Li Chu’s final decision to take on this script wasn’t solely due to the initial intrigue of the story outline, but also partly because of Fuyuan’s character.
Fuyuan wasn’t a likeable or perfect character. But it was precisely this imperfection that made her more human.
In other stories, she might be the brainless, spoiled, and ill-tempered villainess, whose downfall would bring immense satisfaction. However, from her perspective, one could see her misfortune and pain, regret and confusion.
After Fuyuan’s mother fell seriously ill, the family’s savings were almost entirely depleted by surgery, hospitalization, and medical expenses. To further cut costs, Fuyuan rented out their house and moved to a cheaper place.
The young mistress had never lived in such a dirty, messy place. But it was cheap. For money, she endured things she couldn’t have before. The once extravagant rich girl now haggled with vendors over a few yuan for fruit.
The day she met Lin Lang, Fuyuan was unemployed. Although she had studied music, she wasn’t very skilled. Her first half of life had been focused on enjoyment and leisure. She could appreciate music, but if she were to teach, she might not be very good. So, faced with better candidates, she was fired.
Panicked, Fuyuan spent the next few days submitting resumes and making calls, but no one hired her. Remembering her knowledge of luxury goods, she tried her luck at a mall, hoping to become a sales associate. Because of her beauty and eloquence, she got an internship, with the promise of a full-time position if she performed well.
But she didn’t expect to encounter someone she had once ridiculed in the store. She was mercilessly mocked.
Fuyuan resisted the urge to flee, plastering a fake smile on her face as she endured the insults and served the customer. In that moment, the young mistress truly died, replaced by an ordinary, poor person bowing to the realities of life.
She was destined to pay for her past arrogance. Even though she tried her best to endure, handling all the customer’s unreasonable demands, she was still fired after the customer left, simply because that person was a premium member of the store.
Dejected, Fuyuan walked home, only to be bumped into by someone. The person who bumped into her was Lin Lang. Lin Lang hurriedly apologized and continued running, chasing someone ahead.
Fuyuan thought maybe the person had been robbed and didn’t pay much attention, as her own life was too miserable to spare sympathy for others’ misfortunes.
She stood there, about to continue walking, when she saw several people chasing after Lin Lang. They seemed tired, panting and cursing in a dialect. Passersby gave them strange looks, but they didn’t care, simply venting their anger.
Fuyuan understood their words. They were streetwalkers, and the person who ran was a client who hadn’t paid. The woman who bumped into her was likely their companion.
Perhaps a junior, Fuyuan thought, because the woman who bumped into her was young, while these people, who seemed to be betas, were older.
Fuyuan didn’t know why, but she waited with them, watching the tall figure walk back. From their conversation, she learned the name of the woman who bumped into her: Lin Lang.
Lin Lang returned with the money, stuffing the crumpled bills into the leading woman’s hand. Fuyuan saw clearly; it was only a few hundred yuan. But the woman treated it like a recovered treasure, eagerly counting the crumpled bills, smoothing them out, and putting them in her pocket with a beaming smile. Then, they left.
Watching their backs, Fuyuan felt a prolonged sadness and despair, not because of their situation, but because she saw in them the inescapable poverty she might face in the future.
That night, Fuyuan saw Lin Lang again. They lived in the same dilapidated apartment complex. When Fuyuan saw Lin Lang, she had just finished running an errand, earning a couple of yuan.
She stood there, a slender, cold figure. Fuyuan watched her jump onto the wall, thinking Lin Lang hadn’t noticed her. Unexpectedly, Lin Lang turned back.
—”Are you new here? If you need anything, feel free to come to 103. Errands, deliveries, shopping, even fixing air conditioners or unclogging drains, I can do it all. Special services too, like protection or dealing with harassment. I’d really appreciate some business transactions, fallen princess.”
The first time Li Chu read these lines, she felt as if she saw Lin Lang through the page.
Fuyuan in the story was stunned, not just by the words, but by Lin Lang herself.
After speaking, Lin Lang left. Fuyuan stood there for a while before murmuring, “I’m not a princess anymore.”
She once was, but she wouldn’t be again.
The urgency of her situation didn’t allow Fuyuan much time to grieve. Thinking of her brother in prison and her mother in the hospital, she continued to search for a new job. She still tried to start as a sales associate, but in a different mall, a different store. However, she had lived too ostentatiously and made too many enemies. This time, she didn’t encounter someone she had bullied, but a former follower.
Seeing her current state, the person who once trailed behind her didn’t hesitate to mock her sarcastically, even deliberately leading her on with the promise of sales commissions that never materialized.
The former follower openly expressed their past dissatisfaction with Fuyuan. While Fuyuan could tolerate the ridicule, the follower mentioned her deceased father, saying he deserved it. This crossed the line.
She scratched the follower’s face. Others intervened, and she was pinned down and kicked, her beautiful face slapped and swollen. They threatened to send her to the police.
Fuyuan thought of her mother in the hospital. If she went to jail and had a criminal record, finding a job would be even harder. And if she was detained for a few days and lost contact, what if something happened to her mother…? That was a possibility she couldn’t bear.
So she could only plead, being recorded saying those flattering words. She no longer cared about being humiliated.
No one could see a trace of her former self in her. Fuyuan lost her job again, returning home with a swollen face and a limp, trying to hide her injuries. She ran into Lin Lang, who had just finished fixing a neighbor’s air conditioner.
Perhaps moved by her pitiful appearance, Lin Lang offered to help her with her injuries for free.
Fuyuan didn’t try to be strong. She thanked Lin Lang gratefully. She was used to relying on others, but now she had no one to rely on.
The antiseptic on her wounds stung, and Fuyuan tried to hold back her tears, but she couldn’t.
She sobbed in front of a stranger, an alpha. Perhaps she wanted to vent her breakdown through the pain. Lin Lang remained unmoved, simply saying coldly, “You’ll get used to it.”
—”I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to get used to this! I don’t want to live like this, I don’t want to become like this! I miss my dad and my brother. If only this were a dream.”
Fuyuan was a person without goals or direction. She didn’t know how to escape her current situation. She had no plans, no skills, and could only be helplessly pushed forward by the currents of fate. That was her character.
Looking at the helpless, crying omega, Lin Lang suddenly spoke, making a decision that would intertwine their fates.
—”Actually, I have another service. I can help you with life planning. You just have to pay me a certain percentage as commission.”
Fuyuan was naturally interested. She agreed. She desperately needed someone to tell her how to deal with her messy life, what to prepare for, what to learn.
Lin Lang was good at planning and managing finances. She was very organized and methodical. She took over Fuyuan’s life. Fuyuan only needed to find a job and work hard, and Lin Lang would tell her the most suitable lifestyle for her current situation, taking a commission in return.
It was in this close alignment of their lives that Fuyuan and Lin Lang’s relationship grew closer, and Fuyuan learned more about Lin Lang.
Under normal circumstances, such a situation could easily breed love.
Fuyuan had such thoughts, but she didn’t dare express them. She was afraid that if Lin Lang saw through her feelings, it would lead to disgust. She knew Lin Lang wasn’t the type of alpha who liked clingy people. Because of her upbringing, Lin Lang hated being depended on and didn’t believe that ethereal love could bring any benefits.
Lin Lang had once analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of love with Fuyuan, concluding:
“Compared to the unstable relationship of love, a transactional relationship based on money is more enduring.”
Fuyuan listened to her words, ashamed of her own feelings.
From an outsider’s perspective, this view was quite distorted. But within the story, based on their life experiences, who could blame them for being wrong?
Li Chu’s previous conclusions stemmed from this. It was hard to say whether there was love between Fuyuan and Lin Lang, yet it seemed impossible to deny it completely.
It was a long-standing habit, a suitability forged by their circumstances.
If the original, spoiled Fuyuan had met Lin Lang, they might not have even glanced at each other.
Or perhaps, if Fuyuan had remained the carefree, wealthy young mistress, she and Lin Lang would never have met at all.
Under these circumstances, seeing the challenge prize for the reality show, Lin Lang thought of a way to break through their predicament.
When Fuyuan heard her proposal, she agreed without hesitation.
They both knew that in a situation of scarce resources and survival struggles, they had to seize every opportunity.
Money was their motivation, and they trusted each other completely. Perhaps even real couples didn’t have the honesty and trust they shared. That’s why they could become the ultimate “Model Couple.”
Three hours later, Li Chu received the revised script and began memorizing her new lines.
Halfway through, there was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” Li Chu said, assuming it was Qian Duoduo, without looking up.
The voice that followed startled her.
“Excuse me, Miss Li, I apologize for the intrusion. I couldn’t reach you by phone, so I had to resort to this.”
The person before her was none other than President Mu’s secretary. Li Chu found it surreal.
“Sister Li, should I ask him to leave?” Yuanzi hadn’t stopped him because he claimed to have business to discuss with Li Chu, making Yuanzi assume they knew each other.
“Wait a minute,” Li Chu said to the secretary. “Didn’t I already refuse to help?”
“The boss said perhaps he hadn’t shown enough sincerity, so he wanted to invite you personally. However, to avoid causing you any inconvenience, he’s waiting in a separate car outside the set. He hopes you’ll give him the honor of your presence.”
Wow, the secretary’s words stunned Li Chu. President Mu was giving her so much face, she almost felt like a superstar.
Before Li Chu could respond, a cold voice cut in.
“Not everyone is worthy of the honor of her presence.”
Li Chu quickly turned towards the source of the sound. Ning Manqing stood at the doorway, her expression icy as she looked at Mu Xiao’s secretary.
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