Chapter 3: Kevin

Regardless of whether it was true or not, Su Shiyi decided to record it on her phone first. Thanks to the fierce competition in domestic smartphone cameras, even though she only had a budget phone that cost just over a thousand yuan, she could still zoom in and capture their faces clearly.

Lin Jiayan’s boyfriend was a student from the same school, ordinary and without much fame. He probably thought no one here would recognize him, so he didn’t even try to hold back while being affectionate with the girl.

How despicable, this damn scumbag!

Su Shiyi originally wanted to rush up and scold him, but her relationship with Lin Jiayan was just that of a friend. If she made a big deal out of it, wouldn’t it make things awkward for Jiayan?

After weighing it all, Su Shiyi decided to hold back for the time being. She no longer had the mood to sit down and eat soup noodles, so she told the cafeteria auntie she’d take the meal to go. Then she bought some fruit salad for Wu Feifei from the nearby stall before returning to the dormitory, seething with anger.

Since arriving in this world, her roommates had been the first to show kindness to her. In Su Shiyi’s eyes, they were all great girls, especially Lin Jiayan—she didn’t have the bad habits that people online often associated with student leaders. She studied hard, did her organizational work seriously, and truly helped “Su Shiyi.” How could such a good girl end up with a scumbag who cheats?!

Ahhh, I couldn’t think about it anymore—it was making me angrier the more I thought about it!

Su Shiyi pushed open the dorm door and placed the takeout fruit salad on Wu Feifei’s desk before heading for the shower. Lin Jiayan was studying at her desk, and when she saw Su Shiyi return, she greeted her as usual.

Su Shiyi, still thinking about what had just happened, sat back at her own desk and made small talk with Lin Jiayan for a while before slowly telling her, “Ah Yan, I saw Zhao Nian at the third cafeteria.”

Zhao Nian was Lin Jiayan’s boyfriend. His initials were ZN, and he really was a scumbag.

“Oh, so he went to the third cafeteria for a meal today,” Lin Jiayan naturally replied, “I invited him for hotpot this afternoon, but he said he wasn’t feeling well.”

She had still been making plans with him in the afternoon, which meant they were still in a relationship.

If his stomach hurt, why didn’t he just drop dead?!

Su Shiyi was conflicted. Should she tell Jiayan that Zhao Nian was being intimate with another girl? She had the video on her phone, and if she wanted to, she could crush Zhao Nian with it.

But she didn’t know how to bring it up in a way that would cause the least harm to Jiayan. Maybe, just maybe, there was a tiny chance she had mistaken someone else for him?

Moreover, it seemed like Lin Jiayan had an exam tomorrow. Maybe… she should wait for another day?

“Ah Yan, is your ^[1]GRE stands for the Graduate Record Examination. It is a standardized test commonly required for admission to graduate schools. GRE assesses a student’s verbal reasoning, quantitative reasoning, … Continue readingGRE tomorrow?”

“Yeah, it’s tomorrow,” Lin Jiayan flipped to the next page of her book, “So I’ll wake up early tomorrow. I might disturb everyone. Sorry in advance! After the exam, I’ll treat the whole dorm to a meal.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine.” Su Shiyi, feeling conflicted, decided to push it to the next day. “Tomorrow—forget it, I might not be free tomorrow, but the day after. It should be me who treats you.”

Lin Jiayan didn’t understand. “Why would you treat us?”

“Maybe I’ll win the lottery tomorrow and have endless money to spend?”

Lin Jiayan: …

She swallowed hard. “Okay, then I’ll wait for you to get rich and take me to eat and drink all sorts of delicious things.”

She didn’t take the casual remark seriously, but Su Shiyi started planning it out seriously. It was to wish Jiayan good luck on her exam and also to soothe her wounded heart with some amazing food.

Hmm, maybe I should also introduce ten or twenty handsome guys to her…

In Su Shiyi’s memory, there was no concept of fancy meals. The most expensive restaurant she could remember was something like ^[2]“Hai di lao” refers to Hai Di Lao (海底捞), a popular Chinese hotpot chain known for its high-quality service and customizable hotpot experience. It’s famous for offering a wide … Continue readingHai Di Lao, and she only went during student discount hours, afraid to order too much meat or dishes.

Ahhh, so sad… but those hard times were a thing of the past. Now she was someone who could order twenty plates of premium fatty beef at a hotpot restaurant (chest out, head high).

While Su Shiyi was lost in her daydreams, Wu Feifei came out of the bathroom, drying her hair. She thanked Su Shiyi, looked at the receipt in the fruit salad bag, and then transferred the money to her phone.

【Transfer Pending: 15 yuan】

【Wu Feifei: Thanks, babe~ You’ve worked hard.】

The price of the fruit salad was 12.6 yuan, which was written on the receipt. From Su Shiyi’s recollection, Wu Feifei often asked her to bring things from outside and would always give her a few extra yuan, saying it was a “running errands fee.” Her excuse was a classic: “If you don’t take it, you’re not treating me as a friend, and how can I ask you again next time?”

Thinking of this, Su Shiyi’s eyes turned a little red. She felt a bit envious of the system’s tool, “Su Shiyi.” Despite the tough living conditions, her roommates were really wonderful—kind and gentle girls.

Su Shiyi opened her phone and went to the notes app. On a newly created page for today, she wrote:

Repay these good sisters and let them enjoy the fun of spending money freely!

—

Gu Chen said he would pick her up the next day but didn’t tell her the exact time. Fortunately, these wealthy families were always reliable when it came to doing things.

After waking up in the morning, Su Shiyi opened her phone and saw an unread message.

【Good morning, Miss Su. I am Kevin, and I will be your personal secretary starting today. The car to pick you up will arrive at your dormitory building at 11 AM Beijing time. If you need anything, feel free to contact me. My phone is available 24/7.】

Su Shiyi:!

Wow, she had really made it—this useless little thing now had a personal secretary, and even her working hours were 007!

Guilt, so much guilt. When she was just a ^[3]“996 worker” refers to a person who works from 9 AM to 9 PM, six days a week. This term became popular in China to describe the demanding work culture in certain industries, especially in … Continue reading996 worker, she despised the exploitative behavior of capitalists. But now, in this new world, she had become the one exploiting others.

Is this what it means—will we all eventually become the version of ourselves that we hate the most?

Su Shiyi glanced at the time—it had been sent at exactly eight o’clock. She had fallen back asleep after Lin Jiayan left, and now it was almost nine o’clock.

She quickly replied: 【Okay, sorry, I just woke up. I will be downstairs on time at eleven o’clock, thank you.】

Almost immediately, Su Shiyi received a new message.

【No problem. It’s my honor to serve you.】

So fast! Could Kevin be some kind of octopus monster? How did he type so quickly?

And he really knew how to speak—his first words were straight out of a Mary Sue novel. It was a bit embarrassing, but it felt really good!

Su Shiyi, who was flattered by Kevin, whom she hadn’t even met yet, shyly sent another message.

【You don’t need to be available 24 hours a day, you need rest too. From ten o’clock in the evening to eight o’clock the next day, I won’t contact you.】

She blushed even as she typed this out. It wasn’t exactly a lot of rest, at least not the standard 8-hour workday. As expected, does money really make people change?

She thought Kevin would politely decline, explaining that his job required him to be available at all times, which would have made her feel awkward. But his reply was:

【Okay, you can arrange my work however you like, at any time.】

Waaah, now this is what a thoughtful angel really is!

Good service isn’t about giving the most—it’s about making the recipient feel comfortable. Su Shiyi had read this before, but now she truly understood its meaning.

Just from this one sentence, Su Shiyi could tell that Kevin must be a good person.

The Gu family’s car would arrive in about two hours, and during this time, Su Shiyi didn’t plan to do anything. After all, she was going to the Gu family to withdraw money from the ATM… oops, I meant from Gu Chen. As per his request, the more messy she looked, the better.

If her attire, behavior, and actions were mocked by the Gu family, it would actually suit her just fine, because the more shabby she appeared, the better it would complement the female lead, Gu Pan.

When it comes to handling money, Su Shiyi was extremely professional. Since she agreed to Gu Chen’s conditions, she was willing to endure anything for the money!

So, Su Shiyi slowly climbed out of bed, intending to eat the leftover toast she had saved for breakfast. The kind of toast “Su Shiyi” had bought to save money had a long shelf life and was dry and crumbly.

She could afford better food, but she was lazy. She didn’t even want to go out of the dorm building to the bakery or the canteen, let alone go downstairs to pick up a delivery.

Well, never mind, she would just make do, after all, it would be the last meal of poverty, hehe.

But while she was willing to make do, clearly, someone wasn’t. Just as Su Shiyi was tearing open the packaging, Kevin’s message came again.

【Have you had breakfast yet?】

Wait, could it be…?

【The breakfast trucks are already waiting downstairs at your dorm. Please feel free to choose.】

Su Shiyi:!!!

She was stunned and immediately opened the balcony door to look down.

One, two, three, four… there were a total of ten vehicles, which looked like medium-sized buses, parked downstairs, all lined up. Students gathered around, taking photos but not daring to get too close because there were also dozens of bodyguards in black suits and sunglasses nearby.

#WhenMarySueFictionBecomesReality

#WhoAmI,WhereAmI,AmIReallyNotDreaming?

These breakfast trucks were painted in pink and looked incredibly dreamy and fairy-tale-like on the tree-lined avenue. As the recipient of the service, poor Su Shiyi, trembling, dialed Kevin’s number.

The phone was picked up instantly. “Hello, Miss Su, this is Kevin.”

How should one describe this voice? It was the kind of voice you’d find in ancient novels, smooth and warm like jade, and now she finally had a real-life reference. Kevin, you’re totally wasting your talents as a personal assistant—you should be a voice actor, ahhhhh!

Su Shiyi’s heart raced uncontrollably, and after a few awkward coughs to cover it up, she asked, “Kevin, you can just call me by my name. D-did you arrange these ten cars?”

“Yes,” there was a slight pause on the other end of the line, “May I address you as Miss Shiyi?”

Of course, yes! You can call me anything you like—your voice is so pleasing.

Su Shiyi felt like she might lose grip on the balcony railing. Oh my god, what kind of princess needs ten cars to have breakfast?

Oh, wait, it’s me… never mind.

From this moment on, her “Su” was no longer just an ordinary “Su,” it was the “Mary Sue” version of Su, and her full name was upgraded from Su Shiyi to ^[4]“她的全名也从苏诗怡升级为苏·赫连冰樱·J·琴兰梅·叶阳璃薇·凤琦落·诗怡”, the character’s name “Su·Helian Bingying·J·Qinlan Mei·Ye Yangli … Continue readingSu·Helian Bingying·J·Qinlan Mei·Ye Yangli Wei·Feng Qiluo·Shiyi.

Ten cars had been prepared, so surely they could provide anything she wanted, right?

Su Shiyi’s mind briefly flashed through images of Danish croissants, red velvet cakes, crepes, macarons, and other breakfast items that were as beautiful as they were not necessarily tasty. She firmly decided and told Kevin:

“One serving of hand-pulled flatbread with ham and cheese, just with salad dressing, and a tea egg, along with a cup of soya milk with lots of sugar.”

Kevin’s voice was still so gentle. “Okay, please wait five minutes, I will have it prepared and delivered immediately.”

Aww, he really is a good person. Su Shiyi felt that even if she asked for stinky tofu, he would still agree without changing his expression and have it delivered right away!

No, forget the stinky tofu—she wanted to keep a low profile, but not to embarrass herself in front of the Gu family.

Actually, her university had a rule that delivery wasn’t allowed to come up to the floors, but since this was a novel world, how could anything be impossible for a CEO (or his subordinates)?

Five minutes later, someone knocked on her dorm room door—knock knock knock. Su Shiyi nervously and excitedly opened the door and saw a female bodyguard in black, wearing sunglasses and with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

Wow, wow, this lady is so cool, I can’t even!

Su Shiyi restrained her fangirl tendencies and let her in. When they reached her desk, she suddenly felt embarrassed, her desk was covered in all sorts of clutter, it was a complete mess.

But the female bodyguard was very professional, not showing any personal reaction. She swiftly cleared away the mess at triple speed and, with great ceremony, pulled out a gold-threaded napkin from her suit, laying it down, and even took out a slender glass bottle with a dew-covered red rose in it.

Ugh, just a few simple actions and the atmosphere was instantly elevated. Su Shiyi felt like she wasn’t in her dorm anymore, but in a corner of some fancy restaurant.

The hand-pulled flatbread, which would normally be served in a paper bag with a plastic cover by the roadside, was now in a vintage European-style thermal food container, placed on an expensive-looking porcelain plate. She hoped it wasn’t an antique.

The tea eggs were even more extravagant—she’d asked for one, and the bodyguard presented two rows.

“Miss Shiyi, these two rows of tea eggs are cooked with different types of black tea and oolong tea, with labels indicating the specific tea varieties. We’re sorry, we couldn’t find out which tea you prefer, so please feel free to pick one here.”

Su Shiyi:…

To be honest, it would be odd if you could find that out. The roadside stalls and school canteens probably just use the cheapest tea leaves… if they even use tea leaves at all!

Fortunately, the soy milk was the most normal thing—just a cup of regular soya milk in a glass, with a lot of sugar sprinkled on top.

Needless to say, they probably couldn’t figure out her preferred sweetness level…

This kind of life really is so show-off, so exhausting, and so boring—but it feels really great!

Holding the knife and fork with restraint, Su Shiyi sliced the hand-pulled flatbread and let the runny egg slowly soak into the ham, thinking to herself.

—

After breakfast, Su Shiyi politely declined Kevin’s offer to bring in a clothing car. She understood that if Kevin got involved, it wouldn’t be counted by cars—it would be counted by “teams.” While she did want to splurge, not at school. Today was already enough of a spectacle, QAQ.

After lying back in bed to watch a comedy show, Su Shiyi changed into a 9.9 yuan flash sale T-shirt, a 19.9 yuan discounted skirt, and a pair of 69.9 yuan domestic casual shoes (which were the only thing worth a bit more), ready to go to the mansion of the richest family in the world—Gu family’s property in G City.

You should know that these powerful figures usually live in the imperial capital, but they came to G City specifically for Su Shiyi. Among them were Gu Pan and Gu Chen, as well as the owner’s real mother, Li Shuman. As for the male lead’s father, Gu Lang, he didn’t care about who Su Shiyi was at all.

It didn’t matter. Su Shiyi didn’t care as long as he didn’t stop the male lead from giving her money—she could disappear from Gu Lang’s eyes forever.

Su Shiyi texted Kevin: “Please arrange for my car to be low-key.” The response was, “No problem.” When she went downstairs, the extravagant breakfast convoy and the bodyguards in black were gone. Only a gray-blue car with a logo of wings spread out was parked there.

Perfect, this car was exactly what Su Shiyi had asked for. It wasn’t an exaggerated convertible or a conspicuously expensive-looking extended vehicle. It looked pretty ordinary.

The car was a two-seater, and the blonde man standing beside the passenger seat bowed to her.

“Hello, Miss Shiyi, I’m Kevin.”

What a handsome foreigner, speaking perfect Mandarin. His eloquence made Su Shiyi, a native Chinese, feel a bit inferior.

Kevin had beautiful blue eyes, like the purest lake that could reflect one’s soul. Though he wore a suit, the dozen or so bodyguards from earlier looked like bodyguards, while he looked like the CEO personally opening the door for Su Shiyi.

Wow, wow, this incredibly handsome guy is her personal secretary. Gu Chen was no longer just her rich benefactor, he was her ancestor. She would be willing to kowtow to him during holidays and festivals.

Su Shiyi got into the car, and the spacious seat made her feel at ease. Just then, a song from her playlist started playing, and Kevin asked her, “Is the volume okay? The seat can be reclined, and if you’d like, you can lie back.”

No, it matters. Although she really wanted to, she felt too shy to do that in front of such a handsome guy.

“It’s perfect,” Su Shiyi casually asked, “This car is quite comfortable, what brand is it?”

“Aston Martin One-77.”

With Su Shiyi’s background as someone from a poor family, of course, she hadn’t heard of it. She picked up her phone and searched for the car model Kevin mentioned.

【Official Guide Price: 47 million yuan】

Su Shiyi’s hand holding the phone trembled slightly.

This is called “low-key”?

She was driving around with the equivalent of an apartment in the Imperial Capital!