After nothing more than the time it took to hold a birthday banquet, Ning Xiaoyu had already become familiar to most people within the social circle.

──Second Young Master Ning’s daughter, and Old Master Ning’s granddaughter.

And in that same short span of a birthday banquet, Ning Xiaoyu had become a wealthy woman worth hundreds of millions— a rich lady!

There had once been a popular motivational phrase, ‘Let’s just make our first hundred million.’

That sentence had circulated widely among netizens.

At the start of each year, people would jokingly set their goal by saying, “This year, I don’t want much— just a hundred million.”

But everyone knew, of course, that it was just a joke.

After all, how easy could it be to make a hundred million? Most people could work their entire lives and never come close.

But Ning Xiaoyu was different. She didn’t even need to strive and she already had assets worth several hundred million.

What did it mean to strike it rich overnight?

This was exactly it.

It was something most people wouldn’t even dare to dream of.

After Ning Xiaoyu casually said those words, the audience couldn’t calm down for a long time.

【I need to go ask my dad if he’s a runaway heir to some wealthy family.】

【I just asked my dad if my grandpa is waiting for him to come home. My dad smacked me on the head and asked what nonsense I was thinking.】

【Same here. I told my dad to stop pretending already and just confess that he’s a rich second generation! My dad said he’s also been waiting for his dad to say that.】

【The comments above are killing me with laughter, hahaha.】

After saying goodnight to the livestream viewers along with the cameraman, Ning Xiaoyu calmly headed back to her room to sleep. She remained composed, while the cameraman was still lost in the gossip-filled buzz of the night.

Back in her room, that thick stack of documents awaiting signature was casually placed on the bedside table by Ning Xiaoyu.

That stack of papers might have been treasure to someone else, but to Ning Xiaoyu, it was just a headache. Signing her name wasn’t enough, she still had to run all sorts of procedures at various offices.

That process couldn’t be wrapped up in a single day.

Just then, her phone started buzzing non-stop.

She glanced at it lazily and discovered that in a matter of moments, she had received hundreds of messages.

Her phone, usually ignored by the world, suddenly lit up with attention.

Some messages were congratulatory, some were digging for gossip, and most were just people trying to get close to her.

Though Ning Xiaoyu had been in the entertainment circle for a few years, it was the first time her phone had been this lively.

【Xiaoyu, today was your birthday banquet. Such a pity I couldn’t be there in person. Happy birthday!】

【Xiaoyu, it’s been a while. How have you been lately?】

【Xiaoyu, free sometime soon? Want to book a spa together?】

【Xiaoyu……】

Ning Xiaoyu skimmed through them and then put the phone down. Just a bunch of irrelevant people— not worth replying to.

She took a hot shower and was just about to lie down and sleep when someone knocked on her door.

When she opened it, she saw it was Ning Xuchen standing at the doorway.

With a cheerful smile, he placed a large box in front of her room. “These are all your birthday gifts. The names of the senders are written on each one. Alright, it’s getting late. You can slowly open them tomorrow. Rest well.”

Ning Xiaoyu hadn’t expected to receive this many birthday presents. It was her first time getting over a hundred gifts.

She nodded. “Thanks, Brother.”

After Ning Xuchen left, she had originally intended to sleep and open the gifts the next day. As a proud salted fish, she usually had the patience to wait.

But at that moment, her eyes accidentally landed on a gift sitting right on top of the pile. If she remembered correctly, that one had been given by Lu Jingdu.

She picked it up to check and sure enough, the name on it was Lu Jingdu.

Since it was already in her hands, she figured she might as well see what was inside.

With that thought, Ning Xiaoyu unwrapped the present in just a few quick motions.

When the content was revealed, she looked at the gift with a bit of surprise.

Inside was a small crown— more like a hair accessory that could be clipped into her hair.

Unlike the diamond crown she had worn earlier that day, this one was petite. Though it also had diamonds, it was more understated and suitable for everyday wear.

She held it up and examined it closely.

She had to admit that the little crown was exquisitely crafted— dainty and delicate. It looked absolutely adorable.

And the diamonds sparkled brilliantly.

Just playing with it in her hand, she was nearly blinded by the dazzling shine.

Even someone like Ning Xiaoyu, who had zero girlishness, found herself genuinely liking the gift.

If it had been a girl with a heart full of pink dreams, she probably wouldn’t have been able to sleep tonight from excitement.

Ning Xiaoyu was about to put the gift away when she felt something unusual near the clasp.

The surface there wasn’t smooth and it felt rough to the touch.

She instinctively flipped it over to take a look.

And that’s when she discovered the truth.

It wasn’t a flaw in the clasp but an engraving.

Etched into it, in tiny but clear letters, was her name— Ning Xiaoyu.

If the love system had been around, it would have screamed, 〖The movie king’s attention to detail is off the charts! He really put his heart into this gift!〗

Unfortunately, the love system wasn’t there.

So, Ning Xiaoyu was only mildly surprised before calmly and neatly putting the gift away.

As for the rest of the huge box of presents, she’d open them whenever she had time.

────ρя


The next morning, Ning Xuchen dragged Ning Xiaoyu out bright and early to start running around for all those procedures. As for her variety show filming, Ning Xuchen had already arranged a leave of absence for her.

By the time they finished all the exhausting formalities, Ning Xiaoyu was nearly wiped out.

After the final step, Ning Xuchen patted her on the shoulder with a big smile and said, “Xiao Yu, congratulations. You’re officially a little rich lady now.”

Ning-Rich Lady-Xiaoyu replied, “Thanks.”

Ning Xuchen even cracked a rare joke, “Only a rich lady can afford to keep a boy toy.”

Ning Xiaoyu let out a lazy “Oh” and said, “Not keeping one.”

What would be the point? Too much hassle.

No one should dream of scamming a single cent out of her!

Ning Xuchen just laughed heartily and didn’t press the topic.

────ρя


While the Ning family was enjoying this harmony, the Shen family, on the other hand, was in utter chaos.

Last night, Shen Ke had an unexpected dinner engagement, so he returned home a bit later than usual.

By the time he arrived, Zhang Xue had already tidied herself up impeccably. There was no trace of anything unusual on her face and no one could tell she had been hysterical just hours earlier.

She was wearing a beautiful, seductive nightdress, looking sweet and alluring.

Shen Ke and Zhang Xue spent a wonderful night together.

The next morning, when Shen Ke went to the office feeling refreshed and energized, he received a message from CEO Wang of a rival company.

The message was short and seemingly normal— just a question showing concern.

【CEO Shen, is this your wife? You’re always so busy with work, but you should still show your wife more care from time to time.】

Shen Ke read the message with a blank expression.

His wife? What happened to Zhang Xue? Wasn’t she perfectly fine?

They had just spent a tender night together and he hadn’t noticed anything wrong with her.

But just seconds later, a second message from CEO Wang arrived.

It was a photo.

And the woman in the photo— he knew her all too well. They had shared the same bed for seven whole years.

It was Zhang Xue.

Yet in the photo, she looked completely different from her usual self.

She wore a messy pajama set with a long down coat thrown over it. Her hair was dishevelled and her eyes slightly red, looking like someone who had escaped from a mental facility.

The background appeared to be a hospital.

Shen Ke’s first reaction was— was Zhang Xue sick?

Otherwise, why would she look so unhinged?

Just as he was about to call her to ask about her condition and show some concern, another message came in from one of his competitors.

【CEO Shen, you really ought to show your wife a bit more care.】

Only then did Shen Ke sense something was off, and his brows furrowed slightly.

He knew these people weren’t that kindhearted. If Zhang Xue had truly fallen ill, they wouldn’t be sending him messages of concern.

Which meant that something must have happened without his knowledge.

He quickly gave a cold order to his assistant, “Go find out what the madam did yesterday.”

“Yes, CEO Shen.”

His assistant worked efficiently and soon had everything investigated.

But when he reported the findings, he felt a bit uneasy.

Because no matter how one looked at it, it seemed CEO Shen had been…… cuckolded.

No wonder those two competitors had messaged CEO Shen this morning with such seemingly friendly ‘concern’. Underneath it all was ridicule and amusement.

He could already picture how CEO Shen would react.

Sure enough, once Shen Ke learned that Zhang Xue had gone to the hospital to visit her ex-husband— only to find he had already been transferred— his fury erupted!

Man or woman, few could tolerate being made a fool of in such a way.

Especially someone like Shen Ke, who had a strong sense of pride.

He sneered coldly.

No wonder! No wonder that group had suddenly become so ‘kind-hearted’, they were just there for the show!

And yet he, the person at the center of it all, had been completely kept in the dark.

After handling a few important matters, Shen Ke hurried back home.

Zhang Xue was surprised to see him come home before lunchtime. Just as she was about to approach him as usual, Shen Ke shoved her away with a single push.

She fell to the floor instantly.

It didn’t hurt, but the humiliation was overwhelming.

Tears welled up in her eyes. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

Shen Ke exploded. “What’s wrong? You have the nerve to ask me what’s wrong?! Did you go see your ex-husband yesterday? You did great, didn’t you? You made me lose face completely in front of all my competitors! Zhang Xue, did you forget what I told you back then?”

Back then, he had made it very clear that she was to sever all ties with her ex-husband, never to see him again.

Later, Ning Zhen became comatose.

And all this time, Zhang Xue had done quite well.

But now, in their seventh year together, she had taken the initiative to visit her ex-husband. This, to Shen Ke, was completely unacceptable!

“Separation or divorce— pick one.”

Zhang Xue looked at him, pale-faced. “Honey? Please don’t treat me like this.”

Shen Ke made the decision without hesitation. “We’ll separate first.”

If they divorced right away, it would be too obvious, and people might start talking.

He had to endure for now.

In front of others, he still needed to maintain some grace. Let the situation cool down first.

Before Zhang Xue could react, Shen Ke had already turned and left without a trace of hesitation.

She remained frozen, as if turned to stone. Her lips trembled, and only now did the tears begin to fall uncontrollably.

────ρя


Just as Zhang Xue struggled to recover from the shock, a familiar 〖Ding〗 sound rang in Ning Xiaoyu’s ears and the long-lost voice of the system returned.

〖Dear Girl, long time no see! I, Hu Hansan, am back again^[1]The villain’s line in the movie 《Sparkling Red Star》!〗

Ning Xiaoyu: “……”

Thanks, but honestly, I was doing just fine without you. Really.