Chapter 1

The most stoic billionaire in New York's elite circle was set up, and he broke his self-imposed vow of celibacy with me.

Afterward, he tracked me down and offered me ten million dollars as compensation.

As I stood there in silence, my so-called best friend suddenly acted as if she were the one offended.

She snarled at him, asking if he thought his stinking money could buy everything, and prepared to reject it on my behalf.

Just as I was about to speak, a row of scrolling comments―a live chat―suddenly appeared before my eyes.

"Here it is! The first big showdown between the male lead, the female lead, and the jealous side character!"

"The female lead's purity and the side character's greed are such a perfect contrast."

"In the end, the side character gets nothing and loses all her dignity."

"After all, who wouldn't love a girl as pure and unpretentious as our sweet female lead?"

I looked at my 'best friend' who was putting on a show of righteous indignation while her eyes were actually burning with lust for the man in front of us.

I let out a cold laugh in my mind.

I turned to the elegant, powerful man and pulled up the QR code on my phone.

"Deal. Please wire the money directly."

1.

"Mr. Sterling... I know you're incredibly wealthy! But money can't solve every problem!"

My best friend, Lucia, had eyes rimmed with red as she suddenly raised her voice to stand up for me.

In reality, she was stealing glances at Grayson Sterling, her gaze smoldering with hidden desire.

Grayson frowned when he heard her words. Seeing this, she doubled down on her performance.

"To a girl's honor, what you're doing is an insult!"

"If it were me, even if I had nothing, I would never take this kind of money! Self-respect and feelings are what matter most."

"Besides, a girl's purity is sacred! Her first time should be saved for her future husband!"

After finishing her speech, her face turned a soft shade of pink, projecting a picture of bashful innocence.

I felt like gagging.

It was exactly like my previous life.

Back then, I was manipulated by her words and overwhelmed by my own low self-esteem.

I had indignantly rejected the compensation Grayson offered.

Later, when I was at my lowest, she goaded me into begging Grayson for help.

That incident blew up, and I was chased out of the city, ending up penniless and alone.

Lucia, oh Lucia. In this life, I don't care how you want to play pretend.

But don't you dare use my money to build up your image of purity again.

I looked up at the cold, noble man standing before me.

He seemed to expect me to reject him in a fit of shame, his expression guarded and indifferent.

In the next second, I curled my lips into a smile and calmly held out my phone to him.

"Deal. Please wire the money directly."

The air went silent instantly.

Grayson froze, clearly not expecting me to be so blunt.

At the same time, the comments in front of my eyes exploded.

"Omg! This side character is so shameless! The male lead has never met someone so greedy!"

"Only a pure girl like our female lead is worthy of him!"

After a few seconds, his gaze darkened, and he pressed his thin lips together before finally speaking. "I thought you would..."

"If I take the money, you can stop worrying about me coming after you later, right?" I interrupted him with a smile.

"Since that night was an accident, let's settle it as an accident and move on with our lives."

"Besides, as they say in philosophy, giving is not an insult if it brings peace to the soul."

Grayson was slightly taken aback. The distance in his eyes was replaced by a look of genuine curiosity.

"I only knew you were a student at Columbia. I didn't realize you were so philosophical."

Lucia jumped in, desperate to be noticed. "Mr. Sterling, you can't just investigate our backgrounds because you're rich! That's an insult!"

Insult?

I laughed coldly.

In my last life, I thought taking money was an insult.

It was only when I was starving that I learned what a real insult felt like.

I looked straight at Grayson. "I'm an orphan. I've been paying my tuition by transcribing ancient texts for scholars, so I've read a bit. If you ever need help with that, let me know."

His fingers twitched slightly. After a moment of silence, he pulled out his phone. "In that case, let's exchange contact info."

My phone chimed with a friend request. Grayson looked at me and added another sentence.

"I'll send you another ten million. You won't have to worry about tuition ever again."

Lucia's face turned incredibly pale in that moment.

"Quinn, if you still consider me a friend, you cannot take this money!"

"Why not? Since our values are so different, maybe we shouldn't be friends anymore," I snapped back, my tone final.

Lucia stood there, stunned, trying to find more words. Grayson gave her a chilling look.

"This is a private matter between Quinn and me. Miss, you've been talking non-stop. I think it's time for you to leave."

A bodyguard stepped forward.

Her expression twisted with rage and humiliation before she finally slammed the door and stormed out.

The comments were scrolling frantically now.

"??? The cold male lead actually stood up for the side character?"

"Something's wrong. The plot is totally off the rails!"

I looked down and smiled.

Who cares about your plot?

This time, I only care about the bag.