The same location, the same person, the same word: “Husband.”
Qiao Le no longer felt the awkwardness and embarrassment he had the first time.
Instead, after saying it, he felt like laughing, as if it were a way to lighten the mood.
“Just kidding, don’t take it seriously.”
“Not at all,” Shen Hechuan replied calmly.
“If you want to, you can.”
??
What do I want?
What am I supposed to want?!
Qiao Le felt like he had been outmaneuvered.
Seeing Shen Hechuan so relaxed, it seemed like he didn’t mind Qiao Le’s antics.
“Aren’t you afraid I’ll scare your parents if I act out?” he asked.
Scare his parents?
Shen Hechuan recalled the time Wu Huilan had heard the word “husband” over the phone and smiled faintly.
“You can try.”
Qiao Le imagined the scene and was genuinely worried he might get kicked out.
“Isn’t that too bold? Don’t you think it’s strange?”
“Strange?” Shen Hechuan seemed to ponder for a moment.
“Not really. If calling me that makes things more effective, I don’t mind. Didn’t you call me that during your last assignment with Mr. Huo?”
Mentioning the previous assignment, Qiao Le quickly explained, “I didn’t call Mr. Huo ‘husband.’ I only called you that.”
“Oh?” Shen Hechuan raised an eyebrow.
“Only me?”
Qiao Le: “…”
Even though it was an explanation, saying it out loud felt inexplicably embarrassing.
Why?
He couldn’t exactly say that Mr. Huo wasn’t as handsome as Shen Hechuan.
Qiao Le casually brushed it off with an excuse.
“There were too many people around Mr. Huo. It wouldn’t have been appropriate to call him that.”
Shen Hechuan nodded, understanding.
“True, otherwise there’d be another scoundrel in this world.”
Qiao Le covered his face: “…”
Seeing Qiao Le’s “please spare me” expression, Shen Hechuan silently curved his lips and decided to stop teasing him.
“Alright, let’s talk about the fee first.”
He remembered Qiao Le had mentioned last night that his rates started at ten thousand, with additional charges based on the difficulty.
Dealing with three elders in his family would likely be quite challenging.
To his surprise, Qiao Le said, “No need. I told you I’d help you for free.”
Was this special treatment?
Shen Hechuan felt a slight stir in his heart, as if something had gently scratched him, leaving a tingling yet pleasant sensation.
He remembered Qiao Le had mentioned earlier that he thought Shen Hechuan was a big client, so he must have been happy when he received the message last night.
Given that, he couldn’t let Qiao Le’s excitement go to waste.
“No need for that. Let’s keep things separate. You already treated me to coffee last time, so that matter is settled. No need to keep it in mind.”
Qiao Le wasn’t holding onto it either.
He just felt that he and Shen Hechuan were friends now, and he was happy to help Shen Hechuan out.
Seeing Qiao Le still hesitating, Shen Hechuan added, “If you don’t charge me, I won’t feel comfortable asking for your help next time.”
“It’s fine,” Qiao Le said without concern.
“Friends help each other out. It’s normal.”
Friends?
Shen Hechuan thought to himself that friends don’t usually end up in bed together.
The incident at the bar had only happened a day ago, but the intense pleasure still lingered in his body.
Especially since the person who had brought him such extreme joy was right in front of him.
Shen Hechuan’s gaze involuntarily fell on Qiao Le’s lips.
Qiao Le’s lips were a healthy light pink, full and well-shaped, with a small wound that had already scabbed over, carrying a silent sense of intimacy.
It was from the bite he had left that night.
Shen Hechuan’s eyes darkened, and the hidden turbulence in his heart became even more pronounced.
He discreetly observed Qiao Le, retracting his gaze nonchalantly when the latter looked over, and then shifted the topic: “Have you settled the matter at the bar?”
Qiao Le, unsure of what he was thinking, was caught off guard by the sudden change of subject but answered honestly, “It’s been taken care of.”
He recounted the process and outcome of the situation to Shen Hechuan, who nodded in approval, finding the resolution satisfactory.
However, Shen Hechuan couldn’t help but think that if he had handled it for Qiao Le, he might have been more assertive.
“Will you continue working at the bar?”
“Huh?”
Shen Hechuan explained, “I don’t mean to interfere, but such places aren’t exactly safe.”
Regardless of the bar’s caliber, the clientele is always a mixed bag, and incidents like spiking drinks can happen more than once.
With Qiao Le’s striking appearance, he would undoubtedly be the center of attention in such a place.
While his good looks might bring him advantages, they also inevitably expose him to danger.
It was a coincidence that he was there that day.
If he hadn’t been, or if he hadn’t paid extra attention to Qiao Le, the consequences could have been dire.
Of course, he wasn’t exactly a saint either.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he took advantage of the situation.
But at least he was physically fine, and his health check-up reports were clean.
Shen Hechuan felt he was much better than those who drugged others and couldn’t help but add a reminder, “If you continue working there, try to avoid drinking anything others offer.”
Having worked at the bar for so long, Qiao Le naturally understood his implication and was touched by his concern, “I know. I won’t be working there anymore. It was just a part-time gig these past few days.”
Shen Hechuan: “Another part-time job?”
Qiao Le: “Yeah.”
It was no wonder Shen Hechuan was surprised, as Qiao Le seemed to have a lot of part-time jobs.
It seemed like he did everything?
“You seem to have quite a few part-time jobs,” Shen Hechuan remarked, having seen the wide range of services Qiao Le offered on the “Let Me Help” platform yesterday.
Qiao Le finished the coffee in his cup and nodded, “I’ll do anything as long as it pays.”
Shen Hechuan asked, “Another cup?”
“No,” Qiao Le licked a bit of foam from the corner of his mouth and shook his head, “I’m afraid I won’t be able to sleep if I drink more.”
Shen Hechuan’s gaze followed his movement, and after the hint of red disappeared, he slightly lowered his eyelids, picked up his black coffee, took a sip, and then returned to the main topic, “Then you can consider this as just another paid job. Don’t feel awkward about it. Some things are easier to discuss when money is involved.”
Easier to discuss with money?
Qiao Le pondered his words and belatedly realized that Shen Hechuan was treating this as a transaction rather than a friendly favor.
Transactions are straightforward payment for service while friendships require mutual give-and-take.
Someone like Shen Hechuan probably preferred the former.
Qiao Le suddenly understood.
After their recent interactions and mutual assistance, he had come to regard Shen Hechuan as a friend.
Understanding Shen Hechuan’s stance left him feeling somewhat disappointed, but he could also empathize with him.
Wealthy people naturally have their boundaries.
So he stopped overthinking it, “Since you put it that way, I won’t stand on ceremony. The last commission from Mr. Huo was 20,000 yuan. Since we’re acquaintances, I’ll give you a friend’s discount-16,000 yuan.”
“16,000?” Shen Hechuan repeated.
Qiao Le: “Yes.”
Shen Hechuan wouldn’t find 16,000 expensive, would he?
He spends 80,000 on a single bottle of wine at the bar, and a pair of slippers at his home costs 8,000.
Besides, I even gave him a friend discount.
It could have been free, but he insisted on making it a transaction.
Qiao Le grumbled in his heart but still valued their friendship enough to lower the price a bit: “If you think it’s too expensive, how about 15,999.9 yuan?”
Only a dime less, not a penny more.
Any further reduction would make him unhappy.
Qiao Le poked the strawberry on his pancake with a fork, lost in thought.
Shen Hechuan, who usually negotiates price reductions in the hundreds of thousands or even millions on the negotiation table, was amused by this “dime” discount, especially with Qiao Le looking as if his heart was being cut out.
He didn’t realize that Qiao Le had misunderstood his intentions.
Shen Hechuan wasn’t aiming for a straightforward transaction; he just wanted Qiao Le to earn a bit more this way.
“I don’t think it’s expensive,” Shen Hechuan explained to clarify his point.
“What I meant was, last time you only had to deal with one person, but this time it’s three. You should charge three times the amount.”
Qiao Le: “!!??”
20,000 per person, so three people would be 60,000!!
60,000!
Qiao Le stared at him in shock: “Are you joking?!”
“I’m serious,” Shen Hechuan replied calmly, clearly not joking.
“Also, my family elders are quite difficult to handle, so as you suggested, I’ll add a difficulty premium. I’ll pay 100,000 Yuan for you to help me deal with the marriage pressure.”
Qiao Le: “…”
Do rich people really treat money like dirt?
This is 100,000 yuan, not 10 yuan!
He would have to work extremely hard to repay someone 100,000, yet Shen Hechuan casually offered him that amount just to pretend to be his boyfriend and have a meal with his family?!
Is Shen Hechuan really that much of a pushover?!
Qiao Le’s earlier disappointment was completely blown away by the 100,000 yuan.
Looking at Shen Hechuan, he felt as if a divine light was radiating from his head.
He’s not my friend; he’s my god of wealth.
He’s not here to negotiate a deal; he’s here to give me money!!
Only a fool would turn down easy money!!
“Deal!”
Qiao Le immediately agreed, took out his phone, logged into the platform, and swiftly initiated the transaction.
He held it up for Shen Hechuan to see: “Did you receive it?”
Shen Hechuan glanced at the transaction amount on the screen: “Wasn’t it 100,000?”
It showed 99,999.
Qiao Le cheerfully explained: “Friend discount, I gave you a small reduction.”
Shen Hechuan: “…”
Their “friend discount” had just increased from a dime to a yuan.
It might not sound like much, but at least it was an improvement.
Without further ado, Shen Hechuan approved the transaction.
When Qiao Le saw the words “Transaction Completed,” his eyes curved into a smile, and his gaze at Shen Hechuan sparkled with admiration.
His voice even turned sweet: “Thank you, Mr. Shen. I’ll do my absolute best to serve you.”
His voice suddenly became coquettish.
Shen Hechuan thought to himself, his eyes also shining like stars.
This 100,000 yuan was definitely well spent.
Not only did it solve his own problem, but it seemed to solve Qiao Le’s as well.
Being gazed at so warmly and intently by Qiao Le, Shen Hechuan felt quite pleased.
The recent stress of being pressured to marry was instantly swept away, and his tone became lighthearted: “I’m looking forward to your performance. How about we set it for tonight? Do you have work?”
“No, I don’t,” Qiao Le replied.
“Jiaxu said I wasn’t feeling well and gave me an extra day off.”
Not feeling well?
Shen Hechuan asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”
Qiao Le, refreshing the platform information, didn’t look up as he said, “Don’t you know what’s wrong?”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he had said and froze.
When he looked up, he saw that Shen Hechuan was also stunned.
“Don’t you know what’s wrong?”
Of course, Shen Hechuan knew.
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Qiao Le felt a pang of regret and wanted to change the subject, but then he heard Shen Hechuan say,
“I understand. I’ll be more careful next time.”
Qiao Le: “…”
What are you being careful about?
What exactly are you being careful about?!
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