Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

On the coffee table not far from him, there was a cell phone with its screen lit up. It was the one he usually used to text Jiang Niannian, telling her that his leg hurt and urging her to raise money for his surgery.

A woman with glamorous makeup next to him smiled and nudged his arm.

"Hey Qin Shao, did your girlfriend, the delivery girl from the orphanage, transfer you money again today? She's working herself to the bone every day to save up for your 'surgery fees,' when will this fun ever end?"

Qin Xiao chuckled softly, his tone flippant and cold:

"No rush, let's see how long she can hold on. Isn't it interesting that someone is willing to risk their life for me? I was indeed injured in that car accident, but my leg has long since healed."

Jiang Niannian, standing outside the crack in the door, felt as if her blood had frozen instantly.

The phone camera was still broadcasting silently, and tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream listened to the entire conversation word for word.

Inside the private room, a charming woman laughed and pressed on, "Young Master Qin, why do you keep pretending to have a leg injury? She probably still doesn't know your true family background, does she?"

Qin Xiao held his wine glass, a cold and mocking smile playing on his lips. His tone was light and airy, without a trace of remorse: "Of course she didn't know. I deliberately hired people to pretend to be my parents, staging a scene where my family disliked my disability and cruelly abandoned me, just to make her think that we were kindred spirits in the same boat. That foolish woman genuinely cared for me, putting me first in everything and serving me meticulously."

A man beside him scoffed, "Brother Qin, you've been playing this game for over a year, aren't you getting tired of it? Sister Wanwan is about to return to China, are you still going to keep pretending to be poor and wasting your time?"

Mentioning that name, a hint of impatience flashed in Qin Xiao's eyes: "I'm just wondering how to get rid of her. I might as well just come clean."

Another man chimed in, "Why bother just laying it all out? Isn't she working herself to the bone to raise the money for your surgery? Once she's got the money in your hands, we can use it to have some fun together, wouldn't that be great?"

Qin Xiao chuckled softly and replied without hesitation, "Fine, that's what I was planning anyway. Once I get the surgery money, I'll block her and cut off all contact, completely dumping her. I'm already tired of this game. To be honest, pretending to be poor is really painful. How can I possibly eat all that street food she brings home after work every day?"

"Each time I would only force myself to take a bite, then push it back to her, pretending that I had no appetite and felt sorry for her hard work, and urging her to eat more. I never expected that she would be so moved that her eyes would redden every time."

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the private room.

Outside the crack in the door, Jiang Niannian stood frozen in place, her blood seemingly freezing instantly, her hands and feet numb with cold.

Scenes from the past surged into my mind.

After finishing her daily delivery work, she would carefully select the most cost-effective meat and vegetables to pack and deliver to him, hoping to help him recover soon.

Each time, Qin Xiao would politely decline, looking guilty. She assumed he was blaming himself for dragging her down, and kept gently comforting him.

Now she understands.

There was no remorse or heartache whatsoever. From beginning to end, it was just a cheap performance put on by a rich young master who couldn't get used to the food of ordinary people from the lower classes.

She worked tirelessly from dawn till dusk, juggling multiple jobs, sacrificing her health to save up her hard-earned money. All the sincerity she poured out to Qin Xiao and his group was nothing more than a game to kill time and amuse themselves.

Jiang Niannian felt a soreness and swelling in her throat, and tears silently streamed down her face, but she bit her lip tightly, not uttering a sound.

Having grown up in an orphanage, she had long since learned to endure, but at this moment, the tearing pain in her heart almost crushed all her strength.

The live stream chat had already exploded, with a dense barrage of angry comments flooding the screen.

[You beast! You're not even human! You treat other people's sincerity as a joke!]

[The young woman works hard delivering food, saving every penny, while he's out drinking wine and having fun at a club!]

[They'll block her once they've raised enough money for the surgery? They have no conscience!]

The car accident was real, but he used the life-saving grace as a bargaining chip for deception! It's disgusting!

[The rich have a perverse sense of humor, but the price is a girl's entire year of youth and hard work!]

Just as the comments section was filled with righteous indignation, someone in the private room glanced unintentionally at the door.

Jiang Niannian, holding her phone, was seen through the crack in the door.

"Hey? Is someone at the door?"

The noisy private room fell silent for a moment.

Qin Xiao subconsciously turned around and peered through the crack in the door.

The people in the private room had already noticed her, so Jiang Niannian stopped hiding, reached out and pushed open the half-closed door, and walked straight in.

The previously noisy and laughing private room fell silent instantly, and everyone's eyes were fixed on her in her yellow delivery uniform.

The moment Qin Xiao saw Jiang Niannian, a fleeting, almost imperceptible panic crossed his eyes. He subconsciously leaned forward slightly, nearly standing up to explain.

But in an instant, as if remembering his current identity and this pastime that had lasted for more than a year, he became too lazy to continue acting. He remained lounging on the sofa, his eyelids slightly raised, and looked indifferently at the girl who was slowly approaching.

Jiang Niannian stood before him, her voice trembling slightly, yet each word was clear: "So that's how it is, Qin Xiao. You found it fun to play with me, didn't you?"

Qin Xiao's lips curled into a cold, indifferent smile, without a trace of guilt: "Since you heard everything, there's no need for me to go to the trouble of continuing to hide it from you."

That confident and indifferent attitude completely shattered the last remaining hope in Jiang Niannian's heart.

She reached for a glass of red wine on the coffee table and splashed it hard on Qin Xiao's face.

Crimson wine dripped down his refined jawline and expensive shirt.

"Qin Xiao, you're shameless. We're breaking up."

As soon as she finished speaking, she didn't linger for another second and turned to leave.

With his clothes soaked with alcohol, Qin Xiao's composure shattered completely, anger rising to his brows as he coldly mocked from behind, "I'd like to ask, when were we ever officially together?"

Jiang Niannian suddenly stopped in her tracks.

She was silent for a brief moment, then let out a low, self-deprecating laugh.

Yes, he never gave her a formal title; all his promises were just empty words. She was foolish enough to take a rich man's game of passing the time as her only hope for the rest of her life.

She didn't turn around, her back ramrod straight, and walked out of the private room step by step under the gaze of the men and women in fine clothes and fine food.

It wasn't until Jiang Niannian's figure completely disappeared at the end of the corridor that the people in the private room belatedly burst into a commotion.

"Holy crap, Brother Qin! This woman's got some nerve, daring to throw your drink at you. Does she want to leave this city?"

"But it's good that you were caught; it saves you trouble now that you don't have to worry about how to shake her off."

Qin Xiao casually pulled out a tissue to wipe the wine stains off his face, chuckled, picked up a new glass and took a big gulp: "Just an insignificant person, don't spoil the fun, let's keep drinking."