There's an old saying in China: plans never keep up with changes.
Jill Young had everything mapped out and was in a pretty good mood. What was supposed to be a trip guaranteed to make her mad, bored, and miserable turned into a train ride where—lo and behold—she stumbled on a solution. And honestly, it sounded kind of fun. Watching rich ladies battle for cream was a whole new experience, like the time Zhou Xiaohui dragged her to a gay bar. It felt weird and awkward, but also a little exciting and curious. So overall, Jill was feeling pretty upbeat.
When you're in a good mood, everything's good. So Jill found a quiet corner to bring out her reverse-flow motorcycle and tore through the streets of Jiping City. Her badass bike and white hair drew stares from all around. Even the traffic cops noticed, but they seemed conflicted as they watched.
"Captain, should we stop her? Riding a motorcycle without a helmet is against the rules," said a young traffic cop.
"Chen, don't be so naïve," the captain said, patting his shoulder and taking a weary drag on his cigarette. He pointed, "See that Porsche over there? Would you dare stop it?"
"No way..." The young cop shook his head helplessly. "That's the car of a provincial committee member's kid. I'm just a lowly traffic cop—no way I'd dare stop him."
"Then look over there. See that car with the out-of-province plates? Would you dare stop it?"
"No, come on, you're messing with me. That Lamborghini costs over ten million. Only the super rich can afford it."
"Exactly. We can't afford to offend the powerful, and we can't afford to offend the filthy rich either." The captain pointed at Jill's back. "Look at that girl's motorcycle—it's even more badass than a Dodge Tomahawk. I bet it's not much cheaper than a Lamborghini. Spending ten million on a car or ten million on a bike—who do you think burns more money? So, let's just let her go..."
The young cop was a bit unwilling, but had no choice but to give in. Money and power are the most unstoppable forces in the world. But what if, one day, you could have something even greater than money and power...? The young cop's eyes gleamed, clearly lost in his own thoughts.
Meanwhile, Jill Young was cruising along, letting the breeze clear her mind. She hadn’t been to Jiping City in ages, and wondered how her old high school buddies at Shanda University were doing. Maybe she’d catch up with them another time. But for now, the top priority was to get this matchmaking thing over with. Following the instructions in her confirmation letter and the mighty guidance of Baidu Maps, Jill arrived at the venue.
The location looked pretty upscale, right on the border between the city’s busiest downtown area and a peaceful resort district—a fancy Western-style mansion. You didn’t need to look inside; just the rows of luxury cars parked out front were all the proof you needed that this was a 'high-quality matchmaking' event.
Jill, dressed in her signature 'vengeance-forged' outfit and riding her rebellious motorcycle, was basically unstoppable—security didn’t even bother to ask, just waved her in. There was no spot for motorcycles in the car park, so Jill boldly parked her bike in a car slot and strutted off. Not long after she left, a Lamborghini rolled up. As it passed Jill’s bike, the driver paused and let out a surprised 'Huh?'
Inside the grand lobby, Jill handed her confirmation letter to the receptionist. She glanced around—the décor was seriously impressive, all gold and glitter. She made a mental note: her future villa had to look just like this.
She was still daydreaming about villas when her phone rang—it was Abo.
'Your Majesty, I have two updates for you,' Abo reported respectfully. 'First, I’ve found three villas for you—in Hainan, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. I’ll send you all the details, so you can see which one you like.'
'Nah, forget it, just buy them all.' Jill was feeling extravagant today—throwing money around felt amazing! 'Uh, wait, do I have enough cash for that?' She’d never bought a villa before. If each one cost tens of millions and she was short, that’d be hilarious.
'You’ve got more than enough, Your Majesty!' Abo assured her quickly. 'Buying all three is no problem at all. But don’t you want to see what they look like first?'
'Nope, if you picked them, they’ll do. And if they turn out ugly, I’ll just kill you—easy fix.'
‘Uh... haha...’ If Abo’s exasperation could appear on the phone screen, it would. ‘That’s… certainly easy enough. But I guarantee these three villas are top-notch, you’ll love them. Second update—it’s about money: your diamonds are already being sold. The international diamond market’s been a bit wild lately, with some unexpectedly high-quality stones popping up, so overall prices have dipped a bit…’
'Just give me the bottom line,' Jill cut him off, not interested in all the details.
'Oh, the first batch sold about a fifth. After costs for processing, selling, and security, your net profit is eighty million…'
'Oh.' Jill was unfazed—it was about what she’d expected. Still, it was wild that a few bits of carbon could fetch so much cash.
'In US dollars.'
'Huh?' Jill was surprised. 'Didn’t you say the whole batch would sell for three hundred million yuan? How come just a fifth is worth this much?'
'Your Majesty, I didn’t know much about diamonds back then. After a thorough appraisal, it turns out your stones are top-grade, the cream of the crop—the bachelors of the diamond world!' Abo sounded thrilled. 'The boss has a plan to use the remaining four-fifths to set a trap and rope in the Hong Kong jewelry scene.'
'Hey, a handful of diamonds—even if they’re worth two billion—can’t shake up all of Hong Kong’s jewelry industry, right?' Jill cautioned. 'Don’t get yourselves tangled up.' After all, she’d managed Yongye Holdings before; she wasn’t clueless about finance.
'The boss is just planning, nothing’s set yet. Normally it wouldn’t work, but with "Dingdang"—that’s our operations AI—it might be possible.' For top secret matters, everything had a code name. 'I don’t know the details; once the boss finalizes the plan, he’ll tell you himself. Anyway, the rest of the diamonds need to be held for a while, not cashed out. Is that okay with you?'
'Sure, no problem.' Five hundred million or two and a half billion in savings—did it really matter? Jill wasn’t fussed as long as she had enough, so she agreed easily. 'Whenever’s fine. Just have Jonathan report to me when the plan’s ready.'
'Yes! We’ll turn all of Hong Kong’s jewelry industry into Your Majesty’s garden, and Macau’s casinos into your playground!'
Jill hung up, feeling pretty good. Jonathan’s side seemed to be making real progress—next time she hit Hong Kong, things would probably look totally different. In her old world, Steelbull City was the heart of everything; if you held Steelbull, you ruled the world. On Earth, Hong Kong wasn’t quite at that level, but it was still a big deal. Once they locked down Hong Kong tight, it’d be the perfect base for taking on the domestic scene or going global.
Jonathan’s status would skyrocket, too. He used to be just a small-time name in the underground boxing scene—a nobody in the wider underworld. The SD Syndicate wouldn’t invite him to their events, and Donald’s expos treated him like cannon fodder. But if he controlled Hong Kong, Jonathan would be a rising lord in the dark world. He’d have power to attack or defend, and when facing the SD Syndicate or the Zade family, he wouldn’t be stumbling in the dark anymore.
So yeah, Abo’s news was good.
Karma really does balance out. Being forced into this matchmaking circus sucked, but hey, at least her luck was up. When karma’s full, good things just keep coming. 'Miss Young, you’re checked in,' the sweet-smiling receptionist said, handing back Jill’s confirmation letter and a bunch of other random forms. 'Welcome to the Elite Matchmaking Event. You’re number 9 in the female-only session. Here’s your badge. The event starts at 10 a.m.—you can wait in the changing room or the lounge.'
'Thanks.' Jill took her badge and smiled at the receptionist. 'So, what kind of guys are showing up this time?'
The receptionist gave a professional smile. 'The male guests at this event are top-notch—there’s the only son of Rongcheng Corporation’s chairman, the CEO of Nanhua Group, famous artists and musicians, and the biggest name of all—the rising star, Young Master Xiao…'
'Hold on, wait a sec.' Jill interrupted, staring the receptionist down. 'Are you serious, or is this a joke? All these rich kids, business elites, and hotshot artists are gonna line up on stage for me to pick, like I’m choosing eunuchs?' That was just nuts. If it were some soft boy like Zhong Junyu, a wannabe kept man, strutting around like a reality show contestant, fine. But these big shots parading on stage? No way!
'Uh, Miss Young, that’s the male-only session.' The receptionist’s smile twitched a little. 'You signed up for the female-only session. The selection rules are the exact opposite.'
Oh! That’s how it was! Now that she thought about it, Zhong Junyu had mentioned there were separate male and female sessions—she’d just forgotten. She checked her confirmation letter, badge, and instructions—they all clearly said 'female-only session,' like they were afraid she’d miss the memo that she was about to join a princess-picking pageant. How thoughtful… NOT! Why was she even doing this?
If this were a regular matchmaking event, whatever—everyone sits down and chats about life goals, then leaves without picking anyone. But look at the schedule, the program, the fancy setup—this 'elite matchmaking' thing was clearly just a sugar daddy shopping spree for rich guys!
Clearly, Mom had no idea what was up—she saw 'female-only session' and signed her up. Time to bust out her social ninja skills and report up the chain!
'Hey, Mom, did you mess up? How’d you sign me up for the female-only session?'
'No mistake,' Su Muhua replied, sounding innocent. 'Girls can only sign up for the female-only session, there’s no other option.' Meanwhile, the receptionist added, 'All our “guests” are specially invited. Regular folks who sign up are just “contestants.”'
'Oh, come on!' Jill quickly reported in: 'Mom, this place is basically a beauty pageant—it’s a battlefield! Can I quit?'
'Listen to yourself—acting like a rebellious little girl,' Su Muhua said, pulling out her mom card to set Jill straight. 'Even when things get tough or painful, you can’t just give up. You have to push through. Running away isn’t the answer; you have to beat the challenge. Didn’t you say you’re still a man? Then don’t go saying “can’t,” “won’t,” or “quit.” Even if it’s a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, you march right in. Got it?'
Jill paused, looked at her number 9 badge, took a deep breath, and nodded with all the weight of the world. 'Alright. I’ll do it.' Then she grumbled, 'But Mom, you sound all righteous, but I swear you’re up to something.'
'Wha—No way! That’s all, bye!'
Mom sounded a little panicked. Sigh, no one knows a daughter like her mother, but the reverse is true too—Jill knew exactly what kind of mischief her mom was up to. She was just here for the drama… But whatever, it’s just matchmaking. The Queen can handle this. Let’s go!