Chapter 7

The person who had spoken was none other than Lam Nam Thu. It was a shame that I’d been so thoroughly pissed off at the time that I’d flipped the table and stormed out without even bothering to throw a single glance his way.

Lam Nam Thu continued with an amused grin, “I was planning to chase after you right then to use it as an excuse to slip away myself. Who would’ve thought that the second I stepped out the door, I’d hear you shouting into your phone, ordering five male escorts…”

“Honestly, back then… ha! I felt like I’d just bumped into an angel dropping straight down from heaven.”

I wanted nothing more than to find a hole in the ground and crawl straight into it. That night, I’d been seething with sheer rage, consumed by the realization that my own father hadn’t even remembered my birthday, using me instead as a stepping stone for his beloved son. Terrified that the system might wipe me out at any second, I’d sobbed hysterically into my best friend’s ear:

“Find me five male escorts! Tomorrow morning! Right now!”

“If I couldn’t win over a man in this life, I am sure as hell going to go out in style!”

“I don’t care if I can handle it or not! They need to be drop-dead gorgeous! Tall! Built! I don’t care how much it costs!”

Good lord! Who could have guessed that Lam Nam Thu was actually part of that night’s “special order”?

“So you did that on purpose…”

Lam Nam Thu nodded. “Yup. The moment I overheard your time and location, I went over to wait for you. I even paid out of my own pocket to bribe one of the guys to leave so I could take his spot.”

I squeezed my eyes shut and buried my face in my hands. Kill me now! That extra model had gotten paid by both of us without having to lift a single finger!

“Hey,” Lam Nam Thu murmured, suddenly closing the distance between us and gently pulling my hands down from my face. “Why not give me a shot? I’m genuinely interested in you. Your friend said it herself—you’re a total magnet for younger guys.”

“Think about it. I wasn’t joking that night—I can easily handle the work of five guys all on my own. Want to inspect the goods first?”

As he spoke, his eyes dropped to my lips, his face slowly leaning in…

Out of nowhere, a hand with rock-hard knuckles snagged my collar, yanking me right off my seat.

[Ding! Lifespan +10 days.]

Looking up, I met Tan Yen’s face, which had gone completely green with fury. Lam Nam Thu’s brow furrowed. “Officer, you’re ruining my mood a few too many times now.”

Tan Yen let out a cold snort, wrapping one arm tightly around my waist in a posture of absolute possession.

[Ding! Lifespan +10 days.]

“Then you’ll have to excuse me, because I’m still taking her with me tonight.”

This time, Lam Nam Thu decided to lay his cards on the table, abandoning any pretense of friendliness. Standing tall, he grabbed my arm, locking eyes with Tan Yen in a dead-on stare:

“On what grounds? Are you planning to pull another set-up to catch me red-handed?”

“No. This time, on the grounds that I’m her future man.”

Without waiting for Lam Nam Thu to digest that bombshell of a statement, Tan Yen aggressively hauled me straight out of the bar. Dragging me to a secluded corner just around the bend outside, he slammed me firmly against the wall.

Tan Yen’s jaw was set tight in sheer anger, his voice dropping low, practically vibrating with accusation: “Du Yen, yesterday it was hiring male escorts, and today you’re out here flirting with young boys. Just how many hearts do you have?”

The hallway light cast sharp shadows across his angular features. It should have been a romantic scene, but his furious glare made it look like he was about to eat me alive.

Wait a minute, on what authority does he even get to be jealous right now?!

All the lingering questions I’d kept bottled up inside all day suddenly burst through. I couldn’t hold it back anymore. Staring straight into his eyes, I let out an angry, choked cry, my voice cracking under the weight of my hidden grief:

“And what about you?! One day you’re kissing my lips raw, and the next you’re embracing your ex-girlfriend?!”

“You draw all these strict boundaries with me, acting like some untouchable monk, yet when it comes to Tran Chi Chi, you’re more than happy to pull strings and favor her?!”

“I kept wondering why you never had a girlfriend all these years—turns out you were just waiting for Tran Chi Chi to get married before giving up, weren’t you?!”

“You keep running your mouth saying you like me, but the second you turn around, you’re off comforting your ex! You’re the one with multiple hearts—how do you even keep track of them all?!”

As the words tumbled out, a wave of profound misery washed over me. I thrashed wildly, trying to wriggle out of his hold, but a massive, iron grip clamped around my waist, yanking me right back flush against his broad chest.

Tan Yen lifted my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. The terrifying glare from seconds ago suddenly melted away, replaced by an unexpectedly soft, deep gaze. Using his thumb, he gently wiped away a stray tear from the corner of my eye, his voice husky:

“I don’t think… I’ve ever actually said out loud that I like you, have I?”

Me: “…”

Listen here, you jerk! In a romantic moment like this, don’t you dare nitpick technicalities!

Seeing my sudden silence, Tan Yen didn’t tease me further. He let out a long sigh, his expression softening completely. “Stop crying. Who told you Tran Chi Chi was my first love?”

I blinked in utter confusion. Tan Yen looked at me, caught between exasperation and amusement. “She told you that herself, didn’t she?”

I nodded frantically. Was there any reason to doubt it back then? The whole school had been abuzz with rumors that he and the school belle were dating. I distinctly remembered running straight to his classroom to demand answers, only for Tran Chi Chi to stop me at the door, claiming she was deeply bothered by our childhood-sweetheart dynamic and warning me to back off.

“She said… it was what you wanted, too…” I mumbled softly.

“Yeah, well, she came to see me today to ask me to pass along her apologies to you,” Tan Yen let out a heavy, weary sigh. “Back then, I was up to my ears handling my school transfer paperwork. Out of nowhere, I was slapped with a ‘girlfriend’ label that I didn’t even know existed.”

Back in high school, Tran Chi Chi’s crush on Tan Yen hadn’t been a secret to anyone. The only problem was that Tan Yen ignored her completely, leaving the school belle thoroughly humiliated.

“That day, she got harassed by some street thugs outside. I happened to be passing by on my way to submit my transfer forms, so I stepped in to help out. She took the opportunity to grab my arm and lie to them that I was her boyfriend. It was meant to be a temporary lie to get her out of trouble, but the rumor mill twisted it completely out of proportion.”

“Tran Chi Chi admitted that out of petty vanity, seeing how wildly everyone was gossiping—and assuming I was transferring anyway so I wouldn’t bother setting the record straight—she just rode the wave and kept up the lie to save face.”

At this point, Tan Yen looked equal parts irritated and helpless. “If I’d known she was going to bite the hand that fed her and leave behind such a toxic misunderstanding, I would’ve stayed a mile away.”

I curled my lip, seething with anger myself. Did Tran Chi Chi have any idea that a single vanity-driven lie of hers almost got me erased from existence by a system?!

“Then why did you agree to bend the rules for her today?” I demanded, still thoroughly aggrieved.

Tan Yen bent his finger, knocking it lightly against my forehead with a sharp tap. “I didn’t bend any rules for her. She showed up at my doorstep sobbing her eyes out and refusing to leave, so I had no choice but to take her to the precinct so my guys could track her case strictly by the book.”

“I explicitly told you to sit tight at home and wait for me. Instead, the second I stepped out, you vanished into thin air and ran off to a bar to drink, looking to flirt with other guys?”

Feeling backed into a corner, I instantly raised my voice, digging my heels in defensively: “W-Well… if you liked me so much, why didn’t you just say so all these years?!”