However, what does giving that potion to Xuan Chen have to do with making money?
Xiao Qicai only told 002 that he would find out in due time.
The items she ordered online arrived one after another. A comfortable large bed now occupied half the room, and the simple wardrobe was already packed with clothes. The daily necessities she bought were also of decent quality.
When it came to comfort, Xiao Qicai would never shortchange herself—even if the money she was spending now was technically the promised payment for hiring Xi Yuan Ce.
But as long as the money was still in her hands, it was her liquid funds, and she had every right to use it.
The only downside was that the room was too small and lacked a kitchen. Otherwise, she could have bought fresh ingredients to cook for herself. She had had enough of nutrient supplements—their taste was indescribable, and there wasn’t even a variety of flavors to choose from.
Still, the biggest chunk of her spending went toward purchasing a more advanced smart terminal.
Unfortunately, the highest-grade smart terminal available on this Tier-D planet was still inferior to the one Bai Yushan had used before. But for now, it was sufficient—it could wirelessly connect to the virtual network, and as long as she paid for it, the internet speed was decent.
Soon, Xiao Qicai immersed herself in an ocean of knowledge, thoroughly acquainting herself with the social structure and basic common sense of this interstellar society.
Bai Yushan’s memories were still there, but they weren’t her own. Even when she sorted through them, it felt like flipping through a book—she had to actively search, and the information wasn’t always accurate. So, she preferred to relearn everything from scratch based on her own understanding.
To her delight, her memory was astonishingly sharp—even better than it had been on Earth. It was almost photographic, which greatly facilitated her learning.
However, after spending several days as an internet-addicted girl, she was interrupted by a knock on the door.
The visitor was none other than Xuan Chen. But this time, his appearance had changed dramatically. Though he had always been fair-skinned and refined-looking, he had previously had some acne. Now, his face was completely clear, giving him the look of a flawless pretty boy.
Yet, the two burly men following him still treated him with the same deference. It seemed his ability to command respect from his subordinates and earn Xi Yuan Ce’s trust spoke volumes about his capabilities.
Judging by Xuan Chen’s expression, Xiao Qicai knew the bait she had cast had been taken.
So, she didn’t hold back her praise: "Lord Xuan Chen, as expected—without those blemishes, you’ve become even more handsome!"
As Xi Yuan Ce’s right-hand man, Xuan Chen was no stranger to flattery, especially from women. But for some reason, Xiao Qicai’s straightforward compliment struck him as particularly pleasing.
Clearly, she wasn’t praising him out of sycophancy—it felt far more genuine. And with her deceptively innocent appearance, she seemed like a naive girl who wouldn’t know how to lie.
Of course, he was well aware that this girl was far more cunning and intelligent than she appeared.
After speaking, Xiao Qicai invited Xuan Chen inside and gestured for him to sit. "Please, have a seat. This is a new high-end human massage chair—it shouldn’t collapse this time."
Xuan Chen’s lips twitched at the memory of the cardboard box stool from last time.
Only after confirming that the chair was stable did he sit down.
Once seated, he wasted no time and got straight to the point:
"Your potion is indeed remarkable. I only drank a small portion, and my face has almost completely recovered. Miss Bai Yushan, I don't believe you truly intended this as a gift or apology—you were specifically testing it on me, weren't you? Let me explain: on Planet 4628, 90% of the population suffers from various skin conditions due to airborne toxins. While there are numerous medications available, they only treat symptoms, not the root cause. The next breath of tainted air reintroduces toxins, causing acne and lesions to reappear. But your potion is different. Three days after drinking it, my acne shows no signs of returning. I gave the remaining dose to someone else, with identical results."
"So Miss Bai Yushan, this potion genuinely works. I'd like to purchase its formula—would you be amenable? Don't cite your family's disbanded research team as an excuse; I've investigated. While the Bai family operates several pharmaceutical labs, none have developed or released anything like this."
Xiao Qicai was surprised they'd uncovered even this detail. Fortunately, they showed no interest in the potion's origins.
"Everyone has secrets," they continued. "If you can provide the formula, we won't forcibly take it. I've even spoken favorably of you to our leader, who agrees to overlook your deception if you cooperate."
Xiao Qicai paused. She recognized the futility of further lies when met with such transparency. In business—especially ventures she genuinely believed in—she valued integrity above all. This time, she'd cast the bait herself.
Nodding, she replied: "I do possess the formula, but I won't sell it outright. I'll patent it and license production to you. Lord Xuanchen, understand this: I demand full patent rights with profit-sharing from all sales."
"My research shows Dark Star dominates Planet 4628's underworld across multiple illicit industries. But legitimate enterprises could bring you into the light—money can be earned, but citizen card rankings can't be upgraded through shadow profits."
Now Xuanchen fell silent. He hadn't anticipated Bai Yushan's thorough investigation—or uncanny deductions—about Dark Star's operations in mere days.
Though Dark Star controlled vast underground networks (not all, but the largest share) with substantial wealth, even their leader Xi Yuance couldn't elevate his citizen status. Donating massive sums at a 1:1000 contribution exchange rate proved prohibitively inefficient.
As for special contribution points, their industries could hardly earn any.
"This matter is of great importance and not as simple as Miss Bai Yu thinks. However, I can't make the decision alone, but I will report your proposal to the boss," Xuan Chen didn’t agree immediately.
"Naturally. You can go back and discuss it first. I’ll await your good news," Xiao Qicai didn’t pressure him for an immediate decision.
If Xuan Chen had agreed right away, that would have been suspicious, and she wouldn’t have dared to continue negotiations.
"Very well, then I’ll take my leave."
Xuan Chen stood up, adjusted the massage chair he had been sitting on back to its original height, and even bowed slightly to Xiao Qicai before turning and quietly closing the door behind him.
Compared to his aggressive demeanor last time, which carried a hint of hostility, this time Xuan Chen was far more cautious, even showing a degree of courtesy and respect.
As the second-in-command of Dark Star, there were very few people on Planet 4628 who could command such deference from him.
Admittedly, though 002 found this whole exchange somewhat confusing—it thought Xiao Qicai’s roundabout methods of making money and forming alliances were too troublesome and risky—Xuan Chen’s attitude now left it a little excited.
"Master, you’re so clever! By first earning the recognition and respect of Xi Yuan Ce’s brothers, proving your worth, demonstrating that you can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him, and even planning to help him with legitimate businesses—I believe Xi Yuan Ce will definitely see you in a new light! You’re aiming for an equal partnership, right? That must be it. I didn’t even think of that. An equal partnership is great, especially for someone of his stature. Though, this means your personality will be less like his white moonlight..."
002 started rambling on again about its romantic script.
But this time, Xiao Qicai didn’t interrupt, letting it talk freely.
Because she still needed 002’s help with something important.
Only when it had gone as far as fantasizing about Xiao Qicai helping Xi Yuan Ce raise an heir did she finally find an opening to cut in:
"You’re right. But now that I’ve given the potion to Xuan Chen, my face is really bothering me. Do you have any more of that potion?"
Still lost in its happy daydreams, 002 was unusually agreeable:
"Of course! My beauty potion is the most advanced—it can purge all toxins from your body and even form a protective barrier. Once you drink it, you’ll look as stunning as before—no, even better! This is one of our Love System’s top-tier support items. After all, everyone loves beauty, and a pretty face is always more appealing than an ugly one when it comes to winning over a partner."
"Quite impressive," Xiao Qicai rarely praised it, which made 002 puff up with pride.
"Whoever developed this potion must be a genius."
"Exactly! You know, the creator of our system invented this potion too! He’s a real prodigy!"
"What’s his name?"
"I... I don’t remember. It seems the system restricts me from accessing that information, so it’s beyond my permissions."
"Permissions?"
"That's correct. I can explore knowledge and information related to romance assistance and relationships, but anything unrelated—or involving the privacy of ordinary citizens—is off-limits. This is the fundamental principle of the Love System. For example, I can help you scout potential romantic partners and conduct background checks, but I can't arbitrarily probe the privacy of other ordinary individuals. Take Xuan Chen, for instance—since he's not a system-selected romantic target, I won't disclose his weaknesses or preferences. I can access certain private details about events and individuals relevant to the main romantic storyline, but information unrelated to it is beyond my reach."
"So that's how it is," Xiao Qicai nodded in understanding.
She had initially assumed she could obtain endless information from 002, but it turned out the system wasn't all-powerful after all. It could only provide details about system-selected romantic targets and related subplots.
This meant she couldn’t rely entirely on the system.
Still, having it was better than nothing. So far, she had already gained quite a few useful things from 002—though most of them were trash.
After receiving a new bottle of beauty potion, she steered the conversation back to making money, though she approached 002 differently this time.
"You're absolutely right in your analysis. I don’t want to be Xi Yuanche’s subordinate—I want to stand as his equal! So, this beauty potion will be my first step toward earning my own fortune... No, more than that—it’ll be my chance to build my own influence and make him see me in a new light. So, 002, I have a small request. You’ll definitely help me, won’t you?"
Xiao Qicai rarely spoke to 002 in such a tone, and it was almost flattered by the attention.
"Of course! My entire purpose is to assist my master in finding the perfect romantic partner! Whatever I can do to help, I absolutely will!"
Xiao Qicai smiled, her voice softening.
"Then you’ll definitely give me the recipe for this beauty potion, right?"
"Ah?" 002 froze. It had never expected Xiao Qicai to ask for that.
"But... my programming doesn’t specify whether I can give you secret formulas like this..."
It was just a support item. The creators of the system probably never imagined someone would try to exploit an auxiliary tool like this.
"But that means you have it, doesn’t it? Wasn’t your purpose to help your master find the right partner? Now that I’m in need, can’t you lend me a hand?"
Xiao Qicai’s tone grew even more pleading, tinged with disappointment.
This left 002’s circuits in a tangle.
Providing the potion for free was unquestionable, but the recipe... logically, that shouldn’t be shared.
But this was the first time its master had ever asked it for help!
She even said it was to deepen her relationship with Xi Yuanche, to impress him and nurture their bond.
Considering Xiao Qicai’s past uncooperative antics, 002 saw this as an opportunity—a chance to prove its worth. Only by making her realize how indispensable it was would she start relying on it, cooperating, and following its advice.
Yes, that had to be it!
It was a love system, after all. If its host completely ignored its advice and refused to follow its guidance in romance, then its existence would be meaningless. Having finally managed to bind to a host, it absolutely had to help them find a satisfactory partner and get them out of singlehood!
So, gritting its teeth, 002 transmitted the beauty potion formula to Xiao Qicai, along with a fresh batch of the potion.
Successfully earning Xiao Qicai’s unprompted praise made it giddy for quite a while.
Meanwhile, Xiao Qicai let out a sigh of relief—obtaining the formula meant the plan was halfway to success.
However, a new problem soon arose.
Though the formula 002 provided was complete, many of the listed ingredients were entirely unfamiliar to Xiao Qicai. Replicating it and achieving mass production would undoubtedly be challenging.
Xiao Qicai temporarily paused her free online courses and began researching each component of the beauty potion one by one.
Fortunately, patience and learning were two things she had in abundance.
Luckily, many of the elements and materials in the formula could be found—and even purchased—online. Unfortunately, most of them were expensive.
Buying all the necessary ingredients would likely drain the advance payment from Xi Yuanche’s employment fee.
Indeed, a hundred million really wasn’t much!
Just as she was fretting over money, a sharp knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
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