Chapter 40: What It Means to Be a Capitalist
Early in the morning, Shen Xi was randomly scolded for no reason, making her feel like her whole day was ruined.
She sat on the couch, scrolling through TikTok absentmindedly, replaying the earlier argument in her head. She should have answered that... The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
Just then, she got a message from "Yinhai Feiyu", someone who hadn’t contacted her in a while. The two had followed each other for easier communication.
"Sorry, sorry! I’ve been busy lately and just saw your message."
"Are you really ‘Moonlight Goddess’? Did you write that song?"
Shen Xi felt a little embarrassed and hesitated for a moment, her finger hovering over the screen. But then she thought about her future plans, she needed to use the hit songs from her past life to achieve them.
So, without hesitation, she replied, "Yes."
The other person said they could help her, but they needed to meet in person to discuss it.
At first, Shen Xi was a bit annoyed at the thought of traveling to another city just to meet an online friend. But after checking, she realized it was a coincidence, they were actually coming to Su City for work.
She wasn’t worried that this person had any bad intentions. They had never seen her face, after all.
Plus, her username was “Unfortunately I’m a T-Rex.” The ‘Unfortunately’ (可惜:Kěxī) part was short for Su Kexin and Shen Xi's nickname, Keke (可可) and Xixi (惜惜), which Su Kexin had chosen for her.
The idea was to avoid attracting weird people.
Shen Xi didn’t really care about usernames, but since Keke liked it, she went with it.
Their conversations were always about music, so she guessed that "Yinhai Feiyu" was really passionate about their profession.
They agreed to meet tomorrow morning at a café.
Feeling excited, Shen Xi jumped up from the couch and shouted:
"YES!"
For so long, she had struggled with not knowing how to compose music, making it impossible to recreate her past life’s arrangements.
Now, she finally saw a way forward! Her face lit up with pure joy and relief.
Just as she celebrated, she suddenly realized. A man dressed in a sharp business suit was standing in the living room.
He had been about to leave for work. His deep, cold gaze locked onto her, making her freeze mid-smile.
"Uh… Big Brother?"
She awkwardly greeted him with a dry laugh.
Gu Hanling’s eyes narrowed slightly. Just a moment ago, she had been sulking. Now, after chatting with someone, she looked that happy?
He didn’t even need to ask to know who she had been talking to. With a cold smirk, he said with a hint of sarcasm.
"If only my dear wife could show the same energy and enthusiasm for her actual job…"
"That would at least justify her high salary."
And with that, he turned around and walked straight out the door.
Shen Xi watched his retreating figure, rolled her eyes, and mimicked his tone in a mocking voice.
"Blah blah blah… ‘You wouldn't act like that...with your employer, would you…’"
However, at this moment, Gu Hanling suddenly stopped walking, turned around, startling Shen Xi. Her face immediately switched to a playful, smiling expression.
"Hehe," she chuckled foolishly, waving goodbye to the man, while inwardly grumbling.
Damn it! Does this guy have eyes on the back of his head?
Just as he was about to leave, Gu Hanling suddenly asked,
"What was it you wanted to tell me this morning?"
Shen Xi paused for a second, her brain working at lightning speed to figure out the best way to say it.
Finally, she carefully said,
"Um… Big Brother, you might want to double-check Miss Susie’s identity."
Gu Hanling had only asked casually, but now his gaze sharpened with interest.
"Oh? Tell me more."
From what Shen Xi knew, Gu Hanling’s company had already verified Susie’s identity, they even had her design sketches as proof.
That was exactly what made things tricky.
Shen Xi had planned to use her own sketches to prove her identity, but now someone else had beaten her to it.
She couldn’t just say, "I have more sketches than her, so I’m the real one!" That would sound ridiculous.
She still didn’t know what the fake Susie’s true goal was. Rather than exposing herself too soon, she decided to wait and see.
The best outcome? Gu Hanling would figure it out on his own, eliminating the problem for her.
"It’s just… something feels off about her."
Gu Hanling raised an eyebrow.
"That’s it?"
Shen Xi thought for a moment, realizing her reason sounded too weak. She reorganized her words and said.
“Susie seems to have some connection with Jingyan. Big Brother, you might want to look into that.”
Gu Hanling let out a cold "that man again huh" as if he had just figured something out. Without another word, he turned and left, not even looking back.
Shen Xi stared at his retreating figure, feeling a little confused.
"So... he understood, right? But... why does something feel off?"
Just then, she received a few new messages on TikTok chat.
Thinking it was more from "Feiyu", she opened them. Only to see that they were from Keke, who was using the username "Haha Sauce".
Keke had sent her a bunch of short videos featuring her favorite idol, An Yufei.
Shen Xi had to admit, as a top-tier idol, An Yufei had an undeniable charm. He was bright, sunny, and when he smiled, his two tiny tiger teeth showed, making him even more approachable.
Not only was he deeply skilled in music and acting, but he was also one of those rare idols who had both looks and talent.
Keke messaged her excitedly.
[Xixi, listening to Yufei’s songs and rewatching his dramas really cheered me up! I want to go out and chat with you for a bit. Can we?]
Shen Xi smiled unconsciously and quickly replied:
[Of course! Let’s go!]
Since she still had some free time, she was more than happy to go on a little “date” with adorable Keke.
But deep down, she knew she was about to get really busy soon. These lazy, carefree days would be gone for a long time. Still, she liked this feeling of being busy. After all, if you stay idle for too long, you start to rust.
……………………………………………
Meanwhile, at Gu Corporation Headquarters
On the top floor of Gu Corporation’s headquarters, Special Assistant Liu stood before Gu Hanling’s desk, reporting cautiously.
“Mr. Gu, the bank manager just called. Your wife’s secondary credit card was used to make a one-time charge of... 5 million.”
Gu Hanling had been reviewing documents when he heard this. His pen paused mid-air, and he slowly lifted his head, frowning slightly.
Leaning back in his chair, he tapped his fingers lightly against the desk. Then, he let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"So… she’s already using my money… and giving it to ‘the right person’... That would be Jingyan, huh?"
After a moment, he suddenly asked,
"Mr. Liu, tell me, what is a capitalist?"
His voice was unexpectedly husky.
Gu Hanling's voice was inexplicably a little hoarse.
Assistant Liu paused, and although he didn't know why his boss was asking such a question, he hesitated for a moment and answered honestly.
“Uh… someone who chases profits?”
“No.”
Gu Hanling’s lips curled into a faint smile.
"People say the business world is like a battlefield. A true capitalist should be like Lieutenant Colonel."
Assistant Liu hesitated before cautiously guessing.
"Uh… someone who conquers and expands?"
Gu Hanling lightly shook his head. His sharp eyes narrowed like a predator lying in wait.
“No. A true capitalist… takes what they want.”
"Even if something doesn’t belong to me… as the so-called ‘evil capitalist,’ I can just take it and make it mine, right?"
……………………………………..
On the Other Side…
Meanwhile, Shen Xi sat comfortably in Keke’s car, happily looking at the donation receipt in her hands.
It was an anonymous donation for children in poverty-stricken areas.
She had come from a poor mountainous village in her past life, struggling to escape that hardship.
She had always hoped that, once she grew up, she could help other children like her.
But in her past life, her straightforward personality had worked against her.
She hated sucking up to bosses, refused to engage in fake socializing, and never played office politics.
Even after years of hard work, she was still just a low-level employee. Barely making enough to donate a few hundred yuan each month.
Looking back, she found it ridiculous. At first, she treated this world like a game, thinking she was just a player passing through.
Her only goal was to survive and enjoy a rich wife’s easy life. But the longer she stayed, the more things changed.
The people she thought only existed in books, characters drawn from mere words, were now real, living people in her life.
Some cared for her.
Some hated her.
Some were hostile towards her.
And in the future… maybe some would even fall in love with her?
(Though she’d mercilessly reject them, of course.)
These real emotions, these genuine interactions. They made it impossible for her to just sit back and be passive.
For her, this world was now real.
Shen Xi ran her fingers over the donation receipt, a sweet smile appearing on her lips.
"Hehe… I really have to thank my Big Brother for this one."