In the photo,
Dark gray suit trousers hugged the strong, defined lines of his legs, the fabric crisp and perfectly pressed. The tips of polished leather shoes with red soles peeked into view, giving the whole image an air of restrained power and explosive strength.
Though only half his body was shown, it already carried that imposing, sharp aura of a “suit‑clad enforcer”—the kind of man who looked as if he could snap at you in the next second and demand, “Why can’t you just obey?”
Shuyu had been waiting for Si Yiheng’s reply for so long that she was starting to doze off. But the moment the photo arrived, all traces of sleep vanished instantly.
She propped her chin in her hands, leaned closer to examine it, then pulled the phone back a little further, her delicate brows knitting into a slight frown.
After a long moment, she reached a conclusion. “Tiedan, Si Yiheng is being completely dishonest—he edited this picture.”
Tiedan was equally stunned. “How could that be? The male lead doesn’t seem like the type to fake things.”
Shuyu rested her head back on her pillow. “It just doesn’t look right. The proportions are completely off.”
Si Yiheng’s legs did appear long, and judging by them alone, Shuyu estimated his height at nearly 190 centimeters. She also knew enough about anatomy and measurements—for instance, the legendary “22 cm” mentioned in novels was practically non‑existent in the real world. Si Yiheng’s proportions here were definitely altered.
Little Fish Swimming Along: Brother, you don’t need to feel self‑conscious, you know.
Little Fish Swimming Along: There’s no need to edit your photos.
Si Yiheng fell silent for a long time. He had not edited the picture at all—he didn’t even have any photo‑editing apps on his phone. He couldn’t understand why the girl would accuse him of doing so.
ATM: I didn’t edit it.
Little Fish Swimming Along: Then did you get it from somewhere online?
ATM: ……
ATM: No.
ATM: Straight from the original camera.
Little Fish Swimming Along: All right, I believe you, Brother. 🐱 Kitten bowing in apology
For some reason, Si Yiheng felt she didn’t really believe him at all.
ATM: Go to sleep early.
Shuyu tossed her phone aside and immediately drifted off. She slept very well; as long as she didn’t have to go out and interact with strangers, she rarely felt any pressure and could rest soundly. But if she knew she had to leave the house and do something on her own the next day, she would toss and turn all night, unable to sleep.
Si Yiheng waited and waited, but received no further reply. He changed into fresh clothes and lay down, yet images of Shuyu’s sweet, soft voice and the photos she had sent him kept replaying in his mind.
Shuyu didn’t have many classes, and today was another free day.
She slept until she woke naturally, and she absolutely loved this kind of routine. Just thinking that after finishing her mission, every day would be like this made her eager to get on with the task.
“Tiedan, Tiedan! How much money have we managed to get from Si Yiheng so far?”
Tiedan: Now reporting for Host: you have successfully “mined” 7,110,002 yuan so far. You only need 92,889,998 more to reach your goal and complete the mission!
Shuyu’s cheerful mood upon waking deflated instantly. She had been thinking she had already tricked him out of quite a lot—over seven million was already a huge sum. But hearing the numbers today, she realized she still needed nearly ninety‑three million more to finish the task.
She felt the road ahead was long and difficult. “Couldn’t Si Yiheng just give me one hundred million directly?” she sighed. “He’s so rich anyway—what’s the harm in sharing a little?”
Tiedan backed her up wholeheartedly. “Exactly! He’s loaded, so why not just hand over one hundred million right away?”
Shuyu went to wash up, ordered a meal, and with a carton of milk in her mouth, sat back down to work on her drawings.
For the past few days, she had spent almost all her time sketching. Whenever Tiedan reminded her to work on the mission, she would take a break to hit Si Yiheng up for more money. Just in the last few days, she had managed to get another four hundred thousand out of him, though she hadn’t sent him any more photos since then.
Finally, she finished the last of her sample illustrations and uploaded them all to the freelance platform, waiting for their review.
Once that was done, she collapsed back against the sofa and closed her eyes, looking completely drained and lying as still as if she had no energy left at all.
Tiedan: Baby, we haven’t mined anything from Si Yiheng today yet.
Shuyu kept her eyes shut. “Dan, I don’t feel like doing it today.”
Tiedan: But listen—Si Yiheng’s experiments are going extremely smoothly today. If you ask him for money right now, he’ll probably be more than happy to give it.
Slowly, Shuyu dragged herself up from the sofa and reached for her phone.
Little Fish Swimming Along: Brother (★ ω ★)
ATM: Yes.
Tiedan quickly sent over a whole collection of images—all kinds of pretty dresses, in different styles and colors.
Tiedan: Quick, send these to him! Tell him summer is here and you want to buy some nice dresses to wear just for him.
Shuyu tapped send in an instant. She was getting quite skilled at this now—Tiedan thought up the excuses, and she only had to type them out.
Little Fish Swimming Along: Do you think these dresses are pretty?
ATM: Yes.
Little Fish Swimming Along: Brother, could you buy them for me? I want to wear them for you to see.
ATM: All right.
But this time, Shuyu waited and waited, and no money arrived.
She frowned in confusion. “Why isn’t my ATM spitting out cash anymore? ( ω *)”
After waiting a little longer, she grew anxious and started tapping the phone lightly. “Is my ATM broken?”
On the other end, Si Yiheng had read her message. He had been about to transfer the money right away, but then he remembered that he really ought to meet Shuyu in person. The problem was, ever since she moved out of the dormitory, she had never sent him her new address.
ATM: Send me your address.
Little Fish Swimming Along: Hmm?
ATM: Didn’t you want those dresses? Give me your address, and I’ll have them sent to your place.
Tiedan nearly screamed in alarm. “No way! Yubao, you can’t meet him yet! If you meet him now, he will definitely break up with you!”
This was the biggest flaw in their arrangement: Shuyu’s appearance was completely different from the original girl’s—strikingly beautiful, not plain at all. It went totally against the type of woman Si Yiheng claimed he wanted. There was a very real chance that one look at her would send the whole storyline off the rails.
Shuyu took a deep breath. She certainly didn’t want to meet him either.
Tiedan: Quick, find a way to stall him!
Little Fish Swimming Along: No need to send them to me. Since I’m wearing them just for you, I can come to your place and try them on for you there.
ATM: All right.
Just as Shuyu thought she had managed to dodge the bullet, another message popped up.
ATM: How about we meet up in person?