novelraw Chapter 453: Ambition and Aspirations
Chapter 453: Ambition and Aspirations
Yuhua Business Tower – Fanfu Suzi Media
"Clack-clack-clack—" The sound of furious typing filled the office.
Lines of text rapidly appeared on the screen.
Xu Qing, wearing glasses, had a sharp, focused gaze.
She was currently working on the script for a short drama titled “Miss Tian, Help Me!”
It was about an ordinary office worker with a lively personality who suddenly transmigrated into an arrogant and willful noble lady in ancient times, leading to a series of bizarre and hilarious events!
Xu Qing had full confidence in this script—it was definitely going to make her a lot of money. Buying a car, buying a house—no longer just a dream.
Wiggling her small hips, she grinned and opened her mobile banking app to check her account balance.
Today was the 12th—it was payout day!
And this wasn’t just any payout; this included golden alliance rewards!With over 40,000 yuan from fan donations and 30,000+ yuan from her script payments, her total earnings this month had reached a whopping 80,000 yuan.
This was her best-performing month ever.
She stared at the number for a while, chuckled, and then opened her budgeting app to tally up her personal "treasury."
The 50,000 yuan cosplay fund that Tang Song had given her still had 36,000 yuan left, plus her original savings.
Her total liquid balance now stood at 124,000 yuan—the highest it had ever been.
And that was just a small part of her assets. The real big deal was the five 100g gold bars Tang Song had given her, worth 230,000 yuan.
Altogether, she had a net worth of 350,000 yuan.
Of course, she had no intention of selling the gold bars anytime soon—gold was a hard asset that kept appreciating.
Thinking about the gold bars stashed in her bag, Xu Qing’s eyes sparkled.
Compared to diamonds, which were artificially hyped and tied to love, she much preferred gold.
Nuclear fusion could only produce iron—gold was incredibly difficult to synthesize artificially.
It was a rare metal born from the explosion of a supernova—a remnant of an interstellar firework that never truly extinguishes. A far better symbol of romance, eternity, and passion than diamonds.
Gotta admit, Little Songzi does have a sense of romance!
Hahaha!
(≥V≤*)
Feeling giddy in her tiny office, Xu Qing opened WeChat and messaged her bestie:
"Little Yanyan, if you're short on cash, just tell your sister Qingqing. I got you covered."
Back when she exercised her stock options, she had borrowed 400,000 yuan from Shen Yuyan—and she hadn’t repaid a single cent.
Not because she didn’t have the money.
She wanted their 2% stake in Fanfu Suzi Media to remain something they held together.
After all, Shen Yuyan had helped her secure that stake in the first place.
According to Shen Yuyan’s contacts in consulting firms, Fanfu Suzi Media’s estimated valuation ranged from 120 million to 150 million yuan.
That meant her 2% equity was worth up to 3 million yuan.
And it was only going to keep rising. In the future, it might even surpass 10 million, 20 million.
She knew Shen Yuyan too well. Youjie Domestic Services was struggling internally and externally.
If the company collapsed one day, Shen Yuyan wouldn’t be able to take it.
That company carried all of her dreams and ambitions—she had invested everything into it.
To put it in trendy terms: her sunk cost was too high. She couldn’t afford to lose.
If that day ever came, Xu Qing wouldn’t hesitate to transfer her 2% stake to Shen Yuyan—at least that way, she’d have something to hold onto.
A while passed, but there was still no reply from Shen Yuyan.
Xu Qing checked the time—afternoon tea hour.
Sitting on a pile of cash, she couldn’t stay still.
She wiggled her little hips and headed out.
Downstairs at Lawson Convenience Store
"This, that—I'll take it all!"
She muttered to herself as she kept tossing snacks into her shopping basket.
It was just like when she was a kid and suddenly got a bunch of allowance—a full-on mini-mart sweep.
Oden, potato chips, chocolate, drinks…
Before long, her shopping basket was stuffed to the brim.
Pulling out her phone, she swiftly scanned the QR code to pay.
Walking out with a big bag of snacks, Xu Qing felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction.
As she approached the elevator, she suddenly spotted a familiar figure.
Oh? Isn’t that my little sidekick, Zhang Lingling—wait, no… Yao Lingling?
Glancing at the voluptuous backside in front of her, a trace of envy flickered in Xu Qing’s eyes.
If I had such thick cushioning, I wouldn’t have to be scared of getting hit.
But, oh well—at least my boobs are bigger than hers.
Hahaha! Googlᴇ search NoveI★Fire.net
Feeling generous, Miss Xu Qing pulled out a bag of potato chips and a bar of chocolate.
She stepped up to Yao Lingling with a grin. "Hello, junior! What a coincidence! I happened to buy some snacks—here, have some."
Yao Lingling quickly turned around, beaming. "Ah, thank you, Senior Xu Qing! I won’t be polite then. Next time, I'll treat you!"
"Mhm, sounds good." Xu Qing nodded, then glanced at the bag Yao Lingling was carrying. "Are you just getting to the office?"
"Yep!" Yao Lingling nodded enthusiastically. "There’s an event tomorrow. Most of the team is setting up and doing final checks at the venue. I just finished up over there and came back to grab some stuff."
"Oh." Xu Qing nodded like a senior guiding a junior.
They entered the elevator together, but then Xu Qing's gaze suddenly froze.
Looking at Yao Lingling’s perky C-cup, she felt like the sky had collapsed.
(°O°)???
What the hell?!
Fanfu Suzi Media – Small Office
"Bzzzz—"
Her phone suddenly vibrated violently.
Xu Qing glanced at it—an unfamiliar local landline number.
"Another telemarketing call?"
She muttered, then answered with a wary tone. "Hello? Who’s this?"
A polite, smooth voice came from the other end. "Hello, I’m Wang Bin, sales manager at Desheng Auto Trading. Am I speaking with Ms. Xu Qing?"
"Yes, that’s me." Xu Qing blinked, a bit surprised.
Damn, these people have sharp noses.
How did they already know I had money?
Trying to scam me into buying a car, huh?
Hah! No way.
Cars depreciate like crazy.
If she was going to buy something big, it’d be real estate!
As a hardcore money hoarder, Xu Qing was extremely frugal with spending.
Her greatest joy? Saving money.
"So, Ms. Xu Qing," Sales Manager Wang Bin spoke enthusiastically over the phone. "Your boyfriend, Mr. Tang Song, has reserved an Aston Martin DB11 for you at our dealership. Would you be available to choose a color?"
"Hello? Ms. Xu Qing? Is the signal bad?"
"Can you hear me?"
The voice over the receiver seemed to float in and out. Xu Qing gripped her phone tightly, her voice trembling. "You… what did you say?"
Wang Bin quickly repeated himself.
Xu Qing immediately nodded. "Yes! Yes! I can!"
"Great! I'll add you on WeChat so we can confirm the color as soon as possible. Once that’s set, we’ll arrange for the car to be delivered to you promptly."
"Th… thank you." Xu Qing responded mechanically, her mind completely blank.
"Alright, have a wonderful day. Goodbye!"
After hanging up, Xu Qing sat frozen at her desk, her breath unsteady, a buzzing sensation filling her head.
Tang Song had mentioned giving her a car after their first time together.
He had even brought it up again a few days ago while spanking her at Beicheng Garden.
But she hadn’t taken it seriously. She never actually thought he would really buy her a car.
She had stayed with Tang Song despite knowing about Wen Ruan and Little Jing, purely because of hormones and fantasy.
After all, in her novels, Tang Song was the protagonist—a man who embodied all her romantic fantasies.
She just wanted to be close to him.
Wanted to play basketball with him, date him.
She had even prepared herself for the possibility that they might break up someday.
But she never expected he would actually buy her a car—let alone an Aston Martin DB11 Volante.
In her novel "Wrong Room, Stumbled Upon a Bossy CEO," the protagonist Xu Yanjing had purchased her first car—a DB11—after achieving career success.
And now, her own story was mirroring her fiction.
For someone like Xu Qing, whose imagination ran wild, this gave her an inexplicable, almost fateful feeling.
Like she really was the "chosen" protagonist of her own story.
Just as she was lost in thought, her phone buzzed again.
It was a WeChat friend request from Sales Manager Wang Bin.
Xu Qing shivered, quickly accepted the request, and checked the photos he had sent.
Without hesitation, she selected the same color as the one in her novel—"PET Satin Shangge Yan."
This was a globally limited, high-end Aston Martin paint color that she had drooled over while researching cars.
For days, she had dreamed of herself cruising around in a convertible.
Now, as soon as Wang Bin sent her the purchase documents, Xu Qing finally fully processed the reality—
She was really about to own a DB11.
"Ahhhhhhh!"
Suppressing a scream, she kicked up her legs excitedly, flailing in her chair.
"BANG—"
Her office chair slammed into the glass partition wall.
Xu Qing immediately stopped moving, grabbed her phone, and called her best friend.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
The phone rang for a long time but went unanswered.
Xu Qing scratched her head in frustration.
This was a huge moment—how could she not share it with her bestie?!
Youjie Domestic Services – General Manager’s Office
"In 2023, we created 320 flexible employment opportunities, and our employee retention rate is about 15% higher than the industry average."
"We are currently expanding our corporate client services. By next year, we expect corporate business to account for 40% of our revenue…"
"For example, Yunxi Property Management has already expressed interest in partnering with us…"
Dressed stylishly and exuding confidence, Shen Yuyan sat in her office, energetically delivering an interview.
More than half an hour later—
Meng Li turned off the camera and gave her an OK sign. "All set, Yuyan. We just need a few more shots of your office, and we’re good to go."
Shen Yuyan got up, picked up a document from her desk, and handed it to Meng Li. "Here’s the data I mentioned earlier. Hope it helps."
"Perfect! That saves me so much work." Meng Li grinned. "Honestly, I think this is a solid shot for you. Everything about your company meets the criteria."
Shen Yuyan smiled. "I hope so. If this goes through, I’ll treat you to a full spa day."
"Haha, you said it! No take-backs!" Meng Li hooked her pinky around Shen Yuyan’s. "Alright, Meixia and I will go take the office shots. Let’s grab dinner tonight."
"Sounds good!"
Seeing her friend off, Shen Yuyan sighed softly, sitting back down in her chair.
Her college roommate, Meng Li, now worked at the Yan City Entrepreneurship and Employment Service Center, specializing in media promotions.
She had been a huge help throughout Shen Yuyan’s entire startup journey.
Now, Youjie Domestic Services had made it to the final round of the "Yan Zhao Youth Entrepreneurship Support Program."
Meng Li had volunteered to do this interview to help her gain public exposure.
If everything went well, she could use this initiative to secure a large, interest-free business loan—
And get Youjie Domestic Services listed in Yan City’s recommended home service companies.
This was her last push.
She had to give it everything she had.
If she could pull this off, she could scale the business and secure the second round of investment from Gongying Technology.
Exhaling, she picked up her phone to check her messages. Her eyes paused for a moment.
She had three missed calls.
All from Xu Qing.
Shen Yuyan immediately called back.
The moment the call connected—
Xu Qing’s excited voice practically exploded through the receiver.
"YANYAN, IT HAPPENED! IT REALLY HAPPENED!"
Hearing her frantic tone, Shen Yuyan sighed. "Can you calm down? I'm busy. Just tell me what happened."
"THIS IS HUGE!" Xu Qing’s voice was filled with barely contained excitement.
"Tang Song actually bought me a car! An Aston Martin DB11! Top trim! Fully paid! 2.75 million yuan! I feel like I’m dreaming!"
"The dealership is arranging for delivery from another city. Once I get the car, let’s go on a road trip, okay?!"
"Come home early tonight! Let’s pick out phone mounts and decorations online together. We’ll make it perfect!"
Xu Qing’s voice fired off like a machine gun, rattling off one thought after another, gushing about all the possibilities her new car would bring.
Finally, when she paused for breath, Shen Yuyan chuckled. "That’s amazing. Congrats, Qingqing."
"What do you mean 'congrats'? If I have a car, YOU have a car too! If you ever need to show up to an event, just take my car—instant prestige!"
"Hahaha, sounds good!"
After chatting for a while, they finally hung up.
Shen Yuyan bit her lip, feeling a mix of emotions.
But mostly… happiness.
Tang Song must really like Xu Qing.
He was incredibly generous to her.
2.75 million, fully paid.
That money could buy an apartment in Yan City.
And the car was registered under Xu Qing’s name.
Most shockingly—they had only been together for a short while.
How extravagant.
After spacing out for a while, Shen Yuyan was about to put down her phone when she noticed another unread message. Her eyebrow twitched slightly.
【Lin Muxue: “Today was truly a busy and fulfilling day. I had the chance to exchange ideas with an industry leader, and I’ve gained a lot of valuable insights. Plus, I successfully expanded my network.”】
【Lin Muxue: “Yuyan, if you ever need any consulting services in the future, feel free to reach out to me.”】
【Lin Muxue: Zheng Qiudong's business card.jpg】
【Lin Muxue: Selfie with Zheng Qiudong.jpg】
She tapped open the message and examined the photos.
Shen Yuyan’s expression froze instantly.
Her grip on the phone tightened slightly, and her breath grew rapid.
Zheng Qiudong?
She stared at the photo—Zheng Qiudong, looking friendly and approachable.
Jealousy surged within her, uncontrollable and fierce.
At MAHA Cloud Club, she had once briefly interacted with the chairman of Deju Renhe, thanks to her connection with Little Jing.
But back then, Zheng Qiudong had been cold and distant toward her.
She hadn’t even gotten his business card, let alone his WeChat contact.
In fact, she hadn’t even dared to ask—she simply didn’t have the credentials.
She knew exactly what kind of company Deju Renhe was.
It had evolved from a simple human resources firm into a full-chain strategic consulting group with business operations across the entire Asia-Pacific region.
It had strategic partnerships with Jingwu Capital, Kate Trust, Gaoling, and Vision Fund, and access to an extensive global political and business network.
It was now on par with consulting giants like McKinsey and Boston Consulting Group.
And Zheng Qiudong, as the chairman, was someone she could only look up to.
Taking a deep breath, Shen Yuyan quickly typed out a response:
"Just saw your message. Congratulations, Littlexue! That’s incredible! I actually met Chairman Zheng once—he’s in Yan City right now? If there’s a chance, I’d love to have a meal together. Would that be possible?"
【Lin Muxue: “Of course! But Chairman Zheng's schedule is quite packed this time. I'll do my best to ask for you.”】
"Thanks, Littlexue. Looking forward to your good news!"
After sending the message, Shen Yuyan slumped into her chair, rubbing her temples.
Of course, she knew Lin Muxue wasn’t actually going to help her with this.
This was pure flexing.
But she had to admit—she was insanely jealous.
Seeing Lin Muxue carrying an LV Himalaya bag and driving a Porsche 911 had never really bothered her.
But this kind of high-level connection?
This was the kind of resource she dreamed of having.
The rush of influence and power far outweighed the thrill of money.
"Knock, knock—"
A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts.
She quickly composed herself. "Come in."
The next moment, Meng Li entered, holding a camera. "All done. I’ll work overtime the next couple of days to finish the article and get it published ASAP."
"Thank you for your hard work."
Shen Yuyan poured her a cup of tea. "How’s work treating you lately?"
"It’s alright," Meng Li sighed. "Mainly, the pay is just too low. It’s hard to stay motivated. I envy you and Liyuan—you two are both so successful."
At the mention of Guo Liyuan, a sharp pain stabbed at Shen Yuyan’s chest.
She forced a wry smile. "I’m nothing compared to Liyuan. Her company is valued at over a billion yuan now, and she’s the leader in Yan City’s short drama industry."
Meng Li tried to comfort her. "I think you just need the right opportunity. You’re so talented—it’s only a matter of time before you take off."
Shen Yuyan shook her head. "I know my own limits."
"Uh…" Meng Li hesitated, then sighed. "Honestly, I still feel guilty. I shouldn't have introduced you to Ren Xuechang from Gongying Technology back then. It put you in such an awkward position."
That was why Meng Li had been so eager to help with interviews and promotions—she still felt responsible.
But as an ordinary staff member, there was only so much she could do.
"It’s not your fault. You meant well." Shen Yuyan’s gaze dimmed. "The capital market is brutal. I just wasn’t strong enough."
"Don’t say that. You’re incredible."
Meng Li tried to encourage her a bit more, but when she saw it wasn’t working, a thought suddenly struck her.
"Oh! There’s something I think you’ll find very interesting."
"What is it?"
Meng Li smirked mysteriously. "It’s about Director Jin from Smile Holdings. Want to hear it?"
Shen Yuyan’s head snapped up, her eyes blazing. "Tell me. Did she make a big move? I haven’t seen anything in the news."
"No," Meng Li shook her head with a laugh. "But one of her assistants just arrived in Yan City."
"Oh? Director Jin’s assistant?"
"Mhm. There’s a major industry event happening tomorrow—the Yan Provincial International Fashion Expo. Our department is involved, mainly in publicity and employment promotion."
She gave a brief rundown of the event, then added, "To maximize its influence, the government invited several major companies. One of them is Meigou Technology’s parent company, Smile Holdings. They agreed to send a representative."
"But none of us expected that the person coming would be Director Jin’s assistant, Shangguan Qiuya."
"Of course, she’s also a member of Meigou Technology’s Supervisory Board, so her presence at this event makes sense. And she carries significant weight."
"The local government is taking this event very seriously now, and the media coverage has been elevated to a much higher level."
At the mention of "Shangguan Qiuya," Shen Yuyan’s heart pounded violently.
First Zheng Qiudong. Now Shangguan Qiuya.
The two industry giants she had once encountered at MAHA Cloud Club… were both in Yan City at the same time.
Her throat moved as she swallowed.
"Meng Li, does the expo have any entry requirements?"
Meng Li blinked. "Not really. Over 200 fashion companies are exhibiting, and the event will be open for public viewing later. Anyone can register through the official WeChat account."
"I want to attend the opening ceremony and meet Ms. Shangguan. Is that possible?"
"Uh…" Meng Li hesitated, then grinned. "I can get you a media pass. You can attend as a self-media influencer. That way, you might even get a chance for an interview."
"Perfect!" Shen Yuyan exhaled deeply.
The sting of seeing Lin Muxue’s photo with Zheng Qiudong was fading—replaced by burning determination.
Shangguan Qiuya. Director Jin’s assistant.
Thanks to Little Jing, she had once managed to talk to Shangguan Qiuya briefly.
Though their interaction wasn’t particularly warm, at least Shangguan Qiuya knew she existed.
And she was very close to Little Jing.
If she could get another chance to meet tomorrow, then maybe—just maybe—
She could build a real connection.
Thinking about it, Shen Yuyan’s eyes gleamed with excitement and ambition.