“Song Xu, you’d better not mess with me,” Bai Tiantian declared, throwing down a warning. “If you dare stand in the way of my friendship with Xixi, you’ll be spending the rest of your life in a ‘chasing-the-wife’ nightmare.”

Song Xu and Bai Tiantian locked eyes, their gazes clashing with such intensity that Lin Xi almost expected to see sparks fly in the air. She quickly stepped between them to break the tension. “Stop it, both of you!”

Lin Xi pulled Bai Tiantian a few steps away from Song Xu. “Tiantian, don’t take him seriously. I’ll explain everything to you when I get the chance.”

Bai Tiantian huffed, pulling Lin Xi into a tight embrace. “Fine,” she whispered into Lin Xi’s ear. “I’ll wait. Just don’t you dare listen to him and abandon me.”

Lin Xi patted her back reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Friendship forever.”

Under Song Xu’s icy glare, Bai Tiantian deliberately planted a kiss on Lin Xi’s cheek. She gave a cheeky, mischievous grin. “Xixi’s skin is so soft and fragrant. I want to cuddle and kiss you every day.”

Lin Xi was speechless. How is Tiantian even more childish than some men?

Seeing Song Xu storming toward them like an enraged bull, Bai Tiantian snuck in one last peck before waving goodbye. “Xixi, I’ve got things to do! Remember to message me!” She bolted so fast she vanished in the blink of an eye.

—

“Lin Xi!” Song Xu’s nostrils flared with indignation. He tilted her face up and began scrubbing her cheek vigorously with a silk handkerchief. “How could you just let her kiss you like that?”

I haven’t even been able to kiss her properly yet, and this girl beats me to it? Infuriating.

“Ow, that hurts!” Lin Xi caught his hand to stop the scrubbing. “It was just a kiss from Tiantian. At worst, I’ll just kiss her back next time. Our contract says I have to keep my distance from other men, but it doesn’t say anything about women.”

If a puppy or a kitten licked her, would he have a problem with that too? At this rate, she’d only be allowed to breathe in his presence. She was selling a service, not her entire soul.

“But what if a woman has… other intentions?” Song Xu felt a pang of regret for not including women in the contract terms. “There are plenty of women these days who prefer their own gender. Whether it’s a man or a woman, you are not allowed to make me look like a cuckold.”

Lin Xi’s brow furrowed. “Are you questioning my character now?”

They stared each other down in a silent stalemate. Eventually, it was Song Xu who blinked first. Based on his experience, Lin Xi seemed firmly heterosexual; as long as her orientation was straight, he could handle it.

“A handshake is the limit for women,” Song Xu sighed, yielding slightly. “And don’t let Bai Tiantian kiss you again.”

Lin Xi knew when to quit while she was ahead. “I know where the line is. If you hadn’t provoked her, she wouldn’t have done it. She was just trying to annoy you; we don’t usually do that.”

Song Xu knew Bai Tiantian had a streak of petty malice in her, but he conceded that she treated Lin Xi well. “The school should be quiet for the rest of the day. Let’s head out.”

—

Song Xu took her hand and led her out of the administration building.

“Will Teacher Wang be okay?” Lin Xi asked, casting a worried glance back at the Principal’s office.

“Don’t worry,” Song Xu assured her. “There’s no way anything bad will happen to her. If anything, she’s looking at a promotion. She should probably be thanking you.”

Since Song Xu was confident, Lin Xi let out a breath of relief. They strolled back toward the apartment complex.

At the entrance, Lin Xi paused. “Brother Xu, I want to go to the hospital to see Grandma. Classes start next week, and I won’t have as much free time then.”

Her schedule was already packed: cleaning, cooking, attending lectures, managing her second-hand shop, and playing the role of his girlfriend. Grandma had been hospitalized for nearly a month without showing any signs of waking up. The thought made her heart ache. If she could, she would stay by her side 24/7, but she needed to earn money—a lot of it.

Song Xu pulled out his car keys. “I’ll drive you.”

“Aren’t you busy?” Lin Xi didn’t want to bother him. He wasn’t her real boyfriend; there was no need for him to visit her grandmother. “Don’t you need to check in at the company?”

Song Xu shot her a knowing look. “I’ll go to the hospital with you first, then you’ll come to the company with me.”

“I have to go to the office too?” Lin Xi would rather stay in the apartment; she had a mountain of clothes waiting to be listed online.

“What? Losing interest after just one day?” Song Xu crossed his arms. “Are you ready to pay the five million in liquidated damages?”

Lin Xi hung her head. Even if she sold herself off piece by piece, she couldn’t scrape together five million. “I just thought it would be boring sitting in your office. Maybe I should bring a book.”

“What’s the point of just reading? That’s just ‘armchair strategy,'” Song Xu said, resting a large hand on her head. “You’ll learn things at the company that no textbook can teach you.”

“Didn’t you learn anything from all those files yesterday?” He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “How about this: I’ll let you get some hands-on experience. Be my personal secretary for the day.”

This actually piqued Lin Xi’s interest. She blinked up at him. “Is there a salary for this secretary gig?”

Song Xu let out a short, incredulous laugh. To Lin Xi, money really was the most important thing. Luckily for her, money was the one thing he had in abundance. “Yes. One hundred per hour.”

“Deal!” Lin Xi nodded with a bright smile. This was a bargain.

—

Song Xu led her to the underground garage and stopped beside a black Rolls-Royce Cullinan. He opened the passenger door for her. “Get in.”

“Is this yours too?” Lin Xi settled into the seat. It was her first time seeing him drive this; he usually stuck to his blue supercar.

“This was the first car I bought after I turned eighteen,” Song Xu said as he climbed into the driver’s seat. “I haven’t driven it in a while. I have three cars here and another four at the old family estate. I’ll take you for a spin in all of them eventually; you can tell me which one you like best.”

Lin Xi fell silent. She shouldn’t have asked. This was just blatant wealth-flexing.

The hospital wasn’t far. Lin Xi, anxious since she hadn’t visited in a few days, hurried toward the ward. However, at the door, she paused to take two deep breaths before pushing it open.

Her heart sank again when she saw her grandmother’s eyes were still tightly shut.

“Grandma, why won’t you wake up?” Lin Xi sat in the chair by the bed, stroking the old woman’s face as tears welled in her eyes.

This was Song Xu’s second time seeing Grandma Lin. The first time was right after her surgery when her face had been too swollen to distinguish any features. Now that the swelling had subsided, her face had returned to normal.

As Song Xu looked at the old woman’s face, his heart skipped a beat.

Why does Grandma Lin look so much like the grandmother of my eldest brother in that old photograph?