He walked over. Without getting a clean pair of chopsticks, he used the ones in his hand to pick up the half of the fried egg she’d bitten.
Huo Yan put it in his mouth and chewed unhurriedly.
His gaze settled on Miss Jiang’s slightly reddened lips and lingered there for a few seconds.
“It is a little undercooked,” he said, “but it tastes just right. Very sweet.”
Miss Jiang’s face turned bright red.
“Huo Yan, are you crazy? I bit that!”
“I know.” Huo Yan ate the other half of the fried egg too. “That’s why it’s sweet.”
Then he even licked the corner of his mouth.
His stare made Miss Jiang feel so uncomfortable that she picked up her bowl of porridge to hide her face.
“Don’t just stand there. Sit down and eat.”
“All right.” Huo Yan sat down across from her.
A small square table stood between them.
A faded tablecloth covered it, its edges curling up to reveal the darkened wood beneath.
Miss Jiang lowered her head to drink her porridge, but kept watching Huo Yan out of the corner of her eye.
He ate slowly, chewing every bite with care.
It was a plain, rough breakfast, but he ate as if he were savoring a Michelin three-star meal.
“What are you looking at?” Huo Yan looked up.
“Nothing.” Miss Jiang turned her gaze away. “I just think you eat too properly to be someone who hauls bricks.”
“Then what does Baby think I look like?”
Miss Jiang thought for a moment. “Like one of those… domineering CEOs in TV dramas.”
The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted them.
Something flickered in Huo Yan’s eyes, then they quickly returned to calm.
“Domineering CEO?” he said with a laugh. “Is Baby complimenting me?”
“Who’s complimenting you? I mean you’re putting on airs.” Miss Jiang took a bite of pickled vegetables. “You haul bricks and somehow still manage to feel superior?”
Huo Yan only looked at her.
His gaze made Miss Jiang feel a little unnerved.
She put down her chopsticks. “What are you staring at?”
“Baby seems a little different today,” Huo Yan said.
“How so?”
“I can’t put my finger on it.” Huo Yan picked up his bowl. “It just feels like… Baby doesn’t seem to hate me quite so much anymore.”
Miss Jiang’s heart gave a jolt.
Oh no. Had she been laying it on too thick?
“Huo Yan, did the fever fry your brain last night?” she said with a cold laugh. “When have I ever stopped hating you?”
“Is that so?” Huo Yan set down his bowl. “Then why did Baby put medicine on me last night?”
“I told you. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to work.”
“Then why did you let me sleep in the bed?”
“I was afraid your back would hurt and keep you from earning money.”
“Then why…” Huo Yan paused. “Did you sleep so soundly?”
“Huo Yan, are you picking a fight with me?!”
“No.” Huo Yan stood and came over to her. “I just wanted to make sure.”
“Make sure of what?”
“Make sure Baby really… doesn’t want to leave anymore.”
He crouched beside her chair and looked up at her.
Under his gaze, Miss Jiang’s heart began to race.
This man’s eyes were seriously dangerous.
“When did I ever say I was leaving?” Miss Jiang said, forcing herself to hold her ground. “Huo Yan, don’t flatter yourself.”
“Then why did Baby pack last night?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I don’t want those clothes anymore.”
“But that suitcase”—Huo Yan reached out and tapped the tabletop with a fingertip—“you only bought it last week.”
Bought it?
As in, brand-new?
Are we sure she didn’t buy it secondhand?
“Huo Yan, do you even like me? I buy one thing and you have to make a whole issue of it!”
What was this move of Miss Jiang’s called?
“I do,” Huo Yan said.
“Enough teasing. Aren’t you supposed to be going to work?” Miss Jiang picked up her bowl and took a sip of porridge.
“Right. I almost forgot.” Huo Yan glanced at the clock on the wall. “Baby, I’ll buy you a mattress as soon as I get off work.”
Huo Yan shut the door and went downstairs.
Miss Jiang sat at the table, twirling her chopsticks around the empty bowl twice.
The plain porridge was gone, and so were the pickled vegetables she’d reached for.
All that remained on the table was the cup of warm water Huo Yan had poured before leaving.
Resting her chin in her hand, she scanned the rented apartment.
The wall plaster was cracked, the window frames let in drafts, and the springs in the beat-up sofa were practically poking through.
If she really had to keep living like this, she’d go insane.
She needed money.
Miss Jiang took out her phone and opened the contacts group she’d labeled “Fat Sheep to Be Slaughtered.”
There were more than a dozen entries in it, all the suckers the original host had reeled in before.
Her finger slid across the screen as she weighed which one to go after first.
Just then, a series of rough blows suddenly sounded at the door.
“Jiang Li! I know you’re in there! Open up!”
Even through the door, Lu Ze’s voice sounded slick and greasy.
Jiang Li’s hand jerked, and she nearly dropped her phone.
How had this guy tracked her down?
“Jiang Li, are you deaf?! Didn’t we agree last night? Are you fucking playing me?!”
Three more pounding knocks followed, harder than before.
Even the neighbor’s dog had started barking.
Fine. Since he’d delivered himself to her door, he couldn’t blame her for being ruthless.
She got up and went to the door. “What are you here for?” she asked through it.
“Why do you think? I’m here to take you away, Baby!” Lu Ze’s tone changed at once, shifting into the flirtatious voice he thought was so irresistible. “Big Brother’s waiting for you downstairs in the car. Are you ready?”
“I’m not ready.”
“Then hurry up, Big Brother’s taking you shopping for new clothes. Didn’t you say you didn’t want those old dresses anymore?”
Jiang Li sneered.
Had this man really taken everything she’d said on the phone last night and ignored it?
She opened the door.
A fat man in a floral shirt stood outside. He was under five foot seven and weighed at least 180 pounds.
His hair was slicked back until it shone, and a thick gold chain hung around his neck.
He wore a diamond-studded watch on his wrist. It was obviously a knockoff.
The moment Lu Ze saw Jiang Li, his eyes went wide.
“Baby, that outfit… tsk, tsk. You look hot.”
His gaze swept down her body, lingering for several seconds on her chest and waist.
Jiang Li was wearing that cheap spaghetti-strap dress, the fabric unbearably thin.
“Had your fill?” Jiang Li folded her arms across her chest.
“Not even close. Big Brother could never get enough of looking at you.” Lu Ze rubbed his hands together and edged closer. “Come on, Baby. The car’s downstairs. I’m taking you to the International Finance Center today. Buy whatever you want.”
As he spoke, he reached out to grab Jiang Li’s wrist.
Jiang Li stepped back and dodged him.
“Lu Ze, are your ears just for decoration?”
“Huh?” Lu Ze was stunned.
“Wasn’t I clear enough last night? I told you to get lost.”
“Baby, you’re joking, right?” Lu Ze said, forcing a smile. “Didn’t we agree? You’d break up with that poor bastard and come with Big Brother. I’ll take care of you.”
“Take care of me?” Jiang Li looked him up and down. “You?”
“Of course. Big Brother’s loaded.” Lu Ze thumped his chest. “Look at this watch—limited edition, worth two hundred thousand. This chain is solid gold, eighty-eight thousand. And that Maybach downstairs…”
“Rented, is it?”
Lu Ze’s expression stiffened.
“What do you mean, rented? Big Brother bought it outright!”
“Is that so?” Jiang Li smiled. “Then what’s the license plate number? Tell me, let’s hear it.”
Jiang Li couldn’t be bothered wasting any more words on him. She raised a hand and pointed toward the end of the hallway.
“Get lost. Don’t make me say it twice.”