Zhou Suisui's heart was beating so fast it felt like it would explode, but she didn't let go. She stood on her tiptoes, leaned close to his ear, and said clearly and fluently in a voice only the two of them could hear:
"Mr. Chen, my price is higher than Lin Xiao's."
She felt the muscles in his wrist tense for a brief moment.
This subtle reaction gave her the courage to continue. She took a deep breath and, word by word, delivered the lines she had rehearsed countless times in her mind—words that made her curl her toes in shame:
"I am younger than her, prettier than her, and I have a better figure. I learn fast. Whatever you like, I can learn it."
She paused for a second, her cheeks burning so hot they felt on fire, but her voice remained steady:
"I am very clean."
After saying those last few words, she almost immediately released his hand and took a half-step back, lowering her eyes, not daring to look at his expression.
Time around them seemed to freeze.
She could feel Chen Boxu's gaze on her face. A few seconds later, she heard him let out a very soft chuckle.
It wasn't a laugh of amusement; it sounded more like a confirmation.
"The address is on the business card," he repeated, his tone completely unchanged. "Don't be late."
This time, he walked away.
Zhou Suisui watched his retreating back, her nails digging deeply into her palms.
The business cards given to her by those men earlier—President Wu, Manager Zhao, President Sun, Mr. Zheng—were now soaking in liquor like trash.
But the business card Chen Boxu had given her was currently pressed against her chest.
This realization suddenly jolted her awake.
She snapped her head up and, seeing Chen Boxu about to walk out, practically ran to catch up with him.
"Mr. Chen!"
Her voice rang out with striking clarity in the spacious foyer.
Chen Boxu stopped and turned around.
Zhou Suisui stopped in front of him, panting slightly. She looked up at him, her eyes astonishingly bright under the lights.
"Can you take me away now?" she asked. There was a faint, barely perceptible tremble in her voice, but it was overshadowed by a desperate, do-or-die determination. "I... no one else here will dare approach me anyway."
She was telling the truth. Ever since Mr. Zheng was called away, no one had cast a single glance in her direction. Everyone seemed to have a tacit understanding to steer clear of that corner.
Chen Boxu looked at her, saying nothing.
His gaze slowly swept across her face, over her flushed cheeks and tightly pursed lips, before finally landing on her chest.
The business card he had slipped in there was still there.
"A reason," he said, his voice remaining calm.
Zhou Suisui bit her lower lip and looked him straight in the eye. "Don't you dislike others getting close to me?"
Her voice was soft, but every word was clear. "Mr. Zheng and the others just now... you had someone ask them to leave, didn't you? I could tell."
Chen Boxu's brow twitched slightly.
Zhou Suisui continued, a hint of reckless abandon entering her voice. "Since you have... already done this." Her fingers unconsciously brushed against her collar, where the edge of the business card pressed against her skin. "Then what's the point of me staying here? As for Senior Wang... I have no way to explain things to him anymore."
The last sentence was a bit difficult for her to say. In truth, she didn't want to explain anything at all, but she needed a realistic reason that would convince him.
Chen Boxu stared at her in silence.
His gaze was so heavy that Zhou Suisui almost couldn't hold it and wanted to look away. But she forced herself to keep looking at him, digging her nails into her palms to use the pain to maintain her composure.
A few seconds later, Chen Boxu gave a very slight nod.
"Wait for me at the entrance," he said, then turned and walked back into the banquet hall.
Zhou Suisui froze for a moment before realizing what he meant. She watched as he walked toward the small circle where Senior Wang was, saw him stop in front of Senior Wang, and say something brief.
The distance was too great for her to hear what was said, but she could see the expression on Senior Wang's face freeze instantly before he quickly plastered on a smile and nodded repeatedly.
Chen Boxu didn't linger; after speaking, he turned and walked toward her.
As he passed by her, he didn't break his stride, merely dropping a casual, "Let's go."
Zhou Suisui followed immediately.
Her high heels clicked sharply and rapidly against the marble floor. She practically had to jog to keep up with his pace.
At the hotel entrance, a black car was already parked at the bottom of the steps. The driver stood by the car and, seeing them emerge, respectfully opened the rear door.
Chen Boxu gestured for her to get in first.
Zhou Suisui bent down and slid inside, her velvet skirt brushing against the leather seats. Chen Boxu got in after her and closed the door.
The interior of the car instantly fell silent, completely isolated from the noise outside.
Zhou Suisui sat stiffly, her hands resting on her knees, her fingertips ice-cold. She didn't know where to look, so her gaze drifted out the window to the rapidly retreating street scenes.
"Address," Chen Boxu said.
Zhou Suisui bit her lower lip tightly. A few seconds later, she gave an address, but it wasn't her shared apartment.
She took out her phone, the screen's light illuminating the dim cabin.
Her fingers hovered over the chat window with Liu Weiwei, as if pondering something, and then she typed:
Suisui: Weiwei, are you home?
She sent the message and held her breath as she waited.
A few seconds later, a reply came:
Weiwei: Yes. What's wrong?
Zhou Suisui's fingertips trembled as she continued typing:
Suisui: Can I crash at your place for a night? I'm not going back to the apartment tonight.
Weiwei: ? Did the reception end? Is Senior Wang dropping you off?
Suisui: Not Senior Wang. It's... someone else.
After typing that line, Zhou Suisui paused for a long time. She could feel Chen Boxu's steady breathing beside her. His eyes were closed, looking as if he were asleep, yet also as if he knew everything.
She took a deep breath and continued typing:
Suisui: A very important person. I'm in his car right now, he's dropping me off, but I... I don't want to go to the place he arranged, and I don't want to go back to my apartment either.
Send.
Suisui: Weiwei, please, don't ask too many questions. I'm a mess right now.
Send.
A few seconds later, she received a reply.
Weiwei: Got it. Let me know when you're here.
Zhou Suisui turned off her phone screen and clutched it tightly in her palm.
Half an hour later
Zhou Suisui pushed the car door open, and the night breeze rushed in. She hesitated for a moment before stepping out, turning her head to look back inside the car.
Chen Boxu still had his eyes closed, his profile resembling a cold, hard sculpture in the dim light.
"Mr. Chen," she said very softly, "see you tomorrow."
She paused for a few seconds, her nails pressing into her palms, and her voice dropped even lower:
"What I said back in the banquet hall... I'm not usually like that."
Chen Boxu opened his eyes, his gaze landing on her face.
Zhou Suisui almost immediately wanted to flee. It was so stupid; what was the point of an explanation like that?
"The address is on the business card," he said calmly. "Don't be late."
Zhou Suisui nodded, not daring to look at him again, and turned to walk briskly toward the building entrance.
The car door closed, and Chen Boxu watched her fleeing figure.
The black velvet dress clung tightly to her waist and hips, the fabric stretching into full curves with her hurried steps. Her waist was astonishingly slender, her hips round and perky, and the segment of her calves exposed beneath the hemline was delicate and beautifully contoured.
Earlier in the banquet hall, when he had leaned in to slip the business card into her collar, his fingertips had brushed against the warm patch of skin just below her collarbone.
She was wearing a conservative square neckline, but as she leaned over, the collar dipped open just a fraction. He caught a glimpse of the full curves of her breasts pressing softly against the fabric.
A very young body. Firm, voluptuous, carrying an innocent rawness untouched by the world.
It was a stark contrast to Lin Xiao's overly frail, pale beauty that lacked almost any curves.
"I'm not usually like that."
Her recent excuse still echoed in his ears. Her voice had been trembling, her face flushed crimson.
How amusing.
She could pitch herself so bluntly in the banquet hall, yet now she wanted to play the good girl again.
Who was the act for? Him? Or herself?
Chen Boxu leaned back against the car seat, his fingers rubbing together subconsciously.
Her body was much more honest than her mouth.
The car slowly pulled out of the residential complex.
Chen Boxu took out his phone and dialed a number.
"Eva," he said. "Tomorrow night at eight, the usual place. Prepare everything to the highest standard."
Hanging up, he stared out the window at the flowing shadows of the night.
That face was undeniably gorgeous. Big eyes, full lips, and a dewy gaze that made her look like a startled little animal when she looked at someone. Her figure was fantastic as well, an abundant chest and a narrow waist. She had curves in all the right places.
Much more endowed than Lin Xiao.
And much more... interesting.
