Chapter 1

It was eleven o'clock at night at Cloud, S City's most exclusive club.

Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, the city's dazzling, golden-hued nightscape stretched out like molten gold.

Unlike the boisterous atmosphere of ordinary clubs, Cloud remained remarkably quiet. In a corner, someone played a soothing piano melody.

Only the occasional clinking of glasses punctuated the silence.

Jiang Yin curled up in a booth in the corner, her strikingly beautiful and aggressive face radiating an aura of "keep away."

In her hand, she swirled a glass of iced lemon water—the only drink on the menu not priced in the three-digit range. It cost eighty-eight yuan.

Ding. The phone on the marble table lit up.

Jiang Yin glanced at the text message from the bank: Your account was charged 88.00 RMB on October 24th. Current balance: 250.50 RMB.

Jiang Yin: "......"

Two hundred fifty.

What a perfectly ironic number, a precise mockery of her current life.

"Yinyin, are you really not going home?"

Meng Xitang, her best friend sitting opposite her, cautiously slid a plate of sliced fruit across the table. "Why don't you just swallow your pride? It's been half a month now. You've never had to endure anything like this before. What's the point of enduring this misery—sharing a four-person dorm room for PhD students—just to save face?"

Jiang Yin's eyes narrowed, her captivating, foxy eyes gleaming even in the dim light.

She snorted coldly, speared a slice of watermelon with her fork, and took a vicious bite, juice splattering.

"Go back for what? To be packaged off in an arranged marriage?"

The word "arranged marriage" made the knot of resentment in her chest tighten, impossible to smooth out.

The memory of that night half a month ago surged back like a tidal wave.

That evening, she'd rushed home, eager to surprise her family with the experimental data she'd finally obtained.

But before she could even enter, she heard laughter and chatter from the living room.

Jiang Song, the newly recognized true daughter of the family, was like a tireless little sun, proudly displaying a scarf she'd knitted herself.

"Dad, Mom, I made this for you. It's not valuable, but it's very warm."

"Silly child, this is the best gift your parents could ever receive."

The scene was so warm and intimate that Jiang Yin felt even walking in would disrupt their atmosphere.

Clutching the cold, clinical lab report, she quietly went upstairs, like an outsider.

She had intended to speak with her eldest sister, Jiang Lan, but at the study door, she overheard a conversation that sent chills down her spine.

"...The company's cash flow has indeed dried up," Jiang Lan's voice, weary and cold, replied. "The only solution is a strategic marriage... I've already made arrangements. The other party is a bit older than Yin Yin and has a peculiar temper, but she swore to treat her well. Right now... she's our only hope for saving the Jiang family."

"But Yin Yin's temper..." Mother's hesitant voice came through.

"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight," Jiang Lan interrupted. "...Besides, the other party insists on Yin Yin... Send her over first. She'll naturally settle down then."

Outside the door, Jiang Yin gripped the report so tightly her knuckles turned white.

So, in this family, Jiang Song was the one to be pampered, while she—the "fake daughter" who had enjoyed all the Jiang family's resources since childhood—was the one to be sold.

Old and eccentric... What else could she be but some kind of perverted, menopausal old woman?

The memory snapped short.

Jiang Yin took another vicious bite of watermelon, as if trying to tear the unseen "old woman" to shreds.

"But..." Meng Xitang hesitated, her fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of her cup. "A marriage alliance isn't necessarily a bad thing. You have no idea how many people in our circle would kill for this opportunity. I heard that while the other party's... personality might be a bit cold, their business acumen is absolutely unparalleled."

"Cold personality? You don't know what you're talking about—she's an old woman!" Jiang Yin snarled through gritted teeth. "How old do you think she is? I might have to call her Grandma! I'd rather starve to death and jump off this building than serve some menopausal old hag for a few stinking coins!"

Her words rang with the pride and arrogance unique to the Second Miss of the Jiang Family. For that moment, it was as if behind her stood not an empty wallet, but the entire Jiang Group.

Yet the moment of grandeur lasted less than three seconds.

The phone on the table suddenly vibrated wildly, the screen flashing "Professor Gu" in large letters.

Jiang Yin's heart sank, her earlier arrogance deflating instantly. Trembling, she answered the call, her tone instantly transforming into that of a docile little rabbit: "Hello, Professor Gu... you're still up at this late hour?"

"Jiang Yin! What the hell are you doing?!" Professor Gu's furious roar erupted from the other end. "The incubator in the cell room is alarming! The temperature control system has completely failed! If you don't transfer those delicate cells to a new incubator immediately, six months of our data will be ruined!"

Jiang Yin's face turned deathly pale. She shot to her feet. "I'll head back to the lab right away..."

"Go back? What good will that do?! The backup incubators aren't enough! We need to buy new ones now! The manufacturer said if we pay upfront, they'll deliver immediately—fifty thousand yuan, not a cent less! Your project's funding ran out last month! If these cells die, you can kiss your PhD goodbye!"

Beep, beep, beep—

The call ended.

Jiang Yin stood frozen like a statue, clutching the phone.

Fifty thousand yuan.

Half a month ago, this amount would have been a mere drop in the bucket for her—even less than the cost of the bottle of red wine she'd bought for Meng Xitang.

But now, staring at the 250 yuan left in her account, Jiang Yin felt the cruel weight of reality pressing down on her.

If she didn't buy the incubator, the cells would die.

If the cells died, the data would be lost.

If the data was lost, she wouldn't be able to graduate.

"What am I going to do...?"

Jiang Yin buried her face in her hands, her voice cracking with despair. Suddenly, she remembered she wasn't alone.

Right, my card's been blocked, but Tangtang is here!

I'll borrow the money for now. I can pay her back later.

Jiang Yin looked at Meng Xitang as if she were a savior. "Tangtang, can you lend me 50,000 yuan? I'll pay you back next month... no, the month after, when I get my scholarship."

Meng Xitang's face fell. She rummaged through her bag and pulled out a card with a clipped corner. "Yinyin, it's not that I don't want to help, but my mom found out you ran away from home. She's working with your mom to force you back, and she just froze all my cards. She said if I dare give you any money, she'll kick me out too..."

Jiang Yin: "......"

Good, very good.

The Jiang family's economic blockade was truly a masterclass.

Just as Jiang Yin was contemplating stealing something from the lab to sell, a faint, delicate fragrance silently invaded her personal space.

It was like the moment in deep winter when heavy snow breaks a pine branch—a chill that sent a shiver down her spine.

This cold, unique fragrance was also strangely familiar.

Jiang Yin instinctively looked up.

Someone was standing beside the booth.

The person wore a perfectly tailored suit, like a silent shadow that had slipped through the gaudy, chaotic light to appear here.

In the dim lighting, a thin shadow fell across her shoulders.

Gold-rimmed glasses perched on her face. As she tilted her head slightly, the lenses refracted a glint of icy light.

Behind the lenses, those cool, indifferent eyes weren't looking elsewhere. Instead, they were calmly, even condescendingly, fixed on Jiang Yin.

Jiang Yin stiffened instantly, her guard rising.

What a coincidence.

How unlucky can you get?

Why did I have to run into Ji Xiangwan here of all places?!

And doesn't she make any noise when she walks? Is she a ghost?!

Their eyes met.

Jiang Yin instinctively straightened her back and lifted her chin, as if trying to imbue that cheap lemon water with the air of an '82 Lafite.

You can't lose the battle, even if you lose the war!

Especially not in front of your archrival!

Ji Xiangwan pushed her gold-rimmed glasses up her nose. She didn't speak, but her gaze swept over the half-melted lemon water on the table, then over Jiang Yin's clearly anxious expression.

Finally, a faint, almost imperceptible smile curved her lips.

"What a coincidence," Ji Xiangwan said, her voice low and husky, blending into the background noise with an indescribable magnetism and... mockery.

"Jiang Er."

"..." Jiang Yin's molars nearly ground to dust.

Ever since high school, in every exam—even physical fitness tests—Ji Xiangwan had always outshone her.

Ji Xiangwan was always first place, and Jiang Yin was always second.

The eternal runner-up.

The nickname "Jiang Er" was the bane of her existence.

"President Ji, you walk so quietly?" Jiang Yin retorted with a forced smile, her fox-like eyes narrowing. "Why aren't you poring over financial reports at this hour? Come to this place to 'experience the common people'?"

Ignoring the barb, Ji Xiangwan naturally pulled up a chair beside her and sat down.

"Jiang Lan mentioned that Second Miss Jiang has been 'experiencing life' lately. How's that going? Reached the point of drinking plain water to fill your stomach?" Her tone was neutral, making it impossible to tell if she was mocking or stating a fact.

"None of your business!" Jiang Yin snapped, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "This is how I maintain my health! As for President Ji, those dark circles under your eyes suggest you haven't been having an easy time lately either."

Meng Xitang, listening from the side, felt her heart pound like a drum. She wished she could shrink into the sofa cushions.

This was just like their school days, the same sharp-tongued rivalry. She didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

Both of them were formidable figures; she couldn't afford to offend either.

"It's indeed not easy," Ji Xiangwan said, surprisingly nodding in agreement.

She pulled a pure black card from her suit pocket, held it between two slender fingers, and gently placed it on the marble table, sliding it toward Jiang Yin.

The movement was so light, it made no sound.

"I heard someone's lab was facing financial difficulties, even struggling to afford rent for their cell rooms. I came to discuss a collaboration," Ji Xiangwan said, her tone as flat as ever. "Since Second Miss Jiang is busy with her wellness routine, it seems this is no longer necessary."

Jiang Yin's gaze instantly locked onto the black card, unable to tear her eyes away.

She hesitated for only 0.01 seconds before remembering Professor Gu's words: "You should give up on this PhD."

Seeing Ji Xiangwan's fingers about to withdraw the card, Jiang Yin panicked.

"Wait!" She slammed her hand down on the card.

Her fingertips inevitably brushed against the cool back of Ji Xiangwan's hand.

A jolt, like an electric shock, surged up Jiang Yin's arm from her fingertips. She flinched but didn't release the card.

Taking a deep breath, she struggled to maintain her composure, her voice tight. "...What kind of collaboration?"

Ji Xiangwan didn't immediately withdraw her hand, letting Jiang Yin hold it in place.

A flicker of barely perceptible amusement crossed her eyes behind the lenses. She leaned in slightly, closing the distance between them.

The proximity was dangerous.

Jiang Yin could clearly see the pale curve of Ji Xiangwan's collarbone peeking through her collar, and the faint pulse of blood in the veins beneath her skin as she breathed.

"It's too noisy here," Ji Xiangwan murmured, her voice dropping to a low tone only they could hear. "Shall we talk in a private room upstairs? I have some freshly opened red wine—much better than lemonade."

Meng Xitang frantically kicked Jiang Yin's shoe under the table, her eyes wide with panic: Don't go! Don't go! This is definitely a trap!

Jiang Yin gritted her teeth, snatched the black card, and clutched it in her palm like a lifeline. "Fine! Let's go!"

In broad daylight, in a public place... what could she possibly do to me?