In the era of affluence, the public—whether wealthy or not—always maintains a fervent curiosity and voyeuristic fascination toward the rich.
The mysterious bidder who splurged eighty million in a flash to purchase a private island instantly rocketed to the top of the late-night trending charts. Along with it, the now-famous quote spread like wildfire, quickly becoming the hottest online meme.
"Five million? Keep the change." [lights a cigarette.jpg]
Netizens eagerly feasted on the drama, lamenting how they might never earn the kind of money that warranted a "keep the change" in their lifetimes, while also enthusiastically speculating about the buyer’s identity.
After all, some clues had been inadvertently leaked by the second young miss during her livestream.
First, female. Surname Zhong. Married. Wealthy—or at least married to wealth. These four criteria alone narrowed the search significantly.
Several socialites were immediately nominated online, and even marketing accounts launched polls for netizens to bet on the mystery buyer’s identity. Overnight, over two hundred thousand people participated.
…Zhong Ziyan remained blissfully unaware of all this. She dried her hair and promptly fell asleep in the guest room next to Wei Hanyun’s.
A contractual marriage—no need to sacrifice even that. What a dashing, considerate boss. Zhong Ziyan mused.
The next morning, she lay in bed and first checked the shipping status on her shopping app before getting up to wash up.
As she brushed her teeth with an electric toothbrush, she glanced at her reflection in the mirror.
The young woman staring back had features so exquisitely refined they could pass for a million-dollar photoshop masterpiece. The straight, high bridge of her nose elevated her entire aura to an untouchable level—the very image of an unapproachable powerhouse.
That was the result of her elven bloodline enhancement from the Infinite Space.
Zhong Ziyan absentmindedly tucked her hair behind her ear and examined the tip in the mirror.
Hmm. Rounded.
Thankfully, the System hadn’t gone completely mad and replicated all her enhanced traits from the Infinite Space.
—That said, her strength remained intact. Zhong Ziyan had to constantly remind herself not to reveal it in front of others.
But while some powers could be controlled, others couldn’t.
For instance, her hyper-sensitive senses were beyond her restraint.
The moment she woke, she had already heard Wei Hanyun’s footsteps descending the stairs from the adjacent room.
Zhong Ziyan quickly diverted her attention downstairs, relieved to see the butler had breakfast prepared.
Her part-time gig as a chef still required practice.
By the time she made it downstairs, Wei Hanyun was nearly done with his meal.
Zhong Ziyan greeted him with polite detachment—more than strangers, less than friends. "Morning."
Wei Hanyun smiled and set down his porcelain spoon. "Morning."
The butler approached from another direction, seamlessly joining the conversation. "Madam, you have a guest. I’ve already informed security to let them through."
Zhong Ziyan tilted her head, puzzled. "I don’t have any guests."
Her slight frown softened the aloofness that naturally clung to her features.
Wei Hanyun provided a leisurely reminder. "It’s what you bought yesterday."
Only then did Zhong Ziyan recall the island she’d purchased had been marked as "shipped." She let out a belated "Oh."
After that, she humbly sought her employer’s feedback. "Did I do alright with the purchase?"
Wei Hanyun smiled again. "Not bad. Keep it up."
This kind of request was a first… well, second for her.
She cheerfully accepted.
Islands were valuable—that was all that mattered.
Just like her fondness for gold had once drawn mockery from teammates about her taste. But Zhong Ziyan didn’t care. Gold was valuable, reassuring—the ultimate hard currency!
If she hadn’t spent every last point escaping the Infinite Space, she would’ve exchanged a pile of gold bars to carry around.
As Wei Hanyun prepared to leave, the visitors arrived.
Zhong Ziyan happened to be seeing him off at the door when they crossed paths.
The delegation consisted of three men—polished, suited, and clutching briefcases.
They all seemed nervous, and one of them even froze for a second upon recognizing Wei Hanyun.
"Ahem… Ms. Zhong?" The lead lawyer, middle-aged, cleared his throat.
"Hello?" Zhong Ziyan replied uncertainly.
"Regarding the private island you purchased yesterday in the Bahamas, we’re here to deliver the property documents and—"
Zhong Ziyan felt a headache coming on just from the introduction.
She hadn’t needed to think about convoluted matters like this in a long time—specialized tasks were always handled by specialized teammates.
While she was still figuring out how to interrupt, Wei Hanyun spoke up beside her. "Fang Nan."
His assistant responded calmly. "I’ll handle the document transfer. Please, come in."
The three lawyers, awed but clueless, were ushered into the mansion at the heart of the affluent district by Fang Nan.
Zhong Ziyan exhaled in relief and seized the moment to butter up her boss. "I’ll start learning to cook today. Hopefully, I’ll make progress soon."
Wei Hanyun had already slipped on his shoes during the exchange. He gave an acknowledging hum. "Have fun."
Zhong Ziyan watched Wei Hanyun’s golden silhouette disappear into the car, took a deep breath of the financially liberated air, and turned back inside in high spirits, ready to spend the day receiving and unpacking deliveries.
Midway through breakfast, the butler brought her the phone.
Zhong Ziyan accepted it with a questioning look and uttered a tentative "Hello?"
Fang Nan’s voice came through. "Madam, regarding the newly acquired island—would you like to rename it?"
Zhong Ziyan: "…" In the same house! Was a phone call necessary?! Couldn’t he just walk over… or a few hundred steps?!
"You may also retain the current name for later use, though that would require additional paperwork," Fang Nan added.
Zhong Ziyan shrugged. "Just call it Hanyun, then."
Fang Nan paused. "As in…?"
"Yeah," Zhong Ziyan confirmed.
An island bought with Wei Hanyun’s money—naming it after him was only logical.
"Understood," Fang Nan replied courteously. "There’s one more matter—the five-million charitable donation. Do you have any specific preferences?"
"Preferences?"
"Such as a particular charity you’d like to support."
Zhong Ziyan considered. "Can it go to girls who can’t afford living expenses during their education?"
"Of course. Leave it to me."
Trusting the competence of a top-tier aide who’d climbed the ranks under the wealthy, Zhong Ziyan gave an affirmative noise and hung up.
The butler took the cordless phone back with a smile. "Do you have any plans for today, Madam? When would be a good time to go out?"
Zhong Ziyan paused, reluctant. "Do I have to go out?"
"There’s a quiet, all-inclusive shopping destination in the suburbs. I thought you might be interested," the butler explained amiably.
Zhong Ziyan vaguely saw the words "It's time for you to spend money" written all over his face.
Suddenly enlightened, she perked up immediately. "I'll go right after breakfast!"
"Then I shall arrange the car and accompanying staff for you," the butler said with a slight bow. "Among the cars you saw yesterday, do you have a particular preference?"
Zhong Ziyan had no special requests. She thought every one of Wei Hanyun's cars was incredibly cool. Even though she didn’t recognize some of the logos, just one glance told her they were all outrageously expensive. Merely touching them would bring her joy, let alone riding in them.
But if she had to choose…
"I want to ride in the most expensive one," she declared firmly.
"Understood," the butler nodded before taking his leave.
After finishing her meal, Zhong Ziyan returned to her room to change. Just then, Fang Nan came downstairs with three lawyers in tow.
Fang Nan wore the same calm and reliable expression as half an hour ago, while the other three looked as if their worldviews had just been violently upended.
"They’ve all signed confidentiality agreements, so you needn’t worry," Fang Nan reported with a mafia-esque demeanor straight out of a movie.
Zhong Ziyan, though confused, nodded. "Oh… okay…" Why would they need confidentiality agreements?
After watching the four depart, she promptly forgot about the island matter and headed to the terrifyingly large walk-in closet.
The most shocking part? This enormous closet was already half-filled with an overwhelming assortment of dresses, handbags, jewelry, shoes, and more—each suited for different occasions.
As for the remaining half, the butler had humbly explained the day before that it was "reserved for Madam’s future shopping needs."
He had even thoughtfully suggested that if space ran out, they could always knock down the adjacent room to create a second walk-in closet.
Though Zhong Ziyan was quite interested in buying clothes, shoes, and bags, she had little patience for styling herself.
In the past, she wouldn’t change out of her combat suit unless it was functionally ruined—and each of those suits cost a fortune.
So, faced with a closet that resembled a luxury boutique, Zhong Ziyan mechanically grabbed an easy-to-wear dress, picked a pair of matching shoes, and casually strolled downstairs with her phone in hand.
By the time she reached the first floor, Fang Nan was long gone. Instead, the butler stood elegantly at the foot of the stairs, waiting. "The car is ready," he said with a slight nod.
Zhong Ziyan didn’t realize anything was amiss with her simple outfit when she left. But forty minutes later, as the car came to a stop, she glanced out the window and finally sensed something off.
Why was everyone dressed as if they were attending a gala or walking a red carpet? Had that elaborate diamond-studded updo really taken two hours to style this morning?!
Two impeccably made-up young women stepped out of the car ahead of hers, clad in delicate silk dresses and teetering on seven-inch heels. Arm in arm, they giggled their way down the red carpet…
…Wait, was that an actual red carpet?!
The shopping center was undeniably grand. After getting out of the car, guests were ushered inside via a fifty-meter-long red carpet, lined with elegantly coiffed hair and tailored suits—all exuding an air of extravagant sophistication.
Sitting in the car, Zhong Ziyan silently looked down at her open-toed sandals, then clutched her phone, now linked to Wei Hanyun’s secondary card.
No need to panic. My boss is worth twelve figures, and he hasn’t put any limits on how I spend his money. What do I have to fear?
With that thought, she steadied herself, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and stepped out gracefully as the chauffeur opened the door.
