Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You're back!"

Ji Liao turned around and saw Wen Qiu, his eyes lighting up.

His attitude was genuine—his boss was giving him a chance to show off his skills, so of course he was happy!

Wen Qiu's eyes, however, darkened.

He still remembered the ridiculous things he'd done in his past life.

He'd run into Ji Liao working as a waiter at a restaurant. Because the guy's posture and mannerisms were a dead ringer for Lou Yue's, he'd looked into him, pressured him, forced him into a contract, and kept him tethered.

He'd once thought he'd been plenty generous with Ji Liao—fixing his problems, giving him a cushy life. All he'd asked was for Ji Liao to stick around. Ji Liao should've been grateful.

But he'd been wrong.

Later, Ji Liao had plowed his car straight into Lou Yue.

So Ji Liao had hated him the whole time.

He only got that now.

Even though the food on the table smelled amazing, Wen Qiu didn't even look at it.

He just sat down at the table, expression unreadable, locked eyes on Ji Liao, and said:

"Ji Liao, sit."

"Got it!"

Since the boss said so, Ji Liao obediently sat down across from him.

Wen Qiu was quiet for a beat, then said flatly:

"Let's call off the agreement. You can go."

"What?"

Ji Liao's face went pale with shock, like he'd been hit by lightning.

Wen Qiu frowned slightly.

In his memory, Ji Liao had always been a man of few words—and so was he.

So they rarely talked, and Wen Qiu had never bothered to understand what was going on in Ji Liao's head.

He hadn't even noticed the guy could make such a lively expression.

No wonder he'd missed the hostility Ji Liao had toward Lou Yue.

That accident was on him.

He couldn't let what happened in his past life happen again.

Wen Qiu continued: "You don't have to pay back the five hundred thousand from yesterday. I'll throw in another five hundred thousand on top."

Ji Liao: "..."

Why wasn't this going the way he'd expected?

Did the guy across from him mean he could just take a million and pretend the contract never existed?

Wasn't this basically winning the lottery?

In the novels he'd read in his past life, the main characters always won billions when they hit the jackpot. Compared to that, a million was chump change.

But those billions in the novels were just fantasy.

This million, though—that was real, and he could actually get his hands on it!

Ji Liao fought to keep the corners of his mouth from curling up.

He knew Wen Qiu would follow through.

In the original story, Wen Qiu had been super generous with the original owner—not only paying the monthly allowance on time but also occasionally "humiliating" him with fancy gifts.

No wonder the original owner later got full-blown Stockholm syndrome and fell for the villain.

Who could resist getting showered with cash!

But hold on!

He suddenly remembered the housing prices he'd checked that afternoon.

If he took this million, it was a one-and-done deal.

It sounded like a lot, but it wasn't enough for a house!

And then what?

Would he have to go back to slaving away like in his past life? Even if he scraped together a down payment, he'd be stuck with a twenty-year mortgage?

If he hadn't been thrown into this book, he could've put up with that.

But now that he had a shot at buying a house outright, he suddenly couldn't stomach going back to loans!

Ji Liao stayed quiet for a long time, and Wen Qiu said flatly:

"I'll add another million."

Ji Liao: "?"

Before Ji Liao could even react, Wen Qiu went on:

"Two million."

Ji Liao: "..."

Wen Qiu: "Three million."

Ji Liao: "!"

How the hell did this turn into an auction?!

Wen Qiu: "Five million."

"Stop!"

Ji Liao was on the verge of suffocation, and without regard for politeness, he hurriedly called out to stop.

Wen Qiu frowned, looking displeased.

Ji Liao swallowed, steeled himself, and said:

"I don't agree."

He wasn't stupid—he knew the difference between one good meal and a lifetime of them.

"Mm."

Now it was Wen Qiu who was puzzled.

With his stance made clear, Ji Liao boldly looked at Wen Qiu.

His jet-black hair was slicked back neatly, and his cold, pale skin was flawless. The glasses on his nose couldn't hide the depth of his captivating eyes, but the gaze meeting Ji Liao's was utterly indifferent.

Such stunning beauty, yet so cold and untouchable.

That made sense—the villain only cared about the protagonist, treating everyone else like ants.

But Ji Liao had to fight for this chance.

He said, "You're the one who brought me here, so you're responsible for me. Why should I sign that agreement just because you say so, and leave just because you tell me to?"

Thankfully, he hadn't ended up in a story with a murderous villain; otherwise, he wouldn't have dared to say that.

Of course, Wen Qiu wasn't a pushover either, and he might have his bodyguards throw him out.

But he couldn't let go of such a great "job opportunity"!

He wouldn't fall in love with Wen Qiu like the original Ji Liao had, trying to win his heart.

He'd stay completely obedient—he was only after Wen Qiu's money!

Once the words left his mouth, there was no turning back. Ji Liao slammed the table and stood up, fuming:

"Anyway, I don't agree!"

With that, he didn't wait for Wen Qiu's reaction, turned around, and stormed off, then stomped up the stairs.

Only after closing the door did he take a deep breath, trying to steady his trembling hands.

It was so weird—why wasn't the plot following the original story?

Downstairs, Wen Qiu was just as confused.

Wen Qiu remembered that no matter how harsh he'd been before, Ji Liao had never raised his voice.

It wasn't until the loud slam of the door upstairs that it hit Wen Qiu—Ji Liao was angry.

Ji Liao could actually get angry?

At that moment, Wen Qiu's confusion clearly outweighed his anger over being yelled at. He turned to the dining table, quietly picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite of the dish.

So good.

Why wouldn't Ji Liao just leave?

Ji Liao listened anxiously for any sound from outside.

*

But there was nothing.

No bodyguards appeared, and Wen Qiu never came.

He waited until he was famished, but nothing happened.

Yet he was too embarrassed to go out and find food, so he endured the hunger, washed up, and went to bed early.

The next morning, he was up early making breakfast.

When Wen Qiu came downstairs, he was lured to the kitchen by the smell again.

Ji Liao saw Wen Qiu arrive but said nothing, quietly placing the just-steamed dumplings on the table.

The table already had vegetable pancakes and red date and white fungus porridge.

After finishing, Ji Liao took off his apron, lowered his eyes, and stood off to the side, obediently waiting for Wen Qiu's orders.

He'd thought it through—he couldn't offend Wen Qiu again. Taking the money and leaving was fine too; a lot of people never see five million in their whole lives, so he shouldn't be too greedy.

After the scrape of a chair being pulled out, Wen Qiu spoke: "Did you make this, or did you buy it?"

"I made it all myself!"

Ji Liao knew how to seize the moment and quickly boasted: "I don't have a key, and I was scared I wouldn't be able to get back in if I went out, so I just used the ingredients in the fridge. There's not much variety, but the taste is guaranteed. I'm not bragging, but with my cooking skills, I could easily run a restaurant."

He wasn't lying; he used to have a video channel where he posted his daily bento boxes, and his fans loved them.

Basically, that was like running a restaurant.

Wen Qiu gave a vague nod and took a spoonful of porridge.

"From now on, keep it to this standard."

"Wait, what?"

Ji Liao's eyes immediately lit up.

He'd kept his job?!

Wen Qiu didn't offer further explanation. After finishing his meal, he cleaned up and got ready to head out.

Ji Liao was flattered, copying what he'd seen in TV dramas, helping Wen Qiu with his coat and shoes, respectfully seeing him to the front door.

Before leaving, Wen Qiu turned around and caught Ji Liao's bright eyes, and his cold expression softened just a little.

He said, "You pick a number, and the agreement can be terminated at any time."

Ji Liao: "..."

The joy that had just started to bloom in his chest was crushed again.

"I'm not going anywhere."

He said, stubbornly.

Are you kidding? Where else am I gonna find a job that pays 500k a month? I'd even get on my knees and beg Wen Qiu to take me in right now!

Wen Qiu didn't commit to anything, his tone still icy:

"The spare key's in the second drawer in the entryway."

"Sweet!"

Ji Liao's face lit up instantly, grinning so wide he looked like he was about to burst, and said cheerfully, "Mr. Wen, take your time. I'll have dinner ready by the time you get back!"

Wen Qiu gave a grunt of acknowledgment, unlocked the car, and got in.

The Maybach pulled out of the garage and onto the main road. In the rearview mirror, he watched the garage door slowly close, Ji Liao no longer in sight.

Someone waiting for him to come home—that feeling was completely alien to Wen Qiu.

He'd already done Ji Liao wrong once.

He didn't want to hurt him again.

Ji Liao didn't want to leave, so he might as well stay for now. It wouldn't hurt to let him stay.

*

Ji Liao waited until the garage door closed before humming a tune and hurrying to the entryway.

And sure enough, there was the key.

That was close—he'd almost gotten "fired."

Relieved to have narrowly escaped disaster, Ji Liao couldn't help but wonder: why did Wen Qiu suddenly want to terminate the contract?

Was it the butterfly effect from him getting transported into the book?

And what happens next?

As someone who works for a living, he knew the value of planning ahead. He'd gotten away with it this time, but judging by Wen Qiu's tone, he might still kick him out again.

With the key in hand, Ji Liao turned to grab his phone.

He needed to get his thoughts straight.

Opening his notes app, he reviewed the plot again.

In the original story, the scenes between the original protagonist and the villain were mostly sex scenes, and he'd missed the first one right after he arrived in the book.

Then Wen Qiu proposed the termination.

So the plot started going off the rails the moment he missed that scene?

No way—if it kept spiraling like this, Wen Qiu would definitely kick him out again!

He'd only just found this one cash cow!

He had to find a way to get the plot back on track!