In the photo, the apartment was already fully decorated, with property management coming by weekly for maintenance. It had a gas stove, dishwasher, range hood, and water heater—all she needed to buy were the refrigerator, air conditioner, TV, washer, and dryer.
She then placed orders for a sofa, coffee table, dining chairs, wardrobe, bedroom bed, sideboard, and other furniture, spending most of the hundred-thousand reward from the madam. She also texted Qiu Ze, telling him to take a day off tomorrow and wait for her at the company's back entrance at 10:30 sharp.
The next day.
Qiuyun followed the secretary to the property registry office to complete the transfer. The secretary thoughtfully paid all the taxes; all she had to do was show up with her ID and sign, and just like that, she had a brand-new property deed in her hands.
Afterward, the secretary handled transferring the utilities, while she took a cab to MR Company, picked up her brother, and headed to the new neighborhood's property management office to update the owner information.
On the way, Qiuyun asked the secretary about MR Entertainment's shareholding structure, and learned that 51% was wholly owned by a subsidiary of the Jiang Group, while 49% was split with Jiang Yifeng holding half of that, and the remaining four senior executives sharing the other 24.5%.
Huh.
So that meant her brother's direct boss was none other than Jiang Yifeng?
"Sis, what's up? You short on cash?" Qiu Ze pulled out his bank card, eager to help.
Qiuyun told him to keep his mask on. "No. I'll come with you to pack up your dorm things. I found you a new place to stay."
?
The two went to the property office to register and do facial recognition scans. Qiuyun said, "This neighborhood has excellent security, and it's less than a ten-minute walk from your company. You'll live here from now on."
"Huh?" Qiu Ze was dumbfounded.
"Let's go." Qiuyun waved him over. "The furniture installation crew is already waiting downstairs."
She left Qiu Ze at the new place to supervise the installers, and used the time to take a cab to A University.
The master was planning to streamline his power within the group, to ease the old patriarch's wariness, while also taking this opportunity to win back his wife's heart.
And the biggest obstacle between them—the attitude of the Eldest Young Master, Jiang Lin'an—was especially critical now that the master was trying to soften toward the madam.
"Hey, Sister Sun Qiao, do you know the Eldest Young Master's personal number or his department and major?"
In the cab, Qiuyun called to ask for information.
"Alright, then give me the Eldest Young Master's assistant's number. I'll ask him instead."
"Hello, is this Assistant Chen? I'm Qiuyun, the Seventh Miss's assistant. I need to reach the Eldest Young Master about something."
"He changed his number? Even you're not allowed to bother him? Do you know what major the Eldest Young Master is in?"
"Oh, okay, thanks for your help. Goodbye."
Hmph.
It was only because modern society was technologically advanced and ordinary people didn't lack food or clothing that the Eldest Young Master had the nerve to leave the family. Back in the Great Qi Dynasty, cut off from his money supply, he'd have slunk back in shame within three days of leaving the house.
She paid the cab fare, but before she could even close the door, she heard the driver press the voice message button on his phone: "Man, I swear, today I picked up this girl who loved showing off, talking like she was in a short drama—'young master,' 'miss,' 'assistant' nonstop. You wouldn't believe—"
The words faded as the car door shut.
Qiuyun's hand froze mid-air as she was closing the door. She fell silent.
Truth be told, she herself.
Was a very down-to-earth person.
Arriving at the School of Economics and Management, Qiuyun used her striking, delicate beauty to charm a female college student into a daze. Not only did the girl help her find the junior-year finance major's class schedule through a campus flea market group, she even personally walked Qiuyun to the classroom.
"Sis, your hands are so beautiful. Um, could you do me a tiny favor? Just a minute!" The girl fidgeted.
"What kind of favor?"
The girl pulled out a sample from her bag. "I run an online business selling crystal bracelets. I'll give you one for free—just let me take some photos of your hands as a hand model!"
The crystal bracelet was a soft pinkish-blue, with clear beads woven in between, looking crisp and refreshing.
"Sure."
Qiuyun agreed, and they found a random flower bed by the roadside as a backdrop. It was near noon and outdoors, so no lighting was needed—the natural light was more than enough.
Aiming at the elegant hand posed among the flowers, the girl snapped away furiously.
She had indeed noticed those hands—pale, slender, with translucent skin, perfect for hand modeling—but she never expected them to pose so well!
The way they gently caressed the flower bud made even the flowers and bracelet fade into the background. All you could see at first glance were those perfectly proportioned, gracefully poised hands dominating the frame.
"Done! Thanks, you gorgeous and kind sister!" The girl deeply regretted only bringing one sample out today!
Qiuyun raised her wrist with a smile. "Thank you for the bracelet too. It's really pretty."
A free bracelet for one minute of her time. She was happy about that too.
The girl walked Qiuyun to Classroom 503 and also added her on WeChat, saying she'd send back the photos.
"Sis." The girl winked. "This crystal bracelet is called 'Peach Sea Cloud Mirror,' by the way~"
"Is that so?" Qiuyun accepted the friend request. "Pretty name."
The girl smiled knowingly and waved goodbye.
There were still ten minutes before the lunch bell. Qiuyun stood in the hallway outside the lecture hall, waiting.
But before the Eldest Young Master showed up, Pei Cizhou's call came through first.
Ugh.
Just thinking about that 2,800-yuan "Ode to the Hall of Eminence" from last night had her fuming at the sound of his voice. She simply ignored it and didn't pick up.
It rang for a bit, then stopped. A second later, his WeChat call came through.
She ignored that too.
Then Pei Cizhou sent a message: Don't pretend you didn't see it. Your job doesn't allow you to keep your phone on silent, and your WeChat step counter was moving just now—now it's stopped.
"..."
Qiuyun genuinely wanted to strangle him.
Then his video call came. She took a deep breath and hit accept.
"Young Master Pei must have been reincarnated from a microscope—no corner is too obscure to escape your notice."
On the video, the corner of his mouth curled up slightly as he joked back, "Who can blame me? Miss Qiu is such a busy person. If I don't observe carefully, I'll never get a slot on your schedule."
"Hmph."
Qiuyun stepped two paces into the stairwell so as not to disturb the students in class. "Alright, what do you need me for?"
"It's about a small plot point the planning team can't agree on. Sister Zhu said that scheme, the one you designed with the inner-courtyard infighting, was a classic. They wanted to ask for your input again."
...Ahem.
Of course it was brilliant.
Every bit of it had been painstakingly designed by her and the madam, or refined through repeated post-mortems after they'd been outmaneuvered themselves.
"Fine. Send me the draft tonight and I'll take a look."
"I'm sending it now." Pei Cizhou glanced past her. "Though, where are you right now? A University?"
Qiuyun exited the message view. "Yeah, how did you figure that out?"
"That pendulum clock behind you. It's A University's landmark."
She gave a thumbs-up, her tone theatrical. "Impressive as always, Young Master Pei. Truly sharp eyes."
Pei Cizhou laughed softly. "Of course. Next time, don't let me catch you ignoring my calls on purpose."
"Mhm, but I've already turned off my WeChat step counter. Next time, Young Master Pei will have to find another trick."
"The resourceful man always has his ways. I'll catch you sooner or later."
