Chapter 10

“Miss, you hardly ate just now. I brought this over for you—please have a little more!”

Gu Qingqing looked at her mistress, thin as a monkey, and wished she could fatten her up a bit—she’d be even prettier that way.

But Lin Wanting remembered she still hadn’t done her daily sign-in today, so she waved her off casually. “Just leave it here. You can go now.”

Gu Qingqing, though she’d only been working for her a short time, was a loyal servant. A country girl at heart, she was warm, genuine, and eager to help.

“Click to sign in. Sign-in successful!”

These days, Lin Wanting never forgot to sign in on time. If she missed it, making up for it would be troublesome, and she dreaded the thought of having to go to her father for money as her next task.

“Random drop—surprise box!”

She eyed the box with both excitement and apprehension—afraid it might be something useless and impossible to explain.

Nervously, she opened it… only to find nothing inside. This was the first time she’d gotten no reward from signing in.

【System: Newbie protection period has ended. Daily sign-ins now yield random drops. Tasks, however, will still guarantee rewards.】

Lin Wanting gave a wry smile. So there had been a newbie protection period?

Meanwhile, Lin Haifeng finally spoke to Qiao Yilan: “Keep an eye on our daughter and find her a good husband.”

“I know. All you ever do is talk. You know so many people—why not actually look for someone suitable for her?”

Lin Haifeng sighed. “Yilan… if one day I lost everything, would you leave me?”

At last, he had asked the question he’d been holding in. Qiao Yilan had been waiting for it—she knew this day would come.

“I wouldn’t. We’re husband and wife.”

He got the answer he wanted. But he knew—if she knew the truth, she would never have answered so firmly.

Two days later, Wang Xing brought Xia Xue back to the city. Xia Xue planned to visit her family alone, but Wang Xing, sulking, didn’t want her to go and upset the atmosphere at home.

“Wang Xing, you find a place to stay first. I’ll come out after I’m done.”

Wang Xing didn’t want to go to her family anyway—he had no money to bring gifts, and this pampered young lady was even harder to please than Lin Wanting.

Besides, Xia Xue’s visit home was also to ask for money—she didn’t have enough to open a shop on her own.

When Xia Xue got home, the family greeted her calmly—neither particularly happy nor unhappy to see her. She went straight to the point, saying she’d come back to get money to start a business.

Her father supported the idea—he wanted her to learn independence so she wouldn’t spend her life being looked down on.

Her mother, however, opposed it, convinced that Wang Xing would swindle her money away just days into the marriage.

“Oh, Mom, don’t think like that. Just wait for your son-in-law to start making money!”

Xia Xue seemed oddly confident in Wang Xing—even though he hadn’t even bothered to bring gifts or show up with her.

Wang Xing, meanwhile, found a place to stay without even considering the price—he just paid for it and moved in.

He didn’t unpack, didn’t tidy up—just collapsed on the bed and slept until nightfall. Still, Xia Xue hadn’t returned.

She was still at home trying to persuade her mother, hoping she would agree.

In the end, her father gave her a sum of money. “Consider it part of your dowry.”

Xia Xue accepted it and silently vowed to make something of herself.

Elsewhere, Lin Haifeng left the house again. This time, Lin Wanting followed her father, determined not to lose him like last time.

Having learned from her earlier failed attempt, she kept a good distance.

Lin Haifeng wasn’t hiding anything in the moment—he simply went to where he kept his savings.

But the walk was long, and Lin Wanting almost lost sight of him. He kept looking over his shoulder, so she stayed far back.

He arrived at a house she’d never seen before—a large property in a remote location.

In her previous life, Lin Wanting had never known he had such a place. Could this be where he kept a mistress? She shook her head and hid behind a big tree.

Now that she knew the location, she decided not to press further today. She’d come back when Lin Haifeng wasn’t around.

No wonder that, in her past life, after she got married and broke ties with Qiao Yilan, she never heard from them again. Qiao Yilan had endured in silence for years before Lin Haifeng finally got what he deserved.

It turned out he’d moved all his money here—this was the only place he felt safe storing it.

On her way back, Lin Wanting was distracted. After all, Lin Haifeng was still her father. The best outcome would be if he could turn back from this path.

But she didn’t know—no matter what the outcome, he had no intention of turning back.

The next day at noon, Xia Xue went to find Wang Xing. One night’s stay had already racked up a day’s room fee, and she was annoyed—how had he ended up staying here when she’d told him to find a place?

“Wang Xing, my dad supports us starting a big business. Get up—we need to go find a location!”

“How much is your dad supporting you with?” Wang Xing wanted to cash in quickly and take the shortcut.

“You don’t need to worry about that—just come with me to scout locations and see what’s suitable.”

“Alright, alright… let me use the bathroom first.”

When Lin Wanting got home, she went straight to her room—the only place she could let her guard down.

By her calculations, the shameless couple should be back in the city by now, which meant it was time for her to act. Xia Xue, your good days are over.

Meanwhile, Qiao Yilan decided to go shopping for clothes—she hadn’t done so in ages. She pulled Lin Wanting along, telling her to pick a few outfits too, since next month they were meeting a blind date she’d arranged for her. She took it seriously.

“Mom, why the sudden focus on dressing up?”

“Well, I don’t want to embarrass you. The other day, when I saw them, every single one of them was dressed to the nines!”

Qiao Yilan knew she always went barefaced at home, cycling through the same few outfits, and people looked down on her for it.

They weren’t short of money, but she believed a person’s aura was everything.

The two of them went out, bringing Gu Qingqing along. Both mother and daughter liked her—she was like a little treasure chest, always prepared and willing to carry piles of newly bought clothes.

By chance, they ran into Xia Xue and Wang Xing, who were out looking for a shop location. Enemies met on a narrow road—five people face to face.

Wang Xing, who’d been listless all morning, suddenly put on a show of calm when he saw Lin Wanting, smiling as he took Xia Xue’s hand.

This was also Qiao Yilan’s first time meeting Wang Xing. Seeing Xia Xue, she had questions, but before she could ask, Lin Wanting tried to pull her away. Then Xia Xue spoke up.

“Hello, Auntie. This is my husband, Wang Xing—I haven’t had the chance to introduce him yet.”

Qiao Yilan was baffled. How had Wang Xing become Xia Xue’s husband?

“Wanting, what’s going on here?”

“Mom, I’ll explain later. Let’s just go over there first.”

But Xia Xue deliberately added, “My dad fully supports Wang Xing starting a business—unlike Auntie, who doesn’t approve of him!”

Qiao Yilan felt awkward. How had Xia Xue turned out like this?

“Xia Xue, don’t go too far!” Lin Wanting had no desire to make her mother feel bad—the truth was nothing like what Xia Xue implied.

“Auntie, thank you! Your disapproval gave me such a wonderful husband,” Xia Xue said, willing to say anything just to provoke.