Volume One, Chapter Three: Casual Shopping Sprees Worth Billions?

Chu Mian looked up at the ostentatiously pink custom helicopter, feeling momentarily dazed.

The helicopter boasted sleek, lightweight lines and top-tier safety features, adorned with highly artistic patterns that Chu Mian suspected were designed by a renowned French artist. Such a private commission was rumored to cost billions. Chu Mian had never imagined that the "pickup" her Third Brother mentioned would involve such a grand spectacle. Was this really what the Xie family meant when they called her a "country bumpkin" who lived in the mountains?

The helicopter hovered in mid-air, neither landing nor leaving, drawing every eye in the vicinity. Chu Xian had intended to show off his wealth to his newly reunited younger sister to put her at ease. However, after circling with a smug grin, his expression gradually stiffened. Damn it—he had been so focused on surprising his sister that he had completely forgotten that a standard residential villa complex might not have a helipad. He had enjoyed his moment of showing off, but now he had no place to land.

Helpless, Chu Xian pulled out his phone to call the security office. "Hey! Where is your complex's helipad?"

The security guard, having never encountered someone so incredibly wealthy, bowed repeatedly in apology: "I am so sorry, sir, but we do not have a helipad here. My apologies..."

Chu Xian clicked his tongue in annoyance. "What kind of slum is this? They don't even have a helipad!" He looked down and shouted, "Little sister, you’ve suffered so much these past few years! I’m going to find a landing pad, and I’ll come back to pick you up in a bit!"

With that, he closed the window, leaving Chu Mian and Fu Xing standing there, watching his flamboyant, pink, custom-made aircraft fly off toward the east. The atmosphere was slightly awkward. Fu Xing let out a thoughtful hiss; by comparison, Chu Mian seemed much more composed than her brother. But even Fu Xing couldn't remain calm. Only the truly wealthy understood the wealth of others, and he knew exactly how much it cost to maintain such a helicopter. The rumors from the Xie family that their foster daughter was from the countryside were clearly subject to a massive information discrepancy.

"Miss Chu, may we exchange contact information?" The woman currently standing before him, once dismissed as a fake heiress, was now far more valuable than he had initially thought.

Hearing this, Chu Mian looked at the head of the Fu family directly for the first time. Her cold, clear gaze fell upon him. Despite being a wily old fox hardened by years in the business world, Fu Xing felt as though he were being scrutinized under her stare. After three seconds, Chu Mian nodded and pulled out her phone to display her QR code. The entire process was calm and indifferent, without a hint of the fawning behavior Xie Anyue had displayed; she was like a different person entirely.

Fu Xing left with a new plan in mind, driving away in his Rolls-Royce while making a mental note to reach out to her again soon. Chu Mian watched him leave, recalling the physiognomy she had glimpsed earlier: a dark aura between his brows—a potential client. She would see the head of the Fu family again.

Unlike the smooth progress on Chu Mian’s side, the helicopter’s rotors roared loudly nearby, drawing everyone in the villa complex to their windows to gawk. The three members of the Xie family stood in a row, their faces pressed against the glass.

"Mom, whose plane is that? It must cost tens of millions," Xie Anyue said, her face filled with envy. Even when the head of the Fu family had arrived earlier, it hadn't been this grand. By comparison, the Fu family suddenly seemed unimpressive. "Mom, go find out who it is. I want to marry into that family."

Xu Yun looked troubled; if they couldn't even catch the eye of the Fu family, how could they hope to reach a top-tier billionaire? Turning her thoughts back to Chu Mian, she began to complain. "It’s all that jinx’s fault for ruining such a good match with the Fu family!"

Xie Zhixing chimed in, "We shouldn't have brought her home in the first place. She’s a penniless wretch who only brings bad luck to this house!"

Xie Anyue played the role of the devoted daughter, stroking their backs to calm them down. "It’s okay, the jinx is already gone. Mom, Dad, the Xie family will only get better from here!"

The three of them, still unsatisfied after their tirade, summoned the butler and ordered him to drive Chu Mian out of the villa complex entirely. "Don't be polite with a stray dog from the countryside!"

The Xie family vented their anger on Chu Mian, feeling much better after their exchange. As they spoke, Xie Zhixing decided to head upstairs to try and mend their relationship with the Fu family. Just as he stepped onto the stairs, the brooch on Xie Anyue’s dress suddenly glinted. The next moment, Xie Zhixing missed his step and tumbled down the staircase. He fell down all twelve steps, hit the bottom, rolled his eyes, and fainted.

Xu Yun screamed as she lifted her husband, frantically ordering her daughter to call for an ambulance. "Quick! Get him to the hospital!"

As the ambulance wailed its way into the complex, the butler spotted Chu Mian at another entrance. He straightened his tie and marched over with his nose in the air. "Chu Mian, oh Chu Mian, you were so tough just a moment ago—why are you still hanging around here?!" He sneered, "Let me tell you, you can no longer afford to live in this villa complex! Get out now, or I’ll have security drag you away!"

Chu Mian found the Xie family’s persistence tiresome. She glanced at him coldly, but before she could speak, Chu Xian appeared on the sidewalk outside the complex. "Little sister, I finally found you!"

He had run the rest of the way, having no idea where he had eventually parked the helicopter. His stamina was impressive; with his long legs and nimble gait, he wasn't even out of breath. The butler, however, saw that Chu Xian was Chu Mian’s brother and looked at him with even more disdain. He swept his eyes over the young man—handsome, yes, but dressed casually in a punk-style cardigan and jeans, without a single brand logo visible. He looked like cheap junk from a village market, likely worth less than a hundred dollars in total.

Chu Mian, however, noticed the tiny, subtle embroidery on his collar that was only visible under direct sunlight. It was from a niche Italian brand designed by an artisan who was impossible to commission; a single garment cost more than an entire house in this complex.

Chu Xian, who had been raised in the lap of luxury, had never been looked down upon before. He laughed good-naturedly and pulled an envelope from his pocket to hand to the butler. "Thank you for taking care of my little sister. This is a small token of our appreciation."

A token? The butler glanced at it and nearly laughed out loud. Trying to save face, were they? A poor villager offering a "token of appreciation"! Chu Mian lowered her eyes, her gaze falling on the envelope. It was made of gold-leaf embossed paper and stamped with a seal-script character for "Chu," which clearly looked expensive. She wondered what kind of background her brother—or rather, her new family—actually had.

Seeing his sister silent, Chu Xian scratched his head in embarrassment. "I couldn't bring the actual gifts, so please make do with this shopping card for now. I hope you don't mind."

A shopping card? The butler scoffed aloud. What kind of gift could it be? Rotten vegetables? Was he unable to bring the gift, or was it just too pathetic to show? What kind of cheap supermarket card was this to dare show its face at the Xie residence? With that thought, the butler angrily slapped the envelope onto the ground. "All of you poor people need to get out of the Xie villa complex! Don't you dare think about stepping foot in the Xie family again, you penniless trash!"

Having said that, the butler spat on the ground and walked away with his head held high. Nearby, several security guards looked on with strange expressions, completely dumbfounded. The Xie family was merely a bottom-tier wealthy family—who gave them the courage to let a mad dog loose to bite people? And to bite a billionaire who flew a multi-billion-dollar private jet, no less... They decided they needed to stay far away from the Xie family in the future, lest they be splattered with the blood of their downfall.

Chu Xian was stunned for a moment, then his face darkened as he looked with pity at his sister, who had been drifting outside for so many years. "Is this how they treated you before?"

Chu Mian wasn't angry. For one, she was used to it; and for another, she didn't see the point in bickering with someone who was about to die. She bent down to pick up the shopping card and asked, "How much is on here?"

Looking at the card his sister had retrieved, Chu Xian’s expression softened. He shrugged, "It's not much—a mere five hundred million. Keep it if you want, or don't."