What Should I Do if My Best Friend Is a Green Tea? [Transmigrated Into a Book]

The gown Zhou Qingyu was wearing was a limited edition, the only one of its kind in the world. Lending it to a celebrity was itself a form of advertising, as stipulated in the endorsement contract. A single piece of clothing might not yield significant benefits, given the limited sales. However, the accessories Zhou Qingyu wore alongside it were a different story—her bag, hairpins, jewelry... These items weren’t limited editions, meaning fans could purchase them if they liked them. Celebrity endorsements generally fall into two categories: one relies on fan economy, where fans buy products simply because their idol endorses them; the other is when the celebrity’s styling is so effective that it makes people feel they could achieve the same look by wearing or using the same items. This often drives people to purchase the products.

Zhou Qingyu clearly fell into the latter category. Even though she wasn’t part of the top-tier celebrity circle, her stunning appearance and the way she carried the outfits and accessories made people want to buy them. Zhou Yanci had clearly done his research on Zhou Qingyu. In the past, she had walked red carpets wearing haute couture and adorned with limited-edition jewelry. Given the limited production capacity of these items, it was hard for brands to gauge their sales impact. Additionally, Zhou Qingyu rarely appeared on variety shows and didn’t often wear casual outfits in public, so there were few instances of fans following her fashion choices.

This time, on the reality show *Travel*, every fashion item Zhou Qingyu wore saw a noticeable boost in sales. Since it was only the fourth day of filming, many brands hadn’t yet realized Zhou Qingyu’s influence as a trendsetter.

But Zhou Yanci had noticed.

Yan Xi glanced at Zhou Yanci beside her. “I told you earlier, signing with us would be profitable for you.”

Zhou Yanci didn’t deny it.

With the contract terms settled and both parties eager to sign, the process moved forward smoothly. While the stylist was adjusting Zhou Qingyu’s look, Yan Xi handed over the freshly printed contract. Qiao Yan had already provided Xingyao’s electronic seal, so all that was left was Zhou Qingyu’s signature to finalize the endorsement deal.

This was Zhou Qingyu’s first time signing an endorsement contract. In the past, when brands approached her for collaborations, she had always passed those opportunities to Pei Yubai.

This time, as she looked at the black-and-white contract, her romantic instincts kicked in again.

“A high-end luxury brand… If I gave this to Yubai-gege, he’d be so happy!” Yan Xi was momentarily stunned. She had forgotten about Zhou Qingyu’s tendency to prioritize romance over logic! Seeing Zhou Qingyu pull out her phone to contact Pei Yubai, Yan Xi quickly elbowed Zhou Yanci.

Zhou Yanci, who had been drinking water, nearly spilled it all over himself. He looked at Yan Xi, puzzled. Yan Xi frantically signaled with her eyes: *Are you just going to stand there? Say something!* Zhou Yanci cleared his throat. He was aware of Zhou Qingyu’s habit of redirecting resources to Tianhui. Qiao Yan and Wu Liao had reported it to him before, but what could he do? Zhou Qingyu never listened to him.

Zhou Yanci shrugged, giving Yan Xi a cold look: *I can’t handle her.* Yan Xi was furious.

A towering figure at 188 cm, dominating in the business world, yet he couldn’t even manage his own sister? Useless!

Zhou Yanci…

Yan Xi turned back to Zhou Qingyu and swiftly intercepted her hand before she could dial the number. “Qingqing, Mr. Zhou just told me that the gown looks stunning on you, so they only want you for the endorsement. If it’s not you, they won’t sign the contract!” Zhou Qingyu frowned. “Wouldn’t finalizing the deal help them with their PR crisis? Does it really have to be me?” She glanced at Zhou Yanci, her expression full of disdain. “Zhou Yanci, why are you so difficult?”

Zhou Yanci…

He coughed twice, clearing his throat. “Only with you as the endorser can we maximize the benefits.”

Zhou Qingyu was clearly annoyed but couldn’t argue with the client. After all, this endorsement wasn’t something she had fought for—it had come to her.

She couldn’t help but think, *If I could give such a great opportunity to Yubai-gege, he’d be so happy and would like me even more!*

But she couldn’t. Zhou Yanci, that stingy guy, must be trying to mess with her! With the client’s decision final, the contract was settled.

As Zhou Qingyu signed her name on the contract, a “ding” sounded in Yan Xi’s mind, and a system notification appeared: **[Acquired endorsement from a high-end luxury brand. Zhou Qingyu’s luck points increased by 2. Current luck points: 14.1.]** Yan Xi’s eyes lit up. Two luck points! What a win! She had thought that resources like this would only give Zhou Qingyu a single point at most. The system cheerfully explained: **[That’s because, unlike when Miss Zhou gifts you things, this time she earned the money herself! It’s different from the resources she used to obtain by spending money!]**

**[Plus, there’s the 30 million yuan endorsement fee!]**

**[Host, you’re amazing. You just helped Miss Zhou earn 30 million in no time!]** Yan Xi smiled modestly. “The 30 million is for Qingqing. I just helped her secure the deal.”

While Yan Xi and the M brand celebrated their successful collaboration, Ye Luoyi’s face turned ashen.

The E brand, like M, was a high-end luxury label. Both Ye Luoyi and Zhou Qingyu were brand ambassadors, and their statuses were supposed to be equal. However, Ye Luoyi was a top-tier celebrity, while Zhou Qingyu was only a second-tier artist. Now, Zhou Qingyu was endorsing a luxury brand at the same level as hers—where did that leave her face?

Earlier, Zhou Yanci had ignored her and instead turned to sign a contract with Zhou Qingyu. Unconsciously, Ye Luoyi clenched her fist, leaving deep red marks on her fair skin.

As the fashion show was about to begin, Zhou Qingyu changed back into a gown from the C brand. Although she had signed with M, the endorsement period wouldn’t officially start until a week later, so wearing another brand’s outfit didn’t count as a breach of contract.

After completing the PR work for M, Zhou Yanci prepared to return to the Royal Hotel. He had another meeting in the afternoon, and Yan Xi quickly caught up to him.

“Mr. Zhou!”

Zhou Yanci stopped and turned to look at the young woman who had just outmaneuvered the M brand.

“What is it?”

Yan Xi’s eyes darted around. “Mr. Zhou, all the online rumors about me and the Lin family have disappeared… Was that handled by Zhou Corporation?” Yan Xi wasn’t naive. Ever since revealing her real name, she had prepared herself for the possibility of her past being exposed. Even though she didn’t want to be associated with the Lin family, the truth about the real and fake heiress was unavoidable.

“Yes.”

Zhou Yanci didn’t deny it. Among the people Yan Xi knew, few could have managed that, so there was no point in hiding it.

“Did Qingqing ask you to do it?”

“Yes.”

“It wasn’t free, was it?”

Zhou Yanci looked down at Yan Xi. Even though she was still a student, he could see a lot in her bright, sparkling eyes.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”

Yan Xi understood. When Zhou Qingyu asked Zhou Yanci for a favor, there was always a price to pay. And given his status, the cost was undoubtedly high. She owed Zhou Qingyu so much and could only try to repay her slowly.

As Yan Xi turned to head back to the Blue Hall, Zhou Yanci suddenly called out to her. “About the exchange program, are you sure you’re not going?”

“Yes,” Yan Xi nodded. The paperwork for withdrawing had already been signed, so there was no turning back.

Zhou Yanci adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses. “I recall that second-year graduate students don’t have classes. Most go abroad for exchanges or internships. Since you’re not studying overseas, you could start interning at Zhou Corporation early. That way, you’ll be ready to work as soon as you graduate. It’s convenient.”

Yan Xi asked, “Would this year of interning count toward my ten-year work commitment? Could I reduce my time working for Zhou Corporation by a year?”

Zhou Yanci looked at her calmly. “Internships, of course, don’t count.”

Yan Xi…

*Damn capitalism!*

*You’re going to work yourself to death with all that overtime!*

Yan Xi mentally raged for a moment but then smiled politely at Zhou Yanci. “I have other plans for my second year of grad school!”

Zhou Yanci didn’t press further. The contract required Yan Xi to join Zhou Corporation after graduation, so her refusal now wasn’t unreasonable.

“Oh, Mr. Zhou!”

Yan Xi suddenly called out to him again.

She studied his face: *No dark circles…? His hair… still looks thick? He doesn’t look like he’s about to collapse from overwork!* But the novel’s plot shouldn’t be wrong. Yan Xi disliked Zhou Yanci as a ruthless boss, but she didn’t want him to die. After all, he was still a human being, and he was Zhou Qingyu’s backbone.

“Mr. Zhou, I didn’t know you were lactose intolerant. I’m sorry for giving you milk earlier,” Yan Xi apologized politely. “But I genuinely think you’re working too hard. Assistant Sun mentioned you stayed up late again last night? It’s important to rest properly. Don’t overwork yourself!”

Zhou Yanci looked at Yan Xi skeptically. Such words would have been normal coming from Assistant Sun, but hearing them from Yan Xi felt… odd.

Although he had helped Yan Xi deal with the Lin family's affairs, whether it was lending her ten million five years ago or suppressing the news about her and the Lin family now, it was all at Zhou Qingyu's request.

He and Yan Xi didn't seem to have the kind of relationship where they would "care" about each other, right?

Yan Xi, however, didn't overthink it. She casually pulled out a Minion-themed eye mask from her bag, which she had bought while shopping with Zhou Qingyu a couple of days ago, and handed it to Zhou Yanci. "Here, Mr. Zhou, this is for you!"

Yan Xi smiled brightly. "It's an eye mask, for blocking light. If you don't have time to sleep, you can take a quick nap in the car! Anyway, you should rest more and not overwork yourself!" Zhou Yanci couldn't detect any ulterior motives in Yan Xi's smiling gaze and simply replied, "Thank you."

As he reached out to take the eye mask, his fingers accidentally brushed against hers. Zhou Yanci suddenly felt the softness of her skin, like cool jade on a summer day, refreshing and soothing.

"Yanci!"

His mother's voice suddenly rang out from behind, interrupting their conversation. Zhou Yanci turned to see Meng Yingrong walking out of the Blue Hall, her bag in hand.

As she passed by Yan Xi, Meng Yingrong gave her a disdainful look, not even sparing her a glance before heading straight to Zhou Yanci.

Seeing that Meng Yingrong and Zhou Yanci had something to discuss, Yan Xi returned to the Blue Hall to find Zhou Qingyu.

Once Yan Xi was out of earshot, Meng Yingrong snatched the eye mask from Zhou Yanci's hand and tossed it aside. "What kind of trash is this? People from fallen families really can't do anything proper!"

Zhou Yanci's expression darkened. "Mother, that's inappropriate."

Meng Yingrong's tone grew even more scornful. "Don't you see what that woman is up to? She's cozying up to Zhou Qingyu, all in the hopes of marrying into a wealthy family through her! Right now, you're her best target—she's already set her sights on you!" Zhou Yanci bent down to pick up the eye mask Yan Xi had given him, dusting it off. "Yan Xi has never shown any such intentions toward me," Zhou Yanci said. "She's just good at pretending! She even fooled me! I ended up giving Zhou Qingyu a resource for nothing!" Meng Yingrong was still fuming over the M brand endorsement incident. Zhou Yanci didn't want to argue with his mother. In her eyes, every woman who appeared around him had ulterior motives. He didn't deny that some of them were indeed trying to climb the social ladder through him, but his instincts told him Yan Xi wasn't one of them. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave."

"Wait!" Meng Yingrong stopped him. "Why are you in such a hurry? I haven't finished talking!"

Meng Yingrong pulled out her phone and sent Zhou Yanci a contact. "Lu Wanning is also in Li City for the exhibition. You two should meet up, get to know each other, and if things go well, you can get engaged!"

Zhou Yanci frowned. "Since when did we have an engagement with the Lu family?" Meng Yingrong was exasperated. "Zhou Qingyu has already hooked up with the second son of the Pei family. With the Pei family's backing, Zhou Hongsheng will definitely favor her. You need a marriage alliance of equal standing to compete with her! The Lu family is perfect! Lu Wanning is far better than any of those other women around you!" "It's just dinner. It won't take much of your time." Zhou Yanci removed his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze turning cold. "I have other matters to attend to this afternoon. If you want to go, you can go yourself."

With that, Zhou Yanci got into the Bentley driven by his assistant, Sun. Meng Yingrong shouted angrily after the car, "Zhou Yanci! I'm doing this for your own good! Why can't you understand anything!"

At the fashion week runway.

The flash of cameras and dazzling lights created a dreamlike atmosphere, making the entire venue enchanting and mysterious.

Models walked down the runway one after another, exuding elegance and confidence.

"So, Zhou Yanci has a fiancée? I didn't see this character in the novel before!"

As Zhou Yanci walked away, the system, having observed everything through surveillance, hurried back to report to Yan Xi.

While admiring the latest fashion collections on the runway with Zhou Qingyu, Yan Xi listened to the system's gossip.

System: [The Lu family is also mentioned in the novel! It's just that Zhou Yanci died too early, so you didn't notice!]

Lu Wanning, the eldest daughter of the Lu family—Yan Xi was familiar with the name. After all, there were only so many top-tier wealthy families: the Zhou family, the Pei family, and the Lu family were among them.

Unlike Zhou Qingyu's spoiled and domineering nature, Lu Wanning was the quintessential "neighbor's child," an elite among elites. As the eldest daughter of the Lu family, at 26 years old, she was already the CEO of the Lu Group. In just three years, she had successfully completed numerous projects, rivaling even Zhou Yanci's current achievements.

In terms of family background and capabilities, she and Zhou Yanci were a perfect match.

Meng Yingrong had made many mistakes, but her eye for finding a suitable wife for Zhou Yanci was sharp.

System: [In the novel, the two got engaged but never married. After Zhou Yanci's sudden death, the engagement was called off. But if Zhou Yanci hadn't died, this alliance might have worked out?]

"That makes sense!" Yan Xi analyzed to herself. "If the Zhou and Lu families joined forces, even if something happened to Zhou Yanci, the Lu family would step in to help, right?" Yan Xi clapped her hands happily. "I'm so clever!" The system's round eyes glanced sideways at Yan Xi: [What are you thinking? Pei Yubai managed to take over the Zhou family alone by deceiving Pei Hanli. Do you think Pei Yubai had the capability to do that? Of course not—it was because he teamed up with the Lu family!]

The novel's perspective focused on highlighting the male lead's abilities, so the Lu family wasn't described in detail. But in reality, it was Pei Yubai and the Lu family who truly took over the Zhou family. The system continued leisurely: [If something happened to the Zhou family, given Lu Wanning's style, she wouldn't lift a finger to help. As a strong-willed woman, she values money over love. She would only stab the Zhou family in the back!]

Yan Xi:

Big mistake.

The system added: [Also, the Lu family is actually Ye Luoyi's backer!] Yan Xi couldn't understand. "How is Ye Luoyi involved again? Why does she have so many powerful connections?"

The system shrugged: [She's the female lead. Isn't it normal for her to have a lot of backers?]

[You should know that besides the two siblings, the Lu family also had a younger daughter who went missing many years ago. It's been twenty years, and there's no hope of finding her.] [Later, by chance, Ye Luoyi saved Mrs. Lu from an asthma attack on a plane. Mrs. Lu, seeing that Ye Luoyi was around the same age as her missing daughter, took her in as a goddaughter.]

[This is also why the Lu family was willing to join forces with Pei Yubai to take over the Zhou family—after all, the Lu family was on Ye Luoyi's side.]

Yan Xi unconsciously tightened her grip on the fashion week brochure.

This was a real headache.

Even though Pei Yubai was the illegitimate son of the Pei family, he still had the Pei family behind him. And Ye Luoyi had not only the Ye family but also the Lu family backing her. This really put Zhou Qingyu at a disadvantage. Zhou Yanci definitely couldn't die—if he did, who else could hold up the Zhou family?

That evening, after the show ended, both Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu were exhausted. After dinner, since Louis didn't suggest any other activities, the two of them, utterly worn out, changed into casual clothes and returned to their homestay, collapsing onto the soft mattress. Yan Xi was too tired to move. This wasn't her first time wearing formal attire—she had worn haute couture gowns back when she was the Lin family's young lady—but after five years, wearing a formal dress again and having to maintain perfect posture in front of the cameras felt particularly exhausting.

It was already 10 PM, and the live stream had long ended. Zhou Qingyu had barely rested for ten minutes before she suddenly sat up, flipping open her laptop. Yan Xi leaned over curiously. "What's going on?"

She glanced at the screen and saw a bidding document titled "Purple Gold Garden."

"There's a project up for bidding. I need to review it again."

Her phone rang—it was her assistant, Yu Xiao. Zhou Qingyu immediately answered the call.

Yan Xi knew Zhou Qingyu had two assistants: one named Little Meng, who handled her personal affairs, and another named Yu Xiao, who managed her work at the Zhou Group.

Yu Xiao: "Miss Zhou, I've sent you the proposal our team prepared. Please review it, and once you confirm, we'll forward it to Chairman Zhou. After he compares your proposal with Mr. Zhou's, he'll decide which one to use."

Zhou Qingyu skimmed through the proposal. "What's Zhou Yanci's proposal like?"

The phone was on a video call, and Yu Xiao in the picture shook his head. "Mr. Zhou has done a great job keeping things confidential. We don't know much, but we have confidence in our proposal! By building a commercial district in exchange for government land, this plan can work!" Zhou Qingyu didn't avoid Yan Xi and discussed the Zijing Garden project with Yu Xiao. Yan Xi pondered for a moment; she had some recollection of the Zijing Garden project. It was a villa development project. Although the real estate market had been declining in recent years, land in first-tier cities remained expensive, let alone villa developments. Zhou Qingyu and Zhou Yanci were likely competing for the development rights of Zijing Garden. Compared to the tens of millions in endorsements in the entertainment industry, it seemed like a hefty sum, but the development of Zijing Garden was a project worth billions.

As Zhou Qingyu's assistant, Yu Xiao proposed a plan to build a shopping mall for the government for free in exchange for land allocation, a common practice in real estate development. Building a commercial district could effectively boost the local economy, making it a perfect fit for supporting real estate projects.

But...

Yan Xi opened her phone and glanced at the location of Zijing Garden. "By the way, Zijing Garden is in the new district. That area hasn't developed yet. Will people even go to a shopping mall there?"

After all, Hai City, as a major first-tier city, was never short of shopping malls. An ordinary mall wouldn't have much competitiveness, right?

Hearing Yan Xi's voice, Yu Xiao hesitated for a moment. "Miss Yan, what do you think would be better to build?"

Yan Xi thought for a moment. "An ecological wetland?"

Yu Xiao chuckled. "Miss Yan, you're still a student. You don't understand." Yu Xiao felt he had been quite tactful. An ecological wetland? Would anyone even go there? Probably not!

Yan Xi pouted and didn't say much more.

She was studying finance and indeed knew little about real estate.

But in the novel, Zhou Yanci had secured the development rights for Zijing Garden, and his proposal was to gift the government an ecological wetland park. The commercial benefits of an ecological wetland were far less than those of a commercial district, but Hai City's recent municipal construction was focused on developing a park city. The concept of an ecological wetland aligned perfectly with the park city initiative. Moreover, the environmental benefits brought by the wetland later drove up the property prices in Zijing Garden, making it one of the most expensive villa districts in Hai City. However, by then, Zhou Yanci was already dead, and the person who reaped the benefits was Pei Yubai, who had acquired the Zhou Group.

Zhou Qingyu didn't take Yan Xi's words too seriously either. Yu Xiao's proposal was already finalized. It was almost 4 p.m. in Hai City, and it was too late to make any changes before sending it to her father.

The Zijing Garden project was destined to slip through Zhou Qingyu's fingers.

After hanging up the call, Zhou Qingyu continued to study the Zijing Garden proposal. Yan Xi rarely saw her work so hard.

But, as the saying goes, you can grind an iron rod into a needle, but a wooden rod can only be ground into a toothpick. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't win against Zhou Yanci. What was the point of all this effort... Yan Xi tried to persuade her, "Have you ever thought that maybe it's better to just relax and enjoy being the young lady of the family, taking your annual dividends? That doesn't sound too bad."

Zhou Qingyu immediately refused. "That would mean handing the company over to Zhou Yanci! How could I let that happen? Don't worry, I'll definitely secure Zijing Garden, and when I do, I'll give you a villa."

Yan Xi: "Thanks..."

But you won't succeed...

Zhou Qingyu suddenly paused and turned to look at Yan Xi, her eyes gleaming. "Why are you suddenly telling me to relax and take dividends? You don't think I can beat Zhou Yanci, do you?" The system lit up with a red warning: [Dangerous question! Dangerous question! Host, you better think carefully about how to answer this!]

Yan Xi tilted her head, her tone utterly sincere. "...Well, can you?"

Zhou Qingyu: !!!

"Yan Xi!"

Zhou Qingyu pounced on Yan Xi, pretending to tickle her waist. "I suggest you rethink your words! Tell me, can I win or not?"

Yan Xi was extremely ticklish, laughing and crying at the same time. "I was wrong, I was wrong! Stop tickling me! Ahhh, you can win, okay? You can win!"

Zhou Qingyu finally withdrew her hands. "That's more like it!"

She paused for a moment. "Actually, I know Zhou Yanci is formidable. The chances of me winning are slim."

She lowered her eyelids, and for a moment, Yan Xi couldn't see her expression. Suddenly, Zhou Qingyu looked up. "But even if I lose, I want to give it a try before I give up!"

Then she pretended to strangle Yan Xi. "And you, you're my best friend. No matter what happens, you have to stand by my side, got it?"

Yan Xi: "Got it, got it! I understand!"

With that, Zhou Qingyu contentedly withdrew her hands and went back to reviewing her documents. Yan Xi gazed at Zhou Qingyu's back.

Suddenly, her eyes curved into a smile.

Silly girl, of course, I'll always stand by your side!