[I get it! She’s planning to sell the sunglasses Fu Ying just gave her!]
[So ruthless, despicable!]
[Fu Ying misjudged her. How could she have such a gold-digging friend?]
In the production room, even Wang Weilin was taken aback. “Is this how Li Yue raised his daughter?”
“No way. Father never let Li Yanqi want for anything,” Liang Mengjia quickly denied. Though the audience was currently tearing into Li Yanqi, she found it odd.
Li Yanqi had always carried herself with an air of calm elegance in any setting. Despite being groomed by Li Yue with countless accolades from a young age, accepting someone’s gift only to immediately sell it second-hand was something she wouldn’t have even considered before.
Actors lying in the AI pods entered the drama’s world without awareness, but their thoughts and behavior patterns should remain consistent with their real-world personalities.
Li Yanqi, she…
“Maybe it’s her penniless nature showing,” Wang Weilin said, setting down his cup with a dismissive comment.
On the screen, the “penniless” Li Yanqi closed her laptop, pulled an expensive watch from her sweatpants pocket, and tossed it into her bag along with the diamond-encrusted sunglasses.
Then, she took out an ordinary flip phone and made a call.
“Yes, Uncle Zhang, I need to head out now. Buzz me when you’re here,” Li Yanqi said, half-reclining on her bed, speaking to the driver on the other end.
Li Yanqi was indeed frugal. When her phone rang shortly after, she immediately hung up after seeing the caller ID—because in this world, answering calls cost money.
Her money… couldn’t be wasted on such things.
A spotless black sedan pulled up under the shade of a tree at Nancheng University’s back gate, Li Yanqi’s usual pickup spot.
“Miss Li, are we heading to Xinchengde again?” Driver Zhang confirmed, noting how frequently she’d been going there lately.
“Yes, and after that, please take me to Jinyuan,” Li Yanqi replied, then closed her eyes to rest, looking utterly exhausted.
When the driver dropped her off, the audience learned what Xinchengde was: a high-end store in Nancheng’s most upscale mall, specializing in buying, selling, appraising, and collecting luxury goods.
At the entrance, two young women wearing white gloves and impeccable hairstyles spotted Li Yanqi, dressed in a grey tracksuit, from afar. Their eyes lit up without a trace of disdain—clearly, they knew her.
“Welcome, Miss Li,” the woman on the left said with a refined smile, both gesturing for her to enter.
Li Yanqi nodded with a smile and walked inside.
“Miss Li, you’re here,” a young man in a white shirt and black pants said cheerfully from behind the counter.
“Boss Qin, take a look at these two items and tell me how much they’re worth,” Li Yanqi said, nodding. She pulled two items, wrapped in crumpled white plastic bags—one printed with the red words “Qiaotou Pancakes”—from her backpack and casually tossed them onto the glass counter.
A flicker of pity crossed Qin Yuan’s eyes, but he carefully opened the bags and placed the items on a black velvet tray with both hands.
“Miss Li’s packaging is, as always, quite… down-to-earth,” Qin Yuan said, examining the two valuable items closely.
Li Yanqi rubbed her nose, feigning embarrassment.
In this world, luxury goods were mere props to her. With the apocalypse looming, she couldn’t care less about appearances.
“Miss Li, based on the market value and Xinchengde’s second-hand item policies, these Baoxiangge sunglasses are worth 110,000 yuan. As for this custom Naples Queen watch…”
Li Yanqi felt a twinge of disappointment when she heard the sunglasses were only worth 110,000 yuan, but when Qin Yuan revealed the price of the unremarkable-looking watch, she was genuinely shocked.
The watch was worth 1.72 million yuan!
Seeing her surprise, Qin Yuan’s mood lightened. He patiently explained the watch’s value and the current exchange rate calculations.
“I understand. Just transfer the money to my card later,” Li Yanqi said, forcing herself to listen to his explanation before casually brushing it off and hurrying to the restroom.
[Can a protagonist like this actually finish the drama? Is there something wrong with her character?]
[Strongly suggest replacing the lead. Fu Ying would be perfect.]
[This makes it interesting! Maybe Li Yanqi will self-destruct in a few episodes.]
[Not necessarily. Judging by how people treat her, I’m keeping an open mind.]
[…]
Li Yanqi knew she was likely being torn apart by the god’s-eye-view audience, but she was too busy in the restroom, rapidly issuing commands on her phone to care.
She couldn’t let the audience realize she knew the plot. Her rebirth was already fantastical enough; if they discovered she was aware of the impending apocalypse, her plans might unravel.
Besides… tanking her likability now would make the later plot twists more impactful, wouldn’t it?
When Li Yanqi emerged, Qin Yuan was still meticulously examining the watch, occasionally letting out a soft sigh.
“Too perfect, even as a second-hand item!”
Seeing his engrossed state, Li Yanqi didn’t disturb him. She had other matters to attend to.
The drive to Jinyuan Villa took about an hour and a half. Fu Ying’s family cars were all high-end, incredibly comfortable, and Li Yanqi caught up on sleep until Driver Zhang woke her upon arrival.
“Thank you, Uncle Zhang. Sorry to trouble you again,” Li Yanqi said.
“Miss Li, you’re too polite. I was hired by the Fu family to serve you—it’s my job,” Zhang replied with a smile.
[I’m starting to think the protagonist isn’t just some opportunist… She’s polite to everyone.]
[No, no, I’m jealous now. I want a best friend like Fu Ying!!!]
[Same, I need a rich bestie!]
[I can’t take it—I’m tagging my best friend to watch this drama!]
The comments were veering off course. Liang Mengjia grew increasingly puzzled. Why was Li Yanqi so close to Fu Ying? And why was Fu Ying so devoted, giving her gifts and even a driver?
“Mr. Wang, I’m going to check Fu Ying’s profile,” Liang Mengjia said, standing to leave.
“No need to check her,” Wang Weilin said, eyes on the screen.
“Why not?” Liang Mengjia asked, confused.
“Because she’s about to die soon—in the drama, of course,” Wang Weilin laughed heartily.