Xu Qingqing was completely unaware of the inner turmoil raging within Xie Lianqing’s secretary. After leaving the Xie Group headquarters, she immediately called her only current fair-weather friend, Zhou Chenyu, and invited him to go shopping together.
When Zhou Chenyu received the call, he couldn’t help but be amused. “Miss Xu, are you sure about this? Usually, shopping outings like this are for girls, right?”
Xu Qingqing ignored him and said, “I want to buy a watch for Xie Lianqing. I think you know what kind of styles guys like.”
Over the years, Xu Qingqing had a revolving door of boyfriends, but Zhou Chenyu was the one constant.
She’d been through so many relationships, yet Zhou Chenyu had never seen her buy gifts for any of her exes.
Zhou Chenyu chuckled and teased, “Miss Xu, if you want me to help you pick, what if I end up liking one myself halfway through?”
Xu Qingqing replied generously, “I’ll buy it for you.”
She added, “You’re my friend, so don’t worry—I’m not the type to value romance over friendship.” Besides, Xie Lianqing had been so touched today that before leaving, he gave her a supplementary card for his black credit card. Unlimited spending, no restrictions.
With no need to worry about money, Xu Qingqing naturally shopped to her heart’s content.
But Zhou Chenyu didn’t know this.
He’d known Xu Qingqing for decades, but he’d never seen her act so thoughtful and considerate before.
For a moment, he felt like a proud father watching his daughter finally grow up—deeply moved.
Without hesitation, Zhou Chenyu got up and headed out.
The car rolled under the blazing sun, and as Zhou Chenyu came back to his senses, he thought: Wait a minute, is being friends with Xu Qingqing really such a good thing? He had to play video games with her, go shopping, get ignored when she was in a bad mood, and take the blame whenever she got into trouble. Who in their right mind would want to be her friend?
But after being on this sinking ship for over ten years, he couldn’t bear to leave her behind. So, grumbling to himself, Zhou Chenyu drove toward Taiheng Mall.
A few minutes later.
“How about these shoes?” Xu Qingqing sat on a chair, casually swinging her legs as she looked at a new pair. A pile of shoes was scattered at her feet, and she was struggling to decide which to choose.
She had originally planned to pick out a watch for Xie Lianqing, but the temptations were too many. As she shopped, she ended up buying things for herself. Zhou Chenyu, uninterested, was standing outside the store, bored, sending messages on his phone.
As she walked out carrying shopping bags, Xu Qingqing suddenly overheard people nearby whispering, “Isn’t that a celebrity? All decked out and covered up like that—I bet it’s a star.”
This mall was upscale, with tight security and expensive merchandise. Most shoppers were wealthy, and it wasn’t uncommon to spot celebrities.
Following the voices of passersby, Xu Qingqing peeked over—and saw Lin Donghan strolling alongside a woman wearing sunglasses and a hat.
While others excitedly speculated which star it might be, Xu Qingqing recognized the woman at a glance—it was Bai Youlan.
No wonder—on top of her head was a big flashing label:
“Beautiful Life System Activated
Luck Points: 37,100
Mission Progress: 50,100
Mission Reward: Inherit a Hundred Billion Fortune, Achieve a Beautiful Life”
Xu Qingqing furrowed her brows. After not seeing them for a while, Bai Youlan’s aura of seizing fate had somehow increased again. She had no idea what Bai Youlan had been up to this time.
Without hesitation, she grabbed Zhou Chenyu and headed toward them. She saw Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan enter a jewelry store, so they quickly slipped inside as well.
“You like this ring, Youlan?”
A clear, bright laugh came from ahead, and Xu Qingqing also heard Lin Donghan’s gentle voice. “Why are you being so polite? Didn’t we agree that once your new drama hits a 2% rating, I’d get you a gift?”
Lin Donghan whispered something to the shop assistant, who carefully brought out a necklace from the back. “How about this necklace?”
“It’s too expensive.”
“I told you not to be so polite. If you keep saying that, I might get mad.”
Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan were still politely declining, but suddenly someone handed over a card and said, “I’ll pay for it.”
Xu Qingqing stormed over with fierce determination, snatched the jewelry that Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan were still hesitating over, and swiped the card in one smooth motion. Everyone in the store was stunned.
“Qingqing,” Lin Donghan frowned, “When did you get this necklace?”
Before he could finish, Bai Youlan tugged his arm gently and said softly, “Forget it. Although I really like this necklace, let’s just let Qingqing have it.”
Xu Qingqing pretended not to hear their conversation and told the clerk, “Wrap the necklace up.”
Lin Donghan gave her a puzzled look, clearly wanting to say something but holding back. Then, thinking about Xu Qingqing’s recent coldness toward him and the powerful families behind her—the Xu and Xie clans—he finally smiled gracefully and said, “Since you like it, Qingqing, it’s yours.”
Hearing Lin Donghan’s words, a trace of contempt flashed deep in Bai Youlan’s eyes and brows. No wonder Lin Donghan could only ever be a supporting character in the story. When faced with the person he liked, he didn’t even have the courage to confront Xu Qingqing head-on.
Lin Donghan was indeed kind to her; sometimes she even wanted to agree to be his girlfriend. But whenever she thought about how his background, abilities, and looks didn’t measure up to the person she truly wanted, she would suppress that impulse.
Now, it seemed her decision had been the right one.
Wearing sunglasses and holding her chin high, Xu Qingqing ignored the two of them. She was here just to stir up trouble and didn’t even bother to speak.
Lin Donghan, seeing her silence, seemed utterly speechless about her behavior. He wasn’t embarrassed though. After bidding farewell to Xu Qingqing, he took Bai Youlan to another counter. Probably to save face in front of the woman he loved, he personally picked out an even more expensive piece of jewelry.
But before Bai Youlan could get excited, Xu Qingqing cut in again, swiped her card, and paid without hesitation.
Everyone—
From then on, no matter what Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan liked, Xu Qingqing would always beat them to it, saying, “Wait, I want it.”
Zhou Chenyu, hands in his pockets, watched the scene unfold and teased from behind her, “Xu Qingqing, can you stop acting like a villainous supporting character?”
Xu Qingqing shot back without missing a beat, “If I’m the villainous supporting character, then you’re just an unlucky cannon fodder.”
She was telling the truth. In the original story, after she died, Zhou Chenyu refused to believe it was an accident. While desperately trying to find the culprit, his plane crashed and he went missing.
Thinking of this, Xu Qingqing patted Zhou Chenyu’s shoulder and said, “We’re both just cannon fodder drifting through life. Why make it hard for fellow sufferers to meet?”
Although Zhou Chenyu didn’t quite understand what she meant, he could tell it wasn’t exactly a compliment. For a moment, he was so annoyed that he laughed.
Strictly speaking, in the original story, Xu Qingqing wasn’t really a malicious supporting character—at most, she was just a tool used to create opportunities for the female lead.
Inspired by the camaraderie of these doomed “cannon fodder brothers,” Xu Qingqing fully embraced her role as a dedicated tool. She locked horns with Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan. Whatever the others eyed in the store, she would snatch it up first.
Lin Donghan’s face was growing increasingly grim. Out of respect for the Xu family, he had been tolerating Xu Qingqing’s provocations again and again, but she clearly wasn’t giving him any face.
At that moment, the always-bullied Bai Youlan finally spoke up, “Qingqing, don’t spend so much money just to spite us.” The jewelry in this store was far from cheap, and Xu Qingqing had been swiping her card without batting an eye. By now, she had spent nearly ten million yuan today.
Bai Youlan spoke softly, “I know you have money, but you spent so much recently on the film crew, and now you’re spending even more.”
“What film crew?” Lin Donghan frowned. “You, Youlan, were replaced by the crew not long ago, and there was that variety show incident—all because of Qingqing.”
As someone in the industry, Lin Donghan had known about this for some time. But back then, not wanting to offend Xu Qingqing, he had turned a blind eye.
However, today, with his anger simmering and Bai Youlan conveniently exposing the “truth,” he naturally lost his temper and demanded, “Were those incidents before also Qingqing’s doing?”
The nearby staff, who had been eavesdropping, perked up at this.
“Oh my god, we’re witnessing a first-tier celebrity scandal!”
Only then did Bai Youlan realize she had inadvertently revealed the truth. She gently shook her head, hesitated, and said, “Forget it, I don’t blame her.”
That was worse than saying nothing—it was basically an indirect admission that Xu Qingqing had been behind the series of contract snatchings recently. The onlookers were buzzing with excitement. If it weren’t for the presence of the parties involved and the store manager, and the agreements they had signed upon employment, some might have even pulled out their phones to snap photos and post them online.
Sure enough, hearing that the woman he cared about had suffered such a great injustice, Lin Donghan was shocked and immediately furious. He looked at Xu Qingqing in disbelief and shook his head in pain, “Qingqing, how did you end up like this?”
Lin Donghan’s expression was a mix of anger and surprise—most of it was an act. The remaining fraction was genuine curiosity about how Xu Qingqing had come up with such schemes.
The person Xu Qingqing hated most was Xu Changshan, whose infidelity had driven her mother into depression and ultimately led to her death. As for Bai Youlan and Bai Yaxiu, though she also despised and looked down on them, she rarely bothered to actively engage with them, let alone use such ruthless tactics to corner them with no way out.
If Xu Qingqing had clung to Bai Youlan back then, Bai Youlan’s path in the entertainment industry would never have been so smooth all these years.
It was precisely because Lin Donghan and Bai Youlan knew Xu Qingqing’s proud and upright nature that they dared to openly scheme against each other.
Everything had been planned out perfectly, yet unexpectedly, Bai Youlan’s identity was exposed. His invitation for Xu Qingqing to enter the entertainment industry was rejected, and a series of their plans fell apart. Lin Donghan had no choice but to take things seriously.
After the incident at the company, he took another serious look at his cousin.
Who was Xu Qingqing? As a drama queen who made a fuss over everything, she wasn’t afraid of these petty squabbles at all.
When Lin Donghan confronted her, she didn’t even take off her sunglasses and disdainfully said, “Are you crazy? Who do you think you are to boss me around?”
Lin Donghan shook his head and said sternly, “I’m your cousin. As your elder brother, I have a responsibility to supervise you and keep you from making mistakes.”
Xu Qingqing’s expression turned cold and ruthless. On the surface, Lin Donghan maintained his composure, but inside he was burning with embarrassment and anger.
Crossing her arms, Xu Qingqing rolled her eyes. “So what if you’re my cousin? What kind of big deal is that? Even Xu Changshan can’t control me, and you think you can? Who do you think you are, you idiot?” She lifted her chin, her tone and expression dripping with arrogance.
Zhou Chenyu stood behind her, watching the scene unfold with relish, and chimed in, “Yeah, who do you think you are?”
Bai Youlan’s eyes flickered. She recognized Zhou Chenyu. He was the protagonist Xie Lianqing’s close friend. Although his family background wasn’t as prestigious as the Xie family’s, it was definitely better than the Lin family’s. Moreover, he was very important to Xu Qingqing. If she could win his favor, her own fortune might increase significantly.
Bai Youlan’s gaze rippled as she frowned and looked at Zhou Chenyu, softly urging, “Zhou Chenyu, everyone says you’re talented and accomplished at a young age. Qingqing’s behavior might be fine with us, but if she met others, she’d be in trouble. If you truly care about her, you shouldn’t be indulging her right now.”
Zhou Chenyu snorted and laughed, “I’m not indulging her. What makes you think I’m indulging you?”
Bai Youlan’s face turned pale, and she bit her lip. “We were childhood friends, so it’s my fault. I thought you’d be reasonable.”
Zhou Chenyu glanced at her with a raised tone, “Who do you think you are? Don’t act like we’re close.” He knew all about the mess in Xu Qingqing’s family.
Zhou Chenyu and Xu Qingqing had grown up together as childhood sweethearts. Later, because of the close friendship between Xu Qingqing’s mother and Bai Yaxiu, Bai Youlan had visited the Xu family many times. When they were kids, Xu Qingqing and Bai Youlan got along well, and Xu Qingqing even brought Bai Youlan along to play with Zhou Chenyu.
Recalling young Xu Qingqing excitedly introducing her good friend Bai Youlan to him, Zhou Chenyu felt a wave of frustration. How had he not realized back then how scheming Bai was?
Being dismissed so curtly by Zhou Chenyu, and hearing his disdainful words that made it seem like she was a poor relative trying to mooch off them, Bai Youlan’s expression grew awkward. She couldn’t help but resent Zhou Chenyu’s cold-heartedness deep in her heart.
Lin Donghan saw his beloved being humiliated and immediately stepped forward, placing himself protectively in front of her. He recognized Zhou Chenyu and frowned. “Zhou Chenyu, your words are way too rude. You’re from the Zhou family, yet here you are, following Xu Qingqing around and causing a scene. If others see this, they might mistake you for her lackey.”
Zhou Chenyu slipped one hand into his pocket, his phoenix-shaped eyes curling lazily as he drawled, “Well, I just want to be Miss Xu’s lackey. I’m happy doing it—what’s it to you?”
Xu Qingqing quickly chimed in, mirroring the posture and expression of the little entourage behind her, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “Yeah, what’s it to you?”
She added, “Besides, what do you mean ‘like’? Zhou Chenyu is literally my lackey. We signed a contract, okay?” According to the contract, Zhou Chenyu would forever be her loyal little follower.
Zhou Chenyu’s casual demeanor froze for a moment, barely holding back a grimace.
Damn it, this was from years ago—kindergarten days, no less—and Xu Qingqing still remembered it so clearly. How come she didn’t have this kind of memory when it came to memorizing vocabulary?
One misstep turned into eternal regret. Zhou Chenyu was seriously regretting ever putting his fingerprint on that paper under Xu Qingqing’s coaxing.
It had to be said: Xu Qingqing and Zhou Chenyu had been childhood sweethearts, their tacit understanding seamless over the years. She played the role of the scheming villainess perfectly, while he faithfully took on the role of her devoted lackey.
Lin Donghan’s heart twitched in irritation at the sight of these two. He had known Xu Qingqing was a handful, but since she was close to him, he had never seen her act this way toward him. Now, finally, he understood how people like Xu Changshan felt when dealing with her.
He ignored the “villainous duo” and instead turned to the manager nearby, asking in a low voice, “I remember your store has a Hope’s Eye, right?”
The “Hope’s Eye” was an emerald diamond brooch, the crown jewel of this jewelry store, priced at fifty million yuan.
The moment Lin Donghan mentioned it, everyone in the store turned to look at him. Bai Youlan’s eyes shone brighter than ever before.
Lin Donghan, a little dazed from his irritation with Xu Qingqing, immediately regretted his words. He worried she might no longer compete with him to pay the bill. Although he liked Bai Youlan, he had never intended to buy such an expensive piece for her.
He just wanted to teach Xu Qingqing a lesson.
When the serpent-shaped emerald diamond brooch was brought out, the breaths of everyone present seemed to soften. The manager carefully placed the gem before Lin Donghan, wearing gloves and moving with delicate precision.
Lin Donghan glanced over it and nodded in satisfaction. Then he turned to Xu Qingqing with suave charm. “I’m not short of tens of millions. I was just letting you have your way before. But if you like this diamond, I’m more than willing to part with it.”
In his mind, Xu Qingqing’s personality was impatient and stubborn. All he had to do was provoke her a little with his words, and she’d probably buy it. After spending sixty million yuan in total, Xu Qingqing would likely be sulking for a while and wouldn’t have the energy to keep fighting him over who pays the bill.
“I don’t like green,” Xu Qingqing shook her head and said, “So you actually like something this ugly? Fine, I’ll give it to you.”
The expressions of the onlookers around them instantly shifted again. A trace of disdain flashed in Bai Youlan’s eyes, while Lin Donghan’s calm demeanor betrayed a hint of panic.
Bai Youlan’s gaze flickered as she spoke softly, “Qingqing, are you out of money? If you can’t afford it, just say so. You’ve already bought so much out of spite today.”
Everyone else also assumed Xu Qingqing was broke. Saying she didn’t like it now was just an excuse. After all, she had previously snatched up so many things without even looking, which didn’t seem like genuine interest.
The salesgirls behind the counter exchanged glances, and the hands hidden beneath the counter secretly sent messages, marveling at how the world of the rich was even more dramatic and colorful. This Miss Xu had been so arrogant just moments ago, but now it looked like she was about to be slapped in the face.
Zhou Chenyu was also aware that Xu Qingqing had recently spent tens of millions to buy out Bai Youlan’s resources just to cause trouble. So when Xu Qingqing suggested giving the “Eye of Hope” to Lin Donghan and Bai Youlan, he frowned.
Unlike the others, he didn’t think Xu Qingqing was out of money. He guessed she was probably just reluctant to part with this fifty million after all her recent expenses.
Zhou Chenyu raised an eyebrow and replied with a faint smile, “It’s just a bit of money. Who’s looking down on whom?”
He stepped forward, holding a black card between his fingers as he handed it to the sales clerk, lazily telling Xu Qingqing, “Your birthday’s coming up soon. Consider this an early birthday gift from me.” He had smoked a cigarette in the parking lot before coming to the mall, and there was still a faint scent of tobacco on him.
Zhou Chenyu’s expression was suave and calm. Taking advantage of everyone’s shock and distraction, he quietly turned to Xu Qingqing and whispered, “I won’t be giving you birthday gifts for the next fifty years.”
Xu Qingqing—
She swatted his hand away and covered her nose in disgust, saying, “Are you crazy? It’s so ugly, why would I want it?” Surely he wasn’t seriously counting this as her birthday gift.
Xu Qingqing looked at Lin Donghan with contempt. “Do you want it or not? Don’t tell me you can’t afford it and expect me to take it out of spite. Lin Donghan, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about my intelligence?”
Lin Donghan was caught off guard and found himself in a difficult spot. “Of course I want it. It’s just that Mr. Zhou was so eager to pay for you that I was a bit surprised.”
Xu Qingqing immediately said, “I don’t want him to pay. It’s too ugly. I don’t like it.”
Then she turned to stare at Zhou Chenyu and threatened, “If you give me such an ugly gift for my birthday this year, I’ll tell Le Jiaojiao. You know, the reason her middle school crush—the scumbag school heartthrob—broke up with her was because you were beating people up at the school gate three meals a day and scared him away.”
Zhou Chenyu was stunned. “But didn’t you get involved too?”
Xu Qingqing declared righteously, “I didn’t.” She just took the chance to kick a few times, punch a few times, and smashed a few history books. Does that count as ‘getting involved’?
She sounded as if she was some kind of violent maniac like Le Jiaojiao.
Zhou Chenyu was scared. He definitely couldn’t mess with this lady.
He took a deep breath, stepped back, then turned to Lin Donghan and made a gesture, smiling as he said, “Very good. Now, this ‘Eye of Hope’ worth fifty million is yours.”
Xu Qingqing tilted her head, beaming happily at Lin Donghan, her tone light and cheerful. “Are you happy?” Hmm, not long ago, Xie Lianqing seemed to have asked her the same question.
Lin Donghan
He hadn’t expected Xu Qingqing not to fall for it, nor had he anticipated her wanting to back out. But today, he had already been pushed into a corner. If he didn’t teach Xu Qingqing a lesson and humble her pride, what kind of reputation would he have if this matter got out?
Xu Qingqing waved her hand at the stunned manager beside her. “What are you standing there for? Go on, settle the bill for Mr. Lin. How can you be so clueless?” What if Lin Donghan suddenly came to his senses and refused the fifty million?
Seeing her attitude, the other onlookers in the store were indignant. They thought this customer was really over the line—no money to snatch the jewelry, yet taking out her frustration on their manager.
But the manager showed no sign of anger. Instead, he smiled and stepped forward respectfully. “Yes, Miss Xu.” Then he immediately signaled to the staff to pack the jewelry, and within a very short time, handed the box over to Lin Donghan.
If this deal went through, his sales commission would increase by tens of thousands. And that didn’t even count the ten million Miss Xu had just spent.
Reluctantly, Lin Donghan was forced to pay. His heart was bleeding, and his hand felt stiff as he pulled out his wallet.
Fifty million—it was nothing. After all, he was a CEO. Although he hadn’t expected to spend this much today, it wasn’t completely unaffordable. Since this farce had already started, he might as well play it out—make it look like it was worth the price.
Xu Qingqing was young and naive. No matter how much she had just put him through, he would make sure to hit back twice as hard later.
Lin Donghan put away the packaged diamond and looked at Xu Qingqing. Before he could say anything, she efficiently pulled out a card and told the cashier beside her, “Wrap up the stuff I picked out earlier. Charge it.”
The moment they saw the card, everyone’s expressions changed. Those who worked or shopped at this store all recognized the legendary American Express Centurion Black Card with no spending limit.
Even if they hadn’t seen it, they had heard of it.
So Xu Qingqing had been able to afford everything all along—she just didn’t want that diamond.
Lin Donghan looked like he wanted to curse. He reasonably suspected he had been played. Bai Youlan’s expression was also grim. She certainly knew about the Black Card. Xu Changshan had been trying to get one for a long time but never succeeded, and had even complained about it at home several times.
If even Xu Changshan didn’t have one, how could Xu Qingqing possibly have it—unless it was given to her by her aunt.
Bai Youlan’s face remained unchanged, but she clenched her fists tightly, her nails digging into her skin.
Xu Qingqing had everything—so why did Bai Youlan have nothing?
She was a spoiled, troublesome young lady. Why was her life so much better?
If Xu Qingqing knew what Bai Youlan was thinking, she would probably tell her that her aunt’s card was reserved for herself to show off and flirt with her little ‘puppy,’ not to lend out.
That card was a supplementary card of Xie Lianqing.
Actually, Xu Qingqing’s other cards had enough credit, but none looked as impressive as this one. Besides, today she was buying a gift for Xie Lianqing, so of course she should use her card.
Perfectly reasonable, absolutely flawless.
After spending tens of millions, Xie Lianqing’s phone immediately buzzed with a notification. Xu Qingqing’s call came through, and she answered it.
Xie Lianqing tapped his pen gently and asked softly, “Shopping?”
Xu Qingqing replied confidently, “Yeah, I’m buying you a watch.”
Zhou Chenyu glanced at the handfuls of shopping bags they were all carrying, then looked around the store full of jewelry—but there wasn’t a single watch in sight.
Xie Lianqing chuckled softly. “Can you at least tell me which model you’re getting?” Throughout the day at work, his mind kept drifting, wondering what kind of gift Xu Qingqing would pick out for him.
Xu Qingqing glanced at her bags again, then looked around the store filled with jewelry. Only then did she realize she had been shopping all afternoon and still hadn’t bought a watch for Xie Lianqing.
But she had already spent over ten million.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Xu Qingqing showed no shame at all. She said boldly, “I’m not telling you.”
Everyone was stunned.
Even Zhou Chenyu couldn’t help but admire Xu Qingqing—this woman was seriously impressive.
How could such a good guy like Xie Lianqing be so blind?
Xie Lianqing didn’t catch on to his girlfriend’s little scheme and sweetly asked, “Is it a surprise?”
Xu Qingqing nodded emphatically. “Yeah.” Boyfriends grow up, after all—they start making excuses for themselves.
She glanced at the others, growing a little impatient, and casually said, “You’re so annoying. I have to hang up now—I’m busy. No time to talk.” She still had some drama to deal with.
With that, she hung up without a second thought.
Staring at the dumbfounded people in front of her, she snapped, “What are you all staring at? Haven’t you ever seen people in a relationship before?”
