Jiang Ya couldn't help but look up at Lin Chu.
He had a tall frame, a handsome face, and pale, clear skin with no acne. Among ordinary people, he was quite good-looking.
At least he was much better than those forty- or fifty-year-old men with their beer bellies and bald heads.
But those two words, "kept woman," still made her feel a little uncomfortable.
"How about... How about I marry you?"
Jiang Ya blurted out.
She was already well aware that her family wanted to trade her for money, and she had completely accepted it.
'What else could I do?'
Right now, there were basically three options: get married, go work at a nightclub, or the "kept woman" arrangement Lin Chu had just mentioned.
Compared to the latter two, the first option seemed more acceptable. There was no moral pressure, and it would still bring in a large sum of money.
"Hm?"
"In your dreams."
Lin Chu looked at her in disbelief.
Hearing his words and seeing his reaction, she froze for a moment. A quiet sense of inferiority even began to sprout in her heart.
'How is that... me dreaming?'
'I'm not ugly, am I?'
Plenty of guys at school had chased after her, and she was often hit on even when just walking down the street.
'I've got a chest, I've got legs, I've got an ass, and I'm good-looking on top of all that.'
"Am I... really not good enough for you?"
she asked, her head lowered.
Lin Chu smiled, lit a cigarette, and said, "Your motives aren't pure. I'm looking for love; you just want my money."
She was speechless.
After holding it in for a long while, she weakly squeezed out a sentence: "Your motives aren't pure either. You just want to sleep with me."
Hm?
Her words actually made Lin Chu laugh. It was a genuine laugh of amusement, not the least bit sarcastic. 'The girl's not stupid.'
So, Lin Chu decided to be more direct with her. "But I'm paying, aren't I? One hundred thousand a month, that should be enough, right? When we get sick of each other, we can just go our separate ways. It won't get in the way of you getting married in the future."
Jiang Ya's head was suddenly buzzing.
One hundred thousand!
A month!
'What more could I possibly ask for?'
Even if she got married, the going rate for a bride price around here was two hundred thousand at most.
And working at a nightclub, she could work herself to death and not make a hundred thousand.
Her family's breakfast shop didn't even make a hundred thousand in a year.
They had run it for almost ten years, and when they finally sold it, they only got a hundred and fifty thousand.
"I... I'm not worth that much."
"You're not planning to sell me, are you?"
Jiang Ya didn't know what wire got crossed in her brain to make her suddenly blurt that out.
Her silly, naive question almost made Lin Chu choke on his smoke.
"Is your brain full of seawater?"
"We're going to Ye City tomorrow to pay the hospital."
As Lin Chu spoke, he put his arm around her. Jiang Ya's body trembled slightly, but she didn't resist, her shoulder tensing to support his arm.
"How many guys have you dated before?"
Lin Chu asked nonchalantly.
"I've never dated anyone!"
she retorted, a little anxiously.
"Oh? So it's your first time."
She nodded lightly and sighed. "My mom is usually very strict; I have to be home every day. A classmate wanted to start live-streaming and asked me to join her. When I told my mom, she yelled at me, saying that girls who preen for the camera are no different from prostitutes."
Lin Chu was speechless.
He suddenly understood her painful situation.
Normally, her family was incredibly strict, but now that her brother needed money, they wanted her to sell herself.
"It's alright now. Money is a small problem. From now on, you'll be with me."
Lin Chu pulled her a little tighter, turned her around, and simply kissed her.
She was a little resistant at first, but under Lin Chu's coaxing, she soon began to respond, clumsy and inexperienced.
...
「The next morning.」
Lin Chu, Jiang Ya, and her mom boarded the ferry across the sea to visit Jiang Tao at the hospital in Ye City.
Lin Chu barely spoke the entire way, maintaining a cold and aloof act, not even taking off his sunglasses.
Jiang Ya's mom, on the other hand, kept trying to make conversation with a smile.
"Xiaolin, what kind of business are you in over in Peng City? You're doing so well, a big boss now. And you even bought your dad an Audi, you're so filial."
Lin Chu replied, "I just follow my big brother. He eats the meat, I drink the soup."
Her mom froze for a second, a hint of fear showing in her eyes.
'It makes sense, though,' she thought. 'How could someone so young be so rich? It must be from some shady business.'
Jiang Ya was also startled.
She looked at Lin Chu nervously.
"Doesn't every line of work put food on the table?"
Lin Chu said casually. He thought for a moment, then added, "I'll take care of Jiang Tao's medical fees. But, this money is for that specific purpose, and you'll have to write me an IOU."
Jiang Ya was stunned again.
'This... isn't how I thought it would go, either.'
"Yes, yes, of course, no problem! Of course we'll write an IOU. As long as my son can be cured, we'll do anything."
Lin Chu nodded. "Then it's settled. I'm tired. I'm going to rest."
After speaking, he closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, feigning sleep.
Lin Chu was well aware of the social dynamics in rural areas. The more decisive, ruthless, and domineering you were, the more smoothly things went. Being kind, gentle, and meek could actually backfire.
That's just how society is.
Seeing Lin Chu act like this, the mother and daughter exchanged a glance but didn't dare to say a word.
...
After the ferry crossed the sea, they took a taxi to the hospital. Outside the ICU, Lin Chu saw Jiang Tao lying inside.
It was a tragic sight.
Drinking and riding a motorcycle without a helmet—that was truly a date with King Yama.
He asked the attending physician about the current situation.
The doctor said he still needed to be observed in the ICU. If he were moved out now, the patient definitely wouldn't last twenty-four hours.
After some thought, Lin Chu took Jiang Tao's medical card, went to the payment counter, and deposited a hundred thousand for him.
The instant the deposit was confirmed...
Lin Chu saw a notification on his virtual panel: Rebate received, 200,000.
He thought for a moment, then deposited another 200,000.
Again, he saw the notification: Rebate received, 400,000.
The nurse at the payment counter was shocked. She looked at Lin Chu in disbelief. 'Who pays this much for medical bills all at once?'
Standing beside him, Jiang Ya and her mother were also stunned.
Three hundred thousand!
He just paid it without even blinking?
"This three hundred thousand should last for a while. When it runs out, give me a call."
Lin Chu said, his voice full of compassion, even sounding a little melancholic.
He didn't mention the IOU this time.
He was reminded of that classic line: "Money is life!"
Her mom's tears immediately began to flow uncontrollably.
Whatever her other human failings, her love for her son was absolute. She was even about to kneel and kowtow to Lin Chu.
Lin Chu helped her up. "None of that, it's annoying. I'm leaving. Yaya, are you going back to school? I'll give you a ride."
Jiang Ya bit her lip and looked at her mom.
Her mom seemed to suddenly understand something. Wiping her tears, she said, "Go on, go on, hurry up. Let your Brother Lin take you. Mom will stay here and watch over your brother."
She had already made her choice long ago.
In this situation, with three hundred thousand already paid for the medical bills, what else could she say?
...
They walked out of the hospital.
Lin Chu took Jiang Ya's hand.
She asked a little nervously, "Brother Lin, are you really a gangster?"
Lin Chu looked at her with a half-smile. "Hm? Why? Thinking of reporting me?"
She sniffled, squeezed Lin Chu's hand, and said coquettishly, "Of course not... So, do you have any tattoos?"
Lin Chu suddenly snapped to attention and stared at her. "What the hell? You think tattoos are cool, don't you?"
"Mhm, mhm, mhm."
She nodded eagerly. "But my school doesn't allow them. And if I want to be a flight attendant, they do a physical examination."
'Her sense of aesthetics is really something else.'
But it seemed that uncultured girls like her were into wannabe gangsters from the streets. They thought that nonchalant, 'I-don't-give-a-damn-about-anyone' attitude was cool.
'In fact, it seems I've actually hit on her kink.'
"Come on, then. I'm gonna go give you a physical right now..."
...
...