In her sleep, Yang Zhen'er unconsciously scratched her thigh...
Lu Li couldn't tell whether it was the poor quality of the stockings or that she'd worn them too long. But under his gaze, they seemed to run just from that gentle graze of her nails. The thread snagged, turning sheer and sparse, and through it, the delicate whiteness of Yang Zhen'er's thigh faintly emerged.
Yang Zhen'er stretched lazily and yawned. Her long lashes trembled slightly before she slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up from the sofa, her beautiful eyes scanning the living room until they settled on Lu Li, who was standing silently beside the shoe cabinet, staring at her.
In Lu Li's black-and-white pupils, Yang Zhen'er saw a burning fire—one that seemed like it could devour her skin, bones, and all.
Her heart began to pound wildly, her legs clamped together, and a flush of heat rose through her body.
Yang Zhen'er actually had a good impression of Lu Li.
He looked refined, pleasant, quite handsome...
His salary wasn't bad either—after taxes, nearly twenty thousand a month.
But...
A trace of melancholy appeared in Yang Zhen'er's expression.
But this was Zhonghai! The city of the Republic's transformation, the future capital of change—Zhonghai!
If they were both locals, this salary would be enough to get by. But as outsiders, trying to settle and build a life in this city, the money simply wasn't enough. More importantly, Yang Zhen'er was ambitious. She didn't want to live on the outskirts of Zhonghai, let alone in a cramped pigeonhole!
She quickly tucked away that fleeting emotion. Sitting upright, she cast a polite yet distant smile toward Lu Li. Tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she asked:
"When did you get back? Why didn't you wake me up?"
Only then did Lu Li take off his shoes, put on slippers, and step inside. As he walked, he replied:
"I've been back for a while."
"Then why were you just standing there?"
"There was a beautiful view... so I looked a bit longer."
As the words left his mouth, Lu Li answered honestly.
The atmosphere was just starting to shift when Yang Zhen'er's delicate expression stiffened. She stood up and, without a word, walked into her bedroom.
"Bang!"
The sound of the door shutting echoed through the room.
Lu Li stared at her retreating back, his brows slightly raised and a slow smile spreading across his lips.
If he were still the old Lu Li, this moment would have made him want to dig a hole and bury himself from shame—he would've been embarrassed, insecure, uncomfortable...
But now, everything was different.
Lu Li liked Yang Zhen'er's pushback. The more she resisted now, the sweeter her eventual transformation would be—when she finally gave in.
He sat on the sofa a while longer before getting up and returning to his room.
...
Inside the room.
Lu Li sat at his desk.
He took out two contracts and laid them side by side.
One was the Time Acquisition Contract, Contract No. 1,000,001.
The other was the Time Sale Contract, Contract No. 1,000,002.
This book is provided by FunNovel Novel Book | Fan Fiction Novel [Beautiful Free Novel Book]