A totally unexpected turn

Song Xiaoxiao was silent for a long time before turning to look at Xia Ye, “You must remember, do not sign any prenuptial agreement with him. You must give yourself to him only after getting the marriage certificate. After marriage, don’t think about anything else, just have children. After having children, it’s up to you whether he comes home or not.

You just need to focus all your attention on the children.

Every year, no, preferably every quarter, go for a check-up, if he often touches you.”

Xia Ye was momentarily confused, but she looked at Song Xiaoxiao’s expression, as if she was making her final instructions, so she instinctively listened intently.

“Lin Yuan,” Song Xiaoxiao continued, “Since we’ve talked this far, I only ask that you, no matter what, give this simpleton a home in the future. She can’t handle the messy relationships between mistresses, and she’s very easy to coax. You give her two children, a house, and enough money for them to live on. She won’t trouble you with anything. At most, she’ll close the door and cry a few times while holding the children.

I swear on my household registration book that Xia Ye is pure and consistent. A girl like this, asking for these conditions from you, you won't lose out. This is far below the market price.”

Song Xiaoxiao was like a mother fighting for her own daughter's well-being, and one who was about to part ways.

“Alright, I’m an outsider now, and it’s time for me to go.”

Song Xiaoxiao looked dejected and prepared to get up. But Xia Ye grabbed her, “Xiao Xiao, don’t do those things anymore. Isn’t it better to find a simple job?”

Song Xiaoxiao gave a bitter smile, “Fool, what kind of job do you think I can find?”

Xia Ye said without thinking, “I can recommend you to teach dancing. Have you forgotten, you also studied dancing?”

Song Xiaoxiao stared blankly at her for a while, then suddenly let out a cold laugh, “Wouldn’t it be better to just ask your man to take me in as his third mistress?”

Xia Ye instantly froze on the spot; she had no idea how to handle such a situation.

“Xia Ye,” Song Xiaoxiao continued, “With your meager dancing skills, don’t you ever wonder where your high-paying private coaching job came from?”

Xia Ye was thunderstruck, then numbly turned to look at Lin Yuan, “My private coaching…”

Lin Yuan didn’t shy away, “It was me. I just wanted to find something for you to do, to help you relax.”

Xia Ye instantly turned to stone. So, she really was useless. But she had just suggested introducing Song Xiaoxiao to teach dancing, no wonder Song Xiaoxiao said, “Wouldn’t it be better to just ask Lin Yuan to take her in?”

Because Xia Ye, from beginning to end, relied on Lin Yuan. So, if Xia Ye wanted to help, the only way was to share Lin Yuan.

Not long after, Xia Ye, having recovered, mumbled, “I knew it… I kept showing off to you… It turns out that job was all thanks to you.”

Song Xiaoxiao looked at this foolish girl with a speechless expression, “If you had that ability, you wouldn’t have ended up being recommended by me to a maid cafe. You want me to find a legitimate job. But, little sister, what kind of job can let me honestly and easily earn over ten thousand a month consistently?

Don’t I need to rent a place to live, buy clothes and cosmetics, and eat? Don’t I need to save enough money before I get old and my looks fade?”

“If you really want to help me, I just earn money by relying on men anyway. Why don’t you, for the sake of our good sisterhood, take a little loss and persuade Young Master Lin to take me in? Don’t think I’m experienced; I’m actually still a virgin.”

Lin Yuan’s ears suddenly buzzed. Song Xiaoxiao said she was a virgin? Then wouldn’t Pan Jinlian also be a pure maiden?

Song Xiaoxiao’s words were too stimulating, and Lin Yuan didn’t have time to manage his expression, so she naturally saw everything.

“Forget it. Look at his expression. He’d probably find me dirty even if I washed his feet. Sigh~~, so am I supposed to just starve to death?”

Song Xiaoxiao’s words were mixed with teasing, a dose of reality for Xia Ye, and a hint of her own jealousy.

But ultimately, Song Xiaoxiao hoped Xia Ye would grow up quickly, “Little sister, don’t always say impractical things. You’re lucky, Young Master Lin took a liking to you, and he’s even willing to get a marriage certificate with you. If you really want what’s best for me, then listen to what I just said, even if it’s just half of it, and you’ll be well-off for the rest of your life.

In the future, when I can’t make a living, I might even need your help.”

Xia Ye finally let go of Song Xiaoxiao’s hand, “I’m really useless, I can’t help anyone.”

Lin Yuan pulled her to his side, “If you can’t figure it out, then don’t think about it. Come, eat a chicken leg. You didn’t eat much at Da Zhang’s house just now, so you must be hungry now.”

Song Xiaoxiao looked at Lin Yuan picking up a chicken leg from the table and couldn’t help but laugh, “You’re the least like a rich person among all the rich people I’ve met.”

Lin Yuan casually replied, “Because I was originally a commoner, and I’ve only been rich for three months. I haven’t had time to be corrupted yet.”

“You are truly an interesting person.” After Song Xiaoxiao said this to Lin Yuan, she turned to Xia Ye, “Xia Ye, you make me believe that there really is such a thing as ‘fools have foolish blessings’ in this world. All my struggles were for naught, while you did nothing. I regret it now; if I could go back to that afternoon in summer vacation, I should have thrown myself into Young Master Lin’s arms.

When I first entered university, I went to Jichen Temple to pray for blessings, and outside the temple, I met an old Taoist priest. He told me my fortune, saying, ‘I will have one opportunity in my life, it just depends on whether I can grasp it.’ Now it seems he was right.

But I simply wasn’t destined for it!”

Lin Yuan then raised his wrist, “You and Xia Ye didn’t happen to see the same old Taoist priest, did you? Don’t believe such vague nonsense. Walk your own path and live your own life well.

No need for so much sentimentality at parting. In the future, unless it’s something big, don’t come looking for us.”

Lin Yuan completely dropped the pretense now, not even bothering with polite words.

“If something goes wrong one day, and I can’t make a living anymore.

I still stand by what I said: for Xia Ye’s sake, I will always help you once.

As for ‘taking you in as a mistress’, I know you were just joking. But I can also swear on my household registration book that I have no such intention in this life.”

Song Xiaoxiao deliberately teased, “Young Master Lin, that’s quite a potent oath.”

Lin Yuan, however, was unconcerned, “When Xia Ye took a liking to me, she thought I was a delivery driver. A commoner meeting a good woman, if I don't cherish such a blessing for the rest of my life, I'll eventually face retribution.”

Finally, Song Xiaoxiao also let go, “I’m leaving.” She looked at Xia Ye again and opened her arms.

Xia Ye immediately rushed into them, “Xiao Xiao, I’ll miss you.”

Song Xiaoxiao said nothing, just gently patted Xia Ye’s sobbing back.

Lin Yuan couldn’t quite bear to watch, “It’s not like it’s a life-or-death parting. In two or three years, if she doesn’t get into trouble, she should be completely clean. If she does get into trouble, we can still visit her.”

Song Xiaoxiao ignored Lin Yuan’s sharp tongue and instead whispered to Xia Ye, “You must tell me when you get married. Even if I just see you from afar, it’ll be good.”

Lin Yuan looked at the scene, and he always felt that Song Xiaoxiao’s feelings for his wife were a bit strange.

“You’re holding my wife so tightly, you’re not a lesbian, are you?”

“Get lost!”

The trio’s meeting finally ended with Song Xiaoxiao giving a middle finger.

Watching Song Xiaoxiao’s graceful departing back, Xia Ye couldn’t stop feeling sad, “Can’t I just… not have Xiao Xiao tell me about those things she does, and I won’t ask her what she’s doing. Can’t I just continue to associate with her?”

Lin Yuan had a bit of a headache, “I told you before. If you get too close to flies, you’re likely to get shit on. If you continue to associate with her, there will inevitably be a lot of chat records. You’ll also go shopping together, exchange gifts and red packets, and there will inevitably be transfer records between you.

If something happens to her one day, they’ll most likely trace it back to you.

Then, if your working at the maid cafe gets exposed, do you think that would look good?”

Xia Ye then fell silent.

Actually, what Lin Yuan said wasn't his biggest concern; he was just using the maid cafe incident to scare Xia Ye, because he knew Xia Ye cared about that. What Lin Yuan was most worried about was — human nature cannot withstand temptation.

Song Xiaoxiao now knew that Lin Yuan was very rich, so would she later trick Xia Ye into getting involved in investments or sponsorships with her? Although Lin Yuan currently thought Song Xiaoxiao was a free-spirited and decisive girl, no one could say for sure what would happen in the future.

Those who fall into the quagmire of pyramid schemes don't fall in all at once.

Lin Yuan was a rational person; what he had to do was prevent trouble before it happened. For someone like Song Xiaoxiao, one should avoid her if possible. With the unethical things she did, like fleecing people, it was easy to get implicated when lightning struck.

As for why he had to confront Song Xiaoxiao and make it clear? Because if he didn't, he would never be able to completely sever Xia Ye’s lingering connection with her, as Song Xiaoxiao always used the excuse of worrying that Lin Yuan couldn't support Xia Ye to cling to her.

Even if that worry was sincere, what did it matter?

Song Xiaoxiao could do something like recommend Xia Ye to a maid cafe, so there’s no guarantee she wouldn’t do something similar a second time.

Lin Yuan picked up a tissue and wiped Xia Ye’s face, “It’s such a small matter, no need to cry so sadly.”

But Xia Ye cried more and more sadly, and Lin Yuan couldn’t comfort her at all.

“I, I’m not just because of Xiao Xiao. I found, I, I…”

“Little Xia Ye, what did you find?”

“I found that I seem to have been kept by you all along.”

Lin Yuan was stunned by her words. He reviewed their interactions, and damn, he really did seem like a rich young master with a hidden identity.

In other words, he had unwittingly staged a drama of “The Delivery Guy is a Hidden CEO”?

“I always told myself that I must be independent and self-reliant. But the apartment I live in now is rented by you, and my private coaching job was also found by you. It seems I’ve always been kept by you. I feel like I’m not clean anymore.”

“What?”

“I feel like I’ve been kept, and I’m not clean anymore. I wasn’t in love after all.”

Lin Yuan suddenly had a huge headache, “You… can’t you just refer to those heroines in CEO short dramas? Can’t you… be a little happier, okay?”

Damn, the plot was completely beyond Lin Yuan’s expectations.

“I just want to have a simple relationship and marry an ordinary person who likes me.”

“I’m very ordinary,” Lin Yuan said with an innocent look, “And I like you very much. I’ve only been not ordinary for three months.”

“But… but how can someone go from ordinary to not ordinary in just three months? Even though I’m stupid, you can’t lie to me like that.”

“How about this,” Lin Yuan showed his true colors as an engineering student, “Let’s talk with numbers. I’ll show you the income and expenditure records from Alipay and WeChat, and my work contract. You can see if I’ve only become rich in the last three months.

You can not believe me, but you can’t not believe numbers, right?”

Xia Ye thought for a moment, then nodded blankly, “Okay, open them and show me.”

“My contract is in the dorm, let’s go back and get it now.”

“Mm. If you’re lying to me, I won’t be with you anymore. I don’t want to be kept.”

“No, girl, isn’t being rich good?”

“Being rich is good, but if you’re lying to me now, you’ll lie to me in the future too. If I’m being kept by you now, I might be kept by others in the future.”

Lin Yuan couldn’t quite understand Xia Ye’s logic, “Even if you are being kept by me, is it possible that I’ll keep you for a lifetime?”

“Then you can keep other people in the future too.”

“But I’m going to marry you, and our country’s marriage law is monogamous.”

“I, I… I just don’t want to be kept. You make me feel a bit strange now, I’m even a little afraid of you.” Xia Ye said, instinctively taking two steps back.

‘Alright, alright.’ Lin Yuan was speechless in his heart, ‘Damn, I really want to take you to see a psychologist.’

“How about this, I’ll take you to see the contract right now. You can see if I lied to you.”

“Mm, take me quickly.” Xia Ye said very seriously.

Just as the two were about to leave, Lin Yuan’s peripheral vision suddenly caught an “F” icon.

He had inadvertently discovered this F icon during his argument with Song Xiaoxiao earlier, but he had ignored it because the argument was so heated.

Because this idiotic system, whenever Lin Yuan entered any random shop, if he didn't explicitly turn it off, it would often automatically pop up and mark cameras.

The system would often display an F icon above all the cameras in Lin Yuan’s field of vision, simply because Lin Yuan had previously instructed it to mark cameras for businesses.

Tonight, after Lin Yuan left Da Zhang’s house, his thoughts were chaotic all the way, and he forgot to turn off this function of the system after entering the shop.

So, Lin Yuan noticed that F icon.

But what made him curious was why the icon was on top of a tissue box.

[System, were you so engrossed in watching the drama just now that you’re marking cameras randomly?]

[Is this kind of drama, a mix of tearing each other apart and parting, very interesting?]

.

.

The system had no response.

“Lin Yuan, what’s wrong?” Xia Ye looked at Lin Yuan walking to the side in confusion.

Lin Yuan picked up the tissue box. Where the F icon was located, there was a tiny pinhole. Lin Yuan reached into the tissue box and pulled out a long, strip-like object with a section of wire attached.

After that, the F icon moved with the object in his hand.

Lin Yuan squeezed the object, and he clearly felt a circuit board inside.

[Camera calibration successful!]

“Damn it!” Lin Yuan cursed, “Who the hell put a pinhole camera here? What a pervert!”