C13 Compensation for Her

"How do you plan to make it up to me?"

Yueyue propped her chin on her hand, watching the man in sunglasses across from her with a leisurely gaze, as if she were enjoying a show. After all, she held all the cards now. The man's proposal was hers to accept or reject.

Xice had always been the one in control, and Yueyue's slightly defiant look was getting under his skin. But at this moment, he had no choice. Defying his grandmother's wishes would have serious consequences, so he had to find a way to win her over.

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. I'll pay you $10,000 a month, and after three months, you take the money and leave. We owe each other nothing."

To Xice, money was just a number. He could offer more, but to keep his identity under wraps, he settled on $30,000. He believed most problems could be solved with money, and if not, he could always offer more.

"Let me think about it."

Yueyue was calculating her options. Her current situation was dire: her landlord demanded she move out by tomorrow, and her brother was harassing her. Moving to a new place would solve her immediate troubles. However, she didn't know this man well, and living with someone of questionable character could be unsafe.

Xice noticed Yueyue's eyes darting around as she thought, and a slight smile played on his lips. "I'll add another $5,000 a month. Three months, and you'll get $45,000. How about that?"

Wooh Yueyue was intrigued. "Not making money when you can is just foolish," she thought. But she couldn't wrap her head around why such a good opportunity had come her way. Offering accommodation and money seemed too good to be true.

"If something seems off, there's usually a catch," she mused. She needed answers.

"Mr. Zuo, can you be honest with me? Why are you doing this? The marriage agreement clearly states that we have no financial ties."

"It's what the elders want. Just think about it," Zuo Xice replied truthfully.

Yueyue bit her lip, pondering for a few seconds before making up her mind. Zuo Xice's explanation seemed plausible. The paperwork they completed yesterday was likely just to appease their families' pressure to marry.

Her own situation wasn't much better. Her mom and brother were also pushing her to reveal who she was marrying, but she had no intention of cooperating.

After a moment of thought, Yueyue said, "Mr. Zuo, I have one condition."

"Go ahead."

"I can live with you for three months, but during that time, I don't want to meet your family or be disturbed by anyone." She had neither the energy nor the obligation to deal with complicated relationships.

Zuo Xice nodded. "Agreed. We'll add that to the agreement: living under the same roof without interfering with each other, and no physical contact between us."

"Deal!"

Yueyue extended her hand to shake on it, but Zuo Xice didn't reciprocate. She suddenly remembered their agreement to avoid physical contact, and a handshake would count as such.

The next moment, she awkwardly but politely withdrew her hand. Zuo Xice placed an access card on the table. "Capital No.1 Villa, Building 23, Unit A, Apartment 1701. I'll text you the front door code later. You can move in tonight. No need to bring anything, just move in with your bags."

"What about the new agreement?"

"We can add it by hand when we meet tonight."

"Alright."

Wooh Yueyue opened her phone and showed her QR code business card. "Mr. Zuo, let's add each other on WeChat. It'll be easier to contact each other if anything comes up."

Reluctantly, Zuo Xice took out his phone and added Wooh Yueyue on WeChat, labeling her contact with her name. Yueyue, however, kept his contact labeled as: That Man.

"Mr. Zuo, I have a question."

"Go ahead."

Wooh Yueyue looked at Zuo Xice with a probing gaze and asked seriously, "How did you get my phone number? I don't recall giving it to you."

Zuo Xice smirked, "It's no secret. My lawyer knows it, so naturally, I do too."

The lawyer he referred to was Lian Qi, who had initially signed the agreement with Wooh Yueyue on his behalf.

Wooh Yueyue's expression grew more guarded. "Mr. Zuo, I don't appreciate being spied on."

"It's not spying, just a little inquiry."

"Mr. Zuo, I hope we can strictly adhere to the agreement in the future, without interfering in or prying into each other's lives." Wooh Yueyue was very cautious; she didn't want to feel like a monkey in a cage being secretly watched.

Xice nodded, "Of course!"

After they reached an agreement, Xice sent the front door code to Yueyue. Yueyue had work to finish in the afternoon, so she stood up and left, hoping to complete her tasks early and head home to move. Rather than being evicted by her landlord tomorrow, she'd prefer to leave on her own terms tonight. At this moment, she felt a bit grateful to Xice for suggesting they share a place, temporarily solving her urgent problem.

By the time Yueyue finished her work and returned to her rental, it was already evening. As soon as she walked in, her phone wouldn't stop vibrating. She glanced at the caller ID, feeling incredibly annoyed. This was the tenth call from her mom today, and she hadn't answered any of the previous ones.

Because of work, she couldn't turn off her phone. Finally, unable to take it anymore, she answered, exasperated, "Mom, your constant calls are disrupting my work. What do you want?"

Soong Yan was equally frustrated, "Yueyue, what's with the attitude? I'm your mother; can't I call you? Why did you hit your brother? He just wanted to see what your brother-in-law looks like. Is that so wrong?"