C12 Chapter 12

Su Mengxin didn’t dare think about it any further. The more she did, the more tangled it got, and the more restless she felt. Finally, she stood up and called Yang Jiao over.

She talked it through with Yang Jiao. In the end, Yang Jiao tried to reassure her. “Nightclubs always have security around. Nothing’s going to happen. And if you don’t finish this job, the breach-of-contract fee won’t be cheap.”

Su Mengxin had no choice but to back down. What else could she do? She was broke and on her own.

After work, Su Mengxin was still hesitating when Yang Jiao nudged her out the door. “You’ve got this. If anything happens, call or text me right away. If you can’t talk, just text me a ‘1,’ and I’ll come get you.”

Hearing that finally settled Su Mengxin’s nerves. Feeling a little steadier, she worked up the courage to go to Starlight Nightclub by herself.

Inside, everything was done in black, lit by flashing colored lights. Shadowy figures moved across the dance floor. It wasn’t the busiest time yet—the real rush would hit around midnight, when people who couldn’t sleep poured in to burn off their energy on the floor.

It was Su Mengxin’s first time at Starlight. The moment she walked in, the front desk stopped her to ask what she needed. When they heard she had an appointment in 301, the receptionist’s face flickered with surprise, then quickly smoothed back into a professional look.

Outside Suite 301, Su Mengxin twisted her fingers together. A young guy up front opened the door for her. “Miss Su, right this way.”

Su Mengxin could only steel herself and step inside.

The room was dark, with only two dim yellow lamps on. She moved carefully with each step, afraid she’d bump into something.

She’d always been a little afraid of the dark. In a shaky voice, she asked, “Excuse me… is Director Loong here?”

No one answered from the darkness. Her fear tightened. Her eyes searched the room until she finally spotted a figure on the couch, apparently lifting a glass and taking a drink.

Su Mengxin pushed down her fear for the moment. Moving slowly, she walked forward and sat on the sofa across from the shadowy figure. “Hello, Director Loong. I’m the host interviewer for New Edge Magazine. Thank you for taking time out of your busy—”

“Spare me the small talk. I’m not interested.” The voice in the darkness was low and raspy, stripped of any emotion. “Why do you want to interview me?”

This Director Loong type felt like someone you couldn’t sweet-talk or strong-arm—an absolute nightmare to interview.

Su Mengxin frowned, frustrated, but kept her tone steady. “New Edge Magazine wants to interview you mainly so the public can get a fuller understanding of Loong’s Group.”

“That doesn’t do much for me,” Director Loong replied coldly.

She watched him take another sip of his drink, impatience flickering in her chest. “Then what would it take for you to let me do the interview?”

She was going all in. If she lost this chance, she wouldn’t just fail the assignment and get hit with a steep breach-of-contract penalty—she could lose her job, too.

Her boss never kept people who were arrogant, and never kept people who were useless.

And this whole mess was because Yang Jiao had taken the assignment on her own. It had practically ruined Su Mengxin. For a moment, she even wondered if Yang Jiao had done it on purpose.

“Unless,” the man said from the dark, his voice drifting like something out of a nightmare, raising goosebumps, “you make me happy.”

Su Mengxin wasn’t some naive kid. She knew exactly what that meant. She stood up at once. “If that’s your attitude, then forget it. I won’t do the interview.”

He only chuckled, setting his glass down on the coffee table with a sharp clink.

Su Mengxin took an involuntary step back.

Director Loong moved faster. In a blink, he had her pressed to the edge of the sofa, half-reclined. One hand slid along her waist, his breath warm against her neck as he gently bit her earlobe. “You came to me on your own,” he murmured. “And now you want to run?”

“You sleazy, no-good creep!” Su Mengxin’s mind froze for a split second, and when she snapped back to reality, this was what she was looking at.

Humiliated and furious, she grabbed her purse and swung it at the man.

Director Loong hissed in pain and let go.

Su Mengxin seized the chance to bolt, but Director Loong shadowed her like a bad smell, yanking her hand back. “What, you’re still playing hard to get? Fine by me—I like it.”

This time, he got even bolder. He wrapped his arms around Su Mengxin from behind, his burning chest pinning her in place. His hands roamed over her curves as he leaned in by her ear and murmured, “Make me happy, and I’ll give you what you want. Chances like this don’t come around often.”

Su Mengxin’s body went rigid for a second. She tried to turn and see his face, but no matter how she twisted, she couldn’t.

He had her locked down tight—she couldn’t move an inch.

But there was no way she was going to give away her first time like this.

If it wasn’t something both people wanted—something real—she would never agree.

Director Loong’s hands kept wandering, shameless and relentless, brushing over her most sensitive spots as he coaxed, “Whatever you want, I’ll give it to you. Just spend one night with me. That’s a pretty good deal, isn’t it?”