9: Chapter 9: Compensation at cost is sufficient.

Zhang Qi's fingers rested on Sun Yiyao's warm wrist. Skin met skin, delicate and smooth.

"Drink slowly, no one is going to snatch it from you." Zhang Qi's tone was casual.

Sun Yiyao felt as if she had been electrocuted; her wrist twitched slightly, but she didn't pull away.

She nodded obediently, cradling the wine glass, her rosy lips pressed against the rim, taking small, dainty sips of the red wine.

Her posture was indeed much more refined than before.

But alcohol was something that always bullied the weak and feared the strong.

The aftereffects of the binge she had just chugged on an empty stomach were now surging up like waves.

Before long, the wine glass was empty again.

Sun Yiyao set the glass down; those originally clear peach-blossom eyes were now clouded with a hazy mist.

The ripples in her eyes revealed an innate allure.

She bit her lower lip gently and spoke with a thick nasal tone, "Brother Qi, I've finished."

Zhang Qi didn't waste any words, directly snatching the phone from her hand. His fingertips inevitably brushed against the back of her hand.

Sun Yiyao's body trembled slightly, and her breathing became increasingly rapid.

Zhang Qi's fingers slid across the screen, scrolling straight to the bottom of the wine list. His gaze locked onto a dry red wine from Château Mouton Rothschild. The price tag read 58,800.

Without a moment's hesitation, he scanned the code to pay. The crisp notification sound of a successful payment was exceptionally pleasant in the quiet living room.

[Ding! Detected that the Host has spent 58,800 yuan on themselves, meeting the cashback conditions.]

[Double cashback triggered; 117,600 yuan has been transferred to the Host's savings card ending in 9527.]

[Current cumulative consumption: 108,324 yuan.]

The phone in his pocket vibrated. Zhang Qi fished it out and took a glance.

"Your savings account ending in 9527 has received a deposit of 117,600.00 RMB; current balance is 171,669.50 RMB."

Looking at the six-figure balance, the corners of Zhang Qi's mouth curled into a comfortable arc. His cumulative consumption had also successfully broken the 100,000 mark. He was one step closer to that tempting Physique point reward.

He tossed the phone back onto the coffee table and pushed it toward Sun Yiyao. Sun Yiyao looked down, her vision somewhat blurred.

When she clearly saw the 58,000 figure on the screen, along with the order success notification popping up in the background, she was completely stunned.

Fifty-eight thousand eight hundred. The commission for this single order was over four thousand. Added to the previous amounts, her commission for tonight was already nearly enough to match her base salary for two months.

Under the dual stimulation of alcohol and money, the string in Sun Yiyao's mind called 'reason' completely snapped. The bit of shrewdness and reserve she usually maintained as a salesperson was thrown to the winds.

She now had only one thought in her mind: to hold tight to this sturdy thigh in front of her.

"Brother Qi, you are so good to me." Sun Yiyao's voice was so soft and sweet it was almost dripping with moisture.

She picked up the decanter, preparing to pour wine for Zhang Qi. But this time, she didn't walk back to the single sofa opposite. Instead, emboldened by her tipsiness, she sat down directly next to Zhang Qi on the main sofa.

The distance between the two was instantly compressed to a negative value. Zhang Qi could clearly feel a shockingly soft mass pressing against his arm.

Immediately after, a unique fragrance aggressively drilled into his nostrils. It was the faint scent of body wash, mixed with the mellow richness of fermented high-end red wine, and supplemented by the unique body scent of a young woman.

Like a ripe peach, it exuded a sweet, alluring scent that invited one to pick it.

Sun Yiyao was wearing a tight-fitting skirt today. Sitting next to Zhang Qi now, her long legs, wrapped in ultra-thin black silk stockings, inevitably crossed. The skin on the outside of her thighs, separated only by the thin stockings and the fabric of Zhang Qi's trousers, rubbed closely together.

Warm body heat was constantly being transferred over. Zhang Qi could even feel her full chest, following her rapid breathing, rubbing against his arm with every movement. A deadly sensation.

Sun Yiyao wasn't having an easy time either. The man's scent was right at hand, carrying a steady, powerful masculine hormone smell. Added to that was the domineering filter brought by Zhang Qi's free-spending ways just moments ago.

Sun Yiyao only felt her whole body heating up, her legs going weak. She didn't even dare to look up into Zhang Qi's eyes, only able to keep her head down, pretending to be focused on pouring the wine. It's just that the hands holding the decanter were shaking violently. The crimson wine almost spilled onto the coffee table.

Just as this amorous atmosphere was about to reach a breaking point, an abrupt doorbell rang, shattering the quiet of the living room. The local delivery guy was highly efficient; that bottle of 58,000 Mouton had arrived.

"I'll get it." Sun Yiyao felt as if she had been granted amnesty, hurriedly bracing herself on the sofa armrest to stand up. But she overestimated her current level of sobriety. Just as she took a step, her high heel suddenly twisted. She lost her balance, falling straight toward the coffee table.

"Careful." Zhang Qi was quick-witted, extending his long arm to directly wrap around her waist. He pulled her in firmly. There wasn't an ounce of excess fat; what he touched was firm and smooth, fitting perfectly in his grasp.

Sun Yiyao cried out in surprise, falling straight into Zhang Qi's broad embrace. The collar of her tight white shirt loosened slightly, exposing a large, dazzling expanse of snowy white skin to the air without any defense.

Before Zhang Qi could savor the warm, fragrant jade in his arms, an accident struck suddenly. At the moment she fell, Sun Yiyao's flailing arm hit the edge of the coffee table squarely. Right there sat the bottle of 26,000 romanée-conti that had just been delivered and hadn't even been opened yet.

Bang. The crisp sound of shattering glass exploded in the living room. Deep red wine, mixed with shards of glass, spread rapidly across the floor. It looked like a shocking pool of blood.

The air in the living room froze instantly. Sun Yiyao stared blankly at the pool of red wine on the floor, her mind buzzing. Her drunkenness was instantly shocked away by more than half.

The 26,000 bottle of wine was shattered. The red wine she had downed tonight while wearing a forced smile, fighting for her life—all the commissions she had earned combined weren't even enough for a third of this bottle.

Her cheeks, previously flushed from the heat, were now as pale as paper. Even her rosy lips were trembling slightly.

"I, I'm sorry, Brother Qi." Sun Yiyao went limp in Zhang Qi's arms, her voice carrying a distinct crying tone. "I, I didn't mean to."

Zhang Qi looked down at the shivering woman in his arms. There was no fluctuation in his expression, his tone as flat as if he were commenting on the nice weather. "It's nothing, just pay for the damages."

This light sentence, falling into Sun Yiyao's ears, was no different from a bolt from the blue. The sky had collapsed. Twenty-six thousand—where was she going to get that much money? A huge sense of despair instantly swallowed her.

But at the same time, she remained pressed tightly against Zhang Qi's solid, warm chest. The man's strong hormonal scent kept assaulting her senses. The lingering effects of the alcohol were still wreaking havoc in her veins. Her desperate situation intertwined with the instinctive heat of her body. In her mind, it gave birth to an uncontrollable, crazy impulse.

Since she couldn't afford to pay, could she just not pay? It seemed... possible!

Sun Yiyao looked up, her exquisite, alluring face full of pitiable charm. She bit her lower lip, her peach-blossom eyes shimmering with moisture, her voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Brother Qi, I don't have that much money."

"Could… could we change the method of compensation?"