Lin Xi’s mind first snagged on the phrase “twenty thousand yuan raise,” only for her to slowly process the words that preceded it: pretend to be his woman.

This was a deal that required careful deliberation.

“What kind of ‘pretending’ are we talking about? And what’s the goal?” For the sake of an extra twenty thousand, Lin Xi didn’t shoot the proposal down immediately.

Song Xu’s eyes remained devoid of emotion. “The primary goal is to ward off unwanted attention. Even though my focus is on the company now, I still have to return to campus for classes occasionally.”

“You should know how ‘popular’ I am at Jiang University. Every time I go back, I’m hounded by people. I need a woman by my side.”

“You’ll just need to accompany me to public events every now and then.”

Lin Xi was well aware of his popularity. She’d seen people willing to pay cold hard cash just for his discarded laundry.

Still, given Song Xu’s recent behavior and his frequent “little gestures,” she wasn’t entirely at ease. “Then why me?”

Song Xu let out a self-deprecating chuckle. “Because you’re the only one who has ever rejected me. You won’t mistake this act for reality.”

That was true enough. Lin Xi had absolute confidence in herself—she knew how to keep her private and professional lives separate. After a moment’s thought, she asked, “What about the boundaries? There has to be a limit to how we act, right?”

At most, she could handle holding hands. Anything beyond that was out of the question.

Song Xu watched her for a long beat. “I have a bit of a germaphobia when it comes to personal space.”

What’s that supposed to mean? That I’m dirty? Lin Xi grumbled inwardly. This was coming from the man who had held her while they slept for an entire night.

Though the comment rankled, it also put her at ease. Since Song Xu had stated it so clearly, he likely wouldn’t slap his own face by trying anything inappropriate.

“One last question,” Lin Xi said, laying all her cards on the table. “What’s the duration of this contract?”

She couldn’t stay in this charade forever, no matter how good the pay was.

“Until I get married,” Song Xu said, his eyes narrowing. “During this period, you are not permitted to date anyone else.”

On the surface, the condition seemed unfair. The client could date whoever they wanted, while the employee was tied down.

But once Lin Xi viewed it strictly as a job, it made perfect sense. The client paid the bills, and the client got to be capricious. As the payee, her job was to satisfy his every requirement.

No dating it is then. She hadn’t been looking for a relationship anyway. With a steady monthly income of forty thousand yuan, she really had nothing to complain about.

“Fine. I accept,” Lin Xi said, nodding once she had cleared her head.

Song Xu suppressed a cold sneer. He’d known she wouldn’t pass up an opportunity to make money. “Think it over carefully. If you breach this contract, there will be a penalty.”

“Don’t worry, President Song. I have a very high sense of professional ethics.” Lin Xi flashed him a polite smile.

Song Xu produced two pre-prepared contracts and slid them across the desk. “Look them over. If there are no issues, sign them. The agreement begins the moment you put pen to paper.”

He already had the contracts ready? Lin Xi took the documents and read them word for word, terrified of falling into a trap.

Fortunately, the terms matched what they had discussed, save for the final clause regarding the breach of contract penalty. The amount was staggering.

If she engaged in ambiguous relationships or started dating another man during the contract period, the agreement would terminate, and she would owe Song Xu a total of five million yuan for “reputational damages” and “mental distress.”

“President Song, isn’t five million a bit excessive?”

“It’s just a number,” Song Xu said dismissively. “It’s there to ensure your compliance. I have no desire to be cheated on—at least not in the eyes of the public. I can’t afford to lose face.”

Lin Xi understood his point. Confident she could uphold her end of the bargain, she didn’t hesitate any longer. She picked up the pen and signed her name.

Song Xu had already signed his. Once Lin Xi was done, she kept one copy and handed the other back. “It’s signed.”

“If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going now.” Lin Xi picked up her lunchbox to leave.

Song Xu tucked the contract into a locked drawer. Hearing she was leaving, he spared her a glance. “The contract is already in effect. You’re staying here with me today.”

Lin Xi sat back down and looked around the office. “Is there anything you want me to do?”

Being forced to sit idly was torture; wasting time was a sin in her eyes.

Song Xu knew her well enough. He pushed a stack of folders toward her. “You can look through these files and contracts. Learn how to draft them.”

Lin Xi was interested in learning anything she didn’t know. As for the money-making side of things, she felt less of a rush now; that extra twenty thousand yuan a month made her life much easier.

The two of them sat across from each other, each buried in their own work.

Lin Xi was reviewing a project plan. It listed various budget expenditures, totaling over ten million yuan.

Out of habit from years of academic training, she mentally calculated each line item as she read, comparing her results to the listed figures.

Halfway through, she found a discrepancy. Her calculation differed from the listed value by a decimal point—a difference between a hundred thousand and a million.

Lin Xi used a calculator to double-check. The result was the same; the figure in the budget was ten times larger than it should have been.

This single item was inflated by nine hundred thousand yuan. Unable to tolerate such a blatant error, she looked up at Song Xu. “President Song.”

Song Xu looked up, his eyes flashing with annoyance. “Change how you address me.”

“Song Xu?” she tried.

“Try again.” He gave her a chilling look.

Lin Xi bit her lip, blinking in confusion. “Xiao Xu?”

That’s what Mrs. Song called him.

Song Xu’s gaze turned even colder. “Is that for you to call me?”

Having no experience in this area, Lin Xi pulled out her phone to consult the internet: What should I call my boyfriend?

A list of suggestions popped up. Lin Xi picked a few for him to choose from. “Oppa? Honey? Darling? Sweetheart? Silly goose? Big dumb pig? Little dummy? Blockhead?”

“Stop.” Song Xu couldn’t listen to any more. The first few were tolerable, but the rest were absolute nonsense. “Just call me ‘Brother.’”

“Xu Ge,” Lin Xi compromised. Calling him just “Brother” felt a bit too sappy. “Is that okay?”

“Barely,” Song Xu grunted. “Now, what did you want?”

Interrupted by the nickname debate, Lin Xi almost forgot the matter at hand. She placed the project plan in front of him and pointed to the error. “This calculation is wrong. It’s off by over nine hundred thousand yuan.”

Nine hundred thousand? Song Xu scanned the page. It really was a decimal point error. He found it hard to believe it was an accident.

It was a classic move: if caught, one could claim it was a typo; if not, and the budget was approved, that money would end up in someone’s pocket.

“Zhang Qing!” Song Xu barked.

In the next room, Zhang Qing jumped. Did the young boss eat gunpowder for lunch?

He hurried to the office door and tried to push it open, only to find it locked. He knocked. “President Song, the door is locked.”

Lin Xi went to open it. She glanced back at Song Xu and whispered a reminder, “Xu Ge, your hat.”

Song Xu pulled his baseball cap low. “Open it.”

Lin Xi opened the door and let Zhang Qing in.

“What is it, President Song?” Zhang Qing asked, stepping up to the desk.

Song Xu tossed the project plan at him. “Who verified this plan?”

Zhang Qing took a look; it looked familiar. “Shu Xi verified it. She spent all of yesterday working on this specific project plan.”