◎Better Swipe His Card to Calm Down◎
6
Bian Yang looked at his elder brother's expression, suspecting he had said something wrong, and trembled with fear.
But Bian Xun paid him no further mind.
These past few days, there had first been bizarre inflation in payment currencies, followed by a series of untraceable bills with no clear destination, and yesterday, children's course books had inexplicably appeared.
One thing after another, chaotic and without order.
Bian Xun pinched the bridge of his nose. The bills had been sent directly to Assistant Zhang's side and handed over to the technical department for tracking.
The amounts weren't huge, each instance a relatively small sum of a few hundred thousand or a million, but if the other party truly had access to his financial security, they wouldn't settle for just this.
For some reason, Bian Xun suddenly thought of Ning Ye.
When they were together, she had applied for student loans and signed up for work-study positions. Juggling the heavy academic load at Jinghua University with part-time jobs meant their time together was limited to transitions between the library, the main teaching building, the dormitory, and the cafeteria where she worked.
He had given her his cards back then and told her the passwords.
The nineteen-year-old girl had a thin face, not much flesh, but her eyes were always bright and spirited. Plain yet delicate and beautiful, many said back then she should have been the campus belle of Jinghua, but she always kept a low profile, so outside her department, few knew of her.
Under the campus ginkgo trees, the nineteen-year-old girl had studied his bank card seriously for a long time, then nodded with particular obedience. "I understand."
Yet it was only much later that Bian Xun learned she had simply switched her work-study job to a cafeteria in another campus district. This meant a longer commute, but she knew Bian Xun's routine was fixed and unchanging, so he wouldn't see her there.
She thought he was embarrassed to have a girlfriend who worked such jobs.
Bian Xun's dark eyes lowered slightly.
Even after six years, the discomfort in his heart still carried a corrosive residue.
He lifted his eyelashes again. "If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving."
Old Master Bian's face instantly flushed with anger, his agarwood cane thudding against the floor. "Do you even have any respect for your elders?"
Bian Yang, watching the atmosphere plunge towards freezing point again, was on pins and needles when a gentle, elegant voice floated into the main hall.
"Grandfather Bian, please don't be angry. It's my fault for being late." Xu Lanyi walked in gracefully, her hair in exquisite waves.
Bian Yang looked at her like a lifesaver, thinking Sister Lanyi truly lived up to being a star, every move carried charm, her red lips elegant, makeup perfect.
Perhaps because of the earlier mention of that person, Bian Yang also unconsciously recalled his brother's girlfriend from university days, naturally drawing a comparison in his mind.
From a man's perspective, of course the movie star was more captivating. But for some reason, he also deeply understood why his brother had liked that girl back then.
Like a jasmine flower blooming silently in the dust, she had a clean, washed quality to her aura. The brightness of her features was veiled by a plain, clear gentleness, yet there was a delicate, rain-like subtlety to her beauty... And it was this very girl who would carry the metal food buckets from the cafeteria, moving them alone from one door to another, her gaze calm and emotions steady no matter how many boys watched her along the way.
The contrast was so stark that Bian Yang, having seen her once when he went to find his brother back then, could remember her vividly to this day.
Looking at Sister Lanyi now, she had lived a life of privilege, like the "protagonist of a wish-fulfillment novel" as people said online. Her entry into the entertainment industry had also been smooth sailing, gaining everything effortlessly.
Indeed, it was someone like her who could stand beside his elder brother.
As soon as Xu Lanyi entered, her gaze fell on the profile of the man seated in the carved wooden chair.
The power struggles within the Bian family were naturally well-known in their circles. Bian Xun, now at the helm of the entire group, possessed a noble aloofness that made it impossible not to be drawn to him. He had always been the white moonlight in the hearts of all wealthy young ladies.
Given Bian Xun's looks, even though she was accustomed to seeing all sorts of handsome men in the entertainment industry, none could compare to the cold, sharp bone structure of the man before her. It was a nobility forged by generations of an illustrious family, something those made-up pretty boys in the industry couldn't hope to match.
Bian Xun's expression remained unmoved, tinged with a distant weariness.
Only when Xu Lanyi passed by did his brow suddenly furrow slightly. He detected a faint, familiar scent—one that had also been on Ning Ye that day in the washroom.
It seemed to be a certain kind of... milk powder fragrance, the kind children drink.
Well-versed in the etiquette of high society, Xu Lanyi glanced around the room before taking the seat Old Master Bian had specifically reserved for her. As expected, she saw appreciation in the old man's eyes.
She rinsed her mouth with tea, wiped her hands, and only then presented the seasonal gifts she had brought—all items sure to please elders. Old Master Bian grew increasingly satisfied. "Lanyi, with you here, this old house doesn't feel so cold and quiet anymore."
Xu Lanyi smiled appropriately. "The younger generation each have their own worlds outside, so it's inevitable they return home less. If there were more children in the future, that liveliness would return."
Her words hit right at the heart of Old Master Bian's wishes. It was only then that Xu Lanyi casually glanced at Bian Xun. "But with President Bian so busy now, Grandfather, you might have quite a wait."
After a few more pleasantries, Xu Lanyi skillfully turned the conversation. "I wonder if Bian Xun likes children?"
"I don't."
Bian Xun finished dealing with a message on his phone and stood up indifferently. "I'd beat them to death if I saw one."
"Bian Xun!"
Xu Lanyi's expression shifted slightly, but then it occurred to her: men are often this cold-blooded before they have children of their own.
A light flickered in her eyes.
She had a secret known to no one: five years ago, hiding it from her millions of fans, she had secretly given birth during the rise of her career, bearing a son who was now four years old. However, the all-consuming love for which she had sacrificed her figure and career had only led to betrayal.
Most crucially, the child's biological father wasn't doing well now and had some scandalous black marks in his past. If this were exposed, her career would surely face rampant mockery online and plummet.
Just as she was desperately hiding the child and growing increasingly depressed, a narrator-like voice suddenly spoke in her mind, revealing something to her.
It turned out her future arranged marriage partner, the eldest young master of the Bian family, Bian Xun, also had a four-year-old daughter outside.
This daughter was from his university girlfriend. Back then, that girl had taken the Bian family's money to break up with him, but, unsatisfied and greedy, had somehow managed to secretly have Bian Xun's illegitimate daughter, scheming for more of the Bian family's wealth.
What could make two people sympathize with each other's plight more than having both encountered the wrong person and borne the wrong fruit of that encounter?
The Bian family would never allow a daughter-in-law of lowly status, and she too had her own difficulties. Even more perfectly, his daughter and her son happened to be the same age.
She could publicly claim the two children were her twins. If the children's father were the youngest successor in power of the Wujiang Group—with such status and influence—even her fans would bless her, and her industry rivals could only envy her in secret.
This matter couldn't be rushed.
But only people like them were the center of the world, such a perfect match.
...
Ning Ye suddenly woke from a light sleep. "!"
Her almond-shaped eyes were still slightly unfocused, her chest rising and falling.
Earlier, they had arrived at their new home very late. She had coaxed Ning Zhitao to sleep and had unknowingly drifted off herself, even dreaming up an even more melodramatic and absurd complete story.
In the dream, it was said this was a mature-age, wealthy-family-with-kids novel revolving around Movie Queen Xu, with the entire story beginning when the male lead's daughter unexpectedly appeared. It turned out the female lead, Movie Queen Xu, had gotten pregnant out of wedlock years ago. Too afraid to go public for fear it would severely impact her career, she found the perfect solution in her life upon learning that the eldest young master of a family with longstanding ties to hers, Bian Xun, CEO of the Wujiang Group, also had a daughter of the same age. She began to get close to the male lead.
She was willing to treat those two children as her own, to raise them together, to give the children a complete family.
But in reality, she just wanted to use the two children as a contrast.
Bian Xun's daughter, having stayed with her birth mother, had learned bad ways. Not only was she cunning and shrewd for her age, but she also loved taking money to give to her mother.
Movie Queen Xu's son, on the other hand, had always received an excellent education, with extraordinary vision and discernment. The difference was stark.
And that birth mother, who served as the malicious supporting female character, had actually been trying every possible way to spend Bian Xun's money, stealing his card for her own gain, and naturally ended up with a miserable fate.
After Ning Ye woke up, she instinctively turned over and rummaged around, firmly grasping that black card.
Scared to death.
Absolutely terrifying.
Better spend Bian Xun's money quickly to calm down!!
With a look of salvation on her face, she opened Taobao and started browsing aimlessly.
That scoundrel Bian Xun had such an absurd plot waiting for him later? Although hard to believe, this seemed to indeed explain why her daughter had suddenly traveled from the future—wasn't it just to match the age of the female lead's son?
So, the true beginning of the entire book was after the child's time travel. As for her, this supporting character who gave birth to the child in the future, she was simply pure cannon fodder.
Holding Bian Xun's card, Ning Ye's mind raced. Maybe she should use his card to buy an apartment for the child first?
Even though she now knew the plot and could avoid it, what if events still headed in that direction?
Before she could ponder further, Sister Zhou's alternate account in the company's casual chat group happened to pop up, saying she had heard a rumor that their company's new tech audiovisual line product launch would feature a major celebrity endorsement! The contract was already signed, with a certain movie queen-level star! She would come to the company for an event after the holiday—
So the plot really was moving forward.
Ning Ye made a decisive move and swiftly picked out a Xiaotiancai smartwatch for kids for her child, with sales over 100,000+. This one must be good.
She didn't wait for any Double Eleven sales. She bought it immediately, swiping his card right away.
Price: 1618 yuan. It could track location, had dual cameras, and allowed for making and receiving calls anytime if needed. She finished the purchase in a flash, and only then did the anxious feeling in her heart subside.
She couldn't quite tell if this was out of maternal love or simply self-preservation.
But no matter what, she would never allow Ning Zhitao to be treated as someone else's twin.
Please, her kid is an only child!
...
Bian Xun rose from the main hall of the old mansion. Under the warm light of the bronze and jade stone lamp, his expression remained an impenetrable coolness.
"An endorsement?"
"Don't you worry about it," Old Master Bian chuckled twice. "Anyway, the group has already signed Lan Yi as the endorser for the new product. This old man still carries that much weight."
Bian Xun's face was expressionless.
He knew the old man calling him back tonight wasn't so simple. This was him, after taking action against members of the Bian family, declaring the lingering authority of his power.
Xu Lanyi offered a modest smile. "You'll witness the power of my fanbase."
Bian Xun lowered his gaze, an uneasy intuition stirring within him again.
As if to confirm it, his phone lit up once more. This time, a vein twitched abruptly at his brow.
Just moments ago, another transaction had been made from his card.
After seeing the amount clearly, both his brow and his fingertip twitched in unison.
Bian Xun's face was calm as he slowly put away his phone. For the first time that evening, he looked at Xu Lanyi, his dark eyes sharp.
"If you don't earn the company 16.18 million, I'll sue you into oblivion."
