He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

This seems to be the first time the male lead has said "I miss you" so directly.

Previously it was all about transferring money, transferring money, and transferring money.

It's either "Baby, be good" or "We'll do whatever you say, baby."

Although the tone was affectionate, there was still a hint of businesslike formality.

Did I take the wrong medicine today?

But she didn't think about it too much, because she had something more important to say.

"Brother, do you know what? The internship I got this time is paying me 100,000 yuan a month!"

Zero: [This is what the baby deserves; I think it should be higher.]

Xia Ruo felt a warmth in her heart when she saw this reply.

The male lead is so sweet—but unfortunately, he's the kind of sweet guy who would throw the woman who lied to him into the Huangpu River.

She took a deep breath and typed out what she really wanted to say:

"Baby will be going to work next week, so brother won't be transferring money to baby anymore~ Baby can support herself~"

After sending it, she stared nervously at the screen.

-

In the office, Zhou Siyan was leaning back in her chair, holding a coffee in one hand and her phone in the other.

Upon seeing this message, his fingers paused, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Don't you want your allowance anymore?

He put down his coffee cup and read the message again.

Not right.

He had just asked his assistant to check Lin Wanzhi's family background. She is indeed the only daughter of the Lin Group, from a wealthy and stable family.

It's obvious that she would never be short of money.

Why would a wealthy heiress who doesn't lack money go to a social networking app to find love online?

Why do you have to act cute and ask for money?

Now they're suddenly saying "Don't transfer any more money," what does that mean?

What is being foreshadowed?

Zhou Siyan's intuition told him that he couldn't follow the other side's lead.

Regardless of her reasons for saying that, once he agreed not to transfer the money, it meant he was making a concession in the relationship.

The first rule he learned in the business world was:

Never let your opponent know what you're going to do next.

He curled his lips into a smile, traced a line of text on the screen with his fingertip, and then typed:

Zero: [Baby, what's wrong? Are you upset that your brother didn't come home to be with you?]

Before Xia Ruo could reply, he added another message:

Zero: [Can my brother come back tomorrow?]

"Cough cough cough—"

In the dormitory, Xia Ruo was drinking water when she saw the message. She choked on the water and coughed until tears streamed down her face.

She frantically typed, not even bothering to add punctuation:

"Baby isn't blaming brother, baby just feels sorry for brother who works so hard to earn money."

My brother has work to do, baby can wait patiently.

Let's talk about it when my brother is done with his work, okay?

As Zhou Siyan looked at the string of replies on the screen, which even omitted punctuation marks, the corners of his mouth curved into a deeper smile.

They're in such a panic.

He stopped wasting words and typed the last line:

Zero: [You must take the money, understand?]

Xia Ruo stared at the line of words, opened her mouth, then closed it again.

What could she say? "I won't accept it"? He'd probably just fly back immediately.

If she said, "Okay, I'll take it," then she could only watch helplessly as the number continued to rise, like a snowball, getting bigger and bigger.

Xia Ruo placed her phone face down on the table, lay back on the bed, stared at the ceiling, and let out a long sigh.

Unexpectedly, this top executive of the prestigious rice group was subdued by a man who used the double threat of transferring money and returning to China.

She flipped through her phone and resignedly replied with a single word:

"oh."

Zhou Siyan looked at the word "Oh," a faint smile appearing in his eyes. He opened the transfer window, entered a number, and sent it.

Zero: [Baby, be good, go to sleep.]

(Transfer: 200000 yuan.)

Xia Ruo closed her eyes.

Well, that's another 200,000.

-

At this moment, Lin Wanzhi's voice rang out from the side, soft and gentle, with a hint of coquettishness at the end:

"Ruoruo, would you like to come home with me tomorrow? I want to tell my mom about the internship I found. You haven't seen Aunt Zhang in a long time, have you?"

As if knowing Xia Ruo would refuse, she pressed herself against her before Xia Ruo could speak, wrapping her arms around Xia Ruo's and gently shaking them.

"Please come back with me."

Xia Ruoxin felt a slight stirring in her heart.

Aunt Zhang? The original owner's mother?

She noticed while reading the novel that the original owner's transformation was directly related to her mother.

What kind of biological mother belittles her own daughter all day long?

They said she looked frivolous and didn't look like a respectable woman, as if her face was some kind of shameful sin.

If it were her, with such a beautiful and well-behaved daughter as the original owner, she would want to hold her in the palm of her hand and pamper her in every way. How could she bear to say a harsh word to her?

The original owner's relationship with her mother had always been cold and strained.

The original owner hated her, yet longed for her approval; this conflicting contradiction permeated almost the entirety of the original owner's life.

She recalled the novel, where every time the original owner returned home with Lin Wanzhi, Zhang Meihua's gaze towards her daughter was always critical, scrutinizing, and dissatisfied—

"Look at Wanwan, how sensible she is."

Why can't you learn from others?

"Your face looks like a vixen's; who would want you in the future?"

Xia Ruo leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. The original owner's memories slowly surfaced in her mind; those words were like dull knives cutting into her flesh, slicing at her heart, that of an outsider.

Zhang Meihua, right?

"Okay," Xia Ruo nodded, "I'll go back with you."

She wanted to see what kind of mother could drive her own daughter to such a state.

Lin Wanzhi's eyes lit up, and she was so happy she almost jumped out of bed:

"Really? That's great! I'll tell my mom you're coming too, she'll be so happy!"

Xia Ruo smiled but didn't reply.

-

The next morning, Lin Wanzhi got up and started tidying up. She searched through the entire wardrobe and finally picked out a light yellow floral dress, comparing it to herself in front of the mirror.

"Ruoruo, does this one look good? Or is the white one prettier?"

Xia Ruo leaned against the headboard, looking at her sleepily, thinking that this girl was going home, not walking the red carpet.

"They all look good." She yawned.

"You always say that!" Lin Wanzhi pouted in dissatisfaction, stuffing the last two items into her bag.

Xia Ruo slowly got up to wash up, changed into a simple white T-shirt and jeans, and casually tied her hair into a low ponytail.

She didn't want to dress too conspicuously at the Lin family home—after all, Lin Wanzhi was a rich heiress, and she, the daughter of a nanny, would only have more to say if she dressed too eye-catchingly.

The two hailed a taxi and headed towards the Lin family villa.

Outside the car window, the hustle and bustle of the city gradually faded away, replaced by wide tree-lined roads and detached villas nestled among the green trees.

Looking at the well-arranged courtyards and neatly trimmed lawns, Xia Ruo sighed inwardly—the lives of the rich are indeed different, starting from the very air they breathe.

Lin Wanzhi chattered on and on about her family the whole way:

"My mom was overjoyed when she heard I got an internship. She sent someone to buy groceries first thing this morning, saying she was going to cook me something delicious. She also said she hadn't seen me in so long and missed me terribly."

Xia Ruo smiled.

Lin's mother was indeed very good to the original owner of the body, treating her like a daughter.

Every time the original owner went home with Lin Wanzhi, Lin's mother would specially prepare her favorite foods, and when they left, she would also pack a bunch of snacks and clothes for her.

In contrast, Zhang Meihua's attitude was completely different.