As soon as Lu Linwei asked the question, he felt his face burn with embarrassnt. There probably weren’t many people in the world who could ask sothing like this.
Where exactly had things gone wrong for his relationship to beco so twisted?
Here he was, Lu Linwei, one day asking his fiancée how much money she had scamd out of another man—and feeling relieved about it, praying it had only gone as far as extorting cash.
Shen Ying, however, was surprisingly open. The mont he asked, she gave him a rough number without much hesitation.
Lu Linwei took a deep breath upon hearing it, and his first reaction was disdain: "That’s all?"
"Was that paltry sum worth the ti you spent on him?"
Okay, maybe he was exaggerating. Given Gao Yingli’s wealth, he wouldn’t have been stingy after surrendering.
But Shen Ying hadn’t stayed with him for long, so the total amount naturally paled in comparison to what Lu Linwei had "contributed."
Would Lu Linwei consider the ti factor? Obviously not.
So he went on and on about Gao Yingli’s cheapness, insisting he wasn’t even worth scamming.
Might as well just stay ho and squeeze him dry instead—his expression made that perfectly clear.
But Shen Ying said, "It wasn’t about the money. That guy said I wasn’t good enough."
"That day, when you went with to the Qiao family to demand compensation, he pulled aside and mocked relentlessly—dismissing everything from your actions to my abilities as worthless."
"He was so confident back then, bragging that he’d never fall for sothing like that."
"I’ve got a temper, you know? I wasn’t about to take that lying down, so I fired back just as hard. Who knew he’d be so petty? Afterward, he stewed over it, got angrier and angrier, and the mont he saw an opportunity with the Qiao family, he kidnapped ."
"He demanded I prove all the boasts I’d made, or else he’d make regret it."
"And then he proposed a bet. You know my principle as the ‘Mahjong Goddess of the Southwest’—when soone challenges like that, I can’t just walk away from the table."
Lu Linwei scoffed. "Mahjong Goddess? You an the one who lost so badly she uninstalled the app eight hundred tis in a single day?"
After mocking her abysmal gambling luck, Lu Linwei suddenly realized sothing.
A sense of dread washed over him. "A bet? What kind of bet?"
Shen Ying: "Oh, just one where I had to use every trick in the book to make him fall in love with ."
Lu Linwei felt like his head was glowing green. He even swayed slightly on his feet.
His expression turned terrifying as he glared at Shen Ying. "No wonder that bastard just said you won."
"So you actually played a love ga with him? Do you even rember you have a fiancé?"
Shen Ying: "I hadn’t accepted your proposal yet at the ti."
Lu Linwei choked. "But our previous girlfriend contract included an exclusivity clause for romantic involvent!"
Shen Ying: "I could’ve refused to play his ga, sure. But he would’ve thrown to the sharks imdiately. Are you seriously blaming for not choosing the second option?"
Lu Linwei was speechless again.
His chest ached with frustration. His rational side told him to change the subject, but he couldn’t help torturing himself further. "Fine. Then tell —how exactly did you make that freak fall for you?"
As he asked, his heart bled, and he unconsciously moved closer to Shen Ying.
A thick, oppressive aura swirled around him—jealousy and fury threatening to drown his sanity.
His mind raced with questions.
How had she done it? Had Gao Yingli, that scum, gotten to experience her warmth and charm?
What had been going through her mind while she seduced him?
That psycho wasn’t the type to open up easily—Lu Linwei knew that better than anyone.
Superficial flattery wouldn’t move him. It had to be genuine.
So… had she given him her genuine feelings too?
That bastard had just confessed to her. How had she reacted?
Had there been even a single mont where her heart leaned toward him?
Lu Linwei’s eyes darkened, the red creeping in. The thread of his rationality strained to its breaking point.
Then Shen Ying spoke. "It wasn’t that hard, actually. If I had to list the steps in order—"
"Turn the servants against him, live it up, forge orders, borrow his authority, lure him into a trap, manipulate him into partnering with the Qiao family, then destroy their trust, turn his assistant against him, and string him along with unpaid work."
She glanced at Lu Linwei, puzzled. "Now that I think about it, you even helped with so of it."
Lu Linwei: "…"
The taut thread in his mind suddenly snapped back like a rubber band, stinging his face.
If anyone else had said this, he’d have called it nonsense. But Lu Linwei had personally experienced her toxicity too many tis to doubt her.
If she said she’d done it, then she had.
But no matter how hard he searched her words, he couldn’t find a single thing that had actually benefited Gao Yingli.
And he still fell for her? Was that freak a masochist or sothing?
Shen Ying continued, "At first, that guy was so stingy."
"He tried to make stay in employee dorms and eat in the company cafeteria, expecting to sweet-talk the staff for better treatnt."
"Did he think I’d take that lying down? That very night, I dug up dirt on a few managers and got my old lifestyle back."
"Honestly, going from luxury to frugality is torture. I’d rather die than downgrade my standard of living."
Yeah, Lu Linwei rembered. The first ti he’d tried to cut back on her "compensation," she’d nearly flipped the table when the entertainnt facilities in the mansion shut down for a single day.
Then it hit him—with her skills, why had she even needed to call him for help back then?
She could’ve just taken what she wanted by force. Yet she’d deliberately gone through him.
Compared to Gao Yingli, wasn’t that a sign of respect?
Lu Linwei’s mood improved slightly. She still favored him.
But then Shen Ying added, "Though, to be fair, you were much more generous from the start, President Lu."
Lu Linwei’s expression froze.
He stared at her. "‘More generous’? You’ve been comparing to that idiot in your head?"
Shen Ying blinked innocently. "No? It’s just a figure of speech."
Lu Linwei narrowed his eyes.
Shen Ying smiled. "President Lu, are you doubting again?"
Lu Linwei quickly schooled his expression, not daring to push further.
But those two words—"more generous"—pierced his heart like a thorn, shattering whatever reassurance he’d scraped together.
It wasn’t even praise, really. But as soone who’d grown up competing with Gao Yingli, Lu Linwei knew his worth all too well.
He acknowledged the man’s competence, wealth, charm—every advantage, just as he prided himself on his own.
If Gao Yingli had any obvious weaknesses, their rivalry wouldn’t have remained unresolved for so long.
Which ant, if they were ever placed on the sa scale…
He couldn’t afford to be complacent.
And then there was—
Lu Linwei thought back to Gao Yingli’s confession earlier.
The man’s desperation, his lack of restraint—Lu Linwei didn’t want to admit it, but the sheer boldness of his declaration had stunned him.
He’d said he loved her.
Would those words tip Shen Ying’s inner scales, even just a little?
Lu Linwei wished he had X-ray vision, anything to asure the imasurable.
By the ti he snapped out of it, Shen Ying was already gone.
He looked up and saw the butler standing nearby.
The butler spoke hesitantly: "Miss Shen said she didn’t want to stare at a plaster cast, so she went back to her room to rest."
Hearing this, Lu Linwei trudged upstairs dejectedly and lingered outside Shen Ying’s door for a while.
In the end, he decided not to disturb her rest.
That night, Lu Linwei had a dream. In it, a grand wedding was taking place.
Everything around him was pristine white, with countless faceless guests offering their blessings through smiles.
His eagerly awaited bride, holding a bouquet and dressed in a flowing white wedding gown, walked toward him and took his hand.
At that mont, Lu Linwei felt so blissful his soul seed to float into the sky. He marveled at how extre joy could make him perceive himself from a third-person perspective.
But then, a long-haired bastard burst through the chapel doors, and the blinding light that followed yanked him back down to earth.
Worse, the bride beside him, upon seeing the intruder, joyfully tossed her bouquet aside and sprinted toward the door.
"Don’t go—!"
Lu Linwei jolted awake, his breathing ragged.
Realizing what kind of dream he’d just had, his face twisted in frustration.
He imdiately got out of bed and rushed to the neighboring room, pounding on the door incessantly.
Shen Ying was rudely awakened by the frantic knocking. When she opened the door, she found Lu Linwei standing there with a dark expression.
Irritated, she asked, "What is it?"
The mont Lu Linwei saw her face, he was reminded of her heartlessness in the dream.
Fury and indignation surged within him. "I just had a nightmare."
"I dread you ran off with soone else at our wedding—didn’t even look back, no matter how much I called for you—"
Before he could finish, he noticed Shen Ying pulling out a small notebook from sowhere and scribbling in it.
Seeing her dismissive attitude, Lu Linwei snatched the notebook away—
"I’m talking to you. What are you writing?"
Shen Ying replied nonchalantly, "Overti records. I tend to forget things after sleeping, and since you’re in no state to transfer money right now, I’m noting it down first."
Lu Linwei felt as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over his head, leaving him utterly desolate.
"So what I just went through ans nothing to you?"
Shen Ying: "I heard you clearly. You had a nightmare where I ran off with soone. And then?"
Lu Linwei: "And then I was upset."
Shen Ying: "Co here, Mr. Lu. Step inside."
With a smile, she pulled him into her bedroom. Lu Linwei’s heart imdiately began to race.
Could it be? Was showing vulnerability and acting spoiled really enough to awaken her conscience?
Would he finally receive her comfort?
Shen Ying gently guided him to sit on the edge of her bed before rummaging through her nightstand for sothing.
Lu Linwei’s throat went dry with nervousness. He regretted not spritzing on so cologne before coming over.
He was still in his pajamas—if he’d known, he would’ve changed into sothing more stylish.
Didn’t this woman like seeing him wet? He should’ve splashed water on his face and dampened his clothes before arriving.
Then he saw Shen Ying return with—a phone.
Lu Linwei: "…"
Well, they were about to get married anyway. Contraceptives weren’t necessary, but maybe so mood-setting music was.
Sure enough, Shen Ying tapped on her phone a few tis, opening an app—probably scrolling through a playlist.
After a long search, she finally found what she wanted and handed the phone to him.
Heart pounding, Lu Linwei looked down—only to see a cody skit playing on the screen.
The skit depicted a girl dreaming her boyfriend cheated on her, then waking up to slap and interrogate him in real life.
There were countless similar clips under the sa search term—Asian, Western, live-action, animated.
When Lu Linwei finished watching, he slowly lifted his gaze to et Shen Ying’s.
She bead at him. "Does this scenario feel familiar, Mr. Lu?"
Lu Linwei: "…"
Shen Ying: "Considering how unfairly I was treated, don’t you think rely logging overti pay is the height of gentleness on my part?"
Lu Linwei: "…"
Shen Ying: "And even after being this gentle, you still think your feelings don’t matter to ?"
Lu Linwei fled Shen Ying’s room in disgrace. As the door slamd shut behind him, he glared at it resentfully for a long ti.
It was ti to turn their relationship around.
The next day, Shen Yao, having received news of Shen Ying’s return, ca to the Lu residence.
The mont he saw his sister, he burst into tears. "Right now, I have dozens of tutors swarming every day. Even my classmates don’t have as many tutors as I do!"
"The teachers complained that the tutors were disrupting the class, so Brother Lu and the others went insane—they built a whole new school building in three days!"
"Three days! Just three days! Sure, it’s only three stories, but they acted like it was a competition. Before I knew it, our entire class was moved to a classroom bigger than a basketball court!"
"And they thought the teachers weren’t good enough, so they replaced them all with those tutors. Now my whole class is suffering because of . We used to be the worst-performing class, but now the principal and parents are pinning all their hopes on us!"
Not that he could bla them. Who wouldn’t seize the opportunity when faced with such an elite private tutoring squad?
Shen Yao sobbed, "My classmates look at like they want dead. Even my best friend curses out now!"
Shen Ying patted his head. "You’ll thank later."
Shen Yao: "Brother Lu tornting is one thing, but what’s Mr. Gao’s deal?"
He then pulled out a stack of docunts. "Oh, right. Mr. Gao ca to see this morning and asked to give these to you."
Shen Ying opened them—it was the deed transfer docunts for their family’s apartnt building.
All she had to do was sign.
Before she could examine them closely, Lu Linwei snatched the papers and tore them apart with his bare hands.
He sneered, "Who’d want such a shabby building? No one cares."
Shen Ying fixed him with a stern look.
Lu Linwei: "I’ll transfer a better one to you later."
Only then did Shen Ying’s expression soften.
She turned back to Shen Yao. "You’re about to enter the final stretch of college entrance exam prep. You won’t have many chances to go out after this."
"Co on, let’s get you so good food today."
Shen Yao nodded eagerly. anwhile, Lu Linwei hesitated. "You’re… going out today?"
He’d already lost her twice before. This ti, after being separated for days, she’d been back for less than 24 hours.
Lu Linwei was at his most sensitive and vigilant state.
But Shen Ying nodded as if suddenly rembering. "Ah, right. Our contract does have a clause about not leaving without permission."
"I’d forgotten the rules after slipping out freely a couple of tis. My apologies, Mr. Lu."
Hearing her say such things made Lu Linwei’s chest tighten. Compared to Gao Yingli’s bold, unrestrained affection, these once-self-satisfied contract terms now felt like slaps to his face.
He quickly said, "That’s not what I ant at all. I’m just worried about you."
Seeing Shen Ying about to speak again, Lu Linwei hastily added, "Go and enjoy yourselves. I’ll arrange a car for you."
Witnessing the male lead’s docile behavior, the system weakly chid in—
[I thought the host’s so-called ‘final effort’ would involve identifying key points and strategizing a proper conquest.]
Shen Ying: "Exactly. The key point is that this bastard hasn’t yet listed out all his mistakes and slapped himself in the face for each one."
"The most crucial thing is that even when his bones have gone soft, his mouth remains stubborn."
The system's eyes leaked oil—this was truly like training a dog.
At this mont, it didn’t know, nor dared to imagine, what the outco would be once this mission concluded.
One thing was certain: financial losses were unavoidable.
Because there was a rule in the ga—any wealth the host "earned" through their own abilities could be bound to them.
Though the rules for using assets varied across different worlds, the system was obligated to compensate her for all of it.
Of course, the prerequisite was that it had to be "earned," not shared through a lover’s status after a successful romantic conquest.
Though the system felt "extortion" was a more accurate term than "earning."
While the system despaired over the dwindling profits from this mission, Shen Ying and her younger brother Shen Yao arrived in the city center.
She had previously taken a liking to a restaurant but never found the ti to visit.
Reservations were usually required, but with the Lu family’s influence, that rule was easily bypassed.
By the ti the siblings arrived, the best table with the finest view had already been reserved for them.
Throughout the al, Shen Yao chattered nonstop.
"Sis, is it true you’re engaged to Brother Lu?"
Shen Ying: "The news has already been announced. How could it be fake?"
Shen Yao: "That’s not what I ant. It just feels unreal."
"Did you know, Sis? The internet has dug up our family history going back eight generations."
"Reporters camp outside our building every day trying to sneak photos, and so even ca to my school to interview —though the tutors chased them away."
"Even the teachers and classmates treat differently now. Rember when I got into that fight and the dean just brushed it off? Now, when he sees , he’s all smiles. If I hadn’t checked my wallet and confird the few thousand in it was untouched, I’d have thought I bribed him."
Shen Yao added, "Oh, and have Mom and Dad contacted you lately?"
Shen Ying: "They have, but I can’t be bothered to answer their calls."
Shen Yao: "Good. They’ve been basking in the attention—relatives keep dropping by, and their phones haven’t stopped ringing."
"Brother Lu arranged a place for near school so I wouldn’t be affected. But lately, Mom and Dad have been getting a little too carried away by all the flattery."
"Just ignore them for now, or they’ll start letting relatives pressure you into doing things for them."
Shen Ying smiled and ruffled his hair. "Haven’t spoiled you for nothing."
Shen Yao grinned. "So, how much allowance are you giving this ti?"
Shen Ying: "I heard you loud and clear earlier—soone still has a few thousand untouched. What more do you need?"
Shen Yao realized his slip-up and groaned in regret.
But as a high school student drowning in tutoring hell, even if he had money, he’d have nowhere to spend it. So he didn’t dwell on it.
After lunch, Shen Ying planned to take Shen Yao to the arcade for so fun.
But barely a few steps from their table, she spotted a vaguely familiar face.
The person’s gaze happened to sweep over just then, and upon seeing her, their expression instantly darkened—as if she were the source of all their suffering.
With a mix of sorrow and defiance, they let out a haughty "hmph" and turned their head away.
Shen Yao wasn’t having it. "Hey, what’s your problem?"
"We didn’t even acknowledge you, and you have the nerve to act like that?"
Lu Linqi, glaring at the brat several years his junior, snapped, "Go do your howork."
Shen Yao: "I’m a student—doing howork isn’t embarrassing. Unlike so people, who got played like a fool at their big age. Now that’s embarrassing."
He smirked. "Brother Lu told you attended so psychology seminar."
"As the lowest-ranking victim, you gave a warning to the masses."
"I always thought you were just a rich kid with nothing better to do, but turns out you’re doing such aningful work. How noble of you."
Lu Linqi’s face flushed red. "My brother told you that?"
Shen Yao: "Yep. His point was to teach to be cautious around won so I don’t get scamd."
"Since you’ve already served as a cautionary tale for so many, what’s one more?"
Lu Linqi glared indignantly at Shen Ying. His brother had the audacity to warn others about won?
Look at the state he was in—completely fooled.
The woman sitting across from Lu Linqi recognized Shen Ying and smiled. "You must be Miss Shen?"
"Mr. Lu speaks of you often. Seeing you in person truly lives up to the reputation."
The woman was no longer young, nor did she possess striking beauty or figure.
Yet anyone who saw her would imdiately realize those things were irrelevant.
Her eyes radiated sharp intellect and unyielding resolve, her deanor exuding the composure of soone in power—far from conventional elegance, but undeniably commanding.
This was the renowned Madam Huang.
Shen Ying returned the smile. "The pleasure is mine, Madam Huang."
"Kids talk fast. I hope it didn’t disrupt your… date."
Madam Huang chuckled. "Not at all. I was just about to leave."
"Linqi, would you like a ride back, or will you stay a while longer?"
Lu Linqi replied, "I’ll stay. You go ahead, Huang-jie."
Without pressing further, Madam Huang gave Shen Ying another polite nod and left the restaurant before they did.
Once she was out of earshot, Shen Yao remarked, "So your marriage is happening? You two seed to get along well."
Lu Linqi nearly smacked him upside the head. "Do you ever think before speaking? With that mouth, you’d get beaten eight tis a day out there."
Noticing Shen Ying’s gaze, Lu Linqi sheepishly retracted his hand.
Mumbling, he added, "Huang-jie wanted to thank you."
Shen Yao: "Did I hear that right? Last ti, you called her ‘that fat cow.’"
Lu Linqi hissed, "Shut up. Huang-jie is a good person."
Turning back to Shen Ying, he said, "She realized early on that my brother just wanted to teach a lesson—that he was only teasing and actually sees as a nephew."
"After the whole… Qiao Mingfei incident, she taught a lot."
She taught him to read people, to move past disappointnt, to recognize who truly cared for him.
And she told him whom he ought to thank.
Her sharp, seasoned perspective—sothing Lu Linqi had never encountered before—opened his eyes.
Now he understood how laughable it had been to compare Qiao Mingfei to Huang-jie.
Ears burning, Lu Linqi muttered to Shen Ying, "About what happened back then… th-thank you."
"And my brother… could you tell him I understand what he was trying to do?"
Shen Ying shrugged. "Why not tell him yourself?"
Lu Linqi’s entire face turned red. "I—I’ll do it later."
The recent humiliation was still too fresh. The thought of facing his brother made him want to dig a hole and disappear.
With that, Lu Linqi fled.
Shen Ying shrugged again and prepared to take Shen Yao downstairs.
But the kid suddenly insisted on using the restroom, leaving her no choice but to wait outside.
As she sat on a bench, soone settled beside her.
Gao Yingli’s voice drifted over—
"I still can’t figure out how you fell for such an obvious trap."
Shen Ying turned to see him studying her intently.
"Unless," he murmured, "you saw it coming and walked into it willingly."
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