Chapter 42: Pretending to be poor, rich second generation

This time, Pei Qing looked directly at Mu Rongrong. “Did you witness it with your own eyes?”

Mu Rongrong vigorously nodded, “I’m absolutely not lying! She even did it right in front of me, showing complete disregard for both you and me.”

Mu Rongrong believed no man could tolerate such behavior, especially when his own woman targets his nephew. Since Qu Ling dared to act this way, she shouldn’t blame Mu Rongrong for reporting her.

However, what Mu Rongrong didn’t anticipate was…

“Forget what you saw,” Pei Qing warned icily. “This matter ends here; I don’t want to hear about it elsewhere.” His expression continued, “Considering you’re Pei Jing’s fiancée, I’ll let this slide this time. In the future, I won’t tolerate any more unnecessary gossip from you, understood?”

“Leave now.”

Shivering, Mu Rongrong felt suffocated by Pei Qing’s icy demeanor. Strangely, his expression didn’t seem angry at betrayal but rather annoyed at…her interference.

Only after leaving in confusion did Mu Rongrong realize how peculiarly both men of the Pei family treated Qu Ling.

As for Pei Jing, it was hardly worth mentioning. Mu Rongrong always felt he exhibited disturbing behavior; even after becoming engaged, he never touched her. Every night, he retreated alone to his small room, acting far from normal.

And then there’s Pei Qing… Why would he turn a blind eye to his girlfriend possibly cheating on him? Not only did he ignore it, but he also insisted she keep silent and not reveal any information!

Were these two men truly troubled, or is it Qu Ling who has issues?!

Madness… Mu Rongrong’s thoughts spiraled into chaos, unsure of what to do next. Leaving the Pei family would leave her with nothing, yet staying might lead her straight into a treacherous pit.

Pei Jing… can she still rely on her fiancé? Emotionally, there’s no hope, but at least his status remains intact, potentially granting her access to significant assets.

Mu Rongrong didn’t want a mundane life as an ordinary citizen; she yearned to be treated like a little princess. Having invested so much already, she couldn’t easily give up now!

With her resolve strengthened, Mu Rongrong refocused her attention on her fiancé. As long as Qu Ling and Pei Qing remained unmarried, Pei Jing still had a chance to inherit the Pei family’s business!

“You want me to go work at the company?” Pei Jing seemed somewhat reluctant when prompted by Mu Rongrong. Ever since he had trashed his office there, other employees viewed him differently. Combined with his strained relationship with Pei Qing, Pei Jing was even less inclined to work for his uncle’s company.

“As Pei Qing’s nephew, where else would you work if not at his company?” Mu Rongrong gently persuaded him, “He’s your only remaining relative now. Just speak kindly to him and ask for a higher position, perhaps aiming to become General Manager or President. Wouldn’t that be beneficial?”

“No,” Pei Jing firmly rejected her suggestion. “Why should I grovel before him and cater to his whims?”

Mu Rongrong had never encountered such an unambitious man. “Don’t you want to be the heir of the Pei Group anymore?”

As soon as she uttered these words, Pei Jing’s gaze towards her noticeably shifted.

“Are you suddenly concerned about who becomes the heir?” In Pei Jing’s eyes, Mu Rongrong was innocent and unambitious, a genuinely simple girl. Her sudden interest in inheritance matters… seemed out of character!

Mu Rongrong’s expression stiffened momentarily before she forced a smile. “No, if you’re not interested, then forget it. I just thought Miss Qu might be attracted to Uncle Pei Qing because of his wealth and assets.”

After all this time, how could Mu Rongrong fail to understand Pei Jing’s intentions?

Pei Jing remained fixated on his ex-girlfriend, constantly seeking ways to get closer to Qu Ling. Yet, he always put up a facade in front of her, pretending as if they had no connection. This secretive behavior, akin to acting like a thief, infuriated Mu Rongrong!

While Mu Rongrong genuinely disliked Qu Ling, she knew using her name would effectively provoke Pei Jing.

Given Pei Jing’s obsession with Qu Ling, he would surely strive to impress her, even if just a little!

Pei Jing agreed with Mu Rongrong’s sentiment. “Apart from having more wealth, Pei Qing can’t match me in any other aspect.”

Mu Rongrong suppressed the urge to roll her eyes; she used to think similarly, but not anymore. Despite Pei Qing’s disability, everyone could see how well he treated Qu Ling. Just a few days ago, Mu Rongrong witnessed Pei Qing gifting Qu Ling a brand new car simply because Qu Ling mentioned being tired of her Maserati.

Tired… Just those two words prompted him to gift her another luxury vehicle without hesitation. Mu Rongrong couldn’t help but feel envious at the sight.

In contrast, during their time together, Pei Jing never even gifted her a piece of clothing, let alone a car. When they lived in rented accommodation, he relied on her for meals and expenses, spending her money as if it fell from the sky, with no consideration for her financial situation.

Now that they had finally moved into the standalone villa prepared by Pei Qing for Pei Jing, Mu Rongrong’s quality of life hadn’t improved. She still took the subway to work every day, diligently performing her duties as a junior employee. Pei Jing contributed nothing financially, leaving her to earn and spend her own hard-earned money.

Her colleagues, aware of her engagement to the scion of the Pei Group, often puzzledly asked why she continued working when she was about to marry into such wealth.

Each time, Mu Rongrong could only explain it by saying she didn’t wish to be idle.

She truly had enough of this lifestyle. How was Pei Jing acting like a typical wealthy young master? Pei Qing far surpassed him in countless ways!

“Pei Qing may have his wealth, but my future prospects won’t fall short of his,” Pei Jing confidently stated. “There’s no need for me to inherit his company. Qu Ling has transferred all her shares to me, and I intend to develop the company well, striving to create another ‘Pei Enterprises’.”

Mu Rongrong knew about Qu Ling’s company, but… “Why would she give you all her shares?!”

Who would selflessly contribute to such an extent? Could it be that Qu Ling loved Pei Jing deeply and was willing to hand over even her own business just to win him back?

“She has always been very good to me…” As Pei Jing reflected on their days in the rental apartment, he now saw them as not entirely unbearable. “Her emotional instability aside, there were no issues in other aspects.”

Mu Rongrong looked puzzled.

Emotional instability…was that considered acceptable?

“It’s not as if Qu Ling gave away her shares for nothing,” Pei Jing explained. “I handed over all my savings to her, considering it payment for the acquired shares.”

Mu Rongrong was taken aback by this revelation. “You have savings?!”

If he had savings, why hadn’t he thought of supporting his fiancée even slightly?

“When my mother passed away, she left me a substantial inheritance, along with my earnings from work and the regular allowances Pei Qing provided,” Pei Jing calculated. “Adding everything up, it amounted to just a few tens of millions, far too little to purchase those shares outright. I planned to wait until our company’s projects were completed, entered the market, and generated profits before finding ways to compensate her further.”

“A few tens of millions…” Mu Rongrong had never encountered such large sums in her life; hearing this made her feel dizzy. “Just like that, giving away several tens of millions…”

Pei Jing was dissatisfied with Mu Rongrong’s narrow-minded perspective. “The value of a company is far greater than these few tens of millions.”

“Is Qu Ling’s company really worth so much?” Mu Rongrong cautiously asked.

Pei Jing replied, “Even its project funding alone reached two billion.”

Of course, Pei Jing hadn’t personally seen such large sums either; these funds were either invested in projects or used for various company expenses, leaving him with relatively little balance on hand.

“Two billion!” Mu Rongrong, overcome with excitement, grabbed Pei Jing’s hand, “This company now belongs to you?”

Pei Jing instinctively shook off her grip, “Based on equity ownership, indeed it does.”

He was surprised that Qu Ling not only gave him her shares but also transferred the legal representation of the company to him, effectively placing it under his personal control.

Mu Rongrong felt relieved; with Pei Jing owning such a valuable company, her choice seemed justified.

“Can I work at your company?” Mu Rongrong eagerly sought a change in work environment!

“As my fiancée, I wouldn’t expect you to actually do much work there. You can have a nominal position, perhaps as my assistant,” Pei Jing casually suggested.

Mu Rongrong beamed, “Great! From now on, I’ll assist you in your work and look forward to receiving my salary from you!”

Meanwhile, Tong Ling, armed with substantial capital, had transitioned her role. No longer an entrepreneur, she became an investor.

Once she had invested most of her available funds, word quickly spread within the industry about her career shift.

[“Your spending habits… they’re truly frightening!”] m577 had witnessed Tong Ling’s extravagant spending in the previous world, but compared to her behavior here, her past conduct seemed downright frugal!

“To achieve my dream of becoming wealthy, one must not hesitate to invest.” Tong Ling poured funds into several promising companies; as long as these businesses made profits, she could effortlessly receive dividends.

[“Just handing over your company to Pei Jing like that… isn’t it too easy?”]

Tong Ling sighed, “If it were profitable, I wouldn’t have given it away. I reviewed their development results, and they were dismal. My partners failed miserably; it was already remarkable how hard they struggled to keep going this far.”

Even m577 could envision the company’s fate: lack of profitability upon market entry → project failure → financial difficulties → bankruptcy application → asset liquidation → paying employees and settling debts → ending up destitute.

Not only did its host abandon ship, but she also completely shirked all responsibilities. If Pei Jing hadn’t trusted her blindly and neglected to thoroughly examine the company’s financial state during the transfer, resolving this situation would have been much more challenging.

Realizing there was no point in further discussion, m577 acknowledged that Pei Jing, this world’s male lead, had taken over the doomed company.

“For the final plot arc, when do you plan to leave?” m577 asked softly, “I know the car accident isn’t ideal, but I’ll find ways to shield you from pain and call emergency services immediately upon impact, ensuring prompt medical attention.”

“Alternatively, if you don’t want to delay, I can transport you to the next small world right after completing the accident scenario.”

m577 demonstrated thorough consideration for its host, being both thoughtful and meticulous.

“You’ve been with me for so long, yet you still haven’t grasped how to navigate through these plots?” Tong Ling expressed slight disappointment at the system’s rigidity.

m577 adopted a humble, attentive posture, sitting upright: “Bell Sister, what you mean is…?”

“All we need is for everyone to believe I’ve been in a car accident,” Tong Ling lightly tapped her phone screen. “Contact major media outlets and journalists to publish stories emphasizing my supposed crash ordeal. In the original plot, Qu Ling was portrayed as barely clinging to life, huh… let’s just spread that narrative.”

m577 paused momentarily, processing the idea.

m577’s thoughts quickly aligned: [I understand now, just like in the previous world, once everyone believes it to be “true,” then it becomes true!]

“As long as others believe it, does it really matter if I had an actual accident or not?” In her sea of consciousness, Tong Ling affectionately patted m577’s head with a smile. “A lie repeated a thousand times becomes truth. Once you grasp this principle, you’ll find that all difficulties can be effortlessly overcome.”

m577 obediently took the lesson to heart.

Following the original plot description, Tong Ling chose a stormy night and called Pei Jing.

With the current Pei Jing, Tong Ling wasted no time beating around the bush and immediately stated her simplest demand, “Is Mu Rongrong with you? If she is, hold onto her; if not, go find her right away.”

Confused, Pei Jing asked, “Why…?”

“Don’t ask why, just do this within half an hour. Tonight, I will come looking for you,” Tong Ling replied.

Upon hearing this, Pei Jing had no further questions. He rushed out of his room, reached Mu Rongrong’s door, and knocked urgently.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Rongrong opened her bedroom door clad in pajamas. Although she resided in this mansion, Pei Jing had never visited her at night before.

Before Mu Rongrong could inquire further, Pei Jing swiftly pulled her into his embrace.

Her heart raced, pounding so hard it felt like it might leap out of her chest. Did their interactions at work change Pei Jing’s feelings towards her? Why tonight…?

Mu Rongrong’s fantasies were cut short as she heard Pei Jing speak into the phone, “I’ve hugged her now, is that okay for you, Lingling?”

Mu Rongrong blinked in confusion. What was her fiancé up to again?

“Bang!”

A loud noise erupted from the phone’s speaker.

Pei Jing’s heart clenched, gripped by a sudden sense of foreboding. “Lingling? Lingling?”

No response came from the other end of the line.

Later that night, news of Qu Ling’s unexpected car accident spread rapidly. Rumors circulated that the young heiress had attempted to win back her ex-boyfriend and made her final call to him just before the crash. Tragically, her ex-boyfriend was enjoying a sweet moment with his current fiancée while the heiress, barely clinging to life amidst the wreckage…

As m577 read the news description and compared it to fragments of the original plot, for a moment, they couldn’t find any significant discrepancies…

The device monitoring key plot points erupted once again with brilliant fireworks, signaling the completion of the small world’s storyline.

This time, the Main God awarded Tong Ling a generous 50,000 units of virtual currency, significantly more than her previous reward. It piqued her curiosity about the criteria for these bonuses.

“Usually, rewards are distributed based on the level of tragedy experienced by the cannon fodder female character,” m577 explained. “In the last world, the substitute girlfriend lived comfortably without financial worries, even during her stay at the psychiatric hospital. While acting as a substitute, she was also well taken care of in a luxurious mansion, so her living conditions were not poor.”

“In this world, the ex-girlfriend had to support herself, care for her boyfriend, and resort to selling herself for money, ultimately meeting a tragic end in a car accident… It’s understandable that the reward would be higher.”

However, the host had led a remarkably carefree life, straying far from the original plot, yet still managed to complete the story arc. What else could m577 do but exclaim, “Bell Sister, you’re amazing!”?

Tong Ling didn’t have anything specific to purchase, so she continued saving her virtual currency.

“How long can I stay in this small world?” Tong Ling asked.

m577 checked the settings and responded, [Qu Ling’s storyline spans from the male lead’s past up to the car accident, covering four years. Host, you completed the entire plot within less than a year…]

“Over three years,” Tong Ling felt it was somewhat short but still acceptable. “If in the future, I want to spend more time in other small worlds, is there any way to do so?”

[Virtual currency can be exchanged for additional participation time in small worlds.] m577 replied, [However, typically no one is willing to do this, considering the hardships of being cannon fodder.]

Realizing that this statement might not mean much to Tong Ling, m577 proceeded to display the exchange rates: [10 virtual coins redeem 1 day; currently, host, you could exchange for over twenty years.]

Tong Ling understood, “I’ll consider exchanging when needed in the future.”

With the mission complete, Tong Ling swiftly issued a public clarification regarding the false news.

She debunked the staged car crash and denied wanting to win back her ex-boyfriend. Additionally, she clarified having a current boyfriend, hoping to prevent further misunderstandings.

Numerous netizens left comments under her clarification statement.

— Hahaha, I knew it! How could a rich and fabulous sister be devastated over an ex-boyfriend? With her capabilities, there’s no man she couldn’t have!

— Let me just say, don’t limit yourself to one gender, sis. Take a look at me, am I not suitable?

— When I saw the news photo, I was smitten! Sister, you’re so beautiful. Was her ex-boyfriend blind? To not appreciate such a gorgeous and wealthy woman?

Upon receiving the notification that Qu Ling was safe, Pei Jing barely had time to sigh with relief before his company faced trouble.

The product developed by his company encountered numerous issues after being released into the market. It generated minimal profit, and the subsequent product recalls resulted in significant financial losses.

Partners started fleeing, citing how the project plan seemed promising but proved too challenging during actual development. They claimed they were truly incapable of handling it further; continuing research would require additional funding and more specialized professionals…

“Continuing the research…” Pei Jing paced anxiously around his office, “Who else is willing to invest in my projects now?!”

After news of Tong Ling’s departure from the company spread, astute investors promptly halted their investments. With only expenses and no incoming funds, numerous weaknesses within the company were exposed. By the time their product reached the market, its failure seemed inevitable.

“Could you ask your uncle for emergency funding?” Mu Rongrong felt equally anxious; as both the president’s assistant and wife, she had long considered the company her own possession. The thought of it failing was unbearable to her.

“Hmph, ever since Qu Ling transferred the company to me, Pei Qing hasn’t invested a single penny more,” Pei Jing scoffed. It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered seeking help, but his young uncle would never assist him!

“What can we do then…” Mu Rongrong struggled to come up with any other solutions. “Bank loans?”

”…Let me think about it,” Pei Jing replied.

While Pei Jing and Mu Rongrong grappled with the company’s dire situation, Tong Ling was happily playing games with Pei Qing.

“Aren’t you upset that I dumped the company’s mess onto your nephew?” Tong Ling whispered teasingly into Pei Qing’s ear.

“It merely proves his inability to handle such issues effectively.” Pei Qing breathed softly, allowing Tong Ling to ignite sparks across his body.

“Despite issues with my company, you still dare to invest continuously?” Tong Ling teased Pei Qing, only stopping when she saw his face flush with embarrassment, “After project failures, your money will go down the drain.”

“As long as it makes you happy,” Pei Qing said helplessly, “must we discuss this topic right now?”

Tong Ling chuckled softly, leaning forward to kiss the corner of Pei Qing’s mouth, “Alright, I’ll ensure you won’t have the energy to speak anymore.”

In this small world, Tong Ling devoted the remaining time solely to Pei Qing.

Indeed, Pei Qing was not the type of man who could bore her; he always found ways to keep her entertained.

Ultimately, Pei Jing’s company went bankrupt. Logically, after failed financing, risks should be borne individually, but investors would not willingly accept such losses. Pursuing debts became a common occurrence.

Pei Jing had no means to repay that substantial debt. He tried seeking help from both Pei Jing and Qu Ling, but they completely ignored him. To evade creditors, Pei Jing had no choice but to leave the city. All he possessed was the bank card Qu Ling had given him initially. Eventually, just to survive, he used the funds on that card, draining every last cent of his so-called “sellout money”…

Living in hiding and enduring poverty, Pei Jing, once a fake pauper pretending to be poor, transformed entirely into a genuine destitute individual.

Mu Rongrong viewed her time with Pei Jing as a dreadful nightmare. She returned to reality, resuming her ordinary and mundane life. Occasionally, she wondered if her good luck vanished when she met Pei Jing. Her current life seemed less carefree and joyful than before… What exactly had she been pursuing?

The news announced the latest annual ranking of wealthiest women, and Mu Rongrong immediately spotted Qu Ling’s name on the list.

“Wow, Miss Qu is truly impressive.”

“Young and beautiful, yet amassed such wealth…”

Her colleagues expressed their astonished admiration upon seeing the news.

“I’ve actually met this Miss Qu,” Mu Rongrong suddenly remarked.

Envious looks turned towards her. “Rongrong, you’re so lucky to know someone like that.”

“Yes, yes, she seems from a completely different world than us.”

Mu Rongrong glanced at her modest attire and resignedly agreed, “Indeed, we’re not from the same world anymore.”

After more than three years, Tong Ling bid farewell to Pei Qing and made a request to the system: [In the next world, please don’t make me poor again. I want to be a wealthy young lady.]

With a subtle expression, m577 responded: [Alright, I’ll arrange for you to become a rich and privileged heiress!]