Chapter 8: The Overbearing CEO’s White Lotus (Part 8)

After leaving the bar, Lin Qingyin quickly noticed the stir Yu Liuxue was causing online. She felt a tinge of helplessness, thinking she had been too lenient with Yu Liuxue earlier that afternoon because she still had the energy to cause trouble at home.

Having retweeted the promotional poster and handled her business, Lin Qingyin rushed back home as quickly as she could.

Yu Liuxue lay sprawled out on the sofa without a care for her image, munching on an ice cream while engrossed in a novel. She was so absorbed that she didn’t realize Lin Qingyin had come back until a shadow blocked her light.

Death glare.jpg.

Yu Liuxue: “…”

She quickly set down the novel and took the ice cream out of her mouth, blinking innocently, and softly called, “Qingyin.”

Lin Qingyin seized the ice cream and threw it into the trash, saying, “If you’re not feeling well, don’t eat cold foods. Dampness in your body is why you feel low energy every night.”

But, isn’t nighttime the right time for sleeping? Feeling low energy then is normal, right?

Yu Liuxue could only mutter silently to herself, certainly not bold enough to say it in front of Lin Qingyin. Lin Qingyin set her phone aside, “I had just gone to meet Yao Yishu.”

Yao Yishu—Lin Qingyin mentioning him almost made her forget about him entirely.

“Yishu… brother…”

Yu Liuxue had just begun when Lin Qingyin cast a light, chilly gaze her way, full of murderous intent. Yu Liuxue quickly shut up, thinking, weren’t you the one who brought him up?

“If Yao Yishu bothers you again, just call the police.”

Such a ruthless woman.

Yu Liuxue tilted her head, her long hair cascading down her neck, making her skin look fair and translucent. Lin Qingyin’s gaze dimmed, and Yu Liuxue thought, oh no. She was about to get up and run, but Lin Qingyin hugged her tight, asking in a nonchalant tone, “Where are you going?”

“My legs are sore, just changing position.”

Lin Qingyin gave her a deep look but didn’t call her out on the lie.

Yu Liuxue originally thought that Lin Qingyin wouldn’t go as far as to cut ties with Yao Yishu, but now Lin Qingyin’s attitude was clearly treating Yao Yishu as an enemy.

“If Lin Qingyin hates Yao Yishu so much, they definitely won’t end up together, right?”

At least Lin Qingyin wouldn’t entertain the thought. Whether Yao Yishu had given up was still uncertain. Seeing the task was close to completion, Yu Liuxue decided to play one last exciting card and deal with the Yao Yishu issue decisively.

“Love System, list out all the wild flowers Yao Yishu has dallied with over the years.”

Yao Yishu was a man, an extremely restless man at that. Even when he was betrothed to Du Qingwu years ago, he frequently got involved with other women, one day with a female celebrity, the next with an heiress. For this, the original owner had quietly grieved for a long time, even lowering herself to pay off the mistresses to leave Yao Yishu.

How pitiful.

Just a man, if he’s disobedient, just kick him to the curb and find a new one.

The system efficiently compiled a list of over a hundred, and Yu Liuxue clicked her tongue in surprise, laughing, “I wonder if the original owner knew how many people her ex-fiancé cheated with. Would she be furious enough to climb out of her coffin and fight Yao Yishu?”

The system thought, not climbing out of her coffin, but possibly furious enough to dissipate into ashes.

Once Lin Qingyin was asleep, Yu Liuxue lay beside her and began checking through the list one by one. By morning, Yu Liuxue had identified over ten women who got pregnant after being with Yao Yishu. Some were newly pregnant, some about to give birth, and the oldest child was already in kindergarten.

Yu Liuxue genuinely felt that single mothers had it tough. While the father enjoyed the good life of the upper class, the child often had to suffer at home complaining about soupy porridge, being pointed and ridiculed by classmates for not having a dad.

And these pregnant women had to take care of themselves while handling societal gossip, truly pitiful!

From now on, my name is Yu Lei Feng¹ (a reference to doing good deeds)!

Yu Liuxue planned to resolve everything by day’s end.

Recently, Lin Qingyin’s company had offered her a role in a new project, a promising script she was seriously considering. So, while Lin Qingyin was out, Yu Liuxue also got herself dressed up to visit her former rivals in love door to door.

Many women had been paid off and threatened by Qingwu in the past, so seeing her lowering herself to visit their rundown rental homes, the more fiery-tempered ones couldn’t help but throw snarky comments her way. Yu Liuxue listened with a gentle smile, unbothered by it, and eventually, when they had no more words, one woman eyed her sideways, “What do you want? Little old me can’t accommodate someone of your stature.”

The first woman Yu Liuxue visited was Ji Xian, a fiery, spiky single mother. Qingwu once tossed a million at Ji Xian to leave Yao Yishu. Seeing the money, Ji Xian accepted immediately. However, at the time, Ji Xian had discovered she was pregnant, so she didn’t abort. Instead, she planned to use the child to extort more money from Yao Yishu, intending to toss the child to the Yao family and escape to enjoy life with the money.

Ji Xian had it all planned out; she just didn’t expect Yao Yishu’s former fiancée to come knocking.

She sternly sent her child to their room, squinting as she scrutinized Yu Liuxue suspiciously, “What now, offering money to keep me from Yao Yishu again?”

Yu Liuxue chuckled and shook her head, “You guessed wrong.”

“I’m here to help you.”

Ji Xian clearly didn’t believe her, “Help me? Since when are you so kind-hearted?”

Unaffected, Yu Liuxue calmly said, “Next month is the Yao patriarch’s seventieth birthday. All the elites will be there. What do you think would happen if Yao’s children were presented then?”

Ji Xian faltered. The wealthy value face; if she brought the child in front of all those elites, not only would the Yao family have to formally accept the child, but they’d also have to do so promptly to avoid gossip. The Yao family would certainly be generous in paying to settle things…

Seeing Ji Xian’s resolve waver, Yu Liuxue smiled broadly and left an invitation, “This is all I can help with.”

Though she doubted Yu Liuxue’s motives, the perfect opportunity was right in front of her, and Ji Xian wasn’t going to let it slip. She quickly accepted the invitation, snorted, “Last time you paid upfront, so this time I’ll reluctantly trust you. Tell me, what do you need from me?”

“It’s simple, just create a scene at the patriarch’s birthday banquet. The bigger, the better.”

Ji Xian laughed heartily, “Deal.”

Having visited Ji Xian, Yu Liuxue proceeded to visit the remaining women on the list one by one. As soon as they heard there was money involved, they immediately accepted the invitation.

“Dare to covet my woman, Yao Yishu? I’ll make sure you’re unmarried yet surrounded by kids.”

The system shivered all over; what a ruthless woman.

Who would dare marry Yao Yishu then? Marry Yao Yishu, and before you know it, while you still have no children of your own, you’d be mothering a horde of bastard kids. If you have a daughter, that’s fine, but if it’s a son, and there are all these competitors vying for family assets, who could endure that?

Being a stepmom is hard; being a real mom is harder.

The moment Yu Liuxue stepped back through the door, Lin Qingyin’s cool voice rang from behind her, “Where did you go?”

Yu Liuxue turned, beaming, “I went to prepare a surprise for you.”

Lin Qingyin paused, then restrained herself and let a small smile play on her face, “No need for all that.”

Deep down, she really anticipates it, huh, that hypocritical woman.

As Yu Liuxue eagerly awaited the Yao patriarch’s seventieth birthday to arrive, the reality show finally aired. Before the premiere, Lin Qingyin and Qingwu’s fans clashed vehemently, causing an uproar, and with Yu Liuxue constantly stirring the pot with her side accounts, the show’s ratings shot past three almost instantly and kept climbing.

Lin Qingyin specifically took time off to accompany Yu Liuxue for the premiere.

In the show, the guests arrived at the airport, and since the original owner saw Lin Qingyin as a rival, she wasn’t very nice. Lin Qingyin, on the other hand, remained composed and indifferent, not bothered by Qingwu. Yet, the producers, needing drama to survive, highlighted their mood subtly, adding the subtitle—“Rivals meet?”

“How can Qingwu be so full of herself?! Daring to give my Qingyin attitude.”

“Lin Qingyin doesn’t seem bothered, yet you fans can’t let it go, filling the air with chaos. Can’t people watch the show in peace?”

“There are no bystanders in fan wars, those claiming to be should shut up.”

Yu Liuxue enjoyed the show and browsed the forums, seeing both sides flare up again, dragging passers-by in. Annoyed, she sprinted a digital 800 meters to voice her thoughts: “Qingwu and Lin Qingyin are both trash! Green tea white lotuses² from the universe!”

Qingwu fans: “?”

Lin Qingyin fans: “!”

Where’s this stray coming from? Too much!

Just as Yu Liuxue prepared to stir up some real chaos, her phone was snatched away. She looked up pitifully, “Qingyin…”

Lin Qingyin took her phone and said expressionlessly, “Focus on watching the show, don’t get distracted.”

Stripped of her fun, Yu Liuxue could only drowsily yawn while staring at the TV. The show lasted just over two hours, and throughout, Qingwu spent the majority looking sourly at Lin Qingyin. Lin Qingyin fans were enraged, you shameless white lotus!

Qingwu fans were also mad, accusing the show of malicious editing!

Meanwhile, the subjects of the storm were untroubled, even hoping they could catch some sleep.

The show ended with Yu Liuxue, playing Qingwu, using an excuse of discomfort to seek Lin Qingyin’s help.

Lin Qingyin fans: “Ugh! What happened to that bravado during the day? When feeling unwell, you seek our Qingyin, huh?”

Admittedly, cutting off at this point left viewers anxious, especially with the next episode’s teaser showing more of their spat, in line with the show’s love for drama. This caused ripples, with fans protesting the show’s official blog.

“Please cut out Lin Qingyin/Du Qingwu’s scenes, will you?”

As for the audience: Wow, what a juicy episode! The plot twists and turns are riveting, a contender for this year’s top drama showdown! Keep it up, don’t stop!

Lin Qingyin finally returned Yu Liuxue’s phone, and the first thing Yu Liuxue did was tweet: “Today’s episode was too thrilling, left me wanting more.”

Fans: “?” Celebrity, wake up! You’re being creatively edited maliciously by the show yet still in the mood to post?

Lin Qingyin turned off the TV and took Yu Liuxue by the hand, “Let’s go.”

No need to say where they were headed.

---

Notes:

1. Yu Lei Feng (伪雷锋) refers to people who pretend to be selfless or virtuous but actually have ulterior motives. The term is a play on Lei Feng (雷锋), a Chinese soldier known for his supposed selflessness and dedication to helping others, often used as a propaganda figure.
   “Yu” (伪) means “fake” or “pretend,” so Yu Lei Feng describes hypocrites who act noble or charitable for personal gain, attention, or social validation rather than genuine kindness. It is often used to mock insincere influencers, celebrities, or public figures who stage good deeds for publicity. ↩︎
2. Green tea (绿茶, lǜchá) and white lotus (白莲花, báiliánhuā) both refer to manipulative women, but they have subtle differences:
   Green tea (绿茶, green tea bitch/绿茶婊): A woman who pretends to be innocent, pure, and sweet while actually being cunning and scheming. She often uses her “soft” and “harmless” image to manipulate others, especially men, for personal gain.
   White lotus (白莲花): A woman who appears extremely kind, virtuous, and morally superior but secretly plays the victim and engages in backstabbing. Unlike a green tea girl, a white lotus often weaponizes pity and innocence rather than seduction.
   “Green tea white lotuses” (绿茶白莲) is a fusion of both, describing someone who combines the seductive cunning of a green tea girl with the fake virtue of a white lotus. It’s a term for highly manipulative and deceptive individuals who disguise their true nature under layers of false innocence. ↩︎