“Hehe, Su Mengke, didn’t you say you didn’t do anything? Then what’s this?” Su Yao sneered as she held up the exquisite fountain pen.
Su Mengke’s eyes turned red the moment she saw it. “I… I don’t know, it’s not mine!”
Su Yao snapped impatiently, “Of course it’s not yours! I’m asking how it ended up in your bag!”
Su Mengke couldn’t say a word. How would she know how it got there? She hadn’t put it in her bag.
Qin Xiao glanced over and his expression turned odd.
Wasn’t that his pen?
He remembered it clearly—his good brother had specially commissioned someone to craft it for his twentieth birthday. It cost several million yuan and had been treasured by the original Qin Xiao like a priceless heirloom.
At this point, Qin Xiao understood what was going on.
Combining his memories of the original novel and the original host’s past, he now remembered Su Yao and Su Mengke were sisters by name, but Su Mengke had been adopted and never treated well.
But Qin Xiao knew—Su Mengke was one of the female leads.
Looking at her pale face, her slightly yellowed, dry hair covering part of her face, and her faded, worn school uniform that clung loosely to her thin frame, she looked undernourished and shabby.
But don’t be fooled by her appearance. In the novel, she was a stunning beauty—she simply lacked proper care. She was also the gentle and obedient type, deliberately making herself look plain to avoid unwanted attention or being married off by her adoptive parents.
It wasn’t until Xia Shiya felt sorry for her and happened to be bullied by Qin Xiao that things changed. Left with no choice, Xia Shiya invited the Dragon Emperor to the school to show off. That was when the original Qin Xiao pulled off a flashy high kick and scammed the Dragon Emperor for 108,000 yuan on the spot.
That event also kicked off Su Mengke’s story arc with the Dragon Emperor, eventually making her a dedicated housekeeper-slash-maid for him and his women.
Now Qin Xiao knew what plotline this was. This was the start of the original Qin Xiao bullying Su Mengke endlessly.
As expected, Su Yao eagerly turned to ask, “Brother Qin, is this fountain pen yours?”
Qin Xiao nodded, “Yeah, it’s mine. Be careful with it—it cost several million.”
Su Yao shuddered at his words.
She knew his things weren’t cheap, but she hadn’t expected something that expensive. She’d assumed it was just a few thousand yuan—not millions!
She started to panic.
Earlier, during their scuffle, they had accidentally knocked over Qin Xiao’s desk, and the pen fell to the floor, leaving a crack. Scared to get in trouble, they’d stuffed it into Su Mengke’s bag. If this got out, she’d be finished.
Thinking of this, Su Yao turned on Su Mengke and shouted, “Did you hear that? It’s worth millions and you dared to steal it—and even broke it!”
“I didn’t!” Su Mengke shook her head repeatedly, insisting she had nothing to do with it.
Right after Qin Xiao was called to the office, she’d gone to the restroom. When she came back, she’d just been sorting documents for him. She never even touched the pen.
But it didn’t matter what she said now. Su Yao and the other girls weren’t giving her a chance to explain.
Qin Xiao silently watched the whole scene, not bothering to expose Su Yao’s little trick.
“Su Mengke, what are you going to do about this?” Qin Xiao looked at her calmly. “This pen was a birthday gift from my brother for my twentieth. Now that you’ve broken it, how do you plan to compensate me?”
Tears welled up in Su Mengke’s eyes.
If Qin Xiao hadn’t mentioned the price, she might have tried to work part-time and pay it back. But millions? Her entire family couldn’t afford that, and her adoptive parents would never help her.
The injustice overwhelmed her, and tears streamed down her face silently. Why was everyone always targeting her?
She had done nothing wrong.
She had always been obedient and well-behaved, but Su Yao still wouldn’t let her go.
Seeing Su Yao’s smug, mocking expression, Su Mengke tried to hold back her tears and choked out, “I… I’ll find a way to pay you back.”
“Pay me back? You think you can afford it?” Su Yao sneered.
She had never understood why an adopted girl like Su Mengke was always more outstanding than her. Even with that shabby appearance, she still ended up close to Qin Xiao. It infuriated her.
Seeing Su Mengke look so wronged finally gave her a sense of satisfaction. It would be best if Qin Xiao got furious and sent her away—then Su Mengke’s life would be over. That thought made Su Yao even more pleased.
Su Mengke seemed to realize this too but said nothing more. She knew no one would believe her, and Qin Xiao certainly wouldn’t care about someone like her.
Qin Xiao watched her quietly and couldn’t help but shake his head. Given Su Mengke’s situation, it was no wonder she was always bullied.
“Su Mengke, I won’t make things hard for you. From now on, you’ll be my maid and work off the debt until it’s paid in full.”
Su Mengke nodded silently, not rejecting or resisting.
But Su Yao wasn’t happy. She glared and said, “Brother Qin, that pen is worth millions. How can she repay it just by being your maid? I think we should call the police and have her arrested!”
Su Mengke’s shoulders trembled, but she said nothing, showing no resistance—just utter despair.
Qin Xiao cast a sidelong glance and said, “You’re telling me how to handle things?”
Seeing his displeased expression, Su Yao froze, then quickly forced a smile. “Of course not. It’s all up to you, Brother Qin!”
Qin Xiao ignored her and told her to print a contract according to his terms.
Su Yao didn’t dare go against him and went to print it, though seething inside. She secretly added a thirty-year term to the contract.
“Let’s see how long you’ll last, Su Mengke!”
Qin Xiao looked over the contract once he got it. As expected, he wasn’t surprised. Su Yao was the classic green-tea villainess early in the novel—of course, she had to stir things up.
Su Mengke read the contract and saw the clause but didn’t resist. She silently signed her name.
[Ding! Congratulations, host! You’ve slightly altered the plotline. Protagonist’s luck -100.]
Qin Xiao chuckled. Su Mengke really was easy to manipulate—halfway done already. With her by his side now, there was no way she’d get away.
Su Yao, seeing the contract signed, sneered coldly. There would be plenty of chances to mess with Su Mengke in the future.
As the bell rang for class, Su Yao returned to her seat.
Qin Xiao looked at Su Mengke and said, “Don’t be upset. I’m not going to bully you. Isn’t it better staying by my side?”
Su Mengke nodded without saying a word.