C13 Chapter 13

“Shut up! Do you really think women are just something you trade for stuff?” Su Mengxin snapped, anger surging through her as strength returned to her limbs. She drove her elbow hard into Director Loong’s side, stomped on his foot in the scramble, and bolted out of the suite.

Director Loong was left standing there, a mess. After the shock wore off, he broke into a pleased laugh.

At least she hadn’t said yes.

Once she was out, Su Mengxin melted into the bustling crowd and walked forward like she didn’t have a care in the world. She’d finally gotten a chance like this—and she’d blown it. Now she had no idea how she was going to explain it to the magazine.

If she really couldn’t finish this assignment, maybe it was time to look for a new job and start over.

But…

She couldn’t bring herself to leave Huang Chengzhi. He was the boyfriend she’d been with for years, someone who used to dote on her in every way. Even now, with Chengzhi growing colder by the day, she still couldn’t let go. In the place they shared, most of the time it was just him there.

They were still in the middle of a cold war, after all.

Su Mengxin drifted home in a daze. Cheng Xiang was asleep on the couch, worn out, a few strands of gray already showing at her temples.

Cheng Xiang was only around forty. If she hadn’t spent so many years worrying herself sick, she probably wouldn’t have aged this fast. A tight ache rose in Su Mengxin’s chest. She gently woke her. “Mom Cheng, go sleep in the bedroom.”

Maybe Cheng Xiang was calmer in her sleep. She only gave Su Mengxin a flat look, said nothing, and went upstairs to rest.

That night, Su Mengxin tossed and turned, unable to sleep. Even after showering again and again, the fear in the dark wouldn’t go away.

Sitting on the bed, she called Huang Chengzhi.

The phone rang and rang, each second stacking onto the next. A full minute passed. Just as Su Mengxin was about to hang up, the call connected.

“What is it?” Chengzhi’s voice came through—cold, impatient, and edged with disgust.

Su Mengxin froze for a second. “Wrong number. It’s fine.”

But what, exactly, had gone wrong? She didn’t know. She’d always been slow when it came to feelings—she didn’t know how to hold on to a relationship, and she didn’t know how to win a man over. Maybe she really couldn’t keep him anymore.

Love, work, life—everything was a mess.

Curled up under the covers, Su Mengxin broke down, sobbing.

The next day, though, she still had to pull herself together and go to work. The New Edge magazine office looked the same as always, but when Su Mengxin walked in with dark circles under her eyes, she caught snippets of gossip.

“I heard our interview hosts have to ‘play along’ now. They’re even setting interviews up at nightclubs.”

“Seriously. What do you think happens in places like that? Everyone knows.”

“...”

Su Mengxin understood in an instant. When Yang Jiao came over with her materials, Su Mengxin said coldly, “Last night’s thing blew up. Go get this assignment canceled.”

Yang Jiao looked uneasy.

Su Mengxin stood up. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried—enough for the whole office to hear. “I was in France, and you, as my agent, took it upon yourself to accept an assignment for me. That alone should disqualify you from working in this business. And yes, last night I did meet the CEO of Loong’s Group in a nightclub suite for an interview—but nothing happened. Like you all assume, I wasn’t capable of completing the assignment.”

Yang Jiao’s face flushed, then went pale. She clearly hadn’t expected Su Mengxin to say it so bluntly in front of everyone.

“But Miss Su, the penalty for breaking this contract is ten times the fee,” Yang Jiao said, the last trace of a smile disappearing. “That means your base pay for completing it is $100,000. But if you back out, you’ll owe ten times that—$1,000,000.”

A chill ran through Su Mengxin. A million dollars—where was she supposed to get that?

But the contract was already signed. Break it, and you pay. That was all there was to it. No wonder her boss hated arrogant people who didn’t know their limits.

And this time, her agent, Yang Jiao, had kindly shoved Su Mengxin straight into the fire.

Right now, the whole company was waiting to see her crash and burn.

Su Mengxin clenched her teeth, ducked into the stairwell, and called Loong Yufan again.

He picked up quickly. Su Mengxin drew a deep breath. “Mr. Loong, I’m sorry.”

“You don’t owe me an apology. You owe Director Loong one.” Loong Yufan’s voice was flat, without a hint of emotion.

Su Mengxin knew she’d messed up. When she’d stomped on Director Loong that day, she hadn’t thought about who he was at all—she’d just taken him for some pushy, shameless jerk.

“I’m sorry. I really am. Can you please help me apologize to Director Loong? I really…” As she spoke, tears spilled down her cheeks, and her voice caught. “I really can’t afford to blow this assignment.”

Loong Yufan’s heart tightened. She was crying?

That day, he really shouldn’t have pushed her around like that in the suite. But when he’d seen her bright, kitten-like eyes and that innocent look on her face, he couldn’t rein in that raw, primal urge.

He also wanted to know what kind of woman Su Mengxin really was.

If she was the type who chased money and status, he’d lose interest immediately. There were plenty of women willing to sell themselves for cash—he didn’t need one more.