Chapter 10

Just as Kane was lost in thought, the book in front of Nancy suddenly shifted upward.

The part of her face that had been visible was now completely hidden—she didn't even leave her pretty eyes for him to admire.

Kane snapped out of his daze, raising an eyebrow.

Not even half a face to look at?

Cold. Seriously cold.

But Kane didn't mind. He simply opened his book and started reading.

…

Back in the day, Master Tang returned from his pilgrimage, becoming a sensation across the country.

Later, through an introduction, he met a 49-year-old rich vixen. It was fate—an inescapable tribulation.

Eventually, Master Tang didn't choose to continue spreading Buddhist teachings. Instead, he decisively got married, proudly becoming a kept husband.

Now, he owns an entire street in the capital, a stark contrast to his former self—an aging ex-Master Tang still hustling, performing gigs well into his sixties.

What's called a glamorous transformation?

This. This is a glamorous transformation.

But how does one achieve such a dazzling metamorphosis?

The author listed several conditions in the book, with the most important one being: good looks.

Simply put, only if you're attractive do you stand a chance at a beautiful beginning with a rich queen. It's the key to even getting through the door—without it, don't bother dreaming about what comes next.

Besides that, you'll need a solid physique. You've got to be durable, capable of handling the rich queen's "happy pins" and "joy balls," and possess the stamina of a high-capacity battery—one that's stronger than six regular ones combined.

Of course, the book only covered the basics; the rest was Kane Brook's own analysis.

He was reading with intense focus, completely absorbed, when he accidentally stretched his leg a bit too far—just enough to gently kick a pair of delicate, fair-skinned calves across from him.

Realizing his careless blunder, Kane immediately looked up.

To his surprise, the cool, distant girl quietly pulled her leg back as if nothing had happened, not even lowering the book that shielded her face.

"Sorry, I got too into the book. Didn't mean to," Kane apologized.

"It's fine," came the soft, emotionless reply from behind the book, her gaze never meeting his.

Kane didn't think much of it, simply shifting his focus back to the book.

Twenty minutes later, he finished The Glamorous Transformation of the Third-Generation Tang Monk, gaining a solid grasp of the basic strategies for snagging a rich queen.

But here's the problem—where do you even find a rich queen?

He'd just scoured the entire bookshelf, yet couldn't find the legendary 'National Directory of Wealthy Women.

Without meeting one, weren't all these strategies pointless?

Feeling a bit dejected, Kane closed the book, pushed his chair back, and got up to leave.

Just then, Nancy Foster finally lowered her book.

Her clear, bright eyes locked onto him as she quietly reached for the small sign on the table, placing it right in front of him.

"Please return books to their original place before leaving."

Kane glanced at the sign, gave a slight shrug, and left without a word.

As his figure disappeared into the distance, her lashes trembled subtly, a fleeting shadow of sadness crossing her eyes.

But she didn't call out.

She simply lowered her book, walked softly around the table, and began neatly stacking the books Kane had left behind, intending to put them back.

Just as she was tidying up the last book, footsteps echoed behind her.

Kane's voice followed.

"I wasn't leaving. Just thirsty—went to grab some water."

"And, uh, sorry again for accidentally kicking you earlier. Here's a drink to make up for it."

He twisted open a bottle of Qoo juice and slid it toward her.

Back in the day, this drink was all the rage—Sprite was no match. Though for some reason, it faded out over time.

Nancy didn't take it.

She stood frozen, like a statue, silent and unmoving.

Eventually, she clenched her fists, lowered her head, and returned to her seat, lifting her book high to hide her delicate face.

Kane found it baffling.

Did I do something inappropriate?

I was pretty gentlemanly, right?

So why does this ice queen seem so flustered?

He didn't dwell on it, figuring it was just her cold personality.

Shrugging it off, he sat back down and opened another book.

Three minutes later, out of the corner of his eye, Kane caught a glimpse of a slender, fair hand sneaking out from behind Mystic-Eyed Girl.

It quietly grasped the Qoo juice, then quickly retreated.

In the days that followed, Kane visited the library whenever he had time.

Every time, he'd run into Nancy Foster.

They'd sit at the same table, facing each other, like some unspoken routine.

No words exchanged.

Just quietly reading their own books.

Kane Brook never came empty-handed.

Sometimes, he'd bring snacks—like teddy bear biscuits, salty rice crackers, or shrimp chips—dividing them into two portions and sliding one across to Nancy Foster.

After this happened a couple of times, Nancy started bringing snacks too—macarons, truffle chocolates, Jenny Cookies—and she'd always place them a little closer to Kane's side.

Though the two hardly exchanged words, it felt like a subtle form of communication, a quiet, unspoken connection.

During this time, Kane finished reading The Rich Queen Files and The Gentleman's Details, while Nancy read The Era of the Blue Dog and The Magical Zoo.

June 13th, the sixth day of summer vacation.

Kane closed the last page of the book about rich women, rested his chin on his hand, his gaze gradually deepening.

"There's a house of gold in books, and beauties as fair as jade."

He'd looked it up online—this phrase wasn't from Mr. Lu Xun as he'd thought, but from Zhao Heng, the third emperor of the Song Dynasty, originally part of The Persuasion to Learn.

But Kane felt it was only half true.

Books did hold beauties as fair as jade—like Nancy Foster, sitting right across from him, a sight pleasing no matter how long he looked.

But as for a house of gold? He hadn't found one yet.

Kane's gaze couldn't help but drift to Nancy, who was sneakily munching on shrimp chips like a little hamster.

She no longer hid her face entirely behind a book, though her cool, distant eyes remained the same, and she showed almost no desire for conversation.

Wait a second…

A black sedan with wings?

A chauffeur picking her up and dropping her off every day, with security detail in tow?

Macarons, Jenny Cookies, truffle chocolates…

Kane's eyes widened slightly. I must've been a total idiot not to realize it sooner!? All this time thinking about how to meet a rich girl, and yet one's been sitting right in front of me this whole time!

At that moment, Nancy noticed Kane's gaze and froze mid-bite, slowly putting the shrimp chip back into the bag.

"I didn't say you couldn't eat. Go ahead," Kane said.

"Oh."

Nancy picked the chip back up and popped it into her mouth but soon realized Kane was still staring. Her expression shifted to mild confusion.

"Nancy," Kane straightened his back, trying to look as sincere as possible, "can I borrow some money?"

Without enough seed capital, none of the ideas he'd been considering would be feasible. That's why he'd been obsessing over bank loans these past few days. But really, borrowing from a bank or a classmate—was there any fundamental difference?

Of course, he knew you couldn't just meet a rich girl and expect her to lend you money right away. But he could offer terms.

Business is all about taking chances, right?

Nancy blinked, puzzled, then fell silent. After a moment, she reached for her small black leather bag hanging on the chair, pulled out a pink wallet with a metal clasp, and placed it firmly on the table.

Kane was stunned. Yep, that's definitely a rich girl move.

But he wasn't asking for a few hundred bucks—he needed a lot more.

"I was thinking… a bit more than that."

"How much?" Nancy asked plainly.

Kane wanted to blurt out a number but hesitated. Too much might pressure her; too little wouldn't be enough.

"Tell you what, just lend me however much you can. I'll pay you back really soon. I swear I won't run off with the money."

Nancy nodded obediently. "Got it. I'll bring it tomorrow."

"…?"

Kane was floored again. Since when did borrowing money become this easy?

Did I really get reincarnated into the same world?