Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Chapter 771 771: So-called Ladder

"You don't really remember most of your classmates, do you?" William emphasized the word memory deliberately.

Astrid, however, didn't look surprised. Despite their past friction, she understood Ling Qingyu far too well.

"I might have had a bad memory back then because of academic stress," Ling Qingyu replied casually.

Unfortunately for her, Astrid wasn't letting it slide. "Your memory is exceptional. You could recite entire paragraphs from a hundred-page text after reading it once."

"Alright, fine." Ling Qingyu raised her hands in surrender. "I just didn't bother paying attention to people who were busy fooling around and wasting time. That's why I only remember you, Astrid—my one and only girlfriend."

Astrid hmphed but didn't argue, as if the old grievances had never existed. It was almost comical— she had once been the only one taking things seriously, yet Ling Qingyu showed no trace of discomfort now. Somehow, that relieved her.

"Well, turns out Kate wasn't wasting time," William added suddenly.

"Yes," Astrid agreed. "She probably made the most out of all of us." A faint smile curved her lips. "But I don't envy her. Not in the slightest."

Of course you don't. Ling Qingyu rolled her eyes internally. With Astrid's hidden background, what kind of people would even enter her consideration? Ling Qingyu knew better than anyone.

If she hadn't grown strong enough herself, she might not have had the confidence to remain indifferent after uncovering Astrid's secrets and still behave as usual.

That was precisely why Astrid never elaborated on her family background. Most people assumed she came from some painful or complicated past and stopped prying— including the former Ling Qingyu.

"Wait," Ling Qingyu interrupted. "Who's Kate again?"

Astrid stared at her. "Qingyu, don't tell me you don't remember the beautiful girl who was always hovering around us? The one who constantly flaunted her possessions and tried to outshine everyone?"

Ling Qingyu searched through distant memories— and found her.

Ah. Kate.

She almost laughed. The girl who had been jealous of both her appearance and Astrid's.

Truthfully, Kate had been attractive—radiant and sensual in her own way. Perhaps not quite on Ling Qingyu's level—though she insisted she wasn't narcissistic; she had only said it twice.

Still, Kate had her own charm.

Unfortunately, jealousy had clouded her judgment. She had tried to compete in everything— grades, popularity, appearance—with two people she simply couldn't surpass.

So she shifted battlefields. Material wealth.

As far as Ling Qingyu remembered, Kate came from a very ordinary family and had never been content with that reality. And there was nothing wrong with ambition— nothing wrong with wanting to climb higher. Ling Qingyu respected that.

What amused her was the choice of rivals.

Competing with her and Astrid in terms of wealth?

It almost made her nostalgic for those foolish, simpler days.

Who were she and Astrid, truly? If someone dug deep enough into their backgrounds, they would find something far from ordinary. The only reason few noticed was because both of them chose to live quietly— to behave like normal students, to blend in.

From the very beginning, Kate's competition had been destined to fail.

"So, she's very successful now?" Ling Qingyu's curiosity was piqued. "It sounds even more convincing coming from the two of you— a lawyer and a financial analyst from a law firm."

"At least in my opinion, she's the most successful one after you, Ling," William replied.

Astrid elaborated. Kate had started early— actively seeking connections within wealthy circles, attending private venues and exclusive clubs.

Yes, in some ways, she had acted like an escort, deliberately catering to affluent men.

But she had sharp eyes and a sharper mind. She chose carefully— men with boundaries and clear rules. She positioned herself as a temporary companion, sometimes even a short-term girlfriend, while absorbing knowledge like a sponge in an unfamiliar environment.

Ling Qingyu admitted there was one thing she respected: despite operating outside conventional norms, Kate had remained grounded. She wasn't intoxicated by the money showered upon her. She stayed humble enough to learn.

She understood one crucial rule— only what you build for yourself truly belongs to you.

The moment Astrid described that phase, Ling Qingyu immediately understood where the expensive gifts Kate once flaunted had come from.

If Kate had continued down that demonic path— relying solely on fleeting youth with no backup plan— her temporary wealth would have evaporated within a few years, likely leaving behind health risks, psychological scars, and social consequences.

From Ling Qingyu's perspective, that would've been a high-risk investment with no secured return.

However, what Astrid revealed next genuinely surprised her.

Kate had accepted the gifts— but never squandered the money. Instead, she invested it. She experimented, failed, learned, and listened carefully to so-called mentors.

While most of them were still buried in textbooks, Kate had quietly amassed her first six-figure sum. From that foundation, her entrepreneurial journey truly began.

Once she crossed the most difficult threshold, capital began to accumulate more steadily. She leveraged her network strategically, gradually distancing herself from that "dark" lifestyle until she severed ties entirely.

Of course, no one knew what she might have kept hidden. But Ling Qingyu could tell— Kate wasn't reckless. She was rational. Ambitious. Strong-minded.

A hero of her own story.

Someone willing to do whatever it took to reach the summit— walk through mud, swallow humiliation, endure judgment. She prioritized only one thing: her own ascent.

Truthfully, Ling Qingyu was impressed.

There had been no public scandals, no dramatic downfall. Body shaming and moral gossip never truly stuck. Even if they flared up, did a real strong care? The gap between how ordinary people judged and how the powerful operated was vast—almost laughable.

To the truly wealthy, public opinion was often irrelevant.

What mattered was inner discipline.

Build your own nation within yourself. Establish your own laws. Enforce them strictly. And live by your own code.

Some might label Kate a slut— claiming she slept with men, mostly older ones, to accumulate wealth. They would say she had no real talent and merely relied on men.

Even Astrid, despite her broader and more elevated perspective, harbored a trace of disdain. William, meanwhile, clearly looked down on women of that type.

But in Ling Qingyu's eyes, that judgment was overly simplistic. Kate hadn't relied on men—she had relied on power. And in this world, which gender overwhelmingly held power? The answer was obvious.

Kate chose to use what she had to climb upward and seize authority in her own hands, rather than remain decorative and submissive like many others.

Weren't countless "self-made" heroes—men from the lowest ranks— also dependent on those above them? They flattered, switched allegiances, bowed their heads, and swallowed humiliation to climb step by step. Some did so figuratively; a few quite literally.

Men who courted favor with their superiors, abandoned old loyalties, and knelt before the powerful just to sip broth while their bosses devoured the meat—were they not later praised as successful figures once they reached the top?

In cartels, mafias, and criminal organizations, such behavior was even more common. Ling Qingyu did not condone it, but she understood the broader structure of power.

Was there truly a fundamental difference between those men and Kate? Didn't they also sell their dignity— and sometimes their bodies and souls—to secure favor from the powerful?

Though the moral dimensions were undeniably complex, Ling Qingyu saw little distinction in essence.

Even among the wealthy, hierarchy persisted. Bootlicking still existed—often as a survival tactic. A single word from someone more powerful could erase generations of legacy. The higher one climbed, the more treacherous the environment became, the more corruption surrounded them.

Ling Qingyu understood this all too well.

And she was quietly grateful— to fate, to the universe, to Miss System— for granting her the opportunity to bypass many of those perilous paths and exhausting struggles which allowed her to retain her true self.

Perhaps that was why she felt compelled to give back to society when she could— without disrupting the ordinary lives of those who wished only to live peacefully.

In Ling Qingyu's view, Kate was, at most, a controversial figure. A gold digger? Not exactly. A high-end prostitute? Not quite either. She was everything—and yet nothing so easily defined.

Tracing Kate's path in her mind, Ling Qingyu found herself genuinely curious. She wanted to meet her, to speak with her face-to-face. Hopefully, Kate no longer harbored jealousy over something as trivial as appearance.

Otherwise…

Ling Qingyu smiled faintly. She might accidentally crush her former classmate's hard-earned foundation out of irritation.

"With the way you two describe her, I'm becoming more interested in meeting and talking to her," Ling Qingyu said openly.

Her statement surprised both Astrid and William. They remembered clearly how the former Ling Qingyu had disdained associating with people who walked ambiguous, gray paths like Kate. For a fleeting second, they wondered whether wealth had changed her— corrupted her, even.

The suspicion flickered across their faces before they quickly concealed it.

"Sure," William replied. "If I remember correctly, she's in the same city right now."

"And this restaurant happens to be one of her usual spots," Astrid added casually.

Ling Qingyu noticed the subtle shift in their expressions. Her intuition had never failed her.

But she chose not to elaborate or defend herself.

Instead, she simply said,

"As long as whatever you do doesn't involve harming innocents."

Her tone was calm, yet firm.

"Crossing lines for ambition is one thing. Dragging others down with you is another— which is absolutely unacceptable. What she did was merely an exchange of interests."

William nodded in apparent agreement, but the tension in his posture betrayed him. His silence carried clear disapproval.

Astrid, however, pondered more deeply.

Ling Qingyu had never spoken carelessly. Every word she chose was deliberate, measured. It was precisely that trait that made her unsettling at times.

The calmness in her acceptance of Kate's controversial past felt… unusual. Not defensive. Not dismissive. Simply composed.

Too composed.

Astrid couldn't tell whether it was maturity—or something else entirely.

Something seemed to click in yet vanished completely. Astrid grudgingly heaved a sigh, at a loss. She couldn't grasp the deeper meaning that flew by.

A/N: Yes, something clicks in me though and I'm trying to figure out xD. My daughter you're more enlightened than I am.

LQY: Perceptions matter. Substitute to my level and you'll see