9: 9.
Liquidation and Late-Night Schemes 9: 9.
Liquidation and Late-Night Schemes “Wan’er, seriously, why don’t you try calling Gu Yan just one more time?” “Exactly, Wan’er!
A bill of 133,000 Yuan is simply astronomical.
We can’t just leave it hanging!” Wu Lili and Xie Baiwei chirped anxiously, their collective panic palpable.
In their typical routine, they would shamelessly let Shen Wan’er foot the bill for their luxury excursions, knowing full well that Gu Yan would voluntarily reimburse her corporate account the moment he caught wind of it.
In the past, if Gu Yan found out he had the privilege of clearing a tab for Shen Wan’er, he would have been so overwhelmingly ecstatic that he’d spam his social media feeds with subtle brags for days.
How on earth had they reached a point where, when Shen Wan’er personally deigned to dial his number, the man wouldn’t even pick up?
The two heiresses were left completely paralyzed by the reality check.
They had entirely forgotten that just twenty minutes prior, they were arrogantly declaring that Shen Wan’er should ice him out and force him to crawl back on his knees to apologize.
Shen Wan’er bit her lower lip so hard it lost color.
Staring at the disconnected screen, her immense vanity naturally screamed at her to throw the phone back into her purse.
But…
She caught the eye of the restaurant owner, whose polite, professional smile was rapidly degrading into a cold, transactional scowl.
This invoice was an trap, and they were not leaving the premises without clearing it.
With her back against the wall, Shen Wan’er swallowed her pride and initiated the call a second time.
In her mind, no matter how packed Gu Yan’s corporate schedule was, seeing her name flash across his screen twice in rapid succession would instantly convey the sheer urgency of the situation.
He would surely answer.
However, the moment the line connected, an audio message blasted through the speaker that left Shen Wan’er utterly dumbfounded.
[ We’re sorry.
The number you have dialed has been restricted, or is currently unavailable.
Please try your call again later.
] Blocked…?!
He actually blacklisted my number?!
Just because I had the audacity to call him twice?!
Shen Wan’er’s pristine complexion twisted into an ugly mask of pure rage.
A dense, toxic anger bubbled up in her chest.
Why was he pulling this petty, unhinged stunt at the exact moment she actually needed him to act like a functional human being?
Beside them, the owner let out a loud, highly impatient sigh.
Stranded without options, Shen Wan’er reluctantly unzipped the limited-edition Louis Vuitton handbag that Gu Yan had gifted her the previous month.
She fished out a small, velvet-lined jewelry box from the bottom compartment.
Shen Wan’er stared at the box with deep, agonizing reluctance.
This was the premium courtship token Gu Yan had presented to her just a few days ago when he formally asked her to be his girlfriend.
She had only tried it on a handful of times, fully intending to use it to assert her dominance during high-society social gatherings.
But now…
She popped the latch, revealing an exquisitely crafted, brilliant-cut diamond solitaire ring glittering under the restaurant’s spotlights.
Wu Lili and Xie Baiwei gasped simultaneously, their eyes flashing with immediate, unadulterated envy.
“Wan’er…
is that a genuine Tiffany custom piece from Gu Yan?” In that exact split second, a heavy wave of jealousy washed over both of them.
They firmly believed their aesthetics and pedigree weren’t inferior to Shen Wan’er’s in the slightest.
Why did a premier billionaire heir like Gu Yan only have eyes for her?
Damn it…
if Gu Yan had aimed that relentless courtship at either of us, we’d already be wearing the title of Young Mistress Gu!
Ignoring their intense gazes, Shen Wan’er gave a stiff nod.
She took one final, mourning look at the diamond before sliding it across the counter toward the owner.
“Sir, can I utilize this asset to liquidate our pay?” The restaurant owner snatched the box, his eyes immediately lighting up with professional greed.
Oh?
A custom-certified Tiffany diamond ring?
“Young lady, are you absolutely certain you wish to surrender this specific jewelry asset as direct payment for tonight’s invoice?” the owner asked, his tone instantly shifting back to a honeyed purr.
He possessed an incredible eye for luxury appraisal.
He could tell with a single glance that this piece was a custom-ordered, high-carat build, meaning its actual market resale value vastly eclipsed their dinner bill.
It appeared the desperate simp orbiting this fake socialite was an incredibly wealthy tier-one heir to be throwing around assets of this caliber.
Hearing the owner’s leading question, Shen Wan’er felt a pang of regret, but her options were entirely spent.
While she technically operated as a manager within her family’s corporate structure, those accounts were strictly monitored corporate funds.
Her personal liquid cash reserves were completely depleted.
To walk out of this restaurant with her reputation intact, she had no choice but to take the loss.
She offered a rigid nod.
“Yes.
Are we cleared to depart?” Shen Wan’er snatched her luxury bag, her face radiating pure humiliation.
Tonight’s fiasco had completely degraded her dignity in front of the service staff.
And it was entirely, explicitly Gu Yan’s fault.
If he had just fulfilled his dynamic, picked up her call, and rushed over to swipe his black card, she wouldn’t have been forced to pawn her courtship jewelry like a common fraud.
The restaurant owner offered a low, theatrical bow, pocketing the box with immense satisfaction.
“Of course, ladies.
Your account is settled in full.
We look forward to welcoming you back anytime.” Once they hit the cool night air of the pavement outside, Wu Lili and Xie Baiwei immediately resumed their hyperactive, chattering assault.
“Wan’er, Gu Yan is an unmitigated monster!
How dare he blacklist your personal line?!” “Exactly!
The very next time he crawls back, you need to deliver an unforgettable reality check!” “If he has the audacity to ghost your calls today, he’ll be openly insulting your family name tomorrow!” “If you actually give in and marry him, wouldn’t you just end up trapped in an emotionally abusive nightmare?!” The more they chirped, the darker Shen Wan’er’s expression became.
She clenched her manicured fists until her knuckles turned white, her pride thoroughly bruised.
In her historical framework, Gu Yan was a submissive puppy who materialised the second she snapped her fingers.
His cold, clinical execution tonight felt entirely alien and deeply unsettling.
She exhaled a long, shaky breath.
“Vivi, Lili…
you’re entirely right.
I am finished dealing with his tantrums.
Let’s see how long he lasts without my attention.” Watching her lock into the delusion, the two friends exchanged a subtle, mocking smirk behind her back.
— The Next Morning# # The Leng Family Estate Gate Leng Ling’er trudged through the grand wrought-iron gates, a heavy designer backpack slung over her shoulder as she let out a massive, exhausted yawn.
“So brutal…
why does society force elite high-schoolers to endure 7:00 AM lectures?
I’m practically a zombie.” Muttering her grievances, Ling’er suddenly froze as a memory from the previous night flashed through her brain.
Her drowsiness evaporated instantly.
She whipped her head around, her eyes scanning the foliage, the perimeter walls, and the nearby avenues like a hawk.
Seeing everything completely clear and ordinary, she let out a massive sigh of relief.
“Phew…
looks like that brazen pervert actually took my death threat seriously.” “Mm-hmm!
The Leng Family perimeter remains uncompromised!” Leng Ling’er flashed a triumphant, childish grin, striding confidently toward her garishly modified, neon-yellow electric scooter parked at the corner of the avenue.
She strapped on her matching helmet and sped off toward her academy in high spirits.
Less than sixty seconds after her scooter vanished around the bend…
Click.
The heavy passenger door of a stealth-black luxury sedan parked discreetly under the shade of a roadside banyan tree slowly swung open.
Gu Yan’s tall, tailored figure emerged into the morning sunlight.
He watched the distant trail of dust left by his future sister-in-law’s scooter, raised a single eyebrow, and let out a soft, amused chuckle.
He casually raised his hand and flipped a lazy middle finger at the horizon.
“Stupid brat.” Turning on his heel, he breezed through the main security gates of the Leng Estate with the effortless confidence of a man walking into his own living room.
— The Second-Floor Study Inside her pitch-black sanctuary, Leng Qingqiu was already locked into her brutal, daily self-improvement regimen.
Her fingers glided across braille displays and specialized audio interfaces as she rapidly digested high-level treatises spanning global macroeconomics, advanced molecular biomedicine, and corporate asset restructuring.
Before the tragic accident that stole her vision, Leng Qingqiu was universally heralded as the undisputed top genius of Jianghai City.
Her cognitive capacity had been internationally audited, clocking in at an astronomical, world-shattering IQ of 260.
She possessed a photographic memory and a flawless data-processing mind; it was an objective truth that she was built to stand at the apex of global industry.
Consequently, when news broke of her sudden blindness, a few sympathetic souls felt genuine regret—but the vast majority of the upper crust let out a massive sigh of relief.
They gleefully celebrated the fact that a world-class prodigy capable of crushing their empires had been permanently removed from the chessboard.
Furthermore, because she had maintained total radio silence for the past few years, the public consensus assumed she had succumbed to depression, abandoned her ambitions, and resolved to live out her days as a broken, reclusive invalid.
But that was a masterfully engineered facade.
The adversaries who destroyed her family operated from the deepest shadows; therefore, her optimal counter-strategy was to anchor herself in even deeper darkness.
She used her global isolation to seamlessly absorb the entirety of human knowledge, manipulating corporate variables from behind the curtain.
After years of meticulous, silent accumulation, she had secretly amassed a staggering amount of liquid capital and private security forces.
In fact, she had recently unearthed a critical fragment of the truth surrounding that fateful night.
The executioners who wiped out her family line were not ordinary human mercenaries.
They were…
Martial Artists.
Cultivators who commanded supernatural Qi.
The sheer weight of the data loop caused a sharp, throbbing ache to blossom across Leng Qingqiu’s temples.
“Sigh…
Time for a break.” Letting out a soft, weary sigh, she leaned back into her ergonomic executive chair, tilting her chin upward to relieve the immense pressure in her neck muscles.
For years, her routine had been unyielding: awake at 4:00 AM, followed by a relentless sprint of data ingestion.
Not only did she manage her private network, but she also personally reviewed and directed every major financial play made by the billion-dollar Leng Group.
After all, she was the true chairperson operating behind the scenes.
Her uncle, Leng Xing’an, was merely a compliant, public-facing figurehead she had installed to absorb external scrutiny.
Managing a global conglomerate, uncovering a supernatural conspiracy, and raising a private army…
it was a exhausting load for a single woman to bear.
What Leng Qingqiu’s senses failed to register, however…
Was that the exact moment she tilted her head back…
Gu Yan was already standing directly over her chair, looking down at her with a lazy, affectionate smile.