CHAPTER 206: CHAPTER 206 SELECTION

"I will definitely work hard."

"Good!"

Watching the fighting spirit reignite in Shi Qiang’s eyes, Xia Liang patted his shoulder.

"That’s the spirit. Keep at it."

Just as he finished speaking, a taxi came by, and Xia Liang hailed it.

"Come on, time to head home."

"Oh, okay."

Shi Qiang instinctively got into the taxi. But when he saw Xia Liang give the driver the destination without getting in himself, he was momentarily puzzled.

"Why aren’t you getting in?"

Xia Liang simply gave him a look and tilted his head.

It was then that Shi Qiang finally noticed the girl standing next to Xia Liang. And she was a beauty, at that!

Shi Qiang was filled with envy. He didn’t understand how Xia Liang, who was as dense as a rock when it came to women, still had such incredible luck with them.

He waved his hand. "Alright then, I’ll be off."

Xia Liang nodded. "Don’t forget to come over for dinner tomorrow."

"Okay!"

Once Shi Qiang agreed, the impatient driver finally pulled away.

As she watched Shi Qiang leave, Han Mengyu, who was still in Xia Liang’s embrace, couldn’t help but remark, "Your friends are really lucky. You just gave him five hundred thousand Yuan to reignite his fighting spirit."

"It’s just five hundred thousand Yuan," Xia Liang replied nonchalantly. "But let me tell you, the surprises are even bigger if you’re my woman," he added, a playful smile on his face.

"You’re never serious." Flustered by his teasing, Han Mengyu felt overwhelmed and quickly changed the subject. "Where are we going now?"

With his arm still around her, Xia Liang walked a few more steps down the road. "Are you hungry?"

"No."

Xia Liang nodded. "Okay. Then let’s go straight to the hotel."

Han Mengyu’s mind went blank.

Holy crap! Are people these days all this wild? Shouldn’t there be some sweet-talking and deception? He’s not even going to pretend to take me to dinner just because I said I wasn’t hungry? We’ve both had a little to drink, but obviously not enough to be that bold. Shouldn’t he insist a little, suggest we drink some more until we’re both dizzy? Then he could come up with an excuse, like it’s too late to go home or he could pretend to be drunk. After some token resistance from me, wouldn’t it all just fall into place? Who is this direct?!

"What’s wrong? Did I scare you?" Xia Liang asked, a bit late to realize her reaction.

Han Mengyu didn’t know how to reply. She just stared at him.

Xia Liang didn’t like playing games either, so he stated plainly, "We both know what’s going on. You were thinking the same thing today, weren’t you?"

Han Mengyu had no retort.

He wasn’t wrong. We’re both just out to have fun. Since you know my intentions aren’t exactly honorable, and I understand you’re just feigning modesty, why bother with all the games? Isn’t it better to be direct?

She pretended to be nonchalant and said, "Alright, let’s go straight to the hotel."

Xia Liang felt her body tense up and knew she was only pretending to be calm. He didn’t call her out on it, and the two of them walked into the hotel.

They got a standard room with a king-sized bed. After taking a shower, Xia Liang lay on the bed, waiting.

Inside the bathroom, Han Mengyu was having second thoughts. It had all seemed so simple in her mind, but now that the moment was here, she was filled with regret.

Forget it! What’s done is done! It was bound to happen sooner or later. I can’t let that bastard get what he wants for nothing!

Wrapping a towel around herself, Han Mengyu walked out with small, hesitant steps.

Looks like she’s really thought this through. This is the first time I’ve met a girl like her. A virgin, yet she plays around in bars like this.

...

「The next day, in a breakfast shop.」

Xia Liang watched Han Mengyu as she ate breakfast. "So? Any regrets?"

"Regrets?" The mere mention of it was enough to make Han Mengyu’s face turn beet red, leaving her speechless. She could only lower her head and continue sipping her porridge.

After a long moment, Xia Liang’s smile faded. "Alright, tell me. You must have approached me because you need something, right?"

"A request?" Hearing this, Han Mengyu shook her head. "No, it was just... I thought you were handsome yesterday, so..."

Xia Liang knew what she meant before she even finished. Because I’m handsome? She just offered herself up? A feeling of immense satisfaction washed over him as he took a bite of a xiaolongbao.

"So," Xia Liang continued, "why did you go to a bar in the first place?"

Since they were already in this situation, Han Mengyu wasn’t afraid of telling him the truth. "It’s all because of my asshole manager," she began. "He’s the boss’s son, and he’s been threatening me with my job. I can’t afford to lose this position, so I’ve been trying to put him off. But I was afraid he’d eventually corner me or pull some trick. I figured if it came to that, I’d rather give myself to a stranger than let that bastard have me. So... I went to the bar. You know the rest."

"I see," Xia Liang nodded.

At that, Han Mengyu finished the last of her porridge. "Well, since that’s settled, I should be going." She waved her hand and prepared to leave.

"Wait," Xia Liang called out, stopping her.

"What for?" Han Mengyu looked at him warily. "You’re not going to be so shameless as to use this to blackmail me into being your long-term... arrangement, are you?"

"You’re overthinking things." Xia Liang rolled his eyes before continuing, "I’m a strange person. What’s mine, others can’t touch. Since you’re my woman now, I obviously can’t let you go back to that."

Looking at Xia Liang’s serious demeanor, Han Mengyu joked, "If I don’t go back, are you going to support me?"

Xia Liang’s response was incredibly nonchalant. "Yes."

"By the way, do you have your own place right now?"

"No... I don’t," Han Mengyu replied subconsciously, still trying to process everything.

Xia Liang held up two fingers. "Alright, then you have two options. As you know, I’m heading back to Qingyun City in a few days to open a new entertainment company. Option one: be my mistress. I’ll give you a house, a car, and a monthly allowance of 500,000 Yuan. All you have to do is take good care of me."

She gasped. Although Han Mengyu had thought Xia Liang might offer to support her, she had never imagined benefits like these. Still, out of curiosity, she asked, "And the second option?"

"Option two: everything from the first option, plus a job at my company. Your salary, of course, would be separate."

Han Mengyu was speechless. "Is there really a difference?" she asked.

"Of course," Xia Liang said seriously. "This option gives you a career. How far you go in the company will depend entirely on your own abilities. Who knows? Maybe someday you’ll be earning so much you’ll look down on that 500,000 Yuan allowance."

It was an undeniably tempting offer, a blatant appeal to materialism, and Han Mengyu would be lying if she said she wasn’t moved. After taking a few deep breaths, she finally said, "Okay, I’ll go with you to Qingyun City."

"Excellent." Xia Liang immediately took out a card. "This has 6,000,000 Yuan on it—your living expenses for the year. The PIN is 111111."

With that, he handed the card to Han Mengyu.