Bai Youlan thought of the scene from the camera just moments ago—the young woman leaning against that young man, calmly watching her make a fool of herself. Her face twisted with rage.
Clearly, she was the only one in this world who knew the truth and the complete plot. Why had she become so wretched? The thought of Xu Qingqing witnessing her stunned, foolish expression on camera, and perhaps even laughing at her behind her back, was unbearable to Bai Youlan.
She was the chosen one who had transmigrated. She had a system, she had cheat abilities. She was the true protagonist, wasn't she?
Why did everyone like Xu Qingqing? What was so good about that bitch who only knew how to act spoiled and make unreasonable trouble?
Heaven knew how overjoyed Bai Youlan had been when she discovered she had transmigrated into her favorite novel.
After binding with the system's mission, in order to seize luck points, she needed to gain the favor of people important to Xu Qingqing.
Yet no matter how much she schemed, no matter how she fawned and flattered in front of Lin Jiangxue, the other would still hug Xu Qingqing and praise her as the best child in the world. As for the other members of the Xu family besides Xu Changshan, they completely ignored her, acting as if she didn't exist.
Later, Bai Youlan wanted to rely on the original plot to win the male lead's affection and favorability in advance. So after transmigrating, she immediately tried every means to get close to him.
She knew the male lead, Xie Lianqing, would suffer an accidental fracture, causing him to take a year off from school. In the original novel, the female lead Xu Qingqing would coincidentally enter that hospital, meet the male lead recuperating in the garden, and give him the candy she couldn't finish eating.
That was the beginning of their fate.
So, on that day, Bai Youlan sent Xu Qingqing away and went to that hospital herself, doing the exact same thing.
Xie Lianqing thanked her politely, but unfortunately, he didn't develop any fondness for her as described in the book. Later, when they met again, he had already forgotten her, looking at her no differently than any other stranger.
When entering middle school, Bai Youlan also failed to be placed in the same class as Xie Lianqing and Xu Qingqing. She could only watch helplessly as he got together with that troublemaking Xu Qingqing, just as written in the book.
She had also tried to fight for him, creating countless "chance encounters" with Xie Lianqing, but his impression of her remained merely "Xu Qingqing's stepsister." Later, she mustered her courage and personally handed a love letter to Xie Lianqing, only to find he seemed to have paid it no mind at all.
Just now, when she saw Xie Lianqing's friend request, aside from wanting luck points, she had harbored a hidden sliver of emotion. Yet in her excited state, she discovered it was just Xu Qingqing's malicious prank.
Current luck points reduced by 1. Current luck points: 22. Host, please quickly gain the affection of others to reclaim luck points.
The system's prompt sounded again, urging Bai Youlan to make a decision.
Her eyes were red, her gaze fierce and vicious. If anyone else were here, they would surely be startled by her appearance.
Bai Youlan took a deep breath and said, "Before I can completely obtain the luck points, I can't directly kill the female lead, but I can use other items, right?"
Of course. The system supports the host in using items to complete missions.
The system's prompt remained calm.
Luck points spent would be deducted, only waiting to be accumulated again. So Bai Youlan had hardly used any of the luck points she gained over the years. Aside from buying a curse doll to kill Xu Qingqing's mother, she had basically spent the rest on beauty pills and complexion-enhancing elixirs.
Her original appearance could only be described as delicate and pretty, far from being stunning. But these beauty products were all very cheap, costing only one or two luck points, so over the years she had piled beauty buffs onto herself.
But this time, Xu Qingqing had gone too far—cutting off her film and television resources, finding people to expose her biological father, exposing her lies... Every single thing Xu Qingqing did was forcing her out of the entertainment industry.
You brought this upon yourselves, Bai Youlan thought.
After all, everyone in this world is just a character in a book. Only she is a real person.
Before transmigrating, Bai Youlan was also an ordinary girl who would even go to the market to find someone to help kill a chicken. But now she had become utterly unrecognizable, with no trace of her former self left.
Bai Youlan looked at the luck points she had accumulated so far and clicked open the system mall interface. "Purchase Infinite Nightmare."
Ding. Purchase of Infinite Nightmare successful. Carries effect: Weakness.
Total cost this time: ten luck points. Please confirm, Host.
"Confirm."
After obtaining the item, the luck points above Bai Youlan's head immediately decreased by ten. Presumably, the system priced items so high to prevent overly overpowered items from alerting and incurring rejection from the world's rules. Items in the mall were exorbitantly expensive, especially those that could directly cause harm.
Just a nightmare item with an added weakness effect cost ten luck points. The curse doll Bai Youlan had purchased before was even more expensive, costing her a full twenty-five luck points.
If it were before, Bai Youlan would definitely have been reluctant to spend ten luck points on such an item. But now her luck points had fallen to the warning line. She might as well go all out. It would be best if she could take the chance to kill Xu Qingqing or make her have a mental breakdown.
Item deployed.
Bai Youlan slowly let out a breath, a smile appearing on her face, her mood instantly turning cheerful.
That night, Xu Qingqing had a rare dream.
In the dream, she was clearly on her way to meet Xie Lianqing for a date. But as she walked, she suddenly realized there were no other pedestrians around anymore, and she was trapped in a thick fog.
It was eerily quiet all around. She stood in the fog, afraid to go anywhere.
"Grandpa, Grandma, Aunt..." The fog in the dream was very thick. Xu Qingqing could only see a few centimeters ahead with her eyes. She felt her way forward cautiously.
"Xie Lianqing! Zhou Chenyu!" The dream felt too real. Xu Qingqing couldn't distinguish it from reality. She tentatively called out her friends' names, and finally even called out her rival Le Jiaojiao.
But there was no response. The surroundings were quiet to an unnatural degree.
In the dream, Xu Qingqing stamped her foot in anger, hugged her arms, and muttered quietly, "Xie Lianqing... Hmph, you're actually late for a date. If you don't show up soon, I'm going to break up with you!"
Faint footsteps sounded from within the fog. Xu Qingqing was startled and instinctively started running nervously. A monster was chasing behind her. The world was reduced to the sound of her own heartbeat and the footsteps getting closer and closer...
It wasn't until the next morning that the Xu family realized something was wrong. The nanny, knowing the young lady liked to sleep in, went to knock on her door at nine o'clock.
By the time the Xu family members sensed something amiss and broke the door down, Xu Qingqing on the bed was curled into a ball, her face pale, glistening tears seeping from her eyelashes.
"Qingqing!" Grandpa and Grandma Xu were out. Aunt Xu, who had just left, was urgently called back.
She touched Xu Qingqing's forehead and found it burning hot. She immediately shook her. "How long has she had this fever?"
Xu Youyue frowned, withdrew her hand, told the nanny to fetch the first aid kit, and called the family doctor.
"Qingqing!" The Xu family bustled about anxiously, calling out to the feverish Xu Qingqing.
But no matter how everyone called her name, Xu Qingqing only continued to frown and shed tears, never waking up. Her face grew paler and paler, like a sheet of paper.
That day, the Xu family's old house was in utter chaos, with everyone thrown into disarray.
By the time Xu Qingqing finally woke up, she found herself lying in a hospital. It was already light outside, but the clock showed 6 PM.
Everyone was gathered around her. Grandpa Xu and the other elders were resting nearby due to their age, while Aunt Xu was outside communicating with the doctors. Xie Lianqing had rushed over as soon as he got the news and was now waiting anxiously nearby, frowning.
Everyone had been terribly frightened by her condition, and Xie Lianqing hadn't rested all day. Seeing her awake, he immediately asked, "How are you feeling now?" He touched her forehead; it was still a bit feverish.
Xu Qingqing stared wide-eyed, taking deep breaths. Her eyes held a trace of confusion as she looked at the anxious Xie Lianqing and said hesitantly, "I don't know... I think I had a nightmare. In the dream, you stood me up on a date, and then I died..."
By the end, she was already starting to forget what had happened in her dream.
"Don't talk nonsense," Xie Lianqing frowned deeply.
He hated it when Xu Qingqing casually mentioned life and death. Lowering his gaze to see her pale face, his heart softened again, and he gently coaxed her, "When have I ever been late for a date with you?"
After comforting his sick girlfriend, Xie Lianqing went out to discuss her condition with the doctors.
Xu Qingqing watched his retreating back, feeling like she had forgotten something. After a moment, she remembered and muttered to herself, "I think I called your name in the dream and said I wanted to break up with you."
She wondered if Xie Lianqing had even appeared in that dream.
Xu Qingqing was ill, and this illness lasted a whole week. For several days in a row, she dreamed of various bizarre and terrifying scenes. At night, she either had a fever or muttered incoherently in her sleep. Even having doctors on standby around the clock was of no help.
Xu Qingqing only remembered that the scenes in her dreams were horrifying. After waking up, even hypnosis couldn't retrieve the scenes buried deep in her memory. Lately, she had been too scared to sleep, yawning and forcing her eyes open, afraid of dreaming about various ways she might die. After a few days of this, she had developed dark circles under her eyes.
The Xu family was frantic with worry, privately speculating whether Xu Qingqing had offended some unclean entity.
Grandpa Xu and others sought out many more doctors and even hired a famous Taoist master in the field for help, purchasing two talismans meant to suppress evil spirits. Aunt Xu, who never believed in superstitions, separately donated a large sum of money to various major temples and churches, very much like casting a wide net.
It was unclear which deity or method actually worked, but Xu Qingqing stopped having the nightmares afterwards. However, she still suffered a serious illness, and her originally healthy body became much weaker.
Xu Qingqing's illness was bizarre and severe, and Xie Lianqing was also worn out by it. He even set aside company matters to stay by her side in the hospital all day.
When Xu Qingqing's condition still hadn't improved by the third day, Xie Lianqing traveled overnight to a distant province, personally going to a reportedly very spiritual Taoist temple to seek jade for Xu Qingqing. The temple was built on a remote mountain peak with a steep path. Xie Lianqing didn't take the cable car but walked step by step up the rugged, towering stone steps.
Upon returning, Xie Lianqing went straight to the Xu family home and reverently hung the jade beads he had sought on Xu Qingqing's neck.
Xu Qingqing had lost a lot of weight this time, her chin somewhat pointed. Her long hair was loose, making her face look especially small. Her complexion was pale as she lazily leaned against the sofa. She still looked very weak, but her spirits were better.
When Xie Lianqing arrived at the Xu house, she was holding her phone playing a game. The "defeated" screen appeared again, and a teammate finally couldn't hold back and unmuted to curse, "Damn, can't you elementary school kids get the hell out of Honor of Kings?!"
Xu Qingqing blinked in confusion. Before she could say anything, Xie Lianqing, who had just walked up to her, darkened his expression.
He took the phone and said calmly, "Your gaming skills are lacking, but your mouth is quite capable. Even playing against bots, you think you can lecture others? How pathetic."
After saying this, he exited the game interface.
Xu Qingqing's eyes widened.
Oh my god, Xie Lianqing actually swore!
Due to his upbringing, Xie Lianqing usually always carried himself with grace and poise. Xu Qingqing had almost never seen him curse. Even during their middle school years, Xie Lianqing was just aloof and a bit blunt in speech.
Moreover, Xu Qingqing felt that the person earlier hadn't really said anything that extreme. After all, she was indeed quite bad at games and was used to being criticized. She didn't know why Xie Lianqing had suddenly gotten so angry.
Xie Lianqing took a deep breath, slowly suppressing the anger in his chest. When he turned back, he saw Xu Qingqing on the sofa, hugging her knees, her big eyes blinking as she stared at him.
The anger in Xie Lianqing's heart instantly soothed and quieted. He sat down and stroked her head. "What are you looking at?"
Xu Qingqing rested her chin on her hand and said very obediently, "Looking at Senior Xie. Senior, you were so cool just now!"
Xie Lianqing sighed helplessly, utterly exasperated by her irreverence.
He pulled Xu Qingqing into his arms and asked, suppressing his anger, "When they curse at you, don't you know how to curse back?"
Xu Qingqing was so well-behaved. She basically only played against bots or in casual matches. How could anyone bear to curse at her?
Xu Qingqing scratched her head and said, "I am just bad at games, after all." That's why she didn't even play ranked matches. Who knew people would curse even in bot games?
Ah, these people's manners are really terrible these days! The world is going downhill!
Xu Qingqing shook her head and sighed. Just thinking about how many stupid keyboard warriors there were in this world made her worry deeply for the future of our great motherland!
Xu Qingqing obediently stayed in Xie Lianqing's embrace. Seeing that he still seemed angry, she thought for a moment, then reached out to hug him, patting his back and comforting him in a small voice, "Alright, alright, don't be angry. I promise I'll curse back next time!"
Seeing Xu Qingqing being so obedient made Xie Lianqing feel even worse. He placed the jade he had sought from the master around Xu Qingqing's neck, buried his face in her hair, kissed her forehead, and said softly, "Don't get sick anymore."
Xu Qingqing pouted. "I don't want to either." She usually slept very soundly and rarely dreamed. She didn't know what happened this time.
Xie Lianqing's expression suddenly darkened, lost in thought.
Recalling what the Taoist priest at the temple had said about "spirits and monsters defying fate and causing chaos," he couldn't suppress the malevolence in his heart.
Who exactly was harming Xu Qingqing?
Xie Lianqing looked at his girlfriend, gently stroking her back, and asked casually in a light tone, "Qingqing, before you got sick, did you offend anyone?"
Xu Qingqing thought for a moment. "Xu Changshan, Xu Tianbao, Lin Donghan, Yang Jun, Bai Youlan..." She rattled off a long list of names without blinking. Xie Lianqing's eye twitched, gaining a new appreciation for his girlfriend's talent for stirring up trouble.
Xu Qingqing's list kept growing. She said hesitantly, "Le Jiaojiao...?"
Xie Lianqing frowned and interrupted, "Zhou Chenyu? Aren't you two friends?"
If Xu Qingqing were to vote for her best friend, it would undoubtedly be this childhood friend who had grown up with her. Sometimes even Xie Lianqing felt a twinge of jealousy, thinking Xu Qingqing was closer to Zhou Chenyu than she was to him.
Xu Qingqing said matter-of-factly, "Right. But he promised to help me rank up to Platinum the other day. I was just one star away, but I couldn't resist logging on and playing all afternoon myself, and now I'm Silver again."
And then Zhou Chenyu blocked her.
Xie Lianqing seemed to want to say something but stopped himself. "Never mind."
His fair fingers stroked the jade bead on Xu Qingqing's neck as he whispered softly, "No matter who it is, there won't be a next time."
Xie Lianqing had been away from City A for a few days, and work had piled up like a mountain. Yet now, he held his girlfriend, not wanting to move. After a moment's thought, he offered, "Come on, I'll play games with you."
Xu Qingqing asked curiously, "Huh? Don't you have work to do?" She knew perfectly well that Xie Lianqing had been busy with something these past few days, even taking leave to go to another city, leaving a stack of documents waiting at the company.
Xie Lianqing's tone was unusually gentle as he said, "I'll play with you first, then go work."
If it were any other girlfriend, hearing him say this, they would likely be moved and considerately tell him that work is more important. But Xu Qingqing, being an expert at making unreasonable demands and acting spoiled, wouldn't dream of doing such a virtuous thing even in her sleep.
So she immediately pulled out her phone excitedly, cheering, "Great, great! Let's play! I want to play ranked matches!"
Xie Lianqing chuckled lightly. "Okay."
However, after playing two rounds, Xu Qingqing started to feel listless. Yawning, she turned off her phone and said, "I'm so sleepy. I'm going to bed first. Goodnight."
After bidding Xie Lianqing goodnight, she shuffled off to the bedroom in her slippers. Perhaps because she hadn't rested well recently, Xu Qingqing had been particularly prone to sleepiness lately.
Xie Lianqing sat nearby, watching her retreating figure without a word.
Night fell quickly, stars twinkling outside the window.
Perhaps because of the jade bead, Xu Qingqing slept especially soundly tonight. In bed, her brows were relaxed, and the moonlight falling upon her made her look both pitiful and adorable.
At the same moment, in another corner of City A, Xie Lianqing, in his sleep, furrowed his brows slightly, his expression pained.
After struggling for a long while, his eyes snapped open, revealing a trace of confusion and fear from just waking from a dream.
Xie Lianqing had dreamed again.
Ever since Xu Qingqing fell ill, likely due to anxiety and unease, he had intermittently had this dream twice.
The scenes in the dream fragmented and collapsed. Upon waking, Xie Lianqing remembered nothing, only an indescribable sense of devastation and palpitations remained.
Xie Lianqing opened his eyes, gazing at the vast expanse of starlight outside, his eyes dark and deep as he recalled those days Xu Qingqing spent in the hospital.
Xu Qingqing's sleeping posture had never been very good; she always liked to hog the entire bed. Yet recently, weakened by illness, even her sleeping position had changed to a curled-up, insecure one.
During those days in the hospital, even though she was still breathing in his arms, for some reason, Xie Lianqing always had the illusion that he had lost her.
Fortunately, it was just a dream, and Xu Qingqing was still here.
Whether that spiritual entity was human or something else, or a real ghost or deity, Xie Lianqing would absolutely never let their goal succeed.
Everyone else was very worried about Xu Qingqing's health. She had been dragged to the hospital several times and had undergone full-body checkups, but nothing was found. The doctor said Xu Qingqing was completely normal except for being somewhat physically weak.
While the Xu family breathed a sigh of relief, they also became more apprehensive, sensing intuitively that things weren't that simple.
Xu Qingqing herself didn't think much of it.
Because she remembered that in the original book, she died in an accident, not from illness. Knowing that Bai Youlan's mission wasn't complete yet, and that the so-called billion-yuan reward likely referred to the Xu family's assets, Xu Qingqing guessed that only when she herself was about to die would Bai Youlan obtain the Xu family, and the mission would likely show as complete. And Xu Qingqing had just seen Bai Youlan before falling ill, knowing the other's mission progress was still far off.
So she probably wouldn't be in danger for the time being.
During these days of illness, Xu Qingqing hadn't been idle either, privately pondering the matter of Bai Youlan and that system in her mind.
Xu Qingqing discovered that Bai Youlan seemed to enjoy stepping on her to highlight herself. The most direct result of doing this was that people would like Bai Youlan more and more, while growing increasingly disgusted and resentful towards Xu Qingqing.
Was there any benefit for Bai Youlan in doing this?
In the past, Xu Qingqing would have simply thought Bai Youlan was jealous of her and didn't want her to be happy.
But now that she knew Bai Youlan had a system, she was no longer that naive. Connecting Bai Youlan's actions from childhood to the present, she found it increasingly eerie.
From deliberately currying favor with Xu Changshan and Lin Jiangxue and belittling her in front of them as a child, to entering the entertainment industry—which had nothing to do with her—and still guiding netizens and fans to insult her.
Bai Youlan clearly knew the consequences of such actions would anger her and the Xu family, even leading to Xu Changshan learning a lesson and causing her own resources in the entertainment industry to be blocked or even completely banned. Yet she still did it, which meant there were greater benefits behind it.
Something more important than Bai Youlan's dream of being a star... Xu Qingqing could only think of that so-called mission and the fortune points.
For some reason, Xu Qingqing suddenly thought of her own ending in the book. The book had simply glossed over her cause of death with the word 'accident,' leading Xu Qingqing to always believe she was just an unfortunate supporting character, a cannon fodder in the book.
But now it seemed her death wasn't without warning.
From Bai Youlan entering the Xu family, replacing her as Xu Changshan's most beloved daughter, to Bai Youlan entering the entertainment industry, her being deceived by Bai Youlan and her cousin into entering the industry, becoming an object of public disdain, and ultimately dying in an accident before her wedding...
When Xu Qingqing first read these plot points, she simply thought she was too unlucky in the book; how could everything go wrong?
But now, looking back, could it be that everything Bai Youlan had done, planning for over a decade, was all for that 'accident'? After all, only after her death could Bai Youlan and Xu Tianbao inherit the Xu family and receive the so-called mission reward.
Even from a certain perspective, the reward issued by that system wasn't billions in family assets, but Xu Qingqing's life.
If everything Bai Youlan did was to obtain the reward, which meant taking Xu Qingqing's life, then where exactly did the fortune points displayed above Bai Youlan's head come from?
Peeling back the layers, Xu Qingqing realized for the first time that she seemed to be touching upon some kind of barrier. She thought of that day in the mall, after she said those words to Lin Donghan, the look of guilt and shock on his face.
In that moment, Xu Qingqing believed Lin Donghan's expression wasn't fake; he likely felt regret and unease towards her. And at that very instant, the fortune points above Bai Youlan's head also decreased.
Later, when her planned scheme succeeded, Bai Youlan's true face was exposed, her persona collapsed, fans left, and netizens turned against her. That same night, Xu Qingqing confirmed through a video call that the fortune points above the other's head had dropped by over a dozen points.
Xu Qingqing was now basically certain: whenever Bai Youlan suppressed her, Bai Youlan would gain fortune points. Conversely, Bai Youlan's fortune points would decrease.
But she still hadn't fully grasped the task progress. For instance, at the Xu family's old residence, when Grandpa Xu and the others agreed to Xu Changshan's proposal, Bai Youlan's luck value and task progress had actually regressed instead.
After thinking through the matters of the system and Bai Youlan in her mind, Xu Qingqing felt that her own illness was also quite peculiar.
She had always been healthy since childhood, rarely falling ill. This was the first time she had been so severely sick, and it felt somewhat sinister.
In fact, Xu Qingqing had also suspected whether it was Bai Youlan and that system's doing. Given that the other party's luck value had been dropping sharply recently, it wasn't impossible for them to resort to desperate measures after their starry dream was shattered.
However, Xu Qingqing had been too ill lately to deal with Bai Youlan. After recovering, she made some private inquiries and found that Bai Youlan was still staying quietly at home, occasionally following her team to approach film crews. It seemed she intended to give up on high-exposure variety shows and instead focus on acting.
Because Bai Youlan's lies had been exposed, public opinion was very unfavorable towards her now. So recently, it seemed she planned to lay low for a while, waiting for an opportunity to make a comeback.
Although Xu Qingqing had her suspicions, she couldn't be entirely sure it was the other party's doing. After all, if Bai Youlan could wield such methods, why would she have kept Xu Qingqing alive until now? Wouldn't it have been better to eliminate her earlier?
For some reason, Xu Qingqing suddenly thought of the time years ago when her own mother was bedridden with illness. Deep down, she was reluctant to believe this incident was Bai Youlan's handiwork.
Because if it was, then this enemy would be too terrifying. Could she still outmaneuver Bai Youlan, or rather, the forces behind her?
That's right. Xu Qingqing was already certain that everything Bai Youlan had done was premeditated, and there must be more than just her alone behind it. That system might even have its own intelligence. Xu Qingqing even suspected there was an organization behind Bai Youlan carrying out these actions.
After all, the reward involved was the entire Xu family. If it was just Bai Youlan alone, Xu Qingqing felt that given the other's mindset as a young girl back then, it would be difficult to have reached this stage.
The more Xu Qingqing thought about it, the more overwhelming it became, and she couldn't tell her family or friends. Yesterday, she tried to reveal a bit of the truth about the world to Xie Lianqing. Worried about a repeat of the kind of accident that happened with her aunt before, she only attempted to say a few words.
However, just like the situation during the previous phone call, the other party couldn't hear any of her words related to the system or the truth of the world.
Under his puzzled gaze, and to avoid being suspected of being ill again and sent to the hospital for checks, Xu Qingqing decisively claimed she was practicing lip-reading or something similar, barely managing to gloss over it.
In the end, with no other option, Xu Qingqing decided to temporarily pin the blame for her illness on Bai Youlan—both to vent her frustration over falling sick and to hinder that system's task.
She heard that Bai Youlan, relying on Lin Donghan's connections, had recently secured a top-tier luxury brand endorsement. Although not officially announced yet, her fans were already in a frenzy.
The recent scandal hadn't completely blown over, and Bai Youlan's reputation in the public eye wasn't great. Fans and anti-fans were tearing into each other, with online comments being mixed.
Inside information revealed that two other rising starlets of the same generation had been fiercely competing for this endorsement; the stream of black material leaked recently was them battling it out. Who would have thought Bai Youlan would end up getting it?
It's said the resources came from Bai Youlan's family. Moreover, regarding Director Chen's new film next door, the female lead is reportedly already set for Bai Youlan.
Damn, Director Chen truly is a top-tier white-rich-beautiful in the circle. Other starlets fight tooth and nail for these top resources, but Bai Youlan can just casually pick them up.
No way, no way! Has everyone already forgotten about Bai Youlan recognizing a thief as her father and being ungrateful? The internet really has no memory.
Today's disgusting news #1: Whatever brand Bai Youlan endorses, I'll boycott! She's the most detestable celebrity ever, bar none.
No wonder Bai Youlan wouldn't even acknowledge her biological father, instead defending Xu Changshan, who destroyed her original family, as her dad. Even after being mocked by the entire internet, she still has famous directors and luxury brands backing her. Tsk tsk, so this is the benefit of having power and influence.
Now almost everyone knows that Xu Qingqing is the true heiress of the Xu family and that she doesn't get along with Bai Youlan. As soon as the news about Bai Youlan was announced, outraged netizens flooded Xu Qingqing's Weibo, tagging her to ask for confirmation. Even more people begged Xu Qingqing to take action like last time and have Bai Youlan blacklisted.
Of course, Xu Qingqing was aware of all this. Ever since she figured out the connection between Bai Youlan and the system, she had assigned assistants and private investigators to keep a close watch on Bai Youlan's team's movements.
Almost as soon as Bai Youlan's team made contact with the relevant parties, Xu Qingqing received the news. However, she had been recuperating recently, sleeping most of the day when weak, and had no energy to deal with the other party, leaving everything to her assistants.
Yet, with Lin Donghan and Xu Changshan involved, there was only so much the assistants could do, and the other party still managed to seize the opportunity. If Xu Qingqing had been sick for a bit longer, the rumors circulating online about Bai Youlan's endorsement and film might have become reality.
But even if they had become reality, it wouldn't have mattered much. Contracts can be broken even after signing, and films can be pulled even after release. Xu Qingqing was now determined not to leave the other party any opportunity or leeway.
Xu Qingqing skimmed through the comments on Weibo but didn't respond. If it were before, she might have had the mind to toy with Bai Youlan's fans a bit, but having just recovered, she didn't have the energy for games.
The luxury brand that approached Bai Youlan for endorsement happened to have Xu Qingqing as one of its top-tier VIP members, and Zhou Chenyu's mother had connections with the brand's upper management. After a few phone calls, Bai Youlan's nearly-signed endorsement unsurprisingly fell through.
As for the film matter, Xu Qingqing had someone make connections, and Aunt Xu personally met with the investor of Director Chen's film for a talk. After that, the matter was quietly dropped.
Generally, this kind of dinner meeting wouldn't warrant Aunt Xu's personal involvement. Xu Qingqing originally planned to take her secretary and assistants to handle it. But Xu Youyue was worried about her niece's health, concerned she might not be fully recovered, which is why she personally attended this meeting.
At the dinner, the investor said with a smile, "When CEO Xu requested this meeting, I guessed it was about the film. However, I guessed the beginning right, but not your purpose."
He casually dropped some inside information: "I had heard before that Miss Xu and Miss Bai had some conflicts. However, Mr. Lin approached me some time ago, asking me to give Miss Bai a chance. Since Mr. Lin is Miss Xu's cousin, I assumed this matter had your approval, leading to a misunderstanding."
Mr. Lin, of course, referred to Lin Donghan.
After hearing this, Aunt Xu thoughtfully raised an eyebrow, then said meaningfully, "It certainly is a misunderstanding."
She tapped her fingers on the table, smiled at the other party, and said nonchalantly, "When a family has too many connections, even stray cats and dogs can climb up and claim to be relatives."
The expressions of others at the table turned awkward, filled with shock. Weren't the Xu and Lin families known to have a good relationship, even collaborating on a project set to launch soon?
However, judging from President Xu's tone, the young master of the Lin family isn't even considered a relative anymore. Could it be they're about to tear off all pretenses?
No matter what's going on, the stock market values of the Xu and Lin families are likely to see some movement.
Xu Qingqing actually knew the inside story. In fact, after hearing what that investor said, she was utterly speechless.
By now, how could she not understand? When she was critically ill, her cousin Lin Donghan not only showed no concern for her, but instead took advantage of her sickness and his status as her cousin to deliberately leverage the Xu Group's name to build momentum for Bai Youlan.
While she was gravely ill and the entire Xu family was in chaos, no one even noticed these little schemes of Lin Donghan's.
Otherwise, with just the connections and resources of Lin Donghan and Bai Youlan, how could they have gotten such a lucrative piece of the pie?
Although the Lin family is also an old-money elite family, their development has stagnated in recent years, gradually falling behind the Xu family. Moreover, the various branches of the Lin family are busy fighting over resources. The connections Lin Donghan has access to must be reserved for his own future struggle for the inheritance. What he could spare for Bai Youlan was also quite limited.
Probably in the original novel's plot, Bai Youlan also used the name of the Xu Group's heiress in this way, building her reputation all the way to secure resources that weren't rightfully hers.
Who knows how many times this kind of thing has happened in private, and if there are any instances that Xu Qingqing hasn't discovered yet.
Lin Donghan really is her wonderful cousin—secretly plotting against her while also borrowing her influence and using her name.
Aunt Xu probably went crazy with anger when she heard about it, which is why she publicly called Lin Donghan a poor relative trying to climb the social ladder and even labeled him a nobody.
That statement left absolutely no face for Lin Donghan or the entire Lin family, insulting his parents and grandfather along the way. Once this spreads, outsiders will likely have to reassess the relationship between the Lin and Xu families.
Aunt Xu was venting her anger on her behalf, so Xu Qingqing wouldn't dwell on whether this move was worth it or not.
After today, Xu Qingqing also made a public statement, openly declaring her discord with Lin Donghan. She didn't even mention Bai Youlan's name, because without Lin Donghan and Xu Changshan, the other girl was nothing.
As for how Lin Donghan would react with fury upon getting the news, that was no longer her concern. Whether the Lin family would have any thoughts about it was also not something she needed to worry about. Xu Qingqing believed her aunt would help handle it.
After the incident occurred, both Bai Youlan and Lin Donghan were incredulous. Especially Lin Donghan, as the person in charge of the company, no one understood better than him what Xu Youyue's statement implied.
He wasn't close to Xu Youyue and immediately tried to contact Xu Qingqing to explain, only to find that all his contact methods had been blocked by her.
