11
After a week, it wasn't Xie Huai Yan who was getting fed up, it was my body that couldn't hold up anymore.
The system had also collapsed.
"This person must have love brain, how can he not be fed up after all this nonsense? Even Iâm getting fed up!"
"At this point, there's only one last resort left."
I had already lost all interest in the system's terrible ideas, but out of politeness, I still made a "please go on" gesture.
Then, I heard the system say: "As long as they are human, they all love money, so you should just spend all his money."
Me: ...
As expected, it's the worst plan.
The difficulty of this was even higher than the previous ideas.
With Xie Huai Yan's wealth, if all his money were converted into cash, it would probably take a fire burning for three days and nights to burn it all.
But at this point, this was my only option left.
Although it might not be possible to spend all of it, it shouldnât be too hard to spend enough to make him feel the pain... right?
...
At the City A auction, the city's elites, high-ranking officials, and even people from both the underworld and the legitimate world gathered here.
Along the red carpet, there were priceless exhibits on both sides.
If this were in the past, I wouldnât even dare set foot in such a place.
But now, fortunes had turned.
I swiped my black card and bought nearly all the exhibits, receiving countless astonished gazes.
The people around me were whispering in hushed tones.
From the lip-reading, it seemed they were speculating how long I would keep buying.
But I wasnât sure either.
All I knew was that I had to keep buying until Xie Huai Yan couldnât take it anymore.
Ding ling ling!
I didnât know how long had passed, but finally, the phone rang.
The caller ID clearly showed "Xie Huai Yan."
Could it be...?!
I suppressed the excitement in my heart, answered the call, and said, "Hello, honey, whatâs up?"
"Have you been shopping all this time?"
I responded with a couple of "mm-hmm"s, "Honey, are you feeling sorry for the money?"
To my surprise, Xie Huai Yan seemed to be amused, and there was a hint of laughter in his voice.
"What are you thinking? I'm worried about your hand. Aren't you tired carrying so many things?"
"You didn't bring many bodyguards with you today, so you probably can't carry it all. That's why I sent a few more people, they'll be there soon."
I was stunned.
My tone couldn't help but turn skeptical.
"With all these things I bought, is it not a bit too showy?"
Over the days of getting to know him, Iâd realized that although Xie Huai Yan was a villainous big shot, he wasnât overly flashy in his public demeanor, preferring a low-key, reserved style.
But my actions today were the complete opposite. Was he really not bothered?
However, Xie Huai Yan clearly didnât seem to mind.
His voice remained gentle and steady, with an inherent sense of calm reassurance.
"No."
"Go ahead and be flashy. I'll pick up the tab."
12
The system's final method had also failed.
But strangely, I didn't feel as disappointed as I expected.
On the contrary, my heart was racing faster than ever, as if some unfamiliar emotion was boiling inside me.
How strange...
After the exhibition ended, I rubbed my chest and walked toward the changing room.
Since men werenât allowed inside, the bodyguards automatically stopped at the door.
I went in alone.
I then chose a stall, removed the extravagant and complicated decorations, and changed into my everyday clothes.
"Ha..."
I finally let out a sigh of relief.
As good as the fancy clothes were, they were too cumbersome.
After walking around in them for a day, I almost collapsed from exhaustion.
Just as I was catching my breath, a group of well-dressed ladies came in.
Suddenly, a sharp voice pierced the air.
"That exaggerated woman just now was actually Xie Huai Yanâs companion!"
Oh?
Someone was talking about me?
My curiosity piqued, I gently pressed myself against the door, trying to hear better.
"Shh, keep it down. You're so loud even the people outside can hear you."
"My goodness, does anyone know how many things that woman bought all night? It's like money is never-ending for her. So wasteful!"
"Exactly! And ever since she got with President Xie, she hasn't been showing her face in the circle, but now she pops up, all high-profile like this. It almost feels like she's flaunting it in front of us..."
"She probably just wants to get men's attention, that's why she's dressed so extravagantly. My husband couldn't stop staring at her tonight. She's definitely loving it!"
"Being with a woman like that, President Xie is really bringing misfortune to his family!"
Listening to all of this, I felt no emotion at allâif anything, I found it a little amusing.
I never expected these people, who had never spoken to me before, to gossip about me like this behind my back.
But in my life, the one thing I wasnât short of was people talking behind my back.
As long as it didnât interfere with me, I wouldnât spare them a second thought, no matter what they said.
So, I opened the door and turned to leave.
But at that moment, an especially sharp voice came through.
"Am I the only one who thinks Xie Huai Yan isn't anything good either?"
Upon hearing "Xie Huai Yan," for some reason, my footsteps froze.
The woman continued angrily, analyzing the situation: "That woman is no highborn lady, so how could she have any say? If you ask me, everything she did tonight was ordered by that bastard Xie Huai Yan!"
"When he used to work with our family, he actually canceled the collaboration with us just because we accidentally destroyed a village during construction!"
"An illegitimate child will always be an illegitimate child. He reeks of lowly airs!"
At this point, I completely stopped in my tracks.
I realized how little I actually knew about Xie Huai Yan.
I didnât know a single thing about what she had just mentioned.
But over the many days I had spent with him, I had gained a new understanding of him.
He would bandage injured stray cats, carefully welcome the directors of orphanages who came to thank him, and spoil me endlessly, even when I was being reckless.
One thing after another made me feel that he wasnât as terrifying as the system had described.
And certainly not as bad as what those people outside had said.
I didnât care when they bad-mouthed meâI had a thick skin since I was a child. But when they started bad-mouthing Xie Huai Yan, I instinctively felt confused, absurd... and a long-lost angry.
The group of people outside gasped in shock and quickly covered their mouths:
"Oh my god! How dare you speak about Xie Huai Yan like that? If anyone hears you, we're done for!"
The woman curled her lip, "Tch, whatâs there to be afraid of? Do you think Xie Huai Yan would send people to eavesdrop in the women's changing room?"
"Hi."
Before she could finish her sentence, I tapped her shoulder.
The woman instantly stopped talking.
She slowly turned around to face me, and her once-beautiful makeup couldn't hide the sudden paleness of her face.
She looked like she had seen a ghost.
I smiled lightly, my voice gentle as I spoke:
"Sisters, what are you talking about? Could you let me in on it too?"