After being dropped off at the mall, Ling Wei did not rush home. She went inside to browse around, but soon found that shopping alone was boring, so she called Chen Xiaoruo out to join her.
Chen Xiaoruo had been fast asleep from her afternoon nap when she was dragged over. She radiated resentment. “Sister Wei, weren’t you going to see Boss Xie? How did it turn into shopping?”
Ling Wei was holding two large cups of milk tea. She handed one to Chen Xiaoruo and said, “After lunch we went our separate ways. We’re not a real couple. Are we supposed to stick together all day?”
Chen Xiaoruo took a big sip of milk tea to quench her thirst. “Is the Xie Corporation building super impressive? Besides signing the agreement, what else did you do?”
“Ate, held hands, I called him darling, he called me baby.”
“Pfft.” Chen Xiaoruo sprayed out the milk tea she had not yet swallowed.
Ling Wei looked at her with disgust. “You’re so gross.”
Chen Xiaoruo: …
After wiping her face with a tissue, Chen Xiaoruo still looked shocked. “That’s way too intense. Weren’t you pretending?”
Ling Wei draped an arm over her shoulder. “We are pretending. Xiaoruo, do you think it’s possible that Boss Xie really likes me and wants to turn this fake relationship into a real one?”
Chen Xiaoruo thought about it seriously. “Hard to say. What would he see in you?”
“I’m beautiful.” Ling Wei was very confident in her looks. In her previous life she had been dubbed the number one decorative beauty in the entertainment industry. It was not entirely derogatory. Beauty was her greatest asset, so much so that no matter how hard she later honed her acting skills, people still preferred to focus only on her appearance.
“But someone like Boss Xie must have seen countless beauties,” Chen Xiaoruo said, tilting her head.
“A man like him, with such a deep mind, probably wouldn’t fall in love at first sight.”
“You’ve interacted with him now. What kind of person do you think he is?”
Ling Wei bit on her straw, recalling her encounters with Xie Qingyan, then said somewhat dejectedly, “I don’t know.”
“Are you serious? You signed an agreement, held hands, called each other darling, and now you’re saying you don’t know what kind of person he is?” Chen Xiaoruo was exasperated.
“How do I put it? He seems easygoing, but he’s actually very domineering. He likes to control the situation. At work he’s like a demon king. With me he’s like a playboy. Around his friends he’s arrogant and proud. I’ve only interacted with him a few times. I really can’t evaluate this man.”
Chen Xiaoruo said incredulously, “Listening to that, he sounds like someone with a severe split personality.”
Ling Wei nodded. “Exactly. It really does feel like that. Not only does he have a split personality, he’s dramatic too. A powerhouse actor.”
Chen Xiaoruo shivered. “Someone that dangerous, and you still signed an agreement with him. Won’t he devour you whole?”
“Stop overreacting. I was the one who proposed the fake lover idea, and I was the one who asked for the contract. If I start regretting it now, wouldn’t I be slapping my own face? Don’t worry. I can handle whatever comes.”
Ling Wei comforted her casually. Chen Xiaoruo’s thinking was simple. If someone was dangerous, stay away. That was the most basic form of self protection. But Ling Wei did not see it that way. Her career had only just begun, and the road ahead was full of obstacles. If she wanted to push forward, she could not do it alone. She needed to find herself a teammate. Even if that teammate was unreliable and dangerous, as long as he could walk part of the journey with her, that was good enough. At worst, they would part ways.
She could not see through Xie Qingyan, and she knew he was dangerous, but he was powerful, a godlike teammate. Such a person was rarely within reach. How could she give up so easily? She was willing to take a gamble. If she won, she could stand at the peak. If she lost, she would simply return to where she started. Either way, she would not lose out.
This idea had already taken shape the moment she met Xie Qingyan in the lounge at the ball. It was just that what followed had exceeded her expectations. She had not anticipated that he would be so cooperative. That was fine. It saved her the trouble of scheming to maintain a presence by his side.
She would use Xie Qingyan to block trouble, and he would use her to fend off romantic entanglements. It was a win win situation.
In reality, how could interactions between people not involve mutual use? Even the closest relationships were no exception. In her previous life, she had spent ten years with Ye Zichu, giving him her sincere heart, only to receive ten years of exploitation in return. That was why talking about interests was more reliable than talking about feelings.
Although it was only an agreement, a single contract, in Ling Wei’s eyes it was far more reliable than a relationship that had lasted ten years.
But she could not share these thoughts with Chen Xiaoruo, nor did she want her to know. If she could stay innocent for one more day, then let it be one more day. The entertainment industry was a grinding place, the kind that wore away a person’s simplicity and naivety.
“Come on, let’s buy some things I’ll need for joining the production team, and pick up some small gifts too, so I can give them as greeting presents,” she said. Having an agent was basically the same as not having one. She had to handle everything herself, including managing relationships. Chen Xiaoruo was just an intern who knew nothing, which was why she had been assigned to Ling Wei. Otherwise, given Ling Wei’s standing with Zhao Ruyi, she probably would not even have an assistant.
They shopped until after dinner before heading home. Ling Wei had been mentally exhausted in the morning and physically tired in the afternoon. The moment she got home, she collapsed. After taking a shower, she climbed straight into bed.
The phone she had tossed onto the bedside table beeped twice. She picked it up and saw that the message was from someone named Xu Jiajia.
“We’re doing another rehearsal for the graduation performance this week. The show is next week.”
Graduation performance. Ling Wei frowned, thought for a moment, then replied, “I’m joining a production soon, so I probably won’t have time to participate. You should find someone else to fill in.”
She had already secured a guaranteed postgraduate recommendation. Whether she participated or not did not matter much. Back then, she had only helped brainstorm ideas and taken part because of Ye Zichu. The performers had been just four people, herself, Ye Zichu, Qi Qi, and Xu Jiajia.
Now, the mere sight of Ye Zichu and Qi Qi disgusted her. There was no way she would act alongside them again. Ye Zichu probably understood that as well, which was why they had not asked her directly. Instead, Xu Jiajia had reached out.
Xu Jiajia replied quickly, “Wow! You’re not participating? You’re our acting and looks ace. What are we going to do without you? We were hoping to win first place!”
Ling Wei smiled and replied, “Sorry. I’ll treat you to a meal next time we meet.”
Xu Jiajia lamented, “You think one meal can solve this?”
“Then two.”
Xu Jiajia: …
In the end, she settled Xu Jiajia with two meals.
After dealing with Xu Jiajia, Ling Wei casually checked the rest of her WeChat messages. When she scrolled to Xie Qingyan’s profile picture, she suddenly remembered that she now had permission to view his Moments. She quickly tapped into it.
The most recent post was the glittering phone case she had seen that morning. Xie Qingyan had posted nine photos in a row, perfectly displaying the case from every angle. The caption read, “Would I ever use a phone case like this? So tacky. Slap a bunch of diamonds on it and call it luxury? It even digs into my hand.”
Ling Wei: ??????
What kind of move was this? Was this really Xie Qingyan? Did she open it wrong?
She hurriedly exited and went back in. It was still the same post.
There were probably plenty of comments below, but she could not see them. She could only see a few of Xie Qingyan’s replies.
“If it hurts your eyes, why are you still looking?”
“I won’t throw it away, and I’m definitely not giving it to you.”
“You may take your leave now.”
“Get lost.”
…
Ling Wei flopped onto the bed. She had not expected that the ever busy Boss Xie would be such a Moments maniac. She scrolled down and continued reading, then stared in stunned silence.
“Daddy’s new supercar. Couldn’t decide on the color, so I bought two.”
“Daddy was in a good mood today, had the yacht repainted. Matches what I’m wearing.”
“Daddy painted a picture today. That Zhou idiot begged me in tears to sell it to him, haha.”
…
Ling Wei kept scrolling for nearly half an hour. She tapped into every single post of Xie Qingyan’s. After finishing, she came away with only one thought: her eyes were blinded.
In her previous life, she had been considered wealthy too. She could freely buy various brands of clothes, bags, and cosmetics without any pressure. But after looking at Xie Qingyan’s Moments, she realized she was still poor, so poor that her imagination was limited.
But that was not even the main point. The main point was that Xie Qingyan was showing off his wealth on Moments, and doing it in such an outrageous way.
Was this some aftereffect of being single for three years? Was he so lonely and bored that he had to seek a sense of presence on Moments?
The way he had acted so mysteriously before, she had even thought he might secretly be posting photos of her in unrequited love.
Well, now she knew. Boss Xie was not only split in personality and dramatic, he was also a supreme wealth flaunter.
Being able to live so extravagantly and flamboyantly, there really was no one else like him.
Author’s note: In the past he flaunted his wealth. In the future he will flaunt his girlfriend.