Chapter 1: The Bargain on the Pillow

“Five million? You certainly have quite the appetite.”

Lu Shiyan’s breath fell upon Xu Anhao’s neck, carrying the lingering warmth of their recent intimacy.

He braced himself with one hand beside her ear, knuckles pressing against the cool sheets, while his other hand lightly clasped her waist, trapping her securely beneath him.

The hotel room’s overhead light was dimmed to an ambiguous warm glow, casting a faint redness at the corners of his eyes. Yet beneath the haze of lingering desire, there was a trace of casual amusement.

Xu Anhao’s back was taut as a fully drawn bow. She clutched the sheets beneath her fiercely, the fabric twisting into deep wrinkles.

The unfamiliarity of her first time left her entire body stiff, with subtle pain radiating from deep within.

Instinctively, she tried to shrink back, but Lu Shiyan gently pressed his knee against the back of her leg, completely cutting off her retreat.

She turned her head away, avoiding his gaze. Her voice, though still carrying the remnants of ragged breaths, was blunt and left no room for negotiation:

“Will you give it to me or not? If not, I’m leaving.”

As the words left her mouth, even she felt their emptiness.

The stiffness in her body and the increasingly sharp pain left her with barely enough strength to lift a hand.

But the image of her mother in the ICU, tubes inserted, and the five-million-yuan medical bill made it impossible for her to truly back down.

Lu Shiyan chuckled, a low, magnetic rumble escaping his throat.

“Right at the crucial moment, and you still want to leave?”

He leaned down and nibbled her earlobe, his tone suddenly softening into a coaxing intimacy.

“Baby, that won’t do.”

Xu Anhao felt the pain intensify abruptly. Her brows furrowed deeply, and she bit her lower lip until it bled. Tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly held them back.

She couldn’t cry. This was the path she had chosen the pain she had to endure for her mother.

She didn’t know how much time had passed before the panting in the room gradually subsided.

Xu Anhao lay collapsed on the pillow, utterly drained. Sweat at her temples had soaked her hair, and the soreness in her body continued to spread.

With her eyes closed, only one thought occupied her mind: With money, Mother could have the surgery.

Just then, Lu Shiyan rolled over and leaned against the headboard. Casually, he pulled a checkbook from his suit pocket, the pen scratching lightly against the paper.
A moment later, he handed the check to her, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

Xu Anhao opened her eyes, her vision still blurry. When she focused on the amount on the check, she was completely stunned.

It wasn’t five million it was one million!

She sat up abruptly, ignoring the pain in her body, her voice trembling. “Mr. Lu, we agreed… it was five million.”

Lu Shiyan watched the shock and panic in her eyes, then suddenly leaned in, planting his hands on either side of her, caging her between himself and the mattress.

He smiled with amusement, his nose almost touching hers, making her instinctively want to pull back.

“Oh?”

He drew out the syllable, his tone laced with calculated playfulness. “I never said I’d pay it all at once.”

Memories from a few hours earlier flooded back like a tide.

The autumn rain was still falling then, chilling to the bone.

Xu Anhao walked along the street, clutching the crumpled diagnosis in her pocket, her entire body trembling.

Her mother had suddenly developed acute liver failure. The hospital said she needed an immediate transplant, with medical and surgical fees totaling five million yuan.

In her desperation, someone had told her that “Nighthawk Nightclub” offered quick money if she dared to go all out, money wouldn’t be an issue.

Xu Anhao barged in clutching her last shred of hope.

The owner behind the bar looked her up and down, his tone dismissive:

“You’re a pretty girl, but you want to earn five million here?

The base salary is barely enough to get by, commissions depend on your skills don’t even think about it without ten or eight years of work.”

His words crushed her final flicker of hope.

Xu Anhao’s heart sank to the depths. As she turned to leave, she noticed the door of a VIP booth wasn’t fully closed, and men’s laughter drifted out.

Several well-dressed young masters were gathered around a man, their voices dripping with flattery.

The man at the center lounged in a spacious leather sofa, legs crossed, his posture lazy yet radiating an intimidating aura that kept others at bay.

He wore a black shirt with the top two buttons casually undone, revealing clearly defined collarbones, a cigar held between his fingers.

Amid the swirling smoke, his sharply defined features appeared even more stern.

Xu Anhao’s heart skipped a beat.
The young masters’ fawning, his careless demeanor everything declared that this man had wealth and power.

That was enough.

Xu Anhao bit her lip and, mustering the courage of a final gamble, pushed the door open.

The booth was hazy with smoke. The young masters stared in shock at Xu Anhao’s sudden intrusion.

She wore a faded cotton dress, standing out in the liquor-scented room like a white rose strayed into a mud pit.

“Where did you come from? Get out! Are you blind? Do you know whose place this is?”

Xu Anhao didn’t retreat, her gaze fixed on the man in the center of the sofa.

She summoned her courage and walked up to Lu Shiyan: “Sir… could you help me? I’ll pay any price.”

She didn’t dare mention the specific amount of five million, afraid her request was too outrageous, and even more afraid of being thrown out immediately.

Lu Shiyan’s eyes swept over her, from her red-tinged eyes to her fingers clenched tightly on her skirt, a hint of curiosity in his gaze.

The others waited for the show, everyone knowing Lu Shiyan’s cold arrogance he never touched women who threw themselves at him.

This girl was asking for trouble; they expected him to frown and wave for his bodyguards to drag her out.

After all, there had been insolent women before, and none ended well.

But after a few seconds, Lu Shiyan suddenly let out a low chuckle. The laugh was soft, yet it instantly silenced the room.

He leaned forward slightly, his tone playful yet commanding: “Spend one night with me, and I’ll help you.”

The moment he spoke, the booth fell completely quiet.

The young masters nearby were stunned, their glasses frozen mid-air, eyes wide with disbelief.

Lu Shiyan was breaking his rule today?

At that moment, Xu Anhao had no room for shame she only felt she’d grabbed a lifeline. Without a second thought, she nodded.

She thought it was a one-time transaction, believed enduring one night would save her mother, but she never expected…

Her thoughts snapped back to the hotel, the edge of the check digging painfully into her palm. Xu Anhao finally snapped out of her daze.

She looked up, eyes red-rimmed, her question timid and cautious:

“And the rest… when will you give it to me?”

Lu Shiyan watched her demeanor, amusement deepening in his eyes, his tone casual yet controlling:

“That depends on your performance.”