Chapter Ten: My First Time Is Worth 2,500?

Wen Yan felt herself being placed onto the bed. A pair of cold hands slowly began to undress her, moving with a gentleness that seemed almost tender.

Only at this moment did Wen Yan begin to feel nervous, a tension Qiao Chenye could clearly sense.

"You were the one who suggested this; why are you more nervous than I am?" Qiao Chenye stared at her with a mischievous smirk.

Wen Yan reached out to turn off the lights, but Qiao Chenye held her hand down, watching her with amusement. Seeing how truly embarrassed she was, he finally reached over and flicked the switch.

"I... this is my first time. Please... be gentle," Wen Yan stammered, looking up at him with teary, frightened eyes like a startled rabbit.

"You've been married for so many years; I don't believe that," Qiao Chenye replied. Wen Yan remained silent. Qiao Chenye looked at her face, turned the light back on, and said with genuine sincerity:

"Actually, this is my first time too."

They stared at each other and couldn't help but burst into laughter.

"I don't believe you," Wen Yan buried her face in the pillows, laughing uncontrollably.

The situation was truly absurd: a man claiming it was his first time, and a married woman saying the same—both convinced the other was just being facetious.

"So, shall we continue? Sister?" Qiao Chenye stared at her, his gaze playful.

Wen Yan reached out to turn off the light, and then offered him a sweet kiss...

The air in the lounge still held the lingering heat of last night’s frenzy, mingled with the scent of alcohol, expensive perfume, and an indescribable, decadent aura of lust.

Wen Yan awoke to a splitting headache and a soreness that made her feel as though her body had been taken apart and crudely reassembled. She struggled to lift her heavy eyelids, only to be greeted by the luxurious, understated patterns of an unfamiliar ceiling.

"Hiss..." She instinctively reached up to rub her temple, only to find her arm feeling incredibly heavy.

Then, her senses began to return.

A steady, rhythmic breathing sounded beside her, and warm air brushed against her earlobe. She stiffened and turned her head with agonizing slowness—

Qiao Chenye’s sleeping profile was right there. His mask was long gone, revealing a face of breathtaking, perfect features.

Without the cold aloofness he wore while awake, his long lashes cast soft shadows beneath his eyes, his nose was high and straight, and his thin lips were slightly pursed. He looked unexpectedly peaceful, even... adorable?

But that thought vanished as quickly as it had appeared; Wen Yan’s gaze was immediately drawn to something else.

The man’s beautifully sculpted shoulders and a portion of his firm chest were exposed outside the dark velvet quilt, marked with several ambiguous red scratches, as if someone had clawed at him with great force.

And she—under the quilt, her body was completely bare. The sensation of their skin-to-skin contact was terrifyingly vivid, and the fragments of their fiery entanglement, which she had tried to suppress, came rushing back like a tidal wave—how she had taken the initiative to kiss him, how he had reclaimed control, how she had trembled, cried, and yielded beneath him. Those flushed, heavy gasps and moans seemed to still echo in her ears...

With a "buzz," Wen Yan felt all the blood in her body rush to her head. Her cheeks were so hot they could have fried an egg.

She... she... she had actually used the alcohol as an excuse to sleep with a top-tier handsome man last night?!

Just as her mind went blank and she was on the verge of fainting again, the sound of running water came from the bathroom—he was awake, and he was taking a shower!

Run! She had to run, immediately!

There was no social death quite like this! If she stayed until he walked out and their eyes met, what could she possibly say? "Good morning, nice technique"? Or "Thanks for the hospitality, goodbye"?

Just imagining the scene made her want to dig a hole and tunnel to the other side of the planet.

"System! System! Are you dead?! If you’re not, speak up! Help me!!!" Wen Yan screamed internally, though her body remained frozen, terrified of alerting the person in the bathroom.

"Ding—energy fully restored, system back online."

The system’s voice sounded drowsy, as if just waking up, but a second later, it seemed to scan the environment. Its tone spiked, becoming so sharp it nearly pierced Wen Yan’s eardrums.

"Wen Yan!!! Who is that lying next to you?! Wait! He... he’s not wearing any clothes! And you... you aren't either! What is going on with this bed?! What is going on with this room?! I only went offline for one night! One night! And you create such a massive surprise?"

"My database is so scared it's about to format itself!!!"

"Shut up! Keep it down! Now is not the time for complaints!" Wen Yan’s scalp tingled, and she was so anxious she could barely form a coherent sentence. "Quick! Emergency! Get me some cash! As much as you can! Fast!"

"Cash?! Why do you need cash?! I’m not a money printing machine!"

"I slept with him, don't I have to pay? This is a transaction fee! Do you understand? If I don't, what am I supposed to say when he comes out?! Hurry up! I can't exactly transfer money to him, just think of something!" Wen Yan was on the verge of tears. The sound of water in the bathroom seemed to be fading!

The system was so choked up by her outrageous logic it nearly short-circuited, but sensing its host’s impending breakdown, it had no choice but to curse in the background while frantically overriding its non-standard protocols: "You’re doomed! Fine! The nightstand! That's all you get! You’re finished, Wen Yan! Just you wait!"

Wen Yan whipped her head around and saw a small stack of crisp, red banknotes appear out of thin air on the nightstand. She didn't have time to count them; she scrambled to grab the stack, which felt satisfyingly thick.

The water stopped.

Terrified out of her wits, Wen Yan practically rolled off the bed. She frantically gathered her clothes from the floor, not caring if they were wrinkled, and threw them on as fast as she could.

She nearly tripped while putting on her shoes. She grabbed the stack of cash, thought for a moment that a male model shouldn't be too expensive, pocketed a small portion for her own travel expenses, and placed the remaining thick stack—about twenty-some bills—gently in the most conspicuous spot on the nightstand.

Once finished, she ran as if pursued by a ghost. Walking on tiptoe, she pulled the door open just enough to peek out, confirmed the coast was clear, and slipped away, fleeing the scene of her "crime" without ever looking back.

A few minutes later, the bathroom door opened.

Qiao Chenye had only a bath towel wrapped loosely around his waist. His black hair was dripping wet, and droplets of water slid down his defined chest and abdominal muscles.

He was in a surprisingly good mood, even humming an off-key tune, when his eyes instinctively drifted toward the large bed—

It was empty.

His footsteps faltered, and the humming cut off abruptly.

The bed was left in disarray, proving last night had been no dream, but the woman who should have been curled up inside—or baring her claws at him—was gone.

The room was deathly quiet.

His gaze swept across the empty space and finally locked onto the nightstand.

That small stack of vibrant, crisp, and somewhat glaring red banknotes sat there, neatly arranged, waiting in silence.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Qiao Chenye’s disappointment eased, and he walked quickly to the door. As soon as he opened it, his mood soured again.

Seeing Assistant Liu and Dr. Duan standing there made him even angrier, and he walked straight back inside.

"I saw the girl leave, so I came up," Dr. Duan Mengsheng said, his eyes drawn to the cash on the table. He began counting them one by one.

Ignoring Assistant Liu’s attempts to warn him, he began to laugh mockingly.

"2,500! Pfft, hahahaha! Chenye, your first night is only worth 2,500!" Before he could finish, a teacup came flying toward him, which Assistant Liu caught just in time to save him.

Realizing the mood had turned dangerous, Dr. Duan dropped the money and bolted.

Qiao Chenye walked over slowly and picked up the stack of bills. The feel of the crisp paper against his fingertips was cold and alien.

He looked down at the money, remaining silent for a full minute.

Then, he began to count it, slowly—extremely slowly.

"...Two thousand four, two thousand five."

Exactly twenty-five hundred.

"Heh." A low, ambiguous laugh escaped his throat.

He lifted his eyes toward the closed door that was now devoid of anyone, his gaze as deep and frigid as a frozen pond.

"Two thousand five... Wen Yan." He whispered the name, his fingers tightening until the crisp banknotes were nearly deformed.

"Very good."

—

"It seems she wasn't very satisfied with my service. All that effort and I get labeled a '250'."

Assistant Liu felt a chill run down his spine watching Qiao Chenye. Sure enough, by noon, he received a call from Duan Mengsheng.

"That stingy miser tore down my laboratory!!" Duan Mengsheng stood outside the base, cursing incessantly.

"If you keep blathering, I'll have your office torn down too!" Qiao Chenye’s voice cut in.

"..." Duan Mengsheng had no choice but to start showering him with praise, calling him heroic and handsome, and even calling him 'Dad.' Seeing that he acknowledged his mistake, Qiao Chenye didn't continue the demolition and put a pause on the lesson.