Chapter 1: Chapter 1: What a Niche Monetary Unit
「September. Lorcain.」
At "Poison" Coffee in the city center, Cecilia Sterling sat in a corner by the window. She rested her cheek on one hand, staring blankly at the sky outside.
The sun was shining brightly, and she had returned to an age before she was known as a venomous woman.
Just half an hour ago, at the age of 65, she had honorably retired after her last day of work. She had only dozed off for a moment on the bus ride home, but when she opened her eyes again, she was somehow back in her 20-year-old body.
In the prime of her life, curvy and gorgeous.
Her skin was tight, her attitude self-righteous.
She had great assets and didn’t wear glasses.
And she had a boyfriend.
It was all so unbelievable, yet she accepted it quickly and calmly.
As a scientist who had spent years exploring the field of aerospace and had achieved considerable academic success, quickly accepting the unknown was a natural talent of hers.
When she’d woken up, she was on a bus. Distant yet clear memories had surfaced, and she remembered that on this day, Shawn Lane’s mother was scheduled to meet her at a coffee shop.
Shawn Lane. Her boyfriend.
The next moment, the clear glass reflected the graceful figure of a wealthy lady. Cecilia Sterling sat up straight, her gaze fixed on the other woman as she elegantly took a seat.
Before Cecilia could speak, the woman lifted her chin haughtily. She pulled a check from her orange, pebbled-leather Hermes Kelly bag and slapped it down in front of Cecilia.
"Here’s ten dollars. Leave my son!"
...?
Cecilia froze. ’That’s not the right line!’ she thought.
Wasn’t it a hundred thousand last time?
How did it become ten dollars?
And why go to the trouble of writing a check for just ten dollars?
"I know what girls your age are thinking. You want to marry up, take a shortcut. But you need to understand something clearly. You and my son are from two different worlds. People from different social classes can’t be forced together."
As she spoke, Mrs. Lane stared at Cecilia’s beautiful face for a few seconds before letting out a disdainful scoff. "You’re certainly pretty, I’ll give you that. But that’s only good enough to fool a simple-minded boy like my son. It won’t fool me."
Cecilia finally recovered from her shock over the "ten dollars," having only half-heard what Mrs. Lane said.
’Who’s simple-minded?’
’Your son?’
’Shawn Lane is simple-minded?’
Cecilia couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. Seeing this, Mrs. Lane frowned under her sunglasses, asking unhappily, "What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. I was just thinking of something funny."
’And about my own laughable former self.’
She, too, had once thought Shawn Lane was simple-minded. What kind of malicious thoughts could a boy who’d grown up in the lap of luxury, coddled by a wealthy family, possibly have?
It wasn’t until he plagiarized and published the academic paper she had spent two years painstakingly writing that Cecilia realized just how badly she had been duped by her weakness for a pretty face.
He had become famous because of that paper, which led to his smooth entry into the country’s most prestigious research institution.
Meanwhile, her appeals and cries for justice were all silenced, vanishing without a trace in the face of the Lane Group’s immense wealth.
Later, through her own hard work, she finally became Shawn’s colleague—and his direct subordinate.
A guilty conscience often breeds paranoia. In Shawn’s eyes, she was a ticking time bomb, one that could go off at any moment.
So, during their time working together, Shawn used his position to make things difficult for her in every possible way. In the end, he used two hundred million dollars in dirty money from the Lane Group’s investment arm to kick her off the team.
That year, she was twenty-nine years old, laid off and unemployed.
But true gold fears no fire, and talent will always shine through.
She didn’t give up. Using her years of research experience and results from the institution, she once again wrote a paper that shook the entire industry. Shortly after its publication, she joined the National Aerospace Exploration Division.
From there, she worked diligently, never marrying, and strived in the field of aerospace exploration until her honorable retirement at the age of 65!
"Ma’am, I think you’re right. He and I are not the same kind of people."
Cecilia slowly pushed the ten-dollar check back across the table. "There’s no need for the ten dollars. I may not be wealthy, but I’m not that desperate."
Cecilia’s reaction took Mrs. Lane by surprise. She used a finger to slide her sunglasses down to the tip of her nose, peering at Cecilia with her bare eyes.
’Shouldn’t she be tearfully refusing, declaring that she and Shawn were truly in love and that no one could tear them apart, or something like that?’
Last time, that was indeed what Cecilia had done.
"You think it’s too little? I’ve looked into your background. For a family like yours, ten dollars is not a small amount. Or are you just trying to placate me? Don’t play games with me!" Mrs. Lane slid her sunglasses back on, her tone turning cold.
Cecilia smiled sweetly. "Ma’am, you’re overthinking it. I will break up with Shawn Lane. I promise you!"
"I don’t agree!"
A furious shout suddenly erupted from the side. Mrs. Lane, sitting opposite, jumped in fright, but Cecilia simply curled her lips into a subtle smile.
He appeared at the exact same moment as last time. The first time around, Shawn had shown up unexpectedly, and the two of them had stood firm, insisting they would be together no matter what. They appealed to his mother’s emotions and reason, and in the end, feeling sorry for her son, she had reluctantly agreed to let them continue dating.
Shawn Lane strode over and sat down beside Cecilia, throwing an arm around her shoulder. He declared firmly, "Mom, I’m not breaking up with Cecilia!"
"Shawn! Would I ever hurt you? I’m doing this for your own good!" Mrs. Lane exclaimed, both anxious and angry.
’She had almost succeeded. With her son showing up like this, it’s very likely the girl will go back on her word!’
However, Cecilia expressionlessly removed Shawn’s hand from her shoulder. Then, under his confused gaze, she stood up and looked at him. "Shawn Lane, I’m done playing. Let’s end it here."
"Wh-what do you mean?" Shawn asked blankly. "What do you mean, you’re ’done playing’?"
Cecilia’s lips curled into a smirk. "Literally. You. I’m done playing with you."
The expression on Shawn’s face shifted from confusion to shock, and finally, to rage.
"Cecilia, now is not the time to be emotional, and it’s certainly not the time for jokes!" Shawn said, his voice low.
Cecilia looked at his face. She had to admit, seeing it again, that he was incredibly handsome—whether it was the slight furrow of his brow in confusion, the widening of his eyes in shock, or the way his face flushed red with anger.
All of it was handsome.
But the longer she looked, a delayed wave of revulsion washed over her.
Cecilia averted her gaze to Mrs. Lane. "Ma’am, I have a strange quirk. I only enjoy secret relationships with rich kids. Now that you’ve found out, I don’t find it interesting anymore."
"Oh, by the way, Shawn and I never slept together. We did get a room once, but he couldn’t get it up. I’m not sure if he was nervous or just can’t perform. I suggest you take him to a doctor when you have time. He’s still young, after all."
"The coffee is on me."
With that, Cecilia turned and walked toward the counter, leaving the mother and son frozen in their seats, their faces ashen.
"Hi, I’d like to pay for table 5."
"Hello, ma’am. The total is 7.5 li. I’ll scan your code."
Cecilia squinted, thinking she might not have heard the cashier correctly. ’Did she say 75?’
"Payment successful: 7.5 li!"
An automated voice announcement came from the register. Cecilia subconsciously glanced at her WhatsApp Pay screen: "Payment successful: 0.0075 Dollars?"
7.5 li?
’The "li" from the sequence: Dollar, dime, cent, li?’
Cecilia’s eyes went wide. She was even more shocked by this than by the fact she had been reborn.
What an obscure unit of currency!
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