MidReal Story
Contractual Seduction
Scenario: ### Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Contract
Xiao Jie stood before the towering glass doors of Tyren Investments, her heart filled with conflict and anxiety. Dressed in a simple blue business suit, she clutched her thick resume tightly as if it could offer her a bit of courage. The overcast sky seemed to foreshadow the life changes she was about to encounter.
As she entered the lobby, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to a metallic sculpture at the reception desk. The artwork's streamlined design, juxtaposed with the modern decor, compelled anyone to pause and admire. She had never imagined working in such a place—this was the domain of Ji Nian, known to the city as one of the financial fraudsters, and now potentially her "employer."
“Miss, how can I assist you today?” the receptionist asked with a professional smile.
“Hello, I’m Xiao Jie. I’m here for a job interview,” Xiao Jie tried to appear calm.
After verifying her appointment, the receptionist nodded, “Please follow me, I'll take you to the meeting room to wait.”
Walking down the polished marble corridor, Xiao Jie was led to a lavishly decorated meeting room. As the door closed behind her, her heartbeat accelerated. The room exuded a chilly business aura; the heavy curtains blocked out all but a few streaks of light, adding a touch of mystery to the interior.
Soon, the door opened and a tall man entered. He wore a tailor-made suit that spoke of prestige and an air of indisputability. This was Ji Nian, CEO of Tyren Investments.
“Miss Xiao Jie, I am Ji Nian.” His voice was deep and magnetic, his gaze sharp and penetrating, as if he could see right into one’s soul.
Xiao Jie stood up and nodded politely, “Mr. Ji, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
Ji Nian gestured for her to sit down, and he too sat across from her, locking his eyes onto hers, possibly trying to read more from her expressions.
“Let’s get straight to the point,” Ji Nian began, opening the folder he had placed on the table, and pulling out a document, “We have reviewed your background and skills, and you fit our needs perfectly. However, I have a special proposal for you.”
Xiao Jie’s heart tightened, knowing that a “special proposal” in such high-level job interviews was never simple.
Ji Nian continued, “I need you to sign a contract to become my 'contractual companion' for two years. During these years, you will receive compensation several times above the industry standard, plus extra bonuses upon completion of certain tasks.”
At that moment, Xiao Jie could almost hear her heart pounding; she had not anticipated such a proposal. She struggled to maintain her composure, despite the turmoil inside.
“Why choose me?” Her voice was almost a whisper.
Ji Nian slightly smiled, a mix of calculation and pride in his expression, “Because you are the ideal candidate. You are intelligent, beautiful, and you need this job to solve your financial issues. What I need is someone who can assist me in business settings without posing a threat to my private life.”
Xiao Jie was silent. This job could solve all her financial troubles and provide the best treatment for her grandmother, but the cost was her freedom and possibly a part of her dignity.
After a fierce mental battle, Xiao Jie took a deep breath, looked directly into Ji Nian’s eyes, and said, “I accept this contract, but I have my conditions.”
Ji Nian raised an eyebrow, seemingly pleased with her response, yet curious, “Please elaborate.”
“This contract is strictly professional, involving no personal feelings. I need a complete contract with clear boundaries,” Xiao Jie’s voice was firm, indicating her limits.
Ji Nian nodded, his face showing a trace of respect, “Very well, I will have my lawyer prepare the contract with all the terms specified. From now on, you are my 'contractual partner’.”
Thus, Xiao Jie embarked on an unconventional path. Behind the glamorous world of business, she would face unknown challenges, and this contract was just her starting point.
Create my version of this story
I stood outside of Tyren Investments and took a deep breath.
The sky above me was a hazy gray, and there was a chill in the air that seeped into the marrow of my bones.
I could feel the weight of my decision pulling me down, but I squared my shoulders and lifted my head high.
I had made up my mind, and nothing would stop me now.
The imposing glass doors of the company loomed before me, and I could feel the eyes of the world boring into my back as they waited for me to take that first step.
Tyren Investments was one of the most successful investment firms in the city, and it was also known for its association with Ji Nian.
He was a ruthless businessman who would do whatever it took to get what he wanted, but he was also notorious for his involvement in financial fraud.
The receptionist greeted me with a smile as I walked into the lobby, and I returned her greeting as I made my way to the front desk.
“Hello, how may I help you today?”
I reached into my bag and pulled out a resume, which I slid across the table to her.
“I’m here for a job interview.”
Her eyes widened in surprise before she quickly recomposed herself and pasted on a friendly smile.
“Of course, please take a seat over there and someone will be with you shortly.”
I nodded and walked over to the row of chairs that lined the lobby, taking a seat in the center to wait for my turn.
I could feel the seconds ticking by as I sat there, but it also felt like time had stopped altogether.
My mind was racing with a jumble of thoughts and emotions, all of them vying for attention but ultimately fading away into nothingness.
All that mattered now was this job interview.
If I didn’t get this job, everything would have been for nothing.
The sound of heels clicking against the floor echoed through the lobby, snapping me out of my daze.
A woman in a tailored black suit approached me with a clipboard in hand and a smile on her face.
“Miss Xiao Jie?”
I nodded and stood up, straightening out my skirt before I followed her down the hallway.
She led me into a small conference room and motioned for me to take a seat across from her behind a round table.
I sat down and placed my bag on the floor beside me before smoothing out the front of my blue suit and adjusting the collar of my shirt.
The woman sat down across from me and opened the clipboard in front of her.
“We are very pleased that you chose to interview with us today, Miss Xiao Jie.”
I gave her a small smile and nodded in response, but I was only half-listening to what she was saying.
My thoughts were occupied with other things, like how badly I needed this job and what I would do if I didn’t get it.
I had been searching for a job for months now with no luck, but I couldn’t give up.
I needed to find a job that would help me make ends meet and give me a better future for myself and my grandmother.
I was only brought back to reality when the woman handed me a pen and a stack of papers clipped together at the top.
“Please fill out these forms before the interview so we can get to know more about you.”
I nodded and took the papers from her, but I didn’t start filling them out right away.
Instead, I just sat there and stared down at the blank pages in front of me, wondering how I had gotten myself into this mess and how I was going to get out of it.
The lobby was filled with light that shone through the glass doors, but it still felt cold and business-like compared to the warmth outside.
It made me feel a little uneasy inside, which was strange because I had never been bothered by such things before.
The walls were painted a pale shade of gray that was almost white, but not quite.
It gave the room a stark and somber appearance that made it seem like time itself had stopped within its confines.
To the left of the front desk was a seating area with modern furniture in muted colors that made it look almost clinical in its design.
At the center of the room was a striking metallic sculpture that seemed to defy gravity as it spiraled upward and outward.
It was delicate and intricate in design compared to the rest of the lobby, with smooth curves and sharp angles that seemed to play off of each other in an endless dance of light and shadow.
It reminded me of a flower in bloom or a bird in flight as it reached for the sky with all of its might.
I couldn’t help but feel drawn to it as I stood there and stared at it in silence.
It was unlike anything I had ever seen before, and it made me feel things that I couldn’t put into words.
But at the same time, there was something about it that seemed off and out of place in this sterile environment.
As if it had been plucked from another world and dropped into this one by some unseen force that wished to keep it hidden from prying eyes.
My gaze lingered on the sculpture for a long moment before I tore my eyes away and turned back toward the reception desk.
A young man was sitting there with his head down and his fingers tapping against the screen of his cell phone.
His hair was a dark shade of brown and perfectly styled in a way that made him look effortlessly handsome.
There was a carefree smile on his lips that made it seem like he didn’t have a care in the world.
And his long legs were stretched out in front of him with his feet propped up on the edge of the table.
It was an unusual sight to see someone acting so nonchalant in such a serious place.
I couldn’t help but feel like he was out of place here just like the sculpture was, but at the same time, there was something about him that made me feel like he belonged here after all.
I don’t know how long I stood there and watched him before he finally looked up from his phone and caught my eye.
I quickly turned away and pretended to be interested in the sculpture once again.
But when I looked at it this time, it looked even more enchanting than before.
As if it had been hiding some secret charm all along that only revealed itself when you took a closer look.
The sound of footsteps approaching from behind pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned around to see a middle-aged woman standing in front of me with her arms crossed over her chest.
She had short hair that was dyed a bright shade of red and sharp features that gave her a stern and intimidating aura despite her small size.
Her eyes were sharp and piercing as they locked onto mine in a way that made me feel like she could see right through me.
“Can I help you with something?”
she asked in a cold and business-like tone.
I felt my cheeks grow warm as I realized that I had been standing there staring at the sculpture for far too long without saying anything.
And now this woman was looking at me like I was some sort of weirdo who didn’t belong here.
But I quickly composed myself and put on my most professional smile as I stepped forward to face her.
My heart was racing so fast that I could barely catch my breath as I told myself to keep it together.
“Hello,” I said as I reached into my bag to pull out my resume.
“I’m here for a job interview.”
The woman’s gaze softened for a moment as she took my resume from me and glanced down at it.
But then she looked up at me again with that cold and business-like expression back on her face.
“Name?” she asked curtly.
“Xiao Jie,” I replied as I tried to sound confident.
But my voice came out in a small and nervous squeak that made me cringe inwardly.
I looked up at the woman with wide eyes as I waited for her to say something else.
But she just sat there in silence and stared at me as if she were trying to decide whether or not I was worth her time.
My heart sank as I wondered if she thought that I wasn’t good enough for this job or if she thought that I was too young and inexperienced to be here.
I wanted to say something to break the ice and make a good impression on her, but the words wouldn’t come out of my mouth as my mind went blank and all of my thoughts turned into a jumbled mess.
After what felt like an eternity of awkward silence, the woman finally spoke again.
Her fingers flew across the keyboard of her computer as she typed in my information with lightning speed.
I waited with bated breath as the seconds ticked by, wondering what she would say next and desperately hoping for a good outcome.
At this point, all I could do was pray that I would get this job so that I could finally start earning money and turn my life around for the better.
And so that I could finally show my grandmother that she had nothing to worry about and that she could finally stop working so hard just to take care of me.
The woman’s expression was impossible to read as she stared at the computer screen, but she looked up at me again after a moment and nodded her head in approval.
“Miss Xiao Jie,” she said in a slightly more friendly tone than before.
“Your interview has been confirmed.Please follow me.”
I felt a huge wave of relief wash over me as she led the way down a long hallway with rows of doors on either side.
I couldn’t believe that this was really happening, and that I had actually managed to make it this far after all.
As we walked down the hallway, I couldn’t help but stare at the magnificent sculpture that was now looming over us.
It was a massive piece that was at least twice the size of the one in the lobby, with sleek lines and intricate details that made it look like a real-life work of art.
The sculpture was made entirely of metal, with sharp edges and smooth curves that added to its ethereal beauty.
And the metal was polished to a bright shine that glimmered in the light and illuminated the entire hallway in a way that was absolutely breathtaking.
As we drew closer to the heart of the company, the woman led me past the reception desk and down another hallway that was lined with rows of doors on either side.
The walls were painted a dark shade of gray that matched the cold and business-like atmosphere of this place perfectly.
But the hallway was lined with large windows that let in plenty of natural light, making it feel slightly less depressing than the rest of the building.
I couldn’t help but look back at the sculpture one more time as we passed by it, and I felt a strange sense of longing in my chest as if it were calling out to me.
The sculpture looked like a magnificent phoenix rising from the flames, with its wings spread wide and its beak open to release a loud and powerful cry.
I had always been drawn to phoenixes for some reason, ever since I was a little girl.
Maybe it was because they were such powerful creatures who could rise from the ashes and be reborn no matter how many times they were destroyed.
It was an image that I had always admired, especially during these difficult times when I felt like my life was falling apart around me.
And now that I was here at Tyren Investments, looking at this stunning sculpture, I couldn’t help but feel like it was a sign that things were about to change for the better.
That I was finally going to get my life back on track as long as I was brave enough to take this opportunity and run with it.
The woman led me down another hallway that was lined with various paintings on either side, each one more beautiful than the last.
The walls were painted a soft shade of white that made it feel like we were walking through an art gallery instead of an office building.
But I barely had time to stop and admire any of them as we walked past, with my heart pounding so fast in my chest that I could barely catch my breath.
Finally, we arrived at one last door at the very end of the hallway, and the woman opened it to lead me inside a lavishly decorated meeting room.
A long table ran along the center of the room with rows of leather chairs on either side, surrounded by a dozen or so floor-to-ceiling windows that offered a stunning panoramic view of the city below.
I couldn’t help but gasp in awe as I stepped inside to take a closer look at everything, but the woman didn’t even glance my way as she led me over to one of the chairs and motioned for me to sit down.
“Please wait here,” she said in a cold voice as she turned to leave without even saying goodbye.
My eyes widened in shock as I watched her walk out the door, leaving me all alone in this opulent yet cold business oasis.
I had never felt so out of place in my entire life, as if I were some sort of intruder who had snuck in here by accident.
I looked around nervously as I sat in one of those leather chairs, which was so comfortable that it practically swallowed me whole, and waited for my potential future employer to arrive.
The room was completely silent except for the sound of my high heels clicking against the marble floor as I crossed my legs and adjusted my royal blue business suit, which had been the best outfit that I could find in my closet to wear today, even though it was a little too big and baggy on me.
I felt like a little fish swimming in an ocean filled with sharks as I sat there and looked around, with heavy curtains blocking out most of the sunlight so that it was dark and gloomy inside, even though it was still daytime and there were dozens of lights turned on to brighten up the space.
The room was so big and spacious that it made me feel small and insignificant as I sat there in one corner all by myself, with no idea when or who was going to walk through that door and change my life forever.
I took a deep breath to try and calm my nerves, but it didn’t seem to help because my hands were shaking so hard that they looked blurry when I held them up in front of me.
My heart was pounding so fast it felt like it was going to burst right out of my chest and then take off running without me as every second seemed like an eternity while I waited for something to happen.
I had no idea how much time had passed when I finally heard the sound of creaking hinges coming from behind me, and my body tensed up right away as a tall figure stepped inside, filling up this entire space with his presence alone.
This man was so tall and handsome that he practically took my breath away as soon as he walked inside, with his sharp and prestigious facial features that stood out even more because he had his hair tied back into a tight bun so that not a single strand was out of place.
He wore an elegant suit that fit him perfectly, with a crisp white shirt underneath his jacket and a pair of shiny black shoes on his feet.
He looked like a CEO through and through, like he was born to be a leader and manage other people’s money over his lifetime.
The man walked over to stand in front of the closed door, with his hands clasped casually behind his back as his sharp eyes scanned the room for someone.
My heart skipped a beat when those eyes settled on me, and I felt a shiver run down my spine as they bored into mine with their cold and piercing gaze.
But I didn’t dare look away as our eyes locked onto each other like they were connected by an invisible string.
And then, like a switch had been flipped inside of my chest, the man’s lips curved up into a small yet wicked smirk as he watched me squirm under his gaze, almost like he knew what kind of effect he had on me – or maybe because he had been doing this to other people for so long that he could see right through me.
“Are you Xiao Jie?”
the man asked in a deep voice that was so magnetic it sounded like he had been whispering sweet nothings into my ears.
“Step inside,” the man ordered once I nodded my head in response to his question, with a tone that said he was used to giving orders and having other people follow them without question.
I nodded my head obediently as I stepped inside to close the door behind me, only for him to walk over to sit down at the other end of the desk before I could even make it over to the chair on the other side.
The man’s dark eyes followed my every movement as I walked over to take a seat across from him, with his intense gaze making me feel like I was standing naked in front of him instead of sitting down fully-clothed in a business suit.
I forced myself to take a deep breath to try and calm myself down, but it didn’t seem to help because my heart was still pounding loud enough for me to hear it in my ears as I waited for him to say something – anything – that would break the tense silence between us.
“Hello,” the man said after what seemed like an eternity had passed, with his intense gaze making me feel like he could see right through me as he continued to size me up like a piece of meat.
“My name is Ji Nian.”
“Nice to meet you,” I replied automatically as the man’s name sent a shiver down my spine, with his sharp and prestigious gaze making me feel like I had just been pricked by needles all over my body as I struggled to keep a smile on my lips.
This was the notorious Ji Nian that everyone had been talking about for the last two years?
The same man who was responsible for committing financial fraud in order to get rich and stay on top of the business world?
The one everyone was scared to death of and didn’t dare to talk to if they saw him out in public?
He looked so handsome and impressive that there was no way for me to believe that he was the same person as the rumors had described, but that didn’t seem to change the fact that he was still an extremely powerful and influential person who could make or break other people with the snap of his fingers.
The man’s lips twitched slightly as he stared at my face, with his gaze making me feel like I was being dissected and analyzed for every little flaw that he could find.
“And you are?”
Ji Nian asked with a cold smirk, after he realized that I hadn’t said anything about my own name.
“I’m Xiao Jie,” I replied in a soft voice, but it didn’t seem to matter because the man’s sharp eyes had already moved on from my face to the resume that I had placed in front of him earlier.
The man reached out a hand to pick up the resume, but then he just left it there while he continued to stare at my face with his cold and piercing gaze.
“What do you want me to call you?”
he asked, with his smirk making it sound like he was talking down to me and trying to make me feel inferior because he was so much better than me in every way.
“You can call me Xiao Jie,” I replied while trying my best not to let my irritation show on my face, even though I felt like I was about to lose my mind if he didn’t stop staring at me so intensely soon.
Ji Nian let out a small chuckle, but then he didn’t say anything more so we just sat there in silence for the next few minutes while I waited for him to say something about the resume.
The curtains on the wall were so heavy that they blocked out most of the light, making the room feel like a dark and gloomy cave where you never knew when something was going to jump out and attack you.
I had always been afraid of the dark, and the curtains only made me feel even more nervous about being in this room alone with this man so I was extremely relieved when the door finally creaked open and someone stepped into the room.
My heart sank like a rock as soon as I saw who it was because this person was even more imposing than I had expected him to be.
He was tall and lean, with a pair of sharp eyes and eyebrows that made him look like he was always frowning.
His presence was overbearing, and his gaze was so intense that it felt like he could see right through you and figure out all of your secrets in an instant.
His name was Ji Nian, and he was the CEO of Tyren Investments.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Ji Nian said in a voice that was just as cold and sharp as his appearance, with his tone making me feel like he was looking down on me and didn’t think that I was good enough for him.
“I’m Xiao Jie,” I told him while trying my best not to sound nervous, even though the man’s piercing gaze was making it impossible for me to concentrate on anything other than trying to keep myself from shaking in fear.
Ji Nian just gave me a curt nod in return, but then he didn’t say anything else so we just sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity while we both waited for the other person to make the first move.
“You may sit down,” Ji Nian said after he realized that I wasn’t going to say anything else, with his tone making it clear that he wasn’t happy about having to speak first and thought that I should have been able to read his mind and figure out what he wanted me to do on my own.
I let out a small sigh of relief as soon as I heard his words, but then I quickly scrambled over to the chair and sat down before he had a chance to change his mind and tell me to get up again.
The chair was so far away from the table that it felt like there was a huge chasm between us, but I knew better than to try and move it closer because I didn’t want Ji Nian to think that I was trying too hard or too eager to please him by getting too close to him.
I could feel his gaze burning into me the whole time while I was sitting down, but I didn’t dare to look up and meet his eyes because I knew that I wouldn’t be able to handle it if he decided to start talking about me again and telling me everything that he thought was wrong with me.
There was a small stack of papers on Ji Nian’s side of the table and he took one of the pages off the top of the pile and started flipping through it.
I tried not to let it show how curious I was about what he was doing and how desperately I wanted to know if he had read my resume yet or not, but a few minutes later Ji Nian finally finished flipping through all of the pages and I knew that he must have reached the end of my resume by then.
His expression was so serious and so focused while he was reading through the pages that I couldn’t help but feel like he was almost glaring at me while he was looking at them, like he could see straight through me and knew everything about me already without having to say anything about it out loud.
I had never met anyone who had such a piercing gaze like he did before, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was something that Ji Nian had been born with or if it was something that he had developed over time in order to intimidate people and keep them away from him.
I tried not to think about how much I hated it when people treated me like I was just some stupid little girl who didn’t know anything, but I couldn’t help it.
It was something that always made me angry and that I couldn’t just ignore, even though I knew how important it was for me to be more understanding of other people’s feelings in a situation like this.
I tried to keep telling myself that Ji Nian was only doing it because he wanted to make sure that I was worthy of being his employee or because he wanted to test me in order to see how I would handle things when they were difficult for me to deal with, but it was still hard for me not to feel bad about it all the same.
“You have no experience in investment consulting,” Ji Nian finally said after letting out a small sigh.
He still wasn’t looking up at me while he was talking, but I could tell from the way his voice sounded that he wasn’t happy about what he was seeing on my resume.
I felt my heart sink as soon as I heard his words because I knew that this was going to be a problem for me since I had never worked in this kind of job before.
At first I had thought that it was going to be enough for me to just have a good degree from a good university in order to be able to get a job here, but now I could see that I had been wrong about it all along.
I had thought that I would be able to pick things up quickly since I was usually pretty good at getting into new things right away, but now I knew that it was going to be harder than I had first thought it was going to be and that I was going to need to work twice as hard if I wanted to get Ji Nian to hire me over all of the other people who were competing with me for this job.
“I may not have direct experience,” I told Ji Nian as calmly as I possibly could while I was talking to him, “but I am a very quick learner and I am passionate about working in the financial industry.”
If Ji Nian didn’t like my answer then there was nothing that I was going to be able to do to change his mind about it now.
