Chapter 1: Completing the First Small Step

Jiang City, Jiang University.

The weather in mid-March was still rather cold.

Tang Shu pulled the blanket around her shoulders a little tighter.

As she stared at her WeChat screen, a glimmer of excitement flashed through her eyes.

[Yu has accepted your friend request. You can now start chatting.]

Good heavens.

This was the WeChat account she had spent half a month tirelessly trying to add.

And it had finally been approved.

She immediately typed out a message.

[ShuShu Has Candy: Hello, I’m the fiancée Aunt Qiao mentioned.]

After sending it, the chat window remained completely silent.

But she was already used to that.

After all, she had been sending friend requests every day for half a month before he finally accepted today.

Tang Shu set her phone aside, put on her headphones, and picked up her tablet to draw.

By the time the clock reached ten at night, she stretched lazily.

She tidied up the items on her desk.

The moment Shi Manman saw her stand up, she immediately brought over a box of strawberries.

“ShuShu, have some strawberries.”

“You were drawing so seriously earlier that I didn’t want to disturb you.”

Seeing the enormous strawberries, Tang Shu picked one up.

“Thanks, Manman.”

Shi Manman stuffed the entire box into Tang Shu’s arms.

“They’re all for you.”

“I’ve already given everyone else their own box.”

There were four people in Tang Shu’s dormitory.

The other two had not returned yet.

One was practically living in the library.

As for the other, nobody knew where she was.

Shi Manman was the pampered young lady of her family.

Her greatest hobby was falling in love.

As for Tang Shu…

Making money.

Making money.

And making even more money.

She earned money by taking illustration commissions and creating her own comics.

On weekends, she also worked part-time jobs such as handing out flyers.

The two chatted idly for a while.

Then the dormitory door clicked open.

Two figures walked in side by side.

One of them wore loose cargo pants and a cropped jacket.

Her style was sharp and androgynous.

Her name was Yang Xi.

The other wore thin-framed glasses.

She was Xu Jiayu.

The two laughed and chatted along the way, creating a lively atmosphere.

When Shi Manman saw them return, she called out,

“I left strawberries for you on the table.”

“Remember to wash them before eating.”

Tang Shu, who still had half a strawberry stuffed in her mouth, immediately froze.

She had been so busy eating that she had completely forgotten the strawberries might not have been washed.

Her heart instantly skipped a beat.

‘Oh no, oh no.’

‘Please don’t let me get an upset stomach from eating unwashed fruit.’

Seeing her reaction, Shi Manman couldn’t help laughing.

She reached out and gently pinched Tang Shu’s soft cheek.

“You silly girl.”

“I already washed your portion.”

“Just eat without worrying.”

Tang Shu immediately breathed a huge sigh of relief and happily continued eating.

The four roommates gathered together and chatted casually about everyday matters.

After a short while, everyone settled down for the night.

Tang Shu climbed into bed with her phone.

That was when she noticed a new message.

[Yu: Which one?]

Tang Shu stared blankly at the screen for quite a while.

Her brows furrowed slightly in confusion.

What did that mean?

Could it be that she wasn’t his only fiancée?

But Aunt Qiao had clearly told her that her son had been single since birth and had only ever been engaged to her.

There had never been anyone else.

A trace of dissatisfaction rose in her heart.

After thinking for a moment, her fingers quickly tapped out a reply.

[ShuShu Has Candy: The one in your heart.]

The moment the message was sent, Tang Shu secretly admired her own words.

A faint smile curved her lips.

She knew all the little tricks of flirting.

First, get close and gradually make herself impossible to ignore.

Then, once he became accustomed to her presence, pull away at the right moments.

Step by step.

Little by little.

Until he started caring about her.

Thinking about her.

Until his eyes and heart were filled with nothing but her.

And then…

She would dump him mercilessly.

At that point, her mission would be complete.

And 1.3 million yuan would land in her account.

Just thinking about it made her happy.

After all, this mission had been requested by his mother herself.

Within three months, she had to make him fall in love with her.

Deeply.

Then kick him to the curb.

As for why?

Aunt Qiao had explained earnestly at the time,

“That brat has been staying overseas for too long.”

“I’m worried he’ll immigrate and completely forget about his parents.”

“I just want to see him suffer for once.”

“Who told him not to come home and visit us old folks for years?”

Tang Shu didn’t understand Aunt Qiao’s logic at all.

But there was money involved.

So she treated it like a job.

A part-time job paying one hundred thousand yuan a month.

Plus one million yuan after success.

Where else could she find such a wonderful side gig?

The thought alone was delightful.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the Pacific, Shi Zhiyu had just finished class in America.

When he saw the message—

[The one in your heart.]

—he paused.

Who was she?

And how did she know there was someone in his heart?

[Yu: .]

[Did my mom ask you to contact me for something?]

[ShuShu Has Candy: Auntie asked me to develop our relationship.]

[Yu: Oh.]

[Then whoever told you to do that, go find them.]

The moment Tang Shu saw the reply, she immediately sent a photograph.

Aunt Qiao had been absolutely right.

Without evidence, he wouldn’t believe a word.

After waiting for a long time, she finally received another message.

[Yu: You actually invaded my privacy.]

[I’m going to sue you.]

[ShuShu Has Candy: Young Master, has it occurred to you that the little girl standing beside you in that photo might be me?]

A long silence followed.

Only after quite some time did a reply arrive.

[Yu: Little Fatty?]

The moment Tang Shu saw those words, her grip loosened.

Her phone slipped from her hand and smacked directly into her face.

“Ah!”

The other three roommates immediately poked their heads over.

“What happened?”

Rubbing her aching nose, Tang Shu said,

“Nothing.”

“I just dropped my phone.”

Only then did they relax and retreat.

Lying on her side, Tang Shu took a deep breath.

For the sake of money, she would endure it.

[ShuShu Has Candy: That’s right, Young Master.]

[I’m Little Fatty.]

[Now I’m Big Fatty.]

[Two hundred pounds.]

When Shi Zhiyu saw the message, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.

Big Fatty?

He hadn’t expected her to find him first.

It seemed his mother had actually been useful for once.

At least she had helped him find her.

[Yu: Mm.]

[Big Fatty is good.]

[Eat a little more.]

The moment Tang Shu read that message, she turned off her phone screen.

She looked down at her slender arms.

Then at her figure.

Big Fatty?

No way.

She was a beauty.

But since she was being paid to do a job, she reopened her phone.

[ShuShu Has Candy: Okay, Young Master.]

[I can eat ten bowls of rice in one sitting.]

[Yu: My name is Shi Zhiyu.]

[ShuShu Has Candy: I know.]

[Yu: Then don’t call me Young Master.]

[ShuShu Has Candy: Then should I call you Baby?]

[Baby Darling?]

[Honey?]

[Darling?]

[Yu: .]

[You used to call me Brother when you were little.]

Tang Shu frowned at the message.

That had been so long ago she couldn’t remember it at all.

If Aunt Qiao hadn’t mentioned her mother’s name, she wouldn’t even have known this childhood engagement existed.

The main issue was that her parents had never mentioned it.

When she came to Jiang City for university, her mother hadn’t even told her that she had a close friend living in the city.

Much less that she had a childhood fiancé.

After a moment, Tang Shu typed two words.

[ShuShu Has Candy: Brother.]

[Yu: Good girl.]

[Are you going to sleep?]

[ShuShu Has Candy: Mm-hm.]

[I’m just about to.]

[Yu: Mm.]

Only then did Tang Shu remember that Aunt Qiao had mentioned Shi Zhiyu was studying in America.

There was a time difference between them.

Whatever.

The important thing was that she had finally added him on WeChat.

And he was actually replying to her messages.

From now on, all she needed to do was check in with him every morning, noon, and night.

That counted as another small step toward completing her mission.

Her one million yuan…

Just wait for your big sister to come collect you~.