Chapter 21: The Wrong Attitude
As soon as Xu Youyou returned home with her newly enriched bank account and the yellow jade Qilin pendant, a system notification popped up before her eyes.
[Congratulations to the host for completing the system task. Reward: Master-Level English Proficiency.]
Xu Youyou raised her eyebrows at the reward. The system never gives out rewards without a reason—could her next task be overseas? That would explain why the system preemptively resolved the language barrier for her.
Her overflowing bank account also brought significant changes to her life.
The first person to notice these changes was Ouyang Ouyang.
Xu Youyou had always been generous when transferring funds, but now she was even more so!
When their short drama launched on the video platform, it was customary not to spend much on promotion. Yet, Xu Youyou suddenly wired him five million specifically for advertising.
Holding the money, Ouyang Ouyang felt overwhelmed—he couldn’t even spend it all!
He even considered returning the excess to Xu Youyou.
But with her newfound wealth, five million felt like five hundred yuan to Xu Youyou. She glared at him and said, “If you can’t even handle this, how do you expect to direct TV dramas or films in the future?”
Clutching the money bag tightly, Ouyang Ouyang hunched his shoulders and scurried away.
Time flew, and soon it was the day Song Zhibai was set to take his mother abroad. Dr. Wang, who had been overseeing Madam Song’s condition, made a small suggestion when he learned about their trip.
“The patient’s condition is unstable. If you can arrange for a private jet and hire a team of professional medical staff to accompany her, it would be much better.”
Dr. Wang addressed this suggestion to Song Zhibai. Grateful that Xu Youyou had already helped with his mother’s overseas treatment, he didn’t dare ask for more and planned to be extra attentive himself.
However, Xu Youyou’s housekeeper, Xu Fang, overheard the conversation while delivering meals at the hospital and promptly relayed the information to Xu Youyou.
“Sister Xu, you did well. I really appreciate it,” Xu Youyou said with a smile.
Feeling a bit bashful, Xu Fang responded, “Boss, it was just by chance that I heard about it. Since I know you care deeply about Mr. Song, I thought I’d mention it. I hope you don’t find me too nosy.”
With the high salary Xu Youyou paid her, Xu Fang was eager to keep her employer satisfied.
Since Xu Youyou had already signed Song Zhibai under her wing, she understood better than anyone else how valuable he could become. Now was the time to go the extra mile while he was still vulnerable—one day, he might be grateful enough to work for her forever.
As the departure date neared, the system suddenly issued a new task notification.
[Treasure-Hunting Task Activated. Please reach the designated location as soon as possible.]
This time, the system’s guidance was rather abstract. Although the coordinates were clear, they pointed to a location on the globe in her study—New York, USA—which just happened to be the same destination as Song Zhibai’s trip.
Thankfully, she had already applied for a passport and U.S. visa along with the Song family; otherwise, she’d be stuck in China, panicking.
To be thorough, Xu Youyou spun the globe a couple more times—the pointer remained fixed on New York. Just to be sure, she even cracked the globe open to check for hidden treasures, but there was nothing.
It seemed she had no choice but to go abroad.
Xu Youyou hadn’t mentioned accompanying Song Zhibai earlier, so when she unexpectedly appeared at the airport, he immediately tensed up, becoming extremely alert.
Oops. She realized she might have overdone it. If she followed them to a foreign country, his overactive imagination would probably run wild.
Madam Song, on the other hand, was full of gratitude when she saw Xu Youyou. Although she had an air of scholarly elegance, her prolonged illness had left her looking extremely frail.
“Miss Xu, you’ve already done so much for our family. There’s no need to accompany us abroad,” she said sincerely.
Glancing at Song Zhibai, Xu Youyou responded casually, “I have business to attend to in New York anyway. It’s just a coincidence.”
Despite her explanation, Song Zhibai didn’t fully relax.
His mother, however, remained oblivious to how attractive her son’s delicate and broken appearance was to others, nor did she suspect Xu Youyou’s motives.
She patted her son’s hand gently and added, “If Miss Xu needs any help in New York, don’t hesitate to assist her.”
Xu Youyou nodded absently. To ease the tension, she didn’t stick around with them and instead retreated to the private jet’s media room.
Taking Dr. Wang’s advice to heart, Xu Youyou rented a private jet, hired several medical professionals, and even brought along personal security staff.
Out of curiosity, she had initially asked about purchasing a private jet—but after hearing the price, she quickly gave up on the idea. Even renting one for this trip was costing her over a million yuan.
The flight to New York took nearly fifteen hours. For the first two hours, Song Zhibai remained on edge.
But as time passed and Xu Youyou never once showed up to bother them, he gradually relaxed.
Meanwhile, Xu Youyou enjoyed herself in the media room. With in-flight Wi-Fi and an extensive selection of movies, she was perfectly content. She even had her meals delivered there, avoiding the Song family entirely.
By the time the plane landed, she still felt like the flight had ended too soon.
When Madam Song disembarked with the medical staff’s assistance, a specialized ambulance was already waiting at the airport.
“I was worried about such a long flight and any potential emergencies, so I pre-arranged for an ambulance,” Xu Youyou explained. “Fortunately, Madam Song seems to be doing well. Zhibai, I hope you don’t think I wasted money.”
Since all these expenses would eventually be deducted from Song Zhibai’s future earnings, Xu Youyou felt no guilt about the extravagance.
Shaking his head, Song Zhibai wanted to express his gratitude—but the words wouldn’t come out.
Madam Song, however, remained effusive in her thanks, holding Xu Youyou’s hand warmly.
Before their arrival, Xu Youyou had already arranged for two Chinese-speaking medical liaisons—at a steep price—to assist with Madam Song’s treatment in the U.S.
“I need to take care of my own business, so I won’t be joining you,” Xu Youyou said briskly, waving goodbye before hopping into a separate vehicle.
What she didn’t know was that the moment the ambulance doors closed, Madam Song’s kind expression faded. She turned to her son and asked, “Zhibai, why are you so wary of Miss Xu?”
