TFRLTOP Chapter 19 Part 1

Chapter 19 The CEO’s Little Side Dish 

◎ Autumn Breeze, Falling Leaves, Muscled Men, and Getting Caught ◎

The thought of grad school was still just a hazy illusion in Ming Ming’s mind, but her money-making ventures were booming. Miss He Lu had become her number one client, enthusiastically promoting her in her little rich-lady circle.

Within a month, Ming Ming had closed seven or eight deals, raking in over a million.

Perfect. Even if she didn’t get next month’s sugar baby allowance, she could die without regrets.

Ming Ming really did know how to make money. Her struggles in her past life had honed her ability to sweet-talk people when needed and smooth-talk her way out of trouble. Huo Xiao’s spending was generous—luxury goods were either delivered directly to his home, ordered from catalogues, or modeled by top professionals right in his living room.

As for “purchasing requirements”? She had never even heard of them.

After some asking around, Ming Ming discovered that the wealthy young ladies on campus also had their own financial “tiers.”

Ordinarily, wealthy girls could afford luxury brands, but they hated “required purchases.” To them, these were useless, overpriced items they were forced to buy. Yet if they wanted a coveted piece, they had no choice but to buy those extras to build “points.” Otherwise, the saleslady would smile sweetly and say, Sorry, dear, we’re out of stock on that item right now.

As a poor scrub turned sudden nouveau riche, Ming Ming sympathized with them. So she provided access to high-end items without any required purchases.

For the wealthier crowd who didn’t care about “extras,” scarves and throw pillows were just everyday goods, and the unwanted handbags were perfect for their housekeepers to carry while grocery shopping. For this type of client, Ming Ming sold not just products but also “emotional value”—the thrill of scoring a bargain.

Luxury blind boxes at dirt-cheap prices, with a sky-high winning rate for the first three times. Adrenaline pumping. Then she’d gradually lower the winning odds and add a guaranteed fallback prize.

Using capitalist tricks to fleece the children of capitalists.

The truth was undeniable: human nature was the same everywhere. Nobody could resist the gamble.

As for families on the same level as the Huo family, the kind that got exclusive home deliveries from brands, Ming Ming stayed far away from them. She didn’t want to embarrass Huo Xiao.

Had it never occurred to her that she was embarrassing the Huo family in front of everyone else?

Apparently not.

Very few people had recognized Fifth Master Huo that day, and the rumors that did spread stayed within a small circle. Inside that circle, only He Lu and her friends shopped with Ming Ming. For everyone else, the incident felt more like a campus ghost story.

Meanwhile, with the system’s endless nagging in her ear, Ming Ming had tried tripping up Ye Weiran a few times. Every attempt ended in bizarre failure.

Like deliberately holding her up in conversation so she missed the cafeteria’s last meal, only for a campus sales rep to turn up with two ridiculously delicious new pastries to give her.

Or stealing her handwritten homework—only for it to save Ye Weiran from embarrassment, since she had actually done the wrong assignment.

“Wow, losing that homework was perfect timing. I almost made a total fool of myself!” Ye Weiran said with lingering fear.

Ming Ming: “……”

The system refused to admit defeat. The more this happened, the more it urged Ming Ming to “keep at it.”

And now, the heroine and the supporting female had developed what seemed like a very close relationship (at least, from Ye Weiran’s perspective).

Ye Weiran thought Chu Yun was warm-hearted, loyal, and soft inside despite her sharp tongue—just a bit tsundere, always pretending to be bad when she wasn’t.

Maybe, Ye Weiran thought, that was her way of protecting herself. Opposite from her own people-pleasing personality.

Ming Ming: Your Honor, I swear I’m innocent…

Honestly, she hoped she’d succeed just once. The system’s nagging day and night was driving her crazy.

“System, look at this. Does this seem humanly possible to you?” she complained bitterly.

The system was speechless too, but it still passed the buck: “All of this stems from your very first failure to spill that glass of wine properly!”

“Give it up. This is the heroine’s plot armor. Someone like me—the evil side character—couldn’t hurt her even if I tried.” Ming Ming tried to reason with it.

“Don’t get cocky. Cause and effect can’t be changed. The heroine gets smooth sailing all the way to the top. You, on the other hand, will still have to suffer when the time comes.”

Ming Ming: …You son of a—!

When the autumn wind began sweeping the leaves, something earth-shattering happened in S City’s high society.

The Ye family of the southern district had found their long-lost granddaughter.

No matter how tangled the timelines were, the worldline always snapped back on track.

Which meant Ming Ming’s good days were numbered.

She heard the news while sitting wrapped in a light cashmere blanket on the Huo family’s garden swing, watching the gardener prune the plants. Her gaze was melancholy, tinged with regret.

“You’re upset?”

“Of course,” Ming Ming said weakly. “Soon I won’t get to see this muscle-bound hunk trimming branches anymore…”

“Autumn came too soon. In summer, they didn’t wear so many clothes.”

“They’re strong and fit. What’s the harm in showing a little more skin?”

The system: “……”

“You’re not worried about your future?”

“You already said it—no matter what happens, I’ll still get tormented when my turn comes. What’s the point in struggling?”

She tucked her head down, the soft wool blanket giving her a little comfort.

“One day at a time. One day, as a side character, one day of suffering.”

“Live each day like it’s the last.”

“Storms—come at me harder!”

Ming Socrates Ming reached out to catch a drifting leaf, and in that instant, it felt like every branch, every leaf in the autumn wind became her over-the-top philosophical symbols.

“See, in a scene like this, don’t I look particularly pitiful?”

“How old are you?” the system rolled its eyes massively in her head.