"Money for services rendered, naturally. Transfer the funds, and I'll sign the annulment immediately!"
Xiao Qicai watched as Lawyer Qi initiated a face-to-face terminal transfer, depositing 100 million star credits into her account. With a smile, she signed the annulment document and completed the iris verification.
002 watched in dismay as events completely deviated from its envisioned romantic script—this wasn't supposed to happen! Accepting the money would ruin any chance of maintaining a noble, misunderstood persona later!
Its script had collapsed.
——
Ignoring 002, Lawyer Qi observed Xiao Qicai's decisive manner, puzzled why He Xinmin had thought Bai Yushan still held lingering feelings for Young Master Luo Meng.
A hundred million was no small sum, even for him.
Frankly, earning that much would be difficult for anyone.
Any rational person would choose the money.
Xiao Qicai's decision was objectively correct, even earning his slight admiration.
After securely storing the annulment, he prepared to leave the private room, pausing to say:
"Best of luck to you."
"My thanks, Lawyer Qi."
Counting the zeros in her account balance, Xiao Qicai flashed a genuine smile.
"Since we'll likely never cross paths again, may I ask you one question?"
Lawyer Qi tensed, anticipating questions about his employer: "I was merely fulfilling a client's request."
To his surprise, she shook her head:
"No, I just want the names of those two men earlier. Just their names."
Relieved, he replied: "They're unrelated to me. If you overheard Zhang Biao and Wang Fu mentioning your request to see the Luo family... given you're stranded on this backwater planet, you'd do well to avoid them."
"Naturally. I appreciate the warning." Her gratitude seemed sincere.
"Take care, Miss Bai."
With that, Lawyer Qi departed swiftly.
——
The private room had thirty remaining minutes.
His parting warnings made clear—this hundred million wouldn't be easily enjoyed.
Security on a Class-D planet was abysmal, and without connections, her anonymous benefactor likely wouldn't let her spend the fortune peacefully.
Money means nothing without life to spend it—an eternal truth.
Yet sometimes, wealth solves many problems.
002 spoke dejectedly: "Master, system evaluation suggests abandoning the 'chasing wife through hellfire' script. What's your plan now?"
"My plan? Use the money to hire muscle." Xiao Qicai replied.
Suddenly thoughtful, she unusually addressed 002 again: "Since your origin world's technology surpasses this one, granting access to unconventional information—do you know any formidable individuals on this planet?"
"Formidable individuals?" 002's tone brightened. "Right! Losing Luo Meng means finding someone better suited! Master, I've identified a superior candidate! Currently on this very planet, bypassing tedious misunderstandings and dimensional complications!"
"My systems rate him higher than your ex-fiancé!"
Only then did Xiao Qicai realize that System 002 had found her yet another potential romantic partner.
The creation of this system was rather bizarre—everything it said seemed to revolve around love and relationships.
Still, some of the information wasn’t entirely useless. If she hadn’t managed to pry from 002 that there was a so-called mastermind, He Xinmin, who wanted her and Luo Meng to break off their engagement, she wouldn’t have had the confidence to demand a whopping 100 million.
Not completely useless, then—as long as the method was right.
Rather than dampening 002’s enthusiasm again, she played along and asked, “What kind of person? Can he guarantee my safety on this planet?”
“He’s the most powerful underground figure on this planet—the uncrowned king! With him as your backer, you could strut around this planet without a care in the world!”
“However…” 002 paused. “He’s cold, guarded, and difficult to approach. Getting him to fall for you won’t be easy.”
“But don’t worry! I’ll tailor a love strategy for you. After all, there’s no man our Love System can’t conquer!” 002 tried to pique Xiao Qicai’s interest.
Xiao Qicai indeed looked intrigued, though hesitant. “If he’s such a high-ranking, untouchable figure with heavy defenses, how would a small fry like me, freshly exiled here, even get to meet him?”
“There’s definitely a way!” 002 declared confidently. “According to my intel, Xi Yuanche may be ruthless and cold-blooded, but he has a buried ‘white moonlight’—a childhood sweetheart. When he was young, there was an older girl next door who grew up with him, and they relied on each other. Xi Yuanche owed her a great deal and had long fallen for her. Unfortunately, she died at the hands of street thugs, which became his driving force to rise to power as the dark overlord he is today. No matter how much authority he wields now, his beloved ‘white moonlight’ can never return—his greatest regret.”
“White moonlight?”
“Exactly. That girl next door bore a striking resemblance to your current appearance—similar age, figure, even facial features. And I have a special potion that can fine-tune your face. Once you take it, you’ll look exactly like his lost love.”
“The moment he sees that face, he’ll definitely take notice of you!”
“Of course, at first, it’s just a stand-in scenario—using that resemblance to get close. The real goal is to make him fall for you during your time together, to melt that icy heart…”
002 grew more and more animated, already lost in crafting this new stand-in romance plot.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qicai fell into deep thought.
Only when the private booth’s usage time was about to expire, triggering a warning, did she interrupt 002’s endless scheming. “Let’s not worry about the later developments for now. Where is this big shot currently?”
Seeing Xiao Qicai’s sudden enthusiasm, 002 got excited and scrambled to gather precise details.
——
Though it was a Class-D planet, it still had a functioning transportation network.
Primarily divided into aerial routes and underground networks.
In the skies, flying was basically reserved for the wealthy and government officials, a rarity on this planet.
On the ground, the most typical mode of transport was the underground rail star car.
These star cars moved at incredible speeds, weaving through the sprawling underground transit network.
Every vehicle was controlled by the intelligent network, eliminating any possibility of collisions or traffic disputes. The entry and exit doors operated seamlessly—one side for boarding, the other for disembarking. As a government-established transport system, safety was virtually guaranteed.
Yet, who could have imagined that even these secure, government-operated star cars could be hijacked?
A speeding star car was forced to a halt by a row of modified black hovercars blocking its path ahead.
And this particular star car happened to be the one Xiao Qicai was riding.
Once the star car was stopped, over a hundred masked armed personnel emerged from the black hovercars.
Brandishing magnetic energy guns, they surrounded the entire vehicle, barking orders for all passengers to disembark immediately.
The number of passengers wasn’t large, as most low-tier citizens on this planet couldn’t afford such high-end transport.
They preferred piloting their own hovercars—fuel-efficient, cost-effective, and convenient—despite the poor safety record and frequent accidents. Nothing could dampen their enthusiasm.
Though gangs and hovercar syndicates were common, a scene like this—hundreds of black hovercars stopping a star car—was almost unheard of.
After all, most passengers on the star rail were relatively affluent or influential figures on this planet. Ordinarily, no ordinary hovercar gang would dare such a brazen act.
But this time, as fellow passengers in Xiao Qicai’s carriage muttered, these people must have lost their minds.
Those who moved too slowly faced consequences.
From the lead black hovercar, a man wearing a demonic mask hoisted a particle beam cannon and blasted open the star car’s door.
“Hurry up and get out! No dawdling! Hand over the toll, and we’ll let you live!”
The deafening explosion sent waves of terror through the passengers, who scrambled out one after another.
They were herded into lines, where masked robbers collected the “toll” via direct transfers—surprisingly, no one was killed.
At first glance, it seemed like just another run-of-the-mill heist.
But Xiao Qicai knew—these people were here for her.
Sure enough, after the passengers ahead obediently transferred 50,000 star coins and were let go, Xiao Qicai alone was detained despite paying the same amount.
The masked leader swaggered up to her and sneered,
“Not you. You’re too pretty—pay extra, or stay and entertain us!”
The woman in front of Xiao Qicai flushed with anger at the remark, unable to suppress a muttered curse about their shamelessness, before reluctantly transferring another 50,000.
Oddly, the men didn’t lay a finger on her.
This only confirmed Xiao Qicai’s suspicion—she was the real target.
Facing these high-tech weapons for the first time, Xiao Qicai felt a flicker of panic.
Clearly, this planet was far more lawless than she’d imagined. These thugs genuinely had no fear of government authority.
She forced herself to calm down and replied evenly,
"How much do you want?"
"How much? You'd give us any amount? Quite the bold talk for a little girl. Though you're a new face, you must be loaded! How about... a billion?" The bandit leader stared at Xiao Qicai with a smirk.
Hearing "a billion," the other passengers collectively gasped.
Heaven help them—people with a billion starcoins on this planet could be counted on one hand. How could this young girl possibly have that much?
This was clearly an impossible demand. They probably just wanted to take advantage of her beauty.
But there was nothing they could do now, so they could only look at Xiao Qicai with pity.
Xiao Qicai, however, wasn’t surprised.
A billion—exactly the amount she had just received as compensation for her broken engagement.
These people moved fast.
But anyone who knew her understood that getting money out of her pocket wasn’t easy unless there was sufficient profit or value in it for her.
She lowered her head, feigning fear, but in her mind, she asked 002, "Are you sure the intel you gave me is correct? Is Xi Yuan Ce really on this star train?"
"Absolutely no mistake!" 002 declared confidently. "According to the plot, it’s time for his heroic rescue! Master, look toward your 8 o’clock—in the passenger line of the second carriage, the last man in the second row, the one in black. That’s Xi Yuan Ce."
Xiao Qicai swiftly glanced in that direction.
Sure enough, there stood an exceptionally tall man dressed entirely in black, wearing a cap and a mask, his features hidden beneath the brim and his tousled bangs.
Yet despite his deliberate attempt to stay low-key, his presence was still overwhelming—the passengers ahead kept a noticeable distance from him.
Even her fleeting glance seemed to catch his attention, and his gaze shifted toward her.
Having judged countless people, Xiao Qicai had to admit 002 was right—he did seem like someone of significance.
Apparently, 002 hadn’t exaggerated.
Seeing her look, 002 quickly added,
"Though you can’t see his face, he’s actually quite handsome! You don’t need to worry at all!"
Xiao Qicai: "..." Was that the point here?
Well, if she was going to use it, she’d have to tolerate its romance-obsessed brain.
"But are you sure he alone can handle the hundred or so bandits here?"
"Of course! Don’t underestimate his reputation—Xi Yuan Ce’s name commands respect, whether in the underworld or legitimate circles. And with him personally here, if these thugs knew they were robbing the biggest underground boss on the planet, they’d be pissing themselves in fear!"
002 spoke with certainty before urging,
"Master, hurry up and drink the potion I gave you earlier! After taking it, the acne on your face will vanish, and you’ll look even more like his white moonlight. Once he sees that face, he’ll never stand by idly! Quick, let’s get the plot moving!"
002’s tone was practically buzzing with excitement.
Meanwhile, the bandit leader gave her no more time, stepping closer.
"So, little girl, made up your mind yet? Do you want to have some fun with us... or hand over a billion?"
Xiao Qicai tightened her grip on the small bottle of potion in her palm. Under 002's expectant gaze, she suddenly bolted toward a certain direction with all her might.
The other passengers were instantly alarmed.
The armed robbers could start killing at any moment—how dare she run? She must have a death wish.
There's no way she could escape!
True enough, the robber leader and his men showed some surprise, but unexpectedly, they didn't open fire. Clearly, killing Xiao Qicai wasn't their objective.
Seeing her desperate resistance, the robber leader grew increasingly impatient:
"Trying to run? Where to? We've got this place surrounded—even if you grew wings, you couldn't escape! Just surrender quietly!"
They advanced toward Xiao Qicai at a leisurely pace, confident she had no way out.
By now, Xiao Qicai had reached the black-clad man—Xi Yuanche. Panting heavily from the run, her pale face had gained some color. Even with the red spots now visible on her face, as 002 had said, she did bear some resemblance to the unattainable ideal in Xi Yuanche's heart.
So when Xi Yuanche saw Xiao Qicai running toward him, he remained motionless. He assumed she might have recognized him from somewhere and was coming to beg for help, or perhaps she thought he looked capable enough to protect her.
But what he never expected was this:
Xiao Qicai simply stood before him, catching her breath, and looked at him with earnest eyes:
"Sir, I'll pay you—would you be willing to act as my temporary bodyguard?"
In that instant, the entire scene fell into complete silence.
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