The business elites in the video conference watched as their superior suddenly shifted in expression.
Those who had attended meetings knew this was the prelude to a reprimand; the speaker’s face paled, and their passionate tone gradually faded.
But Duan Qin merely curled the corner of his mouth and said, “Continue.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and the meeting continued for another half hour. After it concluded, the internet connections were unplugged faster than ever.
The room fell silent. Duan Qin sat for a moment, then picked up his phone again, preparing to open that contract for a closer look.
His gaze landed on a certain outrageous word, causing him to pause.
[Sex Slave Contract]
[From the effective date of this agreement, Party A voluntarily provides financial support to Party B, who must comply with the following terms:]
[First, Party B must satisfy Party A’s physiological needs at any time and place, with the duration and methods controlled by Party A, and Party B must not resist.]
[Second, Party B cannot refute any demands from Party A, and must prioritize Party A’s needs both externally and internally, serving Party A above all else.]
[Third, during the duration of the relationship, Party B belongs to Party A both physically and mentally, and must not betray this agreement. If discovered, Party B must return all financial support to Party A, along with penalties and compensation for emotional distress totaling three hundred million RMB…]
Duan Qin skimmed through the contract quickly.
Having reviewed hundreds, if not thousands, of contracts, this was the first time he encountered such an overbearing contract, and it felt quite novel.
He went back to the beginning and began to savor it word by word, curious about who could draft such a morally bankrupt contract.
Duan Qin thought for a moment, and out of habit, sent the contract to a Gold Medal Lawyer friend, asking him to help assess it.
[Duan Qin: Take a look at this contract]
The reply came back instantly.
[Yan Enfei: Damn, didn’t I write this?]
[Duan Qin: ?]
[Yan Enfei: It was prepared for an anonymous client… Could you be that anonymous client??]
He attached a shocked emoji made from his own photo.
Duan Qin certainly was not, but he felt that Song Shenxue did not seem like the anonymous client Yan Enfei mentioned either.
After all, with Song Shenxue’s current financial situation, he should not be able to afford Yan Enfei’s services.
Not to mention that Yan Enfei was a well-known Gold Medal Lawyer who had won many major lawsuits; his hourly rate was exorbitant, and even if someone could afford him, it was uncertain whether he would agree to take the case.
[Duan Qin: What price did they offer you?]
It was surprising that a Gold Medal Lawyer would write something like this.
[Yan Enfei: Talking about money is too vulgar; I focus on the resonance of souls between people]
[Duan Qin: Didn’t you study law for your master’s, not for wizardry?]
[Yan Enfei: …]
[Yan Enfei: I’ll sue you for defamation!]
[Duan Qin: Be my guest]
[Yan Enfei: ?＄&％#……]
Duan Qin put down his phone. Even after learning who drafted the contract, his complicated feelings remained unresolved.
After all, this contract was likely secondhand.
What was really going on? Perhaps he would have to experience it firsthand to find the answer.
*
Song Shenxue had given Duan Qin three days to consider, and during those three days, he did not remain idle.
He had already realized that as an overbearing CEO, although his performance that day was nearly perfect, he lacked practical experience, and some details were still insufficient. He needed to draw knowledge from the outside world.
Thus, Song Shenxue not only borrowed a stack of overbearing CEO novels from Li Guanjia but also decided to attend that Fellowship Exchange Meeting to engage with various seasoned financial backers.
The new-age overbearing CEO was indeed keeping up with the times.
After confirming the address on QQ, Song Shenxue arrived punctually at the upscale club that Lian Qi had mentioned.
According to Lian Qi, this upscale club was a place they often gathered for fun, colloquially known as Happy Camp.
A waiter came out to greet Song Shenxue; he must have seen him before, as he was specifically assigned to welcome guests.
But perhaps due to Song Shenxue’s different attire, the waiter did not recognize the fallen heir and coldly blocked him at the entrance.
“Sorry, delivery workers aren’t allowed in.”
Song Shenxue lifted his face from beneath the yellow helmet. “Not allowed in?”
The waiter: “……”
Lian Qi had specifically instructed that Song Shenxue was his invited guest, but who would have thought he would show up in delivery attire? That was quite disrespectful.
Song Shenxue had started delivering takeout since yesterday.
Li Guanjia had told him that delivering takeout was very profitable; all it required was a functioning electric bike. After finishing his shifts at the convenience store, he could run deliveries and should be able to pay off his debts quickly.
Song Shenxue indeed needed money, so he was tempted. He rented an electric bike overnight and hit the road under Li Guanjia’s guidance.
After three hours of deliveries yesterday, he earned two hundred yuan, and a female employee at the milk tea shop, finding him handsome, even gifted him a cup of milk tea.
Song Shenxue once again tasted the best drink in the world and completely fell in love with this part-time job.
His time was precious, and on his way to the Fellowship Exchange Meeting, he conveniently accepted an order, which happened to be destined for this club.
The waiter reluctantly invited Song Shenxue inside and led him to the VIP room.
Just then, someone pushed the door open and locked eyes with Song Shenxue.
“Song Shenxue?” The person recognized him, shocked. “It’s actually you? Why did you come dressed like this?!”
Song Shenxue raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong with it?”
He thought it looked quite good; bright yellow, something only an emperor could wear in the past, perfectly suited to his identity as an overbearing CEO.
As for his standard CEO suit, of course, that was worn beneath the dragon robe; beneath the mask was an even more beautiful mask.
The person looked somewhat disdainful. Song Shenxue had clearly been away from the wealthy circle for too long, forgetting the rules and decorum.
They had not interacted much before, but he held no grudge against Song Shenxue, so he pulled him aside and lowered his voice. “You were invited by Lian Qi, and dressing like this is embarrassing for him. Don’t you know the well-known rules in the Jing Circle?”
Song Shenxue genuinely did not know. “What rules?”
The person replied, “There’s a well-known rule in the Jing Circle: nothing should disturb Young Master Lian.”
“Is that so?” Song Shenxue looked enlightened. “Then where should I throw his takeout?”
The recipient of the order he picked up just happened to be Lian Qi.
The person choked for a moment, their gaze falling on Song Shenxue’s right hand, and indeed, it was Lian Qi’s takeout.
“Takeout can disturb Young Master Lian,” they said, feeling a lump in their throat. “Just go in.”
Song Shenxue cheerfully carried the takeout and pushed the door open.
As he entered, everyone in the room turned to look at him.
Everyone had already been informed by Lian Qi about Song Shenxue’s arrival, so most were not surprised when he showed up.
But who was this delivery worker?
Song Shenxue was already accustomed to being the center of attention and did not mind; delivering the takeout as quickly as possible was most important.
“Lian Qi, the hemorrhoid cream you bought from the handsome group has arrived, please sign for it.”
With a swish, all eyes instantly shifted to another person.
That person sat in the center of the room, surrounded by others, and was none other than the host of tonight’s gathering, Young Master Lian. With phoenix eyes, thin lips, and skin so pale it seemed somewhat sickly, he exuded an air of charming wickedness.
Lian Qi smiled with a forced grin. “Shenxue, you must have mistaken me for someone else?”
Hadn’t he written the delivery address to his home? The big data was indeed frightening; it even knew he was at this club and automatically located him.
Song Shenxue was certain. “I didn’t mistake you; isn’t this the hemorrhoid cream you bought?” The name and last digits of the phone number matched.
Lian Qi: “……”
Realizing that everyone in the room was watching him, Lian Qi could only suppress his rising irritation. “It should be my hand cream; I accidentally bought hemorrhoid cream. Just put it down, Shenxue.”
Song Shenxue replied, “Oh.”
He complied and placed the takeout in front of Lian Qi.
Lian Qi forced himself to ignore the hemorrhoid cream on the table that embarrassed him, his raised eyebrows fixed intently on Song Shenxue as he smirked. “Long time no see, Shenxue; you arrived right on time.”
Song Shenxue replied, “Because you bought the punctuality treasure.”
Lian Qi: “……”
After months without seeing him, this childhood friend was indeed eye-catching; it turned out that money could truly change a person from the inside out.
Having money doesn’t necessarily make one bad, but being poor to a certain extent can indeed lead to perversion.
“Sit down; it’s been so long since we last met; shouldn’t we catch up?” Lian Qi said amiably. “Do you have anything to say to me?”
Song Shenxue replied, “Hand cream doesn’t cure hemorrhoids.”
Lian Qi’s veins bulged. “…… I don’t have hemorrhoids. Do you have anything else to say?”
Song Shenxue said, “Well, hemorrhoid cream doesn’t moisturize.”
Lian Qi’s eye twitched violently. Did he really look like a fool? Did he need Song Shenxue to teach him?
Thinking of the purpose for which he had called him, Lian Qi ultimately held back his irritation.
Small grievances can disrupt major plans; he still needed to win over Song Shenxue.
Lian Qi lowered his posture and proactively filled Song Shenxue’s empty glass with wine. “Are you still blaming me for not helping the Song family? I actually had my difficulties back then.”
The Song family’s bankruptcy was due to a failed project, which had little to do with Lian Qi. However, as an ally closely connected to the Song family, if Lian Qi could have lent a hand back then, there might have been a chance for redemption.
But after weighing the options, Lian Qi felt the cost of extending a helping hand was too high, so he ultimately chose not to intervene and let the Song family fend for themselves.
However, he did not share this with Song Shenxue, instead shifting the blame to another person. “If it weren’t for the Duan family being so difficult, I wouldn’t have been unable to spare the time and would have never let the Song family fall into such a situation.”
Lian Qi spoke earnestly, then looked up to gauge Song Shenxue’s reaction. But Song Shenxue was not paying attention to what he was saying; instead, he was looking at the Buddha beads on Lian Qi’s right wrist.
The beads were perfectly round, clearly of high quality.
It turned out he was a Buddha child in the Jing Circle, an ancient rival of the overbearing CEO archetype.
Song Shenxue said, “Oh.”
Lian Qi sensed a sudden increase in hostility in Song Shenxue’s gaze. “?”
But soon, Song Shenxue rearranged his expression, leading Lian Qi to believe that the momentary disdain was merely his imagination.
Song Shenxue’s main purpose today was to exchange experiences with the financial backers, so he had prepared himself to meet various characters before coming.
A mere Buddha child in the Jing Circle was nothing to worry about.
Song Shenxue said, “It’s fine; it’s all in the past.”
Lian Qi sighed in relief. “Then we won’t mention the past. By the way, about the financial backer… how are things going between you two?”
Song Shenxue nodded, finally getting to the main topic. “I’ve already sent the contract to him.”
Lian Qi smiled slightly. “How’s the contract? My brother wouldn’t cheat you, right?”
Song Shenxue glanced at his Buddha beads. “Not bad; it’s quite Zen.”
Lian Qi: “?”
He was still being so pedantic.
Lian Qi asked again, “So have you two become official?”
Song Shenxue recalled that after sending the contract to Duan Qin, the latter had only replied with a brief “received.”
He truthfully told Lian Qi, “Not yet, but it’s almost there; no one can refuse me.”
Lian Qi was incredulous; he had originally thought it would take some time to negotiate, but it had succeeded so quickly. It seemed that being good-looking could indeed allow one to have their way.
Unexpectedly, Song Shenxue, who appeared somewhat foolish, was quite adept at handling financial backers, turning the tables.
“Then congratulations to you,” Lian Qi raised his glass and toasted. “When there’s a shortcut in life, why make things difficult for yourself, right?”
Song Shenxue narrowed his eyes, causing Lian Qi to feel a bit uneasy. “Is there something on my face?”
Song Shenxue replied, “I see you still have your charm; are you also looking for shortcuts?”
Lian Qi: “……?”
There was no need for that, thank you.
The conversation was dying under Song Shenxue’s influence, but the instigator remained oblivious.
He glanced at the time; there were still two hours before he needed to head home to rest, and he could still deliver takeout for a while. He decided to make the most of his time and accomplish his purpose for being here.
“Actually, I have something I need to ask you.”
Lian Qi immediately perked up with interest. “Oh? Do tell.”
Song Shenxue said, “This is my first time doing this; do you have any good suggestions?”
Lian Qi looked at Song Shenxue in surprise.
Initially, he had suspected that Song Shenxue was merely putting on an act to appease him, but he hadn’t expected him to be serious and actively seeking advice, indicating he intended to develop this venture long-term.
He chuckled; what experience could he possibly have in being a lover?
But since Song Shenxue asked, Lian Qi decided to do a good deed, as helping him was also helping himself.
“Do you see those two over there?” Lian Qi pointed casually to the two men sitting across from him, revealing a playful smile. “They have that kind of relationship; observe their interaction and just follow their lead.”
Song Shenxue immediately looked in the direction he indicated. Great! There was even a live demonstration to watch.
He saw the two sitting on the soft seats; the clearly dominant one embraced the younger one in his arms, pulling him close so that the more delicate boy leaned weakly against his chest.
The boy even let out a playful whine, “Aww, you’re bad~”
The dominant one replied, “Heh, I’ve only used a little strength; why are you blaming me?”
Song Shenxue understood.
It turned out to be a feudal remnant version of a live demonstration: feudal father-type overbearing CEO x delicate little white flower.
Though it was a bit outdated, it was reminiscent of the Qing Dynasty’s father-type.