From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

After a long silence, I suppressed my panic and asked in a low voice, "When will we meet?"

"tonight."

"So urgent?"

"My parents already know about you from the last time you accompanied me to the party. They know everything about you. We're bound to meet sooner or later; there's no escaping it."

Su Qing spoke calmly.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down.

Yes, there's nowhere to hide.

The Su family is in the top echelon, while I am just a lowly courier shop owner who started out as a deliveryman. Our social classes are worlds apart.

I can almost predict that after we meet, I will be met with contempt, suppression, humiliation, and attempts to withdraw.

But it doesn't matter, it's fake anyway, let them attack it if they want, it's not like I'll lose a piece of my flesh.

I calmed myself down and replied in a deep voice, "Okay, you can pick me up at the courier station tonight."

"I'm warning you in advance, my parents don't mince words. They'll definitely make things difficult for you and suppress you in every way tonight. Be prepared."

"I know what I'm doing, so there's no need to worry."

"That's settled then, see you tonight."

"Okay, that's fine then."

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone was abruptly disconnected.

The receiver went dead. I slowly put down my phone, leaned back in my seat, and felt a deep sense of helplessness and melancholy welling up inside me.

I am not afraid of being humiliated by Su's parents, nor am I afraid of being looked down upon in public.

What I fear is that if I were to actually stand in front of the powerful and wealthy at the top, my deep-seated inferiority complex stemming from my humble origins would make me unable to control my stage fright and bow my head.

The videos about Xingyao's scandals spread rapidly online, and the trending topics in the city skyrocketed. The comment section was completely flooded with comments, and the outcome was already a foregone conclusion.

I'm too lazy to keep refreshing my phone and wasting time. The overall situation is already decided, and the outcome was predetermined.

Around noon, there was some activity in the livestreamers' group chat.

I casually opened a WeChat group, and the first message pinned to the top was from Anran.

The words were full of satisfaction and catharsis, and included a screenshot of the company disbanding the signing group.

An Ran: [Xingyao Media has been directly shut down and investigated by market regulators! All unfair contracts are null and void! We are completely free, it's truly gratifying!]

She replied to the message in seven seconds.

Qiqi: [Finally freed from control and regaining my freedom, we should all thank Brother Lin for his help.]

Qiqi: [Brother Lin, are you there? Come out and say something.]

As I watched several people in the group chat take turns sending their thanks, I slowly typed a reply.

Me: [Congratulations everyone, you've regained your freedom.]

After sending the message, I subconsciously glanced at the number of group members and frowned slightly.

There are two fewer people in the group than last night.

When I opened the group member list, I saw it was the two girls from last night's food stall who had a falling out with me and left, the busty girl and the short-haired girl.

My heart sank, and I immediately asked: "Two people are missing from the group chat. Did the two who left last night return to Xingyao Company?"

Qiqi: [Their whereabouts are unknown; they left the group voluntarily.]

Upon seeing the reply, a strange unease welled up in my heart.

I'm not afraid of them going back to admit their mistakes and bow their heads. What I fear most is that the two of them will be coerced and lured by Fang Heng into betraying me.

Last night at a food stall, I lost my temper and revealed my identity in public, which was really too impulsive.

That's so irrational!

Now that our weaknesses have fallen into the hands of outsiders, it's tantamount to planting a seed of future trouble for ourselves.

But it's too late for regrets now.

Even if these two keep quiet, given Fang Heng's suspicious and ruthless nature, he will eventually find out about me by following public opinion.

I suppressed my distracting thoughts and continued to press, "Does anyone know where they are staying now?"

Anran: [After we broke up last night, we completely lost contact.]

Just as everyone was silent, Zhou Ying, who had been quiet all along, suddenly typed and spoke.

Zhou Ying: [I know, they didn't go back to Xingyao Company at all last night.]

An Ran immediately asked, "How can you be sure? Did they contact you privately?"

Zhou Ying: [She messaged me privately in the early hours of the morning, inquiring about what happened after our dinner party, and personally stated that she wouldn't go back to the company to apologize.]

Qiqi: [Since you're not going back to the company, why did you voluntarily leave the group chat?]

An Ran: [What else could it be? I publicly lost face last night, and now I'm only able to get away thanks to Brother Lin. I'm too ashamed to stay in the group chat.]

The reasons for leaving the group are unknown, but knowing that the two did not return to the company is the best outcome.

A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. I sent a final message, ending our connection once and for all.

Me: [Now that everyone has escaped, I wish you all smooth sailing and a bright future. See you again in this world!]

After sending the message, I locked the screen and put my phone down.

Those who walk different paths cannot make plans together; those whose values ​​do not align must not walk together.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, I will most likely never have any contact with them in my life.

A busy afternoon passed by.

It's 5:30 in the evening.

A bright red Mercedes sports car was parked steadily on the side of the road in front of the express delivery station.

The car window slowly rolled down, revealing a delicate, fair face.

My pupils contracted slightly, and my heart skipped a beat.

Her once flamboyant and eye-catching golden waves have been dyed into a head of smooth, jet-black hair.

The contrast in hair color was so striking that I didn't recognize Su Qing at first glance.

She had clearly dressed up carefully, shedding her usual flamboyant and spoiled young lady persona. Her makeup was light and elegant, making her look much more composed and dignified.

Su Qing walked straight into the store, her cold gaze quickly sweeping over the clutter on the floor and the shelves, a slightly helpless fake smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"Is this the shop you took over?"

She tried them on one by one, like a high and mighty queen surveying her territory.

He let out two more dry laughs and said, "How much money can your shabby shop make in a month?"

I spread my hands helplessly: "I just took over, the store is a complete mess, how am I supposed to know how much money I can make?"

"So how much did you spend in total to acquire it?"

"One hundred thousand."

Su Qing instantly understood and said, "It's the 100,000 I gave you, right?"

I nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

She said no more and turned to walk outside.

I nodded, greeted my cousin, and followed her out.

As I opened the car door and got in, I was immediately enveloped by a luxurious perfume scent.

Today she's playing the part of a lady, toning down her usual flamboyant and arrogant demeanor, and opting for a gentle and elegant outfit.

A white shirt, adorned with lace trim on the collar, cuffs, and shoulders, is both delicate and gentle.

She paired it with an elegant light green long skirt and a pair of delicate white stilettos, looking every bit the refined lady.

If someone were not familiar with her, they would definitely be deceived by her well-behaved and quiet appearance just by looking at her clean and gentle attire.

No one would have guessed that she was a rebellious and stubborn vixen who dared to threaten to jump off a bridge and stand up to her family.

I looked her over for a moment, then chuckled and said, "I can tell you're more nervous than I am."

Su Qing started the car and retorted defiantly, "Why should I be nervous? You're the one getting scolded anyway."

As the car merged into the traffic, Su Qing's playful expression vanished, replaced by an extremely serious tone.

"Let me make this clear in advance: tonight is not a casual family dinner, but a real trap."

I knew what was going on, and gave a faint "hmm".

"Besides my parents, my cold-noodles sister will also be rushing home for the banquet tonight."