If supernatural abilities existed in this world, Shen Beibei believed she was one blessed by them.
From childhood, she had been extraordinarily lucky—not just in an ordinary way, but in the sense that whatever she wished for would come to her in the most plausible manner. Even as a naive child growing up in an orphanage, she had been acutely aware of this peculiar trait. Carefully and skillfully, she wielded her fortune to carve out an unusually smooth and successful path for an orphan like herself.
A prestigious university, an effortlessly harmless appearance, tear ducts she could turn on and off at will, and a knack for navigating social situations—these were the tools Shen Beibei relied on. She never considered herself purely good-hearted. Her desires were insatiable, and she was never content with her current standing. So, she did everything in her power to climb higher, including taking up part-time work at high-society banquets.
After all, the poor didn’t host banquets. Anyone who attended one, no matter how insignificant, stood far above Shen Beibei’s current station.
Which was why, when she accidentally knocked over a tray of champagne at one such event, even she was stunned—because such "unlucky" incidents simply didn’t happen to her.
But in the next second, she understood: this was just another form of her luck manifesting.
The person she had splashed was none other than "that woman"—the very one whose name had been whispered among the guests all evening, one of the central figures of the grand banquet.
The moment that breathtakingly beautiful, almost inhuman face came into view, Shen Beibei instinctively burst into tears. She smoothly apologized, then—with an air of naive, almost foolish impracticality—offered compensation.
The world favored her, so even if her actions seemed illogical or reckless, the ensuing scene would twist in her favor. And just like that, she would effortlessly form a connection with this woman, even with the Wei family—
—Or so it should have been.
But the woman rejected her without so much as a blink.
Shen Beibei had never encountered such a situation before. Panicked and unsure how to react, she could only keep crying until an elderly butler escorted her out of the banquet hall.
Her "luck" had vanished.
The realization sent a chill down her spine. She abandoned all thoughts of the Wei family, even the generous pay she was supposed to earn that night, and rushed back to the hotel she had booked for this lucrative gig. Without delay, she boarded an overnight train back to her university in H City.
The next morning, too sleep-deprived to get out of bed, she received a notification in the class group chat: the first lecture had been canceled.
When she finally woke up, her stomach growled—just as a senior dropped by with food.
As she prepared to leave for class, rain poured outside, but by the time she stepped out of her dormitory, it had stopped.
Shen Beibei exhaled in relief. Her luck hadn’t abandoned her after all.
Only then could she calmly reflect on the previous night’s events.
There must be something special about that woman. If only she could get close enough to ask... Shen Beibei mused.
That weekend, while working a part-time delivery job at a sorting center, she overheard two workers chatting.
"Another batch of Zhong Ziyan’s packages? She gets at least a dozen a day, sometimes over a hundred. What on earth is she buying?"
The other shrugged. "Who knows? Rich people do whatever they want."
Shen Beibei’s interest was piqued.
During the Wei family’s banquet, she had heard guests mention that "that woman" had the surname Zhong.
Could it really be such a coincidence?
Pretending to be curious, Shen Beibei chimed in, "That sounds fascinating. What else do you know?"
The workers happily shared more about Zhong Ziyan:
They had seen her once—stunningly beautiful, with an exceptionally tall and graceful figure.
She had money to burn, receiving packages daily.
And she lived in H City’s most exclusive luxury neighborhood.
With just these details, Shen Beibei was 90% certain: her luck had brought Zhong Ziyan back into her path.
"I’d love to see that for myself. Could I tag along to Tingshan today?" she asked with a smile.
But the workers shook their heads. "We don’t deliver inside Tingshan. The property management collects everything and takes it to the residents. We just drop the packages at their office."
Shen Beibei sighed in feigned disappointment, casually glancing at the shipping label right in front of her. She memorized the phone number listed and, after her shift, painstakingly crafted a heartfelt text message to Zhong Ziyan.
Once again, her luck went unanswered.
Shen Beibei grew increasingly intrigued by Zhong Ziyan’s mystique.
She tried texting again, even daring to call once—but only got a busy tone.
The realization hit her: she had probably been blocked.
A pang of melancholy struck her, but beneath it lurked a quiet fear of Zhong Ziyan’s immunity to her influence. So she forced herself to forget everything that had happened.
That way, she could remain the Shen Beibei favored by fate.
Blessed by luck, Shen Beibei soon landed another high-paying job—one that sounded almost like a vacation.
She was hired as a temporary cleaner on a private island, though there were no buildings on it yet.
After researching online and learning the approximate price of such islands, Shen Beibei felt her heart surge with excitement: One day, she too could afford something like this.
There were no direct flights from City H to the island, so Shen Beibei took a slow train to Yandu Airport, where she met her team. After over ten hours in the air, they transferred to a bus, then boarded a yacht at the coast, finally sailing into the crystal-clear waters toward the mysterious private island.
The yacht was luxurious, and the passengers couldn’t contain their excitement, whispering among themselves about what kind of person their wealthy employer might be. Shen Beibei, however, gently ran her fingers along the yacht’s bar counter, savoring the moment.
Money really was a wonderful thing. She wanted it—badly.
Soon, bets were made on whether the island’s owner was a man or a woman.
Most guessed male, but Shen Beibei followed her intuition and bet on female.
She knew she was about to make a small fortune.
Everything went smoothly until shortly after arriving on the island. Just as Shen Beibei settled her belongings in a dorm-like cubicle, a sharp pain gripped her stomach.
Her period had come early, and the cramps were unbearable.
Gritting her teeth, she brushed off her coworkers’ concern and walked alone toward a quiet stretch of the shore, stopping where the endless sea met her gaze.
The ocean was vast, she thought. And she wanted everything—just as much, just as grand.
Without painkillers, even under the scorching sun, Shen Beibei broke into a cold sweat from the pain, eventually crouching down and hugging her stomach.
Suddenly, a wave—not too big, not too small—surged from the sea and crashed into her.
With a yelp, the force knocked her off her feet. Weak and disoriented, she barely had time to stand before a second wave swept her away.
This can’t be happening—!!
Panic seized her, but it lasted less than a second before an immense, irresistible force pulled her from the briny depths.
Amid the clear waters and the surreal summer sunlight, Shen Beibei saw that breathtakingly beautiful face again.
Ah… ah—it’s Luck.
The thought calmed her, and she closed her eyes, keeping them shut even as Zhong Ziyan carried her back to the sand.
"Wake up." Zhong Ziyan’s voice held no urgency, and she didn’t even seem to crouch down.
Shen Beibei kept her eyes closed, determined to play dead until Zhong Ziyan touched her—then she’d "wake up" in fright and cling to her, trembling pitifully.
No decent person would push away a poor girl who’d nearly drowned.
But Shen Beibei forgot again: Zhong Ziyan wasn’t normal.
When Zhong Ziyan remarked, "Pretending not to hear," Shen Beibei burned with embarrassment, wishing she could turn back time.
She coughed weakly, pretending to stir. "I… I think I fell into the sea. Did you save me?" she asked timidly, her gaze flickering between Zhong Ziyan and Wei Hanyan.
Zhong Ziyan said nothing, but her calm eyes seemed to accuse: Liar.
"Are you part of today’s work crew?" Wei Hanyan asked coldly. "What’s your name? Who’s your supervisor? Didn’t they warn you not to wander near this area?"
Shen Beibei bit her lip. "I just arrived today… I haven’t had orientation yet—"
"Is that so?" Wei Hanyan scoffed, pulling out her phone. "If they’re sending people to work without training, the whole team is fired. Contracts terminated today."
Horrified, Shen Beibei scrambled up. "Wait, Miss Wei! It’s my fault alone—please don’t punish the team! And… my name is Shen Beibei."
Wei Hanyan paused mid-dial, staring at her. "You’re the one who texted my aunt, offering compensation?"
That day, she’d secretly blocked Shen Beibei’s number but hadn’t dared read the message properly with Zhong Ziyan sitting right there. Even memorizing the number had been risky.
So even after hearing Zhong Ziyan mention the banquet, Wei Hanyan hadn’t connected the dots.
At Wei Hanyan’s words, Shen Beibei flushed crimson. "I meant it! I really want to compensate Miss Zhong—"
"That gown was an Elie Saab limited edition, and it’s not like I’d wear it again. Didn’t I already say that night you didn’t have to pay for it?" Wei Hanyan looked Shen Beibei up and down, this girl she had mentally cast as the potential "other woman" in several melodramatic scenarios. "You came to the island for another reason, didn’t you?"
"I really just happened to see the job posting! I’m an orphan—I have to pay for my tuition and living expenses myself, so I—"
"You’d rather waste your hard-earned money on a gown you don’t even need to pay for?" Wei Hanyan let out a light laugh, one that sounded unbearably mocking to Shen Beibei. "And if you’re so principled about it, what was that fainting act earlier?"
"I—" Shen Beibei wanted to defend herself but found her gaze inexplicably drifting toward Zhong Ziyan.
While the two of them had been arguing, Zhong Ziyan had wandered off to a coconut tree and was now idly knocking coconuts loose.
"I have something to say to Miss Zhong!" Shen Beibei suddenly mustered her courage and called out. "I know your relationship with Wei Hanyun isn’t real! I know it’s all just an act, and I know you don’t love him! You must have some unspeakable reason for doing this, but I—I’m willing to help you!"
Zhong Ziyan, who had been shaking a coconut tree, nearly snapped the trunk in half from sheer shock.
A coconut wobbled down from the top of the tree and landed squarely in her palm. She turned around, coconut in hand, and glanced between Wei Hanyan’s furious expression and Shen Beibei’s determined one before saying slowly, "Don’t talk nonsense. How could I not like Wei Hanyun?"
…’s contractual agreement.
"You don’t have to lie to me," Shen Beibei insisted, her gaze unwavering. "I won’t tell anyone. I want to help you. I’m absolutely certain there’s no real affection between you two—I can see it in your eyes. You don’t love him!"
Zhong Ziyan: "…" She calmly looked down and pried open the coconut with her bare hands.
"This is getting more ridiculous by the second!" Wei Hanyan angrily dialed the butler and demanded he come handle the situation immediately.
After hanging up, she shot Shen Beibei a frosty glare. "So you want to be the homewrecker who steals my uncle away? You’re young, but you’ve got quite the nerve."
—Even if someone were to steal Wei Hanyun away, that person should be me, Wei Hanyan!!
"No," Zhong Ziyan said, sticking a straw (from who-knows-where) into the cracked coconut and handing it to Wei Hanyan. "She just wants money."
Zhong Ziyan wracked her memory—in the "original story," Shen Beibei was actually quite shrewd.
After graduating, she received Wei Hanyun’s support to establish her own fashion brand, quickly making a name for herself and carving out a place in the industry.
All in all, she had a sharp business mind.
Hearing Zhong Ziyan’s blunt assessment, Shen Beibei felt her entire face burn with humiliation. "That’s not—"
"It’s not a bad idea," Zhong Ziyan mused. "Then work for me. I’ll invest, you build the business, and we’ll split the profits."
Operation: Post-Divorce Nest Egg—commencing now!
