Arc 169Su Qiao Returns to the City

Su Qiao escaped Gu Hualei, fulfilled the original host’s wishes, and built a new life in the Northwest before returning to East City to start a street-stall business. As she prepares to bring down the Yu and Gu families, a child trafficker singles her out during a hostage standoff.

  • Su Qiao altered Gu Hualei’s appearance, escaped the hospital, and learned the original host’s painful history before deciding to honor her wishes.
  • Su Qiao graduated under a disguise and took a teaching job in the Northwest, where she improved the school and town while building her business.
  • Chu Jingchen secretly kept Gu Hualei’s agents from finding Su Qiao and ordered Wang Bin to continue blocking them.
  • Su Qiao returned to East City, developed anti-abduction alarms with He Jianhui, and told him that Yu Family’s skincare and Gu Corporation’s bird’s nest were poisonous.
  • Su Qiao chose a spot at the night market, where Third Brother Li initially harassed her until He Jianhui intervened and revealed that Su Qiao owned the nearby properties.
  • Su Qiao refused to lower the price of her alarms despite a night of mockery, insisting that she would not sell ordinary goods alongside them.
  • A trafficker seized a young boy and then an old lady, and after Zhou Ronghao offered himself as a hostage, the trafficker ordered Su Qiao to approach.
Chapters 4201–4225 Vol. 43 Read

Ch. 4201What Kind of CEO? Isn't Running a Street Stall Better? (6)

Su Qiao terrified Gu Hualei by describing the facial and body modifications she planned to make, then drew the man she wanted him to resemble. Gu Hualei recognized the portrait as Chu Jingchen.

  • Su Qiao examined Gu Hualei and described how she would alter his eyes, nose, lips, jaw, and height.
  • Gu Hualei, numb and restrained on the operating table, begged Su Qiao not to operate on him because she had no medical training.
  • Su Qiao said there was no need to break Gu Hualei’s legs because he was already about the same height as the man she had in mind.
  • Gu Hualei demanded to know who the man was, and Su Qiao sketched a portrait of the Great Demon King from her previous life.
  • Su Qiao showed Gu Hualei the portrait, and he recognized the man as Chu Jingchen.

Ch. 4202Why Be a CEO? Running a Street Stall Is Better, Isn't It? (7)

Su Qiao put Gu Hualei under and gave him disfiguring plastic surgery as revenge for the procedures he had forced on the original owner. She changed clothes and prepared to leave the hospital, while 444 erased traces of her visit.

  • Su Qiao learned that Gu Hualei recognized a man named Chu Jingchen and told 444 to investigate him.
  • Su Qiao knocked Gu Hualei unconscious and dismissed 444's questions about whether she planned to make him resemble Chu Jingchen.
  • Su Qiao operated on Gu Hualei for more than two hours, altering his nose, eyelids, and mouth to make him ugly.
  • Su Qiao told 444 to erase all traces of her presence in the hospital and took a white tracksuit from the staff locker room.
  • 444 agreed to cover their tracks and asked where Su Qiao planned to go next.

Ch. 4203What's So Great About Being a CEO? Setting Up a Street Stall Is Better (8)

Su Qiao escaped the hospital and planned to leave Gu Hualei, who controlled her and treated her as a substitute for the woman he loved. She arranged several different routes out of the city and began reviewing the original host’s memories.

  • Su Qiao left the operating room and used 444 to escape the hospital and erase surveillance footage.
  • After learning she lived next door to Gu Hualei, Su Qiao recalled that he had kept close watch on the original host and tried to remake her appearance.
  • Su Qiao told 444 to book air, high-speed rail, train, and long-distance bus tickets under her ID to confuse anyone searching for her.
  • Su Qiao planned to obtain a stranger’s genuine identification and change her appearance before leaving.
  • Su Qiao began sorting through the original host’s memories and learned that the twenty-three-year-old had grown up in a single-parent family.

Ch. 4204Why Be a CEO When Setting Up a Stall Is Better? (9)

The chapter recounts the original owner’s difficult childhood, her mother’s sacrifices, and the regret she felt after her mother died before they could reconcile. It leaves her memories focused on the hardships that shaped her and the final month they spent apart.

  • Her father divorced her mother to pursue a wealthy woman, leaving her mother to raise her daughter alone.
  • Her mother supported her through school by running street stalls, but died from an illness she had long neglected because she feared the cost of treatment.
  • After her mother died during her sophomore year, the original owner dropped out of university and went south to work, where she met Gu Hualei.
  • The original owner remembered enduring poverty and bullying while helping her mother sell food and goods from a young age.
  • She regretted having argued with her mother about working while studying and then going a month without calling her before her death.

Ch. 4205Why Be a CEO When Setting Up a Stall Is Better? (10)

The chapter recounted how the original host lost her mother, struggled financially, and met Gu Hualei, who gradually controlled her through a seemingly loving relationship. It left her undergoing repeated cosmetic procedures to satisfy his standards, with complications beginning to emerge.

  • The original host regretted arguing with her mother before her mother died, then took leave from college because she could no longer afford tuition and living expenses.
  • While working, the original host met Gu Hualei, whose gentle care gave her comfort after her mother's death.
  • The original host tried to change herself and repeatedly compromised to keep Gu Hualei and live up to his expectations.
  • Gu Hualei used his influence as a famous plastic surgeon to shape the original host into his ideal woman.
  • The original host underwent repeated cosmetic surgery and body sculpting, and the procedures began causing complications.

Ch. 4206Why Be a CEO When Running a Street Stall Is Better? (11)

The chapter revealed the original body's painful past: after discovering she was an altered substitute and Yu Aiwei's half-sister, she was rejected by her family and publicly vilified. Overwhelmed by cyberbullying and depression, she took pills and died.

  • The original body realized Yu Aiwei's face resembled hers and understood she had been surgically altered as a substitute.
  • She learned Yu Aiwei was her half-sister, born after her father left her mother and married Yu Manwen.
  • Her father and brother blamed her for supposedly stealing Yu Aiwei's fiancé and changing her appearance, while Gu Hualei sent her away without defending her.
  • Yu Aiwei's livestream exposed details that led people to label the original body a homewrecker, gold digger, and fraud online.
  • The original body, already depressed from the effects of her procedures, took pills and committed suicide amid the cyberbullying.
  • The chapter revealed that Gu Hualei and Yu Aiwei had never truly been engaged and had separated for reasons unrelated to the original body.

Ch. 4207Why Be a CEO? Isn't Running a Street Stall Better? (12)

Su Qiao escaped after beating the man who had harmed the original body and returned to her apartment, where she planned her next steps. She intended to contact her school, find a place to hide, and pursue the original body's wishes.

  • Su Qiao left the taxi outside her residential compound and dismissed the driver's offer of change.
  • Su Qiao warned 444 not to trust people just because they seemed kind, then went to her apartment in Building Three.
  • Su Qiao checked the apartment for cameras before packing her belongings.
  • Su Qiao decided to contact her school about getting her diploma, then hide and focus on making money.
  • Su Qiao recalled the original body's wishes: return to running a street stall with her mother, become a teacher, and earn enough money to last a lifetime.

Ch. 4208What's So Great About Being a CEO? Setting Up a Stall Isn't Better? (13)

Su Qiao fled with her belongings and planned to fulfill her mother's wishes by seeking a teaching certificate and setting up a stall. At the hospital, an unfamiliar doctor found her drawing of him and kept it, amused by her prank on Gu Hualei.

  • Su Qiao decided to stay out of sight while pursuing her mother's wishes and considered taking the teaching certificate exam and setting up a stall.
  • Su Qiao told 444 to transfer her money, cancel her cards and SIM card, and help watch for danger as she left with her belongings.
  • Gu Hualei remained unconscious under anesthesia while an unfamiliar doctor entered the operating room.
  • The doctor picked up Su Qiao's portrait of him, folded it into his coat pocket, and admired her prank on Gu Hualei.

Ch. 4209When Are You Going to Be a CEO? Setting Up a Stall Is Much Better (14)

Chu Jingchen visited Gu Hualei in the operating room and mocked him after he woke up with his face altered by Su Qiao. He left Gu Hualei helpless on the operating table, where he waited for the anesthetic to wear off or someone to find him.

  • Chu Jingchen prepared to pick up the gloves, but Gu Hualei woke before he could act.
  • Chu Jingchen pretended to leave, while Gu Hualei struggled against the restraints and demanded an explanation.
  • Chu Jingchen denied having a relationship with the woman Gu Hualei meant and teased him about his altered appearance.
  • Chu Jingchen recorded Gu Hualei on his phone, then untied his hands and left the operating room.
  • Gu Hualei failed to crawl off the operating table and lay there waiting for the anesthetic to wear off or someone to discover him.

Ch. 4210Why Be a CEO? Isn't Running a Stall Better? (15)

Su Qiao escaped Gu Hualei’s search, completed her degree, and traveled in disguise to a remote town in the northwest to teach. The chapter ended with Chu Jingchen learning that his people had lost her trail.

  • Gu Hualei lay helpless on the operating table, furious at Chu Jingchen and Su Qiao for outmaneuvering him.
  • Su Qiao traveled by black-market car, erased traces of her journey, and secretly returned to her university to take the graduation exam.
  • Su Qiao received her diploma and a teaching recommendation but chose to teach at a remote school in the northwest.
  • Su Qiao noticed that someone was helping keep Gu Hualei’s agents from finding her, though she and 444 could not identify who.
  • Su Qiao disguised herself and used other people’s identification to reach the northwest without being detected.
  • Chu Jingchen learned that his people had lost Su Qiao and asked Wang Bin whether she had noticed them.

Ch. 4211Why Be a CEO When Setting Up a Stall Is Better? (16)

Chu Jingchen stopped searching for Su Qiao and continued keeping Gu Hualei from finding her. In a remote Northwest town, Su Qiao began teaching and used her and Little Four’s earnings to rebuild the local school and invest in other ventures.

  • Chu Jingchen told Wang Bin to stop the search, keep the matter from Grandma, and continue blocking Gu Hualei’s people.
  • Su Qiao arrived in a remote Northwest town and secured a teaching job at its dilapidated middle school.
  • Seeing the school’s poor condition, Su Qiao decided to earn money to improve it, while avoiding selling valuables from her space.
  • Su Qiao and Little Four used data analysis and short-term money-making methods to build up their capital.
  • Su Qiao funded a new school building and modern facilities, then invested large sums in various industries.

Ch. 4212What's the Point of Being a CEO When Setting Up a Stall Is So Much Better? (17)

Su Qiao met with her newly hired professional manager, He Jianhui, after his exhausting journey to her remote town. They finalized a contract and discussed investment plans before she sent him back to the city, leaving him bruised but satisfied that he had completed his work.

  • He Jianhui traveled by plane, taxi, bus, minibus, tractor, and ox cart to reach Su Qiao's town.
  • He Jianhui found Su Qiao teaching martial arts at the local middle school and waited until her class ended.
  • Su Qiao and He Jianhui discussed business, signed a contract, and reviewed investment proposals and future development plans.
  • Su Qiao sent He Jianhui back to the city because there was nowhere suitable to stay nearby.
  • He Jianhui left after only an hour, sore from the journey but pleased that he had finished the job.

Ch. 4213What's So Great About Being a CEO? Isn't Running a Street Stall Better? (18)

Su Qiao spent two years improving the remote town’s school, roads, and health clinic before leaving to continue her unfinished mission. She learned Chu Jingchen had concealed her whereabouts from Gu Hualei, while Gu’s search continued, and the chapter ended with someone asking whether there were still no leads.

  • Su Qiao recruited more teachers and improved pay and benefits, transforming the understaffed school over two years.
  • Su Qiao funded a road, bought buses for the town, and helped renovate its health clinic.
  • After two years, Su Qiao left by bus despite the townspeople’s tearful pleas for her to stay.
  • Su Qiao learned Chu Jingchen had secretly helped hide her from Gu Hualei and suspected he had acted because of their families’ rivalry.
  • Gu Hualei continued searching for Su Qiao, though less often after Yu Aiwei returned to the country.
  • Someone asked, “Still no leads?”

Ch. 4214What Was the Point of Being a CEO? Wouldn't Running a Stall Be Better? (19)

Chu Jingchen reflected on how Su Qiao had disappeared two years earlier and admitted to himself that he had become deeply attached to her. He continued searching for her and ordered Wang Bin to stop Gu Hualei from finding her first.

  • Wang Bin told Chu Jingchen that Su Qiao had likely left using someone else's ID and that they had missed their best chance to find her.
  • Chu Jingchen recalled how his curiosity about Su Qiao had grown into constant thoughts of her and loneliness during the two years she had been missing.
  • Chu Jingchen asked Wang Bin whether Gu Hualei was still searching for Su Qiao, and Wang Bin confirmed that he had hired private detectives.
  • Chu Jingchen ordered Wang Bin to keep blocking Gu Hualei's people so they would not find Su Qiao first.

Ch. 4215What's So Great About Being a CEO? Wouldn't Running a Street Stall Be Better? (20)

Su Qiao returned to East City after more than two years away and settled into one of the properties she had bought as the suburbs developed. With the original owner's wishes fulfilled and her fortune secure, she went out to survey the street-stall market.

  • Su Qiao arrived at the airport and looked over the changing East City suburbs.
  • Su Qiao recalled how she and He Jianhui had bought apartments and storefronts, leaving her with extensive property holdings.
  • Su Qiao took a taxi to the East Suburb Trade Market and moved into her furnished duplex.
  • Su Qiao ordered furniture and appliances, set up a gym, and finished arranging the apartment after five days.
  • Su Qiao went out to survey the street-stall market after fulfilling the original owner's wishes to graduate, become a teacher, and earn enough money to live without worry.

Ch. 4216What's So Good About Being a CEO? Isn't Street Vending Better? (21)

Su Qiao decided to run a street stall to revisit her predecessor’s old life and promote an Anti-Abduction Smart Alarm she had developed. After He Jianhui arranged for the product’s patent and mass production, he brought the first batch to her and was stunned to learn she planned to sell them at a night market.

  • Su Qiao chose the Night Market outside the Farmers Market as the place to start her street-stall business.
  • Su Qiao spent three days making an Anti-Abduction Smart Alarm that recorded nearby events, recognized faces, sounded alarms, and notified relatives.
  • Su Qiao sent He Jianhui samples, blueprints, concepts, and theories, and he applied for a personal patent and arranged mass production.
  • At Su Qiao’s request, He Jianhui arranged for the alarms to be made in several forms, including watches, necklaces, glasses, and pencil cases.
  • He Jianhui brought Su Qiao the first batch and asked whether she had caught the flu after she said she planned to sell them at a street stall.

Ch. 4217What Kind of CEO? Why Not Set Up a Stall? (22)

Su Qiao stayed in the city and insisted on setting up a street stall, then asked He Jianhui to have several products tested after discovering they were poisonous. The chapter left the source and extent of the contamination to be investigated.

  • Su Qiao told He Jianhui to look after his health and hire more assistants, then ushered him out so she could prepare to set up her stall.
  • He Jianhui agreed that Su Qiao should stay in the city, where he could reach her more easily than in the remote northwest.
  • Su Qiao brought out two skincare sets and ready-to-eat bird's nest and asked He Jianhui to find a legitimate testing institution to analyze them.
  • Su Qiao explained that 444 had helped her connect the bird's nest sold through Yu Aiwei's livestream to thousands of customers who developed flu-like symptoms.
  • Su Qiao told He Jianhui that the skincare products and bird's nest were poisonous.

Ch. 4218What Was the Point of Being a CEO? Wouldn't Setting Up a Street Stall Be Better? (23)

Su Qiao found serious problems in products sold by Yu Aiwei’s livestream and asked He Jianhui to obtain official inspection reports. She made clear she intended to bring down Yu Family and Gu Family, then hurried off to find a spot for later.

  • Su Qiao tested products from Yu Aiwei’s livestream and found problems in Gu Corporation’s bird’s nest and Yu Family’s anti-aging skincare set.
  • He Jianhui agreed to arrange official inspections and asked which families Su Qiao planned to target.
  • Su Qiao told He Jianhui she intended to bring down Yu Family and Gu Family.
  • He Jianhui promised to gather information and said their company could eventually surpass the two families.
  • Su Qiao told He Jianhui not to slack off, then hurried him away so she could find a spot.

Ch. 4219Why be a CEO, isn't selling at a stall more appealing? (24)

Su Qiao tried to set up her stall at the night market, but a clothing store owner drove her away despite her being out of his entrance. As she prepared to leave, a neighboring vendor explained that he expected a daily bribe, and the owner threw her stool onto her handcart.

  • Su Qiao arrived at the night market with her stall supplies and found that the best spots had already been taken.
  • A clothing store owner told Su Qiao she was blocking his entrance and rejected her attempt to move farther aside.
  • Su Qiao noticed other stalls were closer to the shop entrance and suspected the owner was picking on her because she was new.
  • A sock seller told Su Qiao the owner expected a pack of cigarettes each day, on top of the market's stall fee.
  • The clothing store owner grew impatient and threw Su Qiao's stool onto her handcart.

Ch. 4220What's So Great About Being a CEO? Isn't Setting Up a Street Stall Better? (25)

Su Qiao prepared to set up a street stall, but a clothing store owner confronted her for blocking his storefront. He Jianhui intervened and stood up for her, leaving the owner anxious as he privately wondered whether Su Qiao was He Jianhui’s boss.

  • Third Brother Li accused Su Qiao of hurting his business and grabbed at her, but He Jianhui caught his wrist and challenged him.
  • He Jianhui explained that he had come because he was worried about Su Qiao, and Third Brother Li realized they knew each other.
  • Third Brother Li apologized to Su Qiao and offered to have his wife reserve a spot for her each day.
  • Su Qiao accepted the apology and returned to arranging her stall while He Jianhui asked to speak with Third Brother Li privately.
  • Third Brother Li wondered whether Su Qiao was He Jianhui’s mysterious boss, then led He Jianhui into the shop and offered him tea and a cigarette.

Ch. 4221What's So Great About Being a CEO? Isn't Setting Up a Street Stall Better? (26)

He Jianhui confronted Third Brother Li for mistreating Su Qiao, then revealed that she owned his shop and much of the surrounding property. He asked Third Brother Li to look after her while she tried setting up a street stall, and Third Brother Li offered to apologize.

  • He Jianhui rejected Third Brother Li's excuses and demanded a better attitude toward Su Qiao.
  • Third Brother Li apologized and promised to give Su Qiao the best spot outside his shop and let her rest inside.
  • He Jianhui revealed that Su Qiao owned the shop and the other shops and houses nearby.
  • He Jianhui explained that Su Qiao wanted to experience running a street stall and told Third Brother Li to inform him if anything happened to her.
  • Third Brother Li offered to invite Su Qiao inside for tea and apologize again.

Ch. 4222Why Be a CEO When Setting Up a Stall Is Better? (27)

Third Brother Li learned that Su Qiao owned the houses and shops and was He Jianhui’s boss, and he realized she was far wealthier and more powerful than he had imagined. He warned his wife to keep her identity and assets secret so they would not offend her or attract trouble.

  • He Jianhui told Third Brother Li not to disturb Su Qiao and left to handle other matters.
  • Third Brother Li asked his wife for cold water after He Jianhui departed, shaken by what he had learned.
  • Third Brother Li and his wife discussed Su Qiao’s properties and He Jianhui’s ten-million-yuan salary and dividends.
  • Third Brother Li speculated that Su Qiao had a powerful background and told his wife not to reveal anything about her.

Ch. 4223What Kind of CEO? Wouldn't Running a Street Stall Be Better? (28)

He Jianhui gave Su Qiao cars and arranged discreet security, but she returned to her street stall and focused on selling her goods. A neighboring vendor noticed Su Qiao's flashy sign and was shocked by the price of her accessories.

  • Third Brother Li warned his wife that He Jianhui was powerful and not softhearted, and she promised not to tell anyone about them.
  • He Jianhui gave Su Qiao keys to two cars and parking spaces, and told her that four security personnel would secretly protect her.
  • Su Qiao accepted the cars but objected to having bodyguards, though He Jianhui insisted and she eventually relented.
  • Su Qiao returned to her stall and watched the nearby vendors while the sock-selling auntie asked why she was running a stall despite her well-off family.
  • Su Qiao explained that she did not need to call out because her flashing LED sign showed what she sold, and the auntie was astonished to see a pair priced at 580 yuan.

Ch. 4224What Kind of CEO? Isn't Street Vending Better? (29)

Su Qiao struggled to sell her expensive Smart Scanning Alarms at the night market, where shoppers doubted that a street stall could offer valuable goods. After chatting with a sympathetic aunt, she remained determined not to mix ordinary merchandise with her devices.

  • Su Qiao explained that her 580-yuan phone charms were newly developed Smart Scanning Alarms designed to prevent child abduction, but no one bought them.
  • After facing skepticism and mockery all evening, Su Qiao stopped pitching her goods and sat down to read.
  • An aunt sat beside Su Qiao, learned that she had graduated from a teachers' university and left teaching to make big money, and suggested she sell ordinary goods too.
  • Su Qiao refused to mix ordinary goods with the alarms because she believed good products would eventually sell and did not want to diminish their prestige.

Ch. 4225What Kind of CEO? Wouldn't Running a Street Stall Be Better? (30)

Su Qiao was on her way to claim a spot at the Farmers Market when she witnessed a trafficker being chased by police. The trafficker took an old lady hostage and refused Zhou Ronghao’s offer to take her place, then ordered Su Qiao to come over.

  • Su Qiao left home early and heard a woman cry for help as a trafficker carried off her young son.
  • Two police officers chased the trafficker; the lead officer rescued the boy and continued after the fleeing man.
  • The trafficker seized an old lady with a knife and threatened the officers as he retreated with her.
  • Zhou Ronghao tried to calm the trafficker and offered himself as a hostage, but the man refused.
  • The trafficker spotted Su Qiao and ordered her to come to him.
Arc 169 of 188