I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping Chapter 2066: 1335: Thank You, Oppa (2)
Previously on I Have 10 Trillion Dollars only Usable For Simping...
Jiang Chen rose and headed down the stairs alongside Xing Jie, only to find himself halted right in the lobby.
“Mr. Jiang.”
The mask looked so familiar.
Jin Zhuxuan stood there.
True to her status as a celebrity, she acted with perfect decorum and avoided shouting "oppa" in such a public spot.
Xing Jie's face showed no shift.
“Mr. Jiang, I'll go wait in the car.”
Tsk.
Not many words exchanged.
Yet, every one of them was sharp and perceptive.
Jiang Chen gave a nod.
“Waiting for me?”
Once Xing Jie had departed, Jiang Chen inquired.
Disguised with a mask and baseball cap, resembling some undercover agent, Jin Zhuxuan nodded right away.
“How long have you been here?”
“Not, not long.”
“Why not come upstairs? Room number slip your mind?”
Jin Zhuxuan stayed silent. Forgetting was out of the question. She could've just phoned if needed. Likely, embarrassment held her back, or perhaps some other worry.
Eagerness from a girl might spark the wrong kind of vibe.
“Do you need something from me?”
“Yes, I want to see Xuejing.”
Jiang Chen hesitated, “What do you mean?”
“To safeguard Xuejing, Mr. Xing and Mr. Xu set up a secure spot for her, and they swapped her phone, so reaching her is impossible.”
Understanding hit Jiang Chen all at once.
One tiny snowflake can unleash a massive avalanche.
Li Xuejing's ordeal wasn't some lone incident but a symptom of a rotten, corrupt world.
These things can stay minor or explode into major crises.
In the words of Shen Zhou, it might seem feather-light at first glance, but on the balance, it weighs a thousand catties.
Should someone weaponize this scandal, plenty of big shots could lose their sleep for good.
“Follow me.”
Without further ado, Jiang Chen declared and moved ahead.
Jin Zhuxuan trailed him without a second thought, hurrying to keep pace like an obedient shadow.
Having spent the afternoon posing as his assistant, tagging along with Boss Jiang for "work matters," the vehicle pulled up outside a modest apartment complex.
“We built this place, and it's fully staffed with our own folks now.”
Xing Jie clarified.
Jin Zhuxuan paused, glancing toward Jiang Chen.
Boss Jiang, ever perceptive, exited the car without fuss, “Come on.”
That prompted Jin Zhuxuan to dash after him swiftly.
The elevator doors parted on the uppermost level.
Jin Zhuxuan took the lead thoughtfully and rang the bell.
No additional guards lingered in the corridor.
After all, the era had evolved.
Any stir would show up crystal clear on the elevator cameras.
“Zhuxuan?!”
Moments passed before the door swung open, and recognizing the visitor, Jiang Chen—familiar with Jin Zhuxuan's messages—matched her to the description. Bare-faced, yet as an idol, her looks outshone the average person by far. She clapped a hand over her mouth, staring at the unexpected Jin Zhuxuan, tears pouring freely.
Jin Zhuxuan's gaze quivered as she advanced a step, wrapping her in a quiet embrace.
Leaning her head on that shoulder, Li Xuejing—teetering on the edge of ending it all—finally let go, weeping softly.
Jin Zhuxuan offered no words of solace, merely stroking her back with gentle care.
She'd teetered on that same brink herself once, but luck pulled her back, so the abyss's horrors were all too real to her.
Thirty seconds in, Li Xuejing jerked her head up, shoving her back, her cheeks streaked with tears, voice frantic and breaking, “You shouldn't be here.”
“It's fine.”
Li Xuejing shook her head hard, “You'll get pulled in too.”
Jin Zhuxuan removed her mask, offering a smile, “Worst case, I just stay away from Korea.”
“But grandma and the others…”
Pure blooms can still emerge from the muck.
The entertainment world holds real bonds, not just illusions.
Jin Zhuxuan said nothing more, shifting to the side to show Boss Jiang lurking behind.
“Xuejing, meet Mr. Jiang.”
That's when Li Xuejing spotted the man, hastily scrubbing her eyes with her hand's back, eyeing the stranger Boss Jiang with surprise and a dazed air.
“Inside, let's not bother the neighbors.”
Jiang Chen quipped lightly.
Li Xuejing appeared lost but instinctively moved out of the way.
The pair stepped indoors.
Li Xuejing shut the door.
Daylight poured in, yet the drapes hung shut tight; Jiang Chen settled on the couch with ease, giving the women room for their private chat.
Both were idols.
Longtime pals, too.
Yet destiny had dealt them wildly different hands.
“Zhuxuan…”
Li Xuejing clutched her friend's hand fiercely, a reflexive squeeze.
Jin Zhuxuan showed no flinch, her tone soft and reassuring: “No fears now, nobody can harm you, it'll all turn out right.”
“Zhuxuan, thank you.”
Li Xuejing's eyes welled up again, tears threatening to spill once more.
A touch shorter than Jin Zhuxuan, maybe just past 160cm, her build ought to seem curvier, but instead, she looked gaunt and broken.
“Why the tears? Shouldn't seeing me make you glad?”
Jin Zhuxuan kept smiling throughout, at odds with her icy beauty—radiant and bright instead, “Knew this, I might've skipped the visit.”
Li Xuejing gripped tighter, as if scared she'd vanish, shaking her head before a teary grin broke through.
“Figured I'd never lay eyes on you again.”
“Wishing bad on me now?”
Jin Zhuxuan scrunched her elegant nose.
Li Xuejing chuckled amid her sobs.
Steering clear of the other's trauma, Jin Zhuxuan scanned the room, “Settling in okay here?”
“It's good, all good.”
Li Xuejing bobbed her head fast.
“Can't step out yet, hope you hang in there a bit longer.”
“No problem. I manage alone fine.”
Jin Zhuxuan's heart ached at the sight, though she hid it well.
The once bubbly, joyful Xuejing, now shrunken to this shell.
“Mr. Jiang, water for you?”
Li Xuejing peeked at the couch, mindful of the extra guest.
“No need to fuss over me.”
Boss Jiang replied offhand.
Li Xuejing's eyes flicked to Jin Zhuxuan unbidden.
“Oppa isn't a stranger.”
Jin Zhuxuan explained.
Li Xuejing went quiet, unsure if it sank in.
“Yesterday, Junxiang oppa stopped by my place, he fretted over you a lot. Wanted to know your whereabouts.”
“No, don't!”
Li Xuejing flared up suddenly, blurting out in haste: “Keep it from him!”
“Didn't say a word. Told him I was clueless too.”
Jin Zhuxuan clasped her hand back.
“If he learns, the company finds out, and they won't release me!”
Li Xuejing's gaze shook, brimming with terror, dread, and unease.
“Xuejing, you're not by yourself anymore, fear nothing. The company can't hold leverage over you now.”
Li Xuejing merely shook her head with force.
Certain shadows, certain terrors, don't fade in a single night.
Jiang Chen, perched on the sofa, stayed out of it, not prying, though snippets floated his way unavoidably.
He spotted the pill containers strewn across the table.
In Korean.
Couldn't make sense of them.
But in the car, Xing Jie had noted Li Xuejing's habit of downing stuff like tranquilizers.
Where light shines, shadow lurks.
Behind the sparkle lies the grime.
Not unique to Korea—countless spots harbor this, where stars offstage turn into toys, instruments, or outright captives.
The end result hinges on inner strength.
Endure the strain, and survival's possible; crumble under it, and tragedy strikes via suicide, or milder madness at best.
“Oppa, tissues for me?”
Jin Zhuxuan requested.
Jiang Chen reached over, pulled out several from the box, stood, and approached.
“Thank you, Oppa.”
Jin Zhuxuan accepted them, dabbing at her friend's tears.
“Thank you, Oppa.”
Surprisingly, the waterworks wouldn't stop, and Li Xuejing echoed the thanks.
Even wrecked like this, politeness stuck with her.
Credit where due: Korean stars' manners run bone-deep.
Li Xuejing's Mandarin lagged behind Jin Zhuxuan's, clunkier, and choked with cries, it came out even funnier; plus the surprise, Jiang Chen couldn't stifle a laugh.
“Xuejing, that's not for you to say.”
Jin Zhuxuan interjected fast.
Regardless of friendship, boundaries exist.
What if it irks Mr. Jiang?
Hmm.
Jin Zhuxuan fretted over exactly that.
“Carry on, you two.”
Jiang Chen shrugged it off, pivoted, and returned to his seat.