198 - I Don’t Want to Be Turned Into the Female Protagonist by the System

# Chapter 198: Lu Ran Winning Effortlessly Today, it rained again in Zhejiang City, but compared to the lightning and thunder of last night, the rain had significantly dwindled. Su Qi, who had lived in Zhejiang City for a long time, knew this meant the typhoon had passed. She turned on the living room lights and noticed the wall clock pointing to 5 o'clock. Feeling a bit puzzled, Su Qi yawned widely, though she felt she had just been energetic earlier. As she headed to the bathroom to freshen up, something caught her eye. The outfit hanging on the coat rack in the living room was none other than her Hanfu! Su Qi walked over briskly and touched it. Yes, the material was indeed made by Lady System. She leaned in closer and caught a whiff of lavender on the Hanfu. She realized it was the smell of the laundry detergent her mother always used. Her mother must have taken it back and mischievously told her she had thrown it away. Su Qi complained internally, but a smile creeped up on her face—this feeling of regaining something lost was delightful. Lady System, observing her host's increasing fondness for Lu Ran, was somewhat surprised. Her host was affected by this sort of thing? Whatever, having played Genshin Impact all night, it's time to sleep. Su Qi stepped into the bathroom, habitually switching out her pad. Seeing a reduction in the amount of bleeding brought her a bit of relief. Observant as ever, Su Qi had noted that with each instance of bleeding, her stamina seemed to drop slightly. If she was to continue losing blood at the rate of the first day, Su Qi doubted she'd last a full seven days. Death by bleeding seemed an utterly frustrating way to go. Fortunately, her physical condition was steadily improving, her stamina having reached 71 points. She picked up the toothbrush her mother had prepared for her, recognizing it as her own due to the sticker Lu Ran had affixed to the cup—“Only for My Dear Daughter.” Su Qi blushed at the sight. Her mom was truly a hopeless romantic. With the adorable pajamas and now this girlish sticker— Not to mention, the pink cup and toothbrush were overwhelmingly cutesy! In Su Qi's previous life as a boy, these things seemed, well, kind of cute in a way. After finishing her brushing routine, Su Qi, as usual, bared her teeth at the mirror. Those neat rows of small teeth, akin to fine blades, shone brilliantly within her small mouth. The only peculiarity was a lone little canine tooth on the right side of her mouth, peeking out like a curious little tiger cub, imbuing her entire face with a lively aura. Satisfied to find no cavities, Su Qi was reassured. Speaking of cavities, Su Qi once had the misfortune of having one. The thought of the dentist wielding that drill and the long sharp needle towards her ruined tooth made her uneasy. Thus, she'd spent three years with braces, and in retrospect, all the effort seemed worthwhile. Once back in her room, she sealed 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' back on the bookshelf. Su Qi remembered the moment after yesterday's lightning strike—seeing herself turn into the portrayal of the original Sable Cicada for just a flash. She shuddered and clasped her hands together, praying internally: "Sable Cicada Sister, I was wrong. I won't draw your fan art again, please don't come looking for me!" With thoughts circling her mind, Su Qi, who was learning the Secrets of Stock Trading 1 in her room, decided the spook was too much and hurried off to the study room. Morning studies boasted great productivity; in just over two hours, Su Qi read more than 20 pages, tripling her efficiency compared to yesterday at the hospital. Seeing she'd finally reached page 100 of the trading secrets book, Su Qi sighed with relief, having completed 1/16th. It was around this time that Lu Ran finally awoke from her slumber. After waking up in the morning, she instinctively reached beside her and blushed upon realizing there was only one person in the bed. “How could I sleep better than a girl,” she thought, sealing away the embarrassing frog pajamas. Gazing at the frog pajamas, Lu Ran blushed a bit. At nearly fifty years old, was she too old to be wearing this? To be fair, it was all Su Lu Jun’s doing. Lu Ran had asked him to buy some pajamas, but clueless about Su Qi’s sizes, he ended up buying five sets of this sort. Unwilling to waste them, Lu Ran wore the spares herself. Initially, she scorned her husband's blunt taste. After all, who would buy such bizarre, flamboyant pajamas? But recalling Su Qi in her bunny pajamas last night, Lu Ran found it rather amusing. Perhaps when Su Lu Jun returns, she'd buy him one too? How about coordinating a family pajama look? Oh, and not forgetting her two sons! Dressed in normal clothes, Lu Ran stepped lightly in cotton slippers and cautiously left her room. She wanted to see what her dear little girl was up to so early. She soon followed the light to Su Qi in the study. Su Qi was seated on a high stool, a purchase Lu Ran had made for enjoying the afternoon while handling company affairs with a cup of coffee. Some might wonder what Lu Ran did for work, and truthfully, even Su Qi didn’t know. Lu Ran always managed to be leisurely. This speaks to the notion of opportunity. Lu Ran, a native of Shanghai and a graduate of a notable university, stumbled upon the entrepreneurial ambitions of her college friend Ji Qi during an alumni gathering twenty-some years ago. Having married Su Lu Jun at the time, she didn’t have to worry about daily living expenses, courtesy of his military district role. As the wife of a regimental commander, extravagance was not an option. Living with Su Lu Jun in Shanghai, Lu Ran often found she couldn’t even spend money if she wanted to. The college gathering came at just the right time. Hearing about Ji Qi’s investment plans, given their shared history, she acknowledged his capabilities. She decided to put up her savings, around 6 million RMB, which wasn’t a small sum back then, easing Ji Qi's critical situation. Without ever needing the income, Lu Ran continuously reinvested her gains back with Ji Qi, playing the role of a passive business owner. Unknowingly, the company went public. Now, Lu Ran holds a 5% share of the Huazhu Hotel Group. Unfamiliar with the name? That’s reasonable. But surely you’ve heard of the well-known brands like HiYatt, Orange Crystal, All Seasons, and Hanting under the group's operation. Though a mere 5%, with Ji Qi making it to the Forbes Billionaires List recently, one must recognize the considerable return on such a stake. Hence, after gifting Su Qi 1 million, Lu Ran doesn’t feel a pang of regret. Despite Su Lu Jun’s salary being slightly above average, post-taxes yielding over ten thousand, to compare with Lu Ran’s monthly earnings still seemed negligible. So, the daily task for Lu Ran? Mostly involved logging onto her computer to hang around in the shareholders group chat. Every end of the month, a secretary would send over a financial report for her to sign. At times, Lu Ran wondered if her money came too easily, having never supervised a thing, not even visited a hotel. After the initial years of guilt, Lu Ran realized she’d grown accustomed to it! Maybe, just maybe, this was what they called “winning effortlessly.” **Note: If you find this book enjoyable, remember to add it to your bookshelf, so you can easily come back to it next time.**