C18 Chapter 18

The system, watching from the shadows: Unbelievable! Seriously unbelievable!

That girl’s charm is off the charts!

Is this what they mean by “love at first punch”?

Next, Ling Xiao dropped over a million dollars on a luxury apartment right across the hall from Lanyu.

Happiness is having the home-court advantage!

Living that close makes it way easier to “drop by” whenever you feel like it!

Once the place was renovated and fully set up, it was move-in ready—just bring your suitcase.

Over the weekend, Ling Xiao drove back to her old neighborhood and picked up Wang Xiaoye.

At first, Wang Xiaoye mocked his little sister, acting all tough and refusing to budge—until Ling Xiao knocked him flat.

Wang Xiaoye clutched his aching stomach. “Sis! You’re so violent and rough—are you sure any guy would even want you?”

Ling Xiao replied calmly, “We broke up a long time ago.”

No wonder! No wonder her whole vibe had gotten so weird!

Turning heartbreak into brute force, huh?

Still, she was his sister. Even if their parents played favorites and never gave him a real shot at school or even spending money...

Family was family. Wang Xiaoye wasn’t some ungrateful monster.

“Sis! Don’t be sad!” Wang Xiaoye said, already forgetting the pain. “Once I land a reliable sugar daddy at that upscale club, I can help out with bills—and I’ll find you a new boyfriend.”

Ling Xiao stared at him for a moment, then pointed at the suitcase in the living room.

Wang Xiaoye grinned like he totally got it. “Taking a break after a breakup? Best way to heal is to move! I get it, I get it—totally understand what you want, sis!”

Ling Xiao suddenly kicked him hard in the butt, sending him tumbling headfirst onto the floor.

You get it?

You don’t get a damn thing!

He’d just gotten wrecked and he was still thinking about going back to that club to be a male escort?

What a loser.

Faced with his sister’s ridiculous strength, Wang Xiaoye was furious but didn’t dare say a word—so mad he nearly made himself sick.

Then he packed up, sorting through everything from their old place.

Lingxiao stood off to the side, keeping watch. No matter how annoyed Wang Xiaoye was, he still had to give in to his little sister’s... fists.

When they moved into the new place, Lan Yu happened to open the door across the hall.

“Huh? New neighbors?” Lan Yu watched Wang Xiaoye hauling suitcases, his smile not quite a smile.

The moment Wang Xiaoye stepped into this sleek, upscale apartment building, he felt totally thrown off.

So his sister’s “moving” wasn’t about hiding from heartbreak...

She had money.

Real money.

She’d hit it big.

Lingxiao wore a gray-blue maxi dress, standing straight as a reed—long legs, slim waist, striking features that were hard to ignore.

She didn’t spare Lan Yu a glance. Instead, she helped Wang Xiaoye set up the fingerprint lock, then flipped on the lights and shut the door.

All in one smooth motion.

Lan Yu’s eyes flickered. As far as he knew, the Wang parents were laid-off factory workers, and their situation was worse than most.

He might’ve been a little taken with Lingxiao, but... he absolutely wasn’t going to let anyone with shady intentions get close to him.

When his people finished gathering Lingxiao’s background and placed the file in front of him, Lan Yu read through it carefully—then felt his stomach drop.

She was actually... the girlfriend of CEO Li Yifeng.

If she’d already latched onto a shiny, rock-solid golden ticket, why come mess with me?

Inside, Lan Yu cried rivers. So this is... getting dumped before it even starts?

These days, Lingxiao rarely saw Lan Yu leave his apartment—or maybe he was deliberately avoiding her.

Timing his outings to miss hers, doing everything he could not to run into her?

Don’t try to figure out what’s going on in a kid’s head. You’ll never get it.

Lingxiao: I’m suffering over here, okay?

System: Don’t panic!

Miss, you’ve gotta believe in yourself! You’re the fallen angel here to save the villain heartthrob!

Lingxiao: Get lost. A plucked bird-man is worse than a chicken.

System: ...Honestly, you could still cook it. Wouldn’t be any worse than chicken soup.

Lan Yu kept a low profile during the day and came alive at night. Whenever he had nothing better to do, he’d swing by the Black Stallion Club—and, while he was at it, poach the Zhu family’s most important VIPs.

Eventually, the Zhu family had had enough. Zhu Ling’er decided it was time to stop letting her irritating half-brother get away with it—and to take him out for good.