When Chen Xin woke up the next morning, he found that Lin Xiaowan was already up and playing frisbee with his three dogs in the backyard garden. The dogs barked excitedly, running all over the yard after the frisbee Xiaowan threw, clearly having a great time.
Chen Xin, usually busy with work, barely had time to play with the dogs. The housekeeper only took them out for walks at set times. Now, with Xiaowan around, the dogs finally had someone to play with.
Pouring himself a cup of coffee, Chen Xin walked over and leaned against the doorframe, watching Xiaowan's lively figure under the crisp winter morning sunlight. Suddenly, he froze and called out, "Lin Xiaowan, what are you wearing?"
Xiaowan shouted back, "Your clothes!"
Chen Xin walked over and asked, "What happened to your own clothes?"
"I only have two dresses, and didn't you tell me not to wear dresses in the winter?"
Chen Xin rubbed his temples in frustration and said, "You're so young. Why are you living like this? Even as a street performer, you should be earning something. Didn't you think about saving a little?"
Xiaowan immediately stopped throwing the frisbee and glared at him, crossing her arms. "What, Mr. Big Shot? Do you feel so successful in life that you want to lecture losers like me just to boost your sense of superiority?"
"That's not what I meant," Chen Xin said helplessly. "I just think you could live a better life…"
"Then don't bother yourself with it. It's my life, and I'll live it however I want." Xiaowan snorted coldly, bypassed him, and went back into the living room.
Chen Xin sighed and followed her. He was about to say more but saw Xiaowan curled up on the sofa, looking small and fragile. His words of advice suddenly got stuck in his throat. After all, this was her life. Who was he to criticize someone else's choices? In his eyes, her life might seem messy, but everyone has their struggles. Perhaps she had her reasons.
With that thought, Chen Xin softened his tone. "I'm sorry. My tone just now may have come across as condescending, but I didn't mean to look down on you. I just… care about you."
Xiaowan looked up at him pitifully and said in a small voice, "It's not like I don't want to save money, but I don't make much from singing every day. You're a spoiled rich kid who doesn't understand the hardships of ordinary life. Do you think it's easy to live in this city? This is N City!"
Hearing this, Chen Xin felt even guiltier. He quickly took out a card from his wallet and handed it to Xiaowan. She blinked at him in confusion. "What's this card for?"
"Take it to buy some clothes for yourself. And other necessities too. There's nothing here for a girl to use. Since you're staying here, you'll need basic supplies."
Xiaowan gave him a doubtful look and said pitifully, "But I don't have money to pay you back…"
"That's fine. You don't need to," Chen Xin said quickly.
"Really?" Xiaowan asked hesitantly. "Can I buy the bag I like? And some shoes?"
Her cautious tone made Chen Xin's heart ache. She must have had a tough life before, he thought. Without hesitation, he said, "Yes, you can buy whatever you want."
Xiaowan's eyes lit up immediately. She cheered, threw her arms around him, and exclaimed, "Chen Xiaoguai, you're the best! Haha, I'm heading out now!"
The next morning, Chen Xin offered to drive Lin Xiaowan to the bustling shopping district of N City on his way to work. Xiaowan happily accepted and waved him off with a cheerful "Work hard!" as she got out of the car.
Once his car disappeared from sight, her innocent expression faded. Glancing at the card in her hand, she sighed. "Well, since your owner annoyed me, let's see how much this card can handle today."
She confidently walked into a nearby Chanel store. The blonde sales associate immediately brightened at the sight of her. "Kitty! Long time no see! We've just got some new bags in. Want me to show them to you?"
"No need," Xiaowan replied, pointing to the standout new arrivals on display. "Can you pack them all up for me?"
"For others, maybe not. But for you, of course!" The associate grinned. "Would you like to see anything else? Some of our new clothing items would suit you perfectly."
"Sure, show me." Xiaowan followed her casually.
Twenty minutes later, the associate handed her seven or eight shopping bags. Just as Xiaowan pulled out Chen Xin's card, the associate said, "You don't need to pay. Mr. Brown has instructed us to charge your purchases to him."
Xiaowan blinked, her face full of mock innocence. "But I dumped him ages ago. Didn't you know?"
The sales associate hesitated before delivering the message Mr. Brown had asked her to convey. "I've heard… but Mr. Brown wanted me to tell you that his feelings for you haven't changed, and he hopes—"
Before she could finish, Xiaowan's expression turned icy. "Then tell him for me: I don't need his fake affections. Besides, I've found someone new—handsome, generous, and much more skilled in bed than his dead-fish performance."
The sales associate froze in awkward silence. "I… uh…"
Xiaowan handed over the card calmly. "Charge it. And don't forget to relay my exact words, okay?"
Five minutes later, Xiaowan left the store with her bags, heading toward the Gucci store next door. Behind her, the blonde associate stood with a distressed look, pulling a colleague aside. "Did you hear what she just said? How am I supposed to tell Mr. Brown that? I'll lose my job!"
Her colleague shrugged sympathetically. "At least Mr. Brown isn't the petty type. It could be worse. Remember her last sugar daddy? When they broke up, he almost trashed our other branch!"
The blonde associate frowned. "I just don't get it. Why do rich men go for this type?"
"Who knows? Maybe they're just bored and looking for trouble."
Meanwhile, Chen Xin was in a meeting, discussing product details with his team. Since the discussion involved company secrets, he'd asked everyone to leave their phones outside. Unbeknownst to him, his own phone had been buzzing non-stop with calls from the local bank.
Moments later, his assistant entered the room, looking worried. "Mr. Chen, I'm sorry to interrupt, but the bank manager has been trying to reach you. He said it's urgent and called the office line since he couldn't reach your mobile. Should I transfer the call here?"
Chen Xin nodded, plugging in the conference phone. "Put it through."
The product manager, Harold, asked nervously, "The bank? Is there an issue with company funds?"
Chen Xin, calm as always, replied, "Let's find out." He answered on speakerphone, so the team could hear.
"Hello, Mr. Chen. Sorry to disturb you during work," the middle-aged manager began, "but we've noticed some suspicious activity on your personal account this morning and wanted to confirm."
"My personal account?" Chen Xin asked, puzzled
"Yes. In the past half hour, your card has been used to spend $767,000 on luxury women's fashion, shoes, bags, and cosmetics. Since this doesn't match your usual spending patterns, we suspected fraud and have temporarily frozen the card. Security at the mall has also detained the person using it. Would you like us to call the police?"
The room went silent. After a brief pause, Chen Xin asked, "The person using the card—her name is Lin Xiaowan, correct?"
"Let me check… Yes, that's the name."
"The card was given to her by me. It's not fraud," Chen Xin said calmly. "She's a friend of mine. Please have security release her and return the card. All her purchases are authorized."
"Understood. We apologize, Mr. Chen. As one of our valued clients, we were just being cautious."
"No need to apologize. I appreciate your diligence."
Ending the call, Chen Xin looked up. "Where were we? Let's continue."
But his team sat frozen, their expressions a mix of shock and awe.
Chen Xin rapped his knuckles on the table. "Focus! We're still in a meeting!"
The team scrambled to compose themselves, though whispers and glances spread as soon as the meeting ended.
Back in the office, Harold couldn't contain his thoughts any longer. He entered Chen Xin's office under the guise of casual conversation.
"Hey," Harold began with a grin. "How does it feel to blow $767,000 in one go?"
Chen Xin smiled faintly. "Pretty good."
"Look, I know I might be ruining the mood here," Harold said, trying to sound lighthearted. "But seriously, a girl who spends that much on day one? She's probably not in this for your personality."
Chen Xin chuckled softly. "Relax, Harold. We're just friends."
"Friends?" Harold's eyes widened. "So, nothing's happened between you, and you still let her spend that much?!"
Chen Xin shrugged. "She's had a rough life. I just wanted to help her out."
"Chen, $767,000 isn't 'a little help.' That's life-changing money for most people." Harold leaned forward. "You're a smart guy. Don't let someone take advantage of your kindness."
"I know what I'm doing, Harold," Chen Xin said, his tone firm. "Thanks for the concern, but I've got it handled."
Harold hesitated but nodded. "Alright. Just know I'm here if you need advice."
As Harold left, Chen Xin's expression darkened. It wasn't the money that bothered him—it was the thought of whether Xiaowan's playful charm had been used on other men before.