Even then, William was dumbfounded by Ling Qingyu's list of companies. From a single entity, she had far outgrown what he had anticipated—and much faster than expected.
His already waning appetite completely disappeared. He put down his utensils and gazed at Ling Qingyu with wide eyes.
"Ling, your success is enough to fill a best-selling book," William praised.
Ling Qingyu chuckled and denied it calmly. She knew her success already existed, but Miss System's assistance had intensified and accelerated the process to an imasurable degree.
Wealth—yes. Connections and networks—gradually, as she expanded her enterprises and contended with opposing interests.
Arms and her current level of control—not at all. Frankly, it would have taken at least a dozen years to barely reach her present position on her own.
For that, she was deeply grateful for Miss System's contribution—the multiversal being that had helped her achieve her vision and protect her.
"Far from that. It's just luck and opportunity. I'm no different from others," Ling Qingyu replied.
"Luck is also part of strength," William said.
A knock interrupted them, and the door swung open. Ling Qingyu already knew the visitor—Astrid, her classmate.
Ling Qingyu inhaled deeply as her eyes fell on the approaching golden retriever. Well, calling her cute was a bit of an exaggeration.
Dressed in a professional grayish-brown suit, an office-style shirt with a white underlayer, and a fitted long gray skirt, her figure and beauty hadn't changed in the slightest since Ling Qingyu rembered—aside from a more mature temperant.
A pair of blue eyes and golden hair cascading down her back, an alluring straight nose, and beautiful lips—Ling Qingyu had never expected her forr classmate to beco so stunning.
Her figure supple and curvaceous almost making Ling Qingyu pity Astrid why simping over a man. Only sa sex ushered in true love.
Too bad, she was never ant to be hers. This one was absolutely straight.
Standing up, Ling Qingyu called out joyfully, "Astrid. What are you standing there for? Co here."
Yes, Ling Qingyu would never admit she had once been jealous when this beautiful lady had her eyes completely on William.
Look at that bastard—smug yet distant. How dare he treat her goddess-like classmate that way?
Xiao Yue clicked her tongue after sensing soone's unusual enthusiasm. The other two in the room assud her delight stemd purely from the reunion.
"Ah—Qing… Qingyu. Hi. It's been a while," Astrid replied with a hint of estrangent. Yes, Astrid, who had once been more familiar with her, addressed her properly, unlike William, who simply used her first na—and Ling Qingyu hadn't bothered to correct him.
Regardless of Astrid's deeper opinion of her, in front of a beautiful woman, Ling Qingyu didn't mind any offense and stepped forward. Without hesitation, she closed the distance and launched her attack.
"Long ti no see, Astrid. I've missed you a lot." Ling Qingyu hugged the stunned Astrid, whose hands hung awkwardly in the air.
Whether that last sentence was true or not, it was the essence of her tactics, Ling Qingyu thought smugly.
She pulled Astrid close enough that planets collided— there was barely any space between them, rubbing her back slowly down along her spine to her waist, back and forth, as she breathed in the faint fragrance at her friend's neck.
Xiao Yue slapped both palms against her face and covered her eyes. As expected of this bastard to take advantage—she couldn't bear to watch.
However, William's eyes lit up with delight. Although he liked Ling Qingyu, the sight of two girls in such close intimacy brought him unmistakable enjoynt.
"Qingyu, you're hugging too tight. Let go," Astrid gasped, trying to push her away, but the other woman's strength was monstrous. She couldn't move her even an inch.
"Nope. Unless you properly love dearly, I won't let go." Ling Qingyu made a shaless declaration. anwhile, she silently cursed her predecessor for throwing away such a beauty just for a man. Hmph.
If her predecessor could hear her complaint, a rebuttal would have struck back instantly—at least she wasn't a polygamous pervert targeting every beautiful woman she saw.
Astrid sighed helplessly, losing all asures against her shaless friend. In her eyes, Ling Qingyu had indeed changed so much that she could barely recognize her.
Where was the usual stern, serious, low-EQ girlfriend? If not for the cold aura still engraved in her bones, she might have thought soone was impersonating her.
So Ling Qingyu wasn't showing off or provoking her? Astrid wondered in confusion, recalling her irritation when she had received an email out of the blue from Ling Qingyu, informing her of a etup with William—and inviting her along. It appeared she had to discern carefully.
"My dear Astrid, why so stiff? Have a seat." Ling Qingyu pulled her into the chair closest to her, preventing Astrid from moving toward William.
"Ling, that's not fair. You give Astrid a hug but reject our friendship?" William complained, suppressing the slight discomfort from not having told Astrid about the eting. Indeed, he had inford her that Ling Qingyu was already in Country A—but not about today's etup.
"Hmph, can you even compare? One is a lousy man, the other is a fragrant supermodel." Ling Qingyu retorted, grasping Astrid's forearm.
She then introduced Xiao Yue, whose eyes shot her a blaming look. Ling Qingyu decided to ignore it.
Ling Qingyu's warmth rendered Astrid speechless, and she responded numbly to her words. She hadn't sensed the slightest strain in her relationship with Ling Qingyu.
It seed she was the only one who had taken things too far and too seriously. In truth, Astrid felt grateful that Ling Qingyu had inford her.
Thinking of the frenemy who had emailed her, Astrid's heart turned sour. The one she admired hadn't given any regard to her feelings at all.
Wait—was Ling Qingyu's goal to create antagonism between her and him?
Fortunately, despite her powerful intuition, Ling Qingyu possessed no psychic ability to read minds. Otherwise, she might have been flabbergasted by such a love-struck train of thought.
Still, Ling Qingyu felt a trace of annoyance at Astrid's simping. Not that she cared about standards or comparisons between partners. But as far as she knew from their university days, Astrid wasn't a simple character.
Having immigrated from the Alyssia Continent to study here, Astrid's family background was exceptionally strong. Just how strong remained unseen, and Ling Qingyu wasn't interested in using Athena's power to pry into it.
Nonetheless, Astrid's surna alone was powerful—and long enough to intimidate anyone. So long, in fact, that Ling Qingyu could barely rember the nas that followed Astrid except for one part: von.
Yes, that von—with its old, traditional aristocratic flavor. Just by the na alone, Ling Qingyu believed her mother's Roux lineage paled in comparison.
So technically, from a rational perspective, William wasn't worth the prize at all. However, love was never purely rational. That much she understood and didn't dwell on right or wrong. It was just Ling Qingyu's urge to slap soone out of envy—for attracting a powerful and beautiful princess.
Not to ntion, Astrid might have escaped from those rigid rules and etiquettes on purpose because of William, choosing to live "diocrely" for his sake.
An aristocratic lady falling for a common man and seeking to grow together. A pity—it was rely her own wishful thinking.
The trio avoided deeper topics and instead reminisced about their university years—an age still innocent and shielded from life's heavier burdens. Among the conversation, only Xiao Yue noticed Ling Qingyu's subtle behavior of initiating topics and deliberately drawing Astrid's attention whenever the latter's gaze seed to drift toward William.
Suddenly, William ntioned a na that sounded both familiar and unfamiliar to Ling Qingyu.
"Who's Kate?" she asked.
William's mouth fell open before he sighed. "I feel sorry for Kate, having a classmate like you."
Even Astrid rubbed her forehead. Seeing their defeated reactions, Ling Qingyu blushed. "Is everything alright with her? What happened? You're making nervous."
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