Ji Yao disliked owing money to others.
It didn’t matter who it was. So, holding the divorce agreement, she was calculating how to repay the three million.
For someone like Shi Yu, with her wealth, this amount was nothing more than a drop in the bucket.
For her mother, Zhuang Meiyan, who ran a small business, it might sting a little, but she could still manage to pay it off.
But for Ji Yao, who had a 16-year mortgage to pay off and only a fixed monthly salary, it was too difficult.
She might have to scrape together every last penny, even to the point of having to give up her apartment.
And even that might not be enough, because although her apartment wasn’t small, it was located in the suburbs of Xijing, where property prices were half of what they were in the city center, making it less valuable.
But even if she paid Shi Yu back, it still wouldn’t cover the rest.
Yes, there was more.
Ji Yao slumped to the floor, holding the divorce agreement, and checked all her apps again. The total debt was nearly five hundred thousand.
She truly had no idea what the person who had taken over her body was thinking!
So annoying!
Ji Yao scratched her head, rolled over, and got up, but after standing, she had no idea what to do and sat back down.
She stared blankly at the agreement, then frowned in disgust.
This signature was just too ugly!
Ji Yao had once been considered a top student, and her handwriting had been quite presentable.
Moreover, she was an ambitious female alpha. Seeing her life reduced to this was enough to make her feel defeated and filled with regret.
She regretted insisting on throwing away all those colorful clothes and daily necessities.
Actually…
It wasn’t that she couldn’t wear pink clothes at all. If she picked and chose, she might have been able to keep a few pieces.
The unopened toothpaste, toothbrushes, body wash, shampoo, facial cleanser, and towels weren’t completely unusable.
But there was no getting them back now.
Ji Yao leaned her head against the window, watching regretfully as the cleaners below disposed of the things she had thrown away one by one. She sighed, then went to take a shower and change into her pajamas.
Although it was cold in winter, the underfloor heating kept the room warm. She sat cross-legged on the carpet.
Time to do the math.
To figure out exactly how much cash she had left.
Because she had a stash of New Year’s money she had saved since childhood. After paying the down payment for her apartment back then, she had deliberately set aside ten thousand yuan for emergencies. It wasn’t linked to her phone and was hidden in a very secret place.
Back then, she had done this out of fear that she wouldn’t be able to control her spending, but now it had become her lifeline.
The ten thousand yuan inside clearly hadn’t been touched. It could sustain her for a while and also help pay off some of her online loans.
For a moment, she had even considered going to her mother, Zhuang Meiyan, to act cute and ask for help in repaying the debt. But if she did that, Ms. Zhuang Meiyan would be truly unfortunate.
Better to let her be the only one suffering. After all, it was the outsider in her body, using her name, Ji Yao, who had incurred the debt.
She absolutely must not drag the innocent into this.
Besides, her relationship with her parents was already so strained. She didn’t dare make such an unreasonable request.
On her first night back home, Ji Yao’s feelings were incredibly complicated.
A mix of happiness and worry. She had thought she would struggle to fall asleep, but to her surprise, just a few minutes after lying down, she fell into a deep slumber.
And she had a dream.
The protagonist of the dream was Shi Yu, probably from a few years ago, looking more youthful than she did now.
There was a faint smile in her eyes, and she seemed very gentle.
It looked like backstage at a concert. After it ended, Shi Yu thanked the staff and then.
Her own figure appeared.
Holding flowers, she confessed to Shi Yu in front of everyone.
In the dream, Ji Yao felt as if she were watching from a god’s perspective, but she couldn’t help shouting, wanting to stop Shi Yu from agreeing.
Because she knew that person couldn’t possibly be herself she wasn’t bold enough to want Shi Yu to be her girlfriend, and such a flashy, flamboyant style was definitely not her!
But Shi Yu couldn’t hear her words, and in the dream, her other self even gave her a disdainful smile after Shi Yu accepted the flowers.
Ji Yao hadn’t set an alarm, but she still woke up punctually at six o’clock.
The winter morning was still dimly lit. Breathing heavily, Ji Yao stared at her reflection in the glass window, her expression grim.
She had to admit that over the past three years, she hadn’t aged at all instead, she had become more youthful and polished in appearance.
In the past, she always wore a simple black ponytail, rarely wore makeup, and never bothered with skincare, relying solely on her naturally decent looks when going out.
But now, she had shoulder-length tea-colored curls, her skin had become smooth and fair, and it was obvious she hadn’t skimped on spending money on her appearance.
As a female alpha in her twenties, it wasn’t that Ji Yao didn’t care about beauty, but the moment she remembered that all of this was the root cause of her debt, her enthusiasm instantly vanished.
After getting up, she tied her hair into a simple ponytail, prepared some congee in the rice cooker, and went to take a shower.
Having been back for two days, she needed to return to her previous workplace at the television station.
According to her chat records, she was now a music variety show producer. Although the project hadn’t officially started yet, there was still plenty to keep her busy.
Three years had passed, but her work system hadn’t changed much. She hadn’t been a producer before, but she still remembered the basics of the job.
At the very least, she could still pretend to know what she was doing.
The only thing that made her nervous was the interpersonal relationships. Before going to bed last night, she had checked her Weibo again, and the hate messages in her private inbox had been updated.
What’s more, her Weibo account was verified, with her workplace clearly stated.
She was genuinely afraid of being publicly insulted again.
She didn’t want to tolerate it, but she also didn’t feel she had the right to argue back.
Fortunately, when she arrived at the television station, she didn’t see many people around, and no one paid her any attention.
Still, she walked in quickly, joining a crowd as she entered the elevator.
Clearly, many people recognized her and greeted her one by one.
But their expressions varied some were disdainful, while others were fawning and envious.
Ji Yao kept her head down, pretending not to notice. When she reached her floor, the person who had been looking at her with flattery reminded her to get off.
It was the 15th floor. Ji Yao made a mental note and then steeled herself as she walked further in. The layout here was similar to the 10th floor where she used to work, but back then, she was just an errand girl most of her work took place in the preparation rooms, and she rarely had access to the actual studios or a fixed workstation.
Unlike now…
Not long after stepping onto the 15th floor, someone pulled her aside.
The person dragging her was a female alpha, around forty years old, but dressed quite well wearing a black blouse, wide-leg pants, and a pearl pendant.
It was Zhou Feng, the department head she used to look up to.
Zhou Feng dragged her all the way to the office. The moment they entered, Ji Yao called out, only to be pinned against the wall by Zhou Feng, who then hooked a finger under her chin.
“Director Zhou?!” Ji Yao exclaimed in panic, instinctively lifting her head and shoving the person away.
Zhou Feng winced in pain, clutching his wrist with a darkened expression. “Little thing, what tricks are you trying to pull now? Why didn’t you reply to my WeChat message?”
“Is it not enough money?”
“Or” Zhou Feng’s voice trailed off as Ji Yao’s phone buzzed with a WeChat notification. Before Ji Yao could even glance at it, Zhou Feng snatched the phone from her hand.
After reading the message, Zhou Feng chuckled, the corners of his lips cracking with dried makeup as he leaned in disgustingly close to show her.
It was a debt collection notice.
But Ji Yao only caught a glimpse before Zhou Feng pulled the phone behind his back. He leaned in closer, his face nearly touching hers, and said, “I knew it. The only thing that could keep me hanging is money.”
“How about that nightgown? Are you going to wear it for me?”
“Five thousand for one wear. Is that enough?”
Zhou Feng’s words were unpleasant, his gaze blatantly lecherous, and he seemed completely oblivious.
It was as if he couldn’t see that Ji Yao’s emotions were pushed to the brink, her fists clenching and unclenching, itching to punch him.
So, Zhou Feng was that “boss” with the black profile picture this was a blatant attempt to exploit her for favors!