"A lifetime? That's even less worthwhile. Think about it, those rich men all have wives at home. If their wives find out about a long-term mistress, that would be trouble. And... they also have to support you. How uneconomical? Don't expect to find a Prince Charming. Once you're in this business, no one will think you're clean." Alex smiled as he spoke, his words laced with mockery, although his face held a smile.
Hearing Alex's words, Jing fell silent. She was not a rich person and didn't know what rich people thought. Alex's words, spoken as a wealthy scion, served as a reminder. Jing hesitated. Was four million for one person really that expensive?
"You're twenty-six, right? Do you think you still have a few years of youth to sell?" Alex asked, looking at her. Evil. Alex was being evil, trampling on a person's spirit and soul. Perhaps it was because he had drunk an entire bottle of wine. Drunk? Who knows?
"Would you... buy?" Jing bit her lip and asked after thinking for a long time. She took a deep breath, not knowing how much courage she had used to say those words.
"You want to sell?" Alex leaned back on the sofa, adjusting to a more comfortable position. "I didn't expect you to say such words. Didn't you once want to fight against fate? But now, it seems you've lost the concepts of life and love!"
"When you've peered through the vicissitudes of life, it's but the mundane. When you've peered through the nature of life, it's but impermanence. When you've peered through love, it's but gathering and scattering. In the midst of impermanence, everything is external, and everything is indifferent!"
"Pop pop pop!" Alex clapped his hands, smiling at Jing. "Wonderful, wonderful. Have you become a Buddhist?"
Alex looked at the expression on Jing's face.
"Go wash your face and then come talk to me!" Alex said, looking at her. Her heavy makeup really made Alex uncomfortable.
Hearing Alex's words, Jing was stunned, standing there motionless.
"If you want the commission from these bottles of wine, then go wash your face!" Alex added.
Jing bit her lip, then turned and left. For her now, the commission from those eleven bottles of wine was at least tens of thousands of yuan. For her, this money was too, too important.
"Boss, you're really giving her a commission? You are the boss here!" After Jing left, Grant, who had been standing nearby, approached and said. He really couldn't understand what the boss was thinking.
"Thud!" Alex opened another bottle of red wine and poured himself another full glass. "I find you very talkative today. Do you really have nothing else to do? Do you want me to find something for you to do?"
"Boss...!"
"Do you believe that I'll lock you in a room filled with the scent of 'red mist' with ten sows?"
"Boss, I have something to do, I'll go now!" Hearing Alex's words, Grant ran off like a rabbit. Red mist? That was probably aphrodisiacs! He didn't want to do ten sows or be done by ten sows!
Three minutes later, Jing walked over. Without the heavy makeup, she looked much more refined, though her cold demeanor hadn't changed.
"Pure as a water lily, untouched by adornment. Much better. And with such thick makeup, it would damage your skin!" Alex said with a smile. "Come, have a drink!"
Jing walked over, picked up the glass, and downed it in one gulp.
"Pop!" The glass was placed on the table beside Alex. Jing suppressed the urge to vomit, staring at him. She needed money now, a lot of money, and she knew this man was very rich.
"How much depends on whether it's worth it. Forget about the four million for now. First, tell me how much you need!" Alex said, looking at her faintly.
Jing felt like she was a piece of meat on a market stall, being haggled over. She clenched her fists tightly, took a deep breath, and after a moment of silence, said to Alex:
"To treat my father, it will take eight hundred thousand, including hospital fees, the kidney purchase, surgery, and post-operative recovery. And I want the best for all of it. For my parents to have a big house, including renovations. I wasn't able to provide for them, but I hope they can live comfortably, that will take one million. My parents are old, and I don't know if I'll be able to take care of them in the future. To ensure they are well-fed and clothed, and to hire a caregiver, that will take two million in total."
"Two million? Why not ask for more?" Alex asked, looking at her.
"Based on the current bank interest rates, that can yield sixty to seventy thousand in interest annually, which is enough!" Jing said, looking at Alex coldly.
"Oh! That's not a bad idea. But that's only three million eight hundred thousand. What about the remaining two hundred thousand?" Alex asked.
"To pay off debts, including interest...!" Jing said, gritting her teeth, as if there was some hidden story behind it.
"Oh, so according to what you said, it really does take four million. Okay, then let's talk about how you're worth four million," Alex said, narrowing his eyes and smiling wickedly at her. He felt a strange sense of excitement, thinking about their high school days. He suddenly had an urge to hold her in his arms and ravage her. Then he took another big gulp.
Perhaps he was drunk!
Hearing Alex's words, Jing bit her lip hard. Yes, how could she be worth four million?
"My... my future!"
"Haha, the future?"
"Yes, the future. As long as you give me the money, from that moment on, I'm yours. Didn't you always hope for this?" Jing said, looking at Alex. She had no other choice. The hospital bills were pressing, and she needed money quickly, no matter who it was from. At least selling herself to this scoundrel was better than selling herself to some fat, greasy, smelly old man.
"Yes, that's what I've always hoped for. Or rather, getting you into bed was my high school vow. But...!" Alex paused, his eyes staring straight at her, making sure she was paying attention to his next words.
"But, a phoenix reborn is a涅槃, while a wild chicken reborn is just a corpse. Perhaps you were once a phoenix, but now... I'm not sure. Just having you for the rest of your life doesn't seem to be enough to move anyone's heart. Because not only do I have to pay four million, but I also have to support you. That's quite a big expense!"
"I can support myself. I won't need a penny from you!"
"That's not a very good reason!" Alex said, gently swirling the wine in his glass. In the dazzling light, the wine took on various colors. It was truly beautiful.
"You...!" Seeing Alex's nonchalant attitude, Jing was fighting back the urge to leave. "Didn't you just say you wanted to get me into bed? That your vow would be fulfilled because of this, and... anytime, anywhere!"
"Anytime, anywhere? Then can I understand that to mean that if I give you four million, even if I make you strip naked and dance in front of everyone, or if one day I get tired of you and make you be a prostitute, you'd agree?" Alex raised his slightly blurred eyes and looked at her with a wicked smile, ruthlessly trampling on the woman's soul in front of him.
Jing's body trembled constantly. She bit her lower lip so hard that a trace of blood seeped out.
"I agree! As long as you give me the money!"
"Haha, really? Don't worry, I'm not that perverted. But... that previous reason was very good!" Alex said with a smile, then poured another full glass for her and for himself. "But I have a thing for chastity, you and David..."
"Apart from holding hands, we didn't do anything else!"
"Haha, how about another drink?" Alex smiled at her and pointed to the full glass on the table.
Jing bit her lip, picked up the glass, and drank it all in one go.
"Cough... cough...!" Jing couldn't stand the taste of the wine and leaned on the table, retching. Although she was a "wine girl," she didn't know how to drink. Such expensive wine was not something she could enjoy.
Seeing Jing's miserable state, Alex smiled. This woman had asked for four million but hadn't set aside a penny for herself. She was truly lovely.
"Qiangzi!"
"Yes, boss!" Grant, who had been standing nearby, immediately came over when he heard Alex's call.
"Go upstairs and get my checkbook!" Alex said faintly.
"Yes, boss!" Grant nodded after hearing this. Although he had many things to say, he knew that on such personal matters, the boss would treat his words as farts. He didn't want to anger the boss, so he immediately went upstairs.
"You... are you willing to give me the money?" Jing asked, looking up at him. Although she was filled with humiliation, this money was for saving a life.
"Fulfilling a vow only takes four million. It's very cheap. Besides, I'm not just getting a vow. But you must also not do anything to disappoint me, or I'll regret it. And I... will also make you regret it!" Alex said with a smile, looking at her.
Grant brought the checkbook, and Alex wrote down the number, signed his name, tore it off, and placed it on the table.
"Help me check if there are any extra zeros," Alex said, looking at Jing. In Alex's eyes, in the material world, there was no distinction between rich and poor. There was only a spiritual distinction between rich and poor. Alex knew that if he didn't buy her, given her personality, she would do anything to save her father. Rather than watching her being trampled on by other men, he might as well spend the money to buy her. At least with him around, she wouldn't suffer any other harm. And Alex would do everything in his power to help her.
However, helping also required a method. Looking at Jing in front of him, it seemed that besides the determination to save her father, she was almost hopeless about other things, especially love. After years of sincere devotion, she had been betrayed when she was at her most vulnerable. One could imagine what her heart was like now.
Alex didn't want to just get a puppet. He wanted a person with genuine feelings. So how should he do it?
Inducing gradually? But with her personality and the mental defenses she had put up against him, would it be possible to induce a result? If so, it might take years or even decades for her to recover.
Breaking and then making? This method was a bit evil, but at least it couldn't be called a bad method. Women seemed to have the lowest defenses against their first man. Perhaps he could take advantage of that. But breaking was easy, making was difficult. If he couldn't make it work, the effect would be the opposite. It might cause even greater harm to Jing.
*Damn it, it's a headache. It seems like drinking too much really is bad.