Chapter 29: The Rich Heiress
The one with the weakest willpower, Qin An the little fatty, was practically drooling rivers. His eyes were glued to the roast duck.
So good…
He wanted it so badly…
Qin Yue couldn’t stand his embarrassing look. Smiling, he tried to strike up a conversation with Shen Jing:
“Brother Shen, you guys are really quick. We’ve fallen far behind. Would it be too much if we shamelessly asked to share this dinner?”
He made sure to explain they weren’t freeloading on purpose, and even acted humble about it. Hard to pick fault in the delivery.
But Shen Jing shook his head. “These ducks were hunted by Qian Qian. You’ll have to ask her.”
Chi Qian?
Qin Yue’s eyes widened. She had that ability?
He suspected it was her uncle who caught them and just credited it to her for popularity’s sake.
“Qian Qian, could you let us have some? In exchange, we’ll handle breakfast tomorrow.”
But Chi Qian saw the disdain hidden in his eyes. She knew he wasn’t sincerely asking.
Not that it mattered—she had no intention of letting them mooch anyway.
“No. We barely have enough for ourselves.”
“Please, we’re starving after climbing all day,” Qin Yue pressed, flashing his trademark smile. “Little An’s so hungry his chest is sticking to his back.”
Chi Qian: “If you’re hungry, go find your own food. This is survival, not a buffet. What am I, your dad or your mom, here to spoil you?”
Qin Yue ground his teeth. “How can you be so heartless?”
Ling Qian finally snapped. “Three ducks, how much can you even eat? And it’s not like we’d eat for free.”
Chi Fengxiao sneered, “Oh please, freeloading is exactly what you’re planning.”
Gu Hua stepped in with a pitiful voice: “Qian Qian, if you’re still holding a grudge against me… then I’ll just not eat. Don’t take it out on them, okay?”
With that, she immediately pulled all the hatred onto Chi Qian.
Ling Qian gave her a see, I knew it look, glaring at Chi Qian with contempt.
Chi Fengxiao turned the roast over, his tone icy: “Some people really shouldn’t overestimate themselves.”
“Hold a grudge against you?” Chi Qian laughed. “Gu Hua, do I need to spell it out? What about you is even worth me holding a grudge over? Hm?”
“Is it that trash I threw away ages ago, or the background you’re so proud of? Neither amounts to much, does it? So what makes you think you have the capital to act arrogant in front of me?”
Gu Hua froze. She’d been flipped onto the defensive—wasn’t she supposed to be the arrogant one all along?
“Chi Qian, shut your mouth!” Ling Qian roared, stepping in front of Gu Hua. “If you’ve got a problem, take it out on me! I’m the one who broke off the engagement. Why are you venting on Hua-hua?”
Chi Qian sneered, “And what are those two holes under your eyebrows for, decoration? I was the one who broke it off. Staying with someone like you would ruin my fortune. The farther I stay away from you, the richer I’ll be.”
Gu Hua burst into tears, “You—”
Gu Hua suddenly cried out, “Please, don’t fight because of me! It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have appeared at all!”
And then she ran off, sobbing.
Just like one of those melodramatic soap-opera heroines, utterly baffling.
Shen Jiashu blinked innocently. “Dad, is that sister going through menopause? Is that why she’s in such a bad mood?”
His aunt had been the same way when she hit menopause.
Shen Jing rushed to cover his son’s mouth. Son, we don’t say that out loud. Just keep it in your heart.
[Wait, what’s going on here? Did Sister Qian once have an engagement with Young Master Ling, but it was called off because of Gu Hua?]
[But Young Master Ling said he was the one who proposed breaking it! And the Ling family is one of the great houses in Fugang City. Why would Chi Qian ever give that up if she had the chance to climb so high?]
[Let’s be honest, aside from her movie-star uncle Film Emperor Chi, the Chi family isn’t some grand clan. Film Emperor Chi made it entirely on his own.]
[Guys, go check the trending list! Gu Hua turned out to be the same genius “Little Fairy” who went viral years ago—AND she’s a rich heiress! This is straight out of a wish-fulfillment novel!]
Gu Hua had fled deliberately, creating the illusion that she was the one wronged.
Because she knew—the act she had meticulously staged was about to enter its highlight scene.
She had endured until now, just for this moment of “explosion.”
The halo of being both a genius fairy and the Gu family’s daughter was not something just anyone could wield.
Even if Chi Qian had outshone her in the livestream up to now, Gu Hua was confident she could snatch it back in one move.
Because she was certain: Chi Lisen, who always insisted his children stand on their own, would never allow anyone in the Chi family to lean on his influence.
Which meant Chi Qian, as his granddaughter, could never openly reveal that identity.
Ha!
*
The next day.
The trending storm was quickly flagged by Secretary Zhong and relayed to Chi Lisen.
His business trip had been extended; he was still in Nanshui City.
Chi Lisen didn’t immediately check what was on the trending lists. He first finished the stack of documents at hand and wrapped up a business call.
Only once he had a free moment did he pick up his tablet.
“What’s going on?” Chi Lisen, not well-versed in online matters, asked Secretary Zhong directly.
The secretary concisely laid everything out.
Gu Hua’s dual identity had been exposed, and she’d rocketed up the trending charts.
She was basking in the limelight, while the engagement between Chi Qian and Ling Qian was being dragged out repeatedly.
Most believed that Chi Qian, from an ordinary family, had once tried to climb too high, while Gu Hua and Ling Qian were the real match.
And Chi Qian…
Because she and Gu Hua had once appeared together on a children’s educational program—where Gu Hua had crushed her in intelligence and talent—that clip resurfaced as Chi Qian’s black history.
Now netizens speculated that Chi Qian’s impressive showing in the livestream was actually masterminded behind the scenes by her movie-star uncle.
That she wasn’t truly that capable at all.
After listening, Chi Lisen’s gaze darkened. The faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes carried a sharp chill.
Anyone who knew him could tell: he was angry.
On the desk, the video ended and automatically rolled to the next clip.
It was the moment, after climbing past the cliff, when Chi Qian had an idea and did something small but memorable.
She carved a line into the boulder at the cliff’s edge.
“Chi Qian, Chi Fengxiao, Chi Muze, Chi Lisen—were here.”
Chi Fengxiao laughed when he saw it. “Old man and Big Brother didn’t even come—why’d you carve their names?”
“That’s exactly why,” Chi Qian had replied, all seriousness. “So Grandpa and Uncle can share in the good luck too.”
At the time, the gesture passed quickly, the livestream audience barely noticing.
But after the news of Chi Qian and Ling Qian’s engagement broke, someone clipped that footage and highlighted the names.
“Chi Muze is the general manager of Chi Corporation, a rising star in the business world—some may not know him. But Chi Lisen—Chi Lisen, the number one tycoon, a textbook-level titan, practically a legend—everyone knows that name, right?”
“Now listen to how Chi Qian refers to them—Grandpa. Uncle. My friends, savor that. Savor it carefully.”
Comments flooded in:
[They all share the surname Chi… no way, right?!]
[Most likely just coincidence. Film Emperor Chi once said he came from an ordinary family. If he had a billionaire father, do you think he could’ve kept it a secret?]
[A random carving proves nothing. I could say Chi Lisen is my dad too, but I don’t see him wiring me money.]
[LOL, Gu Hua’s true identity gets revealed, and suddenly Chi Qian can’t stand it? Trying to craft herself a “heiress” persona? Nice try, but she’s just a wannabe.]
[OP, how much hush money did Chi Qian give you? No matter how you whitewash her, clinging to Chi Lisen won’t magically turn her into a rich daughter.]
The name Chi Lisen carried far too much weight.
If someone claimed Chi Qian belonged to some other wealthy family, maybe people would believe it.
But Chi Lisen?
Well… everyone has dreamed of waking up one day as the billionaire’s daughter.
But if someone actually said it aloud, who would take it seriously?
