Chapter 67: I Have Ten Billion

This comment was a wake-up call to everyone.
Of course.
Throughout the entire show, Yan Feixing ignores everyone else but treats Xu Yunzhu, this D-list nobody, with kindness—wasn’t it simply because Xu Yunzhu is easy to take advantage of?
Or perhaps it was to avoid suspicion.
To keep the two fan bases from starting a fight.
And on Xu Yunzhu’s side, there’s nothing to worry about, since she barely has any fans to begin with.
So Yan Feixing’s unusual behavior suddenly made perfect sense.
The viewers watching the livestream instantly tossed Ning Qinghuan aside and started shipping the “Yunfei couple.”
Director Xu watched as his observer acted sweeter than the actual guests. Was this appropriate!
And even if sweetness was called for, couldn’t it wait until next episode?
He’d already mailed the contract to Xu Yunzhu’s agent; next episode, she’d be a regular.
Xu Yunzhu, bewildered by the criticism, looked down at her seat—no mistake, it was the exclusive center seat for observers. She rolled her eyes at Gu Qi; his hostility was utterly inexplicable, and she wasn’t about to indulge him.
“I haven’t eaten a single grain of your family’s rice, so what’s your problem with me? Choosing to observe your group is tasteless but a waste to give up—seems you’re sincere, but your partner isn’t cooperating.” Then, she turned to the camera and said seriously, “I really can’t observe this group. They’re not suitable. Out of all the couples I’ve seen, they’re the worst match.”
Gu Qi’s face turned green. “You!”
As much as he hated to admit it, every word Xu Yunzhu said was true. Xie Zhiyuan clearly wasn’t interested in him. Looked like he couldn’t cling to this third-generation official’s leg after all.
He glared fiercely at Xu Yunzhu. “No wonder you were ditched by Pei—” He stopped short.
He caught Pei Jin’s icy glare.
Some matters were best kept within their own circle. Prominent families like theirs dreaded nothing more than having their private affairs aired in public. Moreover, his and Xu Yunzhu’s past was hardly honorable. He was sure: if Gu Qi dared reveal a single word, Pei Jin would have his head.
Fortunately, Gu Qi stopped himself in time.
Xu Yunzhu knew he’d wanted to provoke her with the broken engagement to Pei Jin.
Too bad for him, she wasn’t the original Xu Yunzhu, and she was not so easily rattled.

She lounged lazily in her chair. “Hmm? Pei what? Why not finish your sentence? Is it something unspeakable?”
Cold sweat broke out on Gu Qi’s forehead.
He forced himself to appear calm and sneered, “I meant to say, no wonder everyone hates you. You deserve it!”
He exhaled in relief after saying this.
[Huh? Was that what Gu Qi was about to say? I used to dislike her, but now I find her kind of funny.]
[I feel like he was going to name someone, but stopped. Damn, does Xu Yunzhu really have a powerful backer—someone even Gu Qi can’t afford to offend?]
[Feels like it. Otherwise, how did Xu Yunzhu go from being a timid nobody to lashing out online? Someone must have her back.]
[Who is it though? I heard Xu Yunzhu comes from the countryside, so she shouldn’t have money, but that day she drove a car worth millions right up to the company entrance. Yu Momo even got netizens to check the plates, but everyone who tried got a warning and stopped. There were rumors she had someone behind her. I didn’t believe it then, but Gu Qi’s from the circle—he should know.]
A trending topic exploded: #XuYunzhuSuspectedOfBeingKeptByBenefactor# topped the searches.
Xu Yunzhu knew nothing of this, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have cared.
She sighed rather gloomily, looking at Gu Qi as one might look at a tantruming child. “If everyone hates me, what am I supposed to do? Maybe I should become cash—everyone loves money. Would that do?”
[Hahaha, Xu Yunzhu’s expression is adorable, like a mother with a mischievous child.]
[I thought she’d get mad, but this comeback is unbeatable. She’s gone from unhinged queen to queen of shade.]
[That one line made me a fan. Love you, sis! Mwah~]
Hu Biting couldn’t help but laugh, her fondness for Xu Yunzhu growing as she sighed too. “If only I could be cash—then the whole world would love me.”
And so, the two began discussing what it would be like to be cash.
Eventually, the conversation turned to savings.
Naturally, this piqued the viewers’ curiosity.
Celebrity earnings are always a mystery—outsiders can only guess, and only the stars themselves truly know.
Hu Biting was straightforward. She smiled at the camera. “In seven years since my debut, my savings have only reached seven figures.”
[Seriously? I thought she’d be worth at least over a hundred million. Only seven figures?]

[You think seven figures is nothing? Most people work their whole lives for that much, and she did it in seven years. She’s doing just fine.]
[No, wait, I heard she got one and a half million just for this show. I thought she’d at least have tens of millions.]
[That money isn’t all hers. Most goes to her company—she keeps only a small share.]
[What about the others? Why aren’t they saying anything?]
Next to Hu Biting sat Xie Zhiyuan.
As the camera shifted to her, Xie Zhiyuan realized the topic wouldn’t be dropped.
She gave a gentle smile. “I don’t really have any savings. My family isn’t excessively wealthy. Since my grandfather’s time, we’ve been taught to be frugal. So our generation leads a ‘simple’ life. My savings are so little, there’s no point mentioning them.”
Xie Zhiyuan’s background was sensitive.
Her family has been in officialdom for three generations. If she appeared too wealthy, people would suspect corruption. So neither the production team nor the audience pressed the issue.
Besides, Xie Zhiyuan always dressed modestly, never bringing shame to her family, even on camera.
Then it was Ning Qinghuan’s turn.
She stared at the camera in surprise before giving a slow, gentle smile. “I have almost no savings. I debuted young and spent the first few years doing odd jobs and extra work. My father racked up huge debts, my mother suffered a stroke from the stress and needs expensive treatment, and my younger brother is still in school—he needs money too. I just want to improve my family’s situation, so I can barely save anything.”
[Oh no, poor Huanbao, she’s so pitiful.]
[She works so hard and her family’s in such trouble—only Qinghuan could have such a tough life. May our star always walk a path of flowers. We’ll support you forever!]
[People who gamble should go to hell. Every time she mentions it, my heart aches. It’s a scar she rarely touches herself, and Xu Yunzhu picked this topic—rubbing salt in the wound. So disgusting.]
[What’s it got to do with Xu Yunzhu? As if Ning Qinghuan’s misery is her fault. Please, don’t act like saints online. If you really pity Ning Qinghuan, each of you fans should donate her a thousand yuan and help her through. It’s not like other people’s lives aren’t hard. Xu Yunzhu came from the countryside too, but I’ve never heard her complain about her past.]
When the camera returned to Xu Yunzhu, she had no idea fans were already fighting over her and Ning Qinghuan in the chat.
She simply lowered her head in thought and, after a moment, replied in a drawl, “To be perfectly honest, I have ten billion.”