Bai Youlan's eyes flickered, then she suddenly said gently, "Qingqing, we women should still value our purity and self-respect. You've spent so much of Lian Qing's money. Dad will surely be angry again when he hears about it."
The gazes of the onlookers instantly changed.
They had thought she was a wealthy woman, but it turned out she was just a mistress clinging to a sugar daddy.
Xu Qingqing blinked, tilted her head, and said, "You're talking to me about purity and self-respect? Why don't you go home and say that to your mother? It's not okay for me to spend my own boyfriend's money, but it's fine for your mother, as the other woman, to spend another woman's husband's money along with her daughter? Bai Youlan, why are you such a hypocrite?"
Earlier, people had found Xu Qingqing's name somewhat familiar. Only now did it dawn on them—this Xu Qingqing was the daughter of Xu Changshan's original wife from the online rumors. No wonder she had been so confrontational all along!
Seeing the shift in everyone's expressions, Bai Youlan's face paled. Her voice suddenly turned sharp. "Xu Qingqing, I can tolerate you targeting me again and again, but I absolutely will not allow you to insult my mother. Even if she made mistakes, she is still my mother."
After the trending search incident, public opinion about her online was mixed. Xu Changshan and Bai Yaxiu were dragged out and criticized, and Bai Youlan was implicated as well. She was now desperate to shake off the effects of this scandal. The incident in the jewelry store today was a big scene; most likely, someone would post it online the moment they stepped out.
Bai Youlan absolutely could not show weakness in front of Xu Qingqing. Otherwise, once she revealed fear or admitted fault, the haters would seize on it and never let go, making her path in the entertainment industry even harder.
Xu Qingqing crossed her arms and laughed. "Bai Youlan, what right do you have to say that? The clothes you wear, the food you eat, the things you use every day—which one isn't paid for by our Xu family money?"
"Even your entry into the entertainment industry, pulling resources, buying water armies, hiring PR—which penny of that was your own money?"
Bai Youlan's face flushed with embarrassment. Her confidence waned as she said, "I don't know what you're talking about. All the money I've earned since my debut is my own, it has nothing to do with the Xu family."
Xu Qingqing said indifferently, "Of course you don't know. Just maintain your ethereal fairy persona and enjoy the paternal love from someone else's father in peace." Although she herself didn't care for it at all.
Seeing his beloved looking increasingly pale, Lin Donghan couldn't help but intervene. "Qingqing, that's enough. Youlan meant well..." If Xu Qingqing continued, Bai Youlan's online image would suffer another blow!
Xu Qingqing had been relentlessly blocking Bai Youlan in the film and TV industry, causing her to lose several promising scripts in a row. Recently, with Xu Qingqing's new drama doing well in ratings, he had thought of taking Bai Youlan out shopping. It served multiple purposes: a congratulatory gift for his beloved, boosting her confidence, and a date to nurture their feelings.
Lin Donghan sighed heavily in his heart. If he had known they would run into Xu Qingqing today, he would never have taken Bai Youlan out.
Now look. Fifty million gone, his beloved humiliated, and Xu Qingqing thoroughly provoked... Lin Donghan was genuinely feeling some regret now.
The flustered Bai Youlan, finding her pillar of support, immediately chimed in, "Yes, I also meant well. After all, tens of millions is not a small amount. We girls really shouldn't spend boys' money so freely."
Having been forced back step by step due to her own guilt, she could now only stubbornly insist that Xu Qingqing was materialistic and wasteful with a man's money, hoping to drag the other's reputation down with her.
Xu Qingqing said, "Is tens of millions a lot? That's just my usual dividend pocket money. Oh right, of course you'd think it's a lot, you're so petty. Probably learned it from your mom, right?"
Lin Donghan frowned. "Qingqing, stop talking. If I've offended you in some way, considering you've vented enough, can we let the past be past?"
Xu Qingqing looked at him but didn't speak. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she probably wouldn't have known that her playboy cousin, who fooled around in the romance scene, could be so devoted.
But in the original story, this devoted cousin never ended up with Bai Youlan. Instead, he regarded her as his white moonlight. In the end, carrying his love for his goddess, he entered an arranged marriage with another woman for family alliance. Even after marrying and having children, he continued to protect and pave the way for Bai Youlan.
Unfortunately, the book didn't say which family he married into. If she knew, she could warn that woman not to get together with this scumbag who deceived her into marriage.
It's the 21st century. Even in wealthy arranged marriages, they check the person's character, okay? A fire pit like Lin Donghan—they'd have to be out of their minds to jump in.
Xu Qingqing felt a deep regret. She used to quite like this cousin, Lin Donghan. She didn't know when he had become this stranger before her.
Xu Qingqing looked at the person in front of her and couldn't help saying, "Cousin, standing there with Bai Youlan, do you really not know how you've offended me?"
She stated calmly, "I remember when my mother was dying, you came to our house to see her. Do you remember the smell of disinfectant in the room? So strong. Do you remember what my mother looked like? So thin, lying there, so pitiful."
"When she was coughing and gasping for breath, many people rushed in. You and cousin were really startled, and I even held your hand and comforted you, saying 'don't be afraid.'"
Lin Donghan stood frozen in place, as if struck by a heavy blow to his mind, his expression shocked.
Accompanied by Xu Qingqing's words, he finally remembered his frail aunt, remembered standing by her bedside with Zhou Chenyu and others, promising to take good care of Xu Qingqing.
He looked up dazedly and immediately saw Zhou Chenyu, who had been standing behind Xu Qingqing all along. Hands in his pockets, his eyes were fixed on Lin Donghan, his gaze very cold.
Xu Qingqing looked at him and asked seriously, "And now? You're not afraid anymore?"
She took a step toward Lin Donghan. His body instinctively leaned back, wanting to retreat but forcing himself to hold his ground halfway.
Xu Qingqing didn't find it funny at all. She said softly, "You're with this woman who caused my mother's death. In the dead of night, aren't you afraid she'll come to you in your dreams?"
Lin Donghan clenched his slightly trembling hand and said in a low voice, "I'm sorry."
What had he been doing? Xu Qingqing was his cousin. Why had he agreed to Bai Youlan's plans? Was it just because of his feelings?
Was this the kind of affection he wanted?
System prompt: Luck Points -2. Lin Donghan's Favorability decreased by ten points. Current Luck Points: 35. Lin Donghan is one of the female lead's important relatives. Host, please quickly work to change his opinion.
Bai Youlan had sensed something was wrong as soon as Xu Qingqing started speaking. Seeing the surrounding crowd's expressions grow increasingly shocked and their gazes toward her and Lin Donghan more and more indignant—it looked like they wanted to rush up and beat up this shameless pair right then and there.
Hearing the system's announcement in her mind and seeing the situation turn sour, Bai Youlan immediately tried to grab Lin Donghan's hand, but he subtly avoided it.
She was stunned on the spot.
Xu Qingqing wanted to continue mocking Lin Donghan, but she inexplicably remembered scenes from their childhood—her following him around the courtyard looking for ginkgo leaves, them standing together by her mother's bedside, him promising to take good care of her...
She saw Bai Youlan's luck points drop by two points above her head, but she couldn't muster any feeling of happiness.
Xu Qingqing really hated this feeling.
She rarely spoke of her mother in front of others. That woman had desperately clung to her marriage, striving to maintain a dignified facade as she walked away.
Xu Qingqing respected her mother's wishes and had no desire to act like a constant complainer, recounting her misfortunes to everyone she met. Tears were useless, and others' sympathy was useless; repeating tragic tales too often could even breed weariness.
Zhou Chenyu walked over in silence and took her hand. His voice was low. "Let's go. We'll deal with that scumbag couple another time."
Xu Qingqing obediently let him lead her out of the jewelry store. They walked for a while without speaking until Zhou Chenyu suddenly stopped. "Wait for me here," he said to Xu Qingqing.
Without waiting for her reply, he turned and strode back the way they came. His pace quickened, faster and faster, until he was almost running.
When Zhou Chenyu re-entered the store, Lin Donghan and his group hadn't left yet; they were busy contacting assistants and having people in the shop sign non-disclosure agreements.
Zhou Chenyu marched straight up, grabbed Lin Donghan by the shoulder, and as the man turned around, landed a solid punch on his face.
Xu Qingqing stood where she was, head bowed and lost in thought, when she suddenly heard a commotion of shocked cries and the sound of shattering glass not far away.
Frowning, Xu Qingqing stood up and walked toward the noise. As she neared the entrance of the jewelry store, Zhou Chenyu happened to walk out.
His gaze was icy. He rubbed his wrist, then smiled when he saw Xu Qingqing. Looping an arm around her shoulders, he steered her in the opposite direction. "Didn't I tell you to wait? What are you doing over here?"
Her head mostly buried against him, Xu Qingqing mumbled, "What did you do? You didn't go pick a fight, did you?" She had definitely heard the ruckus.
Zhou Chenyu found it somewhat amusing and deliberately teased her. "You knew there was a fight and you still went to check it out?"
Xu Qingqing was eager. "I could have helped!" Zhou Chenyu really didn't understand. If he'd just said he was going to throw punches, she could have snuck in some cheap shots—she was quite good at that.
Zhou Chenyu actually stopped walking and asked seriously, "We can go back now if you want to get a couple hits in yourself." It seemed if Xu Qingqing gave the word, he'd take her back to give Lin Donghan another beating.
Xu Qingqing thought for a moment, then said, "Forget it. I don't want to see them anymore." Looking at idiots too much was bad for the eyes.
Learning that Lin Donghan had been punched greatly improved Xu Qingqing's mood. Soon, people from the store chased after them. Zhou Chenyu initially thought they wanted trouble, but the manager walked up to Xu Qingqing and asked hesitantly, "Miss Xu, regarding the non-disclosure agreement proposed by Mr. Lin and Miss Bai... some of the staff in the store have already signed..."
He was a bit anxious as he said this. Miss Xu might have wanted today's incident to leak, but some employees had already agreed and signed after hearing the sum Lin Donghan and the others offered. After all, they were just employees; they could simply quit, and the store couldn't really control them.
"Sign it? Why not? Consider it overtime pay for everyone today." To his surprise, Xu Qingqing said this with a cheerful laugh, looking utterly unconcerned.
What else could she do? The whole internet already knew about Bai Youlan and her mother. Today just exposed Lin Donghan as well; it wouldn't make Bai Youlan disappear completely. Better to save it all for a proper reckoning at the right time.
After the manager left, Zhou Chenyu asked, puzzled, "Why did they ask you about that?" He had initially thought they wanted Xu Qingqing to sign the agreement too, but it sounded more like they were seeking her instructions.
Hearing Zhou Chenyu's question, Xu Qingqing couldn't help but burst into laughter, drawing surprised looks from passersby.
Zhou Chenyu ruffled her hair lazily. "Have you lost your mind?"
Xu Qingqing tossed her hair and snorted. "You're the one who's lost it. If I hadn't stopped you, you'd have been as stupid as Lin Donghan."
"Lin Donghan was indeed a bit..." Zhou Chenyu frowned. Staring at Xu Qingqing, he suddenly thought of something and whipped his head around to look at the name of the jewelry store behind them.
He couldn't believe it. "No way..." But after checking on his phone, he discovered the store was indeed one of the brands under the Xu Group.
Xu Qingqing said offhandedly, "Who knows which idiot bought that diamond at an auction all those years ago. It never sold, so they just slapped a 'store treasure' label on it. Since some fool was eager to buy it today, of course they let him have it."
Xu Qingqing had never paid much attention to her family's businesses. She hadn't even remembered it was their store when she was competing with Bai Youlan and her crew. It wasn't until Lin Donghan mentioned the "Eye of Hope" that it clicked for her. The manager, however, had recognized her immediately.
Xu Qingqing put on her newly bought ring and started taking pictures of it, showing it off on her social media. She even boasted about helping the company move some old inventory that hadn't sold for years.
She received plenty of praise from family and friends.
Even the esteemed Chairman Xu commented below: "Well done, Qingqing! You truly have a knack for business, just like I did in my day!"
Without a hint of shyness, Xu Qingqing immediately replied, "Grandpa, you have excellent taste!"
Not content with just praising each other in the comments, Chairman Xu even took a screenshot and posted it to his own social media, bragging to his old business friends about his granddaughter's "achievements" that day.
Watching this mutual admiration society from the sidelines, Zhou Chenyu was speechless. No wonder his dad had complained at home recently about wanting to block all the Xus on social media.
With Chairman Xu chiming in, the news that Xu Qingqing had sold the store's long-unsold inventory instantly spread through their social circle. Everyone, out of respect for Chairman Xu, unanimously praised Xu Qingqing for being a young talent. They also eagerly asked which unlucky soul had taken on that tacky emerald brooch.
Since they had nothing better to do, finding out which family had produced such a spendthrift was perfect entertainment.
Even Xu Qingqing's uncle got in on the action, commenting playfully, "This brooch doesn't look very good. Which spendthrift spent fifty million on such a thing?"
Never one to miss a chance to stir the pot, Xu Qingqing happily replied, "Oh, Uncle, it was cousin Donghan! He said he was buying it as a gift for you and Auntie!"
As for whether Lin Donghan had already given the brooch to Bai Youlan... what did that have to do with her?
Five minutes later, Xu Qingqing's uncle silently deleted his comment and changed his tune: "Upon closer inspection, this emerald is quite clear and lustrous. It actually has a certain charm."
Amidst the general mockery, Xu Qingqing's aunt also came to her son's defense, praising vigorously: "Received the gift. Our son is so filial. I absolutely adore it."
Xu Qingqing pursed her lips and snorted. She knew exactly what those two were like.
With Xu Qingqing being so blatant, Zhou Chenyu could already imagine what Lin Donghan would think when he saw this social media post.
He rubbed his nose and asked, "What now?" After all the commotion, he'd forgotten what he and Xu Qingqing had originally planned to do today.
Casually carrying the multi-million dollar jewelry as if it were a bag of groceries, Xu Qingqing led Zhou Chenyu out.
"I'm buying a watch for Xie Lianqing." She turned and entered the second store, hesitantly picking out a few models and asking Zhou Chenyu for his opinion.
Zhou Chenyu was speechless when he saw them. "They're all so cheap. Aren't you going to look for something better?"
Xu Qingqing glanced at them, puzzled. "How is that cheap? They're hundreds of thousands."
To prevent their children from becoming aimless spendthrifts, sound concepts of consumption and investment were practically a required course in Xu Qingqing's social circle. She thought Zhou Chenyu had been led astray, now even looking down on watches costing hundreds of thousands.
Zhou Chenyu immediately understood what she was thinking and explained, "Come on, any piece of jewelry you just bought in that jewelry store cost over a million."
Given his childhood friendship with Xu Qingqing, Zhou Chenyu decided to teach her a thing or two about dating.
Otherwise, this little drama queen with her endless antics might one day really drive away Xie Lianqing, that peerlessly good boyfriend, and then she wouldn't know where to go to cry.
So he earnestly advised, "Dating isn't like this. Think about it, if Xie Lianqing said he was buying you a gift, and you were thrilled, even giving him your card. Then you found out the gift he bought for you wasn't even one-tenth the value of what he bought for himself, how would you feel?"
Xu Qingqing's expression turned serious, and she said angrily, "I'd dump him!"
Zhou Chenyu was immensely gratified. "Right! So Xie Lianqing would be unhappy too if he knew."
Xu Qingqing was still angry. "He wouldn't dare!"
She thought for a moment and added, "If he dared to be upset, I'd dump him."
Zhou Chenyu: Forget it. Let her wait and cry after the breakup.
Unaware of Zhou Chenyu's internal ranting, Xu Qingqing, after finishing her bout of anger, turned the thought over in her head and finally understood the implication of his earlier words.
She waved her hand, magnanimously saying, "I get what you mean. But don't worry, Xie Lianqing won't be upset."
Aside from the time she wanted to break up because he cheated in her dream, and when she secretly went go-karting, Xie Lianqing had almost never gotten angry.
The next day, Xie Lianqing received the watch Xu Qingqing had carefully selected. No gift box, no wrapping paper, no handwritten letter from his girlfriend, no paper cranes.
In short, there was nothing. She hadn't even taken it out of the shopping bag. Xie Lianqing wasn't even surprised to find the receipt inside.
He glanced at the price. Xu Qingqing had spent nearly ten million today; the price of his watch was only one-twentieth of that.
Xie Lianqing: Oh well. At least she remembered.
When Xie Lianqing received the gift, Xu Qingqing deliberately studied his facial expression and then said, "See, you're not upset."
She texted Zhou Chenyu, her tone triumphant: "I told you Xie Lianqing wouldn't be upset. You lost. Pay up!"
A few minutes later, he transferred ten thousand yuan, attaching a "get lost."
Xu Qingqing happily accepted the transfer, not bothering with the poor loser.
Xie Lianqing looked up at her, his gaze gentle, and said with a light laugh, "You were betting with Zhou Chenyu?"
Satisfied with the transfer, Xu Qingqing said offhandedly, "Yeah. He actually dared to say I wasn't careful in picking your gift, that you'd be upset!"
Xie Lianqing was actually a bit disappointed. Not because of the price, but because after consulting his secretary earlier, he had secretly hoped Xu Qingqing would also meticulously wrap his gift.
Oh well. For this little drama queen to remember to buy him a gift was already a historic breakthrough.
Can't ask for the moon.
Completely unaware of her boyfriend's former expectations, Xu Qingqing said confidently, "Don't you think he's talking nonsense? I worked hard shopping to pick a gift for you. If you still dared to be dissatisfied, I'd break up with you."
Zhou Chenyu even said Xie Lianqing might not be able to take it anymore and break up with her. How could Xie Lianqing possibly break up with her? He only had the fate of being dumped by her.
Xie Lianqing found Xu Qingqing's expression, complaining yet with a hint of pride, utterly adorable.
He gazed at her tenderly, his eyes smiling, and slowly replied, "That is quite excessive." Although Zhou Chenyu meant well, he wasn't here to know, so humoring his girlfriend was more important right now.
So Xie Lianqing didn't ask anything else. Noticing the large pile of shopping bags beside Xu Qingqing, he smiled and said, "Quite a haul today?"
Xu Qingqing said happily, "Not bad. Most of it was bought to annoy Lin Donghan and them, but luckily he bought way more than I did. I wonder if he saw my new WeChat Moments post. I'd love to see him spit blood when he finds out that jewelry store is owned by the Xu family."
Xie Lianqing immediately played along understandingly, "Of course."
If nothing else, Xu Qingqing truly had a talent for provoking people. As her boyfriend, Xie Lianqing knew this from deep experience.
Pleased with her boyfriend's tactfulness, Xu Qingqing was greatly satisfied.
Although she had refuted Zhou Chenyu, she still took his words to heart. She had gone out today supposedly to buy Xie Lianqing a gift, but ended up with a huge pile for herself...
She guiltily coughed and, unusually proactively, said, "Give me the watch, I'll put it on for you."
Xie Lianqing raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised at his girlfriend's sudden thoughtfulness, but since she was having a moment of clarity, he certainly wouldn't refuse.
Xu Qingqing lowered her head, carefully removing the old watch and putting on the new one. Xie Lianqing extended his hand, quietly watching her bow her head to fasten the watch for him, his gaze so gentle it was almost unbelievable.
Finally done, the mechanical watch face showed a cool silver-blue, complementing Xie Lianqing's fair wrist, looking utterly luxurious and elegant.
Xu Qingqing admired it delightedly for a moment, affirming herself, "My taste is so good. Out of all those couple watches, only the women's watch from this pair was the prettiest!"
Xie Lianqing narrowed his eyes, skeptically asking, "Hmm?"
"Ta-da!" Xu Qingqing suddenly stretched out her arm, pulling up her sleeve to reveal an identical couple's watch, showing off, "Look, isn't it pretty? It matches me perfectly, right?"
Xie Lianqing stared for a few seconds, then lowered his eyes and smiled. "It really does match you perfectly." He looked at her, his gaze as gentle as a spring stream, utterly intoxicating.
Considering this gift selection a success, Xu Qingqing couldn't help but smile too. She pointed at the old and new watches Xie Lianqing had taken off and declared, "They're both mine."
Xie Lianqing leaned forward slightly and kissed her tenderly. "Mhm, they're all yours."
His kiss was devout and soft, moving from her forehead down to the bridge of her nose, finally landing on her lips.
I am yours too.
It's raining outside. I feel like having takoyaki.
