"Miss, is that young man a friend of yours?"
The chauffeur, naturally observant, had taken note of Xia Yuehan's expression.
After all, her behavior today was somewhat out of the ordinary.
Instead of heading straight home as usual, she'd asked him to wait by the school gates.
This instantly aroused his suspicion.
"No, he's just a new classmate who transferred to our class today," she replied, her face tightening for a moment before she composed herself and pouted.
"We only just met."
"Alright, Uncle Li, let's go. I still have a pile of books to get through today."
Seeing Chu Yi safe and sound, the tension in Xia Yuehan's heart finally eased.
She playfully cajoled Uncle Li, signaling him to drive away.
"Alright, alright, we're leaving now,"
he replied indulgently, the affection in his voice unmistakable.
With those words, the BMW slowly pulled out of the school grounds.
In the city's business district stood one of the most iconic buildings along the second ring road—a thirty-plus-story office tower, proud and commanding amid the skyline.
In the driver's seat, Chu Yi wore a peculiar expression.
If he was going to manage the company properly, he first had to understand its current state.
With that in mind, he downloaded an app called YuHua Live,
a live-streaming platform developed under his own company's umbrella.
When he first discovered it, Chu Yi was rather intrigued.
He had assumed this was a small, insignificant venture—yet it even had its own dedicated streaming service.
It reminded him a lot of how Wang Congcong used to operate in his previous life.
But the moment he opened the app's most popular live room,
his expression darkened.
Only a paltry five thousand viewers?
And gift-sending was utterly dismal.
Are you kidding me? This is the hottest room on the platform?
Taking a deep breath, Chu Yi stepped out of the car and headed toward the office tower.
Eighth floor.
Inside a medium-sized conference room, a woman in her mid-twenties sat at the head of the table, dressed in professional attire.
She frowned slightly as people presented their reports.
"Qing-jie, our platform's user base has dropped from 1.5 million to 600,000—and it's still declining."
"Some of the contracted streamers are expressing dissatisfaction and planning to leave. In fact, a few with over ten thousand viewers have already terminated their contracts."
"We only have about a million yuan in fluid capital left. At this rate, we won't last another few months."
One piece of bad news after another darkened the young woman's face further.
"Sis, why don't we just jump ship?"
"Why keep following someone so reckless and irresponsible?"
"If you ask me, the company's current state is entirely his fault."
"Last month he didn't invest a single cent—instead, he withdrew over six million! It's inhuman!"
The speaker was a sweet-faced girl in a white dress, visibly upset.
She was Mu Qing's younger sister, Mu Xiaowan—nineteen years old and the platform's most popular streamer, regularly drawing over ten thousand viewers per session.
She was the company's only standout performer.
The room fell silent following Mu Xiaowan's outburst.
Everyone's gaze turned toward Mu Qing, waiting for her decision.
Mu Qing furrowed her brows, lost in thought.
Her mind wandered back to childhood memories with Chu Yi.
Back then, he wasn't like this.
He had been righteous, responsible, and kind—a young man of depth and charm.
But now?
He spent his days drinking, partying, indulging in vice, shirking all accountability.
A month ago, she had even heard scandalous rumors about him at a nightclub.
As she thought about it, her fingers clenched the edge of the desk, knuckles white.
Should she really make this decision?
Meanwhile, Mu Xiaowan noticed her sister's hesitation and felt a thrill of satisfaction.
She knew the decision was nearly made—all that was needed was a bit more time.
Her constant persuasion had not been in vain.
The atmosphere in the room grew heavier.
No one dared speak.
Everyone awaited Mu Qing's verdict—stay, or go.
"I've decided…"
Mu Qing finally parted her lips, ready to speak after weighing Chu Yi's endless negligence.
But just then, an excited voice broke through the tension.
"Qing-jie! The boss—he's here!"
What?! Chu Yi's here?
The news sent a jolt through the room.
The immediate assumption was that this spoiled rich boy had come back, yet again, to leech money.
The initial shock faded.
Their expressions returned to apathy.
Mu Xiaowan, however, felt her heart sink.
She knew her sister would never make a decision now.
All her efforts—wasted.
Sure enough, Mu Qing waved her hand with authority.
"Back to your duties. We'll discuss today's matters another time."
"Yes, ma'am."
One by one, the employees filed out of the conference room.
Mu Xiaowan fumed silently beside them.
As expected, her sister still harbored hope for this prodigal man.
"Why didn't you make the call just now?" she pressed.
"Don't tell me you still have feelings for him."
"Don't deny it—I can tell."
Mu Qing faltered under her sister's accusation.
After a moment, she quietly replied,
"Let's… wait and see."
Mu Xiaowan nearly exploded.
But in her heart, she made up her mind—Chu Yi would not walk away unscathed.
"Wow, who's that? So refined!"
"Stop swooning—that's the boss! He's gotten even more handsome these past few months!"
"Is that really the boss? I suddenly feel motivated to work. If he visited every day, I wouldn't mind dying from overwork!"
At the front desk, two receptionists ogled Chu Yi, their eyes filled with adoration.
Chu Yi responded with only a faint smile.
Such scenes were hardly new to him.
With this face of his, even if he went bankrupt, he could easily marry rich.
With that thought, he made his way into the conference room.
If his guess was correct, the company's decision-makers should be inside.
He opened the door.
At once, the sight of Mu Qing and Mu Xiaowan struck him—an elegant older sister, and a delicate younger one.
Wait, what?
These two weren't in the novel!
As if hearing his thoughts, the system chimed in:
"Host, the novel merely depicted a corner of this world. This is a living, breathing reality—characters outside the plot will naturally exist."
"I see," Chu Yi murmured in realization.
Mu Xiaowan scowled at his dazed expression.
Seriously?
Her sister had worked herself to the bone to keep this company afloat, and this man just stood there, not even greeting her.
Anger flared.
"Chu Yi! What is wrong with you? Months of absence, and now you just stand there silently?"
"My sister has poured her heart into preserving your company, and this is how you show up?"
She raged like a firecracker, but Chu Yi merely smiled and stepped forward.
"Am I not here now?"
"And as for gratitude—don't worry, I've brought it."
"You—!"
She was about to retort, but—
"So handsome…"
Mu Xiaowan suddenly caught sight of his refined face, and all her fury evaporated as though doused with ice water.
Her words turned into soft murmurs.
"When did he become so attractive?"
"He didn't look this good before!"
Mu Qing, too, was caught off guard by his appearance.
But more than his looks, it was his demeanor that stirred her heart.
Gone was the wayward playboy—before her stood a man of quiet strength and captivating charm.
A blush crept across her cheeks as her tone softened.
"Chu Yi, you've come… come, have a seat."
She hurried forward and, like a devoted wife greeting her husband, helped him to his chair, carefully adjusting his coat.
She then stood beside him, gazing at him with unwavering eyes.
Mu Xiaowan, still under the spell of his looks, instantly snapped out of it in frustration.
Sister! You were ready to jump ship minutes ago!
Now this scumbag shows up and you're instantly entranced?
Have you forgotten everything you just said?
At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if he sold you off and you counted the money for him!
At the desk, Chu Yi picked up a report and skimmed through it.
He took a sip from the coffee nearby—Mu Qing's own cup, no less.
After a pause, he spoke:
"Is the company's financial situation really this dire?"
He turned to Mu Qing.
She quickly replied,
"Yes… things have taken a sharp downturn."
"We were still breaking even, more or less, but recently a tycoon appeared on Douyu, and users have flocked to other platforms."
"So…"
She glanced at him nervously, blushing again—he had drunk from her cup.