C9 Chapter 9

Qiu Anan looked at the family she’d poured her heart into, and the pain had gone so deep it felt numb. Fighting for breath, she set her bowl down after a moment, lowered her head, and said, “Mom, then just pretend you don’t have a daughter.”

She was exhausted. The Luhs, her own family—there wasn’t a single place that would take her in. It was like, in twenty-five years of living, she’d always been on her own, with nowhere to lean.

Ignoring her mother’s hysterical accusations behind her, Qiu Anan turned and walked out of the suffocating house, her eyes hard with resolve and dead calm.

It seemed like every time she left home, she did it worn out and humiliated.

But this time was different. When Qiu Anan stepped outside, a black Maybach was parked at the curb.

LYB9999

With a plate number that bold, she didn’t even need to look inside to know who it was.

Luh Yubai slowly rolled down the window. Watching her downcast face, he tossed out a line that made no sense coming from him: “Where are you going? I’ll give you a ride.”

In the past, Qiu Anan would’ve been thrilled out of her mind. Now, she just found it helplessly ridiculous. After a few seconds of hesitation, she still got into Luh Yubai’s car.

The whole way, neither of them spoke. In the cramped cabin, the silence was thick with awkwardness.

After a long while—

“I already spoke to HR at Luh’s. Salary’s twenty-two grand a month. You can decide how to use it, or put it toward what you owe.” Luh Yubai suddenly said, his tone as cold as ever.

But Qiu Anan’s heart still jolted. Hearing him say it, she was hit with a mess of emotions. “Th-thank you…”

Luh Yubai only flicked his eyes toward her. In his clear, cool gaze, a hint of amusement surfaced as he said, like it was nothing, “Three million. At that rate, you’ll be working it off for over a thousand years.”

“…”

Qiu Anan nearly choked on her own spit. She’d never imagined Luh Yubai had a prankster streak. She shot him a look and snapped, “Yeah, thanks for the reminder, you robber baron.”

Once upon a time, there had even been a hint of warmth between them.

Anan’s eyes stung with tears. She bit her lip and whispered, so softly it was almost inaudible, “Thank you.”

“If you really want to thank me,” Yubai said, “give me a kiss.”

His sudden teasing caught Anan off guard. She blinked, not knowing how to respond, frozen in place as she blurted out on instinct, “Yubai, I’m Anan—not Jingya.”

“Screeech.”

The sharp brake sent Anan lurching forward. In the next instant, a devastatingly handsome face filled her vision.

“Ah…”

Before she could react, warmth pressed to her lips—Yubai had already kissed her. The kiss was hot and forceful, more relentless than ever, prying her mouth open and dragging her into it without giving her a choice.

“Mmph…”

Anan panicked and tried to struggle, but she was no match for him. A heavy hand slid over her softness, and wherever he touched, it felt like a jolt of electricity, pulling a helpless sound from her throat.

To Yubai, it only made her more irresistible.

Rip.

Anan gasped as cool air hit her chest—too much of her was suddenly exposed. Yubai’s mouth moved from her lips to the curve of her shoulder, then lower, unhurried, deliberate…

“Yubai, are you out of your mind?”

“I am,” he growled against her ear, his eyes bloodshot with something fierce. “I’m out of my mind because I can’t get it up for anyone else—my head’s been nothing but you.”