The Counterattack of a Wealthy Family's Substitute

Yao Yingxi's pre-sleep ramblings kept her awake all night, and when she opened her eyes the next day, it was still pitch black outside.

The winter morning was particularly cold. Yao Yingxi turned her head to look at the man who was still fast asleep, took her hand out from under the covers, and stroked his outline through the air.

Xi Yuanchen is very handsome. His individual features are rather plain, but when put together, they create a refined and handsome appearance. Coupled with his noble and imposing aura, he is easy to remember.

Yet this unforgettable man, at the very top of the pyramid, somehow crossed paths with her.

The hand that was moving slowly through the air suddenly stopped, and Yao Yingxi suddenly realized what she was doing.

She instinctively wanted to throw off the covers and get out of bed, but she slowed down abruptly after only halfway through the movement, not wanting to wake the man beside her.

Yao Yingxi carefully got out of bed and went out of the bedroom. When she got to the living room, a blast of cold air hit her, and she couldn't help but shiver.

The room's temperature control system seems to be broken.

Yao Yingxi searched around the house but didn't know where to look to see if anything was broken. Not wanting to go to the bedroom, she grabbed her coat, put it on, and ran to the kitchen to boil water.

It was still early, and there was no rush to make breakfast. Yao Yingxi was lost in thought while drinking hot water, and she didn't even know when Xi Yuanchen came to the kitchen.

Xi Yuanchen stood behind her and tapped the table. Yao Yingxi was startled and turned around, finding herself right in the area where Xi Yuanchen's hands were braced.

Yao Yingxi looked up at him and said, "Mr. Xi."

Xi Yuanchen hummed in agreement and stared at her face.

In the past, this would have been a very ordinary moment, but Yao Yingxi felt particularly uncomfortable, perhaps because it was morning.

"When did you get up?"

Xi Yuanchen spoke coldly, and Yao Yingxi replied, "Not long after, I woke up and wasn't sleepy anymore, so I got up."

Xi Yuanchen hummed in agreement again, then turned and left.

Yao Yingxi watched him go back to the bedroom, jumped off the stool at the bar, and started making breakfast.

It was still early, and Yao Yingxi figured Xi Yuanchen would have eaten breakfast before leaving, so she prepared to cook some porridge.

After cooking porridge, preparing two side dishes suitable for breakfast, and freshly grinding coffee, Xi Yuanchen came out just as everything was ready.

He had changed his clothes, and the black suit made him look even more sharp and imposing.

Yao Yingxi stood in front of the dining table and called to him, "Mr. Xi, breakfast is ready."

Xi Yuanchen lifted his leg and walked over.

It wasn't a particularly lavish breakfast. Xi Yuanchen sat down and habitually took a sip of his coffee first.

Yao Yingxi held the spoon and looked at Xi Yuanchen. Xi Yuanchen put down his coffee cup: "Did you grind this?"

"tasty?"

A cup of coffee isn't really that good or bad, but seeing Yao Yingxi's expectant expression, Xi Yuanchen hummed in agreement.

Upon receiving the affirmation, Yao Yingxi immediately smiled and said, "Thank you."

Xi Yuanchen didn't say anything, he lowered his head and drank his porridge, a slight smile playing on his lips.

After having breakfast, Xi Yuanchen left.

Without a constant temperature, the temperature in the living room was only a few degrees Celsius. Yao Yingxi's hands and feet were already freezing cold. After tidying up the things in the kitchen, she immediately went back to the bedroom.

Still wearing her pajamas, Yao Yingxi rested in the bedroom for a while until she warmed up before changing her clothes.

The weather had been bad these past few days, and coupled with the difficulty of her studies, she hadn't gone to her part-time job. When she went to the living room to get her textbooks and computer, she saw Hengyuan's materials placed together with her workbooks.

Yao Yingxi stared at the stack of materials for a while, went out for a while, and only started reviewing when she came back.

Gradually, Yao Yingxi felt cold even in the bedroom. When she came to her senses, the entire apartment's heating system had broken down, and even the power was out.

It was especially hard to bear without heating. In just a short while, Yao Yingxi felt incredibly cold.

She called the apartment management and learned that the power outage was caused by a temporary malfunction in the building's transformer, and the temperature control system was likely damaged as a result, so it wouldn't be restored until the evening.

Yao Yingxi checked the time; it was only 2 PM. She hadn't eaten lunch but wasn't hungry. She grabbed her books, climbed into bed, and hid under the covers to continue reading.

As she watched, she became sleepy and closed her eyes without realizing it.

She was woken up by the ringing of the phone. She frowned and opened her eyes, feeling a headache. She reached for her phone and answered it. It was Anan's voice.

Anan said that Xi Yuanchen had a dinner party that night and asked her to bring him along, and that he would pick her up in the afternoon.

Yao Yingxi agreed, hung up the phone, closed her eyes again before changing her clothes and putting on makeup.

Having spent the past few days with Xi Yuanchen, Yao Yingxi had gotten used to his ability to summon her at any time.

It was cold, and Yao Yingxi didn't want to wear a skirt, but she certainly couldn't dress too shabbily for Xi Yuanchen's dinner party. Gritting her teeth, she put on a few heat packs and chose a cream-colored long-sleeved knitted dress.

She wore a long white down jacket over her skirt, and during the few minutes she went downstairs to wait for Anan to pick her up, she felt a cold wind sneaking in through the hem of her jacket.

She didn't know when the sun had slipped into the clouds, and a cold wind was blowing. After a while, the discomfort between Yao Yingxi's brows intensified.

When Anan arrived, Yao Yingxi recognized Qi Yuanchen's license plate number. Before Anan could get out of the car to greet her, she opened the car door and got in.

"..." Anan looked at Yao Yingxi's face, which had turned white from the cold, and apologized, "Miss Yao, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."

Yao Yingxi is a very easy person to get along with. Even though she is with Xi Yuanchen, she still won't do anything to bully others: "No, I just came down early."

Indeed, she came down early. They had arranged to meet at five o'clock, but she came downstairs at four-fifty.

Anan smiled at Yao Yingxi and started the car.

The car was very warm, and the heat made Yao Yingxi feel even worse; her stuffy nose and headache became more pronounced.

By the time we arrived at our destination, my body temperature had already started to rise.

Yao Yingxi forced herself to get out of the car, and Anan took her to find Xi Yuanchen.

When she arrived at the private room, Yao Yingxi didn't recognize anyone except Xi Yuanchen. She had a smile on her face, and when someone called her "Miss Yao", she nodded politely.

Xi Yuanchen sat on the sofa in the center of the private room. Yao Yingxi walked over and said, "Mr. Xi."

Xi Yuanchen looked at her and hummed in agreement, then reached out his hand to her.

Yao Yingxi handed him her hand and sat down beside him.

Xi Yuanchen held her hand, and after a while, he asked Yao Yingxi, "Do you remember that man in front?"

Yao Yingxi was very upset, but she held back her emotions and didn't show it. She followed Xi Yuanchen's gaze and saw several men sitting there, but she didn't know which one he was talking about.

Yao Yingxi shook her head and said frankly, "I don't remember."

Xi Yuanchen glanced at her and smiled, "If you don't remember, I'll help you remember."

After saying that, Xi Yuanchen called out, "President Wang."