chapter 3

chapter 3

Although I had told Jiang Yan I had a business dinner on my birthday, he still cleared his entire schedule.

When work kept me at the office, he simply moved the celebration there.

I returned from a meeting to find nine hundred and ninety-nine red roses waiting for me. Gift boxes were stacked in the corner, each bearing an expensive logo.

“Happy birthday, honey.” Jiang Yan stood before me with a smile and opened his arms.

I walked toward him, then shifted slightly and brushed past.

His smile dimmed for a second before he forced it back into place.

“I ordered from that private kitchen you used to love. They’ll deliver it soon. We can have lunch together.”

“Mm,” I answered without much interest.

He had not visited my office in a while. Seeing me busy, he did not interrupt and wandered around, taking in the changes—until his phone rang.

Jiang Yan silenced it at once, glanced at me, and turned his back before answering.

The office was large, and we stood far apart. I could not hear the person on the other end.

But the instant he turned away, I knew who it was.

“What? You fell down the stairs?” His voice shot up, then dropped again when he remembered me. “I’ll be right there!”

Only after ending the call did he remember his promise to spend my birthday with me.

He hesitated, searching for words. I kept my head down and continued working.

“Xiuxiu…” he began with difficulty. “Something came up. I may need to leave for a while.”

“Mm,” I said carelessly.

He hurried toward the door, but with his hand already on the handle, he looked back.

After a pause, he said, “I’ll try to return in time for lunch.”

“Don’t bother. Go take care of your business.”

We both knew the truth.

He said he would return as soon as he could.

But he would not return at all that day.

That evening, I went to a bar for the first time in ages.

I disliked places like that. They were too loud. Yet every once in a while, I felt the urge to lose myself in the noise.

I deliberately chose a new venue. When I booked a booth, the floor manager asked how many people were in my party.

“Just me.”

“Our people know how to be discreet and read the room. Shall I send a few over to liven things up for you?”

I swept my gaze around the room and stopped on a distant corner.

The manager followed my eyes, paused, then smiled. “He’s our top seller and very popular. If you want him, it’ll cost a little extra.”

Fan Xin sat between two middle-aged women, smiling as he tipped back one drink after another.

“Money isn’t a problem,” I said. “Send him over.”

“Right away.”

I did not wait long.

Fan Xin approached with a bright smile. “Hey, thanks for choosing—”

He looked up at me and stopped cold.

“Long time no see.” I made no effort to hide the way I looked him over. “Who dressed you? That outfit is hideous.”

Humiliation flickered in his eyes, but his smile remained easy. “I learned it online. They said… women a little older like this style.”

“Sit.” I tipped my chin toward the seat. “So this is the way you found to make money? Selling drinks in a bar?”

That was the polite version.

More bluntly, he was working as a male escort in a nightclub.

Fan Xin said nothing.

“Have you raised enough for the surgery?”

He nodded, then shook his head. “Not yet. But I’m close.”

“How much are you short?”

“A hundred thousand.”

“When is the surgery?”

“The day after tomorrow.”

I looked up at him with a half smile. “You plan to make a hundred thousand in two days by selling yourself?”

I meant it as a joke, but Fan Xin did not deny it.

“The flesh trade isn’t easy these days, either. A hundred thousand is a steep price. Did you find yourself a rich patron?”

He pointed to the booth he had just left. “We already agreed. They’re splitting the cost.”

The answer caught me so off guard that I choked on my drink.

Fan Xin instinctively reached out to pat my back, then drew his hand away. At that distance, I caught the heavy scent of cheap perfume on him.

I disliked its vulgar sweetness.

I preferred the clean scent of soap he had carried the day we met. It had reminded me of Jiang Yan when he was young.

“Is this your first time?” I asked.

“Mm,” he said softly.

I tapped a few times on my phone and held the screen in front of him. Our chat window clearly showed the hundred thousand yuan I had just transferred.

“You’re young, and you’re an excellent student at a top university. You have every possibility ahead of you.”

“Quit the nightclub. I happen to need a personal assistant. Come work for me.”