Chapter 1 The Engagement: "It doesn't matter, as long as they give me money."

01

Meng Yao couldn't remember exactly how many years ago she was thrown out of the Lin family villa.

Every time I come back, it is still the same as I remember it from back then, magnificent and resplendent, with the cold white light in the living room shining on the gleaming marble floor, reflecting a dazzling halo.

Her nasal cavity was filled with a similarly cool and expensive fragrance, a scent that Meng Yao was familiar with, yet could never get used to.

She was clearly a part of this place, but at this moment she was like a summoned object, standing in the center of the living room, waiting for the housekeeper to send her message upstairs.

The housekeeper came downstairs, followed by her father, Lin Tianhai, who was wearing a well-tailored dark suit. He smiled and looked at her, saying, "Yaoyao is here. Have a seat."

Meng Yao didn't sit down, but stood a little distance away from him, her back straight: "President Lin, what do you need me to do this time?"

“…Yaoyao, you’ve grown up. You don’t need to be so distant with your dad.”

Lin Tianhai didn't want to get to the point so quickly, so he went to the table and made a cup of tea for both of them, changing the subject to ease the awkwardness.

Meng Yao sighed inwardly and tried to soften her tone: "Dad, you know I've come here to ask you for a favor. If you weren't willing to help, you wouldn't have called me here. Just say it directly."

There were no pleasantries, no preamble, just straight to the point.

Her voice, like her personality, carried a cool and aloof quality.

She knew very well that this so-called "family" would only remember her, their daughter who shared the same blood, when she needed to pay a price.

Lin Tianhai put down his teacup, making a slight clinking sound, and cut to the chase: "You said you owe more than three million, and your grandmother is still in the hospital... The subsequent expenses will be no small amount. Have you thought about what to do next?"

"I've made up my mind, so I came to find you," she said succinctly.

"I can pay this money back for you."

Meng Yao's eyes flickered slightly: "Then what do I need to do?"

Lin Tianhai frowned: "Xiaoyue originally had a pretty important engagement, and she was supposed to get married next month, but recently... she's run into some trouble."

Thinking of the recent news reports about her half-sister, the popular singer Lin Yue, being involved in an ambiguous affair outside a hotel, Meng Yao tentatively asked Lin Tianhai, "Do you want me to take the blame for her again? As long as you all agree on the man's story, I can say that I was the one that night."

Over the years, because of her face, which bears a striking resemblance to that popular celebrity, Lin Tianhai has offered her many favorable conditions to take the blame for her sister.

This time she's prepared to make an exorbitant demand; taking the blame is nothing to her.

Lin Tianhai's expression froze, and he sighed regretfully: "No, this time I want you to be registered in the Lin family and marry into the family in her place."

Meng Yao's pupils constricted, and it took her several seconds to come to her senses.

Her eyes wavered, but she forced a calm tone: "You want me to get married instead? Can you be so frivolous? Won't the other person have any objections?"

“It’s just a business marriage. They only recognize the Lin family’s daughter,” Lin Tianhai said, his gaze drifting wistfully to a spot not far away. His tone was filled with a sense of exasperation and helplessness. “Xiao Yue is really spoiled by her mother. She’s arrogant, willful, and playing with fire. It’s such a pity to waste such a good match.”

How could the Lin family possibly have anything good going on and still be thinking about her? Meng Yao felt uneasy: "If it's a good match, then why can't she get married?"

Lin Tianhai's face was ashen. After looking at Meng Yao for a long time, he finally admitted, "Because she went too far this time and offended people in the industry. After they found out she was getting married, they insisted that she give them an explanation. To put it bluntly, the marriage alliance is just a hub of interests, and of course the other party doesn't want to marry a troublesome person."

The air seemed to freeze as the two stood facing each other in silence.

Meng Yao's face remained calm, but a deep weariness and irony gradually surfaced in her eyes: What a ridiculous and absurd drama. In the past, she relied on this face to take the blame for her sister and make money off her sister. Now it's finally her turn to get married in place of her sister, and she has completely become a perfect substitute.

But did she have any other options? Her grandmother was still in the hospital, and who knew how much more help she would need from Lin Tianhai in the future.

"Who is the other party?" Her voice remained calm.

"Fang Huaixu, the young master of the Fang family," Lin Tianhai narrowed his eyes, "He is a key figure in the Tianmu Group, young and promising, with impeccable strength and background. If you marry into the family, you will be the rightful Mrs. Fang, rising from humble beginnings to a high position."

Lin Tianhai's tone became much more relaxed, as if he wanted to portray this marriage as a wonderful thing.

Why be picky about bosses when you're selling yourself?

Meng Yao found it amusing, twitched the corners of her mouth, and took a deep breath: "Is it just a matter of me marrying into the family? Are there any other conditions attached? Does the Fang family have any requirements regarding childbirth or family?"

Since the marriage is already a done deal, it's better to learn more about the other party and see where the pitfalls lie.

He only emphasized cooperation after the marriage, without making any demands. I'm not sure if he has any other needs. After the marriage, you should do whatever he asks you to do.

Lin Tianhai's flippant words nearly killed Meng Yao's heart. Her long eyelashes trembled rapidly, and she felt a lump in her throat.

As if sensing Meng Yao's wavering, Lin Tianhai changed the subject, reassuring her: "Don't worry, Fang Huaixu is a workaholic and probably doesn't have much expectation for marriage. They are developing a special drug and need the Lin family's help. The marriage agreement only lasts until his drug project is successfully launched. After that, whether you stay together or separate is up to you. You don't need to put so much pressure on yourself. If you don't want to continue then, I'll..."

Five million.

Meng Yao interrupted him. From the moment Lin Tianhai started explaining, she automatically dismissed his words as nonsense. After weighing the current situation against the possibilities of the future, she bluntly interrupted him: "I can marry you, but I need five million within these three days. Mr. Lin should be able to afford that amount, right?"

Lin Tianhai was somewhat surprised by her straightforwardness, but quickly showed a relieved smile and nodded: "Okay, I will contact a lawyer to discuss the specific details with you. Prepare in the next couple of days, and the Fang family should arrange for you to meet soon."

Meng Yao turned and left without saying anything more, nor was there any need to say anything more.

Being burdened with debt at such a young age and facing a bleak future, selling herself to ensure her grandmother's comfortable old age is surely a worthwhile investment.

The day after she left the Lin family, she received Lin Tianhai's check as promised.

But after that, Lin Tianhai didn't contact her for a long time, so long that Meng Yao almost forgot about the arranged marriage.

It's not that she's carefree; she's genuinely busy every day: studying, working, and taking care of her grandmother—a routine she follows between three points.

Her mother passed away early, and she lived with her grandmother until three years ago when her grandmother fell ill and the family lost its source of income. She borrowed money everywhere to seek medical treatment and by chance entered an entertainment company that incubates internet celebrities as a live streamer.

With her resemblance to her half-sister, the popular singer Lin Yue, she attracted many fans and haters to Lin Yue with exaggerated makeup, remarks, and playful performances. Her live streams were very successful, and her monthly revenue consistently ranked among the top three in the company.

However, the prolonged high-energy performances, coupled with the various vulgarities in the public chat and private messages, made it difficult for Meng Yao to remain unaffected. After each time she turned off her camera, she would need a long time to recover in the live stream, unable to make any expressions or speak.

"Oh dear, Xiao Meng, the broadcast's over again?"

The live broadcast had only ended for less than five minutes when the agent, Wang Qiang, pushed open the door a crack, his face beaming, and squeezed in with a cup of coffee: "Thank you for your hard work... Come on, have a cup of coffee."

"I'm not drinking anymore. I'll rest for a bit and then leave." Meng Yao shook her head wearily, preparing to get herself together and head back to school.

Wang Qiang's expression froze for a moment. He put the coffee on the table but didn't leave. Instead, he pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Um... Xiao Meng, I came here this time to discuss something with you."

Meng Yao raised her eyes, waiting for him to continue.

“I know you’re busy, so I’ll get straight to the point,” Wang Qiang said, opening his tablet and showing her livestream data curves in front of him: “Xiao Meng, you’re the backbone of our company, no doubt about it! Look at your revenue, it’s always been incredibly stable! But…”

He changed the subject, his finger hovering over her average livestream duration and peak gift count, his face embarrassed: "The whole company depends on you guys for a living, we need to be more ambitious, right? Look at these livestream durations, can you extend them a bit? Every time, the fans are just starting to get excited and ready to vote, don't end the livestream so punctually, let's chat for another half hour..."

“Brother Wang,” Meng Yao interrupted him, sighing wearily, “You know my family situation. I have to go to school and go to the hospital. Our contract states that as long as I broadcast for two hours every day and the revenue reaches the guaranteed minimum, I can stop broadcasting.”

In fact, the reason she chose this company was because it was small, had few rules, and no messy mandatory activities or office hours, which allowed her to maintain a precarious balance in her monotonous life.

Now that we're trying every possible way to get her to add more time, how could she possibly squeeze out any more time?

"I know, I know!"

Wang Qiang's tone became more sincere: "But it's only half an hour more, it won't cause any problems, right? Of course I know your situation. When you first came to the company, I even went out of my way to borrow money for you. Aren't you short of cash these days? More cash flow means more money for you, right?"

Meng Yao felt a tightness in her stomach and silently clenched her fingers. Firstly, Wang Qiang had indeed helped her a few years ago, and she couldn't refuse. Secondly, her grandmother's illness was like a money-devouring beast, and even with Lin Tianhai's money now, she didn't dare to cut off her income.

Thinking of the little money that could save her life, she could only swallow her words of rebuttal.

Seeing that she was starting to soften, Wang Qiang immediately chimed in, "How about this, starting next week, let's try adding half an hour more and see how it goes? If it works well, I'll apply for a bonus for you right away!"

Seeing his determined attitude of slowly boiling the frog, Meng Yao knew that he wouldn't let her go until he gave her a result today, so she compromised slightly: "I'll check my schedule next week. If I'm freer, I'll extend the hours."

"Okay! It's settled then!" Wang Qiang stood up appreciatively, and before leaving, he added, "Then let's add half an hour to the game every day next Monday, okay? I trust you!"

"I don't……"

Before he could even utter the words "I'm not sure," Wang Qiang had already left the live stream room without looking back.

Meng Yao was also tired. After packing her bag, she went out for some fresh air. She didn't notice when Su Xiao, the operations manager, came around the corner of the corridor. As soon as she saw her, Su Xiao quickly walked over and said, "I saw Wang Qiang just come to see you. What did he say to you?"

Meng Yao was startled by the sudden appearance of the person. After seeing that it was Su Xiao, she patted her chest and said, "...He didn't say anything, just that he wanted to extend the time after next week."

"Don't listen to him, I think he's obsessed with getting water!"

Su Xiao was furious: "You're the head of our company now. Even if you take a break from broadcasting for a while, no one will dare to say anything. I came here specifically to see you and wanted to get you a few days of paid leave. You look worse and worse when you go on broadcasts lately. You haven't had a vacation in more than half a year. You should take a good rest for a while."

Wang Qiang only cared about meeting the revenue targets, but Su Xiao knew that many companies had poached Meng Yao over the years. As the company's manager, she certainly hoped to increase Fudi's benefits and do her best to keep Meng Yao.

Regardless of the purpose, Meng Yao accepted the kindness and smiled, "Thank you, Sister Su. There's no need to rest; I can manage right now."

Su Xiao knew about her situation and had helped her deal with negative comments on a regular basis. Both personally and professionally, she felt great sympathy for this girl in a difficult situation and comforted her, saying, "Don't push yourself too hard, your health is the most important thing."

Meng Yao forced a bitter smile: Health? She had no right to talk about important things.

She simply nodded and walked out of the room with Su Xiao. However, around the corner of the corridor, an unusual commotion and whispers caught their attention.

"Oh my god, is it a newly signed streamer?"

"Where did Old Li find these people? It must have cost him a lot, right?"

"I don't know, but look at how eager Old Li is to get close to him, he must be someone important."

"Go away, what are you doing during work hours?" Su Xiao sternly dispersed the crowd, then lowered her voice the next second: "You know they're hired by the boss, why are you still crowding around? Wait until they leave before you talk."

Everyone understood what was meant and returned to their posts.

Meng Yao was a little curious and looked in the direction those people had been looking.

At the far end of the line of sight, the company's boss, Li Yan, was respectfully accompanying a man as he walked out of the VIP room.

The man was extremely tall, dressed in a low-key dark gray suit that accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs. His profile was sharp and defined, with a high nose bridge, and he exuded a calm and powerful aura as he walked.

He kept his eyes straight ahead, chatting with Li Yan as they walked. His composure exuded an innate nobility and a sense of control, making Li Yan, who was wearing a decent suit for the first time, look like a bodyguard.

Even Meng Yao couldn't help but take a few more glances: she had never seen such a person before, as if he didn't belong to this world, with that undeniable detached aura that she originally thought only appeared in TV dramas and magazines.

"Hey, why are you interested in them too? I just finished scolding them..." Su Xiao whispered softly beside her.

Meng Yao then came to her senses and smiled sheepishly.

Su Xiao smiled knowingly, and after making sure no one was paying attention to them, she lowered her voice to introduce her: "That's not just any streamer, it's a big shot that President Li went to great lengths to invite..."

"An important person?"

"To attract investment," Su Xiao said excitedly, "The big boss of Tianmu Group is surnamed Fang."

Tianmu Group... still surnamed Fang?

The familiar company name and surname instantly stirred up Meng Yao's long-buried memories. She subconsciously searched for that unfamiliar name: "Is it... Fang Huaixu?"

Su Xiao asked in surprise, "How did you know?"

Her vision went black, and she swallowed hard.

Looking at the two people still chatting not far away, she really couldn't connect the people in front of her with the marriage partner that Lin Tianhai had mentioned.

But since it happened at her company at such a peculiar time, she still couldn't help but ask a few more questions with suspicion: "When did Mr. Li arrange to meet him?"

Su Xiao thought for a moment: "Last month, I guess."

Lin Tianhai had been looking for her for less than two weeks.

Thankfully, it seems they didn't come specifically to see her.

Meng Yao breathed a sigh of relief, but Su Xiao's curiosity was piqued: "You haven't answered my question yet, how did you know?"

"I guessed," Meng Yao said evasively. "I'm not that out of touch with the world. You said he's a big shot, so I must have heard of him."

"Oh." Su Xiao accepted this explanation.

But not far away, Fang Huaixu seemed to have noticed the gazes from this side. He did not stop walking, but his gaze swept over indifferently.

Meng Yao's gaze met his for a brief moment in the air.

That gaze was clearly devoid of warmth, as cold as a searchlight, sweeping across everything around it equally, yet Meng Yao inexplicably felt a sense of pressure, and she looked away first, lowering her eyelashes.

Fang Huaixu didn't seem to notice her either, and walked straight towards the elevator surrounded by President Li.

Only when she caught a glimpse of him finally leaving did Meng Yao seem to regain her breath, and the stagnant air in the public area seemed to begin to flow again, erupting into an even more intense discussion.

Su Xiao, standing beside her, was equally terrified: "But that CEO Fang is so handsome, with a powerful background and a successful career. I can't imagine what troubles he could possibly have in his life."

"Yes, she's really lucky," Meng Yao echoed casually.

She also knew another person who had everything she never had: a happy family, a wealthy background, and the love of her parents. Even if she caused a huge disaster, they would find a way to cover for her.

When I was little, I often wondered if she, my half-sister, should have lived the same kind of life.

However, she's past the age of envying that person now; she was just momentarily distracted by the payment reminder the hospital had just sent on her phone.

A faint, self-deprecating smile suddenly appeared on her lips: another glamorous and lucky person.

It's unbelievable that she'll be involved with this kind of person in the future.

It doesn't matter.

All you need is money.

Whoever it is.

A note from the author:

New novel started! [Loopy-eared rabbit head] This is a story about a devoted, mature male lead and a straightforward, resilient, sunny female lead.

Since we're complete strangers, the pace won't be too fast; we'll fall in love gradually. [doge emoji with rose in hand]

Updates every other day before VIP chapters, daily updates after VIP chapters.

My neighboring story, "Only Spring Knows," a tale of reconciliation after a broken relationship, will also begin updating on September 30th. Please support me!