Later, by sheer chance, Ye Peiqi found out that working at a club wasn't just about selling drinks or your body — you could sell other things too.
She didn't hesitate long before getting involved, but she was careful: she only sold to other club girls, never dealt directly with customers, so she stayed under the radar for a year.
In that time, she learned one rule: if money couldn't solve a problem, it usually just meant you didn't have enough money.
That's when she got the idea to latch onto a rich second-gen boyfriend.
Her first target backfired — she ended up giving herself to him completely. She also learned from Luo Changhao that her mother had done the same thing — sold drugs.
Lucky or unlucky for her, Luo was impotent, so her virginity stayed intact until tonight.
Before, her feelings toward Zhao Xuan had been mostly jealousy. Zhao came from an average background, had transferred schools multiple times, but he and Luo became best friends, while she was just Luo's toy — trading her shame and screams to keep him from exposing her and her mom.
Even with similar poverty, people's fates could be worlds apart.
So she did everything she could to turn classmates against Zhao, especially Wan Chujun and Bai Lvdi. Wan had tons of simps; Bai had a clique of girlfriends. If they painted Zhao as a lowlife loser, most of the class would believe it.
She succeeded halfway — Wan and her simps really disliked Zhao, and Bai stirred the pot constantly — but most classmates didn't care either way.
Most importantly, Zhao himself didn't seem affected. He remained the only one in class who could match Ye's grades, and Luo had never even heard the rumors she'd spread.
She wasn't happy about it, but there was no way to turn it around. Luo once said he'd drop the blackmail after college — and he wasn't lying — but for Ye, it made no difference.
But tonight, the Zhao Xuan she saw was completely different.
Someone who could drive an Audi A8 right after the gaokao? The car was probably his dad's. Which meant the stories she'd heard about Zhao's poor family were fake.
Zhao and Luo became friends because their family backgrounds were actually similar.
At that realization, Ye's jealousy and anger vanished.
Thinking it over, she got up, went into the bathroom, and carefully cleaned her body and wounds.
This was her ticket to a better life.
Meanwhile, Zhao Xuan was already on his way back to the Green Valley villa.
When they'd left the complex, that guard, Uncle Song, still thought Zhao was Ye's boyfriend and chatted with him for a few minutes about her.
Zhao already knew most of it, and in the guard's eyes, Ye was still the pure, well-behaved girl Zhao used to think she was.
He'd actually considered asking the guard for Ye's mom's name — rumor had it she was a still-attractive beauty, and the idea of a mother-daughter combo was tempting — but decided against it. Questioning a random guard would seem weird; he could just ask Ye tomorrow.
Driving while lost in thought was dangerous, especially for a newbie like Zhao.
At a right turn, he didn't check his blind spot, signaled, and immediately heard a horn. He slammed the brakes — he hadn't been going fast, so he stopped before the intersection.
The oncoming vehicle braked hard and crashed into the landscaping strip. Zhao had no choice but to get out. Clearly his fault, and with his probationary license, this was a hassle. Luckily, it was a high-clearance van — only the front bumper took damage, almost no harm to the body.
The other driver didn't even get out. A guy in the passenger seat leaned out, said the damage was minor, no need to call the police or exchange insurance, just to drive more carefully, then rolled up the window and drove off.
The plate was from another city — maybe they didn't want the trouble of handling it out-of-town. After the scare, Zhao stopped daydreaming and focused on getting back to the villa.
By the time he returned, it was past 1 AM.
Many people had gone home; most of those left were heading straight to the beach resort the next day.
A few people saw Zhao and exchanged looks, creating an awkward silence.
"Zhao Xuan, are you going to the beach tomorrow? Three or four days. We've got one guy and one girl slot left," Xia Siheng finally asked. He, Lu Wenyin, and four or five others were playing a tabletop game — seemed like tomorrow's plan was already set.
Even Lu, who cared about her appearance, had a face mask on and was scrolling through her phone, with no intention of sleeping. Probably playing a murder mystery game.
Xia was the right person to ask — beach vacation wasn't cheap, but everyone at the table, including Lu, came from well-off families and could afford it. Zhao's situation was known to them — not poor, but not exactly flush. Xia, being Zhao's friend, could invite him without making rejection awkward.
Back then, Zhao would've made an excuse to decline; now, no way.
"Sure, but I'll head home first tomorrow, probably join you in the afternoon." Zhao had only just thought of going after talking with his parents, and with Xia's invite, he agreed without planning.
"Is Teacher Lu coming too?" Zhao noticed Lu in the group.
"What, Zhao Xuan, don't want to travel with your teacher?" Lu smiled and teased.
Lu hadn't planned to go — the post-gaokao summer was a rare long break, and she'd wanted to visit her folks in Henan. But these were her students; even graduated, she worried about them.
"Of course not, Teacher Lu joining us is a pleasure," Zhao said sincerely. Lu got along with everyone and was gorgeous — who wouldn't enjoy traveling with her?
"I just saw Wan Chujun is still here. Should we ask her?" asked a tall girl.
Ling Yunfang, a repeat student a year older than the rest. Not stunningly beautiful, but her cool vibe attracted plenty of guys. At 172 cm, she was even taller than Lu, and her height added to her appeal. Though a repeat student, she'd gotten along with the class in senior year.
Zhao felt awkward — he and Wan didn't get along, but backing out now would look too obvious and embarrass Xia and Lu.
"Go ask her, you're her desk mate and close," Xia nodded. The others knew about Zhao and Wan's friction, but didn't object — most saw it as a clash between a spoiled princess and a guy immune to her antics.
It was late, so after chatting a bit, everyone called it a night.
The next morning, Zhao went home. Lin Jingjing had brought a new housekeeper, so he took her along to check out the place.
Originally, Zhao wanted a full-time maid, but his parents refused — didn't like having strangers living with them. Light cleaning, they could handle themselves. Zhao gave in; they had a point, so he switched to twice-a-week visits, Wednesday and Sunday.
Lin said the housekeeper was Aunt Yang — Yang Ying — who'd done part-time work at their sales office. Local, but Zhao checked her attributes anyway; nothing special.
At this stage, the panel's info was still limited — the most useful stat was Friendliness, which for a stranger usually ranged from –10 to 10. Yang was 15, normal since Zhao paid slightly above market rate.
Zhao didn't rush to the beach. Since moving into the villa, he'd barely spent time with his parents — holed up in hotels or at Lin's place, and missed yesterday's reunion at home.
Though it wasn't a scheduled workday, Aunt Yang offered to make lunch, no extra charge. Zhao Guxu wanted to refuse, but Zhao Mingdong told her to go ahead.
Honestly, Zhao Guxu's cooking skills hadn't improved much over the years, much to Zhao Mingdong and Zhao Xuan's quiet annoyance.
The three sat in the living room, watching TV and chatting — mostly about Zhao's college applications and plans.
They were still unused to his sudden wealth and a bit worried. Even after his explanations, they tended to think he should get a proper job.
Crypto was just an excuse back then, but arguing would only dig a deeper hole — Zhao knew one lie needed ten to cover it, so he just agreed and steered the talk elsewhere, even if it meant talking about matchmaking.
Then, Zhao Guxu mentioned they'd go back to their hometown after Zhao finalized his college choice.
Zhao disliked the sharp-tongued relatives back home, but his grandparents had always treated him well. After scoring well on the gaokao, going to visit was the right thing. And now, with his new status, who knew who'd be mocking whom when they met.
Soon, Aunt Yang served lunch. After eating, Zhao Mingdong and Zhao Guxu went upstairs for a nap, and Zhao rested briefly before heading to the beach.