Chapter 2: Sheng Xia, Is That You?

“Sheng Xia? Is that you?”

Qi Youbai’s voice was always cool and calm, but at this moment, both his expression and tone betrayed a clear sense of shock and disbelief.

Sheng Xia instantly raised her hand to cover her face and denied loudly, “No! You’ve got the wrong person!”

Qi Youbai: “……”

It might have been better if she hadn’t responded at all. Her reaction just made it more obvious she was who he thought she was.

Stunned for a moment, Sheng Xia suddenly realized her mistake. Her face turned bright red, like a monkey’s butt, and she began trying to squeeze her way out of the crowd of beggars. But everyone around was pushing forward. She had been able to stand still just fine before, but now that she was trying to move, she was shoved forward by the crowd.

To keep her balance, she spread her legs and braced her arms against the side of the car. But within seconds, her whole body sprawled across the car like an awkward, panicked octopus, unable to move an inch.

What made Sheng Xia want to die even more—

Was that another shove from behind sent her tumbling forward. Her butt stuck out, and her head went straight through the car window.

Qi Youbai’s eyes widened in shock as he stared, open-mouthed, at the scene unfolding before him.

Sheng Xia even felt the cool fabric of the man’s suit on her forehead. She immediately squeezed her eyes shut, face down, overcome with shame and hopelessness. She could feel his stunned gaze lingering on the back of her head.

It felt like an eternity had passed. Sheng Xia’s whole life flashed before her eyes. She even considered opening a map app later to check which river in City C had the highest suicide rate.

What’s the most terrifying thing in life?

It’s not running into the ex you dumped years ago. Nor is it that you’re now a filthy beggar while he’s a high and mighty CEO. No—

It’s being a beggar, with your head jammed through the car window in front of said ex, looking absolutely ridiculous and having no way to hide.

But maybe this was for the best, Sheng Xia thought bitterly. At least her eyes were closed. At least she didn’t have to see the look of shock, mockery, and contempt on his face.

Qi Youbai tilted his chin slightly and gave a subtle signal. Two men in black suits immediately got out of the car. They were tall and burly, holding electric batons.

The beggars, who had surrounded the luxury car moments ago, scattered in an instant and didn’t dare approach again.

Sheng Xia finally managed to breathe a little of the stale-but-slightly-fresher air around her.

As the pressure from behind eased, she collapsed onto the ground, utterly defeated and too ashamed to lift her head.

Qi Youbai got out from the other side of the car. As he bent down to help her up, she shuddered and scrambled backward on hands and feet to avoid his touch.

He furrowed his brows but stayed where he was. After a moment, he squatted down and looked carefully at the filthy, hunched-over figure in front of him—her head down, covered in grime, her face unrecognizable. His voice was gentle and cautious:

“Sheng Xia, come with me. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Hospital?

Sheng Xia’s mouth twitched. She rolled her eyes and muttered, “Get lost.”

To hell with your hospital! She wasn’t mentally ill!

Just then, Sheng Jun began to sense something was wrong. He had been dozing off until the surrounding noise abruptly vanished. When he opened his eyes, he saw his sister surrounded in the middle of the street—flanked by two muscular men holding electric batons.

Thinking her bad temper had offended some bigwig, he rushed over and began apologizing profusely: “I’m so sorry, boss! My sister’s not right in the head. She didn’t mean to—”

But the moment he saw Qi Youbai’s face, he swallowed the rest of the sentence.

The two bodyguards, skilled at reading their boss’s cues, allowed Sheng Jun to approach.

Qi Youbai, seeing Sheng Jun in the same beggar disguise, instantly pieced everything together.

He remembered when he and Sheng Xia were dating, she’d told him her brother had gotten into the police force and become an officer. She’d even complained back then that her brother was overly excited about being a low-ranking cop, staying up for days dreaming about serving the country and becoming a martyr.

The atmosphere turned awkwardly quiet—until one of the two young pickpockets finally spoke up:

“Hey, your sister knows this rich guy?”

Sheng Jun snapped out of his thoughts: “Oh, right, right. Our parents used to work as servants for his family back in the day.” He walked over, pulled Sheng Xia up from the ground, then dropped to his knees before Qi Youbai with a loud thud.

Qi Youbai took a startled step back.

Still kneeling, Sheng Jun scooted forward and clutched at Qi Youbai’s pant leg, sobbing:

“Young Master, I never thought I’d live to see you again. Please, have mercy. Save me and my sister. We haven’t had a hot meal in days…”

Sheng Xia covered her face, wishing she were dead.

Qi Youbai, unaccustomed to such dramatics, actually looked a bit nervous. He pulled out a card and was about to hand it over when he noticed Sheng Jun making exaggerated facial expressions.

He whispered something to a bodyguard, who ran off. Within two minutes, the man returned with a black plastic bag—stuffed with cash.

The scent of money stirred the beggars again. The bodyguards waved their batons, electricity crackling, and the crowd immediately backed down.

Qi Youbai watched Sheng Jun’s expression and said slowly, “Of course I can’t give all this to you.”

He pulled out a thick stack, looked up, saw Sheng Jun’s twitching face, and removed more.

Sheng Xia couldn’t take it anymore. She just wanted this awkward mess over with. So she mimicked Sheng Jun, dropped to her knees with a thud, clasped her hands in front of her, and, with tears in her eyes but not daring to look at Qi Youbai, pleaded:

“Young Master, please have mercy. I’m not greedy. Just… one—thousand is enough. Enough for me and my brother to barely get a meal. I’ll remember your kindness for the rest of my life!”

She buried her face in her arms, half her body pressed to the ground.

Qi Youbai: “……”

Eventually, he handed them a small stack of bills—2,800 yuan, Sheng Xia counted later.

As she watched her ex-boyfriend drive away in his luxury car, a breeze blew filthy hair into her mouth. She spat in disgust, her heart aching, her shame soaring.

Ughhh! Her money! Her dignity! All gone in a flash! She was probably the most ridiculous ex in human history.

Even worse, those veteran beggars nearby had been eyeing the money, but Sheng Jun handed all of it to the two teenage pickpockets. The older beggars grumbled but didn’t dare challenge them—those kids had connections.

---

Three days later, City A.

At 3 AM, the streets were nearly empty. Neon lights flickered, casting starlike glows from above, turning night into day.

Sheng Xia tiptoed through her apartment’s door, quickly set down her luggage, and was just about to dash into her bedroom when she noticed a shadow on the living room sofa.

She gasped quietly, then smacked her forehead. “Why am I jumping? It’s my own house!”

She tried to sneak into her room, but suddenly the standing lamp flicked on.

Her mother, yawning and rubbing her sleepy eyes, sat up. She’d heard her son and daughter were returning tonight and had stayed up waiting. Now that the sleepiness had worn off, she noticed something odd.

“Why’re you back so late, Xiaxia? Where’s Sheng Jun? Didn’t you two leave together?”

“Ahaha, Mom, you’re still up?” Sheng Xia turned slightly away. “My brother went back to the station. He cracked a big case—super busy.”

“He did? He cracked a big case?” Her mom sounded doubtful. “Well, we’ll talk about it in the morning. Let’s get to bed.”

“Yup!” Sheng Xia sighed in relief and headed to her room.

“Hey, Xiaxia.”

Her heart jumped. “Hmm? What is it?”

“You’re talking weird today. Why’s your head turned like that? And why are you covering your face with your hair? You trying to scare someone in the middle of the night?”

“Ahaha, no! All the girls wear their hair down these days! I’m just trying to look pretty. Anyway, I’m super tired—night!”

She had underestimated her mom’s intuition. As she was about to shut her bedroom door, her mom forced herself through the gap and flipped on the light.

“Ahhhh!”

“Who beat you up like this?!”

“Old Sheng! Old Sheng! Get up! Your daughter’s been assaulted!”

---

Thirty minutes later.

Sheng Xia sat in the brightly lit living room with two massive black eyes, telling the whole story in detail.

“Those two young pickpockets were easy to fool. Gave them 2,800 yuan, and they took us straight to their base. But their gang’s little leader was smart. As soon as we arrived, he tried to search us and check our phones.”

She slapped her hand on the table. “That wouldn’t do! Sheng Jun had already sent the location to the station. If they found that out, we’d be dead meat. They’d crush our bones!”

Her parents listened, tense and wide-eyed. “Then what happened? How did you escape?”

Sheng Xia frowned. “Luckily, your precious son can fart on command. He let out a series of disgusting ones that made everyone question reality. He told the leader he crapped his pants, and I offered to go fetch him clean clothes. Then we climbed over the toilet wall and fled.”

She sighed, exhausted from reliving it. These past few days had been the most disgusting of her life.

“And your black eyes?” her dad asked.

“Oh, got clocked by two patrol officers. As soon as we escaped, we ran into them. One hit me, one hit Sheng Jun. Honestly, I got off easy—his face is swollen like a pig. He’s hiding in the dorm so you wouldn’t find out.”

Dad remained calm. Mom exploded: “That rascal! Dragging his sister into something so dangerous! Just wait till he gets back—I’ll teach him a lesson!”

Sheng Xia rubbed her nose guiltily and didn’t mention that she had been paid to help her brother in the first place.

Honestly, with her half-baked martial arts, she was no match for adult men. If Sheng Jun hadn’t shielded her, she wouldn’t have gotten off with just two black eyes.

“Oh right, Mom, Dad, I have to sleep. I’ve got work tomorrow. Big client coming to the office. I’ll need to meet them.”

She said goodnight, showered quickly, and sank into the comfort of her own bed.

Ah, nothing like home. No more hard, dirty pavement like those beggar days.

She sniffed herself. Even after multiple showers at a hotel in City C, it felt like the stench of those days still clung to her.

Whatever. Too tired to care. She opened her phone and saw a message from her boss. Without even reading it properly, she quickly typed a reply:
“Okay, received.”

Then passed out.

On the glowing screen, the message read:

Xiaxia, top executives from Junli International Hotel will visit tomorrow to discuss the Tang Iron Project. I thought long and hard and believe you’re the perfect mix of beauty and talent. If the partnership goes through, I plan to assign you as the lead planner for Tang Iron’s exhibit. What do you think?