The car slowly drove towards the suburbs.
Du Jinghuai couldn’t refuse this pitiful request at all.
Li Jing firmly established her persona in front of Du Jinghuai, and she could feel the third male lead digesting his pity for this fake in his heart.
Leave some space, give the male lead some room for imagination, which is convenient for better harvesting leeks √
So Li Jing stopped acting, she huddled in the corner of the back seat and pretended to be a quail. While pretending, she raised her eyes and secretly looked at the driver’s seat.
Almost instantly, those light-colored pupils under the silver hair looked over from the rearview mirror, accurately catching her gaze.
They didn’t make eye contact for even 0.1 seconds, and they both looked away.
—Then they switched to online communication.
The system went offline directly, pretending it didn’t exist.
“So——who was it who asked if I was going on a date just now,” Li Jing asked with malicious intent, “Teacher?”
The man’s light-colored pupils fluctuated slightly: “…uh.”
It could only be said that… Li Jing’s work ability was too strong, in just a few minutes she could pull out different emotional layers for her target, so much so that the air in the car was thick, making him, who was always calm… feel a little restless.
But he naturally understood from the last sentence.
“—It’s just to make money.” Li Jing explained.
She had painted a pie* for Lu Mian before, and now it seemed that he hadn’t reported her earnings back to the Main God.
TN: painting pie : empty promises and unrealistic expectations
Ten million assets, a stable and happy life.
Lu Mian lowered his eyes slightly, his thin lips curled up.
His top 1, with first-class professional ability, also had a firm heart for making money and retiring——the Acting Emperor in the back seat with a cold and melancholic temperament, his half-long black hair with a masculine charm, in Li Jing’s heart, he was just a leek.
He felt relieved.carpreads.pages.dev
The man’s bony fingers rested on the steering wheel, and he spoke softly: “I know.”
Li Jing looked at the beautiful lines from his wrist to his forearm, her bright eyes blinked, and she unconsciously painted another pie: “When I retire, I’ll leave you the best villa.”
Then, what about the bad ones?
Who else would they be given to?
Lu Mian paused, hesitating: “Um…”
“So—” Li Jing said with a smile, “You should go offline, Teacher Lu! I’m going to check my accounts with the system.”
To enjoy a beautiful retirement with the silver-haired hottie, she had to harvest leeks well——to see if the first and second male leads had spent money to get her off the trending searches.
“…” Lu Mian was silent for a few seconds, “Okay.”
The young god obediently went offline.
Then he stood by the roadside, watching the black car drive away, like a sculpture with beautiful lines and precise proportions.
Only liking money, that was a good thing.
—But.
The god looked down at himself.
She really seemed to only like money.
“…uh.”
In the car.
Li Jing was single-mindedly checking her backend earnings and communicating with the system that just came back.
“Good, I see that Fu Lingchu has already spent money, oh——Feng Ce is here too.”
The first and second male leads were working together, the details were updating one after another, the sound of counting money sounded like a symphony.
Because the trending search had been fermenting for a whole night, the money to get it off the trending search on all platforms was more expensive than putting it up. It didn’t take long for millions to be spent like running water.
The funniest thing was that Ye Yan didn’t know anything, she was still paying her water army. So now the name #Li Jing# was still on the trending search, and the real-time comments area hadn’t been cleaned up.
And the male leads and the White Moonlight didn’t know they were battle with each other.
Hilarious.
“Old-fashioned writings are full of black humor.” Li Jing said.
System: “It can only be said that you are worthy of your reputation!”
-—–
Fu Group.
“Okay, take it down—”
Fu Lingchu sat behind his desk, holding a pen between his fingers, his brow furrowed in a cold frown. “If you can’t suppress it, keep adding money.”
After ending the call, Fu Lingchu looked up and saw the potted plant on the tea table in his office.
Ye Yan had sent him a gardenia that had already bloomed past its peak. Now, whenever Fu Lingchu saw it, he would still think of her, pure and clean, but at the same time… he would involuntarily see Li Jing sitting there.
She sat in front of the flower and said to him, “We all have people we can’t let go of,” making him feel she was naive to the point of foolishness.
Li Jing would never know that the person he couldn’t let go of had the same face as her. And she was just a substitute.
Fu Lingchu pinched the bridge of his nose, and the phone on his desk rang again.
It was Ye Yan.
She must have just woken up, her voice soft and dazed, making one’s heart soften just listening to it.
“Lingchu, I heard from A’wen and the others that they saw me online…”
Yesterday, they didn’t answer her calls, and Ye Yan, being very clever, didn’t ask. She pretended to just be finding out now, acting scared and innocent, the best way to stir up a man’s protective instincts.
Sure enough, Fu Lingchu quickly reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ve already taken care of it. It won’t have anything to do with you.”
But Ye Yan was too kind. She couldn’t help but say, “I… I’ll go take a look. What if it affects others…”
“Don’t look—” Fu Lingchu almost instinctively refused, then realized his tone was a bit harsh. “Don’t go online and look at those messy things. Remember, your health is the most important thing. Everything else doesn’t matter.”
Fu Lingchu saw Li Jing’s face in his mind. He didn’t want Ye Yan to know about the fake.
Similarly, he didn’t know why, but now he seemed… unwilling to let Li Jing know that she was a substitute.
He needed to get rid of the trending topic quickly. That’s what Fu Lingchu thought.
Ye Yan’s lips curled up slightly. She knew that she was obviously much more important than that poor student.
With Fu Lingchu’s gentle reassurance, Ye Yan hung up the phone, then happily opened her laptop—
The paid trolls had been so excellent yesterday, working hard all night. Ye Yan felt that her money was well spent.
Look, everyone thought Li Jing was being delusional. How could someone living in the mud dream of touching the clouds in the sky?
Fu Lingchu told Ye Yan not to go online, but she had actually been watching for a long time.
So, she expertly opened Weibo, clicked on the trending topics, and selected the entertainment list—
Then her smile suddenly froze.
The hashtag #Li Jing# had disappeared from the trending topics.
That fake couldn’t possibly have that kind of money, so did Fu Lingchu and Feng Ce help her suppress it?
The expression on Ye Yan’s face immediately turned ugly.
Fu Lingchu and Feng Ce’s concern for that fake exceeded what she had thought, so much so that for a moment, she even had the idea of returning to her own country.
Ye Yan wanted to confirm Du Jinghuai’s situation.
However, when she called—
At this time, Du Jinghuai had just gotten out of his van and was standing in front of a desolate and old orphanage.
—“I-I’m sorry, I made you come to such a remote place.”
The girl behind him clutched her worn-out sleeve, her voice low, as if she regretted her impulsive actions.
But Du Jinghuai shook his head. “No.”
Li Jing thought, of course you wouldn’t.
Du Jinghuai, was the kind of higher being who needed to pity others, needed to see the real misery of the world—most importantly, the original owner grew up in such an environment, and these emotions would be projected onto his feelings for Li Jing, pushing the progress of their relationship.
Du Jinghuai put his hands in his pockets, not answering Ye Yan’s call.
Ye Yan listened to the “beep beep” sound, her hand tightening, and her serene expression cracked for the first time.
That Li Jing…
On this side, Li Jing saw from the backstage that Ye Yan had stopped paying the paid trolls, and she felt a little regretful. But then she saw that Fu Lingchu and Feng Ce had already spent almost eight million to suppress her trending topic, and she was happy again.
The White Moonlight must have guessed something.
Thinking about Ye Yan’s expression now must be quite interesting.
Li Jing felt that she had made a lot of money from this wave.
The last time she harvested leeks was with those ten Hermès bags, so it proved that harvesting leeks together was the most exciting—the three-way love triangle had to escalate!
So, Li Jing reluctantly closed the income details, looking like a little pitiful thing as she followed behind Du Jinghuai, looking at the handsome and upright back of the Acting Emperor, thinking: Very good, now focus on harvesting the third leek.
It needs to grow strong and vigorous!
Du Jinghuai was staring at the entire desolate and old orphanage in front of him.
The dilapidated children’s playground equipment was rusty, and occasionally one or two children would emerge, wearing dirty clothes.
He had put on a mask when he got out of the car, but the cool temperament of the big movie star was still very prominent. Standing in front of the dilapidated gate of the orphanage, he was out of place like a banished immortal who had descended to earth.
Li Jing, wearing her plain employee uniform, seemed to have perfectly blended into this terrible environment. Du Jinghuai’s gaze lingered on her for a moment.
For this private trip, he only brought a driver, not even an assistant. He usually wouldn’t do this, but this time… he couldn’t refuse those eyes.
Li Jing accidentally met his gaze and quickly lowered her head, whispering, “Let’s go, let’s go.”
A banner was strung between the two trees in the small courtyard, which read “xx Orphanage xx Charity Sale.” Apart from that, the orphanage didn’t have many buildings, just a large dormitory, an empty classroom, and a dilapidated dining hall.
That was all of it.
“The children here are all… orphans whose parents have both passed away, or abandoned babies born out of wedlock.” Li Jing’s voice lowered as she spoke.
Du Jinghuai understood that Li Jing was also in one of those situations.
No matter which one, it was all unbearable.
“—Little Jing?”
A teacher recognized Li Jing, “You’re here again? This, this is…”
The teacher naturally didn’t follow stars, but she could sense that the handsome man beside Li Jing was either rich or noble.
“Teacher Wang, hello! I know the children are having a charity sale recently, my…” Li Jing seemed unsure how to introduce Du Jinghuai, looking at the man with some difficulty.
“—Friend.” Du Jinghuai said lightly.
Li Jing widened her eyes and repeated foolishly, “Yes, my fri-friend—he’s also here to support.”
Her surprise at being recognized as a friend by the Acting Emperor was so obvious. Du Jinghuai glanced at the environment she grew up in and felt a sense of “as expected.”
Indeed, a wild stray cat.
So different from Ye Yan’s elegant temperament.
“Oh, that’s great!” Teacher Wang said gratefully, “Thank you, Little Jing, thank you to your friend!”
“Teacher Wang, don’t say that.”
Li Jing pretended not to understand Du Jinghuai’s condescending gaze.
This part of the charity sale was also in the original plot. The original owner saw the kindness in Du Jinghuai’s generous charity sale, felt warmth, and thought he didn’t oppress her with his power, unlike the powerful figures like Fu Lingchu and Feng Ce.
Little did she know, Du Jinghuai’s love line was different from Fu Lingchu’s forceful seizure. Du Jinghuai’s pity for Li Jing was like that for a cat or a dog, not needing it to be healthy, happy, and live well, but more like keeping it by his side, living like a cat or a dog.
Once it crossed a threshold, Du Jinghuai’s pity would turn sour.
And because he didn’t actually treat the original owner as a person, when Ye Yan returned to China and needed the original owner to donate blood as a blood bag, Du Jinghuai was the most ruthless and fastest of the three male leads in his abuse.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Li Jing recalled the plot line and decided to charge in advance.
Although she wouldn’t donate a single drop of blood later, she had to make this pervert Du Jinghuai pay the blood money ^_^
The children in the orphanage, seeing the strangers, hid behind the classroom door with curiosity and fear.
It had been a long time since a child had been adopted. The people who came this time didn’t seem like the uncles and aunts who would adopt them.
Du Jinghuai looked at them calmly.
Li Jing timely explained in a soft voice, “Only children who are mentally healthy, have no infectious diseases, and have not been involved in petty theft are eligible for adoption. Now they are a little older, and the parents are unwilling to take them.”
“So actually… I’m already very lucky.” Li Jing said, a hint of tears flashing in her eyes.
Du Jinghuai’s gaze fell on Li Jing.
He had already checked her background. At the age of five, she was adopted by a kind grandmother, and then she was constantly suppressed by her uncle. Almost all the money she earned from working and the scholarships she received at school went to her uncle’s gambling table.
—Really, she was lucky?
Another face exactly like hers was on the big screen, receiving flowers and applause, being pampered her whole life, worlds apart from Li Jing’s world.
And Li Jing, actually thought she was lucky.
How pitiful.
—Du Jinghuai’s favorability +1%
Li Jing: Yeah yeah yeah.
In this scene, it was simply Li Jing’s little pity party, every word could make Du Jinghuai feel her misery.
Li Jing: Then I won’t be polite.
They were led to the location of the charity sale by teacher Wang.
The so-called charity sale was actually selling things made by the children at the orphanage. For example, folded paper cranes, copied Three Character Classics, paper flowers made from waste newspapers… and so on, very crude handicrafts.
“When I was here as a child, I also participated in a charity sale once,” Li Jing said, her eyes sparkling brightly, “I collected bottles for a long time, saved up money to buy a pen, and I used it to draw many, many pictures, and I sold them for five yuan!”
She spoke with such pride that she even forgot about her being attacked by the entire internet last night.
Du Jinghuai thought, this is the kind of poor person who has never enjoyed wealth in their entire life.
So she thought the 5,000 yuan dress was so expensive, so she would save the discount money for him when ordering the cake, because… that’s how she grew up.
Like a dirty stray cat, needing… to be rescued.
—Fu Lingchu Favorability +2%
Li Jing: Hee hee, almost 20% now.
She glanced at the orphanage gate in the distance and keenly noticed the flash of a camera.
If things go well, this plot point can be reversed—then won’t Ye Yan’s nose be twisted in anger?
Then the White Moonlight’s sense of crisis will be even stronger, turning her into a 24k pure gold leek—
The one taking pictures at the door was Du Jinghuai’s agent. As a top player in the industry, he had very strong public relations skills, and… a little bit of basic empathy.
After hearing about Du Jinghuai’s private schedule, he felt that things were going to be bad, so he quickly asked the driver for the address and rushed to the orphanage. As soon as he arrived, he saw the truth and felt even more sorry for the little girl who had been scolded on the hot search for a day, so he took a few pictures of her, Du Jinghuai, and the orphanage’s charity sale banner.
These photos were sent to marketing* accounts, and without even needing marketing, they directly shot to the top of the hot search.
TN: just accounts that specialize in tabloid news, proclaiming themselves “insiders”
—Love rumors dispelled! Acting Emperor meets ordinary woman, but it’s because of this!
【It turns out it was to participate in the orphanage’s charity sale!】
【Wuwuwu I’m crying, I knew Du Jinghuai was the kindest】
【Confession, I’m actually a paid troll, I made a few hundred yuan attacking this ordinary woman that night, but actually she doesn’t have any real black material, her background is pretty tragic】
【Paid troll +1, a little ashamed】
【Paid troll +2, if it wasn’t for the people in the group that night who were shouting “Earn Some Money then Run” being too hyped up, I might have run away after earning a few dozen】
【Damn it, “Earn Some Money then Run” come out to get scolded】
So, #Du Jinghuai Orphanage# became a hot search term.
Feng Ce was already looking for someone to bring down the hot search, and when Du Jinghuai came up, he immediately saw him.
“What, this orphan finally got discovered by Du Jinghuai?” Feng Ce grumbled as he clicked in, but he immediately saw a familiar figure.
Li Jing and Du Jinghuai stood together, and a feeling of displeasure surged to the top of his head.
“Damn.” Feng Ce was very irritable, but when he looked at the comments, no one was scolding Li Jing anymore.
One old schemer, one stinky orphan.
The big Young Master grumbled, but he still made this Weibo a trending topic.
Just as… a way to protect Ye Yan while compensating this fake.
On the other side, Fu Lingchu had also seen the hot search.
“Hmm, pay attention to the direction of the trend.” Fu Lingchu instructed.
“Yes, President Fu.”
Fu Lingchu’s cold gaze swept over the photos of Li Jing and Du Jinghuai, and a surge of displeasure arose from the desire for control in his heart.
Fortunately, he was very clear that Li Jing was only doing this for the orphanage and had no other feelings for Du Jinghuai.
Of course, Li Jing was still just a fake. An inferior fake that couldn’t replace Ye Yan.
However—
On this point, Fu Lingchu and Feng Ce, who were unusually united, both felt it.
They just wanted to clarify that Li Jing really wasn’t the kind of person who would do anything for money… as the internet was saying.
—At this time, Li Jing herself:
Thanks for the invitation.
I’m at the orphanage, passionately cutting leeks.
The girl’s slender white fingers gripped the waste paper pencil holder that Du Jinghuai wanted to take away, and she asked seriously, “Do you really need this? If you don’t need it, don’t spend money randomly.”
Du Jinghuai’s gaze fell on the price tag that read “8 yuan”: “…”
No man could tolerate someone questioning his financial ability.
Especially, this face was exactly the same as Ye Yan’s.
So, Acting Emperor Du bought everything in the entire venue.
In the presence of the children at the orphanage and Li Jing’s adoring gaze, he spent a total of 1,000 yuan, donating it to the orphanage in Li Jing’s name.
After all, they were all handmade items, and they couldn’t sell for much. But Li Jing still stammered, “Thank you so, so much!”
The expression on Du Jinghuai’s face remained calm and composed, but his favorability rating inexplicably climbed by 1%.
Men, after all, were creatures who needed to be admired.
The system watched the whole thing: “Is this the treatment of the third male lead? He spent a thousand yuan and enjoyed the treatment that the first and second male leads couldn’t get even with millions!”
Li Jing looked confused: “How is that possible?”
How could there be such a good thing ^_^
Li Jing asked the system with a heartfelt tone: “Did you forget, what’s here?”
The system couldn’t keep up with her quick thinking: “What, what is here?”
— Of course, it’s the Steinway piano that Fu Lingchu donated!
Li Jing, with a face full of gratitude, helped the teacher pack the things Du Jinghuai had bought, then straightened up, looked around with a nostalgic gaze, and then asked in a low voice.
“Is that piano still here…”
System: “???”
It seemed like it suddenly understood something??
It knew its host wouldn’t just cut off this little bit of leeks!!
Teacher Wang quickly said: “It’s here, it’s here!”
Li Jing showed a slightly embarrassed expression, explaining to Du Jinghuai: “Mr. Du, the last time someone donated to the orphanage was Fu Lingchu, thank you so, so much…”
Du Jinghuai’s brow furrowed slightly.
That subtle displeasure of being preempted surged up again.
“Oh?” Du Jinghuai asked lightly, “What did he donate?”
Li Jing looked innocent and naive: “He donated a piano.”
“…” Du Jinghuai looked at the 1,000 yuan he had spent and smiled coldly.
How could he lose in front of his love rival?
Du Jinghuai gently stroked his black, semi-long hair and asked: “Is the piano also part of the charity auction?”
Li Jing: “Ahaha.”
System: “And I hear the sound of leeks falling safely.”
Teacher Wang was terrified, she had never seen such a scene before. She was already shocked when the piano was donated in Li Jing’s name last time, and now she was shocked again.
Li Jing herself was even more afraid.
“No, no need, Mr. Du, you’ve already donated enough!”
Li Jing used those watery eyes, exactly the same as Ye Yan’s, to sincerely dissuade him: “That piano is too expensive—”
Du Jinghuai: “…”
He, the renowned three-time Golden Award Acting Emperor, couldn’t afford Fu Lingchu’s piano?
Du Jinghuai directly pulled out his bank card: “I bought it, donate it to the orphanage in Li Jing’s name.”
Li Jing’s eyes instantly turned red, she was too moved to speak.
Then she said to the system: “One more step.”
The system was already numb: “What else???”
Du Jinghuai looked down at Li Jing.
“I have nothing else to offer in return,” she raised her eyes, red with emotion, “Before the piano is sold, let me… play a piece for you, Mr. Du.”
— Show off your skills! Plan A from before is being applied here, we’re just a big interconnected plot, quickly push Du Jinghuai to 25%.
The system was amazed: “As expected of you?? I’m tired!”
Du Jinghuai never thought that Li Jing could play the piano.
That thin figure sitting on the piano stool was exactly like Ye Yan in his memory.
But this was clearly a dilapidated, old orphanage.
That person was the pitiful, miserable Li Jing.
Her slender fingers danced across the black and white keys, as if playing out the injustice of fate, the sorrow and grief.
It was as if money, public opinion, all those worldly things, were shut out by her music.
Du Jinghuai swiped his card and signed his name.
“Li Jing,” the name.
—Du Jinghuai donated on your behalf, Steinway piano converted to cash, 700,000 yuan
Li Jing squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to let herself smile.
—Du Jinghuai’s favorability +5%
She was truly heartbroken—
Playing Chopin in a field of leeks!