Miss Beautiful C.E.O and her system

Chapter 774: Ling Qingyu's manipulation

As the pair of SUVs departed, Kate narrowed her eyes and calmly recalled Ling Qingyu's words. Was it a threat?

Would she be begging? Hmph, in her dreams.

Then, before she could snicker, her brows furrowed as she noticed the width of the door frame when Ling Qingyu had opened it. It was nearly twice the length of her palm in thickness. The thick windows and strange tires also came to mind. Now that her memory sifted through these details, cold sweat drenched the back of her neck.

Her classmate, Ling, wasn't a simple character. Owning more than a Chevy SUV meant nothing, since they could be rented out for temporary visitors like Ling Qingyu.

However, driving an armored version was totally different—something ordinary wealth could not afford. Not to mention, very few options existed for renting armored vehicles without appropriate connections and wealth.

What had her classmate become? She had no idea, because news about Ling Qingyu rarely reached her.

Yes, she kept records and intelligence about every classmate in Country A. Those outside the country, she barely obtained information about. Yet Ling Qingyu's status was almost blank, other than being a successful businesswoman in the fashion and clothing industry. So at first, she reckoned Ling Qingyu still couldn't compare to her in terms of wealth.

Kate couldn't think much further because she had an important meeting to attend. However, her clenched fist showed how unsettled she had become from Ling Qingyu's simple statement.

She would never know Ling Qingyu had said it on purpose. The latter had subtly asserted dominance and power without emotions, without confrontation—just a simple reminder to send a hidden message: know yourself.

In fact, Ling Qingyu didn't realize she had psychologically manipulated and dominated Kate. There was no strategy involved—just pure awareness of her own power and control.

At the same time, the female staff whom Ling Qingyu had promised to aid witnessed Kate's behavior toward her benefactor. She inwardly scowled at the comparison between the real deal and the fake. No—the real noble and the nouveau.

Sure enough, as Miss Ling had said, the world was always grey, rarely pure black or white.

Although she felt uncomfortable about Kate, Kate was still her customer, and her professionalism did not allow emotions to affect her work.

Poor Kate, wrongly judged by first impressions—just because she wanted to compare and compete.

Inside the Chevrolet Suburban, Ling Qingyu flinched at Astrid's straight gaze that seemed to pierce through her.

"What? Why are you looking at me like this?" she asked.

"What do you mean by she'd be begging to see you later?" Astrid asked.

Ling Qingyu pretended to be dubious. "Huh? Who's begging?"

"You threatened her, Qingyu."

"Stop spreading nonsense. I didn't. I never did. I'm just predicting she'll call me first. Don't overinterpret," Ling Qingyu chided.

"Quit your pretense. Where's the original cold goddess who would only express warmth to her closest friends?" Astrid scowled. "If your words weren't a threat, what did you mean?"

"Just literally," Ling Qingyu rolled her eyes.

"I'm a fool to believe your nonsense," Astrid shook her head. She was curious what her friend intended to do because Ling Qingyu always adhered to her words.

Ling Qingyu smiled at their banter and sighed in relief. Whew, just a man wedged between their sisterhood. From now on, she'd bar any male creatures from coming between Astrid and her relationship.

Even male dogs and cats weren't allowed. Well, female ones did explode in population, but she could handle them easily with wealth.

Afterward, she chuckled at her weird thought and remembered there wasn't a man in her residence. A pure fairy kingdom, hehe.

After all, those heavy-duty tasks could easily be accomplished by her Spirit Fox girls. Not to mention, there were automated machines to complete the rest.

She ignored her elders' complaints about not seeing any male presence and sprinted away whenever their conversations revolved around it.

Pulling out her phone, Ling Qingyu acted like she was dialing and spoke, "Athena, investigate my friend Kate. Her business, her networks, every piece of dirt and loophole. Summarize the files and report to me."

"Okey-dokey, Mom." Athena was used to her mother's acting and complied. A few seconds passed and all related files appeared. Half a minute later, all rumors and data were extrapolated with several conclusions backed by evidence.

Then each conclusion was further confirmed and dug deeper. Several iterations and simulated scenarios illuminated the final truth.

In under a minute, Athena had organized Kate's biography and even her sexual history.

Through the AR glasses, Ling Qingyu almost collapsed when Athena included the number of sexual partners. She didn't need those numbers!

Generally scanning the summary, Ling Qingyu was relieved to see that Kate was totally free from the grey and dark zones, proving her former classmate still upheld moral boundaries and rules.

Those tax evasions and money laundering weren't surprising given the capitalist nature of this country.

Of course, Kate wasn't stupid enough to launder finances herself. There were accountants and lawyers to cleanse the dirt. However, in front of Athena's tracking, nothing could escape.

Most of them weren't Kate's. They utilized Kate's connections as an additional cover for the original anonymous protective layer. Should things go south, Kate would become the target, allowing them to prepare secondary measures.

So thorough and condescending to use Kate like this, Ling Qingyu sneered. Though the latter was arrogant, she was still her classmate—and not too bad of one at that. Ling Qingyu had already decided to help Kate cut off her so-called 'mentors.'

Through the AR lenses, she read everything quietly, but from the surface Astrid only saw Ling Qingyu scrolling nonstop. She almost puked at the outrageous speed of Ling Qingyu's reading and her comprehension.

In addition to those issues, Ling Qingyu spotted mistakes and mishaps among Kate's businesses—several vulnerabilities that, if exposed to her opponents, would bring Kate down to her knees.

Heck, she even discovered a mole within Kate's circle encroaching the latter's wealth without her knowledge. Not an enemy, but a familiar mentor who was preparing to devour the entire industry.

What shocked Ling Qingyu the most was that this bastard planned to murder Kate once he had ensnared everything.

In fact, this mentor had previously suffered severe setbacks and fallen terribly. With no one to help him, he had almost reached the brink of despair until Kate remembered the old times and helped him recover.

Even then, his stabilization couldn't compare to his former wealth. Like greed knew no bounds, he thought Kate owed him her success. But Kate wasn't someone who could be manipulated easily. Still, she would never expect someone to kill her outright because of this.

Sure, Kate received gifts in exchange for sexual favors. Both sides owed each other nothing. Mentors? Did those men even teach her properly? No. It was her learning ability, observations, and relentless effort that constructed her own path.

None of those men were kind enough to share their secrets—much less their paths to success. Everyone hid their secrets; there wasn't anything wrong with that. Perhaps connections and opportunities were what truly aided her rise.

Therefore, for those reasons, Kate helped the man to the extent she believed was sufficient to return the favor. Not the man's favor, but the experiences and lessons she gained from her journey.

Ling Qingyu couldn't help but murmur that Kate was lucky to have met her and piqued her interest enough for her daughter to investigate.

Otherwise, she might have been attending Kate's funeral at the end of the month. Alas, the truly cruel world of the rich.

So, Ling Qingyu decided she was about to teach Kate a profound lesson about personal security—and that wealth meant nothing in front of power.

Dialing her phone again, Ling Qingyu spoke, "Athena, send an email to Kate. Talk about her loopholes, vulnerabilities in her mechanisms, and her tax-evasion firms. Don't say she evaded taxes or laundered money. Just write down the firms' names.

"Slightly hint that someone is going to betray her soon, and expose the market's secret moves from several accounts that she'll lose soon if she doesn't act. Of course, don't forget to remind her not to be impulsive. Finally, conclude with a statement: I will be waiting for your call. No email address, no number. She'll know who it is."

Ling Qingyu hung up the call and let out an evil laugh. Anyway, a pretentious moment was necessary in front of outsiders. Her daughter, Athena, should understand.

Noticing Astrid's strange gaze and disbelief, Ling Qingyu coughed. "Ahem, I think I overplayed it. My dear Astrid, now do you believe why Kate will definitely call me this evening, like I said straight to her face? Why don't we make a bet?"

Only fools would bet, Astrid cursed inwardly. Her friend looked totally unrecognizable and dangerous. Sure enough, those circles would change a person's temperament outright.

She was right to leave and distance herself from that circle. Poor Kate—why did you provoke her of all people?

But there was one thing she definitely noticed and was shocked by. Ling Qingyu's intelligence network was far too fast. She dared not fathom the machine behind the scenes.

"Hey, Astrid, don't look at me like I'm a scumbag. I'm helping Kate right now. She's really in big trouble if I hadn't intervened or taken an interest. She's lucky to have piqued my favor."

"Bullshit Good luck. You're really a demon to play with Kate like this. Who among the rich doesn't have problems? Poor Kate," Astrid rolled her eyes. "Let me leave this demonic chariot. Return my original best friend. A goddess out of mortal reach. Where is she?"

Astrid gripped Ling Qingyu and shook her hard as she talked. Everyone inside the vehicle chuckled.