《Oath of Love》


 Chapter 1：A Surprising Encounter (1)

    Under the blazing sun, there was a screeching brake.


    "Someone got hit!" a person yelled.


    Before the Maserati gleaming under the sun, there was a little girl in a white dress kneeling on the ground. Her long black hair covered her face messily.


    Blood bubbled on her pale calf.


    Ye Chengwei opened the car door and walked to the little girl who was trying to stand up. His slender and tall frame seemed to glow under the sunlight. The people who had been focusing on the girl''s injuries all held their breaths after seeing Ye Chengwei''s extraordinary aura.


    Even his big sunglasses couldn''t hide his handsomeness. Instead, it added a cool factor.


    "How can there be such an attractive man?" someone whispered.


    "Yeah, he''s attractive and rich. His car is so nice."


    Everyone''s eyes landed on Ye Chengwei and forgot about the girl who had been thrown to the ground.


    "Are you okay?" Ye Chengwei stood beside An Ran. No words could describe his natural charisma.


    His tone was neither soft or hard, cold or warm. His expression was indifferent too. But this kind of coolness was even more mesmerizing.


    "I''m okay." An Ran brushed away the hair on her face and smiled quickly at Ye Chengwei. Hugging the scared puppy in her arms, she climbed up.


    She didn''t seem to notice how attractive, cool, and eye-catching the man before her was.


    An Ran was about to leave with her puppy, but Ye Chengwei called out, "Wait."


    An Ran turned around.


    Ye Chengwei handed her a card. "Call me if you need anything."


    He wasn''t irresponsible.


    "Okay." An Ran accepted the card and left without even looking. She didn''t seem to have any yearning toward this hot guy that everyone fell for.


    She was probably the first girl who didn''t freak out after seeing him.


    Maybe she was too young and didn''t have those thoughts yet.


    Ye Chengwei got into the car and drove the Maserati away under everyone''s eyes. In the rearview mirror, he saw An Ran hand the puppy to an old woman.


    The old woman seemed to thank her. Then she helped the old woman cross the street.


    The blood continued to flow down her calf.


    Ye Chengwei looked away. He stepped on the gas pedal and left quickly.


    ***


    People jostled on the sidewalk.


    An Ran sat on a bench and wiped away the blood on her calf with a wet wipe before putting on a bandage. She didn''t feel anything earlier, but now, it was starting to hurt a little.


    Her phone rang. It was her brother, An Ze.


    "Ah-ze."


    "Sister, where are you?"


    "I''m outside now. I''ll go home later."


    "Oh." An Ze''s voice sounded low-spirited.


    "Ze, what''s wrong?" An Ran''s voice grew serious. Please don''t¡­


    But An Ze''s answer confirmed her worries. In a low voice, An Ze said, "Sister, Grandma''s condition worsened. The doctor says she needs to do surgery as soon as possible, but it costs 200,000 yuan¡­"


    In order to treat their grandmother''s illness, they had already incurred many debts. Now, their only property was the small 60-square-meter house. But if they sold that, where would she, An Ze, and their mother live?


    But they couldn''t give up on their grandmother either.


    She and An Ze were fraternal twins. An Ran was born one minute sooner, so she became the older sister, but they didn''t have a dad. They didn''t know who he was and their mother, Gao Enying, kept her mouth sealed. Having kids before marriage was a shameful thing a dozen years ago.

 Chapter 2：A Surprising Encounter (2)

    Everyone started gossiping. They said that Gao Enying was of flimsy morals. Nobody dared to marry her, even if she was as pretty as a nymph.


    Her family treated her badly too. After she had given birth to An Ran and An Ze, her father cast her out. Her mother protected the kids from the others and raised them.


    And therefore the two kids were very close to their grandma. Gao Enying''s siblings didn''t show up for their mother''s illness, so she had to pay her medical cost all by herself.


    But 200 grand is too much money! An Ran hung up. She looked at the skyscraper in front of her and felt at a loss. There was a large screen on the building which showed ads.


    She put her hand in her pocket and noticed something. She took it out and found that it was the name card that she had just received.


    A breeze wafted the high-end fragrance to her. Two young stylish girls sat down on the bench next to An Ran. They held several bags in their hands and each bag had its logo printed on it.


    One of the girls rubbed her ankle and said, "Dear me, I don''t want to stop. I haven''t got the Louis Vuitton arrival. That handbag is a limited edition. If I don''t go there quickly, it''ll be sold out and I will definitely cry!"


    "I envy you. Your sugar daddy is so generous that he''s willing to spend so much money on you!" The other said with a little jealousy.


    An Ran glanced at them unconsciously. They were blessed and looked even prettier than stars.


    The first girl was somewhat pleased. She laughed. "Why shouldn''t we seize the day and enjoy life while we are young? I''m so pretty. How can I live without luxury brands? The jewel ring we just saw, it''s just a tiny piece but it cost more than 200 grand. How can I ever be able to afford that with my low salary?"


    "Don''t you want him to marry you?"


    The girl laughed as if she was amused by her friend''s naivety. "Why should I marry an old codger? I''ll leave him with his old hag. It''s more realistic for me to get more money from him before he gets tired of me."


    "Yes. Realistic women live more happily."


    "But it would be different if he were Ye Chengwei. I would kill myself to become the Young Mistress of Family Ye...Look, he is so handsome and charming. I''ll be content to just become his mistress."


    The girl looked at the screen on the building. Her eyes shone with delight.


    The ads had changed into an interview without one noticing it.


    The man on the screen wore a pair of brown sunglasses, which covered most of his face. But he still looked sharp. He was the most handsome man that An Ran had ever met. And he was extremely arrogant and haughty.


    Several microphones were waiting for his reply.


    One reporter asked, "President Ye, you are just 23 and recently graduated from abroad. Is it stressful to have become the President of Ye Group at such a young age?"


    "No." The man said coldly and briefly.


    "President Ye, would you say something about the economy of A City?"


    "President Ye..."


    "President Ye..."


    Assistants stopped the swarms of reporters and helped President Ye get on a Stretch Lincoln Limousine. And they left.


    A line of subtitles was shown at the bottom of the screen: Ye Chengwei, the eldest son of Ye Changqing (Chairman of Ye Group), succeeds to President of Ye Group and attends Asia-Pacific Economic Development Conference...


    "Stop. Stop daydreaming. Family Ye owns a nation''s wealth. Common people like us will never reach his level. Let''s go and get your handbag. Don''t regret it if someone else bought it."

 Chapter 3： A Surprising Encounter (3)

    "Yeah, yeah, let''s go buy purses."


    The two girls walked away, chatting and laughing.


    The name on it said: President of Ye Group¡ªYe Chengwei!


    ***


    The headquarters of the Ye Group rose up among a cluster of buildings. It reflected the sunlight, showing off its dominance as the number one company of A City.


    It made people want to worship it.


    An Ran stood before the cold front door, hesitating. As a 17-year-old girl, she had a fresh look unique to girls. Even though she wore an old dress, it still couldn''t affect her fresh beauty.


    After hesitating before the door, she still gathered her courage and strode into the elegant yet cold lobby of Ye Group.


    A pretty girl in a sophisticated cream-white professional dress was waiting for her before the president''s personal elevator. The girl had a smile unique to working women.


    Xiao Mei studied An Ran, who was clearly nervous but was trying to act calm, and bowed slightly. She asked politely, "Are you Miss An?"


    "I-I''m An Ran."


    "Miss An, President Ye is waiting for you in the office." Xiao Mei extended a hand politely and pressed the up button on the elevator.


    Even though she couldn''t sense a bit of a socialite''s aura on An Ran, Ye Chengwei had personally told her, his assistant, to welcome the guest. Ye Chengwei evidently cared about her.


    Half an hour ago, An Ran had gathered the courage to call Ye Chengwei. Many years later, Ye Chengwei would wonder why he had given An Ran his personal card back then.


    It was destiny.


    The elevator went straight to the 30th floor of the building. The hallway was silent¡ªso silent that An Ran could hear her heartbeat.


    Xiao Mei pushed open the office''s door. At the cold gust, An Ran shuddered.


    "President Ye, Miss An is here."


    The person inside gave an indifferent hum. An Ran didn''t take a step. The voice was so cold that it kept people thousands of miles away. Did it really belong to a 23-year-old boy?


    "Miss An, take a seat here." Xiao Mei extended a hand at the sofa on the side.


    The white leather sofa was pure like snow. An Ran felt uncomfortable sitting on it.


    "Miss An, would you like to drink anything?" Xiao Mei smiled sweetly.


    An Ran thought for a moment and uttered one word softly. "Water."


    "Sure." Xiao Mei''s smile continued. There wasn''t a single change.


    She closed the door softly. Ye Chengwei sat with his back to An Ran. He seemed to be reading something. There were the soft sounds of pages turning.


    Xiao Mei brought over the warm water and left again. During this time, Ye Chengwei didn''t say anything to An Ran. It was like she was invisible.


    The atmosphere was unsettling. An Ran sat uncomfortably. The air conditioning was too strong and she was too cold. She could only pick up the cup to warm herself.


    Just then, Ye Chengwei turned slightly. Staring coolly at An Ran who was about to drink water, he said in a low voice, "You''re looking for me?"


    The sudden voice made An Ran''s hands tremble and she spilled the water. She flinched instinctively and the water splashed onto the overly-clean carpet. It spread quickly.


    An Ran''s face reddened, but there was an ineffable pure beauty.


    She didn''t dare to look at Ye Chengwei''s expression. She only knew that in the corner of her vision, she saw a face that wasn''t covered with sunglasses. He was indeed shockingly handsome.

 Chapter 4： A Surprising Encounter (4)

    Ye Chengwei looked at the uneasy An Ran. He put one hand in his pocket and walked to her.


    An Ran''s heart pounded faster. She lowered her head.


    Ye Chengwei glanced at her wound which was covered by a Band-Aid and sat down gracefully on the couch next to her. He leaned slightly against its back, looking a little lazy but unspeakable attractive.


    Do handsome men always look drop-dead gorgeous no matter what they do?


    "How much do you want?" Ye Chengwei said indifferently straightforward. He didn''t want to waste time.


    How much will the girl ask for this little wound? One grand? Two grand?


    An Ran swallowed nervously and flushed. Ye Chengwei was explicit. She did have come to ask him for money. But the number...she was too ashamed to tell.


    Does this wound on her knee worth the sum?


    An Ran got cold feet. But he was the only rich man she knew.


    "Little girl, I don''t have much time for you." Ye Chengwei''s voice was of irreversible mighty and cruelty.


    "200 grand!" The words escaped An Ran''s lips. Then she found her heart about to explode.


    Ye Chengwei fell silent for a minute then he sneered at her. The number was beyond his expectation, but it was not a big deal.


    200 grand for such a little scar. The girl surely knows about the value of money.


    He leaned against the couch and stretched his arms. He sized An Ran up. His gaze made An Ran terribly shameful of herself.


    Just his gaze had made her uneasy.


    An Ran knew she had overstepped his bottom line.


    But she swallowed and forced herself to keep talking. "200 grand is all I need. I can...be your lifelong mistress."


    Ye Chengwei''s sneer became colder. He stood up slowly and walked to An Ran elegantly. He looked down on her and asked in an icy tone. "Are you sure that I want a cheap mistress like you?"


    An Ran bowed her head and bit her lips. She felt her courage dying down. She was not an outstanding girl, but she had always been well-behaved. Who would expect her to say those words and humiliate herself?


    But thinking about her grandma who was waiting for the operation, An Ran found the nerve to stand up. She looked at the cynical Ye Chengwei in the eyes and held up her head a little. She said firmly, "I really need the money."


    Seeing An Ran''s firm look, Ye Chengwei stopped mocking at her and relooked at her with more interest. He bent forward a little and clenched An Ran''s little jaw with his hand. Then he put on a charming smile.


    She was the first girl who had ever dared to stand up to speak to him!


    "Alright, then show me how you can be my mistress."


    Then he took An Ran by her wrist and dragged her out of the office.


    ***


    It''s the first time that An Ran took a ride in a limousine. The soft leather seat felt like clouds. She would like to take a nap while sitting on it.


    Good cars ran faster. Ye Chengwei drove the car quickly across the blocks through crowded streets like a rocket. An Ran felt several times that they were about to bounce into other cars, but Ye Chengwei all successfully dodged from them. Even her toes felt nervous and scared.


    Police who were to warn him for his speeding all turned away once they saw his license plate.

 Chapter 5：A Surprising Encounter (5)

    Half an hour later, suburbs, Lovetalk Mountain Villa (the most luxurious mountain villa group of A City, developed by the Fuli Real Estate Company under Ye Group)


    The building that Ye Chengwei lived in was naturally in the best location with an amazing environment. A white picket fence surrounded the garden around the villa. A faint fragrance floated in the breeze. It was soothing.


    Ye Chengwei parked the car in the underground garage and opened the door, getting out. He didn''t wait for An Ran at all. With a hand in his pocket, he sauntered toward the stairs. He paused at the entrance and turned his head. Taking off his sunglasses, he looked coldly at An Ran who''d opened the door and got out of the car clumsily.


    The garage had lit, but it was quite dim. But when An Ran saw Ye Chengwei take off the sunglasses, she suddenly felt like she couldn''t breathe.


    It felt like the basement had suddenly brightened. A beam of saintly light descended from the sky, shining on Ye Chengwei''s body. He was beautiful like a god, shedding light on the world.


    Why was he so offensively attractive?


    Seeing An Ran''s gaping expression, Ye Chengwei smirked slightly. That indifferent smile had a tinge of mockery and disapproval.


    He was already numb to these gazes.


    But An Ran reddened instantly under his cool mockery.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t say anything. He just turned and went upstairs. Looking at the long staircase, An Ran suddenly felt like they were so far from each other.


    The first floor had a European design. It was as glamorous as a palace and An Ran couldn''t describe it. She had only seen such a royal house on TV before.


    The people who lived there had been princes and princesses.


    It was unreal for her to appear here.


    The housekeeper in tidy clothes walked toward An Ran with house slippers and placed them respectfully by her feet.


    An Ran''s sandals were a bit broken. The leather by her toes curled up like a butterfly trying to fly away. She instinctively tried to hide it.


    "Miss, change your shoes." The female housekeeper''s smile wasn''t insulting. Her tone was friendly too.


    "Sister Rong, take her to the guest room for a bath," Ye Chengwei''s cold and authoritative voice traveled from the second floor. He''d already gone upstairs.


    A bath! An Ran''s expression changed slightly; her heart pounded.


    She seemed to finally realize why she''d come here. She had come to prove that she was qualified to be his lover.


    An Ran quickly squatted down to change her shoes and hide her embarrassment.


    "Yes, Young Master," Sister Rong replied politely to Ye Chengwei''s backside disappearing around the corner.


    An Ran changed her shoes, but she didn''t know where to put her own.


    "Give it to me." Sister Rong took them from her; her smile did not fade a bit. She held An Ran''s ratty shoes and placed them neatly in the spotless shoe cabinet.


    She was obviously from a poor family.


    Thinking of this, Sister Rong''s attitude toward An Ran naturally became friendly.


    She led An Ran to the guest room on the third floor and helped her fill the tub with automatic massage features. She also prepared the towel and pajamas before leaving.


    It was An Ran''s first time in such a large bathroom. It was even bigger than her living room. She stared at the bubbling tub.

 Chapter 6：I’m Not Sentimental (1)

    Her mom and An Ze must have been waiting for her to come home for dinner. But she was doing a thing somewhere that would never occur to them. She was about to get washed and examined as a mistress.


    An Ran felt a prickle in her nose and was about to weep. But she thought about her grandma who was lying on the sickbed and forced her tears back.


    Did she have the conditions to talk about self-respect?


    She took a bite of her lips and took off her clothes. Then she stepped into the bathtub.


    The bed was made. Ye Chengwei wasn''t there.


    An Ran sat on the edge of the bed and waited for him. After a long time, someone knocked on the door. An Ran was startled to stand up like a rabbit.


    Is he here?


    Subconsciously, An Ran wrapped herself tightly in pajamas. She answered in a low voice, "Come in, please."


    But it was Sister Rong. She held a plate full of fruit and put it on the table with a smile. "Miss An, have some fruit first."


    She had known her surname.


    "Thank you." An Ran forced a smile. She couldn''t tell if she was disappointed or relieved.


    "Call me if anything." Sister Rong had put down the plate and was about to leave.


    "Ok."


    But An Ran called her back just after Sister Rong had opened the door. "Sister...Rong, where is he?"


    An Ran kept her voice down.


    Sister Rong was still smiling. "Young Master is having a video meeting in the study."


    "Oh." An Ran replied.


    She ate two pieces of watermelon and felt extremely bored, so she opened the door and tiptoed downstairs. When she passed a room in the turning of the second floor, she heard an angry shout from it. And she was frightened to lean against the wall.


    "You are good-for-nothing!" It''s Ye Chengwei shouting at them.


    Clang. Something had dropped on the floor.


    Can the elegant boy be so mad? An Ran couldn''t picture Ye Chengwei''s angry face. But she abandoned her idea of strolling in the "palace".


    She tiptoed back to the room and waited quietly at the bedside.


    ------


    I''m not Sentimental (1)


    When An Ran opened her eyes again, she saw the beautiful red clouds across the window. It was like a beautiful painting.


    Where am I? An Ran was at a loss. But soon she recalled her whereabouts.


    Damn it. How could I fall asleep? She rolled out of the bed. A thin blanket fell off from her. Who has put it on? Sister Rong?


    It must be her. The distinguished young master can''t care for others.


    Is he still in the meeting?


    An Ran opened the door and went downstairs. She paused at the study on the second floor and bent forward, trying to figure out if there was still his voice inside.


    "Young Master is not in the study." Sister Rong''s words startled her.


    An Ran flushed and laughed as if she had been caught stealing. "Oh, well, where is he?"


    Sister Rong smiled. "He''s in the swimming pool. He has asked you to come over after you wake up, Miss An."


    "Ok." An Ran took a step and paused abruptly. She looked at her pajamas and Sister Rong hesitantly. "In this?"


    "There''s no one else."


    "Oh." An Ran flashed her a smile. "Sister Rong, thank you for covering me with the blanket."


    Sister Rong smiled. "It was Young Master. He didn''t wake you up as you were asleep."


    What? It was Ye Chengwei! An Ran was stunned. She didn''t expect him to have done so.

 Chapter 7： I’m Not Sentimental (2)

    How could someone so high and mighty know how to care for others?


    The setting sun dyed the sky red and the lights flickered on.


    An Ran walked toward the swimming pool, hugging herself. The night breeze lifted her long hair softly.


    Ye Chengwei was holding a glass of red wine and resting on the side of the pool. He watched coolly as An Ran walked over.


    Her eyes hid a bit of panic and her little face had the shyness of a girl. She pretended to be calm, but her steps were unsteady.


    An hour ago, the moment he''d opened the door, a beam of light happened to hit An Ran''s sleeping face as if embracing an infant that one loved unconditionally.


    Seeing her sweet sleeping figure, Ye Chengwei felt an odd serenity. The anger from the earlier video conference scattered instantly.


    It was the first time a girl made him feel so calm and relaxed. She was curled up on the bed like a tired kitten. One just felt the urge to hug and care for her.


    But he didn''t go hug her. He couldn''t bear to disturb her sweetness. For the first time, he had a bit of a strange desire to spoil a girl.


    That feeling comforted him.


    He felt like he didn''t need her to prove that she qualified as his lover. The unprecedented comfort that she gave him was enough.


    In that instant, he''d already accepted her.


    His little lover!


    An Ran obviously didn''t know what Ye Chengwei was thinking. Under his scrutiny, she walked timidly before him and stopped. Her lips moved but nothing came out.


    She didn''t know what to call him.


    Ye Chengwei drank the rest of the red wine and placed the glass beside An Ran''s feet. He looked at the tiny feet. Her bare ankles were as white as snow.


    His heart jumped. He moved his hand, grasped, pulled, and An Ran fell into the water with a plop.


    "Ah!" She sank quickly in the water and screamed.


    But Ye Chengwei picked her up in time, pushing her against the side of the pool. He was so close to her. Their breaths hit each other''s face.


    He rested an arm over her head and lifted her chin with his other hand.


    An Ran was forced to raise her head. She stared at his unrealistically beautiful face.


    Ye Chengwei dipped his head down, getting closer to her face. An Ran''s heart jumped weirdly. She clenched her fists tighter in the water; her nails were about to sink into her palm.


    Was he going to kiss her?


    Sleeping, she was like a baby. Awake, she was as pure as an angel.


    Her clean eyes were completely unblemished. Ye Chengwei had never interacted with such a pure girl before. The ones who surrounded him were all socialites who''d been trained. They were all the same and had nothing special about them.


    Their eyes were tainted with the mundane world, carrying vanity and materialistic thoughts. They only went for people who could help reach their goals. They tired him.


    But right now, An Ran was like a pure white lotus blooming in his eyes.


    Fresh and pure! She stimulated his interest as a predator.


    His lips were less than an inch away from her. They could touch each other with a slight movement.


    An Ran had never been so close to a man before. It felt like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. Eyes filled with nerves, she gulped subtly.


    But Ye Chengwei''s eyes didn''t miss that tiny movement. He smiled faintly. Instead of the slight mockery from before, this had a bit of love.


    He knew what she was nervous about, but he still asked, "Don''t know how to swim, hm?"

 Chapter 8： I’m Not Sentimental (3)

    He moved his lips and kissed An Ran. An Ran couldn''t help but shudder as if she received an electric shock.


    Her face blushed immediately. And she was short of breath.


    She tried to lean against the swimming pool and dared not move a bit. She couldn''t even answer him and felt her throat dry.


    Ye Chengwei went on. "Let me show you."


    He was up to mischief as his lips rubbed hers, which gave An Ran a stronger electric shock. She felt that it was hard to stand and slipped.


    Ye Chengwei held her body instantly in his arms and she clenched to his neck.


    Her panic made her delicately attractive.


    Ye Chengwei hugged around her wasp waist and said to her in a warm tone. "Follow my lead."


    "Ok." An Ran replied to him softly, still feeling nervous.


    He was a good teacher, but she really lacked talent. After a half-hour, An Ran didn''t get anywhere, instead, she choked herself several times.


    Ye Chengwei''s fingers slipped around her waist and touched her stiff muscle. He raised her jaw and looked at her attentively. "Are you afraid of me?"


    "No." An Ran replied. In fact, she was. He was born mighty and cold, which kept people at a distance.


    Her body was strained like a bow. She was too nervous to learn anything.


    "Silly girl." Ye Chengwei rubbed An Ran''s nose gently and gave up.


    An Ran tried to avoid his affectionate action. But she felt the unspeakable subtlety.


    Ye Chengwei held her waist and lifted her out of the pool.


    Now her wet pajama showed her curves clearly. Her clothes were thin and now had become almost transparent.


    An Ran flushed and didn''t know what to do. She hugged herself at last as the night wind was a little chilly.


    Ye Chengwei got out of the pool as well. His body looked perfect in the lamplight. His wide shoulders and slender waist, tanned skin, eight-pack abs, looking extremely attractive¡­


    An Ran turned away as she could no longer look at him.


    Why should God bless him so much that the man in front of me is built so perfectly?


    Her flutter didn''t escape Ye Chengwei''s attention. He put on an invisible dirty smile which made him look like a devil.


    He took the towel from the bench and covered An Ran with it. He rounded An Ran''s waist and pulled her close to him.


    An Ran''s height was beneath his armpit. She was as adorable as a pet.


    Sister Rong had seen that they were out of the swimming pool. She had prepared clean pajamas for them and put them on the bed. An Ran took a shower, then she dried her hair and went downstairs with new pajamas on.


    Sister Rong stood in the living room smiling at her as if she had been waiting.


    "Dinner''s ready. Young Master is waiting for you in the dining hall, Miss An."


    "Oh, okay." An Ran showed her a smile and walked to the dining hall.


    Ye Chengwei was in a robe. A few strands of his slightly wet hair covered his forehead, which made him unruly handsome.


    He is such a beautiful person. God is so biased.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t look at An Ran as she came in. He was cutting the steak gracefully and eating the small slices.


    The so-called dinner was western food.


    "Please sit down, Miss An. Let me bring your steak." Sister Rong went to the kitchen.

 Chapter 9： I’m Not Sentimental (4)

    An Ran sat down. There was a glass of red wine before her and the sweet fragrance wafted out.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t say anything. He was focused on eating his food.


    The steak was made on the spot, so An Ran waited for a few minutes before Sister Rong brought out the steak with the fragrance of black pepper. She brought it before An Ran.


    It was a detailed serving with a small serving of pasta on the side. It was mouthwatering.


    But An Ran didn''t move. Or rather, she didn''t know what to do. With her family, it was rare even for her to eat outside, let alone western steak. She didn''t even use forks and knives before.


    Sure, she''d seen them on TV before, but she didn''t know how to hold them.


    Sister Rong observantly noticed An Ran''s hesitation and murmured, "Miss An, do you need help?"


    Before An Ran could speak, Ye Chengwei already moved An Ran''s steak before him and sliced it with practiced ease.


    Seeing this, Sister Rong retreated quietly with a smile.


    She had watched Ye Chengwei grow up and she knew what his personality was like. He grew up in wealth and was spoiled by everyone. He never knew to care for someone else.


    But today, he made an exception and cared for a girl.


    Sister Rong was happy. She hoped that Ye Chengwei would be loyal to one girl. An Ran was great!


    Ye Chengwei cut the steak into tiny pieces and pushed it back to An Ran.


    An Ran still had a stunned expression. She didn''t expect those actions.


    "Got it now?" Ye Chengwei asked coldly. "You won''t get this nice treatment next time."


    Even though his tone was like this, An Ran still smiled sweetly and said, "Thank you."


    Ye Chengwei didn''t say a word. He wiped his mouth and left.


    There was still half a piece of steak on his plate. What a waste!


    The steak was delicious and An Ran ate it all. Her simple lifestyle had taught her to not be wasteful.


    She tried a sip of red wine, but it tasted weird. She frowned and gave up.


    Returning to the room, she saw Ye Chengwei reading on the sofa. He had a casual posture, but he looked great no matter what he did. He didn''t look up when An Ran walked in.


    She didn''t know what to do and was very nervous. A man and woman inside one room¡­


    Thinking of this, An Ran blushed. She peeked at Ye Chengwei.


    He looked very focused as if he didn''t plan on doing anything to her.


    Was he waiting for her to speak up? Didn''t she come to prove herself? So, he was probably waiting for her to speak up.


    An Ran hesitated in that room for a bit and then moved slowly to Ye Chengwei. She lowered herself slightly. Putting her hands on the book, she said softly, "Will you rest now?"


    After saying those words, she blushed. She wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide. Her face must be super red now.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t speak. He looked up slowly, staring at the red wave on An Ran''s face, and smiled faintly. Gripping her chin, he said slowly, "Are you sure you''re prepared?"


    An Ran bit her lip. She couldn''t speak, so she just nodded.


    "Kiss me." Ye Chengwei uttered those words with a slight commanding tone.


    An Ran nibbled her lips and blinked her big eyes, looking very pitiful. She never kissed before, but she had seen on TV before. It was just putting two mouths together, right? It looked easy.

 Chapter 10： I’m Not Sentimental (5)

    She plucked up a little courage to bend forward and put her icy lips on Ye Chengwei''s lips with her eyes closed. But she didn''t know what to do next.


    She didn''t move her lips. But her heart kept pounding crazily. Just a touch had made her unspeakably excited.


    Ye Chengwei held her cheeks and took a step back. An Ran looked at him dumbly.


    Ye Chengwei put on a serious look. "An Ran, you are just a mistress to pay off debts. Don''t fall in love with me. I''m not sentimental. I can make you leave at any time."


    An Ran nodded. She was clear about her status and never expected to be spoiled by him.


    She would keep it in mind. I won''t love him!


    Ye Chengwei finally grinned. He pressed his lips slowly to hers and said in a gentle tone, "Let me show you...how to kiss."


    Then his lips covered hers.


    Wait, what? Does kissing feel like this?


    ...


    He left her and looked at her happy face. What an adorable girl.


    His lips curled slightly. He said warmly, "It''s late. You should go to sleep."


    An Ran felt a little worried and upset. She hurried to ask, "What''s wrong?"


    She was clumsy as it was her first time. Could it be that he wasn''t satisfied?


    He ran his hand gently over her cheek and asked, "When will you turn eighteen?"


    "In a month." She didn''t know why he asked.


    Ye Chengwei got in the blanket and held An Ran in his arms. He looked relaxed and muttered to her. "Well, let''s wait for that day."


    All of a sudden, An Ran was moved.


    He wasn''t as cold as he looked. He would at least consider her feelings.


    "Good night." Ye Chengwei closed his eyes.


    It was warm to hold her in arms. And he found the peace that he had always longed for.


    ***


    Ye Chengwei held An Ran in his arms for the whole night. It might be the best sleep he had since he took over Ye Group. When he opened his eyes, An Ran was still asleep.


    She had been nervous all night and dared not move in Ye Chengwei''s arms. She couldn''t fall asleep until dawn. Now she was sleeping soundly.


    Ye Chengwei rubbed her cheek affectionately. Then he pulled out his arms and left quietly.


    Sunlight was bright out of the window. It was a sunny day again.


    He tiptoed to the window and drew the curtain close, not wanting the sunlight to interfere with her sleep.


    Ye Chengwei changed into sportswear and went to the living room. Sister Rong was there tidying things up.


    "Young Master, are you gonna take a morning jog?" Sister Rong asked him with a smile.


    "Yes." Ye Chengwei nodded and was going to change clothes in his room. He took a few steps and stopped to tell Sister Rong. "Sister Rong, what do common people have for breakfast?"


    Sister Rong was dumb for a short while and got it. She said gently, "Just porridge, steamed stuffed buns, buns, soybean milk, deep-fried dough sticks, and noodles."


    "Fetch one of each."


    He didn''t know what the girl liked but it was always right to prepare everything.


    "Okay." Sister Rong answered happily.


    It was the first time that she saw Young Master cared for a girl. They must have had a good night.


    "And, don''t wake her up." Ye Chengwei added.


    "Sure." Sister Rong smiled.


    How he spoils her!

 Chapter 11：A Comfortable Pillow (1)

    Ye Chengwei went for his morning jog. An Ran woke up very soon. It was still uncomfortable to sleep in someone else''s bed. She washed up and changed into her school uniform. She prepared to go downstairs but got An Ze''s call.


    "Sister, Grandma fell. She''s in the emergency room." An Ze sounded urgent.


    "I''m going to the hospital right now." An Ran hung up quickly and opened the door, running downstairs.


    "The Young Master is jogging. He''ll probably be back soon."


    "Oh." An Ran was as tense as ants on a frying pan. She didn''t know what to do.


    "Miss An, what''s wrong?" Sister Rong asked.


    "No, nothing," An Ran said hurriedly. She suddenly thought of something and walked upstairs. "Sister Rong, tell him I''m waiting in the library."


    Sister Rong smiled softly.


    An Ran opened the library. She found paper and a pen and hurriedly wrote down "Lifetime Lover Contract." As soon as she finished, Ye Chengwei pushed the door open and came in.


    He wore a black tank top and running shorts. His sweaty hair swooped across his forehead and he looked very sexy.


    But An Ran wasn''t in the mood to enjoy it. She handed the contract to Ye Chengwei and said, "I need money."


    The three words made Ye Chengwei''s expression turn cold. He glanced at the paper but didn''t accept it.


    His lips curled up into a cold smile.


    It was only a relationship about money. The comfort that he felt when hugging her last night was wiped away. He, Ye Chengwei, had almost felt peace from a relationship built on money like a little boy.


    Without speaking, he walked past An Ran to the desk.


    "It''s urgent." An Ran didn''t feel confident seeing that he wasn''t speaking.


    Ye Chengwei''s expression was frigid. His jawline grew harder. He pulled open the drawer and threw a card at An Ran.


    The card fell down before her. An Ran froze, but she didn''t have time to think about this humiliating action. She picked up the card without thinking and turned to leave.


    But after two steps, she came back and placed the contract onto the table. "Sorry," she said softly.


    She didn''t know why Ye Chengwei was angry, but it was probably because of her. She couldn''t explain now though. She had to hurry to the hospital.


    Ye Chengwei grabbed the contract and was about to rip it up, but he stopped. He crumpled it up and threw it into the drawer.


    "Young Master, breakfast is ready," Sister Rong said outside the door. "Will you eat now?"


    "Toss it out." Ye Chengwei''s voice was cold.


    He strolled to the window and saw a small figure darting around the yard aimlessly. Sighing, he pulled his phone out for a call.


    "Zhang, give her a ride."


    ---


    Changes in life never went according to plans. An Ran brought the money to the hospital excitedly but received the horrible news that her grandmother had passed away.


    Her grandmother had gone to the bathroom and unfortunately fell. She never climbed back up. At that time, Gao Enying had left to buy breakfast.


    An Ran held Ye Chengwei''s card. It felt like the world had ended.


    As soon as the seven days of mourning had passed, the loan sharks came to demand their payment. Gao Enying was only a minor white-collar worker. It was already difficult to raise two kids. She didn''t have any extra savings to pay for the grandmother''s medical bills, so she had no choice but to go to loan sharks.


    Without telling her mother, An Ran used the 200,000 yuan in the card to pay the debts. Including the interest, it happened to be 200,000 yuan.


    She wanted to pay Ye Chengwei back. Now, it seemed that she was destined to owe him for life.

 Chapter 12：A Comfortable Pillow (2)

    It was Friday. Every student felt thrilled to hear the after school bell rang.


    An Ran carried her school bag on her back and walked to the gate. She had just finished organizing her grandma''s funeral and looked terribly tired.


    A chubby girl scuttled to her from behind her and patted her shoulder. "An Ran, are you alright?"


    An Ran didn''t turn back. She could tell it was her best friend Liu Weiwei from her voice. She replied quietly, "Yes."


    Liu Weiwei accompanied her silently. Her parents were white-collars and comparatively wealthy. After a walk, she said to An Ran softly, "If you need anything, just tell me."


    An Ran knew what she meant for and smiled. "Weiwei, I want to take a part-time job."


    "We have the college entrance examination soon. You don''t have time for that." Liu Weiwei was surprised. "You are doing great. Don''t let it get in your college application."


    "What if I got admitted? It would only be an extra burden for my mom." An Ran was upset.


    "But An Ran..." Liu Weiwei was interrupted by a polite call. "Miss An."


    They looked over and saw a middle-aged man in a suit. He stood beside a white BMW, smiling and looking at An Ran.


    An Ran was startled. He was the driver at Ye Chengwei''s Villa, Zhang. It was him who sent her to the hospital that day.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t contact her in the past half-month. She was buried in the grief of losing her grandma and almost forgot that she had become his mistress.


    An Ran panicked when she saw Zhang. Parking a million-dollar car in front of her school gate was too much.


    "An Ran, is he calling for you?" Liu Weiwei asked for confirmation.


    An Ran flushed immediately. She told her "I''ll explain to you later" and rushed to the BMW. Zhang opened the door respectfully for her. And An Ran went inside quickly.


    She feared that if she delayed for one more second, everyone would find out what she was up to.


    "Young Master is waiting for you in the villa." Zhang smiled and said to her in the car.


    "Ok. Start the car, quickly." An Ran said in a hurry.


    Zhang started the car immediately. An Ran turned over and saw Liu Weiwei stand there watching her leave at a loss.


    An Ran took out her old phone and called Liu Weiwei.


    The second the call got through, Liu Weiwei asked with surprise, "An Ran, what are you doing?"


    "Weiwei, it''s complicated." An Ran took a breath and added in a low voice. "Remember, if my mom or An Ze asks about me, just tell them I''m with you tonight at your house."


    "An Ran..."


    "I''ll explain it to you on Monday."


    "Okay." Liu Weiwei was very kind and didn''t go on asking her.


    An Ran hung up and sighed. She felt sad. Outside of the car window, young boys and girls in uniforms were going home in delight.


    How happy and free they were!


    BMW went to the suburbs steadily. The setting sun painted the sky with pretty and bright colors.


    The car arrived at the underground garage of the villa. An Ran was going to open the door but Zhang stopped her. "Let me, Miss An."


    It was real that drivers opened doors for their bosses as it was shown on television.


    Sister Rong had prepared slippers for her in the living room on the first floor. And she put her old shoes orderly in the closet like last time.


    "Miss An, Young Master is working in the study. Would you like to wait for him in the living room or back in your room?" Sister Rong always smiled as she spoke.

 Chapter 13： A Comfortable Pillow (3)）

    Back to her room? This wasn''t her house. Did she have a room?


    An Ran walked to the sofa. "I''ll wait for him here."


    "Okay. Miss An, would you like water or a drink?" Sister Rong asked politely.


    "Water."


    The question and answer session was a bit distant, so staying in the living room was correct. This wasn''t her home. She couldn''t be as casual as the owner.


    An Ran sat there, hugging her backpack. Soon, a little girl dressed in a black and white dress came to give her a glass of water. She''d never seen her before. She was probably the new maid.


    It was a bit hot and An Ran was thirsty. She drank half the cup in one gulp. After finishing, she thought that she should''ve left some. She still wanted to drink water.


    There was no one in the living room. It was like everyone had disappeared.


    She remembered that there was a water dispenser in the dining room, so she stood up to go get some water. When she came back, Ye Chengwei was sitting where she''d sat.


    He held a glass of red wine elegantly and had his leg propped up. His arm rested casually on the sofa. His posture was lazy yet noble. He looked like the lazy yet cold main character of a comic as he gazed coolly at her.


    An Ran had poured too much water. When Ye Chengwei appeared without warning, she panicked and water spilled out. She gasped softly and her face heated up.


    Elegant and embarrassed¡ªthey stood in stark contrast.


    She steadied her cup and walked over slowly. She sat beside him on the sofa and drank her water quietly.


    Ye Chengwei kept looking at her until she drank all the water. Then he asked in a low voice, "Did you take care of everything?"


    An Ran looked up in confusion. "What?"


    "Your grandmother''s funeral."


    "How did you know?" An Ran asked in surprise. She didn''t remember telling him about her grandmother.


    This question seemed to have insulted Ye Chengwei''s IQ and he smirked. It was easy for him to find out about her life.


    Thinking of her grandmother, An Ran''s heart suddenly hurt. That money still came too late. Her grandmother couldn''t wait for it. Perhaps she knew that her granddaughter had gotten that money by selling herself, so she didn''t want to wait for it.


    Her eyes moistened. An Ran hurriedly held a hand to her nose to stop her tears.


    Ye Chengwei''s expression was indifferent, but he reached over and grabbed An Ran''s hand. He pulled lightly and she fell into his arms.


    He didn''t say anything, just holding her softly. The tears that had been suppressed suddenly flooded out with comfort.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t move, letting her wet his expensive shirt with her tears.


    His embrace was indescribably sweet and heartwarming. It quickly stopped An Ran''s sadness. But this kind of warmth made one greedy. She wanted to stay in his arms forever and never leave.


    But¡­ This wasn''t her warmth. No matter how comforting, she couldn''t desire it.


    An Ran sat up straight and smiled at Ye Chengwei. "Thank you."


    "Actually¡­" Ye Chengwei said coolly. "I don''t like seeing girls cry."


    He had never comforted anyone before. Nor had he ever had to comfort anyone.


    An Ran blanched. She didn''t think she''d get this cold treatment after the warmth, but her mind also cleared. She was only a lover to repay her debt. She didn''t have the right to want everything.


    "Yes," An Ran answered softly. Then she asked, "Why did you summon me here today?"


    Ye Chengwei rested his chin and stared at her. Could he say that he missed the serenity that she provided?

 Chapter 14：A Comfortable Pillow (4)

    He was angry about the meeting in the afternoon. Suddenly he thought about An Ran and felt warm and peaceful. And so he called Zhang to pick her up at school.


    Seeing her in front of him helped him get rid of all troubles.


    With her in arms, he could sleep well.


    "You take a shower first." Ye Chengwei said to her the first thing he entered the room.


    An Ran blushed and went to the bathroom in a haste. She didn''t know what he would do to her, but such an order made her somewhat abashed.


    An Ran didn''t turn off the water until it felt like an era later. Her white and delicate skin had turned red.


    She hugged herself and felt worried. She had forgotten to bring her robe because she was in a hurry.


    What should I do? Should I go outside naked? Or...let the mighty and cold guy send it over?


    She didn''t dare to ask him.


    An Ran slowly crouched down and blamed herself for her carelessness.


    The water had stopped for a long time. Ye Chengwei put down his book and glanced at the robe on the bed, then he got it. That girl was too afraid to go out.


    He stood up and picked up the robe. Then he went to the bathroom and opened the door.


    "Ah." An Ran''s lips parted with a cry of fear. She wrapped up herself tightly in the bath towel and gaped at Ye Chengwei just like a startled deer.


    Ye Chengwei was at ease. He put on an invisible smile and showed more interest in her shyness. But he said nothing and just stretched his long arm to pass the robe to An Ran.


    "Thank you." An Ran could hardly say it.


    But before she could put it on, Ye Chengwei embraced her. His cologne was faint but very pleasant.


    An Ran''s heart was racing.


    He lifted her up in the arms and put her gently on the bed. An Ran clenched to the quilt out of instinct. Ye Chengwei kissed her passionately right after it. His breath was deep.


    But he just kissed her.


    "I have to finish my work. You go ahead and sleep." Then he left the bed.


    An Ran was struck dumb. She always thought that Presidents like him were high and idle. They didn''t have to work and could spend all day relaxing.


    But now she could tell it wasn''t true after she got in touch with a real President.


    When she came to the villa last time, he was in a video meeting. And now he had to read papers at this late hour. He was busy with a myriad of affairs every day.


    There was a small study annex to the bedroom. Ye Chengwei shut the door gently.


    Dim lights came through the slight opening in the door panel.


    An Ran looked at it and fell asleep before she realized it.


    She didn''t know when Ye Chengwei came to her bed. At midnight, she suddenly woke up and found herself in his arms. Next to her ears, he breathed steadily with good rhythms.


    How sound he sleeps!


    It turns out that I am truly capable of bringing peace to him. A gentle smile spread over her face and she soon fell asleep again.


    How warm his body is too!


    ***


    Sunlight came through the french window. Sunshine was so pleasant on their faces.


    An Ran woke up in Ye Chengwei''s arms. He was still soundly asleep and was as happy as a baby. Satisfaction was all over his face.

 Chapter 15： A Comfortable Pillow (5)

    Right now, his expression was gentle. He was no longer cold or arrogant.


    He was so attractive. An Ran''s finger twitched, wanting to touch Ye Chengwei''s face. She wanted to see if his clean skin was as smooth as a girl''s.


    It was like a dream how she''d gotten involved in his life.


    The Ye Group had infiltrated every industry and also ruled every industry. Ye Chengwei, as the heir of the next generation, had an important status nationwide¡ªand even worldwide.


    But in the end, An Ran just pushed herself up softly from bed. She didn''t dare to take the initiative to touch him, even though he looked gentle now.


    She suddenly wanted to sneak away and go home earlier. Always using Liu Weiwei as an excuse wouldn''t work in the long-term.


    Just as An Ran was about to lift the blanket, someone grabbed her wrist. A touch of warmth flowed into her skin. Ye Chengwei pulled her hand and covered his face.


    An Ran was shocked. He actually knew what she was thinking!


    "Mm." Ye Chengwei''s voice was like a dreamy murmur. "Want to escape?" That soft tone made one''s heart pound. Who said that only a girl''s sleepy voice was mesmerizing? It was the same for men.


    "N-no," An Ran said quickly.


    Ye Chengwei kept his eyes closed. He pulled her in softly and An Ran returned back under the covers.


    "Today is Saturday. Sleep a bit more, ''kay?" He pressed her head against his chest.


    The warm blankets made one unwilling to leave.


    An Ran pressed her hand against Ye Chengwei''s chest. She didn''t want to get too close, but he circled her domineeringly. Pressing to her ear, he said with his eyes closed, "Do you know that you work really well as a pillow? Small and soft, so comfy."


    So, he only wanted the comfort of a pillow.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t move. His eyes were still closed.


    Looking at his crazily attractive face, An Ran asked again, "Can I?"


    Ye Chengwei finally opened his eyes. His gaze was still indifferent and hard to discern any emotion. He just let go of An Ran and turned onto his side. He grabbed the phone from the bedside shelf and turned it on.


    He handed her the phone. "Call your mom. Say you''ll go home later."


    An Ran was unwilling, but Ye Chengwei''s words were impossible to disobey, like a god''s decree. She took the phone and dialed.


    "Mom, it''s An Ran¡­ Yeah, I''m with Weiwei¡­ She wants me to go shopping with her¡­ I know. I''ll come home soon."


    After she finished, Ye Chengwei took the phone back. Hugging her again, he said, "Remember. I like good girls."


    In his world, good girls were probably completely obedient.


    She laid with her back to him in slight rebellion. She was a living human, not a pet. How could she be completely obedient? But his kiss landed on her cheek, making An Ran shiver.


    "I''ll go shopping with you later." Ye Chengwei''s voice traveled through her back. It was indescribably comfortable.


    It was soft. The annoyance in him disappeared immediately.


    "Oh," An Ran mumbled. She didn''t know what to say. It just felt great to be hugged warmly by him. Great.


    It was an indescribable feeling of safety, as if she could hide from all sorts of pain as long as she was in his arms.

 Chapter 16： A Comfortable Pillow (6)

    Ye Chengwei didn''t get up until he had enough sleep. He put on clothes and left, without washing his face and rinsing his teeth in An Ran''s room. An Ran looked at the empty bed and felt a little chilly.


    Did she already get used to his existence in such a short time?


    No, An Ran. Don''t be blinded by his gentle surface. Don''t forget his words. Don''t fall for him. He''s not sentimental.


    An Ran was in school uniform, which didn''t match Ye Chengwei''s style.


    She sat next to him silently while Ye Chengwei concentrated on driving and said nothing either. Today, he drove a Lamborghini at full speed. An Ran always felt nervous when he drove.


    But as long as she thought about him holding her in arms, she would feel secure.


    An Ran couldn''t help stealing a glance at his perfect profile. In her eyes, even divinity couldn''t compare with him. He had put on a pair of sunglasses, which made him too cool to be approached.


    She felt surreal about this outstanding man. Maybe the tenderest Ye Chengwei only appeared when he kissed her.


    They led entirely different lives. But she was here, sitting next to him and sniffing the light cologne of him. It was too hard to be plausible even in her dreams.


    An Ran could hardly believe that she had dared to call him the other day and offered to be his mistress.


    Could it be that she was destined to have done so?


    Ye Chengwei parked the car in a garage of a top-grade shopping mall and opened the door on his side. He wasn''t going to open the door for An Ran.


    Now he looked totally mighty and cold.


    An Ran opened the door by herself and Ye Chengwei had already been at the elevator. She followed him joyfully. Ye Chengwei heard her steps and locked the car without turning back.


    An Ran was dazzled for a second as his gesture was so cool.


    She had never shopped in this mall before. She knew the clothes were so expensive that people like her who bought clothes from underground markets could never afford any of them.


    An Ran slowed down her steps, which was noticed by Ye Chengwei. He stopped and turned over. The minute he took off his sunglasses, the lights of the mall dimmed down.


    "What''s wrong?" He asked casually.


    "I don''t want clothes." An Ran said in a low voice.


    Ye Chengwei looked at her as if he was confused by her words. Girls around him always wanted him to buy gifts for them.


    "These clothes are too expensive. I can''t afford them." An Ran said weakly. "Even Weiwei can''t be giving me clothes bought from here. If I go home, I can''t explain it to my mom and she will suspect it."


    Ye Chengwei put on a poker face and said with a little pride. "I never go shopping with women." He meant for her to be content with it.


    An Ran pressed her lips and didn''t say a word. She knew that he treated her well, but she couldn''t let her families find out she was his mistress.


    "But I..."


    "Shut up." Ye Chengwei stopped her impatiently. He dragged her hand to go forward. An Ran wasn''t able to resist.


    "Do you think I need a beggar by my side?" He was blunt.


    A Beggar? An Ran was speechless.


    She was in school uniforms, but it was clean. How could she look like a beggar?

 Chapter 17： A Comfortable Pillow (7)

    Pulled forward by Ye Chengwei, An Ran felt a bunch of electric waves shooting toward them from all directions. People looked at her with jealousy and at Ye Chengwei with admiration.


    Some also looked at her with disdain, as if immediately seeing how they didn''t suit each other.


    An Ran walked with her head practically hanging.


    At the young women''s section, Ye Chengwei "tossed" An Ran into the store and told the staff, "From inside to out."


    "Okay." A smile bloomed on the worker''s face. This was big business.


    An Ran kept going in and out of the dressing room. Ye Chengwei lounged diagonally on the sofa like an emperor enjoying his concubine trying to catch his eyes with clothes.


    The other workers tried to get on his good side, but Ye Chengwei was like a puppet. He ignored them all. His eyes remained trained on An Ran. This made her feel a bit better.


    No matter what their relationship was, he at least protected her dignity in public.


    Ye Chengwei was satisfied with a few outfits, so the worker knowingly wrapped them up. An Ran was frustrated at the expensive clothes. She didn''t know how to deal with this.


    "Wear this when you come to see me." Ye Chengwei''s voice was like an order.


    "Oh," An Ran replied, pouting.


    Looking at her pout and the pink lips, Ye Chengwei''s heart jumped a little. He wanted to kiss her.


    Weaving his hand inside her hair, his voice subconsciously softened. "Next time you come, I''ll have Sister Rong make you steamed papaya and snow clam."


    "Huh?" An Ran had a confused expression.


    Later, she learned that it was to grow her breasts.


    "Pick up the bags." Ye Chengwei smiled meaningfully and turned to leave.


    An Ran took the bags. She was confused, but she followed after him. "What else are you buying?"


    "I said from the inside to out."


    She had the outside, so now, it was time for the inside!


    An Ran blushed. "No," she begged softly.


    Ye Chengwei bent down to look at her. Seeing her embarrassed face, he found it quite cute. "No what? You don''t wear underwear? That''s okay, saves time."


    "I do wear¡­"


    "Those auntie-looking things?" Ye Chengwei was cold. His words meant that those low-class things didn''t qualify to appear before him.


    "Shh!" If An Ran''s hands weren''t occupied with the bags, she would''ve covered his mouth.


    It was like he wanted everyone to know.


    "Then, listen obediently." Ye Chengwei''s smile was slightly proud. Right now, he was filled with friendliness. This man changed so much. His attitude was great if you followed him. If not, he would throw a fit like a little kid.


    An Ran could only go with him to try on lingerie.


    At her age, she should wear pretty bras instead of those auntie-style t-shirt bras. But these bras were so fancy. How could she wear them at this age?


    When the worker helped adjust the bra, she looked at An Ran with a knowing gaze. It seemed to say, Girls nowadays all move up the ranks with their bodies and faces, huh.


    An Ran blushed at those weird gazes. Perhaps she felt that the others'' gazes were strange because she was guilty inside. She quickly tried two bras and decided without even remembering what they looked like.


    While the worker was wrapping them up, An Ran left with a red face. Ye Chengwei grabbed her wrist. "Where are you running to? It''s not like you''re paying."

 Chapter 18： A Comfortable Pillow (8)

    An Ran bit her lips. Everyone was looking at them. She felt uncomfortable by their gazes, but Ye Chengwei was quite used to it since childhood.


    "Now we''ve done from inside to out. Can we leave?" She asked carefully.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t push her as he discovered An Ran''s uneasiness. Being watched by everyone, he took An Ran''s hand affectionately and walked to the elevator.


    Jealousy and hatred were evident in their views.


    "That handsome guy is Young Master Ye." It finally occurred to someone as he said with surprise. "No wonder I felt him familiar."


    "Did you say that he''s Ye Chengwei? President of Ye Group? The most glamorous Golden Bachelor?"


    "Yes. I''ve seen him on TV. God, he''s more good-looking in the flesh!"


    "Who''s that girl?"


    "Whoever she is, she''s quite lucky to be spoiled and hold hands with him."


    The words were locked outside of the elevator.


    Lucky? Was she lucky? An Ran stole a glance at the cool Ye Chengwei. She felt at a loss.


    He took her to buy a new cell phone. He put his personal number and gave it to her.


    "Keep it on at all times." He was a little domineering.


    "Do...do I deserve such a good cell phone?"


    "Um?" Ye Chengwei raised his eyebrow.


    An Ran stopped speaking and accepted the phone silently.


    Ye Chengwei was satisfied with her good behavior, then he took her hand and went down in the elevator to the garage.


    Approaching his car, Ye Chengwei finally let go of her hand and said, "Time to eat."


    Time flew. They had spent the whole morning in the mall.


    An Ran opened the door by herself while holding the bags which had their logos printed on. Suddenly she remembered the two women who sat next to her in the walking street that day. They were holding bags and wearing perfumes just like her.


    Now she has become one of them.


    She became sad. She was a little girl who had never been in a relationship before, and now she had become a mistress.


    If mom and An Ze found out¡­ An Ran couldn''t bear the thought.


    Ye Chengwei''s phone rang. He put on an earphone and answered the call.


    "Hello...Um, ok, be there in a second."


    It sounded like an emergency. An Ran got a sudden feeling that they couldn''t make it for lunch.


    She was right. Ye Chengwei took off the earphone and said to her with a serious look. "Go home by yourself."


    "Oh," An Ran replied softly. She didn''t have the courage to ask him what happened. In fact, she didn''t think she was in the position to ask.


    She opened the door to get off but Ye Chengwei called her to wait.


    An Ran looked at him and found that a stack of money suddenly appeared in Ye Chengwei''s hand. It was ten grand unsplit, bound by a paper belt.


    "Call a taxi," he said.


    "No," An Ran was startled. Ten grand was too much for her. She found it troublesome.


    Ye Chengwei didn''t argue with her and just shoved the money in one of her bags. Then he started the car and left in a gust, which gave An Ran''s trousers a blow.


    She looked at the ten grand in the bag and felt like a thief. But gradually she felt a little content and couldn''t help curling up her lips.


    He was nice to her, wasn''t he?


    ------


    His Little Girlfriend (1)


    An Ran didn''t take the new clothes home. She was too afraid to do so. Instead, she went to Liu Weiwei''s first.

 Chapter 19： His Little Girlfriend (1)

    Liu Weiwei''s parents both worked elsewhere. They only came back once a month, so it was safer to keep the things at her place.


    Yesterday, An Ran had been picked up by a BMW. Today, Liu Weiwei wasn''t very shocked to see her appear with so many name-brand clothes. Seventeen wasn''t a childish age, so she could almost connect the BMW with name-brand clothes.


    The girl took them and put them on the sofa. Then she stared at An Ran. "Who is he? He looks rich."


    Liu Weiwei''s tone wasn''t disdainful, but An Ran was already embarrassed. After all, becoming someone''s lover at her young age wasn''t an honorable thing.


    Plus, she was the lover of the top figure in A City. It was unbelievable.


    An Ran sat down before Liu Weiwei and whispered, "Weiwei, I know you look down on me, but I really did this to help my grandma. But I still couldn''t help her."


    As she spoke, her eyes reddened.


    Liu Weiwei knew about An Ran''s relationship with her grandmother. She sat closer to An Ran and held her hand. "An Ran, you''ll forever be the nicest girl I know. Seriously. No matter what you do, I''ll stand by your side. I''m just worried that you''ll get tricked. Nothing else is important."


    "Weiwei¡­" An Ran''s eyes reddened even more. It was comforting to have such a great friendship.


    "How long is your contract for?"


    "I wrote down a lifetime but¡­ They only want my first time."


    "F*ck," Liu Weiwei cursed. She grew hot-tempered immediately. "Who the f*ck is like that? My An Ran is such a good girl and he takes you for granted. Tell me who that man is. I''ll go yell at him."


    An Ran giggled at how manly Liu Weiwei was acting. Then she whispered, "Ye Chengwei."


    "Who''s Ye Chengwei?" Liu Weiwei asked. But after asking, her eyes widened and said incredulously, "Don''t tell me it''s¡­"


    "Yeah," An Ran replied.


    Liu Weiwei choked as if swallowing an egg. "Pretend I didn''t say anything," she said ''cowardly.''


    Someone at such a high status obviously didn''t care about a girls'' life. There were thousands of girls willing to give up their entire lives for him.


    An Ran stayed at Liu Weiwei''s house for a while before taking the bus home. The 10,000 yuan was like a hot potato. She didn''t dare bring it home, so she kept it with Liu Weiwei too.


    There was an old residential building that the city was about to tear down. There was no elevator; the hallways were narrow and dark. The walls were covered in all sorts of ads for opening locks and unclogging pipes.


    An Ran''s family of four squeezed in the 60-square-meter two-room apartment. An Ze slept on the sofa every day.


    Now that Grandmother was gone, An Ze moved into her old room. At the moment, he was studying in his room. Gao Enying wasn''t home.


    "Sister, you''re back?" Hearing the footsteps, An Ze turned around and smiled at An Ran.


    They didn''t look alike, but he was also very attractive. His smile had a natural unbridled feeling.


    But his grades were good and he studied at a good high school, different from An Ran''s school. He was a popular kid. An Ze was good at singing and dancing, and amazing at basketball and soccer too. He had stolen many girls'' hearts.


    An Ran often saw girls circling around An Ze, but he was always cold toward them. An Ran would joke that he had a low EQ.

 Chapter 20：His Little Girlfriend (2)

    "Where''s mom?" An Ran asked.


    "At the grocery."


    "Oh. Do your homework. I''ll see what I can do."


    "Ok."


    An Ran tidied up the room and did some washing, then she took them to the corridor to let them dry in the sunlight. Old apartments like hers didn''t have balconies for each household. People couldn''t dry their clothes in their home, so they had to take them all to the corridor.


    Everyone knew each other in the apartment and kept a good relationship, so they didn''t have to worry about the theft of clothes.


    While An Ran was putting the clothes on the hangers, she heard the next door open. A 20-year-old girl walked slowly out of the room, whose belly was a little bulging.


    "Sister Meimei!" An Ran called her excited.


    Ai Meimei turned and looked at An Ran. She was a beauty whose smile was extremely charming. "An Ran, doing laundry?"


    "Yes." They were sisters growing up in this same building, so they were very close. An Ran was happy. "Sister Meimei, you haven''t been home in a long time."


    There was a saying that pretty girls didn''t do good in study. Ai Meimei went to sell make-up in the mall instead of going to college after high school.


    But she suddenly stopped working and seldomly came back home. Each time she came back, she wore fancy clothes and dressed up nothing like a poor girl.


    This time she was back, she was pregnant. An Ran felt curious. She didn''t hear about Ai Meimei''s wedding. Good neighbors as they were, she should have invited them to her wedding.


    "Yes, I''m back for the pregnancy." Ai Meimei looked normal and said calmly.


    "Congrats, Sister Meimei." An Ran smiled and looked over at her home. "Didn''t your husband accompany you back?"


    Ai Meimei said airily, "He''s busy." Then she changed the subject quickly. "Ranran, we may move out."


    "To where?"


    Ai Meimei paused and touched her belly. "We don''t know yet, have to wait for this baby."


    An Ran felt strange. What does it have to do with the baby? But she didn''t ask.


    "Alright An Ran, you do your laundry, I''m going downstairs for a walk."


    "Ok, mind the steps, Sister Meimei."


    Ai Meimei walked away with her bulging belly. An Ran was about to hang the clothes, An Ze walked to her unhappily.


    "Sister, don''t talk to her."


    "Who?"


    "Ai Meimei."


    "Why? Didn''t you like her when you were little? You found her pretty."


    An Ze said grimly, "Everyone knows that she''s a mistress pregnant with that man''s kid."


    An Ran was struck. An Ze showed contempt when he said the word "mistress".


    "Ah-ze, do you...do you look down on girls who are mistresses?" An Ran asked weakly.


    "Very." An Ze made an imperious gesture.


    An Ran''s heart was broken. She had to secretly clutch her clothes to stop herself from fainting. If one day An Ze found out what she did and that his most beloved sister was just one of those girls he detested the most, how despaired would he become?


    In what way would he look at her? An Ran couldn''t stand to imagine it.


    "What are you talking about?" Gao Enying walked upstairs with a basket in her hand.


    She was slender and didn''t look like a middle-aged woman who was about to turn 40. She had beautiful eyes and still looked attractive. When she was young, she was surely a beauty.


    An Ran looked a little like her, but she was more immature than carrying her mom''s mature charm.

 Chapter 21： His Little Girlfriend (3)

    Being so pretty, Gao Enying naturally had many pursuers, but she remained single, raising her son and daughter with difficulty and joy.


    "Ai Meimei became someone''s mistress," An Ze said with disdain. "I''m telling Sister to stay away from her, so she doesn''t get dirty."


    An Ze''s words made Gao Enying blanch, but she didn''t comment. She just looked at An Ran and said calmly, "Come eat after you hang up the clothes. I''ll make your favorite sweet and sour fish."


    "Okay." An Ran pushed down her unsettled feelings and forced a smile.


    ***


    Every night after Gao Enying got off work, she would put up a stand in the nearby night market to make some extra cash. She was confused why the loan sharks didn''t come anymore, but she would never think that An Ran had secretly paid them already.


    The loan sharks only said that someone helped her pay and Gao Enying didn''t press further.


    Sunday, An Ran had to go back to school and helped Gao Enying bring the goods to the night market along the way. The night market was across from a leisure square. One of the tall buildings had an LED screen playing the news.


    An Ran helped Gao Enying organize the goods and happened to see the LED screen. But when Ye Chengwei with sunglasses appeared coldly on the screen, she subconsciously had a fright.


    The camera gave Ye Chengwei a closeup shot. He wore a black collared shirt, but it couldn''t hide his natural handsomeness.


    The voiceover said, "Song Yunlin, wife of Gu Cheng, died on X year, X month, X day, X time¡­"


    Beside An Ran, someone said, "So what if you''re rich? When the Grim Reaper comes, you still have to give up your life."


    "That Gu Family is the second wealthiest family of A City, second only to the Ye Family. I heard the two families are pretty close."


    "The second has way less capital than the first. The Gu Family rests under the shadow of the Ye Family."


    "Let''s just do our business. We have nothing to do with those wealthy families."


    "You''re right."


    Listening on, An Ran snapped back to reality and realized she''d spaced out for too long. She hadn''t hung up the clothes in her hands yet. Afraid that Gao Enying would realize something, she hurriedly hung the clothes up, but she discovered that Gao Enying was staring blankly at the LED screen. Her eyes were deep and far away.


    "Mom," she called softly.


    "Oh." Gao Enying seemed to wake up with a shock and smiled hastily at An Ran. "Ranran, go to school. It''s getting late."


    "Mn." An Ran smiled. She picked up her backpack and hugged Gao Enying. "Don''t stay out selling for too long."


    "I know. Stay safe." Gao Enying''s expression recovered. She smiled gently at her daughter and started getting busy.


    An Ran walked toward the bus station. There was still an hour before the evening study hall. There was still time.


    As soon as she got to the station, a BMW drove over suddenly. Her heart jumped.


    Wasn''t this Ye Chengwei''s car? Why was it here?


    The car stopped before her. Zhang, the driver, was dressed impeccably. He got out of the car. After smiling at An Ran, he went around and opened the door of the front seat. "Miss An," he said softly. "Please get in."


    The people waiting for the bus all looked at An Ran. This driver followed so many rules. They''d only seen this scene on TV, so it successfully aroused everyone''s curiosity.

 Chapter 22：His Little Girlfriend (4)

    People in the line for the bus all looked at An Ran. The driver was so well-behaved that they had only seen it on TV. Naturally, they were curious.


    They guessed about An Ran''s identity.


    An Ran didn''t like herself being focused by everyone. Suddenly she flushed and felt her heart racing. She hurried into the car and Zhang closed the door for her.


    After he got on the car, he said, "Young Master asked me to take you to the villa."


    Of course, she knew it was Ye Chengwei''s order. "Oh." She replied lightly. Didn''t the man know that she had to join the evening self-study?


    Who could she take the evening self-study if she went to the villa? But she dared not turn Ye Chengwei down. She had to text Liu Weiwei and asked her to take a leave for her.


    When she arrived at the villa, dinner was just ready and it smelled good. Sister Rong smiled at An Ran, "Miss An, Young Master is in the dining hall."


    "Ok." An Ran gave Sister Rong her backpack and walked to the dining hall.


    Ye Chengwei was in casual homewear, but he looked handsome as always. He was eating with chopsticks and didn''t look at An Ran when she walked in.


    An Ran walked to him quietly. Sister Rong pulled the chair for her and said, "I''ll fetch you a pair of chopsticks and a bowl, Miss An."


    "Thank you." An Ran was about to sit down.


    But she heard Ye Chengwei scolded. "Sister Rong, when did you learn to make decisions by yourself?"


    Sister Rong was struck but understood Ye Chengwei soon. She smiled at An Ran with a little embarrassed and said to Ye Chengwei, "Yes, Young Master."


    Then she left the dining hall.


    An Ran was clear that he didn''t want her to eat. But she didn''t know what she had done to have crossed him. He asked her to come and here she was. What else did he want?


    Did he ask her to come and watch him eat? What a pervert!


    An Ran looked straight at him. Ye Chengwei didn''t look at her at all and ate gracefully. It was awkward for a while.


    At last, An Ran couldn''t stand it and said, "Take your time, I''ll go upstairs."


    "Stop." Ye Chengwei threw the chopsticks on the table.


    An Ran was startled. She grabbed the back of the chair nervously and stared at Ye Chengwei walking to her.


    She was like seeing a monster and kept dodging back to the wall.


    Ye Chengwei pressed her little body with one arm over her head. He glared at her aggressively, "Good, you dare put my words aside."


    "What?" An Ran was confused and looked at him. When did she put his words aside?


    But my goodness, how could he look so attractive even when he is angry?


    "Keep acting." Ye Chengwei took her jaw with full strength. An Ran''s face turned red and she frowned with the pain.


    "Am I treating you too well?"


    He treated her well? An Ran didn''t know how to reply to him.


    She quickly went over the things related to him that happened in these two days. Did she overlook something? But she couldn''t remember any.


    She could only look at Ye Chengwei with her innocent and pitiful big eyes wide open.


    Her sight was clear like water, touching like the prettiest crystal. Ye Chengwei almost drowned in it.


    "Cellphone." He spit out the word.


    An Ran opened her eyes even wider as if it just occurred to her. She apologized immediately, "Sorry. It won''t happen next time."

 Chapter 23： His Little Girlfriend (5)

    She had left the phone at Liu Weiwei''s house. She didn''t dare bring such an expensive phone back home, but he must''ve called her.


    "I never give someone another chance."


    What did this mean? Was he going to void the contract? An Ran''s heart pounded and suddenly felt hurt.


    "Then what do you want?" she mumbled. She looked pitiful yet cute. No one could get angry at her.


    Ye Chengwei let out a sigh. Letting go of her chin, he said, "Your punishment is that you can''t eat dinner."


    An Ran: ¡­


    Ye Chengwei grabbed her wrist and walked away from the dining room. An Ran looked sadly at the table of delicacies, murmuring, "But I''m really hungry."


    Ye Chengwei arched an eyebrow, unmoved. "How is it a punishment if you''re not hungry? If I find out you secretly ate¡­ I won''t tell you the consequence yet, but it''ll be bad."


    An Ran: ¡­


    He was so inhumane!


    Fine, she will take it as dieting.


    Ye Chengwei dragged her upstairs. She was really hungry but, for some reason, An Ran felt sweet inside. He''d also dragged her around at the mall that day, as if she really was his little girlfriend. There was a domineering kind of softness.


    That strange feeling swam through her heart. Only she could feel it.


    But when he said he wouldn''t let her eat dinner, he meant it. She wondered if he was really angry or just pretending.


    Her stomach grumbling, An Ran sat on the side of the bed and pouted. She stared at the steamy bathroom and gritted her teeth, cursing the bad guy to slip in the shower.


    Right then, the water stopped. An Ran quickly straightened her back and pretended nothing had happened.


    Ye Chengwei slid the bathroom door open. There was only a towel around his waist and showed off his solid eight-pack abs. He walked toward An Ran.


    An Ran quickly turned her head. Even though they''d slept together for two nights, she was still embarrassed to stare so directly.


    Ye Chengwei stood before her. Cologne wafted from him, or maybe this was his natural scent. Anyway, it smelled great and any girl''s heart would race.


    He holed An Ran''s chin with a finger and made her look at him. "Next time I finish showering, stand by the door obediently with my robe and help me put it on, got it?"


    "Huh?" An Ran uttered a bit dumbly. She didn''t know why she had to do that.


    Ye Chengwei lowered himself and gave a devilish smirk. "That''s the basic duty of a lover."


    An Ran blushed immediately. Turning around, he pried Ye Chengwei''s finger away and gave a low "Oh." That word suddenly made her uncomfortable.


    "Try it." Ye Chengwei straightened his back. He was like a cold king while An Ran was his slave.


    An Ran bit her lip. She stood up and walked toward the closet. She took out a random bathrobe and went before Ye Chengwei.


    Her status as a lover suddenly made her uncomfortable.


    Ye Chengwei''s 1.8-meter-tall frame was too far for her right now. The tiny An Ran couldn''t reach.


    "Bend over." An Ran''s tone was a bit stiff. Even though she was poor, she''d never served anyone before.


    Ye Chengwei frowned. "Are you talking to me like that?"


    An Ran glanced at him and softened her tone. "Can you bend over?"


    Finally, Ye Chengwei bent down and An Ran helped him get dressed, tying the belt around his waist. Ye Chengwei kept staring at her.


    When she finished, he said slowly, "Go wash up."

 Chapter 24：Goodbye, Mr. Ye (1)

    After she tied it up, he said to her airily, "It''s your turn."


    An Ran didn''t say anything and walked to the bathroom.


    Ye Chengwei''s phone on the bedside table rang again. The minute An Ran closed the door of the bathroom, she heard him picke it up. "Baby..."


    "You are back? Of course, it''s a surprise..." Ye Chengwei''s voice went down, but An Ran could still feel his joy from his tone.


    Even idiots could tell it was a girl on the call. A girl that he called a "baby". They must be close.


    Who''s that?


    Will she be his girlfriend? He only talks to his girlfriend in that soft way.


    An Ran felt a little upset. She walked to the showerhead silently and opened the faucet. The noise of the water overlapped Ye Chengwei''s voice.


    An Ran raised her face to let the water flush it.


    Why should you feel upset, An Ran? Have you forgotten that you are just trading with him for his little affectionate moves? Could it be that you dream about him calling you "baby" gently?


    After she took the shower and went out of the bathroom, Ye Chengwei was already out of the room. She put on her robe and opened the door. Sister Rong was walking upstairs.


    "Miss An."


    "Where is he?" An Ran asked softly.


    Sister Rong laughed. "Young Master has left and will probably not come back tonight."


    He left! Without telling her! That girl must be extraordinary.


    An Ran was at a loss when Sister Rong added, "Young Master has asked me to cook a few new dishes for you. Do you want to go downstairs to eat, Miss An?"


    An Ran was struck. She thought he was serious about starving her over the night. Although she felt a little touched hearing it now, she didn''t want to eat.


    She smiled lightly and said, "No. Please ask Zhang to take me back to school. I have class tomorrow."


    Since he had left, why should she stay here any longer?


    "I''ll call Young Master." Sister Rong couldn''t make the decision herself.


    An Ran nodded and went back to the room to exchange her outfit. Sister Rong soon knocked on her door and said the car was ready.


    ------


    Goodbye, Mr. Ye(1)


    After the morning exercise, An Ran and Liu Weiwei went to have breakfast in the canteen. Liu Weiwei read the entertainment gossips while she ate. Suddenly she burst out a cry.


    "What''s wrong?" An Ran asked.


    Liu Weiwei was a little excited. "My idol Su Yue is back. She is going to develop her career within the borders."


    "Su Yue?" An Ran was puzzled for a minute and soon understood. "Isn''t she doing well in Hollywood? Why did she come back?"


    Liu Weiwei read the news, "Su Yue said she was back for love. Last night a reporter took a photo of her and Young Master Ye..."


    Liu Weiwei stopped and looked at An Ran a little worried.


    After she heard "Young Master Ye", An Ran''s heart started racing. She was very sensitive to those words. She tried to pretend she was okay and said, "Go on."


    "An Ran..." Liu Weiwei called her in a low voice and passed her the cellphone to show her. "The reporter has caught them eating together. It was very intimate."


    "Oh." An Ran managed a smile and took her porridge. She muttered, "None of my business."


    Right. It''s none of my business.


    Su Yue must be the "baby" called by Ye Chengwei. And she was nothing. She was just a mistress to pay off her debts. She didn''t have a say in his personal life.


    Isn''t there anyone who wanted to leave a comment or vote a ticket?

 Chapter 25：Goodbye, Mr. Ye (2)

    "Actually," Liu Weiwei said in a small voice. "Two years ago, there were already rumors that Su Yue and Ye Chengwei¡­had something going on."


    An Ran didn''t pay attention to the tabloids like her, so she didn''t know this. She took a big bite out of her steamed bun and made a noise in reply.


    She tried to stay natural, but Liu Weiwei still sensed that she was pretending. Instead of continuing, she changed the topic, "The congee is good today. It''s kind of sweet."


    Sweet? It was tasteless to An Ran. It was obviously just yesterday''s leftover rice with water added.


    Before class, she took out the phone Ye Chengwei gave her. She had no text or missed class. Only Ye Chengwei''s name lay quietly in the contacts¡ªonly the name.


    Ye Chengwei had disappeared for days. He hadn''t called or messaged. It was like he was missing.


    But headlines of him and Su Yue kept appearing together everywhere. It seemed that the rumors had become a true relationship.


    And An Ran was like a doll thrown to the side after the owner got bored.


    Friday, An Ran was supposed to go home, but she still didn''t get a bit of news from Ye Chengwei. When she walked out of school, she didn''t see the BMW to pick her up.


    Suddenly, she felt disappointed.


    Sunday was her 18th birthday¡ªthe day she would repay her debt, but he still hasn''t appeared.


    An Ran held the phone, unsure if she should turn it off or not. She didn''t know how Ye Chengwei would punish her if his call couldn''t get through again, but she couldn''t take the phone home. Finally, she sent a text to his number.


    I''ll be at home over the weekend, so I''ll turn the phone off. Text me if you need me.


    It was too formal, but she couldn''t care about all that. After she paid her debt on the night of her 18th birthday, she would be free.


    But thinking of this, she didn''t feel relieved at all.


    What was wrong? Did she start caring without realizing?


    No! An Ran, you can''t!


    She took the bus home and leaned lazily against the window, staring listlessly at the scenery flashing past. Two little girls in the row before her were reading a magazine.


    Suddenly, one girl gasped. "Hey, look! Su Yue''s mysterious boyfriend is actually Ye Chengwei, the heir to Ye Group."


    An Ran''s heart jumped. Those three syllables made her reflexively straighten up and look toward the front row.


    The magazine displayed a picture of Ye Chengwei shopping while hugging Su Yue''s waist. Even though they both wore sunglasses, Ye Chengwei''s side profile was so handsome and recognizable.


    Su Yue was smiling sweetly and resting against Ye Chengwei''s chest. They seemed to be such a suitable pair.


    Sunday, An Ran celebrated her 18th birthday at home. Gao Enying cooked many of her favorite dishes and bought a huge cake to celebrate this special birthday.


    When she went back to school in the evening, she walked toward the bus station. There was no BMW, just the passersby and buses. At school, Liu Weiwei handed the phone back to her.


    She grasped it, suddenly not having the courage to open it. In the end, she turned it on, but there were still no texts or missed calls. Ye Chengwei had vanished.


    Had he even forgotten the night when she turned 18?


    Did she have any weight in this man''s heart?


    She couldn''t help but open the tabloids that she hated and saw an article about Su Yue.

 Chapter 26： Goodbye, Mr. Ye (3)

    She couldn''t help but find the entertainment news that she was the least interested in and read the report about Su Yue. Reporters even caught them playing golf together. Ye Chengwei said that Ye Group would invest in the film industry and have Su Yue as the heroine.


    It was clear that he was treating his girlfriend like a goddess.


    But she was totally forgotten on her 18th birthday.


    The past days were pretty intense as An Ran had to concentrate on the college entrance examination.


    In a month the exam finished. Students who had been together for three years were about to seek their futures. Her classmates planned for a grand graduation party.


    They raised money for the last gathering and were ready to have a good time. They booked a cake at the most famous bakery in A City. Many celebrities would like to sit in the bakery as it also sold good ice creams.


    An Ran and Liu Weiwei went to pick the cake in the bakery.


    There was a Lamborghini outside the store. Passers-by kept looking at this luxurious car. Some pointed at and made comments about it.


    An Ran stopped walking unconsciously. She knew this car as she had been in it twice. It''s Ye Chengwei''s.


    Is he here? The man who has disappeared over a month.


    An Ran stopped at the headstock, didn''t know how to face him.


    "An Ran?" Liu Weiwei pulled her.


    An Ran didn''t respond. She stared at the car and was in a trance. Liu Weiwei had to say, "OK, wait for me here. I''ll pick up the cake."


    In fact, An ran didn''t hear a thing.


    She was lost in thought whether she should leave quickly so that he wouldn''t find her, or wait here and tell him she had celebrated her 18th birthday and was ready to keep her promise.


    But does it matter to him any more?


    "Su Yue, Su Yue..."


    Recurrent cheers were suddenly heard.


    She turned her head surprisingly and saw Ye Chengwei walking out of the bakery, caring about Su Yue. They were still both in sunglasses which covered most of their faces, looking fancy.


    He held her waist considerately and gently. An Ran had never seen him like that.


    They were lofty and didn''t care about paparazzi shooting at their side.


    An Ran didn''t move at the headstock. She watched them walking straight to her.


    Ye Chengwei saw her there.


    She didn''t know his sight under the sunglasses, but she felt him glance at her coldly as if he didn''t know her. He opened the door for Su Yue. What a gentleman!


    He had never opened the door for her!


    Those little fans looked at them and kept screaming, thinking what a considerate perfect lover he was. He was rich, handsome and gentle.


    He was the Young Master of Family Ye!


    Su Yue thanked Ye Chengwei affectionately and sat in the car with a sweet smile. She waved to her fans around and behaved very cultured.


    Ye Chengwei opened the door and went in the car while staring at An Ran who was still standing at the headstock coldly and indifferently.


    He honked at her, asking her to leave immediately.


    But An Ran seemed to not have heard it. She could get it. How could a man who held her in his arms while sleeping pretend to not know her?


    Even if he could give her a slight smile, she would be clever enough to just leave and not disturb Su Yue and him.


    But he was so cold and indifferent.


    An Ran felt her heart falling apart. She cared. She did care about it unconsciously.

 Chapter 27：Goodbye, Mr. Ye (4)

    So, it seemed that she couldn''t afford this lover game. She put in her purest feelings in the prime of her life.


    But she didn''t get cherished in return.


    "Maybe she wants my autograph," Su Yue said gently. "She blanked out after seeing me. Dear, wait a moment."


    After speaking, Su Yue opened the door and alighted the car, walking toward An Ran with her swinging hips. She took off the lid of a highlighter. With a beautiful smile, she wrote her name on the school uniform that An Ran would never wear again.


    "Okay, little girl. I signed my name. Can you move aside now?" Su Yue spoke gently, but it made the listener feel uncomfortable.


    An Ran still didn''t move.


    Did the woman think it was a blessing to sign her name on her clothes? Was she supposed to thank her tearfully?


    No, An Ran found it insulting! If not for Liu Weiwei, she wouldn''t even know who Su Yue was.


    Someone else had been allowed to leave this insulting mark on her chest before him.


    Ye Chengwei seemed to have lost his patience. He got out of the car and walked before An Ran. He looked at her for a few seconds. Then he grabbed her elbow and pulled her aside.


    An Ran lost her balance and stumbled. Thankfully, Liu Weiwei who had come out with the cake caught her.


    "An Ran!" Liu Weiwei called out.


    An Ran lowered her head and didn''t reply.


    Liu Weiwei looked at Ye Chengwei''s cold face and Su Yue''s sweet smile.


    "Oh, you," Su Yue scolded. "You''re only gentle to me."


    Ye Chengwei didn''t answer. He opened the car''s door, got in and stepped on the gas pedal. They left in a cloud of dust.


    "That little girl is so dumb." Su Yue scoffed with some disdain. She was completely different from the gentle act she put up for the fans.


    In the rearview mirror, Liu Weiwei pulled An Ran away, getting further and further. She looked so lonely and pitiful.


    Seeing that, Ye Chengwei suddenly stepped on the brakes. "Take a taxi to the film site yourself," he said in a low voice.


    "What?" Su Yue looked at him in shock. She couldn''t believe that he would ditch her halfway.


    "I don''t want to repeat myself." Ye Chengwei didn''t look at her. His eyes were still trained on the rearview mirror. An Ran''s figure was still there¡ªso small, so fragile, so heartbreaking.


    "What''s wrong, A-wei?" Su Yue asked gently. "Wasn''t everything alright just then?"


    An Ran''s figure disappeared at the corner and Ye Chengwei finally looked back. He leaned across the front seat and opened the door for Su Yue.


    Su Yue still wanted to say something, but she didn''t dare continue, because Ye Chengwei''s expression was already very cold. He''d never treated her like this before.


    She''d always been spoiled by him, but faced with his coldness, she didn''t dare to say anything. She just said bye, kissed Ye Chengwei''s face indulgently, and left.


    Ye Chengwei picked up his phone. "Uncle Zhang, bring her to my house."


    ***


    An Ran didn''t speak.


    "Ye Chengwei is an *sshole." Liu Weiwei angrily tossed away her wet wipe like an angry female warrior. "Even though you have¡­that kind of relationship, how could he still be indifferent when seeing you get bullied?"


    "Stop," An Ran whispered. "Let''s hurry back to school. Everyone must be worried."


    "An Ran, cut it off if you can. Those rich guys have no feelings, especially a top rich guy like him¡­"


    Liu Weiwei was still talking, but An Ran had already walked into the distance. She her tears away softly.

 Chapter 28： Goodbye, Mr. Ye (5)

    How could she not know the thing that Liu Weiwei was telling her?


    She thought that he liked her for a bit when he bought her clothes, cut steaks for her, bought her a cellphone, and talked to her aggressively.


    They were just the appearance. What he treated Su Yue with was real.


    After the party, An Ran went back home. She heard grievous cries from the next door when she was about to open her door.


    It''s from Ai Meimei''s.


    An Ran opened the door. An Ze was mopping the floor. She asked lightly, "What happened in Family Ai?"


    "Ai Meimei has delivered a baby." An Ze was indifferent.


    "Isn''t that good?" An Ran heard about Ai Meimei''s delivery and felt better. "I''ll visit her."


    "Don''t." An Ze stopped her. "She deserves it. Why should you visit her?"


    "I''ll be back in a minute." An Ran pulled her hand away and went to knock on Ai Meimei''s door.


    It was a mess. They didn''t feel happy about the birth.


    Ai Meimei was crying in her room with the baby crying in her arms. Ai Meimei''s mother Aunt Yi was also weeping. She muttered, "It''s a sin!"


    It was very doleful and melancholic.


    "What''s wrong, Sister Meimei?" An Ran asked carefully.


    The crying kid had nice skin. She was obviously a girl and would become as pretty as Ai Meimei after she grew up.


    But Ai Meimei cried more violently.


    "Ranran..." Ai Meimei couldn''t speak.


    "Stop crying. You had it coming! How can you live with such a burden?!" Aunt Wang was sad and angry.


    A burden? How could such a cute baby girl be a burden?


    An Ran wanted to ask, but she saw everyone grieving, so she just comforted Ai Meimei and left.


    Two old grannies were gossiping in the corridor.


    "Do you know it? Ai Meimei is a mistress kept in the mainland by a Taiwan businessman."


    "Oh, is that right? No wonder I never saw the father coming over."


    "I heard that once he saw Ai Meimei gave birth to a girl, he chased her out before the first month of confinement after her delivery. He just gave her a few grand to set her off, then he disappeared."


    "So pathetic?"


    "It is! I heard that if it were a boy, the rich man would give Ai Meimei a villa and a million. But...her belly failed her."


    "Alas. To be anything but not a man''s mistress. After they get tired of you, they would toss you out like a piece of sketch paper. The farther, the better."


    Would she become like Ai Meimei in the future? An Ran felt scared all of a sudden.


    Her phone rang. She woke up and picked up the phone.


    It was an unknown number.


    "Hello."


    "I''ll wait for you at the bus stop, Miss An." It was from Zhang.


    Ye Chengwei had remembered her!


    An Ran''s heart started racing. She looked at An Ze who was mopping the floor, and replied to him in a low voice, "Ok."


    It''s good. She wanted to speak with Ye Chengwei.


    An Ran hung up. After she calmed down, she told An Ze, "Ah-ze, I''ll go shopping with Liu Weiwei. You tell mom that I''ll be back after supper."


    An Ze didn''t suspect and agreed.


    In the villa, Sister Rong greeted her with a smile and had prepared slippers for her.

 Chapter 29： Goodbye, Mr. Ye (6)

    "Where is he?" An Ran asked. Suddenly, she realized that she had never dared to say his name out loud.


    "Young Master isn''t back yet. Miss An, please wait for a bit."


    "Okay." An Ran smiled faintly and went upstairs.


    She went to the second floor. Standing before Ye Chengwei''s library, she said to Sister Rong who was cleaning the living room, "When he comes, tell him I''m in the library."


    Sister Rong froze and then said, "Okay."


    She froze because An Ran''s actions and tone seemed much more casual than the two previous times.


    An Ran opened the library door and walked soundlessly across the carpet to the desk.


    There was a stack of letter paper on the table. She took one out, along with the pen sticking out of the pen holder. She held it, suddenly spacing out after realizing that Ye Chengwei must have held it too.


    But she stopped the thought as soon as it was produced.


    An Ran, wake up. There''s nothing worth it for you to hold onto it. You can''t afford this game, so there''s no need to continue. Some bottom lines can''t be breached.


    As soon as she wrote down "IOU," she heard the sound of the door handle turning. She raised her head and saw Ye Chengwei appear attractively.


    He didn''t have any expression. Hand in his pocket, he walked over in that mesmerizing way. Sunlight shone through the window and landed on his body. He was so beautiful.


    Before, An Ran had always been scared of him. But now, she wasn''t afraid at all. She had a choice now, so she didn''t have to be lowly and timid anymore.


    She stood up, holding that IOU in her hands. Before she could speak, Ye Chengwei''s hand moved into her long hair.


    It was warm where he was holding. An Ran''s expression changed slightly, but her heart didn''t jump.


    She was forcing herself to stay clear-headed.


    "Are you angry about what happened?" Ye Chengwei asked softly. His voice was a bit gentle, but there was no apologetic tone at all.


    Him apologize to her? Impossible.


    An Ran''s fallen heart hardened again. Everything that had just happened was a dagger stabbed into her heart. He and that woman had stabbed her softly but the pain was bone-aching.


    An Ran pushed Ye Chengwei''s hand aside. Ye Chengwei didn''t expect that she would do this. His handsome face turned cold immediately and even that faint gentleness was gone.


    She was the first girl who''d dared to push him aside.


    "Throwing a tantrum?" he asked coldly, a bit angry.


    It''s as if it was a feat for him to coax her for a bit and she should be grateful instead of dodging him with a temper.


    An Ran smiled faintly. Before, she''d been careful, fearing that he would be unhappy. But now, she didn''t care if he was happy or not. She''d already made her decision.


    She pushed the IOU to his chest.


    Ye Chengwei hesitated. He seemed to sense a careless feeling from An Ran''s fearless eyes.


    He accepted the paper.


    He read it quickly and, as An Ran had expected, his expression became frosty. His eyes had anger that was about to burn.


    He couldn''t stand any bit of disobedience from others, but this time, she would disobey him completely.


    She could be his lover and learn how to serve him.


    But he couldn''t insult her. Even more, he couldn''t insult her with another woman. The 200,000 yuan couldn''t buy her last bit of dignity.


    "Repay me 200,000 yuan after you graduate from college? With interest?" Ye Chengwei twisted the IOU slowly. Sneering, he asked, "Are you sure?"


    "Yes." An Ran met his eyes calmly.


    Even though this number was a fortune to her, she would definitely repay him. She wouldn''t owe him a single penny no matter how hard it was.

 Chapter 30：Lamb in a Lion’s Den (1)

    Ye Chengwei looked at An Ran with a different view, as if for the first time he had found the girl not as weak as she appeared to be.


    But he was Ye Chengwei, how could he be blackmailed by a little girl?


    "If you want to take a step back to push me, you are wrong. I, Ye Chengwei will never persuade anyone to stay. Once you leave, don''t come back again." Ye Chengwei was cold and firm.


    "Apart from paying you back, I''ll have nothing to do with you." An Ran sneered like a flower. She walked past Ye Chengwei. She was lofty at this moment. "Goodbye, Mr. Ye."


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Lamb in a Lion''s Den (1)


    Five years later.


    It was a windy late night at Riverside Road. There were few cars driving over. A large crowd was buzzing at a place.


    A red racing car was side by side with a black one. Two hot women in "cool" clothes leaned to each car''s door nauseatingly flirtatious, attracting bystanders to whistle at them.


    It was going to be a car race.


    An Ze was handsome and cool in a black leather jacket. All the girls looked at him. He was slender and tall, looked unruly and free. A few hairs covered his forehead casually, showing the man''s personality.


    An Ze walked to the red racing car at ease. His cold face attracted the girls even more.


    The pretty car model who was leaning against the door saw An Ze walking steadily and curled up her lips. She stood straight and pushed her bulging chest forward. It was a gesture that could lure people to commit crimes.


    After An Ran walked near her, she stuck out a bare long leg and rubbed An Ze''s calf softly. She put one of her hands on An Ze''s shoulder and looked at him with affection. She said coquettishly, "Ah-ze, you have to let me race with you."


    An Ze didn''t smile at all. He grasped the woman''s wrist rudely and pulled it away. "Sorry, I don''t race with a woman on my car."


    The car owner of the black racing car took the other hot car model on the car with strong lust.


    An Ze didn''t care about the woman''s awkwardness and opened the door to get in the car. He looked indifferent.


    "What an icy cold stone!" The woman thought to herself.


    The race was ready. After a gunshot, the two racing cars left like two wild horses. But at the same time, the police siren was heard nearby.


    ***


    An Ran was circling on the talent recruitment ads in the newspaper, looking for a suitable job. She didn''t if it were her or the companies'' bad luck, three companies had gone bankrupt in a year after her graduation.


    Each of them went down just after she went to work.


    So An Ran now picked only big companies. Unlucky as she was, those listed companies couldn''t go bankrupt because of her.


    She became prettier in five years. Although her innocence as a girl was almost gone, her beauty of purity didn''t become less.


    She was not a gorgeous girl, but she was hard for people to forget.


    She put down the pen and was about to take a sip of water when her phone rang. It was an unknown number.


    Maybe it was the employer. She answered the phone excitedly, "Hello¡­What? You are the police officer?"


    A few minutes later, the always thrifty An Ran called a taxi to the police office.


    She was very anxious. After she went inside, she caught a police officer and asked, "What did An Ze do, please?"

 Chapter 31：Lamb In Lion’s Den (2)

    "Illegal racing." Thankfully, she asked the right person.


    So it was car racing! An Ran''s worried heart was suddenly relieved. She was afraid that An Ze would commit an irrevocable crime impulsively.


    The siblings had always had a close relationship and An Ze would tell her everything. It wasn''t that they weren''t close to Gao Enying, but the siblings both knew how difficult it was for her to raise them. They didn''t tell her many things because they didn''t want her to be more tired.


    So, when the police had An Ze call his family, he chose An Ran.


    "Who are you to An Ze?"


    "His sister."


    "Will you pay the bail or have your brother get imprisoned?"


    An Ran froze. She obviously didn''t want An Ze to be jailed. Even a few months would make him have a criminal record.


    "Pay the bail."


    "One hundred thousand."


    "How much?" An Ran widened her eyes. This giant sum was like a bolt of lightning. "H-how can it be this much?"


    She thought it would be a few thousand yuan, or at most 10,000. Who knew it would be this suffocating number?


    "It''s already a low fine for illegal racing," the officer said. "Go pay the bail to free him. The others all paid and left. Only he''s still here."


    "Oh, okay." An Ran''s mouth twitched while she cried out inside. Where could she get 100,000 yuan?


    But she couldn''t not rescue An ze.


    She walked out with heavy steps. But soon, she turned around and said to the officer, "Uh¡­ Sir, don''t tell my brother how much the bail is."


    The officer could see how difficult it was for her, as it was written all over her pretty face. It was a bit pitiful. He nodded slightly. "Go try and get the money. You only have three days."


    An Ran smiled gratefully and left.


    Above her, the sun shone brightly, but An Ran felt blue inside. How could she get 100,000 yuan? She had to get An Ze out quickly, or else Gao Enying would get suspicious.


    But 100,000 yuan¡­ She was in a terrible fix.


    An Ran walked aimlessly down the street. Buildings rose up on either side of the street in the busy city.


    Suddenly, she stopped and looked at a small ad above a three-wheeled wagon. Loan with no deposit. Use your ID to get 50-1,000,000 on the spot. Then it had the contact number.


    The wagon''s owner was smoking on the side. Seeing An Ran staring thoughtfully at the ad, he chuckled and said, "Little girl, you need loans?"


    An Ran smiled faintly. She had no choice but to borrow money, but no one around her could produce that much money quickly.


    The man exhaled some smoke and studied An Ran through the haze. He seemed to be enjoying the sight.


    "It''s a high interest loan," he said. "Little girl, think carefully."


    "Oh," An Ran answered faintly before leaving.


    But she had memorized the number on the ad. After walking for a while, she finally stopped and dialed it.


    "Hello?"


    "Speak." The voice in the phone was rough.


    An Ran paused. Pushing down her beating heart, she mumbled, "I-I need to borrow money."


    After a pause, the man said, "Bring your ID to Royal Nightclub."


    A nightclub! An Ran hung up, but a cold feeling rose up in her.

 Chapter 32： Lamb in Lion’s Den (3)

    Half an hour later, she stood at the gate of Royal Nightclub. It was an extremely splendid architecture. Even An Ran who never went to a nightclub could tell it was the best in A City. Its guests were celebrities and the most powerful people in A City.


    Although the gate was open, it was not open hours for the nightclub yet and there were only few people. She remembered when she had passed it in the evening, there were pretty and good-featured receptionists in long dresses welcoming people at the door.


    An Ran couldn''t name the luxurious cars parking at the square.


    She walked inside steadily. It was dim. But the marble still reflected the furniture. If the lights were all on, it must be dazzling.


    A waiter who was cleaning saw her coming in and asked, "Who are you looking for?"


    Right, who? She was so nervous just now that she forgot to ask the other person''s name. She had to say, "I, I''m here for the loan."


    "The loan?" The waiter was surprised, as if loaning was not something that was gonna happen here.


    The other waiter said, "Oh, she might be looking for Zhao. He''s in the farthest office on the third floor."


    "Thank you." An Ran smiled politely. She asked about the elevator and walked away.


    She heard them talking in a low voice behind her.


    "She is pretty."


    "Lamb in lion''s den." The voice sounded regretful.


    An Ran felt insecure instantly. She knew it was not a clean place. But she didn''t have other ways. She needed the money.


    The nightclub had turned on the air-conditioner. It was cold. An Ran held her arms and walked into the elevator.


    She knocked on the door of the office.


    Zhao sat cross-legged with a cigar dangling from his lips. He squinted at An Ran who was standing in front of him, then played with An Ran''s ID card. Then he blew out a cloud of smoke.


    "Miss An, 100,000 is not a large number, but how are you gonna pay it back?"


    "I, I''ll find a job right away and pay you back every month." An Ran was disturbed by Zhao''s gaze.


    "Every month?" Zhao laughed. "That will only cover the interest."


    An Ran bit her lips and didn''t say anything. She knew it wouldn''t be easy to take the money.


    Zhao stood up and walked around her while staring at her. He said vaguely as if he meant something else, "Miss An, you have a nice body. Although you are not super pretty, your qualities can have a market for the time being."


    "What do you mean?" An Ran took a step back nervously.


    Zhao laughed. "I''m open for business. Let me be clear. Miss An, you can never afford the debt. I''m a person caring for women, so I''ve decided to help you. But you have to work at my nightclub. A pure girl like you often attracts many rich people. Once they are happy, they will tip you for tens of grand. You will pay off your debt with one guest."


    "No." An Ran refused him out of instinct. She knew the so-called "work" was to sell her body.


    "No?" Zhao sneered. "Then I''ll have to ask you to leave, Miss An."


    An Ran didn''t move. She swallowed deeply and said, "I''ve heard that there is an option to just accompany guests for drinks¡­" She was too embarrassed to go on.


    "You won''t earn much from it. Even if there were guests tipping you, it would be no more than 800 or 1000." Zhao saw that she was persuaded, so he softened his smile. He reached his hand to touch An Ran''s jaw, but she retreated.


    "I''ll pay it back slowly." An Ran said firmly. "I''ll only accompany guests for drinks."

 Chapter 33：Lamb In Lion’s Den (4)

    "Okay." Zhao chuckled. He didn''t have a forceful expression at all. "You''ll start tonight. There will be a short training session with the new sisters."


    Sisters! This term could both be positive or negative. An Ran suddenly shivered.


    "Okay," she mumbled.


    "I''ll take your ID now." Zhao took out his phone. "Tell me your bank account. I''ll transfer the money now."


    An Ran recited the number and she quickly received the money. She turned to leave. "I''ll go on an errand and come to work at night."


    "Sure," Zhao said easily. He wasn''t worried about An Ran escaping.


    The Royal Nightclub was able to thrive without failing, so they naturally had people on both sides. They could find anyone quickly.


    After An Ran left, Zhao called someone. "Note down this ID number. Name''s An Ran, coming to work tonight."


    "What kind of job?" the other asked cleanly.


    "Drinking company." Zhao yawned as he spoke.


    "That''s it?" The other was surprised.


    "The sheep is in the lion''s den," Zhao said lazily. "She can''t escape."


    ***


    An Ze was brought out of the police station.


    An Ran quickly went up to him and patted his face. "A-ze, are you okay?"


    After spending the night in the police station, An Ze''s handsome face was stubbled and looked frail.


    An Ran''s heart went out for him. "Look at you."


    "Sister, I''m okay." An Ze shrugged carelessly. Putting an arm over An Ran''s shoulder, they walked out intimately.


    "Don''t do illegal racing anymore," An Ran urged. "It''s dangerous and illegal. A-ze, listen to me."


    "I know." An Ze smiled. He was only not cold to his family members.


    "I''m serious." An Ran adjusted her tone to remind An Ze that she was serious.


    "Sis, don''t worry. It''s just car racing. Don''t you trust my skills?" An Ze hugged An Ran and said, "Don''t worry. I''m fine, seriously."


    Ah. An Ran sighed.


    How would he know that, in order to save him, she¡­ The police officer indeed kept his word and didn''t tell An Ze the sum of the bail. He still thought it was only a few thousand yuan.


    But as long as An Ze was safe, she was okay with being a drinking girl.


    "Sister, I actually race for the bar''s business," An Ran said in one breath.


    When they were kids, An Ze had had good grades and An Ran thought he was the type to get a PhD.


    Who knew that after he entered college, he fell in love with music? He found some friends with similar interests and started an underground band.


    Before they graduated, he had already gone out to perform at night and earn a living allowance.


    He received some fame though. After graduating, he and his band started running a bar while singing in it. They attracted some forward-thinking girls and boys.


    An Ran knew that An Ze raced to keep those customers. People who often visited bars definitely loved action. He had to keep giving them stimulating and fresh things.


    There were so many small bars like his and competition was fierce. Many female customers went just for him.


    An Ran understood An Ze''s difficulty, so she didn''t continue.


    Seeing her stay silent, An Ze felt guilty. "Sis, are you upset that I''m so disappointing?"


    "No," An Ran quickly said with a smile. "I''ll support whatever you do, but try not to do illegal racing anymore."


    "Okay." An Ze nodded. Hugging An Ran, he reached out a hand to call a cab. "Go home and eat Mom''s food. I haven''t gone back in so long. I''ll probably get yelled at."

 Chapter 34：Lamb in Lion’s Den (5)

    He usually slept at the bar in case he would wake his family up when he came back at midnight.


    An Ran grasped his arm and said, "Ah-ze, I have to work overtime tonight. You go home first."


    "Which company needs to work overtime?"


    "I''m new there and have to behave well." An Ran pushed An Ze. "You go home first and tell mom, in case she worries."


    "Shall I pick you up later?"


    "No, no." An Ran shook her head. If he came to pick her, he would discover it all.


    "Alright, take care of yourself." An Ze showed An Ran his care, then he stopped a taxi and left.


    After it disappeared, An Ran walked to the bus stop.


    After a few months, I will pay off the debt, and everything would be ok then. An Ran thought to herself naively.


    There were a few people showing up for work, among which there were a dozen new girls here for the first time. Some were even younger than her. But they all looked mature and quite used to smoking.


    An Ran sat by herself, looking a little unfriendly. Soon she caught people rolling eyeballs at her. Someone said drily, "Pretend to be clean in a dye vat."


    "I heard she just accompanies guests for drinks." The woman said tartly.


    "She''ll accompany whatever she has to in a while." Someone said flatly.


    An Ran didn''t say a word until their PR Manager Wena who was in charge of their training came to take a roll call and lecture them.


    The Aim: Be cute, obedient and coquettish, money would flow to you.


    Then everyone went to change their clothes and put on makeup.


    An Ran''s straight hair was blown into curly hair and fell on her back. To be honest, she was pretty and attractive.


    Wena noticed the innocent An Ran among those cheesy women. She held her arms, looking at her back. She looked at her and said, "Have your hair permed and dyed tomorrow."


    They didn''t need white lotus [innocent women] here.


    An Ran answered her order in a low voice.


    After they were done with makeup, someone distributed them clothes, which were tight miniskirts with tube-tops. It was already cold, and An Ran felt colder at the sight of the miniskirts.


    They had just changed their clothes when Zhao came in. He was the one who had loaned to An Ran this afternoon.


    Wena greeted him and held his shoulders coquettishly. She put on an intimate look and spoke in a nauseating tone, which was very different from her former cold lecture.


    "Are you here to look at the new girls?" Then she turned to the dozen girls and put on a grim face. "Say hi to Zhao quickly!"


    "Hello," Some of them said it in the right way. They were apparently in the business before.


    An Ran didn''t call him, hiding in the crowd.


    Zhao didn''t say a word. He glanced over the girls with a peculiar view, then he stopped at An Ran. A light flashed in his eyes.


    "Come here." He ordered her.


    An Ran paused and walked to him.


    Zhao pinched her jaw and squinted at her out of habit. He asked bluntly, "Are you complete?"


    His Royal Nightclub had the prettiest girls in A City, but it was hard to find an untarnished girl. He was at a loss and then thought about having a look at the new girls and tried his luck.


    An Ran flushed.


    "You flushed¡­" Zhao sneered at her with great interest. "Probably haven''t been touched."


    An Ran didn''t speak.


    Zhao raised his voice. "If you are fresh, here''s a 100,000 bucks deal for you. We can even things up after you do it."

 Chapter 35： Enjoy Last Night’s Gift (1)

    Even! One job! An Ran''s eyes brightened. It was quite tempting.


    She didn''t want to be here at all. Even one minute was torture. If one job could wipe out all the debt, it would be a great salvation.


    But from his questions, An Ran seemed to understand what this job was!


    Someone liked a complete girl! If she took the job, she would be giving up her completeness.


    "I am," An Ran said after a deep breath.


    Some things had to be lost sooner or later. The method didn''t matter, she comforted herself.


    "I can finally give Zheng something." Zhao was relieved.


    Zheng was the biggest stockholder of Royal Nightclub. He suddenly sent down the order that he wanted a complete woman for a VIP tonight. Zhao had been stumped.


    Now, he could finally complete the order. It was good for him too.


    He patted Wei Na''s pretty face and said, "Baby, dress her up in a purer style. Young Master Ye likes it."


    "Young Master Ye!" Wei Na''s eyes brightened, involuntarily getting excited. "Is he coming tonight?"


    Zhao scoffed and pushed Wei Na''s hands aside. "Don''t dream about him liking you." His voice was a bit disdainful.


    "Teach her¡­the skills," Zhao said at the door. His smile was disgusting.


    Skills! An Ran''s heart twisted. What a subtle word.


    "Come." Wei Na hooked her finger at An Ran with a cold face and led her away.


    "How nice," someone behind them said enviously. "She gets 100,000 as soon as she gets here."


    "Your fault for not being a virgin¡­"


    The virginity that she''d kept for 23 years was going to end tonight. It should''ve been given to that man eight years ago, but because of his temporary kindness, she kept it until now.


    An Ran laughed out loud. She was pulled aside to get new makeup. Her hair was straightened and she changed into a long blue dress.


    Gems sparkled glamorously on the dress.


    The eye makeup was done well, making her eyes seem even bigger and prettier. They were pure and mesmerizing.


    An Ran could barely recognize herself.


    ---


    Wei Na personally led An Ran to the eighth floor of the club.


    Wei Na''s eyes had an adulating color, but she spoke sourly. "This floor is Young Master Ye''s personal space. No princess has ever come before. You''re lucky. If you''re even luckier and could become Young Master Ye''s lover, you''ll rise up in status. But he doesn''t seem to like princesses, so¡­"


    Her voice was insulting. She seemed to have forgotten that she was the leader of these princesses.


    An Ran was expressionless. Was being a lover lucky?


    The elevator door slid open and she followed Wei Na out.


    There was only one VIP room on the huge eighth floor. Apparently, it was even more luxurious than the president suite of a five-star hotel.


    Just how powerful was this Young Master Ye?


    Two guards in clean work clothes stood outside the room.


    "Is Young Master Ye here?" Wei Na asked with anticipation.


    "Not yet," one replied.


    Wei Na was clearly disappointed. Even though Young Master Ye wasn''t interested in people like her, she might leave an impression if he saw her. After all, she was pretty enough.


    "Go in, wash up, and wait," Wei Na said coolly. Then she turned and left.


    An Ran: ¡­


    Why did she have to say it so directly?


    The guard opened the door softly and a fragrance wafted out.


    The room had a European style and was as ornament as a palace. An Ran didn''t dare step foot inside.

 Chapter 36：Enjoy Last Night’s Gift (2)

    Her high-heels stepped into the colorful carpet that was as soft as the cloud, which made her feel surreal.


    The chamber was well-equipped and had an over 100 square-meter bathroom. A large automatic Jacuzzi displayed intimate signs under the light of a crystal chandelier.


    An Ran was struck at its side and failed to take off all her clothes. It demanded courage after all.


    She then turned back and went out to the wine cabinet. Those extremely overpriced wines gave off a slightly intoxicating smell.


    An Ran was a little lost. She sat down on the high chair.


    What would it feel like to sleep with a stranger?


    It must be painful.


    How to blunt my pain? An Ran looked at the cabinet full of wine and put on a weak smile.


    She didn''t know what to do anyways and would just be trampled upon at will like a dead fish. She''d better get drunk to numb herself.


    As she thought so, she opened a bottle and poured a full glass.


    The wine was in dark red. How beautiful it is. She had never tried it before, but she couldn''t stop herself from drinking.


    It''s disgusting. An Ran took her breath while holding the glass.


    She was not drunk enough. An Ran didn''t hesitate to pour a second glass, a third one...until the last of the bottle. She finally saw double images of the bottle and the glass.


    The glass fell out of her hand to the carpet silently. She staggered to the big round bed.


    The sky and ground were spinning around. She was finally drunk.


    She only had the courage to face the emperor-like man when she was drunk, and to forget this life-long humiliation.


    She took off her dress and high-heels and fell into the soft bed, waiting for the distinguished man to come.


    ***


    The door of the elevator was opened. Ye Chengwei walked to the chamber slowly.


    He didn''t know what Zheng Cheng had plotted to give him a mysterious gift in the chamber. It was a gift for him alone, he said. He was deliberately making things mysterious.


    The waiter bowed to him respectfully. "Young Master Ye."


    Ye Chengwei was haughty and cold to people. The waiter opened the door for him immediately.


    Five years later he had become a mature man of charisma. He used to be inexperienced, but now he looked like a king. It was shown from his gestures unconsciously. There was no need for him to imitate.


    After he walked in, the waiter closed the door for him.


    Ye Chengwei frowned once he entered the chamber. What a strong smell of alcohol. He walked to the wine cabinet and saw the empty bottle and the glass on the floor.


    Luckily it was unbroken. Everything could cost a fortune. But this glass had been used by others, even if it was unbroken, Ye Chengwei wouldn''t want to touch it again.


    There''s a person in the room! Could it be that Zheng Cheng had sent him a person who was drunk?


    What the hell! Ye Chengwei was a little annoyed. He always disliked "princess". Did Zheng Cheng forget it? How did he dare to send the girl to his room? Reckless!


    Ye Chengwei walked to the bedroom unhappily.


    He saw the person on the bed at the door.


    A nice body!


    But Ye Chengwei hated "princess" and hated drunk women even worse. Zheng Cheng the bastard didn''t want to live in A City.


    Ye Chengwei walked to the bed solemnly and slowly. He reached out a hand to pull An Ran. Zheng Cheng would have to spend a lot of money to change this bed for him.

 Chapter 37：Enjoy Last Night’s Gift (3)

    An Ran''s face was buried in the soft down blanket and she actually snored softly. She was deep asleep.


    Ye Chengwei''s brows knitted more. Even if they wanted to give him a princess, couldn''t they pick a better one? This one was so inelegant.


    Annoyance surged inside him. Not thinking about treating girls nicely at all, Ye Chengwei grabbed An Ra''''s thin arm and flipped her over.


    An Ran lay sprawled on the bed while mumbling, "Do as you wish."


    As he wished! Ye Chengwei sneered. He wanted to curse out loud.


    He, the young master of the Ye Family, was never casual with women.


    But¡­ When his eyes fell on An Ran''s face, he froze instantly!


    One''s features wouldn''t change drastically from 18 to 23 years old. It was just a progression from youthfulness to maturity.


    This face¡­ Why was it so familiar? It was like something that he hid deep in his memories was now trying to break out of the shell.


    A fresh and youthful face quickly appeared in his mind. It fit perfectly with the face before him.


    An Ran! His little lover!


    This discovery shocked Ye Chengwei.


    Some sealed memories suddenly broke free. He remembered that a girl had once appeared in his life. It reminded him clearly of their few interactions.


    He thought he''d forgotten that proud little girl, but when they met again, the memories were still so clear.


    Ye Chengwei''s facial muscles relaxed subconsciously.


    An Ran. An Ran!


    Are you really this drunken girl who''s sleeping in such an ugly way on the bed?


    Are you really the only girl who dared to say goodbye to him and really disappear?


    Ye Chengwei touched her still-gentle face. The smile on his face was meaningful.


    She had grown up! But the feeling that she gave him was still that rare warmth and serenity.


    He couldn''t forget the feeling of hugging her while sleeping.


    But why did she appear in this night club? Had something happened in her life?


    While he was thinking, his phone suddenly rang. He dug it out of his pockets. It was Zhao.


    He accepted the call and said coldly, "Zhao Si, what are you doing?"


    "Young Master Ye," Zhao Si said ingratiatingly. "It''s your birthday present. Ha, I hope you like it. You know how hard it is to find a complete girl nowadays? She might not be as skilled, but she''s completely new. Never been touched, so clean¡­"


    "Get here within three minutes," Ye Chengwei said coldly and then hung up.


    He sat down on the side of the bed and stared deeply at An Ran. Then he covered her bare body with the blanket. She really looked ugly when sleeping.


    But she still gave him that much-missed warmth. She could still give him that feeling of peace.


    Zhao naturally couldn''t keep him waiting. He arrived within two minutes. Ye Chengwei sat on the sofa with a propped leg and looked at him coldly.


    Zhao smiled ingratiatingly. Glancing at the closed bedroom door, he asked in a low voice, "What''s wrong, Young Master Ye? Did she anger you? Is she not actually¡ª"


    Ye Chengwei didn''t answer. He just stared at Zhao.


    Zhao was terrified under that stare. Thinking that the woman must be a fake, he said cruelly, "F*ck, she dared lie to me? Young Master Ye, I''m sorry. I''ll take care of her right now."


    Ye Chengwei said in a slow and cold voice, "Maybe I should take care of you first."


    Zhao sat beside Ye Chengwei and gave a submissive smile. "I''m sorry, Boss. It''s not like I could''ve tested her first. I''m sorry, I''ll definitely give you an explanation."

 Chapter 38： Enjoy Last Night’s Gift (4)

    Ye Chengwei said steadily, "Why is she working here?"


    Zhao rolled his eyeballs, not knowing what Ye Chengwei meant for. Was he blaming him or just having a casual conversation?


    Although Zhao was influential in A City, he couldn''t compare with Ye Chengwei. He already felt flattered that Ye Chengwei would like to speak to him, not to mention that they were having a conversation.


    He answered carefully, "Boss, she borrowed ten grand from me and came here to pay off her debt. She looked innocent so I thought she was a virgin.


    If she polluted you, would you like me to break her arm or leg?"


    Ye Chengwei sneered and bent over to take a lighter from the table.


    He didn''t speak so Zhao dared not to speak but to give hollow laughs from time to time.


    Ye Chengwei looked solemn in between the flashes of the lighter. He said slowly, "Do you think my woman would be better looking in a broken arm or a leg?"


    Zhao smiled and apologized immediately. "Either would be...What? Your woman? How do we dare to touch your woman? You must be kidding me."


    Ye Chengwei gave him an icy stare. He said angrily, "Didn''t you mention breaking her arm or leg?"


    "But she''s not..." Zhao stopped from the middle and suddenly changed his face. He rushed to stand up and said nervously, "Please don''t scare me, Boss. Is she...Is she your woman?"


    Ye Chengwei sneered, "Now you''ve seen her, next time you should recognize her."


    "I deserve to die for not recognizing your girl." Then Zhao slapped his face hard and his knees almost fell on the ground.


    He wouldn''t dare to touch Ye Chengwei''s woman even if he had plucked all his courage. But what was going on?


    "Get out!" Ye Chengwei said with a poker face. He wasn''t mad but he looked intimidating.


    Zhao rushed out and added at the door, "Please take the ten grand as a gift for her!"


    Ye Chengwei raised his eyebrow. How dare him to mention the ten grand!


    Zhao knew he made a mistake instantly and slapped himself. "Curse my mouth. Idiot. You rest well, Boss."


    "Wait." Ye Chengwei called him, "Send her to Lovetalk Mountain Villa tomorrow morning."


    ***


    An Ran turned over. The soft quilt felt like clouds.


    When did the quilt at home become so soft?


    How comfortable. I didn''t want to get up.


    An Ran moved her eyes and finally opened them. She had to get up to look for a job.


    Then it all came to her. An Ran suddenly remembered that she already took an embarrassing job. Everything about last night all became clear.


    She sat up in the bed and became totally conscious.


    The quilt fell down and let her white shoulders out. It was a little chilly in the morning. She removed the quilt. Holy! She would really want to dig a hole and disappear. She had nothing on!


    But didn''t she take off the clothes by herself? Yes. She got drunk to pluck up courage to face it.


    But where''s the man?


    An Ran peeped at the sheet. It was as white as the snow. She didn''t find the bloodstain. And her body didn''t feel uncomfortable.


    Could it be that the man didn''t have sex with her?


    Where''s the money? How about the money? Did she still need to pay Zhao ten grand?

 Chapter 39

    An Ran looked side to side but didn''t see stacks of money on the bedside shelf. She immediately got out and searched around the bed again and again. She didn''t see any money or checks.


    She sat dumbly beside the bed with an indescribable feeling. She didn''t know if she should be happy or sad that her first time was still there.


    Oh, everyone would be disgusted at a drunk girl like you. Who would want to touch you? Since he didn''t touch you, he didn''t have to give money either.


    Ha! An Ran laughed aloud. It seemed that she was destined to be a drinking companion for a few months.


    She stood up and got dressed. Just then, someone knocked lightly.


    "Wait a moment," An Ran answered. When she put on her dress, she went to open the door. Her hair was still down.


    It was the guard. He bowed slightly and spoke with a respected tone. "Miss An, the car for you is already waiting downstairs."


    Car? An Ran stared at the guard dumbly.


    He obviously didn''t provide any answers. He just walked to the elevator and pressed the button as if treating an esteemed guest.


    An Ran walked in confusedly. The elevator went down smoothly.


    When the door opened, Zhao welcomed An Ran with a smile. He wished he could smile even wider.


    "Miss An, how could you fool us like this?" Zhao said obsequiously. "You and Young Master Ye are so playful. Oh, really, I was completely fooled."


    An Ran looked at him in confusion. "Brother Zhao, I didn''t get the 100,000 yuan."


    "Ah, please don''t mention that money. Do you really want Young Master Ye to take my life?" Zhao extended a hand and guided An Ran forward. "My Mercedes is parked outside. It''ll take you to Lovetalk Mountain Villa."


    An Ran didn''t speak. Her eyes fell on the luxurious Mercedes outside the nightclub.


    A uniformed chauffeur helped her open the door. "Miss An," he said politely.


    OMG. Could someone tell her what was happening?


    Did Cinderella become a princess overnight?


    No, no. An Ran pinched herself. It hurt, so it must be reality. "This must be a mistake," she said to the chauffeur.


    "Miss An, I''m sorry. Young Master Ye instructed me to make sure you get there." Zhao stopped her nervously.


    Young Master Ye, Young Master Ye. Who exactly was he? Was there anyone more dramatic than him?


    Suddenly, terror flashed past her eyes. She shuddered and her expression changed. She stared incredulously at Zhao. "Is his name Ye¡­Chengwei?"


    Zhao looked at An Ran''s expression. What was going on? Was this girl too into her act? How come she didn''t know her own man''s name?


    He nodded dumbly. "Of course." He wouldn''t serve any other Young Master Ye.


    But An Ran gripped onto the car door. Her knees weakened.


    ***


    Lovetalk Mountain Villa was located in the villa cluster on Lovetalk Mountain. It was in the suburbs of A City and was where the wealthy all lived.


    When Ye Chengwei wanted peace and quiet, he would come here to live for a few days. The air was fresh and he could forget many troubles.


    He could also get away from those clingy people.


    The water was very blue. It reflected the purest white clouds in the morning sky, making the pool water blue like a gem.


    Ye Chengwei, clad in black swim trunks, swam casually in the water like a fish, changing his stroke occasionally.

 Chapter 40

    He wiped his face after he said the footstep, then took off the glass and threw it on the floor. He watched the tall and thin girl led by the house servant walking to him, leaning against the wall of the pool lazily.


    Her full length skirt was blue like the water. She didn¡¯t roll up her hair and let a few strands fall on her thin shoulders. She looked beautiful.


    Ye Chengwei looked at her unseeingly. Nobody could tell what he was thinking about.


    His 18-year-old little mistress had become a 23-year-old woman. With her last remains of innocence and newborn maturity, she looked unspeakably attractive.


    She still looked like a pure and holy white lotus.


    Tenderness in a corner of his heart which had been concealed for a long time rose up again. This time it was stronger than five years ago.


    He thought he had forgotten the little interlude which didn¡¯t really matter, but he didn¡¯t.


    She was still a virgin. Did she keep it for him? He remembered the 18th birthday deal that she owed him.


    No. She wasn¡¯t keeping it for him. She kept it so she could sell a good price in the parlor!


    If it wasn¡¯t him who came to the nightclub last night, she had already¡­Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t want to continue his thought. He sneered and looked angry.


    No one could touch the woman whom he had deserted. Not to mention that now he wanted her again.


    He was angry at the thought that she said goodbye proudly to him five years ago.


    Only this woman in the whole world dared to say goodbye to him.


    Ye Chengwei told himself that he asked An Ran here just because he had discovered an old toy remained fresh. He was just a little interested. Nothing special.


    She didn¡¯t return what she had owed him.


    An Ran looked calm while she walked to him. But she couldn¡¯t help thinking about five years ago, she was in pajamas and walked panicky to the haughty man.


    He buckled her ankle to drag her into the water. He taught her to swim and cuddled her¡­


    An Ran gave a shudder. She stopped herself from recalling the past and told herself that she had nothing to do with the man. Nothing was worth remembering.


    He might have called her here to remind her of the debt five years ago. There was a saying, times went on and on, but you still had to pay your debt¡­One could never run away from one¡¯s debt. She didn¡¯t want to avoid it. It was just that she had a bad work life. The companies went bankrupt easily and she didn¡¯t save any money.


    Plus the ten grand she paid for An Ze¡¯s bail. Alas. It became worse.


    The servant stopped about three meters away and said respectfully, ¡°Young Master, Miss An is here.¡±


    ¡°You may go.¡± Ye Chengwei said lightly. His eyes didn¡¯t turn away from An Ran.


    The little woman had learned to pretend. She didn¡¯t blush easily.


    She seemed to stand aside him at ease. The wind blew her lake-blue dress, which made her like a fairy.


    Ye Chengwei¡¯s sight became more mature and deeper than five years ago when he looked at people. He soon detached An Ran¡¯s weakness pretending silently.


    She lowered her head and dared not to look at him.


    He was intimidating like an emperor. People beside him could only bow to him.


    ¡°Come here.¡± He was still mighty and even more dominant than five years ago giving his orders.

 Chapter 41

    She was already so close. What else could she do? What right did he have to talk to her with that tone? Was it because she owed him money?


    A bit of stubbornness rose up in An Ran¡¯s heart. As if she didn¡¯t hear anything, she didn¡¯t budge.


    She was still like that¡ªstubborn personality under that weak appearance. Ye Chengwei¡¯s lips curled into a cold and faint smile. His eyes sharpened and he raised his voice slightly. ¡°You want me to beg you?¡±


    An Ran gasped softly. She shivered from his coldness. The courage that she¡¯d gathered with difficulty shattered under his second cold order.


    Her feet took two steps involuntarily. Her dress was almost to his face.


    ¡°What do you want to say¡­ Ah!¡±


    Before she could finish, her words turned into a shriek. Ye Chengwei grabbed her ankle and, like five years ago, pulled her into the water.


    She still didn¡¯t know how to swim and struggled in the water. Ye Chengwei grasped her waist and held her in his arms.


    Turning, he pushed her against the cold swimming pool wall. The scene from five years ago appeared again.


    An Ran was still shocked and completely drenched. She¡¯d just woken up and hadn¡¯t washed her face yet. The makeup from last night had faded a little. Now that she was in the water, her eyeshadow and such were all messed up.


    With big panda eyes, she stared at him in shock, panting heavily for breath.


    Ye Chengwei¡¯s smile was meaningful. He moved toward her face and with a slightly ambiguous tone, he murmured, ¡°You still haven¡¯t learned how to swim?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Let me up.¡± An Ran swallowed heavily.


    Even after five years, his aura was still familiar. Her stomach had butterflies and she didn¡¯t want to suffer from that fatal palpitation.


    Perhaps no woman that he approached could escape from that temptation.


    How could Ye Chengwei let her go? He hadn¡¯t played enough with his new toy yet. Pressing against her body that was more curvy than five years ago, he smiled devilishly.


    Playing with the damp hair sticking to her face, he said, ¡°You¡¯re still waiting for me to teach you? Mn.¡±


    An Ran turned her face at that seductive voice. This man was a demon.


    Ye Chengwei grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. ¡°Pretending we don¡¯t know each other?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± An Ran uttered.


    Seeing how helpless she looked at answering unwillingly, Ye Chengwei laughed. ¡°Then, you should remember what you owe me, right?¡±


    An Ran didn¡¯t refute him. ¡°Yes,¡± she said calmly.


    ¡°Then, when do you plan on repaying me?¡± Ye Chengwei lifted her chin and he lowered his head slowly.


    Their lips were a hair¡¯s breadth away.


    ¡°I¡¯ll repay you after a few months.¡± An Ran shrunk back and her eyes looked aside.


    Ye Chengwei arched an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about money.¡±


    An Ran looked at him in shock. She didn¡¯t remember what she owed other than money. When she left, she didn¡¯t even take a button off of the clothes that he¡¯d bought for her.


    ¡°Let me remind you.¡± Ye Chengwei smiled devilishly as his eyes fell on her snow-white neck. He pecked it softly and said three words. ¡°Eighteen years old!¡±


    An Ran¡¯s expression changed. ¡°I don¡¯t owe you that,¡± she said hurriedly.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Ye Chengwei said slowly. ¡°If you don¡¯t, then why did Zhao Si send you here? I¡¯m just enjoying the gift from last night that I didn¡¯t touch. Don¡¯t you want that 100,000-yuan tip?¡±


    An Ran bit her lips in humiliation. Yes, she was a gift.


    ¡°How long do you have to work to make 100,000 yuan?¡± Ye Chengwei¡¯s tone was slightly disdainful. ¡°But I can give it to you at once.¡±

 Chapter 42

    She felt humiliated by his tone, but she really needed the money and couldn¡¯t be proud. That was the cruelty of life.


    An Ran¡¯s eyes brimmed with tears but she held it back. She said coldly, ¡°Suit yourself.¡±


    She looked like a revolutionary martyr who was about to die. Ye Chengwei squeezed his eyes. ¡°What? Didn¡¯t Zhao teach you how to win men¡¯s love?Or you don¡¯t have the gift? You didn¡¯t what to do five years ago, now you still don¡¯t.¡±


    An Ran¡¯s face flushed. She kept cheering herself up by telling her to bear the humiliation. After she got the money, she would be free.


    Ye Chengwei laughed frivolously and devilishly. He liked her swallowing it like five years ago.


    He took her hand. But An Ran was startled. She hurried to say, ¡°Not in the swimming pool.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t choose where and where not.¡± Ye Chengwei was haughty and cold. Somehow he made people feel less than him.


    ¡°No,¡± An Ran said stubbornly and kept pulling her hand. ¡°There are people around.¡±


    People from the surrounding villas could easily see them. What¡¯s the difference with a live show? She really couldn¡¯t do it under so many eyes¡­


    Ye Chengwei became colder in face with An Ran¡¯s refusal. ¡°You haven¡¯t learnt to obey me!¡±


    She had never learned it. Why should she listen? She never catered to him deliberately. How could she bend? She was what she was. She was the truest An Ran.


    She could no longer take it and dropped her hand from Ye Chengwei. She said in an icy voice, ¡°Do you have to insult me?¡±


    Ye Chengwei looked at her absentmindedly.


    An Ran was on the verge of tears, but she stopped it and looked bravely at him. ¡°You are right. Ten grand is a large number for us poor people.


    But that doesn¡¯t mean you can insult my dignity. Ye Chengwei, you can¡¯t buy my all.¡±


    She poured all her feelings in her last word. After it, she burst out in tears.


    She didn¡¯t want to cry. But the more she pressed it, the worse she cried. Her thin shoulders kept shaking. She choked with tears and breathed hard.


    She was circled and embraced. Ye Chengwei kissed her head top. He didn¡¯t say anything, but An Ran gradually calmed down.


    Were it not for the sarcastic insults, she could have mistaken him as a gentle lover.


    But An Ran knew she could not yearn for this unreal tenderness.


    She bit her lips and pushed him away. But without Ye Chengwei holding her, she could no longer float on the surface. After the push, she sank down.


    Ye Chengwei looked at her thumping in the water and didn¡¯t dredge her up after she choked some water. Then he held her crosswise and got on the floor.


    He was still proud, ¡°An Ran, remember. I am your only savior.¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    This Villa is Your Cage (1)


    Ye Chengwei carried An Ran in the villa as nobody was watching. He crossed the living room with white carpet and went upstairs. Then he threw her in the big jacuzzi.


    The decoration wasn¡¯t changed. But it still looked fancy and new.


    She knew the bathtub all too well.


    An Ran cuddled herself in it pitifully. She looked at Ye Chengwei and was alerted by him bending over and crouching next to her.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± An Ran plucked her courage to ask him angrily.

 Chapter 43

    Ye Chengwei just laughed and touched her face with a hand. An Ran didn¡¯t have time to move back, so she turned her head. Ye Chengwei quickly grabbed her arm.


    An Ran cried out in pain, but next, her mouth was sealed by Ye Chengwei¡¯s warm lips.


    Ye Chengwei pressed down the remote control and the tub started filling with water, bubbling. An Ran struggled but quickly gave in, responding nicely to Ye Chengwei¡¯s kiss.


    She knew that she couldn¡¯t escape. She was his gift. He was enjoying it; she could only go along with it.


    But Ye Chengwei suddenly grabbed her chin, expression cruel. ¡°You¡¯re so good at kissing now? Tell me, who did you kiss?¡±


    An Ran¡¯s eyes grew stubborn too. Smiling coldly, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t think this has anything to do with Young Master Ye.¡±


    Ye Chengwei wasn¡¯t weak. An Ran¡¯s face slowly grew red and her breathing grew heavier too. The water in the tub was past her chest now.


    Next, it reached her neck. An Ran¡¯s expression became fearful and she started to twist her neck.


    Ye Chengwei smiled faintly. Just as the water reached her mouth, he turned off the water, but An Ran¡¯s face was already pale.


    This demon!


    An Ran took some deep breaths, leaning against the tub weakly.


    Ye Chengwei slid into the tub. Shocked, An Ran shrunk and tried to retreat, but unfortunately, she was already against the wall of the tub. She couldn¡¯t go any further.


    Ye Chengwei extended his arm and pulled her into his arms.


    An Ran¡¯s eyes were pleading. ¡°No¡­¡±


    Ye Chengwei¡¯s cold expression softened as he gently wrapped around An Ran¡¯s thin frame.


    ¡°It¡¯s just bathing, Miss An! You¡¯re overthinking,¡± he said a bit sarcastically.


    She was overthinking! An Ran was speechless.


    ¡°From now on, visit me once per week,¡± Ye Chengwei said like an order.


    An Ran¡¯s red lips opened slightly. Did she hear correctly? He wanted her to visit him!


    ¡°Young Master Ye, I think you got it wrong. I¡¯m only accompanying you this once, not once per week.¡±


    ¡°You still have to repay your debt,¡± Ye Chengwei said slowly, suddenly becoming patient.


    When he mentioned money, An Ran automatically became lower than him. ¡°If you give me three months, I¡¯ll definitely return the 200,000 yuan,¡± she whispered.


    ¡°Two hundred thousand?¡± Ye Chengwei arched an eyebrow, clearly unsatisfied with the number. He played with the hair by her ears. After a long while, he said, ¡°Miss An, do you have a bad memory? You forgot about interest.¡±


    Interest! An Ran¡¯s blood ran cold. She remembered that she¡¯d written that.


    Clenching her jaw, she said, ¡°How much? Calculate it.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡± Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t act polite. Resting his chin in his hands as if calculating, he said, ¡°Miss An, we¡¯re only regular friends, so I¡¯ll have to calculate it with high interest.¡±


    With high interest! Regular friends¡­ Alright, they had nothing to do with anything with each other. Saying they were regular friends was too much too. An Ran clenched her jaw, wishing she could skin this demon. ¡°Okay,¡± she said in a low voice.


    She was still pretending to be strong.


    Ye Chengwei smirked and started taking his time to calculate. ¡°We know each other, so how about 50% interest?¡±


    An Ran didn¡¯t back down. She forced herself to say, ¡°Okay.¡± She would just work at Royal Nightclub for a few months. She wouldn¡¯t let this bastard look down on her.


    ¡°Okay. So, one month¡¯s interest for 200,000 is 10,000. One year, it¡¯s 120,000. Five years, it¡¯s 600,000 yuan. That¡¯s just pure interest. If we count the rolling interest¡­¡±

 Chapter 44

    Ye Chengwei stopped and saw panic in An Ran¡¯s eyes as he wished. It wouldn¡¯t be easy to count the compound interest.


    ¡°You want to count compound interest!¡±


    Ye Chengwei smiled. ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I? I¡¯m a businessman. Why shouldn¡¯t I earn a profit? I can¡¯t say the number now, but I¡¯ll give Miss An a satisfying number another day. How about it?¡±


    An Ran looked at Ye Chengwei coldly. What a wolf hiding under a sheep¡¯s cover! No. He was never a sheep.


    ¡°En.¡± She agreed unhappily. She would rather stay her whole life in Royal than giving in to him.


    ¡°Little An Ran, you are afraid.¡± Ye Chengwei said slowly.


    Little An Ran!


    An Ran was in a trance. If she were right, this was the first time Ye Chengwei called her a nickname. He had bad intentions though.


    But soon, her little joy was erased by the enormous number.


    ¡°Did I scare you?¡± Ye Chengwei raised her jaw and smiled, which looked like the last friendly moment before turning into a brutal scene.


    An Ran said nothing. It was she who said to count the interest. Only she was too little to know how high the interest of a usury could be. Otherwise she wouldn¡¯t be so stupid to ask for interest voluntarily.


    Now that she was in his trap.


    ¡°No.¡± An Ran didn¡¯t want to cave in. It was the last of her dignity.


    Ye Chengwei smiled and lowered his head. His lips swept An Ran¡¯s cold lips and he said slowly, ¡°An Ran, this is how you only want money other than love. Once men became ruthless, women would suffer. What you owed me you can never pay back.¡±


    ¡°I will return every penny of yours.¡± An Ran moved her lips away, not wanting to be with him.


    ¡°You must be thinking better working your whole life in Royal to pay off your debt.¡± Ye Chengwei said slowly.


    An Ran didn¡¯t say a word. He was right.


    ¡°An Ran, you are really naive. Does Zhao have the balls to support you, a woman labelled by Ye Chengwei?¡± Ye Chengwei said coldly. ¡°If I want Royal to close up, I just have to make a call.¡±


    An Ran took a deep breath. She knew Family Ye was rich and powerful.


    ¡°Why do you have to cross me?¡± An Ran calmed down. It¡¯s the worst that could happen and she was willing to struggle her life for it. ¡°Do you have to block all my ways?¡±


    She looked at him coldly.


    However, Ye Chengwei smiled warmly. He held An Ran¡¯s waist and dragged her close to his body. His voice was soft like a dream.


    ¡°An Ran, if I don¡¯t cross you, how can you return to my side?¡±


    An Ran¡¯s heart started racing. She saw seriousness in Ye Chengwei¡¯s eyes which looked deep.


    ¡°It has been a long time ago.¡± An Ran¡¯s voice softened.


    He held her and said gently, ¡°Who gives you the right to end it? You wrote me a deal of being my lifelong mistress. Don¡¯t you want to live it?


    An Ran, if you don¡¯t want me to look down on you, live your own promise.¡±


    He was pricking her! But he was right. She didn¡¯t want him to look down on her. She fought him with her last of pride and she could not lose.


    ¡°What do you want to let me go?¡± An Ran sounded upset.


    Ye Chengwei put on a cold look. Suddenly he pulled her hair to make her raise her head. ¡°I will never let the woman who dared to say goodbye to Ye Chengwei go. You are back not because I¡¯m interested, but I¡¯d like to crack your pride and stubbornness bit by bit, An Ran.¡±

 Chapter 45

    So, he only wanted to regain his dignity. He only wanted to defeat her and destroy her.


    ¡°Oh?¡± An Ran smiled coldly. ¡°So, I make Young Master Ye think so much. It seems like you aren¡¯t that powerful either. You can only force women.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll get angry?¡± Ye Chengwei spoke slowly with a faint smile. He got closer to An Ran as an evil glint flashed past his eyes. ¡°Oh, what do you think your family will say if I mail your contract to them?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± An Ran cried reflexively. But as soon as she turned her head, she felt pain in her scalp. She furrowed her brows.


    ¡°Then you better fulfill your contract.¡± Ye Chengwei let go.


    An Ran took a step back, instinctively protecting herself by hugging her chest and staring guardedly at Ye Chengwei.


    Her family was her weakness. He knew that clearly. He knew how to force down someone¡¯s walls and make them powerless to fight back.


    ¡°An Ran, I¡¯ll treat you nicely if you¡¯re obedient,¡± Ye Chengwei said, both gently and threateningly. ¡°If you¡¯re still so stubborn, you¡¯ll suffer endlessly.¡±


    An Ran didn¡¯t reply.


    ¡°Heaven or hell is just with one thought.¡± After speaking, Ye Chengwei stood up and left the bathtub with a powerful aura. ¡°Get clean and come to my bedroom.¡±


    An Ran hugged her shoulders, suddenly feeling cold. Her tears finally flowed down without control.


    ***


    An Ran dried her hair, wrapped the robe tightly around her, and walked hesitantly toward Ye Chengwei¡¯s bedroom.


    It was early morning and the air conditioning was too strong. It was cold as she stepped on the smooth floor with her bare feet. She knocked Ye Chengwei¡¯s bedroom door softly.


    No reply. The door was slightly closed, so An Ran tried pushing it. There was no response, so she pushed it fully and went in.


    Ye Chengwei was still fully dressed and sitting on the sofa, reading the morning newspaper. An Ran was surprised to see how casual he looked.


    She thought that the demon would want her after she dried herself. She didn¡¯t expect that he would be dressed.


    Ye Chengwei looked up at the confused An Ran. He lifted the coffee on the table beside him and took a sip without speaking.


    An Ran stood to his side, not knowing what to do. She really didn¡¯t understand what he wanted.


    ¡°Your clothes. Put them on,¡± Ye Chengwei said indifferently. It looked like he¡¯d just rejected An Ran¡¯s offer.


    But weren¡¯t her clothes wet? How could she wear them?


    The phone rang. Ye Chengwei rose while answering the call. He walked to An Ran and pulled her hand, leading her to the closet. He opened it to show it full of new clothes. An Ran was speechless.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to the company later. Notify the necessary departments for a meeting.¡±


    Ye Chengwei hung up. Taking An Ran¡¯s waist, he lowered to her ear and said, ¡°This is the power of money. They¡¯ll bring the clothes to the door with one phone call.¡±


    An Ran didn¡¯t speak. If not for money, she wouldn¡¯t let him kiss and hug her whenever he wanted to.


    Ye Chengwei continued, ¡°If I guessed correctly, this measurement suits you. If you like this brand, I¡¯ll make another call and they¡¯ll bring all the newest designs to fill your closet.¡±


    An Ran lowered her eyes. She glanced at the pale purple clothes inside the bags. It was a faint yet noble color.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m spoiling you.¡± Ye Chengwei nibbled on An Ran¡¯s earlobe. She shrunk back reflexively.

 Chapter 46

    ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll be the canary in this villa until the day I get tired of you and desert you. You will have no chance to say goodbye to me first.¡± His tenderness turned into icy spikes in the next minute.


    This was the emotional and unstable Ye Chengwei. If he were happy, he would pick the stars for you. But if he became angry, he would also push you to hell without hesitation.


    Just because he was the master of everything.


    An Ran smiled vaguely. ¡°Ok.¡± She became very obedient.


    She should be grateful for expensive new clothes and for no longer having to drink with people and be insulted by them.


    He was her savior!


    ¡°Good girl. I like it.¡± Ye Chengwei kissed her cheek. ¡°Tonight we will have a wonderful start.¡±


    Tonight¡­An Ran didn¡¯t say anything, but it was just her first night to pay off debts. What¡¯s wonderful about it?


    Ye Chengwei let her go. ¡°Change your clothes for breakfast.¡±


    He dragged her downstairs to the dining hall like a kind lover.


    ¡°Miss An.¡± A fit middle-aged woman smiled at An Ran kindly and warmly.


    An Ran recognized her. She was the housekeeper, Sister Rong. She hasn¡¯t aged in five years.


    ¡°Sister Rong.¡± An Ran smiled back at her.


    Sister Song smiled. ¡°Breakfast is ready. Please enjoy it, Young Master and Miss An.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± An Ran said politely.


    Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t respond and dragged An Ran to sit down next to him. An Ran was surprised by the food on the table. Soy milk, deep-fried dough sticks, steamed stuffed bun and bun. Those were all ordinary foods for common people.


    Could it be that the high Young Master Ye liked eating these as well? Wouldn¡¯t he be having bread, cheese, sandwiches and milk with fine forks and knives.


    How could she know that this was the most ordinary breakfast that didn¡¯t come through five years ago?


    Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t speak and remained the same, as if he didn¡¯t notice An Ran¡¯s surprise. He took the glass of soy milk and took a light sip.


    Then he frowned a bit. Not everyone was used to the fresh smell of soy.


    An Ran peeped at Ye Chengwei and drank her soy milk as usual. Then she sent a short part of fried dough sticks into her mouth with chopsticks.


    Ye Chengwei stared at her and said, ¡°How could you eat such greasy food?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not greasy. See? It¡¯s yellow and crispy.¡± An Ran said. A little oil came out of her lips. She rushed to wipe it with her hand and smiled awkwardly. ¡°It¡¯s a little greasy, but it¡¯s good. Try it.¡±


    But Ye Chengwei frowned and pushed the tissue box to her. ¡°Please, for the sake of hygiene.¡±


    An Ran pressed her lips. The fried dough sticks stuffed her mouth and made her face bulge. She took a piece of tissue to wipe her mouth, but Ye Chengwei could no longer take it. He went up and walked away.


    ¡°Come to my study later.¡± He sounded high and cold.


    ¡°Sister Rong, bring a sandwich to my study.¡± He couldn¡¯t get used to common people¡¯s life after all.


    ¡°Unreasonable.¡± An Ran muttered to herself.


    Sister Rong walked to the kitchen with a smile to cook him a sandwich. She laughed. ¡°You don¡¯t know that the Young Master has prepared such a table of breakfast five years ago. But you were busy and left for other errands, Miss An.¡±


    An Ran stopped eating the fried dough sticks and repeated dumbly. ¡°Five years ago¡­¡±

 Chapter 47

    That was a distant word. She didn¡¯t want to think about it again.


    ¡°Give Young Master some time. After all, his life is different from regular people.¡± After speaking, Sister Rong smiled and entered the kitchen.


    Give him some time? An Ran didn¡¯t understand.


    She ate her soymilk and fritters. Then she took care of a steamed bun before going to Ye Chengwei¡¯s library.


    There was an empty plate with a fork and knife on the table. The sandwich was gone while there was half a glass of milk left on the side. Ye Chengwei was staring at something on his laptop.


    An Ran coughed softly. She still didn¡¯t know what to call him.


    ¡°I have a name.¡± Ye Chengwei moved his gaze onto An Ran. ¡°Of course, you can also call me Young Master Ye.¡±


    Young Master Ye¡­ An Ran wanted to throw up. She didn¡¯t want to be so theatrical.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked straightforwardly.


    Ye Chengwei stared at her. ¡°What, Zhao Si didn¡¯t teach you how to be gentle? You talk to your money provider like this?¡±


    Money provider! An Ran¡¯s heart hurt like it was stabbed by a needle. She¡¯d forgotten that she was just a pet that he would play with when he was in the mood. She had to be submissive and try to get on his good side.


    ¡°Go make me coffee,¡± Ye Chengwe ordered.


    An Ran bit her lips without moving. Was a lover like a servant?


    Seeing how she didn¡¯t move, Ye Chengwei arched an eyebrow, looking mean. An Ran¡¯s heart trembled. She suddenly grew afraid and her stubbornness collapsed for now.


    She turned and exited the library. She found Sister Rong downstairs, made coffee, and went to give it to Ye Chengwei. He sipped on the Blue Mountain Coffee elegantly yet casually. He didn¡¯t seem in a hurry to talk.


    But An Ran was in a hurry. She didn¡¯t return the entire night and she didn¡¯t know how Gao Enying would interrogate her. She couldn¡¯t work overtime until daybreak.


    ¡°Uh¡­Young Master Ye, do you have something to say?¡± she asked with a gentle voice.


    Actually, she wanted to hit Ye Chengwei for how slow he was. They all said that time was money, but it didn¡¯t seem that way for him.


    ¡°I like it when you call me A-wei.¡± Ye Chengwei¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. It was a bit flirty.


    An Ran¡¯s heart jumped.


    ¡°Call me that.¡± Ye Chengwei grew interested. Seeing her hold her breath, he found it cute.


    An Ran: ¡­


    Were they close?


    But were they not close? They slept in the same bed together at least twice.


    ¡°Ah¡­Wei,¡± An Ran mumbled.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk whenever you can say that clearly.¡± Ye Chengwei continued drinking his coffee.


    An Ran was speechless.


    ¡°A-wei.¡± She was so comfortable.


    Ye Chengwei continued drinking coffee.


    An Ran knew that she¡¯d said it too stiffly. Pushing down her anger, she tried very hard to say it flirtingly. ¡°A-wei.¡±


    Then her stomach turned. She swore that it wouldn¡¯t happen again.


    Ye Chengwei almost spat out his coffee and glared at An Ran. This girl must¡¯ve done that on purpose.


    He set down the coffee. Resting in his chair, he looked at An Ran. ¡°Do you know what¡¯s the first thing a lover should do?¡±


    Hearing that word, An Ran felt insulted. ¡°No,¡± she said indifferently.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll teach you until I train you into a good lover.¡± Ye Chengwei stood up and walked slowly to An Ran¡¯s side. He hugged her waist from behind.


    He rested his chin on her shoulder and turned slightly to kiss her ear. An Ran¡¯s heart pounded. An indescribable feeling rose up within her.


    She wanted to hide, but she couldn¡¯t.

 Chapter 48

    She could feel Ye Chengwei¡¯s warm breath at her ears and hear his soothing voice. ¡°Mistress is a canary living in the luxurious cage.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± An Ran was shocked that he used that expression.


    Canary!


    ¡°This villa is your cage.¡± Ye Chengwei said slowly, ¡°I want you to live here everyday.¡±


    An Ran got rid of his control and turned over to look at him. She said firmly, ¡°No.¡±


    Ye Chengwei¡¯s mild face turned icy. ¡°No one dares to say no to me.¡± That includes her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t live here.¡± She changed her strategy into lowering her voice. ¡°I can¡¯t explain to my mom if I don¡¯t go home. I can¡¯t let her know that¡­I¡¯m a mistress.¡±


    ¡°Is it disgraceful to be my mistress?¡± Ye Chengwei was a little enraged.


    ¡°No, no.¡± An Ran shook her head as she knew that she couldn¡¯t enrage him right now, so she compromised. ¡°Anyway, I can¡¯t not go back home. Will you understand, Ah-wei?¡±


    She called him Ah-wei out of haste, but it sounded unintentional.


    Ye Chengwei felt better and reached out a hand to pinch An Ran¡¯s jaw softly. ¡°I¡¯ve already arranged it for you.


    I¡¯ve given you a role in Eastern City Company. You tell your mom you need to live in the dormitory there.¡±


    ¡°Eastern City Company?¡± An Ran knew it was a big company under Ye Group from her one year experience of job hunting. But it was in a suburb outside of Eastern City, very far from her home. It would take her 3 hours on the bus each day to get there.


    He was thoughtful.


    ¡°But you are actually here waiting in this beautiful cage for me everyday.¡± Ye Chengwei smirked. ¡°Surely I might not come back. But you have to wait for me everyday.¡±


    He sounded really haughty.


    An Ran didn¡¯t know what to say.


    Ye Chengwei ignored her upset and opened the drawer. He pinched a black card and passed it to An Ran. ¡°You can learn how to spend money as a benefit of being my mistress.¡±


    His slow tone was full of irony to An Ran. She didn¡¯t take it. ¡°I don¡¯t need it.¡±


    Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t say anything but thrusted the card in her bra. An Ran was shocked.


    The card felt cold next to her breast. She looked at him angrily.


    But Ye Chengwei sneered at her, not finding his gesture insulting. He remained cold and high. ¡°I¡¯ve said it. If you listen to me, I will spoil you. But if you don¡¯t¡­¡±


    He laughed mockingly and glanced at An Ran¡¯s breast. ¡°This is just the beginning, better not to feel bad about it.¡±


    An Ran felt a sore in her nose. She took out the thin card from her collar. She would very much like it to turn into a blade, so she could slash the devil¡¯s neck.


    ¡°Can I move here tomorrow?¡± An Ran gave up completely. She had nothing to fight against him.


    Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t force her and left leisurely. ¡°Zhang will pick you up tomorrow.¡±


    After the door was closed, An Ran folded her hands to jump in the room like mad. She opened her mouth to curse all the ancestors of Ye Chengwei.


    Who could tell her why she picked this devil who could lift people up to heaven and throw them in hell five years ago? WHY?

 Chapter 49

    An Ran didn¡¯t dare have Zhang take her to her door. She had Zhang let her go when there were still two stops before her neighborhood and she walked home slowly.


    During these past five years, the family of three still lived in that old neighborhood. Many neighbors had already moved away, even Ai Meimei¡¯s family.


    It was already hard for Gao Enying to raise two kids and have them complete university. She didn¡¯t have any extra money to buy a new home. Thankfully, the siblings were good kids. They lived in that old house, but it was very heartwarming.


    An Ran prepared to go buy groceries at the supermarket nearby before going home. By now, Gao Enying should be at work.


    Just as she was about to enter the supermarket, she heard someone scream, ¡°Stop him! Stop him! Thief!¡± It was a very anxious female¡¯s voice.


    A young man with a red purse suddenly rushed toward An Ran. Passersby didn¡¯t know what was happening and no one stopped him. Just as this man, fast as wind, was about to brush past An Ran, she got the courage from somewhere and suddenly extended her leg. She tripped the man.


    ¡°You f*cking¡­¡± Seeing as someone tripped him, the man grew menacing. He cursed and got up. He tried to hit An Ran, but someone caught his raised arm.


    An Ran was relieved. Two police officers had hurried over in time and stopped the man from committing violence.


    ¡°Miss, is this your bag?¡± The officer grabbed the bag from the man¡¯s hands and gave it to An Ran.


    ¡°No,¡± An Ran said.


    ¡°It¡¯s mine. Thank you,¡± a voice cut in. White clothing entered An Ran¡¯s view.


    She exchanged glances with the woman who¡¯d lost her bag, but both froze. A strange feeling arose in An Ran¡¯s heart¡ªslightly familiar.


    That woman was very pretty and elegant. She wore a white dress and had natural, wavy hair. She was like a fairy and made one comfortable.


    Her temperament went without saying. She was very elegant and looked like a cultured princess.


    Her bag had two letters on it: LV. No matter how uneducated An Ran was about name brands, she still knew these two letters.


    ¡°This is yours?¡± the officer asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The woman spoke delicately and was as comforting as a spring breeze. ¡°I can tell you what¡¯s in the bag.¡± She didn¡¯t act like a spoiled brat and have a bad attitude. Instead, she cooperated with the officers.


    She mentioned the main items in the bag. After the officer checked, he returned the bag to her and nodded at An Ran. ¡°You should thank this girl. She tripped the thief, very brave.¡±


    The last bit was praise for An Ran.


    She smiled faintly.


    ¡°Thank you.¡± The white-dressed girl smiled at An Ran. She was both noble and endearing.


    Other than celebrities, this was the girl who made An Ran feel the most comfortable to her eyes. She was so beautiful, elegant, cultured, and composed. It was as if everything good was gathered in her.


    ¡°No problem.¡± An Ran smiled in reply and walked into the supermarket.


    ¡°Hey!¡± the girl called out at An Ran¡¯s back. She didn¡¯t turn around and the girl didn¡¯t call out again.


    Perhaps giving her money would be disrespectful, she thought.


    The girl smiled at herself and started walking away with her bag. She got into a red sports car on the side of the road.


    ***


    An Ran bought some groceries and went home. Gao Enying wasn¡¯t home now, naturally. She cleaned up the house and started packing her daily necessities into a suitcase.


    This demon! An Ran grew frustrated as she packed. She sat on the bed, her mood falling.

 Chapter 50

    She wasn¡¯t good at lying to people, nor did she know whether Gao Enying could notice it after she told her about the move.


    The day just went by. At sunset, everyone walked back home in a hurry and Gao Enying should be back anytime. An Ran walked to the kitchen and put on an apron to cook dinner, and her phone rang.


    It was Gao Enying.


    ¡°Mom.¡± An Ran answered the phone.


    ¡°Ranran, where are you?¡± She sounded delightful and not wanting to criticize her for not coming back last night.


    An Ran was a little relieved. ¡°I¡¯m at home¡­I overworked last night and came back to sleep this morning.¡±


    ¡°Are you rested?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m in good spirits.¡± An Ran smiled. ¡°I¡¯m preparing dinner. When would you be back, Mom?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll eat outside.¡± Gao Enying chuckled in the call. She seemed very happy.


    An Ran noticed it and asked, ¡°Did you get promoted, Mom? You sound happy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it right. You are my girl.¡± Gao Enying laughed.


    ¡°Seriously, mom, did you get promoted to departmental manager?¡± An Ran felt happy for her.


    ¡°Well, yes. They will announce it tonight¡­After all those years, your mom has become a woman who is paid a salary!¡±


    Finally there was something good in life! An Ran felt happy for a second and sad and twitched her nose at the thought of all the troubles that Gao Enying had gone through while raising them.


    ¡°Ranran, are you crying? Silly girl. This is a happy thing. Don¡¯t cry for it.¡±


    ¡°I know, mom, you¡¯ve sacrificed a lot.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t. Now that you and your brother have grown up, I¡¯m waiting for you to take care of me instead. I can¡¯t count on Ah-ze but my daughter is truly sweet.


    That¡¯s why I don¡¯t want to call him but to only bring you to the evening party tonight.¡±


    ¡°Me? May I come?¡± An Ran was surprised.


    ¡°Our boss is very reasonable. She allowed us to bring families. Hehe.¡± Gao Enying laughed and said, ¡°Ranran, dress yourself up quickly. Let them all see my girl is prettier than stars.¡±


    An Ran chuckled. ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll dress up quickly. Couldn¡¯t dare to disgrace you, Mom.¡±


    ¡°Then you take a taxi to Sirloin Restaurant.¡±


    ¡°Wow, your boss is so generous. She invites you dinner at Sirloin. Mom you¡¯ve been truly valued.¡±


    The steak in Sirloin is the most expensive one in A City. It belonged to the second richest family, Family Gu, and was known for high price and delicacy of western food. Allegedly, it used only a small spot of beef to make steak and dispose of all the rest, which was why it cost so much.


    ¡°Not just your mom, but every employee in the company.¡±


    An Ran was stoned and finally said, ¡°Really rich.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her boyfriend¡¯s money. He was said to show up tonight. Alright, no more gossip. Take a taxi here quickly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    An Ran hung up and rushed to dress herself up. She was no longer upset. She did a soft look, almost like a nude. But she did look more attractive.


    Sirloin was decorated in European style. Lots of fancy cars parked in its square.


    An Ran got down the taxi and tidied her dress, then she walked to the restaurant. It¡¯s her first time in such a fancy place, so she couldn¡¯t help feeling a little nervous.

 Chapter 51

    She saw Gao Enying¡¯s beautiful figure at the entrance of the European restaurant. She still maintained a slim body and emanated the aura of a mature woman.


    For this dinner, Gao Enying had specially curled her hair, usually tied up, after work. It added a more alluring color.


    She also had faint makeup on, making her features even more defined. She didn¡¯t use any fancy skincare products, but her skin was naturally tight. If she didn¡¯t reveal her age, who would guess that she was already 45 years old?


    She looked like she was in her early thirties.


    Her black dress wasn¡¯t expensive, but it was tightened perfectly at the waist, showing her thin waist. Her temperament raised to a higher level too. Standing at this fancy place, she didn¡¯t look any less than the rich women in expensive name brand clothes.


    An Ran always appreciated Gao Enying. Everyone said that she looked like Gao Enying and had inherited her good genes, but to An Ran, her mother was the most beautiful.


    She couldn¡¯t imitate Gao Enying¡¯s natural elegance.


    ¡°Mom,you¡¯re so pretty today,¡± An Ran said genuinely.


    ¡°My daughter is even better.¡± Gao Enying hooked arms with An Ran and led her into the restaurant.


    This pair attracted eyeballs everywhere they went. If An Ze was on Gao Enying¡¯s other side, they would really be a sight.


    Along the way, An Ran received a lot of praise. People even asked about her age, probably wanting to introduce her to someone.


    Gao Enying brought her to chat with some colleagues she was close with. The owner hadn¡¯t come yet, so the dinner hadn¡¯t started yet.


    After a while, the female boss strolled in gracefully, dressed in a purple fishtail dress studded in Swarovski diamonds.


    She was an elegant woman in her thirties, radiating with the confidence and aura of a strong woman. As soon as she entered, everyone quieted down and sat down nearby.


    Her name was Zheng Yingzhi. Gao Enying often mentioned her and always praised her. This was An Ran¡¯s first time meeting her, but she had a good impression. She had the sharpness of a strong woman, but she still looked friendly when she smiled.


    Zheng Yingzhi stood in the center of the restaurant and said some things, thanking her company¡¯s employees. Then she announced the good news of Gao Enying and two other workers¡¯ promotion and the dinner started amidst applause.


    The steak wasn¡¯t a large serving, but it was shockingly expensive.


    One of the colleagues nearby chuckled and said, ¡°I¡¯m too scared to eat when I think that I¡¯m eating money.¡±


    Everyone laughed happily. An Ran picked up her fork and knife, suddenly losing herself in her thoughts.


    She thought of herself five years ago. She was an 18-year-old girl who didn¡¯t know how to eat Western food. She embarrassed herself so much before Ye Chengwei, but he nicely helped her cut up the steak.


    ¡°Ranran, you¡¯re too scared to eat too?¡± Gao Enying touched An Ran¡¯s elbow.


    An Ran blinked and smiled shyly. She started to cut the steak. She didn¡¯t eat Western food often, but she wasn¡¯t as helpless as before.


    She glanced at Gao Enying. Her movements were elegant yet practiced as if she was born into such a rich lifestyle. The dazzling crystal lights reflected on her and An Ran was dazed.


    Was this really her mother who was immersed in the mundanity of everyday life?


    How come someone so beautiful is willing to be single for more than 20 years?

 Chapter 52

    While she thought about it, she took a bite of the steak. It was really good and reminded her of the steak she had in Ye Chengwei¡¯s villa. They tasted alike. To give it a thought, the steak back then must have used the best part of beef and cooked carefully as well.


    After they ate for a while, waiters had brought the wine. And Zheng Yingzhi¡¯s voice was heard in a good timing. ¡°Sorry, may I have your attention please? I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone again for your effort in our company. Let¡¯s have a drink. Hopefully our team can be stronger and more stable. Cheers!¡±


    They all raised the glass.


    Gao Enying was about to drink when she suddenly saw a hale and hearty man in suits walking to Zheng Yingzhi.


    The man was so tall and strong that the tall Zheng Yingzhi was like a bird standing next to him. He had a pair of rimless glasses on and looked gentle. The warm smile added extra charm to him.


    He was not young and might be above 50. But his calm attitude and hearty spirit made him look young and also charming in maturity.


    He cheered with Zheng Yingzhi softly and kept smiling.


    Zheng Yingzhi looked at him with hearty delight. She was obviously in love with him. Her sight to her lover shone like diamond. There was no need to hide it, nor could it be withheld.


    ¡°My God! Isn¡¯t he the second richest person in A City, Gu Cheng?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s him. I saw his picture on the financial magazine. He looked gentle just like this.¡±


    ¡°No wonder my boss would like to treat us in such a fancy restaurant. There¡¯s a big boss buying it.¡±


    ¡°Gu Cheng is the boyfriend of our boss. What a rich man¡­¡±


    Everyone gossiped and looked at the couple with envy, jealousy and hate. Although Gu Cheng was almost as old as their fathers, they still dreamed of chasing after him and money.


    Gao Enying didn¡¯t say anything. She just drank her wine and cut her steak.


    ¡°I thought rich businessmen must be fat, but Gu Cheng was more like a scholar than a businessman.¡± An Ran admired him a little.


    Gao Enying stopped cutting her steak and looked at An Ran. She said absentmindedly, ¡°If the steak gets cold, it will lose its flavor.¡±


    An Ran shrugged and went on cutting steak.


    Outstanding as Gu Cheng was, he was from her father¡¯s generation.


    After Zheng Yingzhi and Gu Cheng drank with each other, they picked up another two glasses of wine from the waiter¡¯s tray. Zheng Yingzhi said softly, ¡°I want to make toasts to thank my best employees. Would you accompany me?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± Gu Cheng had a low voice.


    Then Zheng Yingzhi walked first to Gao Enying, hand in hand with Gu Cheng. Gao Enying was concentrating on eating her steak and didn¡¯t notice their cometh. Zheng Yingzhi patted her shoulder gently and called her, ¡°Enying.¡±


    Gao Enying was startled but soon she took her glass and stood up. She turned to Zheng Yingzhi and smiled at her. ¡°CEO Zheng.¡±


    She looked at Gu Cheng and smiled again.


    Gu Cheng¡¯s eyes were deep behind the lenses. He made a smile back at her out of a kind gesture.


    Zheng Yingzhi raised her glass and made a toast to Gao Enying, ¡°Enying, I must make a toast to you. You are doing great. Keep it up. There¡¯s great potential for you in the company.¡±

 Chapter 53

    ¡°Thank you, CEO Zheng.¡± Gao Enying smiled and drank all the red wine.


    Zheng Yingyi hooked arms with Gu Cheng and went to toast the other excellent workers. Gu Cheng gently hugged her waist.


    Gao Enying returned to her seat. Her smile faded and she took a subtle breath. Looking at the half of steak on her plate, she suddenly lost her appetite.


    ¡°Mom, are you uncomfortable? You look pale,¡± An Ran saw her discomfort.


    Gao Enying froze and touched her forehead with a faint smile. ¡°I¡¯m okay.¡±


    While speaking, she poured another glass of red wine and sipped slowly. She seemed to be deep in thought.


    Suddenly, a piano sounded in the restaurant. The melody was Love in Hiroshima. Even though it was tinged with sadness, one had to admit that it was very lovely.


    Or rather, the pianist included his own feelings into it.


    ¡°It¡¯s Gu Cheng playing. He sounds great.¡±


    ¡°I heard before that he¡¯s talented. It seems to be true.¡±


    ¡°He matches CEO Zheng well.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s so much older¡­¡±


    ¡°Since when does age matter?¡±


    ¡°But why this song? He should play something else if he wants to confess his love.¡±


    ¡°Our CEO Zheng likes it. Don¡¯t you know that she loves this song?¡±


    ¡°I think this song is about love outside of marriage¡­¡±


    ¡°Who cares as long as it sounds nice? Plus, it¡¯s not like Gu Cheng is playing for us.¡±


    An Ran was listening attentively when Gao Enying suddenly grabbed her hand. ¡°Ranran, Mom doesn¡¯t feel good suddenly. Let¡¯s go home.¡±


    An Ran saw that Gao Enying was indeed a bit pale.


    Zheng Yingyi was sitting beside Gu Cheng, gazing lovingly at each other, so Gao Enying didn¡¯t go say goodbye. She had a colleague pass on the word and left the restaurant with An Ran.


    She walked quickly, as if escaping.


    ¡°Mom, do you want to go to the hospital?¡± An Ran asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be fine after resting at home.¡± Gao Enying smiled faintly.


    An Ran could see that it was forced.


    Gao Enying always tried to save money, but she broke the habit and hailed a cab home. She didn¡¯t talk to An Ran along the way. She just stared blankly at the neon lights outside the window. They formed beautiful images under the night sky.


    After getting home, color returned to Gao Enying¡¯s face, but she still didn¡¯t feel like talking. An Ran had something to say though. It was the lie that Ye Chengwei had prepared for her.


    ¡°Mom, I found a job at East City Company.¡±


    ¡°East City? That far?¡± Gao Enying¡¯s voice was soft and she seemed dazed.


    ¡°Yeah, so I¡­ I¡¯m moving to the company dorm tomorrow morning. I¡¯ll come back on weekends¡­¡± An Ran finished brokenly.


    Gao Enying was usually sensitive, but she didn¡¯t notice anything amiss. Seeming tired, she gave a short reply and added, ¡°Stay safe. I¡¯m a bit tired. I want to rest in my room.¡±


    She went to her room before An Ran replied.


    An Ran was surprised. She thought this would be troublesome, but Gao Enying didn¡¯t care at all. She felt like something was wrong with Gao Enying, but she couldn¡¯t pinpoint it.


    The next day, Zhang brought An Ran to the villa. Her life as a caged bird started officially.


    She saw Ye Chengwei¡¯s Lamborghini in the garage. That guy was actually here.


    ¡°Miss An,¡± Zhang said politely to her. ¡°Let me know if you want to go out. I will drive you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡± An Ran smiled politely and went upstairs.

 Chapter 54

    Sister Rong was already in the living room. She saw An Ran walking upstairs and came to carry the suitcase for her. It was not heavy, with only a few clothes. She didn¡¯t pack much since Ye Chengwei had already prepared new clothes for her.


    As she expected, Sister Rong said, ¡°Miss An, change your clothes first. Young Master is waiting for you to have lunch in the dining hall.¡±


    She dressed cheaply, or at least Ye Chengwei thought so.


    She took a shower and had an overall change. She wore the new underwear which fit her perfectly. Young Master Ye did have seen a lot of women and could tell her size with a sight.


    Sister Rong had arranged her stuff orderly. To be honest, she was a nice person.


    She went down in her slippers. It was already an hour later. Ye Chengwei must have become impatient in the dining hall. He might punish her again by not letting her eat.


    But surprisingly, Ye Chengwei sat at the table looking happy, although he was not smiling.


    He saw An Ran walking to him slowly with all her newly-washed hair down. He sniffed a little and smelled the scent of rose. His face turned soft, which made him more attractive.


    He reached out an arm to put on the chair next to him, indicating for An Ran to sit down.


    An Ran did as he asked. She didn¡¯t know what to say.


    There were only two sets of bowls and chopsticks on the table. After she sat down, maidens went to the kitchen to bring all the dishes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you like to eat.¡± Ye Chengwei played with her soft hair and said gently, ¡°You can tell Sister Rong. She¡¯ll see to it.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Take here as your home.¡± Ye Chengwei¡¯s voice was warm and affectionate.


    ¡°Sister Rong will arrange your daily activities. You can choose what you want to do, but you must be back here everyday.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°Can you stop ¡®oh¡¯?¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    Ye Chengwei: ¡­


    ***


    It was a sunny day. An Ran walked to the balcony to enjoy the land view of the villas which were surrounded by hills and water. Allegedly it had the best fengshui. And Ye Chengwei¡¯s villas was at its best spot.


    But An Ran was not in the mood for it. She just felt uneasy and restricted in this wide space.


    She lay in the chair lazily and heard the footstep. She went up immediately and remembered that Ye Chengwei hadn¡¯t left yet.


    He walked to her confidently at ease with one hand in his pocket. An Ran wouldn¡¯t deny that she really liked watching him walking in this way. He was handsome and free.


    He walked with a nice smelling of perfume.


    An Ran sniffed it unconsciously. He smelled like this five years ago and she still remembered it.


    Ye Chengwei squatted at her side and stared at her. ¡°I¡¯ll go to the company and return tonight.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­En.¡± An Ran answered him in a low voice.


    Ye Chengwei put on a smile. He was in a good mood today to tolerate her, and even spoiled her a little.


    He took her hand and put a diamond ring in her middle finger like a magician. It fit well as if it was customized for her.


    An Ran looked at him with shock. The ring had about three carat diamonds. It was not huge but still a big stone.


    ¡°To our start.¡± Ye Chengwei said gently.


    An Ran didn¡¯t speak. She smiled, but her heart was filled with complex feelings.


    From now on she would own diamond rings, limited edition handbags and new clothes with their tags on waiting for her to choose them.

 Chapter 55

    From now on, she could have egg-sized diamonds, buy limited edition bags whenever she wanted, and have new clothes waiting for her to wear with the tags still on.


    But what meaning did this kind of life have?


    From now on, she was like a bird with clipped wings. She could only stay obediently imprisoned in this elegant cage, waiting for her owner to throw her away.


    She thought of An Ze.


    Five years ago, she struggled out of the swamp but fell in accidentally again. She became the lover that An Ze looked down on again.


    ¡°Remember, I like good girls,¡± he said with the aura of a king. His gentleness contained dominance.


    Yes, everyone liked good girls. Wasn¡¯t being a lover just like being a puppet?


    ¡ª


    Ye Chengwei got off work early. He returned to the villa, ate dinner with An Ran, and held her hand, walking her back home.


    Some things that were about to happen went without saying.


    The neighborhood was dimly lit and the lights interwove. It was as beautiful as a festival.


    An Ran stood before the window of the bathroom and dried her hair slowly with a hairdryer. She was dragging the time out, but no matter how she dallied, she had to go out.


    After calming herself down, she turned off the hairdryer and opened the bathroom door.


    Ye Chengwei wore a white robe and was laying in bed. He was reading, but when An Ran walked out, his eyes slid over.


    His lips curled into a smirk. ¡°How come you didn¡¯t shower the entire night?¡±


    Naturally, he saw through her.


    An Ran pouted and moved slowly to the bed. She was as slow as a snail. Ye Chengwei grabbed her wrist and pulled her over. She fell into his arms. Then he turned and pressed down on her.


    Ah! An Ran yelped and looked nervously at Ye Chengwei¡¯s eyes.


    Lights flickered but made one feel panic.


    ¡°Nervous?¡± Ye Chengwei¡¯s voice was extremely soft, but it made An Ran¡¯s heart pound even faster.


    She was as stiff as a piece of meat taken out of the freezer and could only mumble something.


    ¡°Silly girl.¡± Ye Chengwei chuckled dotingly and slid his hand through An Ran¡¯s long hair. He caressed her softly with unlimited gentleness, making her relax without knowing.


    His murmur brushed past An Ran¡¯s face like a warm breeze, making her flush instantly.


    And Ye Chengwei¡¯s kiss landed on her lips the next second.


    ¡­


    An Ran¡¯s tears rolled down involuntarily, sliding into her long hair from the corner of her eyes.


    She sighed inwardly. The debt that she¡¯d owed for five years was going to be paid now.


    After some entanglement, Ye Chengwei went to sleep. He had An Ran use his arm as a pillow and encircled her in his arms. This way, he slept well.


    But An Ran wasn¡¯t sleepy at all. She looked at Ye Chengwei with wide eyes. Did cold gods only look less cold when they were deep in sleep?


    How many girls did such a perfect man have in his life? Was she only a passerby in his life? She still remembered his words from before. You¡¯re only a lover repaying a debt. She couldn¡¯t have feelings for him. He wasn¡¯t sentimental.


    Ha, not sentimental!


    How many rich men were sentimental?


    Darkness flashed past An Ran¡¯s face. She closed her eyes, forcing herself to sleep.


    She shouldn¡¯t think about these things. She didn¡¯t qualify to search for the answer either.

 Chapter 56

    She shouldn¡¯t think about that, nor was she qualified to search for the answer .


    She was just a comfortable pillow for him five years ago and now was the same.


    ***


    It was a sunny morning.


    Ye Chengwei¡¯s back shimmered with sweat.


    An Ran felt weak all over and exhausted. She pulled the quilt and fell asleep. She didn¡¯t know when Ye Chengwei left.


    When she woke up, it was almost ten o¡¯clock. It was super quiet and dark in the room. The curtain had blocked sunlight. No wonder she had slept so well.


    Did Ye Chengwei or Sister Rong pull the curtain for her so attentively?


    Might be Ye Chengwei. An Ran smiled unconsciously while lying on her hand. Sister Rong had received enough training to know not to enter their room.


    So it must be Ye Chengwei. An Ran felt happy at this thought.


    In fact, he was quite considerate.


    An Ran stayed in bed and stared at the splendid crystal light. After having a trance, she finally went up to wash her face and brush teeth.


    Sister Rong appeared in her sight kindly as always. She said a ¡°Good morning¡± to her and took her downstairs to the dinning hall.


    She poured her a glass of hot milk and prepared bread for her.


    ¡°Would you like a fried egg?¡± Sister Rong asked with a smile.


    ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± An Ran smiled at her. She liked Sister Rong. Although she always kept a professional smile, she could feel her kindness.


    Sister Rong went to fry eggs. An Ran drank milk and suddenly felt upset.


    What should she do after breakfast? She just realized that she would have nothing to do and felt at a loss.


    Was this the life of a canary?


    Sister Rong was good at cooking. The fried egg was tender. The yolk stayed on the egg white like jelly. It looked like a piece of art.


    ¡°It¡¯s so pretty. I don¡¯t want to ruin it.¡± An Ran said.


    Sister Rong chuckled. ¡°Actually, Young Master can fry eggs better than me. You must have the chance to taste it one day, Miss An.¡±


    That man could cook? What a surprising discovery! She thought he was the kind of person who never cooked.


    You can¡¯t really tell people from their appearances! He finally shows behaviors like a normal person.


    ¡°Would you like to go out, Miss An?¡± Sister Rong asked again.


    Where? An Ran didn¡¯t like hanging around or strolling blindly. She said lightly, ¡°I¡¯ll just walk around the estate.¡±


    Sister Rong said, ¡°If you don¡¯t like shopping, you can take some training classes to kill time, Miss An.¡±


    She noticed An Ran¡¯s loneliness.


    ¡°Training classes?¡±


    ¡°I have some materials and I can show you.¡± Then Sister Rong left the dining hall.


    Soon she brought a few materials to An Ran.


    There was a class for arranging flowers, aerobic exercises in the gym, violin, piano and other artistic sessions. An Ran didn¡¯t like any of them.


    The last one was a dancing class. An Ran read it carefully.


    Sister Rong saw it and said, ¡°You like dancing, Miss An.¡±

 Chapter 57

    An Ran smiled but didn¡¯t deny it. She¡¯d never been trained professionally before, but she¡¯d always been into the arts at school. She was flexible and good at dancing.


    ¡°Miss An, if you like it, I can go register for you today,¡± Sister Rong said.


    ¡°Okay.¡± An Ran nodded. She could finally do something she liked.


    After eating breakfast, An Ran strolled around the neighborhood, getting familiar with the environment. She didn¡¯t return until close to noon. As soon as she entered, she smelled the faint fragrance of chicken soup.


    Sister Rong had already returned. She was putting a bouquet of lilies in a vase in the living room.


    Was she hoping that An Ran and Ye Chengwei would be happy forever, according to the flower language? Sister Rong must think that he doted on her. To an outsider, the two were still together even after five years. What could it be other than deep remembrance?


    Who would know that the truth was so ugly? She was only using her body to repay a debt.


    ¡°Miss An, I helped you register for dance class,¡± Sister Rong said. ¡°There¡¯s a class tomorrow morning. Will you go?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡± An Ran nodded. She didn¡¯t have anything else to do.


    ¡°Lunch will be ready soon,¡± Sister Rong said. ¡°When the Young Master left this morning, he told me to stew black chicken and pigeon soup to enrichen your blood.¡±


    Enrichen blood¡­


    An Ran grew embarrassed and quickly said, ¡°I need to go upstairs.¡±


    She only had that bit of blood. Did she need to enrichen it?


    After staying there for a bit, she went downstairs to eat. The entire table of food was all for her.


    ¡°Sister Rong, let¡¯s eat together,¡± she said. After all, she was a normal family¡¯s child. She didn¡¯t care about these things and instead, felt restricted.


    Sister Rong smiled. Instead of answering, she ladled out a bowl of chicken soup and placed it before An Ran. ¡°Miss An,¡± she said softly. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a Young Master act so considerate for a girl before.¡±


    An Ran didn¡¯t speak. She just picked up her spoon to drink soup. Ye Chengwei was so bipolar. Using his own words, it was heaven if he doted on you. It was hell if you went against him.


    He was indeed very considerate and gentle when he spoiled someone. When he was angry, he was also cold and sharp, making people feel too scared to get close.


    Perhaps, all rich young masters were like this, hoping everyone and everything would follow his will.


    While she was thinking, Ye Chengwei called.


    ¡°Hello?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Are you drinking the soup?¡± His tone was okay and quite caring. This meant that he was in a good mood.


    ¡°Yes.¡± An Ran felt some warmth in her heart and her tone softened.


    ¡°Okay, drink some more. Sister Rong is best at making soup.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she replied obediently.


    ¡°Take a nap after eating. Around five o¡¯clock, have Zhang bring you to Upper Island Restaurant.¡±


    Upper Island Restaurant was one of the famous Western restaurants of A City. It wasn¡¯t far from the Gu Family¡¯s Sirloin, but if one had to rank them, Sirloin was a bit better.


    Someone as attentive to detail as Ye Chengwei should go to Sirloin.


    But An Ran didn¡¯t ask. She just made a noise of agreement. He liked obedient girls, so she would be obedient.


    ¡°Give the phone to Sister Rong.¡±


    An Ran handed the phone over. She didn¡¯t know what Ye Chengwei said. Sister Rong just kept saying ¡°okay¡± and then hung up.


    ¡°Miss An, call me when you wake up from your nap. I¡¯ll help you dress up.¡± She returned the phone to An Ran.


    ¡°Okay.¡± An Ran nodded, realizing that this was what they talked about in the call.


    After eating, An Ran lay in bed and read for a while before dozing off.

 Chapter 58

    After lunch, An Ran read for a while in bed and then fell asleep. This easy life was like a dream but could certainly weaken people¡¯s wills.


    An Ran remained in bed for a while after she woke up. Then she forced herself to cheer up and asked Sister Rong to dress her up.


    Sister Rong had new clothes sent to her. No. To be concise, Ye Chengwei had asked her to send a new gown for the dinner tonight.


    It was white and bright artificial diamonds dangling from its hemline. The style was simple but the craft and textile were both the best. It looked expensive for its simplicity.


    An Ran put it on and the dress made her look more slender. Her long hair was set on her back.


    Ye Chengwei did have a taste of clothes.


    He must have accumulated the experience from other girls. An Ran thought to herself.


    From its tag An Ran learned that this little dress cost more than 100k, which shocked her. Did she have to wear such an expensive gown? It was just a dinner and it wasn¡¯t made of gold.


    An Ran felt uneasy all of a sudden.


    Sister Rong chose a silver handbag for her out of many designer bags of hers. It was tiny and delicate. With it in hand, An Ran instantly looked like a lady.


    She looked even better in a pair of high-heels of the same color.


    ¡°You are so beautiful with no makeup on, Miss An.¡± Sister Rong said. ¡°But the light would be dim in the evening. Let me make you a night makeup, so you wouldn¡¯t look so pale.¡±


    ¡°Ok.¡±


    An Ran sat in front of the dressing mirror. Sister Rong was trained before, so she was also good at makeup. She just emphasized An Ran¡¯s eyes to make her big eyes more attractive.


    Her hair was made into big curls by Sister Rong and was let down on her shoulders freely. She looked fresh and beautiful. An Ran felt very content and couldn¡¯t help thinking the job of a senior housekeeper was not easy as she had to be capable of everything.


    Zhang picked An Ran up at 5 o¡¯clock sharp and sent her to Upper Island Restaurant.


    Lamps had just been on and neons shone. A City looked prosperous.


    After she said the name of Ye Chengwei, the waiter led her to a large box.


    There was a long table in it, which looked very grandeur in the light. Ye Chengwei looked like a noble prince in a tidy and clean shirt.


    The waiter pulled a chair for An Ran. She was a few meters away from him.


    Wasn¡¯t it interesting to eat like this? Didn¡¯t they have to yell at each other?


    Ye Chengwei looked at An Ran and didn¡¯t say a thing. An Ran didn¡¯t talk either. But his eyes were full of light. He might think she was pretty today.


    Until someone knocked on the door. Ye Chengwei said, ¡°Come in, please.¡±


    The door was opened. A large bunch of red roses were seen on a cart. There were dews on the petals, shining like diamonds in the light.


    The waiter was about to send the cart to An Ran when Ye Chengwei called him, ¡°Wait a second.¡±


    He got up and walked to it gracefully. He took the flowers on the cart and turned over to smile at An Ran.


    An Ran felt dazzled at the moment. She almost thought she was having a real and sweet relationship with Ye Chengwei. Her heat kept racing.


    Ye Chengwei bent over and kissed her forehead gently. His voice was charming. ¡°My little An-an, you look stunning.¡±


    ¡°Little An-an?¡± An Ran looked at him confused.

 Chapter 59

    Ye Chengwei smiled. ¡°There must be a lot of people who call you Ranran or Little Ran. I just want to call you An-an. It¡¯s the name that belongs only to me.¡±


    The gentle tone had a tinge of dominance, but it was likeable.


    Indeed, only he called her An-an.


    An Ran smiled, holding the roses. No girl disliked this gentle dominance. Her smile was genuine and made her even more beautiful. Her gaze was like a spring creek.


    Ye Chengwei sat down beside her, not wanting to be so far away from her. The server immediately moved the utensils over, putting them in an organized manner.


    Right then, the musician standing nearby started playing the violin. The melody was graceful and filled with emotions.


    Ye Chengwei snapped his fingers and a server poured two glasses of red wine for them.


    Ye Chengwei raised his glass and clinked lightly against An Ran¡¯s. ¡°An-an, cheers to your anniversary.¡±


    ¡°My anniversary?¡± An Ran was confused, but lifted her glass hesitantly. What anniversary?


    Ye Chengwei¡¯s smile deepened, making An Ran think that something was wrong. Indeed, his words instantly made An Ran¡¯s cheeks heat up.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you become an adult yesterday? This is a special day that you only have once in your life. Shouldn¡¯t you commemorate it?¡±


    An Ran glared at him. Even though the server stood to the side, seemingly very professional, it didn¡¯t mean he couldn¡¯t hear. How could he mention such private matters in front of someone else?


    But Ye Chengwei smiled while drinking wine. ¡°Cheers to the start of our sweetness.¡±


    An Ran didn¡¯t move, but Ye Chengwei finished his glass. His hand had been resting on An Ran¡¯s shoulder, but now, it crawled down her swan neck like an ant, squeezing her earlobe.


    Carrying a fragrance, he turned and leaned toward her ear. ¡°What, you¡¯re unwilling to start sweetly with me? Or are you acting cute to make me drink the wine for you? And then feed it into your mouth like a creek?¡±


    These words were too cringeworthy.


    But it worked. An Ran quickly emptied her glass. It was quality red wine, but she furrowed her brows.


    Ye Chengwei patted her face. ¡°Oh my. Should I have Sister Rong help you sign up for a manners class?¡±


    ¡°So you like a cultured girl,¡± An Ran said, not agreeing.


    Ye Chengwei moved close to her ears and murmured, ¡°I like you.¡±


    An Ran¡¯s heart jumped up, but Ye Chengwei seemed to not know what his words had caused. His expression was unchanged.


    An Ran, why are you panicking? He just said the word ¡°like.¡± It¡¯s not rare. Who knows how many girls he¡¯d said that to already?


    There¡¯s no need to take it seriously!


    Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t like to talk when eating Western food, so they didn¡¯t chat. After the meal, Ye Chengwei gently hugged An Ran¡¯s thin waist and left the restaurant.


    He called his chauffeur over to drive while he sat in the back, hugging An Ran. He held her in his arms, as gentle as water. An Ran rested against his chest. It was oddly comforting to hear his heartbeat.


    The two didn¡¯t speak along the way, but this wordless quietude was the most heartwarming.


    ¡°I like you¡± kept spinning around An Ran¡¯s mind. She said she shouldn¡¯t mind it, but she kept thinking about it.

 Chapter 60

    The words ¡°I like you¡± kept spinning around An Ran¡¯s mind. She said she shouldn¡¯t mind it, but she kept thinking about it.


    But the wine took effect and An Ran fell asleep in Ye Chengwei¡¯s arms.


    After they arrived at the villa, Ye Chengwei didn¡¯t wake her up and just brought her back to the room.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª


    You don¡¯t Deserve to Have my Baby (1)


    An Ran turned over and felt her body almost falling apart, so she decided to go back to sleep and restore her strength. But she only found air.


    She opened her eyes at once and found that Ye Chengwei had left.


    Did he go away?


    An Ran didn¡¯t want to sleep anymore, so she sat up and yawned. She put on slippers and walked to the window, and pulled the veil curtain.


    Blue water rippled in the swimming pool in the garden. Ye Chengwei was having a morning swim in black swimsuits.


    She had to admit that god had given him a renewed family, a perfect looking and a perfect statue.


    He was so perfect that people would easily envy him. What he had done in his former life to be favored by god like this?


    A knock on the door was heard. An Ran answered, ¡°Come in, please.¡±


    It was Sister Rong. An Ran had already guessed it was her. She smiled at An Ran who was standing aside the window, ¡°You are awake, Miss An.¡±


    ¡°En.¡±


    ¡°Young Master has said you should go to the pool once you wake up.¡±


    To do what?! An Ran frowned a little. Did he want to drag her down the water and choke her with it?


    Sister Rong added as if it just occurred to her, ¡°And he asked you to put on swimsuits, Miss An.¡±


    Swimsuits! An Ran was shocked. He did want to drag her down the water. Didn¡¯t he know that she couldn¡¯t swim? Did the guy ask her to bring a swimming ring as well?


    An Ran changed into swimsuits as she was told and wrapped her in a large towel. Then she went downstairs to the pool. She had gone through the wardrobe and found only this pair of swimsuits a little conservative. The others were all bikinis that she dared not to wear.


    At least she dared not to wear those in front of Ye Chengwei now, although she had already been seen by him.


    Seeing An Ran moving slowly, Ye Chengwei got out of the water and swam to the bank.


    ¡°Are you cold?¡± He looked at her in a tight cover with picky eyes.


    An Ran pouted her lips. She had known Ye Chengwei¡¯s way of speaking after staying these days with him. He was mocking at her.


    Ye Chengwei sneered. ¡°What have I not seen of you? Do you want me to take it off?¡±


    ¡°No, ¡± An Ran answered quickly and blushed. She gave Ye Chengwei a stare and took off the towel slowly. Only a few pieces of clothes covered her slender body.


    But the more she felt shy, the more she looked attractive.


    Her slim waist, snow-white skin and flat belly, which was shown, attracted Ye Chengwei¡¯s eyes. Something seemed to have come up to him.


    ¡°Get in the water.¡± He said drily.


    An Ran got down carefully but Ye Chengwei held her and kissed her hard like a storm. She wasn¡¯t prepared for it.


    After a while, Ye Chengwei loosen his grasp of An Ran. He put his forehead against hers and said warmly, ¡°I¡¯ll teach you how to swim.¡±


    If he were just teaching her to swim, why did he make such a scene? He should have seen it coming!