The room fell into a long silence.
So long that An Li felt like she might suffocate in the still air.
Her instincts told her something was wrong.
It seemed she had angered this young master again.
Was it still possible to slip away now?
She slowly moved her feet, inching toward the door.
Just as her hand touched the doorknob, Duan Zhuo’s long arm shot out, like a blade resting against her neck. Above her head, his voice carried a teasing, magnetic hoarseness, half-smiling, half-threatening. “Baby really knows how to joke.”
“I—I’m serious…”
“Say that again.”
She was so frightened she was on the verge of tears. “I… I don’t know…”
Was there something wrong with just one day?
“You want to date me for one day? That’s not impossible—unless you can accept that we’ll spend that entire day in bed.” Duan Zhuo lowered his head, his warm breath brushing against her ear. “Are you willing?”
She shook her head like a rattle drum. “No.”
“Then one year.”
“H-how long was your longest relationship?”
Duan Zhuo quickly changed his demeanor, becoming as obedient as a puppy fresh out of its nest. “I was just playing around with them. I never touched them. The longest relationship I had didn’t even last seven days.”
“Then we’ll date for seven days.” An Li’s mind worked quickly this time.
Since he had never dated anyone for more than seven days, that must be the point when he grew tired of a woman.
“Seven days is too short. At least three months,” Duan Zhuo refused. “And then we’ll get married.”
“!!!”
An Li was shocked. Like a little squirrel, she slipped out from under his arm and pressed herself against the doorframe. “Who wants to marry you? I don’t even know you!”
“Then use three months to get to know me.”
“No.” She refused firmly.
“Then how about this—we date for seven days first. After those seven days, if you’re still satisfied with me, or if I haven’t made any mistakes, then you have to continue dating me for three months.”
This was already the biggest compromise Duan Zhuo could make.
An Li was determined to get her love letter back and had no way to refuse. “Okay, I agree. You—you can return the love letter to me now.”
Duan Zhuo was at least honorable in this regard. Although he had kept the letter, he hadn’t opened it.
The name written on the sealed flap was Duan Xingning’s.
Once An Li got the letter back, she was eager to destroy the evidence and immediately opened it.
Duan Zhuo glanced down. “What kind of love letter did you write to him? Let me see.”
He had expected something like I like you—a typical, cheesy confession.
But inside was only a postcard, with neat and graceful handwriting:
[You are my Roche limit.]
“So that’s your confession to him? Quite romantic,” Duan Zhuo frowned slightly. “If he’s your Roche limit, then what am I to you?”
An Li looked up at him blankly.
He had only been her boyfriend for a few minutes—how was he already getting jealous?
Duan Zhuo lightly pinched her waist, dragging out his tone. “Hm? What am I to you?”
“B-boyfriend,” she answered obediently.
He seemed fairly satisfied. He reached out to hold her hand, but she instinctively dodged.
“What, your boyfriend can’t even hold your hand?” Since he couldn’t hold her hand, he simply wrapped an arm around her soft waist, casually squeezing it. “Baby, I don’t like keeping things innocent.”
“We can be together… but don’t let other people know about our relationship,” An Li explained haltingly.
Otherwise, it would be no different from confessing openly.
Since they had just started dating, not making it public was normal.
That was acceptable.
Dating him was fine.
Holding hands and anything beyond that—those could come slowly.
For once, Duan Zhuo showed rare patience toward a girl. He even restrained himself, keeping some distance when they went to the dining room together.
Breakfast time had already passed.
“Come sit next to me.” Duan Zhuo pulled out a chair. “Anyway, your Roche limit has already left.”
An Li looked around. Duan Xingning had indeed already left—he had a shoot that morning and was in a hurry.
She had originally been supposed to go with him, but Wen Shuyi had taken over her duties. Since they were practically a couple, she naturally gave them space.
“Stop teasing me. Roche limit isn’t used like that,” An Li lowered her head and took a bite of toast. “It’s actually a lyric I wrote.”
But it carried a beautiful meaning, so she had used it in her love letter.
It represented a secret crush—wanting to get close, yet not daring to.
“You can write lyrics?” Duan Zhuo was surprised. “That’s impressive.”
“Ah… I—I’m not that good. I just write casually…” An Li grew nervous again.
“Do you have a full version? Send it to me.” He took out his phone to add her on WeChat.
She hesitated. “Why do you want to see it?”
“Of course to appreciate my girlfriend’s talent.” He urged her to send it.
An Li sent him her draft.
Duan Zhuo wasn’t interested in music at all and couldn’t understand it, but he praised her anyway: “Your lyrics are so good. Why don’t you join a lyric-writing competition?”
An Li was flattered. Those competitions were for professional lyricists—how could someone like her step into that arena?
“I’m not that capable. I’m just your brother’s assistant.”
“What’s so great about being an assistant? He only pays you five thousand a month. Staying by his side doing that kind of work is a waste.” Duan Zhuo spoke seriously. “Why not be my assistant instead?”
“Do you even need an assistant?”
“Of course. I need an assistant to accompany me eating, drinking, and having fun. I’ll pay you five hundred thousand a month. Interested?”
An Li knew he couldn’t be trusted and rejected him righteously. “No.”
It was bad enough that he didn’t take things seriously—he even wanted to drag her into it. She’d rather honestly work as an assistant and gain experience.
After the meal, An Li suddenly received a call from Duan Xingning.
His tone was serious. “Where are you?”
“I—I’m at home. What’s wrong?”
“Why are you still at home? Weren’t you supposed to come with me for the magazine cover shoot today?”
An Li was stunned. “Huh? I—I wasn’t in charge of today’s schedule…”
“If not you, then who?” Duan Xingning’s tone grew more impatient. “Forget it. You have half an hour—get over here.”
He hung up before giving her a chance to explain.
An Li hurriedly packed her things while trying to recall.
She clearly remembered that today’s shoot had already been handed over to Wen Shuyi.
Wen Shuyi had agreed and even told her to take the day off.
So where had things gone wrong?
Duan Zhuo stood by like an idle bystander, hands in his pockets, watching her run up and down the stairs in a flurry. “What’s the rush?”
An Li slung her assistant bag over her shoulder, slightly out of breath. “I need to go to the magazine studio with your brother for the shoot.”
“Now?”
It was almost ten already.
By the time she got there, it would be nearly eleven—almost lunchtime.
“Mm…” An Li hurried toward the door.
“I’ll take you.” Duan Zhuo grabbed her hand.
“Aren’t you busy?”
“It’s just a lousy company. Taking my girlfriend to work is more important.”
He said things like that so casually.
Even knowing his personality, An Li still blushed at his words—let alone girls who didn’t know him well.
Pressed for time, Duan Zhuo drove a supercar.
The sleek black carbon-fiber body of the Bugatti gleamed smoothly, its engine roaring like a hunting beast, bold and eye-catching.
Yet standing beside it, Duan Zhuo wasn’t overshadowed at all. Nearly 1.9 meters tall, with long, straight legs and a perfect broad-shoulder, narrow-waist ratio—
A light breeze tousled his hair, making his already sharp features seem even more striking. Against his cool pale skin, his dark eyes appeared even deeper.
Wherever he stood, he looked like an international model.
Dazed, An Li got into the car, catching the distinct scent of cold camellia and mint. She looked around at the luxurious interior. “This car must be really expensive…”
“Not really. Fifty million.” He leaned in to fasten her seatbelt. “The moment you sat in it, it became worth forty-nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand.”
She didn’t even know how to respond.
Using a fifty-million car to send her to a five-thousand job—she felt a bit guilty.
Half an hour.
Within that tight window, Duan Zhuo got An Li to the shoot location.