Before the two grandfathers’ carefully selected male secretaries arrived, Song Tianyang’s thesis was progressing in an orderly fashion.
For Chi Zhiqing, tutoring her with the thesis was a piece of cake, so he focused more of his attention on observing His Majesty.
“Your Majesty, I’ve noticed you’re completely capable of finishing a high-level thesis on your own. The lack of progress before—could it have been—”
The word “laziness” reached Chi Zhiqing’s lips.
It lingered there for a moment before he rejected it.
How could he so casually attach a negative label to His Majesty?
“I can never really calm down and focus on one thing. It’s fine when I’m working odd jobs, maybe I’m just born for daily gigs—work one day, play for three,” Song Tianyang recalled, “I’ve had this problem since I was a kid. My mom never thought I’d make it to college.”
She was sick of hearing comments like “severe procrastination” and “short attention span.”
It was as if there was a grid slicer in her brain, chopping her focus into scattered fragments, her thoughts so light that a breeze could scatter them like a sky full of stars.
With Chi Zhiqing supervising her around the clock, her efficiency soared.
After confirming her progress with her advisor, another WeChat message popped up. Song Tianyang stared at the screen for a moment, then turned to him and said, “I’m covering a late shift for a friend tonight, so I won’t be coming back.”
Her contact list was filled almost entirely with friends she’d met through part-time work.
Whenever she couldn’t get time off but really couldn’t make it, she’d find a friend who was free to cover her shift—a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Ever since she ascended the throne with the hundred-yuan Imperial Jade Seal, Song Tianyang hadn’t worked any odd jobs.
But none of the resumes she’d sent out had gotten any replies.
“Even though I don’t need to work part-time for money anymore, this friend has helped me a lot before, so I have to go.”
She explained to Chi Zhiqing.
Even though he never boasted about his background, a person’s wealth or poverty couldn’t really be hidden; it showed in their every gesture and spending habits. She figured Chi Zhiqing probably didn’t understand her behavior.
But he nodded in understanding. “It’s late. I’ll go with you.”
“Taking a little brother to a part-time job?”
Song Tianyang refused to let him tag along, telling him to rest at the hotel. She promised to bring back some fried rice in the morning: “The fried rice sold by the stalls on Xiangxi Road is top-notch—fragrant but not greasy. Just wait and eat!”
She walked for a full five minutes outside the hotel before finally finding a shared bike.
The Xiangxi Road area in Hucheng wasn’t a place for normal people to live.
From one end of the street to the other, deafening music blared out of every bar. Song Tianyang had even considered setting up a stall here to sell instant noodles if she couldn’t find a job—pulling an all-nighter, since the handsome guys and pretty girls with upset stomachs from drinking wouldn’t hesitate to pay extra for a steaming hot bowl of noodles.
Night had fallen over all of Xiangxi Road as she passed through the crowd of flowers and lights, arriving at a quiet bar.
“Boss, I’m here to cover for Xiaosheng.”
She greeted the young woman preparing things at the bar.
The female Store Manager gave her a quick once-over and, satisfied, withdrew her gaze.
“Go change in the back,” she paused, “Xiaosheng said you didn’t want to dress too revealing. I have a set of male bartender uniforms—make do with that.”
Song Tianyang changed into the bartender uniform in the cramped break room.
When she wore women’s clothes, she was a sweet girl; in men’s clothes, after wiping off her makeup, she looked like a boy who hadn’t quite grown up. When she returned to the bar in her work uniform, the Store Manager stared at her for a while, then couldn’t resist reaching out to pinch her face. “Has anyone ever told you your eyes look like a puppy’s?”
Song Tianyang replied, “Store Manager sis, any more pinching and you’ll have to pay.”
“One minute per pinch, how about that?”
The beautiful Store Manager pulled out a wad of cash from her small purse.
Five minutes later, Song Tianyang hadn’t even received her wages for the night, but she already had five hundred yuan in her account.
As the night deepened, the number of customers increased.
Being a server was a physically demanding job. Song Tianyang never worried about her figure—working part-time was pure exercise. Many customers who came for the beautiful Store Manager’s reputation asked about the new server’s name. When they learned she was just covering for a day, they were all disappointed.
While wiping tables, Song Tianyang overheard some customers in the corner muttering, “She looks more like a golden retriever, don’t you think?”
“I think she looks like a beagle…”
“She obviously looks like a shiba inu! How does she look like a beagle!”
“You just don’t understand the cuteness of a beagle at its peak!”
A table full of dog lovers.
Song Tianyang thought.
The bar’s door was pushed open, and two young men with drunken faces walked in, dressed in standard hip-hop street fashion. They made quite a commotion after sitting down, drawing stares from other customers. As Song Tianyang was about to go over and ask if they needed anything, she overheard one of them grumbling, “Damn it, what bad luck. They didn’t even invite us to play. I only didn’t want to cause trouble because I just argued with my dad. Otherwise, do you think I’d be afraid of Tao Sheng? That bastard born of a mistress is even playing with Miss He from the He Family.”
Song Tianyang paused mid-step, quietly changing direction to pretend to wipe a nearby table.
The other man cautioned him to lower his voice. “Tao Sheng’s looking for trouble. Are we supposed to go down with him?”
“What are you afraid of! I heard long ago, she’s not actually the He Family’s Young Miss,” the one wearing coconut slippers sneered, “My mom said so. He Yuan is a fake. Tao Sheng’s been sucking up to a fake for so long he’s gone crazy. Tonight, he’s determined to get her.”
“Even if she’s a fake, she’s been Edward’s sister for years. If Edward finds out afterward, we’re all screwed!”
The coconut slipper guy fell silent.
Both of them were clearly wary of the He Family’s Little Sister.
But for the fake who’d already fallen from grace, there wasn’t much respect left.
By the time Song Tianyang had wiped the nearby table to a shine, she’d heard a whole earful of vulgar gossip—this Tao Sheng was a lunatic in their circle, brain fried from inhaling laughing gas, always getting into trouble, and also a pursuer of He Yuan. After learning that He Yuan was a fake Young Miss, he felt deceived and lured her into a bar’s private room to take revenge.
These two were peripheral members of their circle, not highly regarded.
The taller one was afraid that He Jianshen would come after them if he found out, so they took the opportunity to slip away and drink elsewhere.
Song Tianyang found a moment to go to the restroom and made a WeChat call to Gu Shangyang. “Fiancé, your true love is being set up by someone named Tao Sheng. Hurry to Xiangxi Road and save her.”
She was secretly glad she’d insisted on adding Young Master Gu on WeChat last time.
Unexpectedly, the other end was silent.
“Dude?” Song Tianyang urged.
She still had to get back to serving!
“These days, I’ve realized I only ever saw He Yuan as a sister. You’re my real fiancée. I won’t get involved with He Yuan anymore, don’t worry. I’ll keep my distance.”
Gu Shangyang’s tone was solemn.
In the midst of her busyness, Song Tianyang checked her harem panel—Gu Shangyang’s favorability toward her hadn’t budged an inch. “I’m not here to talk about the engagement. I’m saying your true love He Yuan is being set up! Go save her!”
“Stop testing me,” Gu Shangyang actually chuckled, “I’m really looking forward to the birthday banquet in a couple days. Don’t stay up too late. Tomorrow, I’ll go with you to pick out a dress, okay? Or we could go out to sea. I’ve just gotten a new yacht, fully equipped.”
“……”
In the narrow, cramped restroom, Song Tianyang felt a little short of breath.
She suddenly recalled what Grandfather had said.
Grandfather told her not to care about that Gu kid’s opinion—he’d change his mind in a couple of days. Gu Shangyang was weak and indecisive, his rebellion against his family not even as strong as a picky child’s refusal to eat vegetables. And He Yuan was just a beloved toy he’d abandoned.
To distract him, the Gu Family gave him a new toy—
A beautifully equipped yacht.
But what about He Yuan?
Thinking of what those two had said, Song Tianyang called He Jianshen, but he didn’t pick up. Annoyed, she checked his Moments and saw his latest location was Egypt. The family of three had gone abroad for a father-and-son bonding trip, probably to avoid angering the old man, so the fake Young Miss was left behind.
Song Tianyang gripped her phone.
She hadn’t told any friends about the switched-at-birth incident, but she’d read plenty of web novels about real and fake heiresses.
According to the novels, He Yuan had stolen her life.
But—
She thought of her own mom, feeling that Song Huafeng was much better than He Madam.
If she had to choose a hundred times, she’d still pick her adoptive mother.
A flurry of thoughts crowded in, but at the core, she simply couldn’t stand by while another girl was about to be harmed.
After hanging up on Gu Shangyang, Song Tianyang felt her cold blood start to boil again.
She found an excuse to ask the Store Manager for leave, then called Chi Zhiqing to explain the situation. “I’m the real Young Miss of the He Family. They won’t dare do anything to me, but just in case, I’m sharing my location with you. If anything happens, call the police.”
“I’ll come over now. Wait for me where you are.”
Song Tianyang said, “Okay.”
She agreed readily, but after circling the bar once, she strode right in—
“Sorry, miss, we’re checking looks tonight.”
A security guard stopped her.
“Checking looks? I’m being checked?”
Song Tianyang was shocked.
From head to toe, her modeling was top-tier!
Someone was actually questioning her modeling?
“You’re very pretty, but our boss said no one without makeup or in sportswear can come in,” the guard apologized.
“……”
Song Tianyang stomped back to the bar, begging the beautiful Store Manager to lend her some clothes, then quickly put on some makeup backstage.
The next time she went in, no one stopped her.
The Store Manager’s clothes were cheap, but under the violently flashing lights, they looked mysteriously sexy. She followed the number to the private room the two had mentioned—
“Miss, who are you looking for?”
As Song Tianyang was about to go upstairs, a burly security guard blocked her.
“I’m looking for Tao Sheng,”
Song Tianyang said,
“Tell him I’m here to take my sister home.”
【His Majesty has triggered Achievement: Sage Ancestor’s Benevolence! Imperial Authority +20】
【If His Majesty emulates any Qing Dynasty Emperor within one day and receives System approval, you will be rewarded with a Mystery Gift Pack.】