I've Latched Onto a Rich Lady

The girl stepped out of the elevator and crossed the carpeted hallway to a bedroom off to the side. She opened the door and set the kitten on the big bed, then pressed something. An entire wall began to slide apart from the middle, revealing a whole other world inside. Xue Yao stared, dumbfounded.

Before her eyes was an enormous walk-in closet. Lu Yiyi walked over and manually drew back a floor-length white sheer curtain, revealing a dazzling array of clothes, jewelry, bags, and shoes. It was like a shopping mall-no, even more upscale than one. At a glance, everything was a luxury item, and the quality of each piece was visibly superb...

Before Xue Yao died, she hadn't exactly been hard up. At the very least, she'd been much better off than in college, when she'd eaten steamed buns and pickles for two meals a day. But no matter how much she earned, she saved it all, her heart set on buying a little place of her own. She hated spending money, and her food and drink had been just enough to meet her basic needs. She hadn't dared so much as look at pretty clothes or shoes. On workdays, she wore her work uniform; on days off, she wore a T-shirt from Pinduoduo that cost a few yuan and canvas shoes that cost a little over ten. When had she ever seen anything like this? Her little cat mouth hung open.

Meow...

Pretty girl, your family is way too rich!

The thought that this rich girl was about to send her away caused Xue Yao such heart-rending pain that it felt worse than a human going through a breakup.

You were just about to latch onto a rich lady's thigh, but then she says she's sending you away. Wouldn't your heart ache? Wouldn't you feel awful?

A bitter sadness at her uncertain future welled up in her heart. But then she thought about it: the pretty girl was so rich that her friend probably wasn't too badly off either. As long as she could eat her fill and sleep well, there wasn't much to be afraid of. She just didn't know what kind of personality the other person had, or whether they abused small animals.

If I run into a sadist with a human face and a beast's heart, I'm done for...

Xue Yao's thoughts had only wandered for a moment, but by the time she came back to herself, Lu Yiyi was already dressed. She hadn't put on much jewelry or picked up some limited-edition bag. She had simply changed out of her loungewear into a knee-length dress. Then, under the nanny's skillful hands, her hair became two braids, their ends tied with ribbons the same color as her dress. Next came skincare, an extremely complicated process, followed by a simple application of light makeup.

When Lu Yiyi was ready, she turned and gave Xue Yao a little smile on the bed. In an instant, the whole room seemed to shine.

She's so beautiful, like a real princess.

That was the first thought that came to the inexperienced Xue Yao. Then she watched the princess walk over and turn in a circle in front of her.

"Well? Does this outfit look good on me?" As she spoke, the nanny stood to one side with her hands at her sides, an indulgent auntie smile on her face.

After asking the kitten, Lu Yiyi turned to the nanny.

"Auntie Wu, does this look all right?"

"Of course. Miss, you look beautiful in anything."

"All right, I'm ready." With that, she walked over to the bed, bent down, and picked up Xue Yao.

Lu Yiyi carried the kitten out of the room, while Auntie Wu stayed behind to tidy up. Xue Yao thought the room was already spotless, with nothing to tidy at all. Maybe the walk-in closet needed a little rearranging?

With that thought, Xue Yao looked away. Lu Yiyi had already carried her into the elevator and pressed the button for the first basement level.

The first basement level was the garage. An assistant was already waiting there, holding a tray filled with keys to various sports cars.

Lu Yiyi casually picked a Porsche. It was also the only luxury car Xue Yao recognized, because her boss had a Porsche too. She'd heard he'd bought it secondhand for over a million yuan, though that was just gossip she'd heard from her coworkers in private.

Still, she thought Lu Yiyi's Porsche probably wasn't secondhand. It looked countless levels more impressive than her boss's.

Once Lu Yiyi had chosen a key, the assistant pressed it, making the car lights flash, and handed it to the driver.

Lu Yiyi took the kitten into the back seat. The interior was red, and the ceiling was a starry sky. The driver didn't seem to insert the key, but the car started up with a rumbling roar. Once the door closed, though, the rumbling could no longer be heard.

The assistant got into the front passenger seat with the kitten's toys.

They drove out of the Lingyun Mountain Villa District and, after about half an hour, entered the familiar city center. High-rises stood row upon row, and office buildings of steel and concrete lined both sides of the road. This was where Xue Yao used to work, though her office had been in the most inconspicuous building of the lot.

Then the car turned right and arrived at an area of top-tier luxury homes in the city center. Property prices here were even higher than in the Lingyun Mountain Villa District, though the area wasn't as large, and its gardens were only a third the size of those in the villa district. That did nothing to lower its property prices, though. Leaving the purchase price aside, rent alone ran to hundreds of thousands of yuan a month, with some places approaching a million.

Some people lost sleep over a down payment of a little over a hundred thousand yuan in a small city, while others rented luxury homes for hundreds of thousands without batting an eye. Everyone had their own fate.

Why did a little office worker like her know all this so clearly? Probably because she'd worked nearby. Whenever she scrolled on her phone, local promotions kept popping up, as if she could afford to live there. After seeing them so many times, she'd even memorized the promoter's exaggerated tone in the videos: something about taking out a loan to pay the rent... Had they gone mad?

In the back seat, Lu Yiyi stroked the kitten's fur and couldn't help remarking to the assistant, "She's so well-behaved. Her little body hasn't moved at all, just her head looking left and right. She seems very curious."

The assistant turned back with a smile. "Miss, it seems you're getting more and more reluctant to part with her."

"It's fine. I'm only sending her to my brother for him to raise, not like I'll never see her again. Besides, if my brother has to go on a business trip, I can always bring the little one over to my place."

Hearing that it was the young lady's brother, Xue Yao breathed a sigh of relief. He was family, so he probably wouldn't turn out to be a sadist. The young lady was so nice; the Lu family's young master probably wasn't bad either.

I wonder if the brother and sister look alike?

Is he the gentle young master type, or the handsome elite type?

As she imagined it, the car pulled into a parking space in the courtyard of a luxury home. The assistant got out and opened the door, and Lu Yiyi stepped out with Xue Yao in her arms and strode toward the steps leading to the entrance.

It was a three-story duplex with the feel of a little Western-style house. An enormous camphor tree stood in the garden, blotting out the sky and sun and bringing a touch of coolness to the house.

As soon as they left the well-cooled car, a wave of heat still washed over them. But Lu Yiyi quickly took her into an air-conditioned space, where the refreshing coolness eased the discomfort brought on by the heat.

Under Xue Yao's curious, expectant gaze, they arrived in the living room on the first floor.

"Uncle Chen, where's my brother?"

"In the study on the second floor. Shall I ask sir to come down?"

"Oh, no need. I'll go up and find him."

"All right."

Once Lu Yiyi had gone thumping up to the second floor, the butler used the house phone to notify Lu Linyuan in the study.

"The young lady is here. She's already gone upstairs."

Just as Lu Yiyi reached the second floor, Lu Linyuan opened the study door and came out.