After Chen Fu’s livestream ended, Jiang Qiuyi was exhausted from sending so many gifts.

She sprawled on the couch to rest, while Lu Mingcheng glanced at her but said nothing.

After a while, he finally asked. “What’s the situation with the esports team you bought?”

Jiang Qiuyi kept her eyes closed. “Still in the training phase. We don’t even have a full roster yet.”

Lu Mingcheng: “…”

He paused, then asked in a low voice. “When would be a good time for you to take me to see them?”

Jiang Qiuyi froze for a moment and abruptly opened her eyes to look at him. “Aren’t you really busy?”

Lu Mingcheng replied calmly, “Not too busy. I can make time to check it out.”

“Oh.” Jiang Qiuyi didn’t think much of it. Rubbing her sore wrists, she said, “Let me know when you’re free, and I’ll take you over.”

“Alright.”

As soon as the topic of her esports team came up, Jiang Qiuyi’s words started flowing nonstop.

Her lips curved into a smile. “Let me tell you, they’re all super adorable.”

“…”

Jiang Qiuyi continued, “You know what? On the first day I took them out, one of them actually cried while eating. It broke my heart.”

Lu Mingcheng’s brow twitched slightly, and he stared at her. “Broke your heart?”

“Yeah,” she said matter-of-factly.

Jiang Qiuyi grabbed her phone, opened it, and found that Chen Fu and the others had sent her a bunch of messages.

She smiled and held the phone up for Lu Mingcheng to see. “Look, aren’t they just the cutest? I gave them gifts, and now they’re all insisting on paying me back.”

Lu Mingcheng glanced at the messages with a blank expression and gave a cold remark, “Not really.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…?”

She stared at him in confusion, then looked back at the chat messages, utterly baffled. “You really don’t think so?”

“Mm.”

Lu “CEO Mode” Mingcheng said, “Men don’t like being called cute.”

Jiang Qiuyi was at a loss for words.

Just as she was about to respond, Lu Mingcheng stood up and headed toward the bathroom, tossing back a casual, “I’m going to take a shower.”

Jiang Qiuyi watched his retreating figure disappear into the bathroom, then shook her head in confusion.

The thoughts of men were truly hard to figure out.

She opened WeChat, sent a few comforting words to Chen Fu, and then noticed a message from Li Miao.

Li Miao: [OMG! You blew my mind tonight. Where did you even find those bot accounts to flood Chen Fu with so many gifts?!]

Li Miao: [Also, guess what? You’re trending!]

Jiang Qiuyi: [?]

Jiang Qiuyi: [I didn’t hire bots. I begged Lu Mingcheng, and then Uncle Xu had the housekeepers download the app. They helped send the votes.]

Li Miao: [Hahahahahaha, are you a genius? The fact that President Lu actually agreed to help is insane!]

Jiang Qiuyi: [Well, they’re his employees too, after all.]

Li Miao: [Fair point. But you’d better check the trending topics. I think someone’s trying to dig up dirt on you.]

Jiang Qiuyi: [… ]

She opened the trending page, and the first thing she saw was the hashtag #BigSpenderFan.

The topic wasn’t in the top few, but it was gaining traction fast.

Jiang Qiuyi’s fingers hovered for a moment before she tapped on it.

The first thing to appear in her view was a video clip shared by a blogger with hundreds of thousands of followers.

The video clearly displayed the barrage of gift-giving notifications flooding the screen, covering it completely.

Jiang Qiuyi was momentarily speechless. The blogger had written in an awestruck tone:

“Tonight was the first time I’ve ever encountered such a wealthy fan. You have to check this out—it’s mind-blowing, seriously. Having money really lets you do whatever you want.”

Below the post, tens of thousands of comments had already piled up.

[Not gonna lie, after watching the livestream, I was just waiting for this to trend.]

[I swear I’ve been blinded by all the money flying around tonight. Has anyone calculated how much was spent?]

[Damn, I’m so mad. How is it possible for someone to have this much money?]

[I’m floored. Apparently, this fan went off because another streamer subtly shaded the host. Then the fan snapped and brought in at least a dozen accounts to spam gifts. We’re talking millions here.]

[More like tens of millions, ladies!]

[Let me just wallow in jealousy.]

[Can we spare a thought for the other streamer? You doing okay over there?]

[Wow, does this person own a gold mine or something? Spending like this? Does anyone know who’s behind all these gifts?]

…

Jiang Qiuyi stared at the comment and clicked on the replies below.

Fortunately, all they could trace back to was her Weibo account, and nothing else could be dug up.

She glanced at her little side account. True enough, it didn’t have much—just the occasional shared gaming video and nothing of real substance. Even if people tried, there was nothing for them to uncover.

That said, she had followed the new esports team members. It wouldn’t be long before her identity as the team’s new boss came to light.

Sure enough, while she was taking a shower, Qiu Jianbai sent her a message, informing her that her role as the team’s owner had been exposed.

Aside from that, though, no other information had surfaced.

Jiang Qiuyi checked the situation and felt relieved.

If it was just her identity as the team’s owner, there wasn’t much for people to speculate or gossip about.

After replying to Qiu Jianbai’s message, Jiang Qiuyi followed Lu Mingcheng’s subtle hint and went to bed early.

The next morning, Li Miao made a special trip to Jiang Qiuyi’s house to dig up some gossip.

Uncle Xu had the chef prepare some desserts and brewed her favorite tea to welcome her.

Li Miao was thoroughly enjoying herself. She smiled brightly and said, “Uncle Xu, you always treat me the best.”

Uncle Xu chuckled. “If you like it, come over more often.”

Li Miao raised an eyebrow playfully and replied with a grin, “I’m just afraid President Lu will kick me out, thinking I’m a third wheel.”

Uncle Xu reassured her, “Sir wouldn’t do that.”

Li Miao glanced upstairs, where Jiang Qiuyi had yet to come down, and leaned in to whisper, “Uncle Xu, I heard you were the hero last night, rallying the house staff to save the day?”

After hearing about it from Jiang Qiuyi the previous night, Li Miao had been itching to get the full story. If it hadn’t been so late, she would have rushed over right then to eavesdrop.

Uncle Xu: “…”

He couldn’t help but laugh and clarified, “It was mainly because Madam gave the order.”

Li Miao gave Uncle Xu a big thumbs-up. “Uncle Xu, you’re amazing!”

“…”

Just as Jiang Qiuyi finished getting ready and came downstairs, she was greeted by Li Miao showering Uncle Xu with an endless stream of praise.

Blinking in surprise, Jiang Qiuyi walked down the stairs and teased, “So you didn’t come to see me today, huh? You came to see your idol instead?”

Li Miao grinned. “That’s right. Uncle Xu is officially my idol now.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

Uncle Xu smiled politely. “Madam, is there anything you’d like to eat?”

Jiang Qiuyi turned to Li Miao. “Have you had breakfast yet?”

Li Miao nodded. “I have, but I can still join you for a bite.”

Jiang Qiuyi chuckled. “Then let’s have Mrs. Huo’s favorite mini wontons. Do we have any at home?”

Uncle Xu nodded. “Yes, we do.”

Even if there weren’t any ready, the chef would whip them up immediately.

Uncle Xu bowed slightly and said in a low voice, “I’ll inform the chef to prepare them.”

Once Uncle Xu left, Li Miao pulled Jiang Qiuyi to sit down.

“Quick, give me all the details!”

Jiang Qiuyi looked at her helplessly. “Don’t you already know?”

“No, I don’t.” Li Miao hadn’t been in the loop at first. She only found out a few minutes before Chen Fu’s livestream ended.

Last night, she had been busy running errands for Huo Xun and didn’t have time to watch the livestream.

Jiang Qiuyi gave her a quick summary, which was almost identical to the version Li Miao had read from bloggers on Weibo earlier that morning.

Grinding her teeth, Li Miao fumed, “That other streamer actually said that about you?”

Jiang Qiuyi nodded. “Yes.”

Li Miao: “If he’s saying that about you, then he’s basically saying it about me too. Just wait—next time he streams, I’ll drop by his livestream and deal with him.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “?”

She was momentarily confused and asked seriously, “How so?”

Li Miao held her gaze for a moment, then blinked and said, “I’ll throw money at him. Scare him to death.”

“Why waste money on someone like that?” Jiang Qiuyi rejected the idea. “Let’s just keep making him envious and jealous. That’s more than enough.”

“You’ve got a point.” Li Miao rested her chin on her hand thoughtfully. “Next time Chen Fu streams, I’ll go shower him with gifts instead.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

After finishing their gossip session, the two enjoyed the freshly made mini wontons prepared by the chef.

Li Miao loved these, and Jiang Qiuyi, though she only ate them occasionally, found them quite enjoyable as well.

Once they finished eating, they had a Pilates instructor come to the house, spending an hour in the upstairs gym working out with the instructor.

After their workout, it was almost lunchtime.

Li Miao planned to go with Jiang Qiuyi to attend the trial, and they’d have lunch together afterward.

With plenty of time before lunch, they were both feeling a bit tired, so they called in a masseuse to give them a relaxing massage.

Before long, Jiang Qiuyi had fallen asleep during the massage.

When they left, they almost missed the start of the court session.

By the time they arrived, Jian Xia was already waiting at the entrance.

Jian Xia and Li Miao had met twice, so they were a bit more familiar with each other.

Jiang Qiuyi glanced around and whispered, “Where’s Shanshan?”

Jian Xia pointed, “She’s with the lawyer. She’s about to go in.”

Jiang Qiuyi nodded. “Alright, let’s go in too. I’ll introduce you two afterward when it’s over.”

Li Miao: “Okay.”

The three of them entered the courtroom, and there weren’t many people around to attend the trial—just a handful.

Jiang Qiuyi scanned the room but didn’t spot any familiar faces.

The three of them sat down and settled in.

Before long, the trial began.

Jiang Qiuyi glanced at Lin Shanshan, who had entered. Today, she was wearing the outfit they had picked out together a few days ago, with delicate makeup on. The overall vibe she gave off was different from when Jiang Qiuyi had first met her.

Jiang Qiuyi knew—Shanshan had truly let go of the past.

Noticing Jiang Qiuyi’s gaze, Lin Shanshan looked over toward them.

Jiang Qiuyi smiled and silently mouthed: “You’ve got this. I’m here for you.”

Lin Shanshan gave a slight nod in acknowledgment.

The trial itself was rather dull, but as Jiang Qiuyi listened to the opposing lawyer accuse Lin Shanshan of various things, her fists instinctively clenched.

Li Miao leaned in and whispered in her ear, “What the hell, is your friend’s ex-husband even human? Your friend quit her job to take care of his mom, and he’s saying she doesn’t have an income and is dragging the family down…”

Jiang Qiuyi patted her arm. “No.”

With a blank expression, she said, “How could a scumbag like that even be called human?”

Some scumbags, once they have a crooked mindset, the rest of them becomes crooked too.

They’ll come up with all sorts of excuses to shift the blame onto you while never once reflecting on their own actions.

Jiang Qiuyi despised those kinds of men with a deep hatred.

Of course, this had nothing to do with Lu Mingcheng.

At the same time, Lu Mingcheng had just received the agreement contract that Xu Chen had sent over.

He felt a slight itch in his nose, pinched it lightly, but didn’t pay much attention.

“Has everything been processed?”

Xu Chen nodded. “Yes, Madam can go whenever she likes.”

Lu Mingcheng gave a soft “mm” as he flipped through the documents and casually asked, “Are there any vacant offices over there?”

Xu Chen: “?”

He paused for a moment, then asked softly, “Is there something you need?”

Lu Mingcheng thought for a moment and recalled Jiang Qiuyi’s protective nature.

“Prepare one for Madam in advance,” he said. “Don’t leave any office unclaimed.”

Xu Chen hesitated for a moment before realizing what he meant.

“Understood.” He smiled and quietly asked, “Should it be according to Madam’s preferences?”

Lu Mingcheng: “Mm.”

Xu Chen made a note of it, thinking he would ask Uncle Xu later about Jiang Qiuyi’s preferences for office decor.

Lu Mingcheng, of course, didn’t know much about Jiang Qiuyi’s tastes in this regard.

After writing it down, Xu Chen asked, “Mr. Lu, is there anything else?”

Lu Mingcheng shook his head.

Xu Chen nodded and reminded him, “Mr. Lu, the director from Guangdiao called this morning. They’d like to schedule a meeting to discuss the design plans in detail.”

Lu Mingcheng responded with an “mm” and said, “You arrange a time.”

Xu Chen understood and whispered, “They sounded quite urgent on the phone.”

Lu Mingcheng chuckled lightly and replied, “If the plan is no good, no amount of urgency will help.”

He raised his eyes and added, “Tell them that unless they have a plan I can’t pick apart, the resort construction will proceed.”

Xu Chen nodded. “Understood.”

After the office door closed, Lu Mingcheng stared at the documents in front of him for a while, rubbing his aching temples.

The aftereffects of last night were still lingering, and now, when he looked at the computer screen, it felt as though it was filled with bullet comments.

While he was lost in thought, a message from Huo Xun came in.

Huo Xun: [?]

Huo Xun: [You actually helped your wife send gifts to a little idol?]

Huo Xun: [Are you even a man?]

…

Lu Mingcheng coldly swiped through the messages and set his notifications to “Do Not Disturb.”

Whether he was a man or not didn’t need to be explained to Huo Xun.

However, Lu Mingcheng thought for a moment and decided to take a look at the materials for the esports team Jiang Qiuyi had purchased.

The documents related to her team purchase had been provided to him by Yan Xu. Given that it was a significant expense, aside from the bank notifications, the company’s lawyers were also aware of it.

Lu Mingcheng had never paid much attention to this matter, so he hadn’t looked at it until now.

When he finally did, he understood why Jiang Qiuyi had said she wanted to protect their dreams.

The young members of the team she had bought mostly came from poor backgrounds, but they were passionate about gaming.

After reading through the information, Lu Mingcheng absentmindedly glanced at the time.

He suddenly realized that he had wasted over half an hour on something unimportant, which was completely unlike him.

After thinking for a moment, he sent Jiang Qiuyi a message.

…

When Jiang Qiuyi received the message from Lu Mingcheng, the trial had just concluded.

She took a look and, surprised, asked: [You really want to go see the team?]

Lu Mingcheng: [Mm.]

Jiang Qiuyi: [Then I’ll make the arrangements. I thought you were joking last night.]

Lu Mingcheng: [Okay, I’m busy now.]

Jiang Qiuyi: [Oh.]

Lu Mingcheng: [Has your friend’s trial ended?]

Jiang Qiuyi: [Yes!]

Lu Mingcheng: [What’s the outcome?]

Jiang Qiuyi: [They need to go through another round of mediation, but it’s definitely not going to work. So, the result is good, but right now I just want to kill that scumbag. Can the Lu family protect me?]

Lu Mingcheng: [? Not really.]

Jiang Qiuyi: [Goodbye.]

=^_^=