Morning Mayhem and Billionaire Dreams

Her ears felt assaulted, as if they were about to get pregnant. Unable to endure this psychological torment any longer, she lunged towards the shopping bag, rummaged out the most conservative long-sleeved, long-pants pajamas she could find, and clutching them, dashed into the bathroom.

“I refuse! I am a person of principles!”

With a resounding bang, she slammed the bathroom door shut.

When Xiang Qing emerged again, she was thoroughly bundled up. She stole a glance and saw Gu Wei already lying on the bed, leaning elegantly against the headboard, covered only by a thin, silken duvet. The duvet reached just her waist, revealing her delicate collarbones and the flawless curve of her shoulders and neck. Beneath the covers, the faint outline of her impossibly long legs could be discerned.

‘What was the difference between this and being uncovered? It was even more lethal!’

She shuffled hesitantly to the edge of the bed, gazing at the ridiculously large expanse, and mentally etched a colossal boundary line. ‘The Chu River and Han Border! Sacred and inviolable! Whoever crosses the line is a dog!’

With a tragic sense of dread, as if she were marching to her execution, she cautiously climbed onto the bed, then pressed herself tightly against the very edge, her body stiff as a plank of wood. She closed her eyes and began to hypnotize herself.

‘I’m a rock, I’m asleep, I feel nothing…’

Yet, that intensely present gaze beside her, like a small sun, scorched her cheek, making it impossible for her to fall asleep.

‘Stop looking, stop looking, or I’ll eat you… Bah! Keep looking and I’ll charge you! A hundred yuan a minute!’

Just as Xiang Qing felt she was about to sprout fur under the intense scrutiny, Gu Wei finally spoke.

“Can’t sleep?”

Xiang Qing kept her eyes closed, her voice muffled, “Almost, just brewing it a bit.”

The air was silent for a few seconds before Gu Wei asked a question that Xiang Qing had utterly not expected.

“Xiang Qing, what are your plans for the future?”

It was so serious, so earnest, that Xiang Qing wondered if she was hallucinating. She snapped her eyes open and turned to look at Gu Wei. Gu Wei was looking at her too, the playful smile gone from her face, replaced by a serene expression.

Xiang Qing froze for a moment, then blurted it out.

“I want to be a billionaire.”

She regretted it the moment the words left her mouth.

‘Damn it! Why did I blurt out my true thoughts? She’s definitely going to think I’m hopelessly vulgar, with nothing but money on my mind! But… I do love money! Money is the cutest thing in the world!’

Xiang Qing had already braced herself for mockery, even mentally rehearsed how she would retort. To her surprise, Gu Wei listened, then let out a soft chuckle. The laugh was clear and pure, devoid of any mockery.

“That’s quite an ambitious goal.”

Gu Wei turned onto her side, propping her head with one hand, and regarded Xiang Qing with keen interest. “So, once you have your billions, what do you intend to do? Buy an island and become its sovereign, or purchase a rocket and play among the stars?”

“Huh?” Xiang Qing was utterly bewildered. ‘Shouldn’t she have scoffed with disdain, ‘Hmph, how vulgar’? How did this turn into a discussion?’

Xiang Qing’s courage swelled slightly, and she ventured, “Buy buildings! Acquire all the most expensive plots of land! Then open a hundred restaurants, and have chefs cook whatever I desire!”

“The catering industry is fiercely competitive, but with your skills, you could consider starting with high-end private dining to establish your reputation.”

Gu Wei was actually analyzing it seriously, even discussing real estate. “The domestic market isn’t very robust right now, and blindly entering carries high risks. It might be better to look into overseas asset allocation, or invest in promising emerging technology companies.”

Gu Wei spoke eloquently, covering everything from market analysis to investment strategies, from macroeconomic trends to future outlooks, her mouth spouting professional jargon that Xiang Qing didn’t quite understand but recognized as incredibly impressive. Xiang Qing listened, utterly dumbfounded.

‘What the hell? This woman… wasn’t her brain filled with nothing but dirty thoughts? Wasn’t she a crazy, romance-obsessed maniac, constantly plotting how to tease me and get me into bed? How did she suddenly transform into a financial expert from a TV channel?’

In that moment, the image of the wild, obsessive Gu Wei, with her mouth full of suggestive remarks, began to crack in Xiang Qing’s mind. In its place emerged a woman she had never seen before: calm, intelligent, and even unfathomable. This stark contrast made her realize that she had never truly understood Gu Wei.

Just as Xiang Qing was lost in thought, Gu Wei suddenly leaned in slightly.

“A hundred billion? That’s thinking too small.”

Gu Wei’s voice carried a hint of amusement and an undeniable air of dominance. “If you’re going to do it, aim for the very peak of the pyramid.”

****

Xiang Qing didn’t get a wink of solid sleep that entire night. Gu Wei’s words were like a hypnotic melody, looping endlessly in her mind. Was her ambition truly so small? Could a mere billionaire no longer satisfy her? The peak of the pyramid… what exactly did that entail?

Her mind began to play out scenes from various blockbuster business films, completely unbidden. She was clad in a haute couture suit, strutting in ten-centimeter heels as she descended from a private jet, a hundred black-suited bodyguards trailing behind her.

– Boss, Nasdaq has circuit-breaked again!

– Boss, Elon Musk is requesting a call with you!

– Boss, we’ve successfully acquired the North City Horizon Hotel; here’s your room key!

Xiang Qing lay in bed, her lips curved upwards in an insane grin, and drool trickled from the corner of her mouth. She even fantasized about acquiring the Tencent Empire, then kicking Boss Ma aside and sitting in his chair herself, declaring that all skins would cost one yuan from now on! Pure bliss! Utterly exhilarating!

****

The next morning, Xiang Qing woke to the sound of soft laughter. She groggily opened her eyes and saw Gu Wei already awake, propping her head with one hand, calmly observing her. The morning light streamed through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing Gu Wei’s already flawless face in a soft halo.

‘Beautiful, absolutely beautiful. But what was so funny so early in the morning? That laugh sent shivers down her spine.’

“Good morning, sleep well?” Gu Wei’s voice, tinged with the languor of just waking, ended with a slight upward inflection.

“F-fairly well,” Xiang Qing replied with a hint of guilt, feeling that something was amiss. Gu Wei’s gaze slowly shifted from her face to her pillow.

“Xiang Qing, your pillow… why is it soaking wet?”

‘Holy hell!’ Xiang Qing jolted, instantly wide awake! She looked down sharply, and sure enough! The spot where she’d rested her head yesterday bore a very suspicious wet stain! ‘Oh no, oh no! It was the drool from her dream of becoming a billionaire yesterday! How was she going to explain this? Should she say she dreamt of eating a whole roasted lamb? Or that she was swimming in a pool? No, too fake!’

Watching Gu Wei’s inquisitive expression, Xiang Qing’s face flushed crimson, and she wished for a crack in the floor to swallow her whole. ‘Social death! An absolute scene of social death!’

“I… I this…”

As Xiang Qing racked her brain to concoct an excuse, she saw Gu Wei actually lean down, slowly drawing closer to the wet pillow. Her upturned nose was about to touch the suspicious wet patch!

‘Ah! What the hell! What was she doing?! She wasn’t going to smell it, was she?! That was her damn drool!’

Xiang Qing’s rationality instantly went offline, her body reacting faster than her mind. “Don’t smell it!” she shrieked, shooting off the bed like a cannonball, reaching out to cover Gu Wei’s face. However, she forgot she was still covered by the duvet, lost her balance, and lunged straight towards Gu Wei!

With a soft thud. The soft mattress absorbed most of the impact. Xiang Qing felt herself crash into a soft, fragrant embrace. When she regained her senses, the scene had become utterly bizarre.

She… she was straddling Gu Wei. Her knees were pressed against the sides of Gu Wei’s slender waist, her hands on Gu Wei’s shoulders, pinning her firmly to the bed. This position…

‘Holy, holy, holy hell! Wasn’t this the legendary ‘woman on top’…’ Xiang Qing’s mind went blank, and she even forgot to breathe.

Gu Wei, beneath her, wasn’t angry; she didn’t even seem surprised. She simply lay there quietly, allowing Xiang Qing to pin her down. A flicker of astonishment crossed her beautiful eyes, quickly replaced by a profound playfulness. A slow smile spread across her lips, and her voice, low and husky, carried a hint of breathlessness from being tackled.

“Oh? This is rather interesting.”

“Xiang Qing, so passionate first thing in the morning.”

“What exactly… do you intend to do?”