Lu Chengyue followed the waiter’s guidance and arrived at the designated spot.
Judging by the back view, it was a woman.
From head to toe, even her hair strands exuded an air of refined wealth. Lu Chengyue wasn’t the type to feel intimidated by that.
—Normally, people like this were her target clients.
They were the ones she could squeeze gold coins out of ruthlessly!
Her first guess was spot on.
After the waiter announced her, the woman didn’t even look up, just as in their chat records—arrogant as expected.
Lu Chengyue didn’t mind. She walked to the opposite side, pulled out a chair, and sat down. Then she called over the waiter and went to town on the menu with bold strokes, still a bit reluctant even at the end.
“Just bring these up first.”
The waiter kept a straight face, but inwardly was dumbfounded.
Judging by the two women’s outfits and auras…
Were pretty boys these days that aggressive?
If Lu Fugui herself heard that inner monologue, she probably would’ve grinned at the waiter without shame and replied, “Yeah.”
Failing to take advantage of a good deal was for fools.
“Get it for her.”
Cherish spoke up. Her voice carried a haughty tone mixed with a natural sweetness.
It wasn’t like when Lu Ningshuang acted spoiled.
Lu Ningshuang could mostly speak normally and properly, at least in front of Lu Chengyue, where it was basically her default mode.
Even when she occasionally pitched her voice high, it was cloyingly sweet, enough to give Lu Chengyue goosebumps all over.
But the woman before her had a more innate spoiled air, one bred from being pampered since birth.
The waiter retreated as instructed, and at the same time, the woman finally lifted her head, revealing a delicately beautiful face that perfectly matched her voice.
This was an Omega.
This wasn’t just Lu Chengyue’s judgment based on the woman’s appearance—it was because—
The Omega propped her chin up with one hand, gazing at her with lake-like, lively eyes that held the pride of a young lady. Her vermilion lips parted.
“It’s you, Junior Lu.”
…She was one of Lu Chengyue’s clients.
Lu Chengyue had a sharp mind and was hypersensitive to money. She remembered every face and name of those who could bring her profit, crystal clear.
Especially since the woman in front of her was a major source of profit—a big, fat sheep.
It just hadn’t been time to contact her yet. Lu Chengyue’s clients were all noted in her contacts, but the other had changed her profile picture and was using a side account this time.
That’s why Lu Chengyue hadn’t recognized her immediately.
She nodded calmly in response. “What a coincidence, Senior Meng.”
Meng Tingmian looked at her. From start to finish, she hadn’t shown much surprise upon seeing Lu Chengyue. Instead, her lively eyes gradually took on a teasing glint.
“I’ve heard Junior Lu loves money like her life. She’ll take any job as long as there’s pay. I didn’t expect… she’d gotten into this kind of thing too.”
Meng Tingmian’s words weren’t exactly polite.
She was a year ahead of Lu Chengyue, now a sophomore.
Among the three adults of this generation in the Lu Family, Lu Chengyue had the highest IQ. She’d tested as a child prodigy as a kid, the kind who could skip countless grades and attend a juvenile class.
But judging by the secular name she’d given herself—”Lu Fugui”—it was clear her ambitions didn’t lie there.
The Old Lu Family took a laissez-faire approach to raising kids: as long as they weren’t biased, they were free to develop below that.
That included her “university professor” Little Aunt and Little Aunt-in-law.
So Lu Chengyue had grown up following the normal trajectory of a child. Schoolwork and even competition classes were no challenge for her; she aced them effortlessly.
Thus, the extra time…
She devoted to figuring out how to make money off her peers.
One of her staple gigs, which she still did—because it was truly effortless—was writing homework for others.
That’s how she’d met Meng Tingmian.
Lu Chengyue’s brain really was sharp. Still just a freshman, she’d already self-studied most courses, expanding her services to sophomores and juniors. Give her a bit more time, and she’d handle senior theses too.
Meng Tingmian was in the same major as her: financial management.
But while Lu Chengyue was genuinely preparing to start her own company someday, with rich hands-on work experience across industries, Meng Tingmian, the eldest Miss Meng, was purely there to coast through for a diploma.
Every school had a few special admissions cases, usually due to exceptional talent in some area.
Miss Meng was one too.
Thanks to—her family’s money.
Meng Tingmian’s college entrance exam scores were average, middling at best. There was no way she’d get in through normal channels.
Then.
Her family donated a building to the school—a fully equipped lab building.
And Miss Meng got in to gild her resume. This was only because the delicate miss didn’t want to go abroad alone to an unfamiliar place.
She preferred to slack off nearby, with people to back her up.
In high school, Meng Tingmian had nothing but a stunningly beautiful face; her grades were all average.
At home, she had an older brother ten years her senior, who’d differentiated early into an Alpha and shown talent across the board. He was clearly set to inherit the family business.
As the little daughter, Meng Tingmian just needed to be pampered.
From childhood, all her relatives—even her parents—said Mianmian didn’t need to try too hard or excel. She had her parents now, her brother later, and in the future, an Alpha would protect her. Her life would be smooth sailing; no need to worry.
Yes.
Even as a little girl, everyone had pegged her to differentiate into an Omega.
And Meng Tingmian didn’t disappoint. She differentiated beautifully and steadily into a delicate, fragile Omega.
Her parents and older brother doted on her endlessly, especially her brother ten years older—a total sister complex, or perhaps more like a second father.
Miss Meng had no complaints about the freeloading life her family arranged. In college, through an introduction, she connected with her junior Lu Chengyue. From then on, even her reports and assignments were handled by someone else for a fee.
Miss Meng had money to burn, few demands, and was generous with her spending. Lu Chengyue had a deep impression of this meal-ticket employer.
She sought convenience and ease;
Lu Chengyue sought her reticence and generosity;
Money handed over, goods delivered—transaction complete on the spot.
Both sides were satisfied with the deal, until today—
When Meng Tingmian unexpectedly stumbled upon Lu Chengyue’s other business. The poor college girl who’d been earning an honest living through side gigs (misconception) suddenly plunged into a money-for-love transaction, flipping the implications entirely.
Lu Chengyue didn’t answer her question. Instead, she cut straight to the point. “Senior Meng, you’re the Omega set up for the marriage alliance with the Huo Family.”
“Right.” Miss Meng was straightforward, with no evasion.
Lu Chengyue: “You don’t want to get engaged to him.”
Meng Tingmian: “Right.”
“Why?”
Unlike the sweet, love-brained little white flower from yesterday’s chat logs, the Beta before Meng Tingmian now was exceptionally calm.
From the moment she saw her until now, she hadn’t shown a hint of surprise, her cool demeanor like that of an immortal consort.
Perhaps because Meng Tingmian had recognized her at first sight.
Since she knew, there was no need to pretend anymore.
“Too ugly.”
Miss Meng batted her eyes, her posture elegantly lazy, just like the school rumors said. She occasionally pulled harmless pranks, but with her Omega face, everything was forgiven.
“Even for a long-term meal ticket to rely on, someone you’re with day in and day out—chemistry and looks matter.”
Lu Chengyue ran various side gigs at school, so she naturally collected info on her clients.
She’d heard some rumors about Miss Meng too—this girl shone wherever she went.
She enjoyed family perks without effort, but when it was time to use her, naturally she’d have to give something back.
By the same token.
After net-dating Huo Yunyi for over ten days, Lu Chengyue knew the intel on her online romance saphead… scratch that, boyfriend.
Ugly—that didn’t refer to his face, but after this time interacting with Huo Yunyi, Lu Chengyue had to admit Meng Tingmian had a point.
Huo Yunyi was ugly inside and out, to the point where even his originally decent face was starting to look uglier.
Lu Chengyue pieced together all the threads and thoughts in an instant. “So you asked me out not to break us up—quite the opposite. You want to support me and wish us a hundred years of happiness?”
“Right.” Meng Tingmian’s third “right” today.
When Miss Meng talked to people, she was extremely casual, completely self-centered.
She didn’t look at Lu Chengyue across from her. She spread her hand open, her gaze fixed on her fingertips—she’d just gotten a pretty new manicure yesterday.
With a light flick, Miss Meng added, “That was my initial plan, but I’ve changed my mind now.”
Lu Chengyue: “?”
In past transactions, Miss Meng probably didn’t care much about grades, keeping requirements low—between passing and good was fine.
Deals were one-and-done; she’d never been this fickle before.
She suddenly drew her hand back, her lazy, clear eyes landing on the female Beta’s face across from her, lingering a bit.
“You look much better like this.”
Lu Chengyue: “Thanks.”
The young Beta’s face was expressionless. In business, she’d indeed reaped some benefits from her looks.
Over time, she’d grown used to it.
Meng Tingmian’s offhand comment revealed she’d seen Lu Chengyue’s photoshopped photo before—the one even her two moms wouldn’t recognize.
No idea where she’d gotten it.
But now that Lu Chengyue was there in person, there was nothing to say.
Meng Tingmian continued, “I don’t know what that guy’s brain is made of, but since that’s how it is—”
Her tone paused slightly.
The Omega propped her cheek with one hand, her pale fingertips right by her crimson lips. She narrowed her pretty, translucent eyes, gazing lazily with endless ripples.
Yet her posture was utterly arrogant and disdainful.
“Come over to my side.” Miss Meng issued the command casually. “I quite like your unaltered face.”
Miss Meng remembered the gun-for-hire’s name amid her busy schedule not just because it was catchy and pleasant.
Mainly, it was because Lu Chengyue had an extremely beautiful face that matched her tastes perfectly.
Meng Tingmian smiled. “After all—”
It was that sweet smile, a bit like when her cousin Lu Ningshuang played the little green tea to deceive people.
But while the latter was soft and harmless, on Miss Meng it was coquettish and flamboyant.
“Junior Lu, being someone’s lover is the same no matter who it is.”
