"Boss, this is amazing. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside. You have to try it."
"I'll pass. Too greasy. You eat it."
You don't know how to enjoy life, turning down such a delicacy. Then this plum juice is mine.
"Drink up, but take it slow. No one is going to snatch it from you. I'm paying."
Then I bit into the chili and my whole head caught fire.
Spicy. It's so spicy. Ah — finally, saved.
Wait. This isn't my plum juice. This is the lemon tea the boss was just drinking. And this straw. Did the boss just bite on this?
What have I done? I actually used the boss's straw.
"I'm so sorry, boss. I was dazed by the spice. I didn't see clearly and grabbed the wrong one. I'll go buy you a new one right now. It'll be exactly the same."
"No need for the trouble."
"But — but I already used that straw."
He picked the cup up and drank from it.
"It's all right. It's pretty sweet. Go pay the bill."
He used my straw. He didn't seem bothered, and he even said it was pretty sweet. Does he even know what an indirect kiss is? Does this count as a work-related injury? Does this really count as a work-related injury?
Ah, my goodness. Why did we have to get on this Ferris wheel? Just because we got two free tickets for paying the bill? A man and a woman alone, a confined space — and the most critical thing is that indirect kiss from earlier. This air is just suffocating.
Then the car stopped with a jolt at the very top and every light in the park went out at once.
"Ah — what's happening? We're going to fall. Boss, help me."
"Don't be afraid. The power's out, but the backup generator will kick in any second."
"What if it doesn't? What if we get stuck up here? I haven't even made my fortune yet."
He took a coin out of his pocket, balanced it on his thumb, and flicked it.
"Flipping for heads. It'll come back on right now. Watch."
"Boss, have you lost your mind? This is a mechanical failure. The power is out at the amusement park. Wishful thinking isn't going to fix it—"
Every bulb on the wheel came on at the same moment, red and gold, all the way down the spokes.
It actually lit up. No way. I really am a lucky charm.
"My lucky charm," he said.
Wait. What do you mean, my lucky charm? And why are you standing so close? My heart can't take this. This has to count as a serious workplace injury.
Grind the beans, tamp the grounds, pull the shot. Ah, this is so bitter. It's like drinking herbal medicine. This one's absurdly weak. If I serve this to the boss, he'd definitely think I was trying to assassinate him.
Well. It's swallowable, at least. This cup is good to go.
"Come in."
"Here is your coffee, boss."
He drank a mouthful, put it down, and went back to his screen.
"Not bad. Go ahead and get back to work."
"So," Shen Miao said, "did he drink it?"
"He did, and he said it was not bad."
She stole a sip from the practice cup. "It's actually pretty decent. Looks like our little lucky charm is finally catching on."
My luck is going to run out one day. Even if I'm a lucky charm, I can't be a pretty face forever.
Monday, coffee. Tuesday, basic layout. Wednesday, intro to copywriting. I'm going to rely on myself to stay at Chaoshang Creative. I want to be able to stand by his side and be proud of it.
A new coffee machine appeared in the pantry on Thursday, the good kind, with a portafilter and a temperature dial. A new coffee machine? Is the boss supporting me with action? Just you wait, Boss Lin. I will definitely brew the best coffee in the whole company.
Tuesday, layout and color theory — still pending. There was a line of handwriting under it that was not mine.
Keep it up. Don't forget about the copywriting, okay?
Fine.
"It looks like this Miss Good Enough has a long way to go to reach the next level," Shen Miao said, reading over my shoulder.
"Sister Miao, I finished the copywriting for that small project. Sister Miao, how is it? Is it all wrong?"
"I have good news and bad news. The good news is you're finally moving past good enough. You were really thorough. The bad news is your writing can only be used for the promotional campaign for the new trash can."
Figures. Even if a clumsy bird flies early, it's still just a clumsy bird. A trash can campaign? Well, I guess this counts as cross-disciplinary work, right?
Edit. Version four. Save.
Teriyaki chicken rice, still warm, left on the corner of my desk with the chopsticks squared up against the box. The boss went out to buy this himself?
Great. After eating this, if I don't pull an all-nighter until midnight, I'd be letting him down.
"Sister Miao, take another look."
"It's a passing grade."
"Really? It's actually usable?"
"You don't have to throw it in the trash anymore. We can show this to the client. But I can't put your name on it."
"That's okay. It still counts as passing. As long as I can help out, that's what matters."
Two days later the deck came back from the print room with a line on the cover page. This proposal was completed by the design department and the brand luck consultant.
"Sister Miao, the way you secretly added my name is so cool. Your icy cold persona has completely collapsed today."
Upstairs, behind the frosted glass, Lin Chaoshang was looking at three months of figures and not liking any of them.
Three months in a row. All the company's growth right now depends entirely on those lucky projects Su Jin has been following. The new business line I've been leading personally — I've been in two rounds of talks, and they both completely tanked. Is it really true that Chaoshang Creative can't survive without a mascot?
Back in the day, we didn't have brand luck consultants or blessed lucky charms. And we definitely didn't have any lucky koi. It was just me running out to see clients under the scorching sun. Staying up all night to draw sketches, getting yelled at, and then reworking the proposal again.
What did I believe in back then? Cultural creativity isn't about superstition. It's about sincerity winning over sincerity. Success isn't just a fluke. It's the result of hard, down-to-earth effort.
"Shen Miao. Come into my office. Next week, I'm going to chase the new clients myself. I'm not taking Su Jin."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want to rely on it. I'll close the deal myself. Are we clear?"
"Good luck to you, then." Watching this brat try so hard is actually heart-wrenching. The incense has burned down to nothing, and he hasn't even had time to replace it.
Somebody put a fresh stick in the holder while he was on the phone. He looked up in time to see the door closing.
Su Jin just replaced the incense. Did she see me in such a frazzled state? This is so embarrassing, Lin Chaoshang.
The boss's mood is really off today. That incense was practically burnt to ash and he didn't even notice. What kind of impossible hurdle is he facing? Can my clever self help him out this time, too?
"Boss." I put it on his desk. "I went to the temple this weekend and specifically prayed for this. It's been blessed. Take it with you."
"No need. Go back to work."
"But these are major clients. The competition is fierce. Just take me. Or at least take this, just in case."
"I said no. I don't rely on luck."
What's going on? Did Boss Lin eat gunpowder for breakfast? He didn't even want the blessed red string. Didn't he used to believe in this stuff the most? He's not taking me. Can he really pull this off?
He couldn't.
"Mr. Lin, regarding your Chaoshang Creative — all your recent cases seem to have hit the trending charts purely because of luck, right? This core project of ours is not something you can get done with superstition. What's needed is real solid strength."
"Everything is in the proposal, and the data is very clear."
"This proposal is mediocre. There's nothing impressive about it, and your company is simply too small. You can't handle the risks. Apologies. See yourselves out."
"Sorry to have bothered you."
So once I'm separated from that stupid luck, my hard work is really worth absolutely nothing in the eyes of capital. The competitor won the bid. They wouldn't even give me a chance to fully defend myself. Ridiculous.
His phone rang while he was still in the parking garage.
"Boss. Boss. Did you have lunch? Did you land the client? If you nailed it, you've got to treat the whole company to a big feast tonight."
"How could I not have won? They clearly have no taste. They must be blind."
"Where are you? I'm coming to find you."
"Don't bother. I'm heading back to the office."
This girl. Why is she more worked up than me? If I didn't get the deal, I didn't get it. This is reality. Do I, Lin Chaoshang, really have to accept my fate? Am I destined to be a boss who relies on a mascot to stay in business?
There was a thermos on his desk when he got back, and a girl standing next to it with her hands behind her back.
"I brewed this luck-turning tea myself. Drink it and all the bad luck will go away."
This isn't luck-turning tea. It's basically poison. Since the girl brewed it herself, even if it leads to a hospital visit, I'll have to take it.
He drank the whole cup.
"How is it, boss? Is it super disgusting? I just checked the recipe, and it looks like one of the herbs was written down wrong."
"It's quite sweet."