(._.)
Another lightbulb lit up above Ming Ming’s head.
“What if we charge them 500 yuan each?” she suggested. “And anyone who recruits another person gets a 10 yuan rebate. That way, we’re guaranteed to profit.”
“President Ming,” said the hand-grasped pancake seller in despair, “have you ever heard of MLM schemes?”
Huh?
This was clearly a willing-buyer-willing-seller situation. How was that an MLM?
Ming Ming stroked her chin. Then—ding!—another lightbulb.
“Got it!”
“Anyone who buys grilled cold noodles from me ten times can sign a three-party agreement with our company!”
She looked excited. “How about that?”
The other “shareholders” exchanged looks and felt an unexplained chill.
What a vicious woman.
But then they said:
“No way. They have to buy ten times from every single one of our stalls.”
Ming Ming looked at them disdainfully.
Trying to steal her business.
“Fine. Let’s use a lottery system,” she said. “Every purchase at any of the ten stalls gives one lottery chance. Every ten purchases gets a mystery gift, and we’ll mix the chance to get a signed agreement into the prizes. It’ll scare off freeloaders and still make us good money.”
“How about it? If it’s okay, I’ll start preparing.”
They looked at each other and thought:
President Ming really doesn’t look very smart.
If people can count purchases across all stalls, ten purchases get you a chance. Why would anyone go to her stall?
They’d be the ones making money.
They saw the same message in each other’s eyes.
Let’s do it.
Just don’t let her notice.
On the surface, they still pretended to agree reluctantly.
“Well… okay, if you’ve decided, don’t regret it later.”
“Yes, yes, don’t worry! I won’t regret it!” Ming Ming said with a cheerful smile.
The next day, they realized…
They’d underestimated her.
Her “mystery gift” for every ten lottery entries wasn’t the three-party agreement.
It was a free meal voucher.
The agreement remained ultra-rare.
The attractiveness dropped sharply.
Then Ming Ming did something else:
Anyone who recharged 500 yuan directly at her grilled cold noodle stall…
President Ming would immediately sign their agreement and stamp it on the spot.
A capitalist monster.
They’d been tricked.
They still had hope:
Maybe someone would randomly draw the agreement in just a few tries, and then people wouldn’t go recharge with her.
In the end, after an entire day…
The only person who signed an agreement was the one who recharged directly at her stall.
By the third day, the recharge line in front of Ming Ming’s stall stretched over 150 feet.
Damn it!
Ming Ming collected money until her hands cramped—no, mainly she stamped the seal so much her hand went numb. It was exhausting.
But she was thrilled.
I’m so smart!
“Keep staring. The company seal is in my hands. I make the rules!”
Her partners glared at her in hatred.
The ice jelly seller muttered:
“Now I finally understand why business dramas always have scenes of stealing the company seal.”
The sushi seller nodded.
“Should we… steal it?”
“Steal it…”
Everyone’s eyes locked onto that tiny little seal.
Joking aside, Ming Ming never planned to make this a lifelong career.
The main problem was that she’d been making money in a way that felt a little morally questionable. She was genuinely afraid that one day she’d be dragged into a sack and beaten in some dark alley.
So when she was told that someone wanted to invest in her, Ming Ming’s very first thought was:
Damn… did this guy find a backer and come to mess with me?
In the end, she couldn’t resist the temptation and went out to meet him.
He was an extremely handsome man.
He looked young—only a few years older than her at most. Every movement he made carried a natural, commanding grace, the kind of presence that looked down on the world. He seemed noble and cold, and when he walked up to her, he still maintained a polite but distant demeanor.
But the warmth in his eyes…
It was like snow melting in early spring—impossible to hide.
“Miss Ming Ming, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said.
Anyone else would probably have drowned in that gaze.
But not Ming Ming.
She remembered this was the real world, not some fantasy drama where domineering CEOs ran wild. There was no such thing as a perfect romance falling into your lap for no reason.
More likely, this was a scam.
A romance scam.
And she just happened to be a pig that had recently made a little money.
She stared at him cautiously and said, “No loans, no house buying, no recharges, no memberships, no gambling, and absolutely not Southeast Asia.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the man laughed.
His eyes lowered, looking like he was bathed in spring sunlight.
That face, paired with that smile, made it hard to look away. Her heart skipped a beat.
Damn it, is this a custom-made romance scam just for me?
Whoever’s behind this… your heart is truly evil!
No! Ming Ming, hold it together!
President Ming, you’re President Ming now. You can’t fall for this. The moment you do, your bank account goes empty!
She forced herself to calm down.
No one was allowed to touch her money.
The man shook his head helplessly. “Do you really not remember me at all? Not even a little?”
Ming Ming couldn’t help complaining, “Bro, phone scams don’t even pretend to be acquaintances anymore.”
He let out a long sigh.
“That really hurts. I looked for you for so long. I finally found you… and you’re this cold.”
“Seems like, from a long time ago until now, you never held me in your heart.”
Ming Ming felt a chill run through her.
He’s trying to fabricate my memories now?!
He sounded way too convincing.
Terrifying.
If her willpower were any weaker—or if she were any more obsessed with pretty faces—she might’ve believed him.
She carefully stepped back, her mind flooding with crime news scenarios.
Better not engage.
Seeing her fear, the man pulled out a business card from the inside of his coat.
“I’m the chairman of Jiangyun Technology Group. My name is Gu Qing.”
“Miss Ming Ming, you can search my identity online.”
Gu Qing handed her the business card and chuckled lightly, sounding a bit regretful.
“I thought going on TV a few times for interviews might make my face more recognizable.”
Wow, this guy’s got a big ego.
Ming Ming pulled out her phone and searched for “Jiangyun Technology Group Gu Qing.”
There was a profile page.
And several financial news interviews.
He actually looked pretty impressive.
He was even on the Forbes rich list…
Wait.
Which list???
Ming Ming stared at the man on her phone, then looked up at the man in front of her.
They really did look like the same person.
Gu Qing still seemed unwilling to accept reality and asked hesitantly, “You really haven’t seen any of those interviews?”
Ming Ming decisively shook her head.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152