Chapter 02:
Pulling Out a Thick Stack of Cash
After Yu Zhi and her little cronies finished speaking, the hospital room fell into silence.
Pei Yanci’s gaze passed over Pei Nian’an and finally landed on Yu Zhi, who was standing behind her.
Their eyes met.
Yu Zhi froze on the spot.
Oh my god—this face! That brow bone! That Adam’s apple! That waistline under the tailored suit! He looked exactly like one of those overbearing CEOs ripped straight from a romance novel!
And yet—this man wasn’t even the male lead of the book?!
Yu Zhi felt a cool trickle on her nose.
“Drip!”
The next second, the handsome model-like man frowned slightly and said lightly,
“You’ve got a nosebleed.”
Instinctively, Yu Zhi reached up to touch her nose—her fingers came away covered in red.
“Crap! Where’s the bathroom?!”
She scrambled to grab a tissue and pressed it to her nose, her voice rising in panic.
Pei Nian’an pointed lazily toward the corner of the hospital room.
“Over there.”
Pei Yanci’s brow twitched as he watched the scene unfold.
Then he turned to Pei Nian’an.
“I heard you caused trouble at school again a few days ago. What happened?”
“Huh? No, nothing! Hey, brother, I heard from Assistant Xu that you’re going on a business trip? Where to? How long? Remember to bring me a gift when you come back!”
Sitting in her wheelchair, Pei Nian’an was desperately trying to change the subject, fidgeting with her fingers instead of answering directly.
Pei Yanci frowned.
No one knew his sister’s nature better than he did.
Simple-minded, not particularly capable, and her brain filled only with that Gu family boy who didn’t even like her.
Aside from that, she loved hanging around with a bunch of shallow friends who constantly got her into trouble at school.
Recently, his assistant had reported that a new batch of bad influences had gathered around her — and from the look of things, this Yu Zhi girl might just be their ringleader.
Casting another glance toward the bathroom, Pei Yanci’s brow furrowed deeper. He turned back to his sister and said firmly:
“Behave yourself at school. Stop mixing with bad company. I’ll bring you a gift when I return.”
Pei Nian’an replied absentmindedly,
“Yeah, yeah, got it.”
After chatting for a bit longer, Pei Yanci checked his watch and stood up.
“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.”
“Bye-bye~” Pei Nian’an perked right up, waving cheerfully.
By the bathroom door, Yu Zhi had tissues stuffed up her nose. She hadn’t heard a single word of their conversation — her entire focus was glued to that absurdly handsome face.
Every movement he made screamed “fictional CEO”!
And when he turned around, those long legs wrapped in tailored suit pants passed right before her eyes.
Yu Zhi stared at his model-tier silhouette and almost wanted to shout, “Worth every second! I’ll go recruit fans for you!”
Apparently, her gaze was too intense. Pei Yanci suddenly looked back at her. Their eyes met again — his brows knitted, and he turned back toward his sister:
“Pei Nian’an, remember what I said. Don’t hang around with disreputable people at school.”
Yu Zhi by the bathroom door: “???”
Who are you calling disreputable?!
After Pei Yanci left, Pei Nian’an got bored again.
“Yu Zhi, you’re done with classes this afternoon, right? Take me to the school gate. My driver’s waiting.”
Yu Zhi nodded.
They made their way down the shaded campus path.
Suddenly—
“Ah!”
The wheelchair slammed into someone.
[System Alert: Host, beware! The novel’s female lead — Pei Nian’an’s archrival, Wen Ying — has appeared!]
At the system’s prompt, Yu Zhi looked up to see a girl in a white dress.
The girl had her hair tied in a ponytail and looked pure and delicate. Maybe from the shock of the collision, her face had gone a little pale.
Yu Zhi’s mind automatically recalled the character’s profile — this was the book’s original gentle, kind, virtuous heroine.
Only, right now, Pei Nian’an hadn’t met her yet.
Across from them, Wen Ying steadied herself, surrounded by a few girlfriends. Her gaze swept from Pei Nian’an in the wheelchair, to the parasol tucked under Yu Zhi’s arm, and finally landed on Yu Zhi’s ingratiating smile. Her brows slowly furrowed.
“Yu Zhi,” she said softly, her voice as sweet as cotton candy — but laced with reproach, “what are you doing?”
“Being a lackey,” Yu Zhi replied matter-of-factly.
“…???” Wen Ying blinked.
Her delicate brows knitted tighter as she looked at Yu Zhi with disappointment.
“Yu Zhi! How can you say that about yourself? Did Pei Nian’an force you into this? You can’t lose yourself over a bit of money she gives you!”
Ah, so she’s one of those virtuous heroines who treats money like dirt.
The system sighed: [Yes, and she’s also the biggest obstacle on your road to riches.]
Yu Zhi: “???”
An obstacle to my money-making? Unacceptable!
Sizing up Wen Ying, Yu Zhi raised a brow.
You’re the heroine — fine. You can afford to scorn money. But don’t you dare mess with my side character income stream!
So she shrugged and said:
“Careful — if you keep talking like that, I’ll think you’re just jealous my gig pays well.”
Pei Nian’an burst out laughing from the wheelchair.
Wen Ying’s expression darkened. She pressed her lips together.
“Yu Zhi, your parents worked so hard to send you to college. Was it for this? To be someone’s… someone’s…”
She glanced at Pei Nian’an and swallowed back the word ‘lackey’.
“If you don’t study properly and spend your time following others around, what kind of future will you have?”
“Yu Zhi, we may be poor, but we still have dignity. Sucking up to the rich will only make people look down on you.”
As soon as she finished, the girls around her started whispering:
“Yeah, how pathetic can you get?”
“So gross — selling your pride for a few bucks.”
“What do you expect? That’s what a lackey does.”
Their voices weren’t quiet — every word landed crystal clear.
Before Yu Zhi could respond, Pei Nian’an snapped.
“Yu Zhi, go! Slap them for me!”
Yu Zhi: “???”
Oh wow. Classic villainess energy — straight for the jugular.
Then Pei Nian’an glared at Wen Ying.
“Who gave you the right to lecture my people?”
She pointed at the rest of the girls.
“And you! What did you just say? ‘Lackey’? Say it again and I’ll make you regret it!”
Wen Ying gave her a disdainful look.
“Pei Nian’an, we know your family’s rich and powerful, but that doesn’t mean you can bully others. These classmates just spoke up because they couldn’t stand seeing this. And Yu Zhi is a student, not your servant! You can’t treat her like that!”
Then she turned her gentle, pitying gaze toward Yu Zhi.
“Yu Zhi, I know your family’s situation, and I know you need money… You’re only doing this because life forced you to.”
She sighed, her eyes brimming with compassion.
“But if you’re willing to turn over a new leaf, I’ll still be your best friend. We can do part-time jobs together, earn money with our own hands—”
Before she could finish, Pei Nian’an rolled her eyes dramatically, reached into her Hermès bag, and pulled out a thick stack of cash, holding it up in front of Yu Zhi.
bro, white dress? you aint some bride