Qin Ran went to the private beach to inspect it, not to vacation, so after two days, she returned to Beijing. As soon as she landed, she received a phone call from her dormmate, who hesitantly asked if she was available for a dorm gathering.
Qin Ran tilted her head and initially wanted to refuse. To be honest, she had gotten close to her dormmates during the first semester of freshman year, but by mid-semester, she had already moved out, rarely returning to the dorm afterward. Her relationship with them wasn't exactly deep.
She could easily guess the reason for this sudden invitation — they likely wanted her help finding internship placements. For Qin Ran, that was a piece of cake, but she didn't like such transactional invites.
Just as she was about to type out her refusal, Qin Ran paused and deleted it. She realized that she shouldn't be so cold. Back when they didn't know she was wealthy — when the entire school believed she was a poor student — they had still helped her. Even the class monitor had always been a kind and warm-hearted person.
With that thought, she hesitated, then replied, "Sure, bring the class monitor too. You guys pick the place, and I'll treat."
Her dormmate quickly responded, "Great! Let's go all out then, big spender!" Shortly after, they posted the location — a hotpot restaurant near the school — in the dorm group chat, along with the time. Qin Ran confirmed, "Got it," and showed up as agreed that evening.
The hotpot restaurant had standard square tables for four. Since the class monitor was joining, two of the closer dormmates sat together. Qin Ran scanned the QR code at the table and, without hesitation, started ordering. Seeing her do so, the others hesitated for a moment before also ordering their favorite dishes.
At first, there was a sense of awkwardness around the table, with nothing but the bubbling hotpot between them. After all, Qin Ran was no longer just another student like them — she was a big-shot boss, and they indeed had a favor to ask her. The pressure of finding internships was weighing on them, but none of them had the courage to broach the subject right away.
Qin Ran remained silent, waiting for the pot and food to arrive. Once the hotpot was bubbling and the ingredients had been served, she began eating. The others, seeing her start, picked up their chopsticks and began to dig in as well. It was a hotpot, after all — the kind of meal that, once you start eating, things quickly warm up, and soon everyone was chatting freely.
One of the dormmates opened up, "Honestly, I never expected Qin Ran to become such a big boss. Back in the dorm, she really seemed so poor."
As soon as she said that, the girl realized her words might have been inappropriate. In stories, bosses who had climbed out of poverty didn't usually like to talk about their tough pasts. Qin Ran might not dislike such topics, but being socially awkward, just attending this dinner was already a big deal for her. There was no way she'd engage in small talk. Her only option was to focus on the food in front of her.
Sensing the slight tension, the class monitor, ever the kind one, quickly chimed in to smooth things over. "Yeah, I remember back then, Shuman used to always bring Qin Ran along to the cafeteria."
Qin Ran's eyes lit up at the mention of Yu Shuman. Though she wasn't one for conversation, when it came to Yu Shuman, she had plenty to say. She smiled, "Yes, back then I relied on Shuman for everything. She even took me along to her part-time jobs."
"I didn't expect you and Shuman to stay so close. I saw the news recently of you two playing with claw machines together. It's been nearly three years, and you're still such good friends," one dormmate remarked.
That struck right at Qin Ran's heart. "That's right! Shuman is the best to me, always."
The atmosphere relaxed, and the dormmates started reminiscing about their freshman year. At some point, someone shifted the topic to their current situation, and how they were all busy trying to find internships.
"Finding a good job is tough. I thought getting into a top school would secure my future, but there are so many great schools in Beijing, and all the upperclassmen are also hunting for jobs. It's even harder to find anything now."
Qin Ran should have stayed quiet, just like she had in her past life. Back then, during graduation, a similar situation occurred at a farewell dinner, but it had involved her entire class, not just the dormmates.
She didn't have to get involved. After all, these were just her classmates; they had no real impact on her life.
But what was the point of being the same as her past self? She was no longer the cold, emotionless Qin Ran, groomed by her parents to be an heir. She didn't even want to think of herself as a heartless capitalist anymore. She had her own sun now, a warm, radiant presence in her life, lighting up every corner of her world.
So she could afford to be kind, to offer warmth without calculating the cost. Helping others could be a good thing.
Qin Ran put down her chopsticks. "I can give you guys a chance, but don't tell anyone it was me who helped. Afterward, how far you go is up to your own ability. It has nothing to do with me." Her words were blunt, but the offer was genuine. The dormmates exchanged glances, their faces lighting up with delight.
They wanted to thank her, but Qin Ran cut them off, "It's too early to thank me. Wait until you've made it on your own."
After that, they quietly finished their meal. Qin Ran paid the bill, went to the parking lot, got into her car, and sat in the back seat as the driver took her home.
In the days that followed, everything proceeded according to plan. It seemed like having a 'lucky break' system made things run surprisingly smoothly. Whether it was the Ling Group, the Pei Group, or the richest man himself, none of them suspected anything was amiss.
When Qin Ran got word that the richest man had been entirely preoccupied with his overseas projects, she couldn't help but laugh. If he wanted to expand internationally, he'd have to reduce his investments in the domestic market. Trying to have it all required government support and favorable banking policies. But right now, the authorities had grown tired of the richest man's antics — no one was offering him any help.
The covert acquisitions of the Ling and Pei Group shares weren't something that could be completed quickly. It would take time, and there was no way to finish it all before New Year's. By the time New Year's rolled around, the idol group's two-year anniversary had arrived. Qin Ran, while gaming, tuned into the livestream for a bit. As expected, Yu Shuman didn't attend due to her filming schedule, and the underground idol couldn't make it either due to a conflicting commitment.
Ling Miaohan, however, did attend. It seemed the turmoil surrounding the Ling Group's stock had no impact on her, as she appeared as glamorous as ever, even with a smile on her face. The typically aloof and cold-hearted heiress was now smiling warmly. During an interview with the host, she spoke about her growth and how much she had learned and changed since becoming an actress.
One of the other members had originally planned to use the anniversary as an opportunity to announce her retirement and engagement, but Ling Miaohan beat her to the punch by revealing that she and Pei Qi were planning to get engaged soon. She said this with a happy smile, and the host, visibly surprised, commented, "So soon? I thought you were still a bit young for that?"
"Yes, so both of our families are planning for us to get engaged first. Qi-ge has already passed my family's tests." Ling Miaohan giggled like a schoolgirl, and the livestream cameras caught Pei Qi sitting in the audience, looking polished in his suit, wearing an indulgent smile.
The chat exploded with comments like, "KSWL! Childhood sweethearts turned lovers! This is too perfect!" The compliments and congratulations flooded in.
Outsiders thought Ling Miaohan might be a bit young, but given their long history as childhood friends and Pei Qi's family's public approval, it didn't seem out of place. Only Qin Ran found it odd. It felt like a staged performance. Recently, Pei Qi had been avoiding Ling Miaohan, even during the third Ling brother's trial. He had distanced himself from her. So why this sudden shift toward an engagement? With the Ling Group clearly in decline, Pei Qi wouldn't gamble his future on a marriage.
Clearly, someone was pulling strings.
It had to be the richest man, Qin Ran mused. Though he was wealthy, he was absurdly overbearing, even meddling in other people's marriages.
Or maybe Ling Miaohan had gone crying to Pei Qi, and the richest man, as the leader of their three-way alliance, had called Pei Qi in, subtly pressuring him to make Ling Miaohan happy. Considering the richest man's current ambitions for global expansion, Pei Qi might have complied to avoid being ousted from his inner circle.
In fact, Qin Ran's guess was pretty much spot on.
By the next morning, #PeiQiEngagedToLingFamilyHeiress# was trending, marked with a big red "EXCLUSIVE" tag. Clicking in, viewers found a flood of well-wishing comments. Both Pei Group and Ling Group's official Weibo accounts even launched giveaways, each offering 999 yuan cash prizes to 100 winners.
Qin Ran, with her rich-lady alt account, jumped in to participate in both giveaways. Despite Yu Shuman's fan club trying to dissuade participation, arguing against giving Ling Miaohan more attention, seeing their rich-lady idol taking part made them all join in with a "might as well" mentality.
And wouldn't you know it, one of Yu Shuman's fans actually won one of Ling Miaohan's giveaways. To celebrate, she distributed 20 small 8.8 yuan red envelopes in the fan group. While the fan claimed it was to share her luck, everyone knew it was a subtle jab, hoping Pei Qi and Ling Miaohan would soon "88," meaning "bye-bye."
The coming days held little excitement, save for Qin Ran's focus on picking out birthday gifts for Yu Shuman and her mother. It was times like this when she appreciated the benefits of revealing her wealth to Yu Shuman — no need to hide behind cheap-looking gifts anymore.
Qin Ran, with a fortune in the billions, still entering Weibo giveaways and mentally grumbling when she doesn't win.