“It looks like you are doing pretty well now.”
Thanks to the income she got from this work, Xu Qian now owned more than one hundred lipsticks, not to mention her myriad skincare products, clothes, handbags, and shoes. Although Zhang Heng was unfamiliar with those brands, all he needed to do was to search them up on the Internet, and he would find out the approximate prices of those items. There was no doubt that these were luxury goods.
The price of a small lipstick was equivalent to a month’s living expenses for those who lived at the bottom level.
It seemed that no matter which timeline he was in, women were always fond of this kind of thing.
“Since we are talking about your friend, can you briefly introduce the relationship of other people in your life to me? Your parents, relatives, spouse, and competitors at work.” Zhang Heng continued to ask.
“Okay,” Xu Qian nodded, “You should know that New Shanghai 0297 was completed only 30 years ago. This is an extremely new city. Compared with the overpopulated earth, this place is full of opportunities. So, I, like the other youths who came to earn more money, came over here with my sister after saving enough money for the tickets.”
“So, you have a sister here?”
“Yes, a distant cousin. We studied in the same school when we were young. We shared a good friendship. However, ever since the company recruited me, I became more and more famous. After moving out of the bottom level, we almost stopped contacting each other.”
“Does the difference in class between you both make her feel inferior?”
“Well… personally, I think it’s more than just jealousy.” Xu Qian shrugged. “At that time, the scout was looking at other girls too, including my distant cousin. However, only one of us would be recruited. You can imagine what happened after that. I defeated other competitors, got this job, and moved up from the bottom level. Unfortunately, other people weren’t as lucky as me, my cousin included. They had to stay on at the bottom level of this city.”
While talking, Xu Qian took off her contact lenses and fake eyelashes. And her hair gradually returned to its previous color—black.
“The problem is that there may be some differences between the views of two people on this matter. In my opinion, most of the time, opportunities will not deliver to your doorstep. It always comes with competition. You need to fight hard for it. The position I am in today is what I strive for. I pay and get rewarded. This is how society works, but my cousin obviously doesn’t think so. She thinks that if I’m not there, then she would be the winner.
“Everything I have today, my clothes, my apartment, my lipstick, and perfume—these apparently also belong to her. She feels I am a thief who stole her life from her. Therefore, we had a big quarrel the night before I moved out of the bottom level of this city. After that, we stayed out of each other’s life.”
“Do you think she might be the one following you then?” Zhang Heng asked.
“Her? Impossible.” Xu Qian shook her head. “She doesn’t know where I live, and even if she did, she lacks the courage to do so. She is just a pathetic woman who complains about everything. In the beginning, when we worked as waitresses at the small restaurant, she didn’t even dare speak out after the boss took advantage of her.”
“Understood.”
“As for spouses, getting married means retiring in our line of business. Once the news spreads, the streamers will lose many fans, especially those streamers that play innocent. Streamers like that could possibly lose all their fans in one night.” Xu Qian hesitated at this point and finally said, “But I am in a relationship with someone. Please keep this a secret.”
“Hmm?”
“He has a small factory that specializes in researching sensors or something… Ah, I am not familiar with these things. Anyway, all those high-tech gadgets look the same to me before they leave the factory,” Xu Qian said, “The most important thing is that he lives on the fourth level in this city. We met through my stream. At that time, he rewarded me with a lot of money… It really was a lot of money. Although I’m quite famous in this line, no one has rewarded me with the kind of money he did. And after that, he subscribed to my VIP membership. We talked for the whole night, and we said lots of stupid things. Unlike others, I don’t feel tired talking to him. That’s how we met.
“Since then, he bought a couple more chat services. We talked more and more. Then one day, he asked to meet up with me. I agreed to it. He drove here to pick me up. We went to an extremely fancy and expensive French restaurant on the fourth level. And then we went to watch a symphony performance. I didn’t understand what those guys were doing on the stage. No one sang. It was just a group of people playing musical instruments nonstop. But I guess it was a perfect date. It was probably the kind of date that all girls dream of.”
Xu Qian picked up the filled teapot and poured the tea into her cup. She then continued, “He is quite decent. Although he is ten years older than me, a little out of shape, and he likes to brag, at least he has a good temper, and he is funny too. Living at the fourth level. Huh… I know what you are thinking. This woman got into a relationship with him because of his money.”
“I never judge the life choices of others,” Zhang Heng said calmly.
“It doesn’t matter.” Xu Qian drank a sip of tea, “It’s about money anyway. The main reason I choose to be with him is because of his money. Although my work allows me to earn a lot of money, I can only work until a certain age. I have to make a plan for my future, especially now that the number of viewers in my stream has been declining. I don’t want to go back to work at the small restaurant at the bottom level. I want to marry him. Although I can’t make money through streaming anymore, I can at least move to the fourth level and become a rich wife. I have been to his residence. He has a small independent villa right by the lake. it’s got a great view, and it’s very different from the first to the third level. At the fourth level, there are four seasons.”
Xu Qian closed her eyes, “Now, imagine that in summer, we can get on a boat at the lake and stop in the middle of the lake when we are tired. I can rest on his lap. At night, we can barbecue a meal by the lake…”
“Sounds good.”
“Yes, this is the life I want.” Xu Qian opened her eyes with a smile on her face, “I’ll tell you another secret. In fact, he has already proposed to me, but I haven’t said yes to him yet. That’s how a man works. If they get what they want too easily, they will not cherish it. I told him that I want to think about it first. It just so happens that he has to attend a business meeting on earth. All my problems will be solved if I move in with him, and I wouldn’t need to hire a bodyguard to protect me.”
