Chapter 1 — Turns Out My Boyfriend Is a Billionaire Heir

Determined to surprise my boyfriend with a proper gift for our anniversary, I picked up a holiday side gig working through the biting chill of Christmas. For eighty yuan an hour, my task was to dress up in a heavy, cumbersome reindeer costume and hand out flyers to tourists braving the freezing slopes of North Mountain. Trapped in a howling wind at minus fifteen degrees with a hollow, aching stomach, I had nothing to rely on for warmth except a cheap hot water bottle clutched desperately inside the plush polyester suit. Just as the end of my shift finally drew near and I looked forward to trudging back to our meager rental, a flash of high-end winter fashion caught my eye. It was the famous celebrity, Jiang Yiru, walking hand in hand with my boyfriend—the very man who was supposed to be grinding away at his evening job—Qin Zhaochuan. Under the gentle drift of falling snowflakes, the two of them wrapped their arms around each other in a tender, intimate embrace. Only then, beneath the cruel, glittering lights of the resort, did the horrifying truth shatter my illusions. The man who had forced me to endure three grinding years of poverty and hardship was actually the wealthy heir to the formidable Qin Corporation. The realization struck me like a physical blow, and all my instincts to pretend, to keep up appearances for his sake, evaporated into thin air. I pulled out my phone and dialed the number of my birth mother, the wealthiest woman in the city of Beicheng, ready to surrender entirely to my true reality.

Mother, I was blind.

On the other end of the line, my mother let out a bright, unrestrained laugh that echoed with triumphant validation.

You should have come to your senses long ago, my dear. That wretched Qin boy is notoriously stingy and dirt poor, completely unworthy of our precious Alin. The moment your father and I touch down, we are coming straight to you!

Hearing those fiercely protective and familiar words, hot tears finally broke through my defenses and streamed down my frozen cheeks. I was the sole heiress to the absolute titans of Beicheng society, born into a fortune so vast it defied easy counting. Yet, for Qin Zhaochuan, I had willingly cast off my gilded life, traded silk for cotton, and endured bone-deep hardship just to walk by his side. Little did I know that Qin Zhaochuan himself was the hidden scion of the very dynasty I had sought independence from. Day after day, watching me grow gaunt and exhausted as I scrambled from one menial job to the next just to keep us afloat, he had kept up his cynical charade, heartlessly concealing his true identity. Was I, Kim Alin, truly meant to be such a pathetic joke? Initially, I had planned to help him scrape together the deposit for an apartment this year, settling our roots firmly in Beicheng before finally bringing him home to meet my parents with dignity. Looking back now, that grand gesture was utterly unnecessary. A mere heir to the Qin family name was nothing more than a speck of dust to the Kim household anyway.

Little Kim, why on earth are you still standing there daydreaming? Hurry up and get this cup of warm soybean milk out to the customer!

Our shift manager snapped me back to reality, forcefully shoving a steaming paper cup of the handmade beverage I had brewed myself into my numb hands. Before I met him, I was a pampered young heiress who had never lifted a finger, let alone touched icy winter water. But the moment I chose to elope into his world, my furious parents severed every last thread of financial support. To fund the university education of a man two years my junior, I had once been reduced to pushing a greasy food cart down freezing alleys. That handmade soybean milk recipe had eventually become the bestselling winter comfort item right here on North Mountain. Across the outdoor seating area, Qin Zhaochuan and Jiang Yiru sat cozily side by side, fresh from their public display of affection. He reached out to take the cup from me, his fingers instinctively flicking forward a handful of crisp red bills as if tossing a casual tip. I glanced down—eight hundred yuan. That was the equivalent of three grueling days of overtime coding work at his supposed startup. While we had to agonize for two full days just to decide whether to splurge on a cheap hundred-yuan buffet, Qin Zhaochuan clearly possessed bottomless pockets when he wasn't pretending to be destitute. As he threw money around carelessly in places I could never reach, had he ever once spared a thought for the fact that I was literally freezing out here for eighty yuan an hour?

This soybean milk is exceptionally rich and creamy. It tastes identical to the ones you used to bring me, Zhaochuan.

Hearing Jiang Yiru's voice, Qin Zhaochuan’s lips pressed into a thin line and his entire posture stiffened visibly. I knew the moment he recognized my distinct recipe. One second, two seconds... I watched him jerk his head up, his eyes locking directly onto mine through the mesh eyes of the stuffed reindeer head. Whether it was some strange intuition or simple panic, he suddenly stumbled to his feet and strode in my direction. But all my courage deserted me; I could not bear to face his deceitful gaze a moment longer. Spinning on my heel, I bolted toward the staff lounge, leaving him pounding frantically against the reinforced glass door behind me.

Alin, open the door! Let me explain!

Jiang Yiru is just in the middle of a film shoot, I was only playing along for the cameras!

Did playing along for the cameras require their tongues to tangle in a passionate kiss? Did his hands need to slide underneath her coat to grope her breasts with such practiced familiarity? What on earth was left to explain? I was not a fool. Yet, since he was the one who had shattered our trust, I refused to cower like a frightened animal. I threw the door open, my eyes burning red and swollen with suppressed fury. Didn't you tell me you were stuck at the office pulling extra hours? Didn't you claim you were swamped tonight? Didn't you promise this shift would cover our rent so I wouldn't have to take on the night shift anymore?

Mister Qin, the wealthy heir.

Just how long did you plan on treating me like an absolute idiot?

Qin Zhaochuan hesitantly reached out, his fingertips trembling as he tried to grasp my wrist.

It is not like that... Alin, you have completely misunderstood.

Part of me actually wanted to hear what pathetic excuse he would invent to stitch his shredded lies back together. But fortune, or perhaps a sudden shred of mercy from the universe, denied him even the chance to speak.

Director Qin, a call from your mother on the line.

He snatched the buzzing phone off the nearby table and slammed it back down with a vicious curse. Get lost! A bitter, hollow laugh escaped my lips—today was truly a masterclass in betrayal, where not only was the deception laid bare, but the architect of my misery was exposed in all his pathetic cowardice.

Watching me stand here broken and miserable in front of you must have brought you immense joy, didn't it? To have a gullible fool of a girlfriend who loved you with every fiber of her being, only to be played for a complete fool for three agonizing years. Qin Zhaochuan, do you even possess a conscience anymore?

Tears of absolute defeat blurred my vision as I ripped off the stifling reindeer head, determined to walk away with whatever shreds of dignity I had left, but Qin Zhaochuan lunged forward and trapped me in a suffocating embrace. Operating on pure, raw instinct, my hand swung upward and struck him across the face with a sharp crack. Under the curious, judging stares of the surrounding resort staff, Qin Zhaochuan’s face darkened in humiliation, his voice dropping into a harsh, defensive snarl.

Fine, hiding the truth from me was my mistake! But can you honestly sit there and say you never deceived me?

How do you explain landing that prestigious position at a subsidiary of the Kim Corporation so easily? Shouldn't you owe me an explanation for that?

I secured that job because the managing director of Kim Corporation is my closest childhood friend. Furthermore, given my educational background and professional competence, I was vastly overqualified for a senior executive role, let alone a standard position; I had merely chosen to start at the bottom simply to protect the fragile ego of a struggling wage earner. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that, driven to this desperate corner, he would actually turn around and try to pin the blame on me. Wiping the wetness from my cheeks, I stared straight into his eyes. My conscience is entirely clear! Years ago, I had actually tried to tell Qin Zhaochuan the absolute truth about my aristocratic background, but he had not only refused to believe a single word, he had laughed in my face, mocking me for supposedly losing my mind over poverty and spinning wild fantasies of being a wealthy heiress. Thinking back on it now, it was blindingly clear that deep down inside, he had always looked down upon me.

Qin Zhaochuan, did you honestly believe that I, Kim Alin, was somehow beneath you?

Putting aside the sheer weight of my family background, whether it was in terms of academic pedigree or raw intellectual capability, I had never once lagged behind him. I had possessed the fierce loyalty and raw courage to walk by his side through the bitterest winters of poverty, yet he had chosen to repay that devotion with calculated deception. Was this simply some twisted pastime for the wealthy elite? As I eventually found myself sitting inside the leather-lined interior of his luxury sports car, the backseat littered with designer shopping bags from the latest seasonal collections—by day playing the role of my destitute, struggling boyfriend, and by night transforming back into a hedonistic heir of high society—memories flooded back with stinging clarity. Only three days ago, during a ferocious blizzard, our battered electric scooter had broken down on a sheet of black ice, and my legs had grown so numb I could no longer feel my toes. And what had he been doing? The timestamp on a digital receipt proved that on that exact night—the very night he claimed he was tracking down an acquaintance to find me medical help—he had been wining and dining with Jiang Yiru in a glittering downtown skyscraper, spending money like water. Involuntarily, my hand brushed against my calf, which still ached from the deep-seated chill of that night, and a sharp sting blossomed in the bridge of my nose. If only he had felt a fraction of pity for me... just a tiny sliver.

Zhaochuan, is this the little kept-woman you have stashed away in the suburbs?

Jiang Yiru, heavily made up and reeking of suffocatingly expensive perfume, settled into the front passenger seat with a sharp click of her heels. I loathed the condescending lilt in her voice—as if I were some pathetic homewrecker trespassing in her rightful territory.

Here, wipe your face. Look at how red and chapped your skin is, it is genuinely heartbreaking.

She tossed a warmed flannel wipe back toward me, her manicured nails flashing with embedded diamonds that caught the dim cabin lighting in a dazzling, cruel display. Her hands were smooth, flawless, and pampered—testaments to a life of unearned luxury. And what about me? Three grinding years of physical labor had stripped away any lingering vanity, leaving my palms calloused and my complexion sallow, entirely devoid of the polished elegance of a proper lady. Standing beside them, I felt like I belonged to an entirely different species.

I do not need your fake charity.

Seeing this, Qin Zhaochuan immediately stepped in to shield her from my hostility.

Alin, can't you adjust that miserable attitude of yours for once? Because I tolerated you, you actually started believing you were some kind of noble princess? Your manners are appalling.

It is quite alright, Zhaochuan, I actually find Alin's fiery little personality rather endearing in its own way, please don't lose your temper with her.

Ever since I was a child, my parents had cherished me like a treasured porcelain doll, and even during my university years abroad, my extended family had indulged my every whim. When he was still genuinely in love with me, even if I threw a tantrum and smashed up his desk, he would laugh and praise my honesty and spirit. But the moment love curdled into contempt, a single retort directed at his new darling instantly transformed me into an ill-mannered, ungrateful shrew. Yet, beneath all the suffering, I was a true daughter of wealth—why on earth should I sit here and swallow their condescending poison in silence? For the remainder of the drive, I kept my lips firmly sealed, staring blankly out the frost-covered window as they chattered effortlessly about the trivial amusements of high society. Every single prominent name they dropped belonged to people I had known since childhood, yet I sat among them like an alien unable to speak a single word of the local tongue. From the moment I chose to entangle my life with Qin Zhaochuan, I had willingly cast aside the glittering sphere I was born into. The only true fool in this entire tragedy had been myself. Arriving back at our cramped forty-square-meter apartment, Qin Zhaochuan discarded his designer jacket onto the sagging sofa, looking completely out of place in the claustrophobic space.

Alin, I never intended to lie to you forever, but you know how complex the Qin family empire is; we could never allow a woman of questionable background and unstable character to cross our threshold. This was simply an extended loyalty test set up by my family.

Congratulations, my dear—you passed with flying colors!