Su Qingxue's Downfall

It was the fifth day since Ye Chen had been locked up in the detention center.

Su Group, CEO's office.

Su Qingxue sat at her desk, a document spread open before her.

The document had been sent over by the Shen family this morning.

She had already read it over and over three times.

Shen Capital Strategic Investment Agreement.

Investor: Shen Capital.

Investee: Su Group.

Investment Amount: 500 million RMB.

Equity Share: Zero.

That's right, zero.

Shen Fei was injecting half a billion into the Su Group without taking a single cent of equity.

A pure capital injection, without diluting the Su family's shares.

Su Qingxue stared at the word zero for a long time.

Having been in business for ten years, she had never seen this kind of investment.

Throwing in half a billion and asking for nothing in return?

There was no such thing as a free lunch in this world.

Unless what Shen Fei wanted wasn't written in this contract.

Su Qingxue closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

She knew exactly what Shen Fei wanted.

But right now, she had no right to refuse.

Half a billion.

Once this money hit their account, the Su Group would be brought back from the brink of death. The bank loans could be repaid, the penalty fees to their partners could be settled, and the salaries of over three thousand employees would no longer be delayed.

Her father had finally gotten a good night's sleep this morning.

Because Su Zhenbang had learned the news of this capital injection in advance.

The old man was so happy he nearly cried. He had held Su Qingxue's hand and said one sentence.

Qingxue, marrying Shen Fei is the only way out for the Su family.

Su Qingxue hadn't answered at the time.

But she hadn't argued back, either.

The phone on the desk vibrated.

A text message.

From Shen Fei.

3:00 PM, Jinling New District CBD. I'll send a car to pick you up. I have something to show you.

Su Qingxue stared at the line of text on the screen.

She hesitated for a few seconds before replying with a single word.

Okay.

...

3:00 PM.

A black Maybach pulled up downstairs at the Su Group.

Su Qingxue got in.

Only she and the driver were inside; Shen Fei wasn't in the car.

The Maybach traversed more than half of Jinling, driving into the core area of the New District CBD.

This area was the commercial center Jinling had focused on developing over the past five years. Skyscrapers stood like a forest, and every inch of land was worth its weight in gold.

Looking across the entirety of Jinling, no more than ten enterprises could boast owning an entire office building here.

The Maybach stopped in front of an unfinished skyscraper.

Su Qingxue stepped out of the car and looked up.

The building had forty floors. Its main structure had already been topped out, and more than half of its exterior glass curtain walls had been installed.

In the skyline of the Jinling New District, it wasn't the tallest, but it was absolutely the most eye-catching.

Because its design was incredibly unique.

The exterior of the entire building resembled a snow lotus about to bloom, gradually unfurling from the bottom up. Its lines were smooth and graceful, brimming with a sense of modernity and artistic flair.

It was the work of a master.

Shen Fei stood at the entrance of the building.

He was dressed casually today in a thin, dark blue jacket over a white T-shirt, looking clean and sharp.

Seeing Su Qingxue alight, he walked toward her.

You're here.

Come up and take a look with me.

The two entered a construction elevator and went straight to the top floor.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Su Qingxue's footsteps faltered.

From the height of forty stories, the entirety of Jinling could be taken in at a glance.

Beneath their feet was a dense cluster of urban architecture. In the distance, the Yangtze River meandered past, and the skyline was dyed a brilliant tangerine by the setting sun.

The wind poured in through the unglazed window frames, blowing Su Qingxue's long hair.

This building is a project Shen Capital acquired last year.

Shen Fei stood beside her, his voice slightly blurred by the wind.

Forty floors, with a total construction area of 120,000 square meters. The bottom ten floors are a high-end commercial complex, the middle twenty floors are Grade-A office spaces, and the top ten floors are a private club and observation deck.

It is expected to be completed in June next year, at which point it will become a landmark building in the Jinling New District.

Listening to these figures, Su Qingxue felt a slight tremor in her heart.

A project of this caliber required an investment of at least three billion.

Shen Fei could casually snatch up a three-billion project, while the Su Group had nearly gone bankrupt over a mere 300 million.

The disparity was so vast it bred despair.

Did you bring me here to show me just how rich the Shen family is?

Su Qingxue spoke, her tone indifferent but carrying a hint of self-deprecation.

Shen Fei glanced at her.

Look down. Right above the main entrance.

Su Qingxue walked to the window frame and looked down.

Above the main entrance of the building, workers were installing a massive nameplate.

Three characters were engraved on the nameplate.

Qingxue Pavilion.

Su Qingxue's entire body trembled!

She stared intently at those three words, thinking she had misread them.

But she hadn't.

Qingxue Pavilion.

This landmark building in the Jinling New District, worth three billion, was named after her.

Su Qingxue turned her head and looked at Shen Fei.

You...

Shen Fei leaned against the wall, hands stuffed into his jacket pockets, his expression placid.

The Su Group can move its headquarters here in the future. Out of those twenty floors of office space in the middle, I'll reserve ten for the Su Group to use. Rent-free.

Su Qingxue opened her mouth but couldn't make a sound.

Rent-free.

Ten floors of Grade-A office space in the core area of the Jinling New District, rent-free.

What did this mean?

It meant that the Su Group would henceforth possess a top-tier office location, instantly multiplying its brand value several times over. Those partners who had previously avoided them like the plague would now fight for the chance to do business with the Su family.

Because anyone doing business in Jinling knew that an enterprise capable of occupying an office building in the New District CBD absolutely had a true heavyweight standing behind it.

And with the words Qingxue Pavilion hanging up there, everyone would understand one thing.

Su Qingxue was Shen Fei's woman.

Whoever touched the Su family was touching Shen Fei.

This wasn't an investment.

This was a sanctuary.

It was a declaration of sovereignty.

It was an invisible chain binding Su Qingxue firmly to his side.

Gentler than handcuffs.

Sturdier than a cage.

Su Qingxue's eyes grew hot.

Not out of being moved.

It was an extremely complex emotion that even she couldn't untangle.

The overwhelming flattery of being valued.

The indignation and humiliation of being controlled.

The powerlessness and compromise in the face of reality.

And something else she refused to acknowledge, quietly taking root and sprouting in some hidden corner of her heart.

Shen Fei didn't look at her.

He gazed at the distant Yangtze River. His voice wasn't loud, but every word was delivered clearly into Su Qingxue's ears.

Su Qingxue, you deserve better.

A good office building, good business partners, a good life.

Instead of following a charlatan who can't even afford to eat, scraping by on a few silver needles.

That last sentence was like a soft blade.

It drew no blood, but it stabbed her right where it hurt the most.

Su Qingxue's lips twitched.

She wanted to retort that Ye Chen was not a charlatan.

But as the words reached her lips, she simply couldn't say them.

Because even she didn't believe it anymore.

Ye Chen's medical skills were real.

But in this world, having medical skills alone was useless.

No money, no resources, no connections, no status, he didn't even have a medical license.

He had all these abilities, yet he couldn't even protect himself.

Let alone protect her and the Su family.

Shen Fei had everything.

Money, power, influence, connections, and ruthlessness.

He could throw out half a billion without batting an eye.

With a single word from him, the entire business world of Jinling would tremble.

And he had used a three-billion-dollar skyscraper to bear her name.

With two men placed before her, any rational woman would know how to choose.

Su Qingxue was rational.

She was too rational.

Rational to the point of cruelty.

Wind poured in through the window frame, making her eyes sting a little.

She turned her head away, not letting Shen Fei see her expression.

"Thank you."

Just two words.

Her voice was very light, like a feather landing on the surface of water.

Shen Fei did not press the matter.

He simply straightened up from the wall and walked toward the elevator.

"Let's go down and eat. A new private kitchen opened downstairs, the food is pretty good."

Su Qingxue followed him.

The two stood side by side in the construction elevator.

The elevator descended slowly.

Looking at the metal doors in front of her, Su Qingxue suddenly spoke.

"Shen Fei."

"Hmm?"

"What exactly are you after, treating me so well?"

The elevator was quiet for two seconds.

Shen Fei turned his head and looked at Su Qingxue's profile.

"What do you think?"

Su Qingxue did not speak.

Shen Fei withdrew his gaze and watched the descending floor numbers.

"You don't need to overthink it."

"When it's time for you to know, you will naturally know."

The elevator reached the first floor, and the doors opened.

Su Qingxue walked out, her footsteps pausing for a moment.

Then she continued walking forward.

She did not look back.

But Shen Fei noticed that the way she walked had changed.

When she arrived, her back was straight as a board, her entire being screaming "I am being forced."

Now, her shoulders had relaxed slightly, and her pace was not as stiff.

A very subtle change.

But Shen Fei caught it.

...

That night.

The Su family villa.

Su Qingxue returned home and went straight into her room.

She sat on the edge of the bed, looking at her chat history with Shen Fei on her phone.

She scrolled through it a few times.

Then she changed Shen Fei's contact name from "Shen Fei" to "President Shen".

After changing it, it felt wrong, so she deleted it and changed it to "Fei".

She stared at that word for five seconds.

Deleted it again.

Finally, she changed it back to "Shen Fei".

She placed the phone face down on the bed, lay flat on her back, and stared at the ceiling.

"Su Qingxue, wake up," she said to herself.

But her heartbeat was still a few beats faster than usual.

She refused to admit that her heart was fluttering.

She told herself it was just gratitude.

Just gratitude.

But she knew that "just gratitude" wouldn't make a person repeatedly change a contact name.

Su Qingxue rolled over and buried her face in her pillow.

She muttered a muffled curse.

"Damn it."

...

The Shen family villa, study room.

Shen Fei sat in his chair, watching the data jumping on the system panel.

[Su Qingxue (Core Female Lead of the Child of Fortune) - Inner resistance toward the Host is crumbling!]

[Su Qingxue's trust in Ye Chen: 41 -> 28]

[Su Qingxue's affection for Host: 38 -> 55 (Affection + Reliance + Budding Infatuation)]

[Budding Infatuation!]

Shen Fei looked at those words, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

An affection level of 55 had already crossed the critical threshold.

From 28 to 55, the gap between him and Ye Chen had been blown wide open.

Su Qingxue was transitioning from being forced closer to taking the initiative to get closer.

Once the affection level broke past 70, she would be completely devoted.

By that time, even if Ye Chen got out of the detention center and knelt in front of Su Qingxue, she would never look back.

[Fortune Plunder continues to take effect!]

[Ye Chen's Fortune Value: -300]

[Current Fortune Value of Ye Chen: 2770 -> 2470]

2470.

It was already less than a third of the initial value.

Shen Fei closed the panel and picked up the cup of completely cold tea on the desk.

He finished it in one gulp.

Set the cup down.

Looked out the window.

The night was as dark as ink, and the myriad lights of Jinling flickered in the distance.

Ye Chen still had fifteen days before he was released from prison.

Fifteen days later, what would he find?

His master had lost contact.

The Zhao family had fallen apart.

Su Qingxue had switched sides.

The medicinal cauldron had been taken away.

Everything he had in Jinling no longer existed.

Shen Fei stood up and walked toward the bedroom.

That was it for today.

There were still things to do tomorrow.

Before Ye Chen came out, he was going to completely lock down Su Qingxue's storyline.

Leaving not a single crack.

Giving Ye Chen no chance of making a comeback.

The study light went out.

The system panel quietly flickered with a faint blue light in the darkness.

The countdown on it ticked away silently.

[Remaining time for First Blood Mission: 14 days 17 hours 22 minutes]

[Current Fortune Value of Ye Chen: 2470/8888]

Time was plentiful.

Just wait for your death, Ye Chen...