The next morning, at the dining table.
Xiaowan picked the cereal out of her bowl and arranged it on the table to form the characters "Chen Xin." She then poked the man sitting beside her and said with a playful smile, "Look, look! Even when I eat, it's in the shape of my love for you!"
Chen Xin remained cold-faced, unmoved.
Well, anyone would be upset if they had been secretly photographed in the nude the night before and threatened with the possibility of having the photo posted on Instagram.
Xiaowan waited for a couple of seconds. Seeing that Chen Xin's expression showed no signs of softening, she leaned closer and tugged at his shirt sleeve, saying coquettishly, "Oh, come on! You're a grown man—don't be so petty! Alright, alright, I'll compromise. If I do post it on Instagram, I'll at least pixelate your important parts. But honestly, it would be such a waste to cover something so magnificent…"
"Lin! Xiao! Wan!" Chen Xin slammed the table in anger. "Are you trying to drive me crazy?"
Xiaowan blinked innocently. "I… I'm complimenting you! Don't all men like to boast about their size?"
"You—" Chen Xin nearly choked on his words. He reached out his hand. "Give me your phone. Delete the photo!"
Xiaowan quickly tucked her phone into her chest and batted her eyes at him. "Sure, come and take it yourself."
Chen Xin took a few deep breaths to calm himself, then turned to leave. Sensing that she might have gone too far, Xiaowan rushed to hug his waist and said sweetly, "Okay, okay, I'm just teasing you. I like you so much; how could I possibly post your photo online? I don't want other women fighting over you."
Chen Xin turned his head to look at her. "You really won't post it?"
Xiaowan nodded emphatically. "I swear! I'll never show it to anyone. Please don't be mad anymore, okay?"
Chen Xin hesitated for a moment and said, "Even keeping it to yourself is not okay. You should delete it."
"No way! You won't let me sleep with you, so at least let me keep the photo for some… DIY use at night," Xiaowan pouted.
Chen Xin's handsome face flushed deep red. What on earth did she mean by that?
"You… you have no shame!"
Xiaowan tilted her head, confused. "The first time I kissed you, you should've realized this is just who I am."
Chen Xin was at a loss for words. Xiaowan giggled, stood on her tiptoes, and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Now, no more anger, okay? Come on, eat your breakfast."
"I'm already full from being so exasperated," Chen Xin sighed. "I'm heading to work now. Entertain yourself here."
Xiaowan grabbed his hand. "Can you take me to your office? It's so boring here with no one but the three dogs."
Chen Xin frowned. "Everyone at the office is busy. There's nothing fun to do there."
"I don't care. Take me with you! You said you liked me, yet you won't even take me to your office," Xiaowan said, feigning an aggrieved tone.
Chen Xin relented with a sigh. "Fine, but promise me you won't cause any trouble, okay?"
"Okay! Wait here while I go change," Xiaowan said cheerfully, darting upstairs. Chen Xin leaned against the door, waiting.
Moments later, Xiaowan descended the stairs, looking ethereal in a cream-colored long dress paired with a light blue jacket. Her makeup was subtle, and her wavy black hair cascaded over her shoulders. She carried a small black Chanel 2.55 bag and wore nude Christian Louboutin heels. The winter sunlight streamed through the side window, casting a golden glow over her.
Chen Xin couldn't help but be mesmerized.
Xiaowan stopped in front of him, playfully twirling her hair. "I bet you like how I look right now, don't you?"
Chen Xin nodded involuntarily. "Yeah, you look beautiful."
He kept some thoughts to himself: She looked so stunning that he almost didn't want to take her out. If only such beauty could belong to him alone…
But Xiaowan's elegant facade quickly crumbled. She rolled her eyes and said, "This outfit cost you fifty grand, so of course it's beautiful! Now, let's go, silly!"
"Oh…"
When they arrived at the office, Xiaowan immediately dragged Chen Xin to the front desk. She pointed at him and asked the receptionist, "Do you know what this is?"
Before the receptionist could respond, Xiaowan announced smugly, "This is my man! So stop having designs on him—you have no chance."
With that, she hooked her arm around Chen Xin's and marched into the elevator.
Chen Xin sighed. "Was that really necessary? I've already talked to her. She admitted her attitude toward you that day was wrong and said she'd be more careful in the future."
"I don't care. I'm a vindictive woman—is that so wrong?" Xiaowan said arrogantly, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her head on his chest. "You're mine, and I want the whole world to know."
Looking at her stubborn yet proud face, Chen Xin felt a strange warmth from her possessiveness.
When the elevator doors opened, Xiaowan boldly held onto Chen Xin's arm as they walked through the office. She waved cheerfully at the employees who shot her curious or bewildered looks.
"This is my office," Chen Xin said as he opened the door. "Everyone else is busy outside, so just stay in here and amuse yourself. I have a client meeting in the conference room next door and won't be back for about an hour."
"What? Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Xiao Wan widened her eyes. "I came to the office to spend time with you, but now you're off to meet clients? What am I supposed to do?"
Chen Xin tried to calm her down, saying, "Can you be good and wait for a little while? There's a computer here. You can play some games or do something to pass the time."
"I don't want to play on the computer. I want to play with you!"
Chen Xin couldn't help but laugh as he gently patted her hair. "Okay, stop messing around. These clients are very important for the company. I really need to close these deals. Can you hold on for just a little while?"
Xiao Wan pouted reluctantly. "Fine… but you only get one hour! If you're not back in an hour, I'll eat your koi fish! Every minute you're late, I'll eat one!"
Chen Xin glanced at the plump koi swimming in the tank on his desk and chuckled. "You sure about that? Eating koi might take away your good luck."
"I don't care! I'm a cat, remember? I've already decided to start with the fattest one!"
"Alright, I'll make sure to be back on time."
After some coaxing, Chen Xin finally managed to pacify Xiao Wan. He grabbed his documents and headed to the meeting room, while Xiao Wan lay on his desk, bored, staring at the koi fish.
She tapped the glass tank with her fingernail and spoke to the plump red koi, "Your owner better be back on time, or you're getting red-braised!"
The chubby koi wagged its tail innocently.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the wall, employees were huddled together, gossiping about the girl who had come in with their boss.
"Isn't she the girl we saw in the parking lot that day?"
"She looks familiar. I remember thinking, with her looks, how could she be a gold digger? But now, she's all dolled up and stunning."
"The boss was so down yesterday. I thought he dumped her, but it turns out she stormed into the office today! She's got skills!"
"So, should we warn the boss or something?"
After much deliberation, the team unanimously decided to send Harold, the product manager, who had the best rapport with Chen Xin, to check things out.
"You've got the best relationship with the boss. Go and see what her deal is. We can't just stand by and watch her ruin our innocent and sweet boss, right?"
As a seasoned man who had seen his share of heartbreak, Harold understood all too well how naïve men could be destroyed by scheming women. After some thought, he nodded. "Alright, I'll go have a chat with her."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Harold knocked on the door of Chen Xin's office.
Xiao Wan was playing with the koi when she heard the knock. She glanced up and said, "Come in."
Harold walked in with a polite smile. "Hey there. I'm Harold, Chen Xin's product manager and close friend. Nice to meet you."
Xiao Wan smiled back. "Hi, I'm Lin Xiao Wan. I'm currently living at your boss's house."
Harold's expression stiffened slightly, but he sat down across from her and probed, "So… are you his girlfriend?"
Xiao Wan sighed. "Not yet. I haven't slept with him."
Harold almost choked on his own saliva. After coughing violently, he managed to stammer, "Wow… that's… quite an answer. Would you mind telling me how you two met?"
Xiao Wan kept playing with the koi as she casually replied, "Well, I used to live in a tunnel. He felt sorry for me, so he gave me a credit card to use and a place to stay."
Her nonchalant tone made Harold's blood boil. This wasn't the first time she'd done something like this, was it? Recalling his own painful experiences, he spoke coldly. "He gave you his card, and you spent over 700,000 yuan in half an hour? That's not something any normal girl would do, is it?"
Xiao Wan stopped what she was doing and stared at him with icy eyes. "Let's cut to the chase, Mr. Harold. What do you really want to say?"
Harold took a deep breath. "Alright, I'll be frank. I hope that once you've gotten what you want, you'll leave Chen Xin quietly without hurting him. Maybe it's not my place as his subordinate to say this, but I've known him for years. He's like a little brother to me. He's never been in a relationship before, and he has a romantic and naïve view of love. A man like him meeting a woman like you is a recipe for disaster."
"Disaster?" Xiao Wan sneered, her gaze sharp. "You're calling me a disaster?"
"Of course. What else would you be?" Harold said with contempt. "Girls like you only care about money. You're willing to abandon your long-term boyfriends, your dignity, and anything else you can throw away for money. No offense, miss, but someone like you doesn't deserve Chen Xin. You're just shiny trash."
Xiao Wan narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to peer into Harold's soul. Harold felt a chill under her piercing gaze and was about to look away when she said slowly, "Mr. Harold, you describe us gold diggers so vividly. Were you, by any chance, dumped by one before?"
Harold froze.
"Let me guess," Xiao Wan continued with a mocking smile. "You were in college, dating the love of your life. But you were both from modest backgrounds and couldn't afford the student loans. Then she found herself a rich old man, became his mistress, and lived a life of luxury while leaving you behind. You were heartbroken, struggling with financial woes and ridicule from others. Ever since then, you've hated gold diggers so much you want to tear them apart. Am I right, Mr. Harold?"
Harold couldn't utter a word. How could this seemingly frivolous woman so accurately unearth the pain he'd buried deep inside?
Xiao Wan chuckled coldly. "Yes, I am the gold digger you all think I am. But I'm not just a pretty face, Harold. I'm also very good at reading people. Now I understand why everyone looked at me so strangely today—it's because you've already warned them about me, haven't you?"
"I didn't! It's your behavior that made everyone dislike you!" Harold finally found his voice.
Xiao Wan wagged her finger. "Let's talk more about you, Harold. I think you're not just angry about being dumped. Deep down, you're probably resentful that you weren't born a woman, that you don't have a pretty face to seduce a rich sugar daddy to pay off your loans. That's why you hate gold diggers so much."
Harold shot to his feet in fury. "How dare you say that!"
Xiao Wan stood up too, her voice rising. "Why wouldn't I dare? You came in here accusing me of being trash and a gold digger. Why shouldn't I fight back? You just told me to leave Chen Xin after I've taken what I want, right? Fine! Let me tell you this: my greed knows no bounds. I won't stop until he's bankrupt! Want me to show you how it's done?"
With that, she stormed out, shedding her coat, tearing the hem of her dress into a mini-skirt, and unbuttoning the top of her blouse. Then, with one swift kick, she burst into the meeting room.
Under the stunned gazes of everyone inside, Xiao Wan threw herself into Chen Xin's arms, wrapped her arms around his neck, and cooed, "Sugar daddy! I've got my eye on a Ferrari. Give me your wallet, won't you?"