Bai Sichan sat on the bed, staring at the unfamiliar and quiet man sitting across from her.
His skin was almost unnaturally pale. He had deep-set eyes, thin lips pressed together, and a tall, well-built figure. He looked like a male model who had stepped straight out of a fashion magazine.
He asked, “Are you sober now?”
His voice was calm and emotionless. Rather than sounding like a question, it sounded more like a simple statement of fact.
“…Yes.”
Bai Sichan instinctively drew her legs closer and pulled the blanket over them, covering her still-exposed pale legs.
The man in front of her was the fake husband she had paid to marry.
After they had registered their marriage at the civil affairs office yesterday, they had gone their separate ways. She had then gone out drinking with Meilin, boldly had a drink, and then…
Then she had blacked out.
Bai Sichan moved her legs slightly and looked down.
On the clean white bedsheet was a tiny spot of blood, about the size of a fingernail.
An unfamiliar man and woman spending the night together in a hotel, a sore body, and blood on the bedsheet.
She could only think of one explanation.
They had clearly gotten too carried away after drinking.
The man had already walked over and sat down beside her.
Wrapped tightly in the blanket, Bai Sichan moved sideways, trying to keep some distance between them.
The man spoke again, his voice still calm and unhurried.
“I couldn’t stop you last night.”
Oh no.
Did he really have to bring up the details?
Bai Sichan covered her face with the blanket and asked in a tiny voice,
“…So, did we really do it?”
Silence.
She lowered the blanket slightly and peeked at him with one eye.
The man looked down at her.
“Yes. We did.”
He answered calmly.
Bai Sichan took several deep breaths before finally asking with difficulty,
“…How much?”
The man’s usually expressionless face finally showed some confusion.
“What?”
Realizing that he had misunderstood something, he added,
“Sorry. I didn’t hear you clearly.”
Bai Sichan looked at him nervously.
“How much do I need to pay you for last night?”
The man fell silent again.
Bai Sichan felt extremely nervous. Her delicate fingers kept twisting one corner of the blanket until it became a wrinkled little flower.
She had no idea how much someone like him normally charged.
She had once heard Meilin mention that gifts for men of his type usually started at tens of thousands of yuan. Anything cheaper would be embarrassing to give.
So how much would one night cost?
Bai Sichan was not short of money, but if he demanded an extremely high price, she might have to give up on her father’s birthday present.
Her father’s birthday was only two weeks away.
According to tradition, a fiftieth birthday was supposed to be celebrated in a big way.
She had already chosen his gift and was planning to pay for it next week.
Bai Sichan hesitated.
“If possible… could you give me a discount?”
Even she felt embarrassed saying it.
Who would bargain over something like this?
Especially after it was already over.
If a man did something like this, he would probably be called heartless afterward.
Sure enough, the moment she said it, she saw the man smile.
Bai Sichan’s face turned red.
“Or… I can write you an IOU first. I’ll pay you back slowly. Would that be okay?”
She lowered her head, feeling terribly embarrassed.
“No need.”
The man finally answered in a completely businesslike tone.
“One thousand yuan.”
Bai Sichan wondered if she had heard him correctly.
One thousand yuan?
That cheap?
Considering his looks and overall condition, this was practically an incredible bargain!
She hurriedly got out of bed.
“Please wait a moment. I’ll get the money for you right away—”
The words stopped in her throat.
Bai Sichan suddenly remembered something and could no longer say anything.
She seemed to have left her purse at the nightclub last night.
She had not brought it with her at all.
How was she supposed to pay him?
Did this mean she had gotten his services without paying?
She stood there empty-handed, her face so red it felt like it was about to explode.
In a tiny voice, she asked,
“Can I write you an IOU first?”
The man paused, then smiled.
“Of course.”
Bai Sichan searched around the room but could not find any paper or pen.
The man sat on the bed, calmly watching her search and come up empty-handed.
He pointed at the necklace around Bai Sichan’s neck and lazily said,
“You can also use that as collateral for now.”
Bai Sichan wore a teardrop-shaped jade pendant around her neck. She rarely took it off except when bathing.
She hesitated.
“This isn’t worth much…”
She looked at him earnestly.
“Believe me, I’ll pay you. I’m not the kind of person who takes advantage of someone without paying.”
When he heard the words “takes advantage without paying,” the man’s temple twitched.
“No.”
His tone was firm.
“There has to be collateral.”
Bai Sichan had no other choice.
She carefully removed the jade pendant and reluctantly placed it in his hand.
The man took it and casually slipped it into the pocket of his pajamas.
He clearly did not care much about it.
Bai Sichan hesitated.
“Please keep it somewhere safe. Once I get the money, I promise I’ll give it back to you.”
The man neither agreed nor disagreed.
Instead, he asked,
“When do you want to get divorced?”
Only then did Bai Sichan remember that there was still something else to take care of.
Yesterday, in desperation, she had paid this man to go with her to the civil affairs office and register their marriage.
She had only done it to get the two extra credits she needed.
“Next Tuesday will be fine,” she said. “I’ll call you next Tuesday, and we can go get divorced.”
Then Bai Sichan suddenly remembered that she had class that afternoon.
She hurriedly asked,
“What time is it now?”
The man picked up the watch beside the bed.
“Exactly twelve.”
Her Java teacher was almost forty and extremely strict.
On the very first day of class, he had made it clear that anyone who skipped his class would receive zero for their regular grade.
Bai Sichan anxiously asked,
“Can I borrow your phone? I need to call my friend.”
The man handed his phone to her.
Bai Sichan closed her eyes and thought for a moment before dialing Yang Zhili’s number.
Among all her childhood friends, he was the most flashy one.
Every day, he drove his Maserati around campus.
Right now, he was the only person who could come and rescue her.
One.
Two.
Three.
Bai Sichan held the phone and silently counted to three.
“Hello?”
Yang Zhili’s cheerful voice came through.
“Who is this?”
“It’s me, Sichan.”
Bai Sichan spoke in one breath.
“I need emergency help. Can you come pick me up right now?”
Yang Zhili paused.
“Sure. Where are you?”
Only then did Bai Sichan realize that she did not even know where she was.
The man quietly reminded her from behind,
“2001 Nanxiang Street. Hilton Hotel.”
Bai Sichan gratefully glanced at him and repeated the address.
Yang Zhili was confused.
“How did you end up there?”
“I’ll explain later. I can’t be late for my afternoon class. Hurry!”
Bai Sichan was so anxious she felt like she was about to burst into flames.
She hung up and hurried into the bathroom to change.
Her clothes had been neatly placed on the table. They had even been washed and carried a faint, pleasant scent.
After changing, Bai Sichan suddenly remembered something extremely important.
She walked out of the bathroom in her slippers.
“Sir, you—”
Unexpectedly, he was getting dressed.
He had just put on his trousers and zipped them up. His upper body was still bare, revealing clean and well-defined muscles.
He showed no embarrassment or displeasure at being seen.
He simply looked at her calmly.
Only then did Bai Sichan notice a deep bite mark on his shoulder.
There were also several scratches.
Hmm…
Those were probably all left by her.
The man casually picked up his shirt and put it on.
“What is it?”
Bai Sichan spoke softly.
“Could you lend me fifty yuan first?”
His hand paused while fastening a button.
“What for?”
“To buy some emergency medicine.”
The man finished putting on his shirt and slowly buttoned it.
It was strange.
A moment ago, with his shirt off, he had looked rather intimidating.
Once he put his clothes on, that sharp presence seemed to disappear.
His voice also became gentler.
“I used protection last night.”
Bai Sichan let out a sigh of relief.
She praised him sincerely.
“You really are responsible.”
“…”
The man put on his watch.
“Are you waiting here, or are you going downstairs to wait for your friend?”
“Downstairs.”
Bai Sichan absolutely did not want Yang Zhili to know that she had somehow ended up in such a ridiculous situation.
The two left the room.
The hallway was covered with thick carpet, making almost no sound beneath their feet.
While waiting for the elevator, Bai Sichan suggested,
“How about you wait downstairs for me? My friend has money. I can borrow some from him first—”
“No need.”
The man interrupted her coldly.
“I’m in a hurry.”
Bai Sichan was left speechless.
Fair enough.
There were only the two of them in the elevator.
The atmosphere was extremely awkward.
Wanting to break the silence, Bai Sichan said,
“You really work hard. This kind of job must keep you busy day and night.”
She immediately realized that her words could easily be misunderstood, so she quickly added,
“You should take good care of yourself.”
The man stood perfectly straight, his expression unreadable.
“I’m very healthy. I don’t have any infectious diseases, so don’t worry.”
“…Yeah. Neither do I.”
Ding.
The elevator arrived.
The man stepped out first.
He took out a business card and placed it in Bai Sichan’s hand.
“If you need anything, call this number.”
The card was simple and clean.
It was made of light-gray metal and felt cool against her fingers.
It only had his name and phone number printed on it.
There was no job title and no unnecessary decoration.
He Shenglian.
Yesterday, she had only glanced at his name briefly.
She had not noticed that these were the three characters.
Ding.
The elevator reached the first floor.
He Shenglian glanced at his watch.
“I should go now, Miss Bai. Goodbye.”
He strode toward the entrance.
His driver had already been waiting.
After making sure Bai Sichan could no longer see him, he opened the car door and got inside.
His assistant immediately began giving him his schedule.
“Mr. He, there is a bidding meeting at two this afternoon. Mr. Zhao hopes to speak with you when you are available. Tonight is the opening ceremony of A University’s Mathematics and Science Culture Festival—”
He Shenglian raised a hand and stopped him.
“I know.”
He then instructed the driver,
“Stay here for a while.”
The driver followed his instructions.
Five minutes later, He Shenglian saw a bright red Maserati stop outside the hotel.
The people inside did not get out.
Bai Sichan quickly ran out of the hotel and opened the car door.
Only after he watched the Maserati drive away did He Shenglian calmly say,
“Let’s go.”
The car started moving.
He took out the jade pendant.
A red cord was still attached to it, and it still carried the faint warmth of the young woman who had worn it.
Warm jade and delicate fragrance.
Just like last night.
His assistant looked at it in confusion.
“Mr. He, what is that?”
The corners of He Shenglian’s lips curved upward.
His mood was unexpectedly pleasant.
“Payment.”