Chapter 2

As a child, I'd never dared add meat to my noodles.

Now I added it without checking the price.

That was progress.

At nine that evening, the doorbell rang.

Bai Qingqian stood outside with a box of bird's nest soup and an attentive smile.

"I was afraid you'd be lonely and sad, so I came to keep you company."

The moment she entered, her gaze swept the living room.

It stopped at my jewelry cabinet for a full ten seconds.

"Wanjun was so generous to you. You were allowed to take all this?"

I nodded.

"It's all mine under the agreement."

Her smile faded.

"Babies cost a lot, you know."

"You already have so much cash. This jewelry's just sitting here. Why not choose a few pieces as a welcome gift for the baby?"

I nearly choked on a noodle.

The child hadn't even grown hands, and she was already eyeing my bracelets on its behalf.

I set my chopsticks down and said sincerely, "Worth considering."

"Show me your prenatal report first. I'll choose something suitable for how far along you are."

Her expression changed.

She clutched her belly at once.

"Are you questioning me? I came out of kindness, and you're humiliating a pregnant woman?"

Tears fell on command.

I noticed a phone lens poking out of her handbag, aimed directly at me.

So she'd come to film me secretly.

I didn't expose her.

I put the bird's nest soup in front of her, cut up a plate of fruit, arranged it prettily, and sent Lei Wanjun a photograph.

[Qingqian was worried I'd be upset on my own, so she came to visit.

Don't worry. I'll take good care of her.]

Three minutes later, my phone vibrated.

Two hundred thousand yuan from Lei Wanjun.

Memo: Voluntary gift. Thank you for taking care of Qingqian.

I stared at the number and suddenly understood.

Bai Qingqian wasn't some cherished old flame.

She was heaven's personal money courier.

From that day, I found a new direction in life.

Every time she came, I waited on her.

Imported cherries?

Bought.

Limited-edition cake?

Ordered.

My air wasn't fresh enough?

Two air purifiers arrived that night.

I'd spend a few thousand.

Lei Wanjun would send hundreds of thousands.

I'd never dreamed of a return like that.

I saved every photograph in an album.

"Lucky Cat Diary."

Bai Qingqian had no idea she'd taken on such an important role.

Mostly, she came to boast about how much he spoiled her.

Today, he'd bought a special maternity bed.

Tomorrow, he'd turned the lounge on the company's top floor into a nursery.

The next day, she'd thrust out her barely visible belly and ask where the Lei family's ancestral longevity-lock pendant was kept.

I smiled.

Nodded.

Applauded at the right moments.

Tired?

Water.

Hungry?

Food.

The child would take over the company?

What ambition.

The more she talked, the more convinced she became that the divorce had crushed me.

She grew bolder by the day.

"Don't resent Wanjun."

"Every man wants his own flesh and blood. Three years without a sign of anything—shouldn't you look at yourself for the reason?"

I held my glass of milk.

"I've been tested. There's nothing wrong with me."

Her smile was meaningful.

"Women need all sorts of tests. Who knows whether they missed something?"

"Wanjun's proved there's nothing wrong with him. Keep insisting, and you'll just look like a sore loser."

Then she lifted her phone, seemingly by accident letting me see the chat.

Lei Wanjun had chosen more than a dozen names.

Half for boys.

Half for girls.

He'd carefully calculated the stroke count of every one.

He'd also commissioned a solid-gold longevity lock.

Two hundred and eighty-eight grams.

I praised it sincerely.

"Impressive."

She mistook my sincerity for envy and left thoroughly satisfied.

Ten minutes later, he messaged me.

[Qingqian says you seemed a little upset today?]

I replied:

[Seeing the three of you together hurts a little.

But I'll adjust. Don't worry.]

He sent five hundred thousand yuan.

Memo: Voluntary gift. Emotional compensation.

I hugged my phone and rolled over twice in the massage chair.

My conscience said the money was a little too hot to handle.

My bank balance said I could let it cool before spending it.

The next day, he called too, sounding guilty.

"Qingqian's young. She speaks directly. Be patient with her."

I was magnanimous.

"Don't worry. She's precious cargo now. I won't quarrel with a pregnant woman."

"You're so understanding."

"As I should be."