Ning Qiuxiu took a serious inventory of her assets.

The original owner, being in a girl group, had her income partially taken by both Yixing Entertainment and her own company, leaving her with a relatively modest amount.

Furthermore, the original owner was a spendthrift, often attending parties, wearing high fashion, and buying luxury items without hesitation.

As a result, she was basically living paycheck to paycheck and often had to rely on her parents for financial support.

In summary, this seemingly glamorous and wealthy woman had hardly any savings!

After Ning Qiuxiu took over, she accepted a drama role, several ads, and magazine covers.

The drama was relatively lucrative, thanks to Zhan Qingyuan’s generous investment for his girlfriend, resulting in a substantial paycheck.

The ads, aside from the cosmetics endorsement, were average, but she still earned a decent amount.

However, even though celebrities earn a lot, they spend a lot too.

For someone maintaining a rich and glamorous image like her, wearing anything worth less than five figures was unthinkable, and daily expenses, including clothes, bags, accessories, makeup, and sometimes team expenses, were constant.

In the end, Ning Qiuxiu shamefully realized that her accessible funds amounted to less than 3 million.

Moreover, if she invested all of it, she and her team would be living off a tight budget for a while.

Compared to someone like Zhan Qingyue, who casually tosses out a million, Ning Qiuxiu felt inadequate.

Yet, she had other assets: the multi-million-dollar villa gifted by her father, and 1% of the main shares given by the elder Zhan, plus a portion of the family’s main shares.

Altogether, she could be considered a billionaire on paper.

But these assets were theoretical; none were liquid, leaving her effectively a poor woman with less than 3 million to her name.

She might be the poorest rich wife ever.

When Zhan Qingyue suggested investing, Ning Qiuxiu initially considered throwing around tens of millions to become a major shareholder.

Now, it seemed that even her small contribution might be a stretch, and she would be lucky if Zhan Qingyue allowed her to invest at all.

She needed to make money.

No matter what, she had to accumulate 10 million before Zhan Qingyue was ready!

Her first thought was her special ability fu-zhen, or talismans.

In many stories, protagonists have space systems or other means of generating wealth easily.

She thought she could make a fortune selling talismans.

Reality, however, brought genuine tears: when she tried selling her talismans online, no one bought them at 10 yuan each.

In fact, in other stores, ten yuan could get you ten dozen, shipping included.

It might be simpler and more direct to climb into Zhan Qingyue’s bed and demand “compensation for losses”—she might even get millions… though she thought Zhan Qingyue would probably turn around and extort her instead.

In the end, Ning Qiuxiu found it more practical to call Qu Hua and ask him to get her more endorsements.

“Hey, Xiao Qiuxiu, you’re done with your break so soon?” Qu Hua’s tone was upbeat when he heard his artist was no longer indulging in idle time. “As long as you want, I can keep your schedule full every day!”

“Then get me a few… high-paying ones,” Ning Qiuxiu said, feeling a bit embarrassed.

After pretending to be wealthy for so long, she found it awkward to admit she needed money.

“…?” Qu Hua paused for a second, then asked curiously, “Why suddenly care about high pay? Are you short on money? Did someone scam you, Xiao Qiuxiu?”

Realizing something, Qu Hua’s tone became urgent: “Let me tell you, many seemingly charming men are actually quite deceitful. Don’t be fooled, my little treasure! Tell me why you’re suddenly short on cash. Did he ask for something? Don’t be foolish and get scammed for money or something else!”

Ning Qiuxiu: “…”

It seemed Qu Hua wasn’t entirely wrong.

Zhan Qingyue was indeed one of those charming but deceitful men, and her money problems were because he wanted her to invest.

“No, no, you’re overthinking it. It’s not related to him. I’m just thinking about investing in a company myself.”

“Investing in a company?! How did you suddenly get this idea? Do you know anything about it? Did someone brainwash you into investing? Becoming a shareholder is great, but many end up losing everything. Xiao Qiuxiu, you need to be cautious!”

Qu Hua went on and on like a worried parent.

Ning Qiuxiu understood he was concerned about her being scammed.

She thought for a moment and said, “You know about the person from the Zhan family who just woke up, right?”

This news had been trending on Weibo for half an hour, so Qu Hua certainly knew.

He was confused about how Ning Qiuxiu was involved with the Zhan family. “I know. What about him?”

Ning Qiuxiu: “He wants to make a comeback and wants me to invest.”

“If you’d said it was him from the start,” Qu Hua sighed in relief and his attitude changed completely, “That’s okay then. Go ahead and invest. Also, ask him if he accepts small investments. I’d like to get a share too.”

“… Has Zhan Qingyue made you feel this secure?”

After sorting things out, Qu Hua promised to arrange work for Ning Qiuxiu immediately, with good pay.

Although… it still seemed a bit meager, but every bit helps.

Previously, Qu Hua had also arranged two tickets for Ning Qiuxiu to a Chrysanthemum Exhibition, and it was time for those.

This is a private chrysanthemum garden exhibition.

Tickets aren’t sold but given away by the owner on a whim.

It’s said that only 88 people are allowed in each day. It’s unclear how Qu Hua managed to get one.

But Qu Hua had his ways, and so did Ning Qiuhou.

She got a ticket for Jingjing and Chen Yi as well, mainly because she needed to look after Zhan Qingyue.

She was worried about him needing to use the bathroom and being in a difficult situation.

Although she and Zhan Qingyue weren’t really a couple, and didn’t need to be romantically involved, the main goal was to take Zhan Qingyue out to relax, so he wouldn’t develop a psychological issue from his rehab.

The chrysanthemum garden truly lived up to its reputation.

There were many kinds of chrysanthemums, some Ning Qiuhou had never seen before.

Even in late autumn, the flowers were blooming vigorously due to the favorable climate, making it a pleasing sight.

They spent a joyful day there and even received two pots of chrysanthemums, homemade chrysanthemum honey, and chrysanthemum tea from the owner, so they had a good haul.

On the way back, Ning Qiuxiu was exhausted from the day and fell asleep as soon as she got into the car.

Perhaps because she was used to long hours as a star, she slept soundly during the ride.

Suddenly, the car braked sharply, causing Ning Qiuxiu to lurch forward.

Just as she was about to hit the front seat, she felt a warm hand on her forehead, stopping her head from hitting anything.

She knew immediately who the hand belonged to.

Fully awake now, Ning Qiuxiu’s attention was focused on the warm palm, bringing back the same tingling sensation she felt the first time they slept together.

It made her shiver all over.

It seemed that since Zhan Qingyue woke up, their interactions had been overly formal, with no physical contact.

This sudden touch made all her senses focus on his hand.

Though she had acted in intimate scenes with other male actors, she had never felt this way before.

Feeling a mix of emotions, she didn’t want to wake up.

Instead, she murmured, “Are we there yet?”

“Not yet,” Zhan Qingyue replied.

“Mmm.” Ning Qiuxiu, taking advantage of the situation, was about to move away when she felt his hand press a bit harder on her forehead, guiding her head onto his shoulder.

“Drive carefully,” she heard Zhan Qingyue say softly.

Chen Yi, the driver, didn’t explain, just said, “Okay, sorry. Are you and Miss Ning alright?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Zhan Qingyue replied, adjusting his position to make her more comfortable.

Ning Qiuxiu, now fully awake, felt awkward from the closeness.

She wished she could just sleep on his shoulder like a pig, drooling and all, and when they got home, wake up groggily and complain.

If Zhan Qingyue were the ultimate boyfriend, he would have picked her up and carried her to the room, whispering, “Let’s go to sleep.”

But since he’s a half-disabled rich boss, it’s more likely he would have Chen Yi and Jingjing bring the things inside first.

He’d sit in the car, let her rest on his shoulder until she wakes up, and look at her sweet sleeping face with affection, with pink bubbles floating around.

“…” Ning Qiuxiu was shocked by her own imagination.

In reality, she was wide awake, leaning on his shoulder without daring to put too much weight on it, afraid she might press down too hard on the weak, beautiful man.

As she was about to pretend to wake up and rub her eyes, she suddenly felt a weight on her head—Zhan Qingyue had actually rested his head against hers!

They were snuggled up like a TV drama couple, heads touching.

Ning Qiuxiu felt like Jingjing, who was always paying attention to the gossip in the back seat, might scream out.

But she didn’t want it at all.

The unfamiliar electric thrill that had just made her break out in goosebumps now vanished into thin air, leaving her feeling uncomfortable and stiff, her neck wanting to cramp up.

…What did she do wrong? Couldn’t she just have a normal romantic drama script?

Of course, she couldn’t see Zhan Qingyue’s face, so she didn’t know he was smiling faintly.

Although Ning Qiuxiu was a good actress, Zhan Qingyue had noticed her stiffness when they first touched and wanted to tease her a bit.

This peaceful, intimate pose lasted only five minutes. Ning Qiuxiu couldn’t stand it anymore.

She pretended to wake up, rubbed her eyes, and “realized” she was leaning on Zhan Qingyue’s shoulder.

She quickly said, “Sorry, sorry, I must have fallen asleep. Did I press on you?”

Zhan Qingyue said, “Yes, you did.”

Ning Qiuxiu: “???”

Zhan Qingyue was not playing by the rules, so Ning Qiuxiu decided to shamelessly continue: “Ah, I really didn’t mean to. How about this—should I let you press back on me?”

Jingjing and Chen Yi in the front seat: “…”

Why did the conversation turn into something more intimate again?

“Sure,” Zhan Qingyue agreed readily and even said, “Move over a bit, and I won’t press on you.”

“???” Ning Qiuxiu was stunned by his shamelessness.

How could he actually say that?

But since the words were out, Ning Qiuxiu had no choice but to move over like a humble wife in debt, letting Zhan Qingyue rest his head on her shoulder.

His short hair brushed against her neck, making her want to scratch it.

The air became quiet again.

Although Zhan Qingyue was resting on her shoulder, he didn’t put much weight on it. Probably because he was as careful as she had been about pressing too hard.

Ning Qiuxiu sat stiffly for a while before starting to feel drowsy again and drifted off to sleep.

She slept all the way to the front door. When she woke up, Zhan Qingyue was no longer leaning on her.

Instead, a blanket had been draped over her at some point.

She smiled, put the blanket aside, got out of the car, and stretched quietly.

Zhan Qingyue was back in his wheelchair. When Miaomiao saw its owner return, it happily ran around the wheelchair, barking and wagging its tail.

Zhan Qingyue reached out to pat its head, making Miaomiao even more excited. However, when it saw Ning Qiuxiu getting out of the car, it retreated in fear.