$100K an Hour: CEO’s Paid Girlfriend

Emily Sterling died. And then, she was reborn. When she regained consciousness, she was sitting on a riverbank, drenched and alone, with her hair and clothes dripping water. The chilly wind made her shiver, and her phone next to her kept vibrating relentlessly, seemingly with no regard for her discomfort. A bit disoriented, Emily picked up the vexing phone and glanced at the screen, instinctively answering the call from "Dad." A middle-aged man's voice came from the other end, harsh and questioning, "Where are you?" Confused, Emily pulled the phone away and glanced at the screen again. It indeed displayed "Dad." — But this voice... it isn't my father. "It’s your sister's send-off day today. All the relatives and friends are at the hotel, sending her off. You’re her sister, and you're missing? How embarrassing for her!" The man barked, "Get to the hotel immediately. You know where it is!" The line went dead with a faint "beep." Emily, still in a daze, stared at the phone in her hand before it dawned on her: Oh, my father died three years ago. — ...A new kind of scam? She scanned the dimmed screen, and suddenly noticed a strange face reflected on it. Emily instantly came to her senses. She quickly unlocked the phone and opened the camera app to check her own reflection in the selfie lens. The face looking back at her wasn't hers. Even Emily, who had seen it all, was taken aback by this eerie resurrection. As she stared blankly at the unfamiliar face, a notification popped up at the top of her screen: the app "The Temptation of Going Home" had finished installing. Emily stared, speechless. She closed the camera, found the newly installed app, and opened it. It was an incredibly basic, almost laughable app. There was just a simple progress bar with no other features. The current progress was completely empty, and below it was a long string of numbers. Emily counted them. It was one hundred billion. She tapped the question mark in the top right corner and saw the usage instructions. 【Due to an unfortunate accident that left you in a vegetative state, you now have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revive. As long as you earn one hundred billion in your second chance at life, you will awaken back into your own body~】 Well, no wonder it's called The Temptation of Going Home. Emily felt a flicker of temptation but had no particular reaction to the astronomical sum. One hundred billion, not just one billion. In fact, people who can make this amount of money are exceedingly rare. What does one hundred billion mean? If you won the lottery for five million every day and never spent a dime, it would still take over five years to accumulate that amount. But she quickly considered that she had already switched bodies, and this strange app's nonsense might not be entirely dismissible. 【Don’t worry about the one hundred billion being too high, as besides movable and immovable property and money, emotional value is also quantifiable and can be exchanged for progress.】 【Emotional value: refers to the feelings others have towards you, whether positive or negative. As long as the person is attached to you, the feelings will automatically be quantified upon acquisition.】 Emily gently ran her finger over the phone screen. Got it. — Either she makes many people love her, or she makes many people hate her. The app's instructions ended with a simple line: "Memory transfer starting, please do your best!" Emily exited the instructions and stared helplessly at the progress bar showing one hundred billion. A new memory was quickly transmitted to her mind, as if playing a movie, showing her the life of the body she now inhabited. The body was also named Emily Sterling, but it had a twin sister named Lily Sterling. They were identical twins, with similar looks but vastly different personalities. Lily was lively and outgoing, adored by all, the beloved princess of the family; while Emily was quiet, reclusive, and had no presence at all, almost invisible. Lily was charming and had a rich and colorful emotional life, never making mistakes. But after graduating from university, Lily decided to go abroad to further her studies… And when the fish Lily had been feeding grew distant, what did they do? — Naturally, they sought out the "Emily Sterling" who looked almost identical to Lily to pass the time. At first, Emily was willing to play the substitute, especially since some of those looking for a stand-in included her secret crush — James Pierce. But soon, James introduced "Emily" to other men. She gradually became a mere tool, so much so that she was called "Lily" instead of "Emily." She attempted suicide multiple times but was never granted an escape. Her freedom was shackled by them until Lily returned, and she was discarded, allowing her to die. She was only twenty-six years old. Emily, always known for her tough exterior and sarcasm in the entertainment industry, now mourned the tragic life of this body, a life wasted without cause. She shook out her wet hair with a carefree smile. No longer did she wonder why she was sitting by the riverbank. James had kept in touch with her for the past year. They occasionally met for casual dates but never crossed into anything romantic. But just yesterday, James declared that he wanted to sever ties. The original body couldn't handle it and jumped into the river. Emily stretched lazily and checked her account balance on her phone. Thankfully, despite being the neglected daughter of a powerful family, the Sterling family was well-off. Emily had two bank cards worth around one hundred thousand yuan in total. She closed the bank app and checked "The Temptation of Going Home." Sure enough, the balance had changed. It now reads -9,999,863,520.00. Regardless of rounding, that was still one hundred billion. The progress bar hadn’t moved, but at least there was progress. Then Emily scanned the contacts, matching each familiar yet unfamiliar name with her new memories. Once she finished, she casually checked her messages and social apps. On w******p, there was a message from Lily Sterling sent a few hours ago: "Sis, don't get lost, we’re having lunch here at noon. I'll be there with Mom and Dad, waiting for you~. It ended with an adorable cat emoji. Emily glanced at the hotel name and figured this was probably where her "father" had called her to go earlier. She was about to buy clothes when the phone rang again. It was a call from James Pierce. Emily thought for a moment and then remembered — oh, this was the person she secretly adored. She smiled and answered the call. "Where are you?" James asked directly. "Your sister is leaving the country, aren’t you coming to send her off? She’s been looking for you." Despite the reprimanding tone, his voice was gentle and refined, exuding warmth and elegance that made one involuntarily like him. — But Emily had seen too many charming men, and her threshold for attraction was too high. She wasn’t moved at all and lazily replied, "Why should I go?" James paused for a moment, then said, "Emily, what’s between you and me has nothing to do with Lily. You can’t resent your sister." "I suppose it’s fine if I go," Emily replied, casually searching for nearby shopping malls on the map. "But I just got my clothes dirty. I have nothing appropriate to wear for the farewell dinner." James hesitated, then gently reminded, "Even if I buy you a dress, it doesn’t mean anything between us. Do you understand?" Emily smiled softly. "So, do you want me to go or not?" There was a brief silence on the other end before the call was abruptly cut off. Unhurriedly, Emily ordered a ride, then began strolling up the slope. The car hadn’t arrived yet when Emily’s phone buzzed with a new message. It was from James Pierce, who had transferred her one hundred thousand yuan. Emily looked at her balance and the unexpectedly easy sum. She whistled softly and checked "The Temptation of Going Home" again. The amount now reads -9,999,753,520.00. It was a clear gain of one hundred and ten thousand, and a "Details" button had popped up. She clicked on it. The hundred thousand was from James's transfer, and the ten thousand was listed as James's "emotional value." Just by slightly teasing James, his emotional reaction had earned her ten thousand? Emily tucked her phone away and smiled with a sense of assuredness. There’s no such thing as an easy way to make money, but sometimes a clever idea paves the path. ... Although Emily had just pocketed one hundred thousand from James, she wasn’t interested in buying luxury goods. After getting to the mall, she went to a local outlet store, grabbed a discounted shirt, jeans, and a pair of heels. She tried them on quickly, cut the tags off, and paid. The whole process took less than ten minutes, and the total cost was under three hundred yuan. Before she left, she stood in front of the mirror in the store and swept her long bangs back, examining her new face closely. With an oval face, almond eyes, high nose, and fair skin, Emily was certainly not unattractive. But the personality reflected in a person’s appearance is often more telling. "Emily Sterling" had been introverted and extremely shy, always hiding her face. She looked almost like a completely different person from her lively twin sister, Lily. Anyone could easily favor Lily over Emily as such a pair of sisters. Emily ran her fingers through her half-dry hair and tied it back in a ponytail. Before leaving, she stopped by the nearest cosmetics counter and bought a popular lipstick shade. She applied it carefully in front of the makeup mirror. Her lips, once pale from the cold, were now stained with a bright tomato red, instantly adding color to her face. Emily raised an eyebrow at her vibrant reflection in the mirror. Playing the substitute? Let’s make some money. ... When Emily arrived at the hotel, she didn’t rush to the banquet hall. Instead, she took a moment to stand outside and take in the view. The hotel was nestled on a quiet mountain, accessible via a winding, scenic road. It was the perfect place for a wealthy family to flaunt their taste. Emily stood at the edge of the road, looking down at the view, her gaze distant and indifferent. She had checked her phone on the way and found no trace of her past self, which meant — “this” was an entirely different world. The view from the mountain showed unfamiliar landmarks, nothing she recognized. Though the bizarre app was still a mystery, Emily wasn’t about to let go of this potential lifeline. Her family, friends, and everything she had worked for were still in “that” world. As for the present, she would take it one step at a time. At least from what she had seen so far, earning one hundred billion didn’t seem as impossible as she first thought. Emily shrugged and was about to head inside to face her troublesome family when a young voice called out to her from behind, "Sis, what are you doing out here?" She turned to see a defiant-looking young man. Their eyes met, and his expression immediately shifted to one of disdain. "It's you? I thought you weren't coming?" Noticing the faint scent of smoke on him, Emily studied him for a moment before realization dawned: "Oh, it's you." The young man had a somewhat unusual name: Blake Sun. Though only nineteen and in his second year of college, Blake came from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the city, the Sun family. He was the heir apparent, the kind of person who had a throne waiting for him to inherit. Blake had met Lily during a summer vacation in high school and became infatuated with her, even transferring to the university in Lily's city. But no matter how hard he tried, Lily only viewed him as a “dear little brother.” Blake didn't give up, though. When he heard that Lily was planning to study abroad, he nearly sabotaged her visa in a fit of desperation. According to the unwritten rules of this world, anyone who liked Lily automatically despised Emily — an ironclad truth. Blake had always disliked Emily, treating her like a useless, invisible sister. Every time they met, it was like fireworks going off — loud, chaotic, and unpleasant. "Go inside if you've come," Blake sneered, his hands shoved into his pockets. "You're late by hours. Who else do you think is waiting for you? The main character today isn't you." He brushed past Emily, intending to ignore her. Emily, unfazed, took a leisurely step forward, almost as if walking beside him. Blake's face darkened at the sight. "Lily never told you, did she?" Emily said casually, "She actually can't stand the smell of smoke. Every time she smells it, she feels nauseous." Blake froze mid-step, stunned. "Of course," Emily continued, adding more salt to the wound, "The heir of the Sun family is too noble for her to say something like that to you. How pitiful." Blake suddenly grabbed Emily's arm. "Is that true?" "I grew up with her," Emily replied, her tone convincing. "You really didn't know?" Blake yanked his arm away with a grimace and stormed off in a huff, ripping off his jacket in frustration. Emily, unfazed, strolled down another path, heading straight to the banquet hall in the hotel lobby as directed. The hall was already packed with people, and giant screens displayed photos of Lily and their parents from their daily life: traveling, playing, dancing, attending parent-teacher meetings. It looked like a picture-perfect, blissful family of three. Another daughter? Well, you couldn't find her in any of those joyful photos. Emily stood at the door, staring at the pictures, shaking her head in amazement. This life that "Emily Sterling" had led was truly pitiful. She hadn't done anything wrong, yet had no position or presence in her own family. Before more curious eyes could fall upon her, Emily took a slow step toward the table at the center, where her parents were sitting. She could hear whispers among the crowd, wondering who she was and why she looked so much like Lily. When Emily stood before her parents, they both looked at her in surprise. "Sorry I'm late," Emily said casually, signaling to the waiter to add another chair and set of utensils. — Everyone had been waiting for her, yet there wasn't even a seat reserved at the table? What nonsense were they talking about? "Emily?" Her mother was the first to react, awkwardly clearing her throat. "You're late... Sit down and eat." Without waiting for her to finish, Emily had already sat down in the chair the waiter brought over. Her father's expression was dark, but he clearly didn’t want to make a scene. He just glared at Emily and grumbled in a low voice, "Eat your food. Don't say anything unnecessary." Emily lazily acknowledged him and grabbed a piece of dragon eye fruit, popping it into her mouth. A person who had just jumped into a river and survived needed something sweet to soothe the soul. Her blatant disregard for the situation left her father seething, but before he could snap, one of his business partners arrived, and he had to smile and shake their hand. "Is this Lily?" The newcomer chuckled, looking at Emily. "She's grown up so fast! She's even more beautiful than in the photos." Her father awkwardly smiled, "This is my other daughter. She's more introverted." The newcomer was taken aback, then both of them chuckled knowingly. Emily took a sip of her drink and didn't even glance back. Though many in the room were now watching her curiously, Emily, having spent years in the entertainment industry, was used to being the center of attention. As her father saw off the business partner, Lily returned, now dressed in a small formal gown. She saw Emily and paused for a moment before approaching her with a warm greeting, "You're here! I thought you wouldn't make it. I'm so glad." Lily was slender and graceful, her face flushed with youthful charm. She smiled, revealing a perfect row of white teeth, the kind of look that would make anyone think of her as the ideal first love. Emily set down her chopsticks and glanced at Lily. "Safe travels." Lily's expression faltered for a moment, and she bent down to hug Emily. "Sis, do you really hate me?" "No," Emily smiled, raising an eyebrow. "I'm really thankful for your existence." If Lily wasn’t so good at catching fish, how else would Emily have found such a simple way to make money? Lily’s expression after hearing this was so subtle it could easily be turned into a case study for film critics. As the wine flowed, the atmosphere in the hall became lighter and more relaxed. After a while, Blake returned from outside, his face sour and wearing a completely different outfit. His hair even had droplets of water. Soon after, a handsome young man made his way toward the main table. Emily recognized him immediately — it was James Pierce. He was here to propose. How ironic. Lily, the so-called "sea king," had never been in a serious relationship. Which meant James Pierce, who was about to propose, wasn't even Lily's choice. But Emily was very intrigued about what kind of wedding dress Lily would wear. James Pierce, who was about to propose, wasn’t even Lily's boyfriend yet. Emily smirked as she prepared to watch the drama unfold. After all, the best person to understand a "sea king" was another "sea king." Emily knew Lily would never accept the proposal.