Chapter 12

Lan Mingyan: Wen Jiu, thank you, and also...
“You did a good job,” Miss Qin said. She’d only caught the tail end of things, but the keywords were enough to piece together what had happened.
She didn’t have much of an impression of Lan Mingyan, but Wen Jiu had said the girl was treating them to dinner, so she’d come along to take a look. She hadn’t expected this kind of show.
“Don’t worry about dirtying your hands. I’ll take you to get a hand treatment later,” the Young Lady added calmly.
“Go ahead and hit them. There’s no universe where a cheater is in the right. Lan Mingyan, he’s your ex-boyfriend, right? Send me his info. I’ll have my lawyer send letters on behalf of you and my assistant.”
“For example, he’s been living in your place for over half a year, that’s forced occupation of your rental. Then he broke into your home and committed indecent acts with a stranger in your room.”
“And now he’s accusing my assistant of assault. Did you see anything? Because I only saw him losing his mind and hitting himself.”
“And this woman, too. The way those two were going at it, it looked more like they were into mutual combat. How is that my assistant’s fault?”
Miss Qin’s voice was perfectly clear; everyone in the room could hear every word.
Wen Jiu wordlessly added a few more slaps.
No need to pity a cheater. Cheating and still pretending he’s in the right, what did he think he was, an emperor?
She turned back and gave the Young Lady a sheepish smile.
She hadn’t expected Miss Qin to be so thoroughly led astray by her, with no way back. It was hard to imagine that just last week this Young Lady had been nothing but temperamental and spoiled, never circling around people with verbal jabs like this.
“Who are you?” The man and woman were both clearly intimidated by Miss Qin.
Even the words “lawyer’s letter” sounded dangerous, and although she looked young, the glittering aura of money around her was impossible to hide.
“She’s the Qin family’s Young Lady. If you don’t leave now, once her bodyguards come up you won’t be able to walk out at all,” Wen Jiu said lightly.
The man and woman went from shocked to scared.
The man scrambled to pack his things, snatching up his seventeen-thousand-yuan watch from the floor and hugging his gaming PC. He barely had time to tug his clothes halfway on; he went straight for the expensive stuff in the closet.
On top of his own things, he grabbed Lan Mingyan’s bag and muttered, “You wouldn’t take it as a gift, so it’s still mine. Of course I’m taking it.”
The ugliness on his face completely drowned out what little handsomeness he’d had, turning him downright nauseating.
Lan Mingyan really couldn’t take it anymore. She bit her lip, thought of how Wen Jiu had stood up for her, and forced herself to straighten her spine.
Grabbing him by the belt, she dragged him like a hundred-jin hog and kicked him out the door.
The woman panicked, didn’t even have time to grab her underwear, just threw on an outer layer and bolted.
Lan Mingyan followed them out, tossing every single one of his things after them, anything connected to the man, she flung right at his head.
Seeing the items, the man’s mind instantly calculated their value. In order to protect the expensive ones, he had no choice but to catch them. At the door, he was pelted so hard he wanted to scream bloody murder, only he didn’t dare curse in front of Miss Qin and had to choke it all down.
Once they were gone, Lan Mingyan gathered up the sheets and duvet and hauled them downstairs to the trash.
Running around on pure adrenaline, she suddenly felt empty. She sank down on the second step of the stairwell, completely dazed.
“Wen Jiu, your friend’s really fragile,” Miss Qin commented.
At that, the tears hovering in Lan Mingyan’s eyes finally spilled over.
“Ah, don’t cry.” Now Miss Qin panicked. She turned to her assistant. “Wen Jiu, think of something. Anywhere’s fine. Tonight’s tip is on me!”
Wen Jiu’s eyes lit up. She grabbed one girl with each hand. “The best cure for heartbreak is starting a new romance.”
Lan Mingyan sniffled, pitiful. “Right now I feel like throwing up when I see men…”
“What did you even like about your ex?” Wen Jiu asked.
“His looks?” Back then he’d basically been the school hunk of their department, just half a step below being campus heartthrob.
“Did he have abs? A nice chest? Know how to sweet-talk you?…” Wen Jiu had gotten a quick look inside the room earlier and knew he was just one solid slab of five-layer pork belly. She deliberately listed off several items she knew he didn’t have.
Lan Mingyan’s tears streamed faster, and she looked even more devastated. “No. After graduation he put on like sixty pounds and somehow even looks shorter.”
Ugh, she really had been deep in love-brain territory.
“So if you had ten guys with abs and chest muscles, all different types of handsome, circling around you, big ones calling you ‘baby’, younger ones calling you ‘older sister’… what then?”
Lan Mingyan’s tears stopped on the spot.
She kind of wanted to take back what she’d said two sentences ago.
“Th-there’s no such thing,” she murmured, clearly tempted but still stammering.
Miss Qin understood at once. “There is.”
“I’ll drive. You two, get in. I’ll take you.”
The pink luxury sports car tore through the city and stopped beneath one of Beicheng’s top clubs.
Top-tier member arrival: no obstacles whatsoever.
In the private suite on the top floor, the Young Lady sat down gracefully on the sofa, lifted her hand, and declared, “Ten handsome guys. All different styles. Good bodies, good at coaxing people.”
The manager, who’d come to greet her personally, nodded so fast his head might fall off. “Every man we have meets those standards, Miss Qin.”
“Then give me your best ten. Money isn’t a problem.”
He did a quick mental calculation of his cut, bowed even lower, and said with heartfelt sincerity, “I’ll arrange it right away, Miss Qin.”
Honestly, this was exactly what Wen Jiu had been thinking too, she just hadn’t expected the Young Lady to move this fast.
She and Miss Qin took the seats on either side, leaving the middle spot for Lan Mingyan on purpose.
Lan Mingyan fidgeted, hands hovering awkwardly in the air. “This is too expensive, Miss Qin.”
“N-no, I really don’t think this is right.”
“Miss Qin, Wen Jiu, let’s just go back. I’m not sad anymore,” she protested weakly.
Her eyes were still red, the tears gone but the flush at the corners of her eyes lingering. She didn’t know the exact prices here, but after long enough at Chu Corp, she could feel just how expensive this kind of place was.
“It’s fine. If I give it to you, you spend it,” Miss Qin said. She didn’t want to say too much and make her cry again, so she kept it simple and stopped there.
To her, this really was pocket change, not worth a second thought.
Ugh, her assistant’s friend really was fragile. She was afraid if she explained how “not an issue” it was, the poor girl would burst into tears on the spot.
The ten models arrived quickly, each with their own charm.
The youngest-looking ones claimed to be just over twenty, soft and sweet, calling her “older sister” in the gentlest tones.
The more mature ones had a cold, aloof aura. Just one glance from them sent Lan Mingyan’s eyes skittering away, her face burning scarlet.
There was even one dressed like a refined ancient-style gentleman, no grease, just languid elegance in every move.
Forget the cheating ex; Lan Mingyan even forgot what he’d looked like in his most glorious college years.
Especially when the younger boys called her “older sister” over and over again, her cheeks turned a deep, glowing red, and her mind slowly drifted away.
Miss Qin, whose heart had room for no one but Chu Yan, felt absolutely nothing. She jabbed Wen Jiu with her elbow. “You don’t like this?”
Wen Jiu straightened, utterly solemn. “No man can compare to Miss Qin. I’m sticking with you.”
Miss Qin had already been quietly delighted; now she dropped all restraint and let a wide smile bloom across her face.
“Wen Jiu, you’re getting more and more embarrassing to listen to,” she said, but she clearly loved it.
“I’ve already bought your current apartment, but the furniture and decor are still the old ones. I’ll have everything redone. The butler will send you the plans; once the renovation’s done, I’ll furnish it for you too.”
Another massive pie landed right at Wen Jiu’s mouth.
Overwhelmed with joy, her eyes filled with tears again.
“It’ll take a while before you can move in after renovation. For these months, you can move into my place.”
“That’s really not-”
“I mean my property near Chu Corp,” Miss Qin cut in.
“That’s still not okay,” Wen Jiu said, tearing up as she refused. “If I’m around, Miss Qin will definitely feel self-conscious about seducing President Chu. It’ll affect your nightly activities.”
She didn’t sugarcoat it at all, just pointed out the issue straight on, turning Miss Qin’s face crimson.
“...You’re not wrong,” Miss Qin murmured, voice so soft it was almost inaudible.
Her assistant really did think things through for her.
She suddenly couldn’t wait to move into that place.
Miss Qin shook her head to clear it, trying to rein herself in.
No, no, no. Can’t think about it.
She touched her cheeks; they were burning hot.
“I’ll book you a long-term hotel suite,” she said, changing the subject and pulling out her phone to type.
After a moment: “Junting Haiyue, room 3002. Head to the hotel later, someone will be there to meet you. I’ve already taken care of it.”
Anything that could be solved with money wasn’t a “problem” at all for her.
At this point, Wen Jiu still had no idea what kind of place Junting Haiyue was. She just nodded obediently, and dug deep into her lapdog potential once more.
The male models, glancing over by accident, felt they’d just been thoroughly outclassed in the emotional-support department: ???
The next morning was Saturday. Lan Mingyan woke up from her hangover in a completely clean bed, no one else in sight.
Wen Jiu had been afraid she’d do something she’d regret, so she’d sent all the models home and booked a room just for her, letting her sleep by herself.
The previous night’s wildness was still fresh in her mind; all the hatred for the scumbag was gone, along with the sting of betrayal.
All that remained was a clear, airy sense of release.
As soon as her phone finished charging, Lan Mingyan called Wen Jiu.
“Wen Jiu, you’re the best. I want to be your best friend for life and swear to follow Miss with you to the bitter end!”
Ten male models in one night, she could go a whole year without eating or drinking and still not afford that. Miss Qin had been so good to her; even if she’d only gotten to enjoy a bit of Wen Jiu’s halo, she was still deeply moved.
Wen Jiu: !!!
Heroine, how can you try to steal my job?
“You’ve got to stand tall, Lan Mingyan. The moment I first saw you, I knew your career would only go up from here. You need to work hard and climb your way to the top of your life.”
As for lying flat and being a salted-fish assistant at Miss’s side, she alone was enough for that job.
Lan Mingyan understood the subtext, but still, her heart was shaken by those few sentences.
Her ex had only ever torn her down. Over time she’d not only turned into a complete love-brain, she’d also gotten used to putting him first, giving him money, covering his meals, covering his rent.
Her mother was sick, her father worked away from home year-round. Her family life was nowhere near as “happy and complete” as she looked on the surface; she’d long been starved of affection.
This was the first time that, aside from herself, someone had firmly, unequivocally believed in her.
“Mm. I’ll do it,” she said, her whole body brimming with fighting spirit, determined to carve out a sky of her own.
“Wen Jiu, thank you,” she added quietly.