A New Problem

Li Xian still hadn't made any requests, so Cao Xue naturally didn't feel comfortable bringing anything up first. After all, Li Xian was in charge here. Overstepping without permission would be taboo, and she knew that perfectly well.

Once the private butler left, there'd be no one else in the room but the two of them. That would be the perfect time for her to make her move.

As long as she got Li Xian on her side, she could enjoy herself however she wanted.

She had to admit, she'd played it very cleverly.

From the moment they got in the elevator, she'd kept her mouth shut. Until the private butler left, she'd been as docile as a quail.

If she'd still been talking a mile a minute like before, Li Xian would have kicked her right out.

"Be quiet for a bit!"

"Okay~~"

Li Xian dropped onto the soft, comfortable fabric sofa and warned Cao Xue to keep quiet. Then he took his laptop out of his backpack, booted it up, connected to the internet, and logged into JingD Mall to browse the official Alienware store.

He'd wanted a new computer for ages. The one he'd wanted most was an Alienware gaming laptop, but he hadn't been able to afford one before, so all he could do was admire them from afar.

Now, buying two and smashing one—was that really too much?

Cao Xue obediently sat down beside him. Seeing that he was choosing a laptop and had no time for her, she took out her phone to touch up some photos.

She'd taken plenty of selfies earlier and planned to post the edited versions on Moments to show off. She'd take even more pictures in this suite in a bit, just to make those little bitches green with envy.

Not everyone got the chance to check in at the Grand Hyatt, let alone stay in its most expensive Presidential Suite. She could already picture the shocked looks on everyone's faces when they saw her Moments post.

Heh heh... You never thought I, Cao Xue, would have my day, did you?

That idiot Zhang Ning. What a shame—she'd traded a watermelon for a sesame seed.

As Cao Xue thought about it, the corners of her mouth rose into a lovely smile.

It went without saying how competitive women could be.

Cao Xue and her fake-sister friends were all secretly trying to outdo one another. On the surface, they got along just fine, but beneath that, the waters were turbulent.

One of them could get stabbed in the back out of nowhere at any moment.

Just like today. Cao Xue had taught Zhang Ning a lesson about what it meant to get slapped in the face in real life.

You couldn't really blame Cao Xue for kicking someone when she was down. The only one to blame was Zhang Ning herself, for being so bad at treating people. Showing off now and then was no big deal, but constantly using your friends as shields and stepping-stones was taking it too far.

What, were they only there to make you look good?

Were you made of gold, or covered in diamonds?

She'd piled up plenty of resentment. It was only a matter of time before she came crashing down. Cao Xue had just happened to be there and given her a gentle shove.

Of course, without enough to gain, "Little Nei" wouldn't have switched sides.

Now that she thought about it, that little shove might just have pushed her toward a wonderful future.

Who could've guessed that an ordinary-looking fat guy was actually a fat guy hiding his true depth?

After Cao Xue touched up her photos and posted them on Moments, she watched the likes pour in and read the envious comments. She was delighted, her vanity thoroughly satisfied.

"That Mercedes is so imposing!"

"Whoa, it's a G65! What a legendary car."

"Luxury car and beauty—Xue'er looks gorgeous today."

"Xue'er, which rich guy are you with? Ask him for me if there's room for a pair of long legs in the back."

"Same here, same here! Ask him if he needs a 36D."

Not a chance, you little bitches.

Cao Xue quickly replied with a few eye-roll emojis, then smiled smugly to herself.

"You can tell her the back seat's too small to stretch your legs." Li Xian had already placed his order. He'd been quietly watching her browse Moments for a while, and when he saw that comment, he couldn't help chiming in.

And she wanted to sit in the back? The G65's rear seats were so cramped they could make you cry.

"Brother Xian, are you done?"

"Mm." Li Xian stretched, took a cigarette from the pack, and put it between his lips.

Cao Xue reacted quickly. She picked up a lighter and lit it for him, then held out an ashtray so he could tap off the ash.

All that attentive service made Li Xian feel very comfortable.

People didn't go out of their way for you without wanting something in return. He could see right through Cao Xue's little scheme.

"If you have something to say, just say it. Don't beat around the bush." Li Xian was in a pretty good mood, so he gave her a chance to speak.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it a little.

Giving her a chance—wasn't that just letting her loose again?

Just as he'd expected, Cao Xue couldn't stop once she opened her mouth.

"Brother Xian, I've already planned it all out for you. It's a little after four in the afternoon, so we can sit in the lobby lounge on the second floor, or go to Sugar Cube on the first floor for dessert.

"When it's around five or six and time for dinner, if you want Western food or Japanese food, we can go to Le Chef on the first floor. If you want seafood barbecue, we can go to Xiang Hui on the fourth floor. But I think Star Bay No. 1 on the forty-sixth floor would be even better. The atmosphere is wonderful, and the view is even better. With the mountains and sea spread out below us, it'd feel amazing.

"Of course, wherever we go is up to you, Brother Xian.

"After dinner, around eight or nine, we can go for a night swim at the pool. You can ask your private butler to get us some swimsuits.

"By eleven, we'll probably be tired from swimming. Then we can go to VIVA Bar on the forty-seventh floor, have a drink, listen to music, and enjoy the night view. When we get back, we can even have a spa treatment—"

"Not bad. You've done your homework."

The building had six upscale restaurants and one high-end bar, and Cao Xue had looked into pretty much every one of them.

"Of course! I've wanted to come here for ages; I just never had the chance. Brother Xian, do you like my plan?"

"Whether I like it doesn't matter." Li Xian looked completely unconcerned. "As long as you like it."

What he meant was: Do whatever you want, just don't drag me into it.

Cao Xue understood at once. She immediately put on a sweet, coaxing voice. "Brother Xian, I'm only doing this because I care about you."

"Stop right there." Li Xian raised a hand to keep her from going on.

We're both old foxes. Why were you putting on a show from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio?

What "care"? She just wanted to get everything for free.

Li Xian was more than familiar with that sort of ploy. Zhang Ning had used it plenty of times before, with all kinds of roundabout tactics. Cao Xue's approach was downright direct by comparison.

Cao Xue put her persistence to work and grabbed Li Xian's arm.

She was about to launch into a full-on campaign of wearing him down.

To keep himself from wavering, Li Xian quickly pulled his arm away and stood up.

He made an excuse to slip away.

"I'm going to take a shower. Do whatever you want."

"Brother Xian, I can scrub your back for you!"

"..."

Did you really think I was made of clay? Fine, bring it on. Who's afraid of whom?

[Random Quest: Then let her scrub your back.]

[Random Quest: Then make her shut up.]

See that? See that? Even the system couldn't stand it. Cao Xue, you've got a problem. A really big problem.

P.S. I'll probably get my contract status updated today. Please support me with follows, recommendation tickets, and investments!