My Virtual Girlfriend-Chapter 447: Dreaming of Being Cinderella

"These companies and factions were not intentionally cultivated by Chen Yan."

"Rather, they formed on their own due to various reasons."

"After all, Chen Yan’s various companies, under current business circumstances, seldom come into contact. There wasn’t much opportunity for cooperation."

"Moreover, due to the industry and differences among company executives, each company’s style was distinct."

"For example, the game company was down-to-earth and techie."

"Like the film and television company was unconventional, gossipy, and free."

"Like the investment company was elite and arrogant."

"Like the charity fund was kind and passionate."

"This led to the formation of small circles centered around each company."

"Therefore, in the absence of Lu Man’s company associates, and since Chen Yan and He Mengxue only interacted within the game and investment companies, it was impossible for Lu Man to have learned about this from others."

"So Chen Yan felt something was off."

"Consequently, he unconsciously furrowed his brows, and pressed, ’Who exactly told you?’"

"At this moment, Lu Man was also somewhat unhappy."

"Because she felt that she had come to ’seek an explanation’ after finding out about this matter, yet she was being ’interrogated’ by Chen Yan instead."

"However, she knew if it weren’t for something important, Chen Yan wouldn’t have this attitude."

"So, she puffed her cheeks unhappily, then spoke discontentedly, ’It was a make-up artist from a crew.’"

"She mentioned she just finished working around Qin Island."

"She was unaware of our relationship and only knew you were my boss. So she told me as if it were gossip."

"Hearing what Lu Man had said, Chen Yan’s frown tightened even more."

"How would a make-up artist from a crew know about this kind of thing?"

"Lu Man blinked, ’She said she heard it from a friend.’"

"She said her friend worked in our company."

"Chen Yan stayed silent but picked up his phone and dialed a number."

"Shortly after, the call connected and Chen Yan instructed, ’Sister Mei Li. Check into a make-up artist from the crew Lu Man just worked with.’"

"As he said this, Chen Yan looked at Lu Man."

"Obediently, Lu Man said, ’Her name is Amy. I don’t know anything else.’"

"Chen Yan nodded, then continued on the phone, ’Yes, it’s Amy.’"

"’Yes. Check into her details.’"

"’Also, see if she really worked on Qin Island recently.’"

"After a moment, having finished his instructions, Chen Yan hung up the phone."

"Seeing Chen Yan’s serious demeanor made Lu Man a bit nervous, ’What’s wrong? Is there a problem?’"

"Chen Yan pondered for a while, then said, ’There’s definitely a problem.’"

"He continued, ’First off, I won’t hide it from you.’"

"’I indeed made 20 billion in gold trading in Hong Kong. And I partnered with the He family to start a new company.’"

"’He Mengxue has indeed become one of the new company’s shareholders as the He family’s representative.’"

"Chen Yan paused, ’As for the reason, it’s because the Zhao Family has been causing us trouble lately. I needed to cooperate with the He family. So, some exchanges of interest were made.’"

"Having finished talking about the new company, Chen Yan added something about Chen’s Investment, ’As for the shares in Chen’s Investment, it’s for the same reason.’"

"’However, these were not given to the He family. They’re still held on behalf of a friend of mine.’"

"After listening to Chen Yan’s words, Lu Man nodded in a manner that showed she half understood."

"Then she asked with confusion, ’But... why are you so nervous that I found out about this? And why do you think that make-up artist is problematic?’"

"Chen Yan lightly tapped her forehead, saying, ’Think with your feet.’"

"’Out of these issues, besides me making 20 billion in gold, all the rest are classified, right?’"

"’How did she, a make-up artist, come to know of this?’"

"’Heard it from a friend?’"

"’But I have never discussed these in the company.’"

"After hearing Chen Yan’s explanation, Lu Man had an epiphany."

"She said, ’So... she’s trying to stir up trouble between us?’"

"Chen Yan nodded, ’We can’t rule out that possibility.’"

"He paused, ’Of course, it could also be an unintentional leak from my side.’"

"’But that’s highly unlikely.’"

"While explaining and analyzing for Lu Man, Chen Yan also pondered over the situation."

"Gradually, an idea seemed to form...."

"’Could it be Zhao Qingtian’s doing?’"

"The more Chen Yan thought about it, the more it seemed likely."

"After all, he was always secretive and cautious in his actions. And all of these were confidential matters. Apart from him and He Ruifeng and his daughter, only a few from the Zhao Group were in the know."

"So, it was becoming clear who could be behind this."

"’But why... why would Zhao Qingtian resort to such tactics?’"

"Chen Yan was hesitant."

"Gradually, he seemed to understand Zhao Qingtian’s thinking."

"Instantly, his complexion turned ashen!"

"’Damn it. Shameless!’"

"..."

"After asking Chen Yan some questions, Lu Man noticed that Chen Yan had a somber and uncertain expression, as if pondering over something."

"So, she didn’t dare disturb him."

"She could only sit by herself on the sofa, fiddling with her fingers, entertaining herself."

"When she was having fun, she suddenly heard Chen Yan curse."

"She jolted in fright and couldn’t help but look up at Chen Yan."

"Then, she saw Chen Yan pulling out his phone and saying to her, ’I need to step out for a while. Man Man, just sit in the room by yourself for a bit.’"

"Lu Man rolled her eyes haughtily, indicating she heard him."

"Seeing her response, Chen Yan left the room and dialed Yu Qiao Qiao’s number on his phone..."

"........"

"Meanwhile, half an hour earlier..."

"Yu Qiao Qiao, who was sore all over from being tossed about by Chen Yan all night, struggled to get out of bed."

"She felt that every time she did ’something’ with Chen Yan, it was like being hit by a truck loaded with rocks."

"Although it felt good, all she wanted was to sleep."

"However, today she could not afford to sleep in long."

"Because she had a compulsory class at 1 PM."

"Her academic performance was average at best, so she had to attend class."

"Getting out of bed, she freshened up a bit, Yu Qiao Qiao slung her small backpack over her shoulder and headed to school."

"As she got closer to the school, the number of students walking with her increased."

"And coincidentally, a group of three or four students were chatting not far from her."

"Hey? Do you know? The reason Lu Man has risen so fast and gained such momentum, there’s a reason behind it."

"Lu Man? What happened to her? What’s the reason?"

"Hearing someone mention Lu Man, Yu Qiao Qiao became curious and pricked up her ears."

"Then she heard the first person speaking with an air of mystery, saying, ’Because she snagged a sugar daddy.’"

"Hearing that, the other students scoffed,"

"’Nowadays, what beautiful female celebrity hasn’t been rumored to have a sugar daddy?’"

"’Right. But who knows the truth? Everyone’s saying the same.’"

"’Yeah, you’d better not be spreading rumors. I really like Lu Man.’"

"Yu Qiao Qiao listened from the side and also nodded quietly."

"She had witnessed from the start how Lu Man developed step by step from her low point."

"Her success was due to Chen Yan’s and her own efforts."

"There was no sugar daddy."

"However, what she didn’t expect was that at seeing everyone’s disbelief, the first person became agitated."

"He said, ’You’d better believe it!’"

"’My dad works at Lu Man’s film and television company.’"

"’Despite Lu Man’s outward representation as a boss, it’s all just a persona that’s been created.’"

"’Behind her stands a sugar daddy who supports everything.’"

"’That sugar daddy, you’ve all heard of him. Named Chen Yan, he’s a newly rising rich man on our Qin Island in the past two years.’"

"’According to my dad, Lu Man and Chen Yan have been together for a long time. That’s why Chen Yan is willing to spend tens of billions to promote her.’"

"’Think about it. If they weren’t involved, why would he spend so much money on Lu Man?’"

"’Before, whether it was acting or reputation, Lu Man was just an ordinary Celebrity.’"

"At this point, the person paused, then continued to spill more info,"

"’Moreover... let me tell you. The two of them hardly hide their relationship at the company. Many people there know about them.’"

"’It’s just that the sugar daddy has an official girlfriend. So they’ve been keeping it under wraps.’"

"Hearing his revelation, Yu Qiao Qiao felt her brain go blank for a moment."

"’Chen Yan and Sister Man Man... have they been together for a long time?’"

"’Because of an official girlfriend, they’ve been keeping it quiet?’"

"’Is this... about me?’"

"While Yu Qiao Qiao thought about this, the nearby students asked,"

"’That sugar daddy even has an official girlfriend? Who is it?’"

"’A female celebrity is not enough; he has other girlfriends?’"

"’Yeah, yeah.’"

"The person smiled mysteriously, ’Let me tell you. That sugar daddy’s official girlfriend is even more incredible.’"

"’It’s... From our Qin Island, the He family’s Miss He!’"

"’I tell you, they say the He family’s dowry alone is tens of billions.’"

"’And that sugar daddy also brought out tens of billions to start a new company in Hong Kong for that Miss He as a betrothal gift.’"

"’You tell me, can a family worth hundreds of billions care about a female celebrity?’"

"’It’s all just for fun. Haha.’"

"The other students shook their heads in agreement, saying, ’Yeah. Those wealthy families are way beyond our reach.’"

"’Ultimately, they all choose spouses from comparable wealthy families.’"

"’After all, only by joining forces with the strong can they go far.’"

"’How could they truly accept an ordinary woman?’"

"’Right. Where is there a Cinderella in the real world?’"

"Listening to their conversation, Yu Qiao Qiao’s face grew paler and paler."

Because these people had precisely poked at what she had been most concerned about, and what mattered most to her in the past two years.

That was, with Chen Yan’s development growing ever more rapidly, she could no longer keep up with Chen Yan’s pace.

Originally, she had been a poor student, while Chen Yan was an unemployed drifter.

Later, when she found out that Chen Yan’s family was a demolishment household, with property alone worth tens of millions, Yu Qiao Qiao began to feel inferior.

And then, as Chen Yan started his own business, his games becoming increasingly popular, and his company expanding ever more, he even set up a film and television company.

Yu Qiao Qiao began to feel uneasy inside.

But even then, she still thought the two of them could somehow "match."

It wasn’t that she thought she was worthy of Chen Yan, but rather, she felt that until this point, Chen Yan was still an ordinary person.

If he were just an ordinary person, wasn’t marriage all about finding the person you love?

The difference in status wasn’t the distance of love.

But later, as Chen Yan’s wealth ballooned like a balloon, becoming more and more substantial, his worth rose from tens of millions to hundreds of millions. From hundreds of millions to tens of billions, even hundreds of billions.

Yu Qiao Qiao was living every day in an atmosphere of alarm and trepidation.

Because she found she no longer knew how to face Chen Yan.

After all, Chen Yan was now so far beyond her reach.

Chen Yan was Qin Island’s youngest billionaire, while she was a very mediocre, even academically average, junior in college.

The money Chen Yan casually gave her amounted to tens of millions she could never earn in several lifetimes.

The content Chen Yan talked about was something she couldn’t understand even if she exerted all her effort.

Therefore, Yu Qiao Qiao could only play the ostrich, burying her head deep in the sand.

She dared not look at Chen Yan’s current developments, dared not inquire about the life around Chen Yan. She even dared not disturb Chen Yan.

She could only humbly live in the two-person world she had built with Chen Yan, hoping that no matter what, Chen Yan would return here.

And now, the words of those few passersby had pierced through it all.

Making Yu Qiao Qiao realize that she really was living a Cinderella dream.

Although, from the very beginning, she had never thought about marrying into a wealthy family.

In fact, she had never used any of the money that Chen Yan had given her, just as Yang Nuannuan had advised her—she was holding it for Chen Yan, keeping it there.

She didn’t want any wealthy family, nor did she desire a rich boyfriend. She just wanted Chen Yan... The most plain and ordinary Chen Yan.

And so, Yu Qiao Qiao wandered in a daze into the campus.

She didn’t even see those "students," who, after sneaking glances to confirm she had taken the bait, exchanged looks with each other and then left the school.

After leaving the school, these students stopped the act, took out their cell phones, dialed a number registered in Tiandu, and reported the situation.

Momentarily, their Alipay accounts received a substantial sum of money........

........

Meanwhile, at Zhao Group in Tiandu.

Zhao Qingtian’s female assistant, upon receiving the report from her subordinates, walked with her long legs to report to Zhao Qingtian’s office.

Arriving at Zhao Qingtian’s office.

Zhao Qingtian was busy there.

The female assistant waited until he was done with his work before reporting the situation to Zhao Qingtian.

Finally, she concluded, "Boss, as per your instructions. Now both, that female celebrity and the female college student, have gotten the news."

Zhao Qingtian nodded his head, neither pleased nor displeased, and said, "Alright, good enough."

Then he continued to look down at the documents.

It was at this time that the assistant hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Boss, I... don’t quite understand this."

Zhao Qingtian’s hands paused for a moment, then he looked up at her, "What don’t you understand?"

The assistant picked her words carefully and said, "I mean... why pay several people to spread this news to those two women."

"Why not... just do it openly on the internet? Or spread it to all the people who have a flirtatious relationship with Chen Yan?"

"And also... does spreading this kind of news really work?"

She lowered her head and said, "I don’t quite get it."

Zhao Qingtian shook his head in response to his assistant’s comments.

He pointed at the female assistant in the air and said, "You still have a long way to go."

He spoke, "Let’s talk about why it was spread only to those two."

"First off, among those people who have flirtatious dealings with Chen Yan,"

"Yang Rou is too familiar with me. Even if someone spread the news, she would suspect a scheme straight away. It would hardly be effective."

"And besides, I’ve been her adversary in the past. I understand her."

"She’s too mature. She won’t be fooled."

"Next is He Mengxue."

"Don’t underestimate the He family. What we can find out, the He family can probably discover as well. So He Mengxue likely already knows about Chen Yan’s romantic life."

"And furthermore... the two of them have tied too many interests to each other besides just love."

"Even if there is discord between the two, it most likely won’t have much effect."

Having said this, Zhao Qingtian paused before he started talking about Lu Man and Yu Qiao Qiao.

"As for that female celebrity,"

"She has developed rapidly with Chen Yan’s support over the past two years. She has accumulated more and more wealth, making it possible for her to transform into capital. She is no longer so dependent on Chen Yan."

"Besides, when she first met Chen Yan, they both started from very little. The contractual restrictions between them most likely aren’t very strict."

"In addition, she is a celebrity after all. If she gets involved in a scandal, or in matters of a financial backer, it will have a serious impact on her popularity."

"So, once she finds a rift with Chen Yan, discovers that there are other women besides her, she is the most likely candidate to leave Chen Yan."

Saying this, Zhao Qingtian’s eyes filled with much more mirth, "Don’t forget, the most important part of Chen Yan’s business right now is the film industry."

"If she has a falling out with Chen Yan. Then Chen Yan’s group will definitely take a major hit."

After hearing Zhao Qingtian’s analysis, the assistant nodded in understanding, then she asked again, "And what about that female college student?"

Zhao Qingtian tapped his finger lightly and then said, "I’ve looked over the data you’ve collected. That female student is the first woman Chen Yan got to know, and she’s also the closest to him."

"This woman has always had a dream in her heart."

"I’m going to burst it. Let her understand what reality is."

He paused and stated, "I don’t expect her to play a big role. But if she can distract Chen Yan, that’s enough."

Zhao Qingtian spoke with a hint of emotion, "Throughout history, how many heroes have fallen because of a woman?"

"Do you really think that domestic trouble is a simple matter?"

He shook his head earnestly, "It’s not."

"This is even more exhausting and troublesome than a corporate war."

"Especially if caught cheating, discovered juggling multiple relationships, or dealing with uneven distribution that leads to an outright brawl amongst the women."

With a malicious glee, Zhao Qingtian smiled, "I’m really looking forward to that scene."

Hearing Zhao Qingtian say this, the female assistant also tried to hold back her laughter as much as possible.

Then she nodded and said, "I understand now, Boss."

Zhao Qingtian’s smile faded, and then, with a more earnest tone, he said to her, "As for why this matter shouldn’t be escalated and spread on the internet."

He explained, "First, we have no evidence. Making a big deal out of it would look bad, and could even be illegal."

"Secondly..."

He said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Have you heard of ’When brothers fight at the city gate, the common enemy will profit’?"

"The principle is the same."

"If we don’t escalate the issue, these few people will hurt each other because of it; they will tear each other apart."

"But if we make a big deal of it, because of external pressure, they might temporarily put aside their differences and unite to get through the matter."

"So... we just need to play the role of a catalyst. We simply wait and watch as things unfold."

Saying this, Zhao Qingtian shook his head, "It’s not that easy to handle."

"One aspect is the interest involved. Spending billions on another woman, that’s simply unexplainable."

"Another is the emotional aspect. The gap in status and position is too wide. It’s hard to bridge with words."

"So..."

"Chen Yan is in a bind."

At that moment, Chen Yan, who had come to an empty conference room, had already seen through Zhao Qingtian’s conspiracy.

As he cursed that bastard for being utterly shameless and sly, he dialed Yu Qiao Qiao’s number!

——————

Having said this, Zhao Qingtian paused before he started talking about Lu Man and Yu Qiao Qiao.

"As for that female celebrity,"

"She has developed rapidly with Chen Yan’s support over the past two years. She has accumulated more and more wealth, making it possible for her to transform into capital. She is no longer so dependent on Chen Yan."

"Besides, when she first met Chen Yan, they both started from very little. The contractual restrictions between them most likely aren’t very strict."

"In addition, she is a celebrity after all. If she gets involved in a scandal, or in matters of a financial backer, it will have a serious impact on her popularity."

"So, once she finds a rift with Chen Yan, discovers that there are other women besides her, she is the most likely candidate to leave Chen Yan."

Saying this, Zhao Qingtian’s eyes filled with much more mirth, "Don’t forget, the most important part of Chen Yan’s business right now is the film industry."

"If she has a falling out with Chen Yan. Then Chen Yan’s group will definitely take a major hit."

After hearing Zhao Qingtian’s analysis, the assistant nodded in understanding, then she asked again, "And what about that female college student?"

Zhao Qingtian tapped his finger lightly and then said, "I’ve looked over the data you’ve collected. That female student is the first woman Chen Yan got to know, and she’s also the closest to him."

"This woman has always had a dream in her heart."

"I’m going to burst it. Let her understand what reality is."

He paused and stated, "I don’t expect her to play a big role. But if she can distract Chen Yan, that’s enough."

Zhao Qingtian spoke with a hint of emotion, "Throughout history, how many heroes have fallen because of a woman?"

"Do you really think that domestic trouble is a simple matter?"

He shook his head earnestly, "It’s not."

"This is even more exhausting and troublesome than a corporate war."

"Especially if caught cheating, discovered juggling multiple relationships, or dealing with uneven distribution that leads to an outright brawl amongst the women."

With a malicious glee, Zhao Qingtian smiled, "I’m really looking forward to that scene."

Hearing Zhao Qingtian say this, the female assistant also tried to hold back her laughter as much as possible.

Then she nodded and said, "I understand now, Boss."

Zhao Qingtian’s smile faded, and then, with a more earnest tone, he said to her, "As for why this matter shouldn’t be escalated and spread on the internet."

He explained, "First, we have no evidence. Making a big deal out of it would look bad, and could even be illegal."

"Secondly..."

He said with a smile that was not quite a smile, "Have you heard of ’When brothers fight at the city gate, the common enemy will profit’?"

"The principle is the same."

"If we don’t escalate the issue, these few people will hurt each other because of it; they will tear each other apart."

"But if we make a big deal of it, because of external pressure, they might temporarily put aside their differences and unite to get through the matter."

"So... we just need to play the role of a catalyst. We simply wait and watch as things unfold."

Saying this, Zhao Qingtian shook his head, "It’s not that easy to handle."

"One aspect is the interest involved. Spending billions on another woman, that’s simply unexplainable."

"Another is the emotional aspect. The gap in status and position is too wide. It’s hard to bridge with words."