The atmosphere in the Ye household shifted overnight. Wang Yan became a ghost, slinking through the halls with red-rimmed eyes, avoiding everyone. Ye Zhentao spent even less time at home, the shame of his wife's infidelity and his daughter's shocking control over the situation driving him away. Ye Meng oscillated between furious glares at Ye Xia and tearful attempts to win back her father's favor.
For Ye Xia, it was peace. Her room was left untouched. No one questioned her comings and goings. She used the freedom to fully move her important belongings to her secret studio apartment. It was sparsely furnished, but it was hers. A place where she could study, plan, and begin the physical transformation in earnest.
Her days fell into a new rhythm. Morning workout sessions with a personal trainer (paid for with system funds). School, where she maintained an aura of detached indifference that somehow quelled the worst of the bullying. Afternoons spent in the library or her apartment, devouring knowledge. Evenings dedicated to wasting the system's ever-increasing quota.
With Level 3, wasting 200,000 RMB daily was a new challenge. She couldn't buy a new car every day. She expanded her spending to experiences: booking a private box at the opera for a performance she had no intention of attending, reserving the entire top floor of a fancy restaurant for a solitary meal, making a "donation" to a dubious art foundation that was clearly a money-laundering front. The system approved it all, as long as the money was spent with no expectation of financial return.
Her personal wealth skyrocketed. 10,000 RMB a day flowed into the Xing Guang Capital account. Within two weeks, she had another 140,000 RMB to invest. She poured it all into Sohu, watching the share price with a hawk's eye. It fluctuated, but the general trend, as she knew it would, was beginning to creep upward.
The [Basic Intelligence] function came off cooldown. She pondered who to target next. Liang Rui? Lin Wanwan? She decided on Lin Wanwan. Understanding the enemy's current vulnerabilities was key.
She activated the function, focusing on her false friend.
The information that flowed into her mind was less dramatic than Wang Yan's affair, but equally useful. It revealed that Lin Wanwan's father, Lin Bohai, was facing serious cash flow problems in his manufacturing business. He had taken out several high-interest loans to cover debts and was on the verge of missing a major payment to his suppliers. The Lin family's wealth was a facade, propped up by credit. They were desperately seeking investors or a favorable marriage alliance to bail them out.
This explained why Lin Wanwan was so aggressively pushing Ye Xia towards Liang Rui. The Liang family was wealthy and stable. A marriage would solve the Lin family's financial woes. And it explained why Liang Rui, ambitious and status-obsessed, might be hesitant. He would only marry Lin Wanwan if it was a supremely advantageous match.
Ye Xia stored this information away. It was a pressure point. When the time was right, she could apply leverage.
One afternoon, while "wasting" money on a ridiculously expensive tea ceremony experience, her phone buzzed. It was an alert from her brokerage app. Sohu had just released its quarterly earnings report. The results were stellar, far exceeding market expectations, driven by explosive growth in its mobile platform. The stock was soaring in after-hours trading.
A slow smile spread across Ye Xia's face. The first fruit of her foresight was ripening. Her initial investment had already grown by over 30%. It was validation. Her path was correct.
It was during this period of quiet consolidation that the outside world intruded again. She received a message on her secret phone. It was from an unknown number, but the message was simple and direct.
[The incident in the alley required resolution. The matter has been handled. There will be no further trouble from those individuals.]
It was signed with a single initial: M.
Her heart skipped a beat. M. The mysterious man. He had her number. Of course he did; someone with his resources could easily find it. And he had "handled" the thugs. What did that mean? The cold finality of the phrase sent a shiver down her spine.
She debated how to respond. Gratitude? Aloofness? She decided on professionalism, mirroring his tone.
[Thank you for the update. I appreciate your efficiency.]
She received no reply. She hadn't expected one. The communication was a reminder that he was out there, watching, perhaps. A silent partner in her shadow war.
A few days later, Attorney Li contacted her. "Miss Ye, there's a matter you should be aware of. A small corporate event. A company called 'Rui Sheng Technologies' is having a launch party for its new app. The founder is a young man named Liang Rui. I believe he attends your school."
Ye Xia's blood ran cold. Rui Sheng Technologies. That was the name of Liang Rui's first real company in her previous life, the one he started after the tutoring service, the one that became the foundation of his empire. It was happening years ahead of schedule.
"Why are you telling me this?" Ye Xia asked, her voice tight.
"Because the law firm representing them is a competitor of ours," Attorney Li said. "And I've seen their business plan. It's… derivative. But well-packaged. They've secured initial funding from the Lin family. I thought you, with your interest in equities, might find it an interesting case study in startup valuation."
The Lin family. So they were betting heavily on Liang Rui, pouring their scarce resources into his venture. This changed things. This accelerated her timeline.
"When is the party?" Ye Xia asked.
"Tomorrow evening, at the Grand Hyatt."
"I'll be there," Ye Xia said, a plan forming in her mind. It was time to step out of the shadows. It was time for Liang Rui and Lin Wanwan to see that the mouse they had tormented and murdered was now a cat, sharpening its claws.
She spent the next day's 200,000 RMB quota on a weapon for her debut: a single, stunning piece from an emerging avant-garde designer. It wasn't a traditionally beautiful gown; it was a work of art, architectural and severe, in a deep charcoal grey that would complement her changing complexion. She also hired a professional makeup artist and hairstylist for the evening.
The following night, she stood before the full-length mirror in her studio apartment. The girl looking back was unrecognizable. The gown fitted her new, firmer figure like a glove, sculpting her silhouette and giving her an aura of formidable elegance. Her hair was swept up in an sophisticated twist, revealing a neck that seemed longer, more graceful. Her makeup was subtle but enhanced her eyes, which held a century's worth of knowledge and cold fire.
She was no longer ugly. She was striking. Unforgettable.
She arrived at the Grand Hyatt alone. The ballroom was filled with the city's aspiring elite—young entrepreneurs, minor investors, and proud parents. At the center of it all were Liang Rui and Lin Wanwan. He was in a tailored suit, basking in the admiration. She was clinging to his arm, dressed in a frilly pink dress, looking every bit the supportive princess.
Ye Xia paused at the entrance, letting her presence register. Conversations faltered. Heads turned. Who was that?
She saw the moment Liang Rui noticed her. His smile froze. His eyes widened in confusion, then darted away, then back again, as if trying to place her. Lin Wanwan followed his gaze. Her expression cycled from curiosity to dawning horror to pure, unadulterated jealousy.
Ye Xia smiled. It was a small, cold curve of her lips. She picked up a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and walked slowly, purposefully, through the crowd, which parted for her as if by magic. She stopped a few feet from the stunned couple.
"Liang Rui, Lin Wanwan," she said, her voice carrying easily in the sudden hush. "What an impressive venue for a launch. Congratulations."
Liang Rui found his voice. "Ye… Xia?" he stammered, the name sounding foreign on his tongue.
"It's been a while," she said, her gaze sweeping over Lin Wanwan's horrified face before returning to Liang Rui. "Rui Sheng Technologies. An interesting name. I look forward to seeing how it… develops."
She took a sip of champagne, her eyes never leaving his. In that moment, she was no longer the bullied schoolgirl. She was a peer. A potential rival. A ghost from a future he had yet to live, here to haunt his present.
She turned and walked away, leaving a wave of whispers in her wake. She had thrown a stone into the pond. The ripples would spread far and wide. The game had just entered a new, public phase. And for the first time, Ye Xia felt the intoxicating thrill of holding the advantage.