As for her bold guess about his surname, it was entirely based on the initials embroidered on the handmade buttons of his suit. That century-old shop is renowned for crafting buttons adorned with family crests or personalized monograms for its clients.
When a headhunting company approached Bao Yong with a job offer, she was briefly tempted. She loved her current industry—or rather, she loved diamonds. As a child, she used to listen to her grandfather read The Count of Monte Cristo. Her favorite passages were the descriptions of treasure: large rubies and diamonds, as abundant as grapes during harvest, shimmering and glowing like a mythical wonder.
During her internship at the headquarters in Antwerp, everyone found the work grueling except for Bao Yong. From marking and cutting to shaping and polishing, she was captivated by the transformation of rough stones into dazzling loose diamonds.
But the salary offered by the headhunting company was incredibly enticing. After much deliberation, Bao Yong realized she couldn’t entirely resist the temptation.
Often, people have no choice but to compromise for money.
Bao Yong’s new job was as Wang Li’s personal assistant, responsible for managing the daily lives of the Wang family. While it sounded like the role of a house manager, it was far more challenging than being a store manager. She had to oversee multiple properties across Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Shenzhen, and Hong Kong; coordinate a household staff of over twenty people, including four drivers, a gardener, and private tutors; and ensure everything ran seamlessly.
Wang Li had been divorced for years and remained single, with only an eight-year-old daughter, Xiao Jin, under his care. Xiao Jin suffered from severe autism and a congenital heart condition, requiring constant attention from a private doctor and tutors.
Whenever Wang Li was in China, Bao Yong often accompanied him on his frequent travels. Some mornings would start in Beijing, afternoons would be spent in Shanghai, and evenings would end with dinner at his mansion in Hong Kong. Bao Yong managed everything flawlessly, whether it was organizing a party for hundreds of guests at home or scheduling a dental visit for Xiao Jin to have sealants applied to her teeth.
As Wang Li’s assistant, she probably spent more time with him daily than anyone else. During occasional phone calls with Leslie, Leslie would boldly ask, “How’s the new job? Have you fallen for that diamond-studded bachelor yet?”
Bao Yong’s response was straightforward: “Fallen for him? Forget it. Falling for someone like him would be harder than polishing a 3,000-carat rough diamond.”
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