Substitute No More: A Billionaire’s Payday

Chapter 3: A Trap of Deception and Control

No matter how you look at it, Maxwell Wu belonged to Wendy Jiang, the original heroine. During her disappearance, any emotional attachment to another woman, especially one like Lily Su, would be seen as a betrayal of Wendy.

It wasn’t just Maxwell. The other three male leads shared the same view. They worried that Wendy might overthink things when she met Lily and would expose their previous inappropriate “romantic relationships” with her, causing a rift in their connection with Wendy. So, they quietly collaborated to send Lily to an obscure little town far away from B City and from her childhood village.

For them, Lily Su was a disgrace, a threat, a stain on their pasts—something they wished to forget. So, no matter what, they ensured she would never appear anywhere Wendy could find her.

For any young girl, this would be a brutal form of exploitation. Lily had grown used to the adoration and luxury of being the center of attention in her previous life. After a series of events, she became more extreme in her behavior.

Naturally, the original Lily Su wouldn’t settle quietly in a foreign town. No, no one would want to be trampled like that.

The worst part? Maxwell and the other male leads cast her away and made sure she couldn’t marry another man they couldn’t control. Instead, they arranged for a bodyguard to become her legal husband—ostensibly to care for her, but in reality, to keep her under constant surveillance.

From Wendy Jiang's perspective, this plot made the male leads shine even brighter. Who didn’t love powerful and deeply affectionate handsome men?

But now, Lily was living this nightmare.

Lily Su took a deep breath, half-closing her eyes, and quietly clenched her fist, careful not to make any noise that might draw attention.

Continuing with the original plot...

After being trapped in that small town, Lily initially didn’t cause any trouble. She had been given a large sum of money to maintain her vanity and live luxuriously for the rest of her life.

Lily didn’t like the town; she preferred the hustle and bustle of a big city. But more than anything, she loved money. The poverty she had experienced in her earlier life made her obsessively drawn to wealth. Saying she was easily swayed by money would have been an understatement.

So, after receiving substantial sums from the male leads, who promised to send her money each year, Lily reluctantly stayed in the small town. She didn’t mind the marriage they had arranged for her. The “married” status made it easier for her to flirt with younger men. If she grew tired of them, she could easily break up without worrying about being tied down.

She just waited for the day when the wealthy men would forget about her so she could return to the glamorous life. However, that day never came.

The turning point came two years later.

And the root of all the trouble lay with her so-called “husband,” the bodyguard.

Naturally, this bodyguard wasn’t one of the male leads’ loyal men. The original text didn’t specify whether he was a recruit or just someone they hired, but either way, he wasn’t a good person.

At first, he was timid, but he did his job diligently, keeping an eye on Lily without making any moves. But after two years, he couldn’t contain his feelings any longer.

Lily had always been beautiful, and anyone who saw her couldn’t help but be attracted to her. The bodyguard was no different. Spending every day near such a stunning woman was bound to stir his emotions. And in such a remote town, with no one asking about her, the bodyguard began to entertain thoughts of his own.

His greed wasn’t only for Lily’s beauty, though—it was also for the money she had.

But the bodyguard wasn’t handsome; in fact, he could be considered somewhat unattractive. He was dull, sullen, and looked like trouble. Such a man could never catch Lily’s interest. In the first two years, she had mostly ignored him, never speaking to him or paying attention to him. But when she noticed his gaze always lingering on her, she couldn’t help but mock him in frustration.

For Lily, it wasn’t something to be proud of if an unattractive, incompetent man pursued her. It disgusted her.

With some money in her pocket, Lily decided to buy a house and move out. When the bodyguard realized this, he went further—he murdered her, then quickly sold her luxury items at a low price and disappeared with her savings.

This is the tragic end of Lily Su’s life, as shown in the original text. This plotline was the first major crisis in the romance between the male leads and the heroine. When Wendy and the male leads reconciled, Lily’s last bit of value was squeezed out, and she was forgotten. No one would ever care about Lily again.

The author didn’t mention how Lily’s parents, the hardworking and humble couple from the countryside, would cope after losing their only daughter.

Lily sat there, cold and numb.

Putting aside the logic and reason of the plot, all Lily knew was that she had to save herself.

By some twist of fate, when she recalled the original storyline, she realized she had already dated three original male leads. Trying to pretend nothing had happened and leaving the world of the male and female protagonists was impossible.

After all, this was a n*********d, and everything good revolved around the main couple. Even if the author said the sun revolved around the heroine, it would inevitably come to pass in this world. Trying to confront that was futile.

If Lily wanted to control her own life and not be tossed around like trash by the male leads, the best option was to rise to a position where they couldn’t control her easily.

But everyone understood that logic. Lily was just an ordinary senior about to graduate with no job prospects yet. What could she do?

“Arrived. Get out.”

Lily returned to reality, realizing the car had stopped in a narrow alley. To her left was a private restaurant.

As she exited the car, Lily noticed the alley was paved with ancient stone bricks. In this city, where property prices were as high as gold, both sides of the alley were lined with classic courtyard houses. The main building was a small three-story structure, exuding a classical elegance.

No one else was in the alley, making it quiet and secluded. It was clear that this wasn’t a place for ordinary people.

When Maxwell Wu reached the courtyard gate, a middle-aged man opened it from the inside and greeted them with a smile, “Please, come in.”

Lily looked up at the plaque above the gate. It was black with golden calligraphy in seal script, but she couldn’t distinguish the characters.

Once inside, the courtyard's beauty unfolded, rivaling the famous gardens of Suzhou. It was mesmerizing, making it hard to take everything in at once.

Maxwell Wu walked ahead, speaking with the middle-aged man, likely discussing the menu. Lily vaguely heard mentions of fish and turtles, but she didn’t pay much attention, preferring to admire the view.

When they entered the private room, it was yet another luxurious scene—fit for an important banquet. But something felt off. Lily felt that someone’s eyes were following her, but when she looked around, she couldn’t see anyone. Hesitant momentarily, she brushed off the feeling, deciding it was her imagination.

The courtyard was quiet, and the guests followed a fixed route, so it wasn’t easy to run into anyone else. Lily settled into her meal, enjoying the food immensely. It was too delicious to resist, and she ate like she might not get another chance.

However, she didn’t notice that Maxwell Wu occasionally looked up to watch her, even serving her food while subtly observing her with an unreadable expression.

After the meal, Maxwell didn’t ask anything else and simply escorted her back to the school.

As Lily slowly walked back to her dorm, she couldn’t help but sigh.

At the entrance of the dorm building, she ran into her roommate, Mindy Chen.

Mindy, who wasn’t very tall, had a petite figure but an enviable shape—full chest, narrow waist, and long, slender legs. Her face was sweet, like a doll’s, making her appear harmless, though she had a bit of a sharp edge to her personality.

When she saw Lily, Mindy frowned slightly, biting her lip as if wanting to say something but holding herself back.

Lily, not bothered, pretended she didn’t see her and walked straight up the stairs.

Her relationship with the other three roommates wasn’t close. Although there was no conflict or quarrel, they were polite but distant, and no matter how much Lily wanted to connect, there was no way to break the distance.

When she reached the third floor, Mindy suddenly called out to her, “Lily Su.”

Lily turned around in surprise, looking at her with visible curiosity.

Mindy stepped closer, lowering her voice, “Don’t trust him. He’s not as kind as he seems.”

“Huh?”

Seeing the confusion on Lily’s face, Mindy leaned in even closer, about to explain, when the sounds of other girls’ laughter echoed from downstairs.

Before she could speak, a sarcastic voice interrupted, “Oh, isn’t this the campus beauty of B University, Lily Su?”

“Really? I’m the campus beauty?” Lily immediately turned around, pretending not to notice the sarcasm in her tone. She picked up on the keywords—“campus beauty” and smiled, her entire demeanor brightening, almost floating with pride.

The girl who had mocked her was taken aback, her face stiffening.

Mindy almost laughed out loud but managed to hold it back.

Lily, still smiling brightly, added, “Thanks for telling me. You’re such a good person.”