mother’s life.

During her imprisonment under Fu Feng, the original host had developed severe depression. After being discarded, she chose to die by lying on the train tracks. The only person she couldn’t let go of was her mother—the only one she felt she had wronged.

In her mind's eye, Shen Ruzhen seemed to see that slender figure staggering along the edge of the railway. The woman tilted her head back to take a drink of liquor but choked as the liquid flooded her throat. Kneeling on the tracks, she was sick violently, wiping the spilled alcohol from her face before smashing the bottle against the unyielding steel rails.

It occurred to her: Could she shatter on the tracks too, just like that glass bottle? She hadn’t used much force—just a gentle knock—yet it had broken so easily.

And so, she lay back on the tracks.

In the hazy night, as the headlights of an approaching train illuminated her face, she looked one last time in a certain direction—toward home.

After her death, her mother, having lost any word from her daughter, left the countryside for the city in search of her. But all she found was her daughter’s corpse. She never learned what had happened to her child, why working in the city had led to such an end. Alone, she had no way of confronting Fu Feng for answers. In the end, she too died heartbroken.

Shen Ruzhen lowered her eyes, perhaps affected by the lingering emotions of the original host, feeling melancholy.

After working on her phone for a while, she made a call.

The background noise was chaotic, faintly punctuated by the clucking of chickens and quacking of ducks. The original host’s mother lived in the countryside, speaking in a heavy country accent.

"Hey, Zhenzhen, what’s going on?"

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Shen Ruzhen came to the reason for the call—she wanted her mother to move to a new house.

At first, her mother was reluctant, but when Shen Ruzhen mentioned that the new house had more land—and more importantly, that the money was already spent and the house already bought—she finally agreed.

After a few more words, she hung up. Just then, a notification popped up on her screen: "Your card ending in XXXX was charged 980,000 yuan. Remaining balance: 41,800 yuan."

Shen Ruzhen shook her head and said with self-mockery, "I really am..."

She never finished the sentence.

Still, pricey though it was, the house had its advantages.

Even if the male lead, with all his power, managed to track down her mother’s new address, he couldn't do anything.

Because it wasn’t just any ordinary house.

It was right next to the municipal government’s residential compound, with a police station on one side, a courthouse 400 meters away, and the city hall a kilometer down the road.

If Fu Feng still dared to make a move under these circumstances, he'd have to be suicidal.

"Author’s Note"

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Update at midnight tomorrow (29th).