The morning sun slanted through the blinds of Jiang Yue's apartment, streaking golden bars across the floor. She sat at her small dining table, drinking a cup of tea when her phone rang. Unknown number.
"Hello?" she answered cautiously.
"Miss Jiang Yue?" The voice on the other end was clipped and professional. "This is Secretary Chen from Golden Leaf Publishing. Your presence is required at the board meeting this morning."
"…What?" Jiang Yue nearly choked on her tea. "Golden Leaf Publishing? The Golden Leaf Publishing? The one that publishes half of the bestselling poetry anthologies in Asia?"
"Yes, Miss Jiang. As the new owner, your attendance is mandatory. The board awaits you."
She sat frozen for three long seconds before blurting, "Owner?! There must be a mistake. I don't own anything except a stack of overdue utility bills!"
But the call had already ended.
By the time she arrived half dragged by Tessa, who refused to let her skip something that sounded even remotely like free food she was dizzy with disbelief.
The publishing house was a towering glass building downtown, sleek and intimidating. Gold letters gleamed across the top: Golden Leaf Publishing Group.
Tessa whistled low. "Girl… if this is a scam, it's the most expensive scam I've ever seen."
Inside, a line of assistants and secretaries were waiting. One of them spotted Jiang Yue, checked a photo on a tablet, and immediately rushed over.
"Miss Jiang Yue! Please, this way. The board meeting has already started."
Jiang Yue's brain screamed: WHAT BOARD MEETING? I DON'T EVEN OWN A DESK! But her body was too stunned to resist as she was ushered into a vast conference room.
The board of directors, all sharp suits and sharper gazes sat around a polished table. A large portrait of a distinguished elderly man hung on the wall.
The chairman cleared his throat. "Welcome, Miss Jiang Yue. As you are aware, the late Chairman Jiang left explicit instructions in his will that his shares and voting rights be transferred to you, his granddaughter."
Grand…daughter?!
Jiang Yue blinked so hard her eyelashes tangled. "Excuse me, what?"
The chairman gestured to the portrait. "Your grandfather, Jiang Shentian. Founder of Golden Leaf. You are his only direct heir."
Tessa gasped so loud it echoed. "Jiang Yue, you're rich!"
The room stiffened at her outburst. A few directors coughed politely, pretending they hadn't heard.
Jiang Yue buried her burning face in her hands. "No, no, no. This is insane. I'm not rich. I can't even keep my lightbulbs from exploding. You must have the wrong person."
But Secretary Chen calmly handed her a folder. Inside were documents, wills, inheritance papers, notarized seals, all proving she was indeed the legal heir.
The board waited. Silent. Expectant.
"Uhm." Jiang Yue glanced nervously around. "So… what exactly am I supposed to do?"
A woman in a navy suit leaned forward. "You are the majority shareholder now, Miss Jiang. That means you will guide the direction of this company. We were hoping you'd give us insight into your vision."
Jiang Yue panicked. Vision? The only vision she had was herself tripping on her shoelaces.
Tessa squeezed her arm and whispered, "Say something poet-y. You are a poet, right?"
Jiang Yue cleared her throat, sat up straighter, and said solemnly, "My vision… is to nurture words that heal the world."
The room blinked at her.
Then, unexpectedly, someone clapped. Another director joined. Soon the entire board was applauding.
"Brilliant!" one said.
"Eccentric but inspired!" said another.
"As expected of the founder's granddaughter!"
Jiang Yue sat there in stunned silence as the board unanimously approved her "vision."
The meeting spiraled into chaos or comedy, depending on perspective.
"Miss Jiang, should we expand digital platforms?"
"Uh… yes? No? Maybe?"
"Excellent! We'll launch immediately."
"Should we invest in VR poetry recitals?"
"…Wait, that's a thing?"
"Visionary!"
By the end of two hours, Jiang Yue had accidentally greenlit five new projects, earned herself a cult following of worshipful board members, and cemented a reputation as a genius with "unconventional wisdom."
When the meeting finally adjourned, she staggered out like a war survivor.
Tessa nearly doubled over laughing. "You. Are. Hilarious. They think you're a genius when you're literally winging it!"
Jiang Yue groaned. "This can't be real. How did I inherit a publishing empire? I don't even know how to manage my own laundry!"
That was when Li Zhenkai appeared in the lobby.
He was a storm in a suit, fresh from a meeting across town. His eyes landed on her immediately, sharp, unreadable.
"You disappeared and didn't think to inform me?" he said coolly.
Jiang Yue winced. "I was… busy inheriting a publishing house."
For the first time in years, Li Zhenkai's poker face cracked. "…What?"
Tessa beamed. "She's rich now!"
Jiang Yue buried her face in her hands again. "Please stop saying that out loud."
Li Zhenkai's gaze lingered on her longer than necessary, something calculating flickering behind his eyes. Then he said softly, almost to himself:
"…Of course. The chaos around you was never random."
That night, social media exploded with the news:
> Breaking: The mysterious poet Jiang Yue revealed as heir to Golden Leaf Publishing!
From wardrobe failure to publishing queen netizens stunned.
#TragicMuseToBossLady trending worldwide.
Comments flooded in:
She's living my dream.
Rich, talented, AND pretty? Please share your bad luck, sis.
Plot twist of the year!
Jiang Yue stared at the trending tags in disbelief. "I just wanted to write poetry… not become a CEO!"
Tessa grinned wickedly. "Congratulations, boss, You own a publishing house."