Chapter 2

“Orlando, long time no see!” Lin Lan greeted him with a smile.

He only shook his head, disapprovingly, “Miss, forgive me for overstepping, but you’ve been too willful this time. Master and Madam are angry, but they’re also very worried about you. That’s why they sent me to handle things here for you.”

“There’s nothing to handle on my end. Everything has been cleared up,” Lin Lan smiled at him. “You’re right. I’m still young, and I won’t do this again in the future.”

The elite man nodded in satisfaction. “It’s good that you understand this. It’s not all in vain,” he said, subtly glancing at the couple standing beside them. His gaze briefly shifted, then returned to Lin Lan as he became serious. “There are many ways to find true love, and it doesn’t have to be so extreme. Social standing matters, too. Without a solid economic foundation, no matter how great the feelings, it’s all just ^[1]“Castles in the air” means unrealistic dreams or plans that are unlikely to come true because they lack a solid foundation. It refers to ideas or hopes that are too idealistic or … Continue readingcastles in the air. I hope you’ll take this to heart in the future.”

“I will, Orlando,” Lin Lan replied graciously, accepting the advice.

At this, he seemed satisfied. He reached into his briefcase and took out an envelope. “By the way, Miss, I’ve brought you the first-class tickets to Athens that you requested earlier. I don’t understand why you insisted on taking a commercial flight. While applying for private flights from China is a bit troublesome, I could have arranged it for you quickly. Madam even asked me personally if someone had scammed you of all your money, and that’s why you secretly took a public flight back, keeping it from your parents.”

“Not at all, Mom is just worrying for nothing,” Lin Lan laughed as she took the envelope, pulling out two blue-and-white rectangular cards, each with the prominent logo of China Airlines on top.

It was two boarding passes.

Lin Lan flicked them lightly in her hand, then looked up at Shao Xiuye, who now wore a stiff expression. She smiled at him. “Shao Xiuye, I originally wanted to surprise you and tell you that I won a five-day, four-night couple’s trip to Greece through the company’s year-end lottery, and that my parents wanted to meet you secretly. But now, obviously, none of that is necessary.”

As she spoke, she tore the two tickets in half without hesitation. Just then, a gust of autumn wind blew, scattering the torn pieces across the ground. Some curious onlookers stepped on them, and one of the half tickets, showing today’s date, was read aloud.

The crowd around them shook their heads, not sure whether to sympathize or gloat, as they looked at the male lead in the center. If he hadn’t broken up with her, those tickets would’ve been useful today.

“Ah, I almost forgot,” the female lead said, as she finished tearing the tickets. She then unbuttoned her coat, took it off, and waved it in front of her ex-boyfriend. “Do you remember this coat? It was the first gift you gave me when we were dating. I’ve always treasured it. Now, I’m giving it back to you, so it’s like a proper ending.”

She stepped forward and shoved the coat into the still-stiff Shao Xiuye’s hands, her smile unwavering. Meanwhile, the middle-aged driver, who had been standing by the Rolls-Royce, suddenly darted back into the car and quickly returned with another coat.

“Miss, it’s getting chilly. Please put this on. If you catch a cold, Master and Madam will be heartbroken.”

The driver hurriedly unfolded the long coat and draped it over Lin Lan’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Uncle Yu.” Lin Lan smiled and thanked him, naturally putting on the coat.

The high-end, well-cut purple trench coat instantly gave the young, beautiful woman a more sophisticated, elegant aura.

“Damn, my boss’s wife has the same coat! My colleague told me it’s a limited edition, new release from the Xiang family this year. It’s not only expensive but also hard to get!” One of the onlookers who recognized the coat couldn’t help but exclaim, clearly shocked while still watching the spectacle.

Lin Lan, however, didn’t care about the gazes around her. She calmly buttoned up her coat and then took out the hair tie from her head. Her long, straight hair cascaded naturally over her shoulders. To the crowd, she had gone from an ordinary urban beauty to a true socialite.

“It’s getting late, and I still have a flight to catch. I hope we meet again under better circumstances.” Taking the sunglasses from her elite assistant, Lin Lan smiled, waved goodbye, and was soon surrounded by her staff as they walked toward the Rolls-Royce. Her handsome assistant quickly opened the car door for her, carefully holding the door frame to prevent her from bumping her head. Just as she was about to get into the car, Lin Lan turned back to the couple and said one last thing, “By the way, Miss Jiang, compared to me, you and he are indeed more suited to each other. I wish you both happiness.”

After saying that, she put on her sunglasses and sat inside the car.

As the door closed, the eye-catching luxury car slowly started and soon disappeared into the busy streets, leaving the couple standing frozen and the curious onlookers behind.

However, unlike the dazed Shao Xiuye, Miss Jiang was the first to snap out of it. Biting her teeth in frustration, she seemed unable to tolerate the gazes from the crowd. She aggressively swatted the coat out of the man’s hands and dragged him toward the Bentley. “I don’t believe it! This woman must be a scammer, trying to make me look foolish!”

As the red sports car roared away, the onlookers finally dispersed, still buzzing about the dramatic scene. It would certainly provide them with enough gossip for the next few days, and they rushed off to share it with others.

The silver-gray Rolls-Royce cruised steadily toward the airport, and this time, the usually chaotic road conditions seemed unusually polite and smooth.

Lin Lan sat in the car, quietly watching the scenery outside the window. As she looked, she suddenly burst into laughter.

“Come to think of it, if it weren’t for this situation, I might never have ridden in such a luxury car.” She looked up at the driver in the front seat with a bright and warm smile. “Thank you, Uncle Yu, for putting up with my mischief.”

“Ah, Lanlan, you’re being too formal!” The middle-aged driver, who had been calling her “Miss” just moments ago, smiled warmly, his tone filled with the care an elder has for a younger. “We’ve been neighbors for years. My wife and I are always grateful for your family’s kindness. Now that you’re being mistreated outside, I’m glad you thought of me for help. I’m happy to do it. You’re quite the clever girl, though. If I hadn’t been involved, I’d have believed that little act too. It really looked like some rich young lady was out for an experience and was heading home.”

“It’s just a little trick to fool people.” Lin Lan smiled shyly, turning to her handsome male assistant beside her. “The success of this little play was largely thanks to Mr. Kunta. No wonder you’re a student from Modu University. You’ve got that elite vibe down.”

The foreign student, who appeared more youthful after removing his gold-rimmed glasses, chuckled bashfully. “Since I’ve been paid by the boss, I have to do what I’m supposed to. Even though I’m only role-playing as an elite for now, it’s someone I aspire to be. Rich people are really something. I want to be like that too.” He looked up at the luxurious interior of the car with admiration in his eyes.

The driver up front, Uncle Yu, laughed heartily. “Well, you better keep up the effort, young man! This car isn’t cheap where you’re from either! I’m only able to drive it because of the company’s influence.”

In other words, none of the three people in the luxury car were truly wealthy, but together, they were putting on the act of a wealthy family.

“By the way, Lanlan, you still haven’t said how you figured out that jerk was up to something?” Uncle Yu couldn’t help but ask, curious. “And how did you know that he’d bring up breaking up today, so we could help you set up this whole scene?”

“I just knew,” Lin Lan pouted, her face full of disdain when mentioning her ex. “Three months ago, I already knew he was cheating.”

In today’s world, who doesn’t video chat when dating? Especially since she and Shao Xiuye were in a long-distance relationship—no video call would be impossible. Lin Lan first noticed something was off during one of their video chats.

Shao Xiuye was chatting with her on his phone, and then suddenly had to leave for something, so he put the phone down on the coffee table. The camera happened to capture the trash can on the floor.

“I saw two torn snack bags in the trash, and immediately realized that another woman had been in his apartment,” Lin Lan said, seeing the confused expressions on her two listeners. She smiled knowingly. “I have reason to say this. Shao Xiuye always tears the packaging of instant noodles or snacks from the opening, never leaving a full bag. But those two snack bags were different; the tear was clean. And the flavors weren’t the ones he usually ate, but ones that seemed more suited for a girl.”

“This… this can prove he cheated?” Uncle Yu didn’t really understand. “Maybe someone came over as a guest?”

The foreign student nodded along in agreement, both men unwilling to admit that it might seem a bit paranoid.

“Of course, just this wouldn’t be enough to prove he cheated, even if my gut told me something was off,” Lin Lan said, considering herself a reasonable person, so she explained further. “But a few days before this video call, he complained to me about being excluded at the company headquarters and how the people around him were cold and unwelcoming, and how he couldn’t make new friends. Only a few days later, a ‘new friend’ shows up, and their relationship is close enough that they can visit each other’s homes. He even specially bought snacks in the other person’s preferred flavors. Do you believe that’s a coincidence?”

No one in the car spoke for a moment, and Lin Lan continued.

“If it had been just that, I might have let it go. But two months ago, I was absolutely sure he was cheating.” Thinking back to the time in the Western restaurant when she mentioned the 8,000 yuan AJ sneakers, Lin Lan felt a surge of irritation. “I saw a brand-new pair of AJs in his room, and when I checked the price, it was 8,000 yuan. 8,000! Maybe you don’t understand, Uncle Yu, but for Shao Xiuye, he was earning only 6,000 yuan a month at the time, and he had to send 2,000 yuan back home regularly. So in reality, he only had 4,000 yuan left to cover rent, utilities, food, and other expenses. Where do you think he suddenly got the money to buy those expensive shoes? Not to mention, before that, he had been living very frugally. What do you think would make a frugal man suddenly afford a luxury item far beyond his salary level? A fairy godmother?”

The more Lin Lan spoke, the colder her gaze became.

“After that, his contact with me became less and less, and his tone became more and more indifferent, which confirmed that my judgment was right. This month, he even took the unprecedented step of contacting me first to ask me out. In the past, I was always the one calling him. Isn’t that enough for me to be sure about today?”

At this moment, the two men in the car dared not even breathe, whether they were older or younger, domestic or foreign, they were all secretly unnerved. Women may seem naive and easy to deceive most of the time, but when it comes to this kind of thing, they are sharper than Sherlock Holmes, with an instinct so precise, and their revenge is always more ruthless than the last.

The foreign student quietly swore to himself that, from now on, if he ever had a lover, he would never be half-hearted. If he ended up with a woman like this, even though it wouldn’t cost him his life, it would surely make him suffer for a lifetime.

Just then, driver Uncle Yu looked into the rearview mirror and saw something, his already shocked face going pale as his eyes widened. “Lanlan, you really guessed it right! Those shameless people are really following us!”

The foreign student instinctively turned around to look, but Lin Lan didn’t even lift her eyelids, only curling her lips into a cold smile. “I knew that woman wouldn’t give up and would definitely follow us.”

Once Lin Lan discovered Shao Xiuye’s affair, how could she not carefully investigate the other woman? She was the only daughter of a listed company’s chairman, a spoiled rich girl with a bad temper and a domineering personality. The earlier scene had slapped her face so hard, and it was clear that woman wouldn’t easily accept it—she would follow them to see what was going on. Lin Lan wasn’t surprised at all.

But Lin Lan wasn’t worried.

She had been dating Shao Xiuye for over two years, but she had never disclosed much about her family’s business, only mentioning that her parents ran a business in their hometown, with no further details. She wasn’t worried about him revealing anything to anyone. Her daily life was very low-key; even with her colleagues, she made sure to keep her personal information private, never posting selfies or anything public. There was very little information about her online, and since she wasn’t a local, even if some passerby had taken a photo of her and posted it online, she wasn’t concerned. The so-called “human flesh search” wouldn’t work in her case—it couldn’t do much with so little information and a non-public figure, and it would take too long.

As for other concerns at the scene?

The Chanel coat she wore had cost her tens of thousands of yuan, a completely personal item she wore just to show off in front of that couple. The Greek couple’s trip she mentioned was real, but it was a prize she won in an online lottery. The boarding passes she tore up were also real, one of the prizes from that lottery, and it cost her nothing. Even if she lost them, she had other ways to continue flying.

The handsome foreign student was someone she had spent two weeks finding—a foreign exchange student who happened to be returning to Greece. She paid him a performance fee and bought him a first-class ticket, and he eagerly agreed to play the role of the “elite assistant of a wealthy family” and did so with great enthusiasm.

As for the Rolls Royce they were riding in?

Driver Uncle Yu and Lin Lan had been neighbors for more than ten years in their hometown. He worked for a large wedding planning company, and this car had only recently been purchased by the company. It would be specifically rented out to newlyweds as a wedding car, but it hadn’t been used for an official event yet. After Lin Lan called for help, Uncle Yu “used his position for personal gain” and temporarily borrowed it for her to “show off,” making it the most eye-catching prop for her act. Of course, she paid the rental fee at market price, and with Uncle Yu’s favor, the boss gladly lent the new car out for its “first use.”

In short, there was no way that woman would realize this was a setup in a short time.

Strictly speaking, Lin Lan and Shao Xiuye had been in a long-distance relationship for less than six months, and in less than half a year, this dog of a man betrayed her and shamelessly started chasing after a rich, beautiful woman.

If he had decisively broken up with her the moment he lost interest, Lin Lan might not have been so angry. Breakups happen, especially in long-distance relationships, where the challenges are numerous and it’s understandable if someone can’t bear the strain.

But what disgusted her was that while he was flirting and messing around with the rich girl, he was still calling Lin Lan “darling,” keeping up the charade until he was sure he had the rich girl in his grasp, only to kick her to the curb after. The way he ^[2]“Rode two horses at once” is a metaphor that means someone is trying to juggle two things at the same time, usually in a dishonest or opportunistic way. It’s similar to the phrase … Continue readingrode two horses at once without losing out on either was enough to make Lin Lan sick.

Even more disgusting was the sudden appearance of the rich girl, which made Lin Lan realize that this woman had known Shao Xiuye already had a girlfriend but continued to be with him. Now, she was openly flaunting it, acting as if anything she set her sights on was hers for the taking, with a sense of entitlement and arrogance. Her total lack of moral burden and self-centeredness was nauseating.

Trashy man, trashy woman—truly a perfect match. It made Lin Lan feel even more repulsed, but also increasingly relieved that she had done the right thing.

Today’s plan wasn’t just about getting back at him, it was to make sure that Shao Xiuye, this dog of a man, would never have a good day again.

In life, there are already enough things to compromise on; she didn’t want to add another one to her list. If she didn’t take revenge now, she would feel regret for the rest of her life.

She’d rather spend her savings on this than contribute to potential health issues that might come from all the stress and anger.

So now, with leisure, Lin Lan took out her compact mirror from her bag, tidied her hair, and touched up her makeup. As the airport approached, she smiled at the Greek student sitting beside her. “We still need to act one more time when we get out of the car, please.”

The young overseas student froze for a moment. Today’s performance had really shown him why Chinese people are often said to be known for their cunning, especially how women could calculate everything, even breaking up with someone. He couldn’t help but be amazed.

After snapping out of it, he felt a little excited. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and, with a serious expression, assured her, “Don’t worry, boss. They won’t suspect anything.”

As the luxurious Rolls Royce stopped in front of the airport, the rich girl and Shao Xiuye watched as Lin Lan and her “elite assistant” entered the airport one after the other. They then walked straight into the VIP lane, bypassing ordinary passengers, and went to the rear terminal, disappearing from sight. Even if they didn’t want to admit it, they couldn’t deny the truth anymore.

While the rich girl gritted her teeth in anger and frustration, unable to do anything, Shao Xiuye looked dazed, his eyes fixed on the entrance.

Suddenly, a slap landed on his face without warning. The pain snapped Shao Xiuye out of his trance, and the first thing he saw was the rich girl’s twisted, furious face. She snarled, “Are you regretting it now?”

“I, I… no, no, I didn’t…” Despite denying it, Shao Xiuye’s glazed eyes betrayed him, earning him a second slap.

Thus, in the bustling airport terminal, a one-sided brawl suddenly broke out.