Ye Lu really didn't understand why this mother and son harbored such resentment towards each other. Madam Shang didn't seem indifferent to her son, the Crown Prince, and he didn't seem indifferent to his mother either.
The loneliness in his eyes and the look he gave the door said it all.
"Ahem…" Ye Lu reached out her hand, "Crown Prince Shang."
"What?" Shang Jingchen frowned at her expectant eyes, feeling as if they shone brighter than gold, which was rather unsettling.
"About the money, the ten thousand from last night and the ten thousand just now."
Shang Jingchen's face turned dark, he gnashed his teeth, "Who's to blame for my injury, and you have the nerve to ask me for money?"
What kind of woman was she? She should be nurturing and attentive after a man gets hurt trying to save her. But the only thing coming out of her mouth was 'money.' He'd never seen such a money-hungry woman.
"Why shouldn't I? It was you who promised me."
Ye Lu had a thick skin. She needed the money right now, didn't she?
No matter how much he despised her, she was determined to get it back.
The thickness of her face didn't measure up to the weight of money.
"Gold-digger!" He disdainfully pulled out a few large denominations of foreign currency from his wallet, "Go exchange it yourself; make sure you get the exact amount."
Ye Lu took the money, her spirits lifted, not caring about his mood.
It was so easy to make twenty thousand; that was a few months' worth of salary. She could buy nice clothes and toys for her two little ones.
Looking at her unabashedly excited expression, a mocking light flickered in Shang Jingchen's eyes.
"Being gold-digger so blatantly, you're the first one. So, you are ready to do anything for money?"
Ye Lu's smile faltered, and she tensed.
"Don't be offended. At least you're better than those women who are clear gold-diggers but feign genuine emotions. At least you're honest about wanting money. So let's make a deal." Shang Jingchen leaned against the pillow, his eyes deep and mysterious.
Women who only look for money are the easiest to control.
As long as she doesn't get greedy for anything beyond money, he can satisfy her.
"What deal?"
"Be my girlfriend, for a year. I'll pay you ten million, ready at your call. You do whatever I tell you to do."
Ye Lu gasped, ten million? Did she hear that right?
With ten million, she could save her father's company and wouldn't have to marry an old man.
This was an irresistible temptation.
"So, I have to do anything you say, including that…" She blushed, too embarrassed to ask plainly, but she had to be clear.
Shang Jingchen rarely saw her blush. He gave her a wicked smile, "Which 'that'? Be explicit."
"You know which 'that'." Ye Lu gritted her teeth, "I know you understand."
"What do you think then? If I exclude your body from the deal, are you worth ten million otherwise?"
Ye Lu's face turned pale. It was true that for an ordinary female college student like her, even an actual mistress was a few million, let alone ten million.
But, so she would have to play this man's mistress and please him physically for money?
No, she couldn't accept that.
"Hah, by the looks of your struggle, you really think of yourself as a goddess, and that I can't live without sleeping with you. Don't worry, I have plenty of women. I don't want to entangle with you," Shang Jingchen's gaze grew colder, "And I warn you, apart from playing the girlfriend, don't harbor any ulterior motives or interfere with my life. Otherwise, I'll make your life unbearable."
His ruthless voice sent chills down Ye Lu's spine.
That's the difference between the powerful and the ordinary; he had the means to make her life a living hell.
"Alright, I accept this deal." For her father, her mother, and her two precious babies, what wouldn't she risk?