205: cooperate

"Hehe, Young Master Shen, here is the room card. Take it and have a good time."

Boss Fan smiled radiantly. Today, he was likely the only one among them whom Shen Qian would remember. Moreover, he had contributed to the 'gift' currently in the room. He was the one who benefited most from this gathering, so how could he not be happy?

Shen Qian wasn't drunk. He looked at the room card, then glanced at Boss Fan and smiled.

"Boss Fan, is it? Take down my number. If you need anything in the future, give me a call."

"Oh, oh! Young Master Shen, it is an honor, truly an honor! Please, go ahead, I'm recording it."

Shen Qian recited the number, and the other man immediately took out his phone, his fingers tapping rapidly.

"Got it, Young Master Shen. This hotel is one of my properties. If you need anything else later, or want to keep any particular room, just say the word."

I will send you my number via text. As long as you have a request that requires my presence, I will go through fire and water without hesitation."

"Quite impressive, Boss Fan."

"I don't deserve such praise; it's just a small business."

"Fine, I accept your kindness. I owe you one. If there are minor matters you can't settle in the future, you can come to me."

"Oh, thank you, thank you!"

Boss Fan thanked him repeatedly, bowing incessantly, bringing his flattery to an absolute extreme.

Although Shen Qian spoke of 'minor matters that can't be settled,' any businessman knew that a 'minor matter' to someone like him could potentially be a life-saver. Only a fool would actually approach him for something truly trivial.

Shen Qian pushed open the door. The light in the room was soft, and on the bed, a girl lay under the covers, watching him with a curious gaze at this very moment.

"As expected, it's you here."

Shen Qian gave a small smile and entered the bathroom. When he came back out, he was wearing a bathrobe.

"Is this voluntary or forced?"

"I wasn't willing at first, but once I knew it was you, I agreed."

"Does that mean you fell for me at first sight?"

"Yes," the girl nodded.

"Can you... be a bit gentle? I've never done this before."

"Of course."

The next morning, Shen Qian gently patted the girl.

"I'm leaving."

"You lied to me. Didn't you say you'd be gentle?"

The girl spoke in a somewhat coquettish manner.

Shen Qian shrugged, put on his clothes, and left directly without staying for a single moment.

Last night, after the girl had fainted, Shen Qian had called Boss Fan.

"This woman—did you guys spend money on her?"

"Young Master Shen, she's clean. We can guarantee that."

"I'm asking if you spent money, and how much."

"400,000."

"Heh, she's quite expensive. Opening her mouth and asking for 400,000—and you gave it?"

"Well, it was because we saw that you liked her, Young Master Shen. If 400,000 can make you happy, then it's worth the spend."

"Fine, I understand. The quality is good, I quite like her. But remember this for the future: she is only my woman when she is by my side. When she isn't, treat her like an ordinary university student."

"Understood. Then, Young Master Shen, should I give her your contact information?"

"You can, but tell her that unless there is something special, she shouldn't contact me proactively."

"Understood, I will definitely pass that along."

Watching Shen Qian leave, Xu Xueying felt somewhat dejected. After all, given her looks, there were plenty of Second-generation rich and bosses chasing her. She understood this boy possessed overwhelming power, but even so, he could have at least been a bit gentler and given her a basic level of equality.

What was this now? Putting on his pants and acting like a stranger?

Regardless, this was her first time. A sense of grievance welled up in her heart, and the girl resentfully hurled the pillow beside her away.

After resting for half a day, Xu Xueying limped out of the room. At the door, a guest room manager seemed to have been waiting for a long time.

"Miss Xu, this way please."

"What is it? Are you not letting me leave!?" Xu Xueying felt a bit uncertain. They had just given her 200,000 yesterday—could they want it back?

"You've misunderstood. It is our boss who wishes to have a chat with you."

After a brief moment of thought, Xu Xueying nodded.

"Lead the way."

As she spoke, her head unconsciously tilted up a bit. She might lack confidence herself, but she had to remember that the person she was with last night was Young Master Shen. She was Young Master Shen's woman. Thinking of this, her confidence grew a bit more.

"Miss Xu, how did you rest last night? I specifically had someone wait at the door for fear of disturbing your rest."

"Not bad." Xu Xueying's voice was flat. Seeing his attitude, her confidence bolstered further.

"You asked me here to talk about what? If it's about him, I have nothing to say."

In reality, she didn't have much she could say. After all, there hadn't been much communication between them last night. Even when she cried out in pain, he hadn't paid much attention.

"This damn woman, she actually dares to put on airs with me!"

Fan Wenbin cursed in his heart, but his face remained smiling.

"How could I possibly pry into Young Master Shen's business? It's just that while you were asleep last night, Young Master Shen asked me to convey some information."

When he said this, Xu Xueying's heart skipped a beat. That man had actually spoken to the person in front of her!

So, he knew she had taken the money.

No wonder he ignored her and left this morning; he thought I tricked him!

"Then... what did you talk about?"

"Nothing much. However, Young Master Shen told me to give you his contact information. He also wanted me to tell you to behave yourself from now on. It's best not to do anything under Young Master Shen's name."

"What does that mean? Does he want to draw a clear line with me?"

Facing a somewhat angry Xu Xueying, Fan Wenbin maintained his smiling appearance.

"You can't put it like that, Miss Xu. If he really wanted to draw a line, why would he give you his contact information? Miss Xu, don't you think this is an opportunity?"

"An opportunity?"

"Yes, an opportunity. You are quite lucky, and I'm not doing too bad myself. For a figure like him, in the past, no matter how much money I spent or how many connections I used, he was hard to even run into. Let alone having a way to contact him, even saying a single word was difficult. You should only be in your second year this year, right? Jobs are hard to find these days. Every year during recruitment, a bunch of top students fight over jobs with a monthly salary of seven or eight thousand."

"Just say what you want to say directly. Don't beat around the bush."

"Straightforward! Miss Xu, why don't we cooperate?"

"How do you want to cooperate?"

"It's simple. There are some minor matters that aren't suitable for a big figure like Young Master Shen to handle personally; I can do it on his behalf. And you only need to do one thing: remain loyal to Young Master Shen. Meet with him from time to time and slowly let him feel your sincerity. Consider it as us building a good rapport with each other."

"So, what you mean is, you're going to help him keep me as a mistress?"

"No, no, no, don't make it sound so unpleasant. I am merely safeguarding Young Master Shen's romance."

It was only at this moment that Xu Xueying realized just how terrifying power truly was.