Liu Yutong had just stepped out of the school gate when she noticed a crowd of students and passersby gathered outside, all eyes fixed on her.
Before she could figure out what was happening, someone shouted,
"Look! Liu Yutong’s here!"
As she stood there in confusion, the crowd suddenly parted, revealing a bright yellow Lamborghini parked right in front of her. Leaning against the car door was a rather handsome young man holding a bouquet of pink roses.
In front of him lay a sea of 9,999 red roses arranged in the shape of a heart, with the words "Liu Yutong, I Like You" spelled out in the middle.
Liu Yutong frowned at the sight and immediately turned to leave.
But before she could take more than a few steps, the Lamborghini-driving guy jogged after her, reaching out to grab her wrist and stop her.
"Liu Yutong, don’t go! Look, I prepared this just for you. Do you like it?"
She sidestepped his touch, her expression cold. "Sorry, I don’t."
"Then what do you like? Designer bags? Jewelry? A sports car? I can give you anything! Be my girlfriend!"
The moment those words left his mouth, the surrounding students erupted in chatter.
"Damn, this guy’s loaded."
"Rich people really go all out when chasing girls—willing to give anything, even a sports car?"
"Do you think Liu Yutong will say yes?"
"If it were me, I’d say yes. Only an idiot would refuse. Someone willing to go this far must be truly in love."
"You guys clearly don’t know our campus belle’s situation. Her family’s pretty well-off too. I doubt she’ll agree…"
"……"
The school gate buzzed with gossip.
Liu Yutong’s gaze swept indifferently over the crowd. She hated being put on display like this, and she especially despised this presumptuous way of confessing feelings.
Not to mention how absurd it was—they didn’t even know each other. Either he had a few screws loose or he was way too full of himself.
"Are you stupid or just pretending? I don’t even know your name. Why would I accept your gifts? And seriously, what era are you living in? Using such a cliché way to chase girls?"
The guy scratched his head. "Is it cliché? I thought a lot of girls liked this. If you don’t, I can change it. Just tell me what you like!"
Liu Yutong: "I can buy what I like myself. And I don’t like being friends with people who don’t share my interests."
"Then what are your interests? Tell me, maybe we have the same ones?" he pressed.
"I like men. What about you? Do you also like men?"
"What do you mean?"
At first, he didn’t get it, but soon his eyes widened in shock. "You’re into gay guys?"
Liu Yutong gave him a look like he was an idiot and turned to leave.
Just as the guy was about to chase after her again, Yun Cheng pulled up in his car. He strode over, grabbed the guy’s shoulder from behind, and shoved him hard enough to send him stumbling back several steps, nearly falling.
"Stay away from the young miss," Yun Cheng warned coldly.
After delivering the warning, he quickly walked to Liu Yutong’s side and opened the car door for her.
Even after being shoved by Yun Cheng, the young man didn’t get angry. Instead, he kept a smile on his face, even straightening his wrinkled collar with a hint of roguish charm. Then, cupping his hands around his mouth, he shouted at Liu Yutong’s retreating figure:
"My name is Lin Muyang! One day, I’ll make you mine! I’ll never give up!"
Liu Yutong’s steps faltered slightly.
Lin Muyang?
That name… it felt vaguely familiar, yet she couldn’t quite place it. It left no real impression on her.
Once inside the car, Yun Cheng glanced at the rearview mirror and noticed the young mistress still seemed distracted by that guy. Without hesitation, he spoke up: "Young Mistress, should I take care of him?"
Liu Yutong lifted her gaze and looked out the window at Lin Muyang, who was still standing there, grinning and waving at her.
"Not yet. If he dares to bother me, we’ll deal with him then."
Right now, there was something far more important to handle.
Hua Muying probably never imagined that despite her meticulous efforts to stay under the radar, she’d been exposed.
At the train station square, the crowd bustled noisily, a chaotic mix of voices and movement.
Wearing a baseball cap and a face mask, Hua Muying completed a transaction under the shadow of a statue.
This deal alone had netted her two hundred thousand.
After getting the money, Hua Muying didn’t rush home. Instead, she headed to an old residential area not far east of the station. Winding through narrow alleys, turning left and right, she eventually reached a secluded fork in the road, where she spotted a scrawny figure and approached.
It was a boy, about thirteen or fourteen, his clothes ragged, his shoes worn through, revealing grimy toes.
Hua Muying walked up and smacked the back of his head. "Gou Dan, take me to see the goods."
The boy hunched his shoulders but said nothing, silently turning to lead the way.
The two of them walked single-file until they reached an inconspicuous scrap yard.
Gou Dan deftly lifted a piece of metal disguised as trash, revealing a hidden basement entrance.
Hua Muying narrowed her eyes and followed him inside.
The basement was dimly lit, the damp air thick with a mix of unpleasant smells.
A bald man sat in front of an old TV, gripping a game controller as he played a pixelated game from that era.
Hearing footsteps, he barked without turning around, "Gou Dan! I told you to watch the door, you little shit! Where the hell did you run off to?"
"Baldie, it’s me," Hua Muying said.
Recognizing her voice, Baldie turned and immediately set down the controller, flashing a grin that revealed a row of yellowed teeth. "Well, well, Boss Hua! What brings you here today?"
Hua Muying scoffed. "What do you think? I’m here to see the goods. Got anything new?"
"Of course we’ve got new stock. Let me show you right away."
Baldie stood up, unhooked a set of keys from his belt, and walked over to unlock a tall metal cabinet in the corner.
When the door swung open, it revealed an assortment of items—phones, watches, and other miscellaneous trinkets.
Mostly luxury goods.
Hua Muying pinched a GUCCI belt between two fingers and frowned. "Baldie, who do you take me for? You think you can pawn this junk off on me?"
"Look at what you're saying—how is this junk? If there's anything you like, I can give you an even bigger discount," Baldie said.
"Is this all you have? I heard you’ve got better stuff stashed somewhere else. What, hiding it from me?"
Baldie immediately grew wary. "Who told you that? Stuff like this isn’t easy to come by. Getting this much is already a stretch."
"Baldie, don’t be like this. We’re old acquaintances—done business plenty of times. Why so guarded? Let me be straight with you—I’m heading abroad soon for a fashion show. You can’t expect me to wear this trash and embarrass myself, can you?"
"If it weren’t for the fact that your goods are top quality and cheap, would I even be here?"
"Got it, got it. Alright, Boss Hua, I’ll see what I can do to get you some better pieces."
"Hurry up. Time’s not on my side."
With that, Hua Muying pulled out a cardholder and a Patek Philippe watch from the cabinet—just those two items cost him 60,000 yuan.
Of course, their actual value was well over 100,000.
After making the purchase, Hua Muying left without another word.
The boy named Gou Dan trailed behind him, as if determined to see him off the premises.
At the mouth of the alley, Hua Muying suddenly turned around, startling Gou Dan into stumbling back, his grimy face tensing up.
"Gou Dan, why so nervous? Keep an eye out for new stock for me, alright? Tell Baldie to save the good stuff for me."
As he spoke, he fished out a lollipop from his pocket and handed it to the boy.
Without waiting to see if Gou Dan would take it, he shoved it into his hand and walked away.
Half an hour later.
Back home, now dressed in athletic wear, Hua Muying grabbed a shopping bag and headed out. The guy was paranoid—he spent a full twenty minutes weaving between residential buildings in the complex before finally slipping into the farthest unit, climbing all the way to the sixth floor.
Just as he slid the key into the lock, a chill ran down his spine.
Before he could even think of running, footsteps echoed in the stairwell—several men in black closed in on him.
