Chapter 10
Chapter 10: Pay Up First—Four Hundred Thousand
A Lin Family branch?
A cousin who’d been a top student at River City No. 1 High School?
Or was this some shameless, bargain-bin “play hard to get” routine?
In River City, the Five Great Families might as well have been the sky. Offend even one of them, and where could Ye Wan Lan possibly run?
Xu Li nearly laughed at how naive she sounded. “Ye Wan Lan, I’m saying this now. Go or don’t—it’s up to you. But I’m warning you in advance: you can’t bear the Qin Family’s anger.”
“Great.”
Ye Wan Lan smiled. “I’ll be waiting. Come at me.”
She turned on her heel and walked into a coffee shop, ordering an extra-strong iced Americano.
Xu Li frowned.
In the past, the wildest thing Ye Wan Lan ever did was try to make Zhou He Chen jealous—and every time, she ended up being the one who crawled back, begging to make up.
If anyone claimed she genuinely didn’t like Zhou He Chen anymore, Xu Li wouldn’t believe it for a second. Everyone knew how tightly she’d clung to him.
And as long as Sheng Yun Yi existed, nothing Ye Wan Lan did would matter.
Xu Li shook his head, started the car, and drove off.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the Zhou Family’s old residence.
He’d come on his father’s orders, delivering a gift.
The Five Great Families of River City had too many interests tangled together, and most were connected by marriage one way or another. Their juniors had grown up as childhood friends.
After handing the gift to the Zhou steward, Xu Li went looking for Zhou He Chen.
Zhou He Chen sat in the study with a book in his hands. He glanced up and nodded slightly. “A Li.”
“Brother He Chen, guess who I ran into today?”
Xu Li curled his lip. “Ye Wan Lan. Shopping all by herself.”
Zhou He Chen’s fingers paused on the page. His eyes darkened.
“I saw her near the art academy,” Xu Li continued. “She bought a bunch of painting supplies.”
Then he grinned. “What, her usual tricks don’t work anymore, so she’s trying to learn painting like Sister Yun Yi to please you?”
Zhou He Chen finally spoke, his tone laced with cold mockery. “Do you think that’s necessary?”
“Who knows what she’s thinking.” Xu Li shrugged. “But Brother He Chen, you can’t spoil her anymore. Even if she sends another one of those long apology essays, you can’t soften.”
Zhou He Chen pressed his temples and exhaled slowly, irritation creeping under his skin.
He still felt wrong after waking up at Dawn Bar that morning. Usually, the moment he texted Ye Wan Lan, she’d rush over to pick him up.
Playing hard to get?
Zhou He Chen’s gaze cooled.
Too bad she’d chosen the wrong person. He hated disobedient pets most of all.
“Mm.” His voice flattened. “Go tell the Qin Family this has nothing to do with me. They can do whatever they want. Don’t worry about my feelings.”
Xu Li nodded quickly. “Don’t worry, Brother He Chen. I’ll pass it along.”
Zhou He Chen lit a cigarette.
Smoke curled upward, blurring his features.
Ye Wan Lan needed to be taught a lesson. Only then would she understand that in River City, he was the only one she could rely on.
—
At the Lin Family estate, Lin Huai Jin and Xu Pei Qing had gone out early for a spring outing. Lin Wen Li stayed home, shut away with his practice tests.
Ye Wan Lan left a bag of candy outside Lin Wen Li’s bedroom door, then returned to her room and called Cheng Qing Li.
“Qing Li, it’s me. Are you free tomorrow? Let’s meet.”
“Yes!” Cheng Qing Li sounded thrilled. “Sister Lan, I was just about to look for you! There’s an intangible cultural heritage exhibition in South City this summer, and they’re short on models. I’m fighting for you. Don’t worry—I won’t let you end up without work.”
“No need.” Ye Wan Lan lifted her brows. “I’m looking for you because I want you to be my general manager.”
“Sister Lan, it’s not even bedtime. What kind of dream is this?”
“Mm. We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Ye Wan Lan opened her laptop.
It was an old model from four years ago—outdated in an era where technology sprinted forward by the day.
She logged into a trading platform and sold several stocks.
Minutes later, her bank balance gained a few more zeros.
She tapped her desk lightly, eyes narrowing.
If the Transmigrator hadn’t stolen her body, the money she could access would’ve been hundreds of times more.
But why had her body been taken?
Why her?
Coincidence?
Deliberate?
Punishment?
Ye Wan Lan pressed a hand to her chest and breathed out slowly.
The night dragged—too long, too quiet, unsettling in a way that crawled under the skin.
By the time she noticed, the sun was high again.
At noon, Ye Wan Lan arrived at Yu Ting Club.
Cheng Qing Li got off the bus and jogged over, waving brightly. “Sister Lan!”
Ye Wan Lan handed her a cup of milk tea.
Cheng Qing Li’s eyes widened. “How did you know I like this flavor? Sister Lan, why did you want to see me?”
“We’re starting a company. We need people.” Ye Wan Lan’s voice was calm. “I’m here to pick someone up.”
“Pick who up?”
“Our jewelry design director. She can’t be absent.”
Cheng Qing Li blinked. “What kind of design director hangs out here?”
“Mine. Wait for me.”
Ye Wan Lan walked straight into Yu Ting Club.
The doorman and the attendant recognized her and didn’t stop her, assuming she’d come to see Zhou He Chen.
She had just reached the elevator when the doors slid open and a girl stumbled out, clothes torn and disheveled.
Ye Wan Lan caught her by the shoulder. “What happened?”
The girl looked up in panic and met eyes as blue as the sea. Her voice trembled. “He… they made me drink with them. I wouldn’t. I… I…”
“It’s fine.” Ye Wan Lan slipped an arm around her. “Come with me.”
An attendant moved to block them, frowning. “Miss Ye, you—”
Ye Wan Lan glanced at him.
Her expression was calm, almost indifferent, yet the pressure behind that look felt like a mountain dropping onto his shoulders.
The attendant froze.
“Sister Lan?” Cheng Qing Li called, still happily sipping her milk tea. “Why are you back so fast? Where’s our jewelry design director?”
“Qing Li,” Ye Wan Lan said, “take Yi Xiang to the car.”
She pulled on a pair of white gloves, voice unhurried. “I’ll be right back.”
“Okay! No problem!”
Cheng Qing Li guided the trembling girl to the car, speaking softly. “Don’t be scared. Here—drink some warm water. You’re dressed so thin. Aren’t you cold? Put on my jacket.”
Zhou Yi Xiang sat stiffly, still dazed.
How did they know her name?
—
Inside Private Room A11.
“Brother Xu, that woman disappeared. Bad luck!”
“She can run, but she can’t hide forever,” Xu Lu said lazily. “She got lucky this time. Next time she won’t.”
“You’re right, Brother Xu. If she dares show her face again, she won’t get away.”
The music throbbed—loud, messy. Several men were already swaying with drink.
Then—
Bang!
The door flew open with a violent kick. Light poured in.
A figure stood framed in the doorway, white clothes sharp as a blade freshly drawn.
Xu Lu narrowed his eyes. When he saw who it was, genuine surprise flashed across his face. “Ye Wan Lan? What—didn’t you go find Zhou He Chen? You came looking for me instead?”
The others stared too. The news that Ye Wan Lan had beaten Qin Xian into the hospital had long since spread through their circle.
Xu Lu threw his head back and laughed. “So Zhou He Chen cut off your money and now you’re so broke you came here to work? Fine. I’ll give you a chance to earn today. One piece of clothing—one hundred thousand.”
Someone hesitated. “Brother Xu, maybe we should—”
Ye Wan Lan was still Zhou He Chen’s. Humiliating her was the same as humiliating him.
Even if you beat a dog, you still had to look at its master.
“What?” Xu Lu sneered. “She’s a fake. And she pissed off Qin Xian. Do you think Zhou He Chen is still going to protect her?”
He and Zhou He Chen had never gotten along. Just last month, Zhou He Chen had stolen a major deal from him.
Worst of all, Xu Li was an idiot, calling Zhou He Chen “brother” every day. One day he’d sell out the Xu Family and not even realize it.
Ye Wan Lan stayed perfectly calm. Then she smiled.
For a heartbeat, the room went silent.
They could call her greedy, vulgar, lacking in class—but faced with that flawless face, no one could find an insult sharp enough.
Ye Wan Lan slipped off her high heel, then peeled off her gloves, and tossed both straight into Xu Lu’s face.
“Pay up first,” she said lightly. “Four hundred thousand.”