◎Not Placed the Order Yet, Awaiting Delivery◎
5
Naturally, the interlude of last night would not reach Ning Ye's ears.
But as the night passed and she opened her eyes, she suddenly realized something.
So what if Bian Xun would receive things bought with the future Black Card?
First of all, the things she bought by swiping the card wouldn't appear at his place immediately. It was very likely they would only suddenly refresh after a couple of days, with no certainty about how or where they would appear.
And, most importantly.
He wouldn't know who bought them???
Couldn't he just consider it a gift from heaven?
Order not placed yet, awaiting delivery :)
Wasn't this, in a way, protecting his consumer rights?
Ning Ye was instantly greatly relieved. Thinking of his arrogant, sarcastic, and utterly annoying demeanor in the cramped bathroom yesterday, she decided to maximize the value of his wealth.
So, on this leisurely holiday morning, lying in bed until nine o'clock, Ning Ye slowly browsed Taobao and made a long list.
After moving, there were just too many things to buy.
Online shopping was very popular back when they were in school. Even though the package pickup station was outside the campus, everyone would enthusiastically arrange to go get their parcels together.
But Bian Xun never did.
He couldn't understand why someone would repeatedly compare items among the jumble of photos online, often receiving items that didn't match the description or were the wrong size, and then having to return them.
That kind of rich dog couldn't comprehend the joy of online shopping.
Ning Ye browsed all over Taobao, looking at a bunch of things she and the child needed for daily life, as well as many items the little one would need for starting kindergarten.
The feeling of not needing to consider price quickly made her lose herself in the ocean of merchant marketing. She picked out piles of autumn and winter clothes for the child, chose three different children's backpacks alone. When her shopping cart was added and added to the point of being bottomless, Ning Ye tried selecting all.
Good gracious, total: ??65,608.12.
But this was still nothing for that damned capitalist's Black Card.
The temptation to clear the shopping cart with one click urged her to reach out her finger, but Ning Ye suddenly remembered something and stopped.
"Mommy?" Ning Zhitao had just woken up, a soft yawn sounding from behind her. The child poked her head out, peeking with her chubby little hands to see what she was playing with, "Why aren't you clearing this cart?"
Ning Zhitao had seen this page before; she knew it was called a shopping cart!
Daddy would help Mommy clear everything inside it, and then the page would become clean with nothing left at all.
Ning Ye's expression, however, turned serious. She patiently told the child, "Because in a few days, a mysterious and ancient ritual will start its pre-sale. Taotao, do you know addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division?"
Awe immediately filled Ning Zhitao's innocent round eyes, and she raised her hand, "Mommy, I know subtraction."
"So smart," Ning Ye couldn't help but pinch her round, smooth cheek, "I'll let it subtract for you to see then."
Aside from the necessary items for the near future, the rest would be saved for Double Eleven to buy.
Clearing with one click feels great, but it wouldn't feel great if you bought things at a higher price!
Ning Ye smoothed the child's soft, flat hair, remembering that today was the Mid-Autumn Festival and they would be moving to their new home tonight. A gentle warmth of joy welled up in her heart.
"Time to get up!"
Her current rental only had one bed. The little one had been sleeping with her for the past few days since she arrived. The little creature didn't make much noise while sleeping, but she moved around a lot, often rolling from one end of the bed to the other during the night, finally snuggling warmly next to her.
Once they moved to Xialu Community, they could each have their own bed.
Ning Ye first sealed Bian Xun's sample and sent it to the testing center. Probably considering user privacy, payment could be made online.
She initially intended to use Bian Xun's card, but she suddenly realized that if this item might also randomly appear at Bian Xun's place, that would be disastrous.
So she paid for this herself first, planning to use his card to pay for the Lalamove moving fees.
Although it was all her luggage being moved, there was the little one's stuff too, so spending his money wasn't excessive.
The distance between the two places was quite far. She saw online that the basic moving fee was 583 yuan, with additional charges to be calculated based on the actual distance from the truck parking spot to the building entrance, and from the elevator to the apartment door.
She had already asked the agent to find a new tenant to sublet this small rental. If that didn't work out, the penalty would be deducted from her deposit. But whether it was the confidence afforded by money or the joy of stepping into a new life, Ning Ye actually didn't mind much.
Ning Ye placed the Lalamove order. After a simple meal, mother and daughter began the intense packing.
The little one was actually quite reluctant to leave this place. Even though she had only lived here for three days, it had already become her home.
To be honest, if she were with her father, she could live in a bigger, better house. Although Ning Ye's new home was much better in condition, it was still rented. Strictly speaking, it wasn't their home.
But watching Ning Zhitao touch this and that, reluctantly memorizing the room she had lived in for three days with her eyes, Ning Ye also understood.
A child's world doesn't work that way. Wherever Mommy is, that's her home.
Eager to help Ning Ye move things, the jade-snow lovely little girl soon got quite dusty all over. Strangely enough, even though she looked dirty, the thought that this was her own child made it even seem amusing.
Ning Ye couldn't help but take out her phone.
She had heard before that once people have children, their social media feeds become all about showing off their kids. Ning Ye had no sense of connection to that back then and found it baffling. Now, she actually couldn't help but take out her phone to take pictures of her child.
Those lively, beautiful features, that chubby little body—such a lovely little person was actually born from her.
And she got to meet her without going through any pain.
A hint of a smile touched Ning Ye's eyes.
Even though the reason why Ning Zhitao appeared in this time and space was still unknown, and what chain reactions it might bring in the future were unpredictable.
But since she had appeared, she would strive to be responsible for this child.
Just as she had been responsible for her own life, time and time again.
...
By evening, Ning Ye had packed all her belongings. After all, it was a rental, without many large furniture pieces or appliances. A small truck held everything.
The passenger seat folded out into a two-seater. She got in the truck with Ning Zhitao, and they drove towards their new home.
The closer they got to Xialu Community, the nearer they were to the city center. The city was bustling with traffic, neon lights crisscrossing and forming streaks. On the flashing advertising billboards, popular celebrities showed off their expensive looks.
Ning Ye wasn't into celebrities; she only glanced past them. But for some reason her gaze kept fixing on one in particular, uncontrollably drawn to it as if by some external force. She saw that celebrity's advertising billboard several times along the way, and each time her attention was forcibly pulled toward it.
And once again, those plot lines like last time appeared in her mind.
"The story begins when that woman, carrying Bian Xun's flesh and blood, moved to a place very close to him..."
Who was this talking about? Herself...?
Perhaps it was the exhaustion from a whole day of packing, but Ning Ye, holding her daughter close, slipped into a half-dreamlike state and began to see images.
She saw an extremely elegant woman with wavy hair, radiant like a star, whose face looked strangely familiar. In her subconscious, Ning Ye realized—wasn't this the actress she had just seen on the billboard while passing by?
Her name was Xu Lanyi, the eldest daughter of the wealthy Xu family in the capital, born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She had also achieved great success in her career, having just won the Best Actress award this year. One could say she was a winner in life.
Yet in the scenes Ning Ye saw, beside this woman who had always publicly claimed to be single, there was a very mischievous little boy, shrilly calling out "Mommy." The child looked about the same age as Taotao.
Xu Lanyi gazed tenderly at the boy. "You're about to have a little sister soon."
Ning Ye suddenly realized something.
The scene shifted. The little boy vanished. Instead, Movie Queen Xu, graceful and poised, walked toward an antique-style, deep-set courtyard house.
The siheyuan's style was very traditional, exuding the aura of a wealthy family from a bygone era. For some reason, it felt vaguely familiar to Ning Ye, as if she had seen it before.
She watched as Movie Queen Xu pushed open the vermilion lacquered gate, saw her lift her eyes with eager anticipation.
And there, under the eaves deep within the courtyard, stood an elegant, noble man—was that... Bian Xun, that scoundrel??
...
Under the night sky.
A Maybach slowly edged into a narrow hutong.
"President Bian, we've arrived," Assistant Zhang turned and said in a low voice.
It was Mid-Autumn Festival, a day for family reunion.
The boss had been summoned to the Bian family's old residence, yet he deliberately waited until nightfall to come.
This timing made it perfectly clear he neither wanted to eat with the family nor intended to catch up—it was quite intentional.
The Bian family compound was hidden within the city's bustle, deep in a quiet hutong within the Second Ring Road. The outer gate appeared unassumingly low-key, but only upon entering would one discover the true extent of its grandeur.
The car door opened. The man's pale, cool complexion appeared in the night as his aloof figure passed through the main gate.
The spirit wall was carved with dragons and phoenixes; the siheyuan courtyard was simple and solemn, with red lanterns hanging at the four corners. It didn't feel festive or warm; rather, it exuded a tranquil, slightly melancholic traditional Chinese aesthetic. Passing through the first reception hall, he entered a corridor flanked by lush greenery.
Bian Xun's leather shoes trod on the finely paved bluestone path until he reached the brightest and most spacious main hall.
The Bian family's reunion dinner was long finished by the time he arrived, bringing with him the chill of the night air.
And he came empty-handed.
As soon as Bian Xun entered the hall, the low murmurs of conversation ceased. A servant approached quietly with a warm teacup, respectfully offering it for the young master to rinse his mouth.
He truly detested these formalities the most.
Expressionlessly, he sidestepped the servant. Ignoring the seating arrangements, he casually took a seat in a carved wooden chair.
From the head seat, an aged yet forceful voice rang out, cutting through the brightly lit hall. "—Where are your manners?"
Bian Xun let out a derisive snort.
Seeing Old Master Bian's posture, the few elders who had been in the hall earlier began to excuse themselves and leave one by one. Only Bian Xun's cousin, Bian Yang, remained seated, frantically signaling to Bian Xun with his eyes.
But the man, his slightly long eyelids drooping, paid no heed.
Old Master Bian's gaze was stern. "Do you think that because you've taken control of the group, you can show no respect to your elders? On a festival like Mid-Autumn, you don't know to come home on your own initiative?"
"Yet you're quite enthusiastic about attacking your own kin outside!"
Of course, the matter of Bian Ziwen had already reached the Bian family. Among the elders who had just slipped away was Bian Ziwen's own father, who had come tonight to beg the Old Master to get him out, but dared not speak of it in front of Bian Xun.
Bian Xun's features were cold and detached, his eyes carrying a hint of languor. His tall frame leaned back slightly. This wooden chair was truly uncomfortable—only their kind of "refined family" would insist on using them.
"What exactly is the matter that forced you to summon me back today?" he asked unhurriedly.
Bian Yang watched his elder brother, his eyes filled with both shock and envy. Succeeding in seizing power meant you could act with such impunity! His brother was too damn awesome!
Just like now, even though Grandpa was fuming with anger, he couldn't really do anything to his brother. After all, Bian Xun had caught his eldest uncle abusing banned substances, his second aunt involved in nightclub business dealings, and his youngest uncle with sticky fingers and a gambling habit. He had stepped on everyone's most hidden secrets, crushing them firmly and ruthlessly, defeating them one by one, bloodily.
In this generation of the Bian family, only Bian Xun remained.
Old Master Bian's chest heaved a couple of times in anger, but indeed did not continue the confrontation. He took several sips of tea himself before stating the main issue. "Since you are now managing such a large family business, and you've reached the appropriate age, it's time to settle down."
The corner of Bian Xun's mouth turned cold.
He was deeply familiar with the implied meanings and unspoken messages within this family.
If Old Master Bian said this, it meant they had already found someone for him, and he would likely meet her tonight.
Sure enough, Old Master Bian continued leisurely, "The Xu family has been close to ours for generations. Their eldest daughter has been busy with her career all along, her romantic life delayed. She's a bit older than you, by two years. But you must have seen her before. Even I've heard she's very famous out there, with many fans."
"She'll be here soon. Meet her tonight. If it's suitable, you two can get engaged."
Bian Xun did not speak.
After a long moment, he let out a clear, mocking laugh.
"Don't think I don't know! You have that girl in your company..."
...
Meanwhile, at the entrance of Xialu Community, Ning Ye had just gotten out of the moving van.
Those inexplicable scenes left her bewildered, so she could only push them to the back of her mind for now.
The mover measured the distance from the truck's tailgate to the unit door. He was supposed to charge strictly by the meter, but when he looked down and saw the family's little daughter was just too adorable, he didn't calculate so strictly—a round hundred extra would do.
Ning Ye thanked him. After all the luggage had been unloaded into their new apartment, she paid the base fee of 583 yuan via the mini-program, then separately transferred an extra one hundred yuan to the mover.
Of course, she used Bian Xun's card for all of it!
Those images gave her a faint sense of unease, as if... the changes brought about by her daughter's arrival were only now truly beginning to unfold.
Ning Ye couldn't help but start scrutinizing the black card the child had brought more seriously. Upon closer inspection, she actually noticed some details she hadn't paid attention to before.
At the very bottom of the black card's shimmering payment page was a small string of numbers. When paying the base freight, the page showed "1000". What thousand?
She scrolled back further and found that when buying milk and the thinking skills course, it was also there, but marked as "10000".
It seemed to be random numbers, with varying numbers of zeros. She scrolled back to where she had paid the worker 100 yuan, and it was marked 10000 again.
What did this mean?
Did this ex-boyfriend's black card have some hidden mechanism she didn't know about?
She found it utterly baffling. Suddenly, for no reason, she sneezed.
That girl has been away from you for so many years. You can't possibly still have feelings for her, can you? Back then, she was the one who initiated the breakup.
Main Hall, Bian Residence.
Old Master Bian looked coldly at Bian Xun, trying to find any trace of lingering affection on his face.
"You're overthinking it."
The young man in power showed not the slightest change in expression. His cool voice carried a magnetic quality, but his eyes were blank. "...How could I possibly."
But that didn't mean he would accept other women.
Old Master Bian let out a grunt of satisfaction from his nostrils.
Seeing the atmosphere had eased, Bian Yang finally gathered the courage to mediate. "Right, I remember hearing that the girlfriend my brother had in university left after taking money?"
Bian Xun lifted his dark eyes, his gaze devoid of warmth. "Oh? How much did she take?"
If she took the money, why was she still living this kind of life—squeezing onto subways, carrying canvas bags, renting a place in a remote area? With such excellent grades, she didn't dare pursue further studies after graduation. Instead, she plunged headfirst into a major company, worked diligently for two years, received a performance rating of A every year, and only then got the chance to transfer to the headquarters.
Her poverty made him deeply uncomfortable.
Bian Yang only had a vague impression. "Five hundred thousand...?"
Bian Xun lost interest and lowered his gaze, preparing to get up and leave. But then, a bank card statement popped up on his phone screen: 583,000.
Seeing his brother's expression suddenly turn inscrutable, Bian Yang immediately cowered, muttering softly, "No, no, that's not right. It wasn't that little. She must have been given one million."
Just as Bian Xun was about to turn off his phone screen, a new statement popped up at the top: 1,000,000.
One million flat.
"..."
Bian Xun finally lifted his head, his face expressionless. His black hair fell over his brow bone, and his tone was flat.
"Was that money taken from my account, for fuck's sake?"
