Su Jin was stunned for a moment.
He was giving the watch back?
She looked at the watch lying quietly on the table. The second hand ticked at a steady pace, pointing at 11:59:30 PM.
Suddenly, she understood, and her brow softened slightly.
‘So that’s how it is.’
How could she have forgotten? This man was such a miser that he even grumbled when the price of grilled sausages went up! He was surely timing the end of the contract to hint that she should pay him more.
Yes, that had to be it.
His distant behavior tonight was probably just a tactic to drive up his price. After all, it was a common strategy in business warfare.
Thinking of this, the panic in Su Jin’s heart was diluted by confidence. She tilted her chin up slightly, regaining her usual cold and slightly condescending demeanor.
“Lin Luan,” her voice steadied, “are you in such a hurry to draw a line between us? It’s just a watch. I never take back the things I give away.”
She paused, looking into Lin Luan’s eyes, which remained as calm and still as a stagnant pool. She delivered her prepared lines. “Besides, who told you the contract was over?”
Lin Luan looked up, appearing somewhat confused.
Su Jin was satisfied with his reaction, feeling that her guess had been correct.
“I think your performance this past month was… barely acceptable. Therefore, I’ve decided to extend the contract.”
“We can discuss the specific duration later. As for the compensation, I won’t let you suffer any losses.”
Su Jin was very pleased after saying this. She crossed her arms, waiting to see Lin Luan’s surprised expression.
After all, she was offering him the chance to remain by her side. The compensation alone would be more than a normal person could earn in a lifetime.
Who would refuse?
However, Lin Luan only looked at her quietly. This calm appearance made Su Jin feel a sense of unease.
He slowly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, General Manager Su,” Lin Luan said flatly. “The contract has expired. Let’s end our cooperation here. I don’t plan on extending it.”
The composure on Su Jin’s face froze instantly.
He didn’t plan on… extending it?
He refused?
He actually refused?!
How ridiculous!
No, that was impossible. Why would he refuse? He needed money—he clearly needed money so badly! What reason could he possibly have to refuse?!
“Why?” Su Jin could feel her voice trembling slightly, but she struggled to maintain her composure. “Are you unhappy with the compensation? We can talk about it.”
Without waiting for Lin Luan’s answer, Su Jin subconsciously began to raise her offer.
“It was one million a month before, right? If you extend, I can give you… two million a month.” She stared intently into his eyes.
Lin Luan remained silent.
“Three million!” Su Jin’s tone rose.
Lin Luan lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes.
“Five million!” Su Jin’s hand, resting under the table, tightly gripped her skirt.
This price was enough to hire a top-tier male celebrity, let alone a mere rental boyfriend. She didn’t believe anyone could remain indifferent to such a figure.
But Lin Luan only shook his head gently.
Su Jin felt her breathing become rapid. In an instant, the prideful calm and judgment she was so famous for seemed to fail her. She didn’t understand. She didn’t understand at all!
“Ten million!”
She squeezed the words out through her teeth.
“Lin Luan, ten million a month! All you need to do is continue like before…”
‘Just stay by my side like before.’
She couldn’t say the last part aloud. Her pride blocked her throat.
Ten million. One month.
Lin Luan finally looked up. His eyes flickered slightly, like a small pebble thrown into a calm lake, creating the tiniest of ripples. But those ripples quickly dissipated.
“General Manager Su, it’s not a matter of money.”
Lin Luan stood up. His tall figure cast a long shadow under the soft lights, perfectly enveloping Su Jin.
“Dinner tonight was delicious, and the night view was beautiful.” He bowed slightly in farewell. “Time’s up. Goodbye, Miss Su Jin.”
Having said his piece, he didn’t look back at Su Jin’s instantly pale face. He turned and walked with steady steps toward the restaurant exit.
The S-engraved watch remained lying quietly on the tablecloth in front of Su Jin.
The second hand gave one last tick.
12:00 AM.
The contract was officially terminated.
Exiting the restaurant that looked down upon all of Chang city, Lin Luan didn’t wait for the elevator. Instead, he pushed open the heavy security door and walked down the fire stairs, step by step.
The massive temperature difference between the indoors and outdoors made Lin Luan shiver involuntarily. Late nights in autumn were still cold.
He reached the ground floor, pushed open the heavy iron door, and stepped back into the noisy night.
There was no glittering river view here, only insects flying around streetlights and the distant clamor coming from the food stalls.
He had been looking at this city from a height for a while now—the river views, the towering skyscrapers… they all seemed like nothing special now.
He didn’t call for a taxi. He simply walked back slowly along the pedestrian path by the river.
He had just turned down a job paying ten million a month.
Yeah, ten million.
The kind of money an ordinary person might never see in their entire life.
“Lin Luan, oh Lin Luan,” he muttered to himself with his head down. “You sure are something. Not even ten million a month could keep you. You pushed it away without even blinking.”
“The Eldest Miss of the Su Family held cold, hard cash in front of you and begged you to stay. But you? You finished your last performance, patted your butt, and left like you’re some kind of noble soul.”
The night breeze carried moisture from the river, feeling cold against his face.
Lin Luan didn’t know why he had refused. Maybe he had just lost his mind. Perhaps if he took out his phone now and bowed a few times to Su Jin, he could still save the situation.
Ten million a month was an astronomical sum he hadn’t even dared to dream of before.
With that money, Xiaowan could go to the best university, live in the most comfortable house, and never have to worry about her future again.
He might have even been able to escape the bottom-tier life he had been struggling with for years and truly hold his head high.
Lin Luan stopped and leaned against the cold river railing, recalling the events of the auction.
[I bid 600 million!]
Those words had actually come from his mouth. He had been bathed in glory, radiating heroic spirit.
“But… so what?” Lin Luan asked himself softly, his voice scattering in the wind. “Was that 600 million real? Did it belong to you, Lin Luan?”
That 600 million was just a prop Su Bingren had placed in his hands beforehand. The unlimited black card that required a one million donation to activate was also a cheat code given to him by the Su Family.
It all felt like a game.
He was like a player who had suddenly been handed max-level god-tier equipment, using a cheat to clear the hardest dungeon and earning the applause of the crowd.
But once he took off the equipment, he was still just a Level 1 character who struggled even with the monsters in the starting village.
That feeling was terrible.
The luxury, the spending, everything seemed to be under his control. But beneath his feet wasn’t his own land; it was a magnificent stage built by others that could be pulled away at any moment.
He had no sense of control.
His joys and sorrows, his choices, and even his bravery all seemed to be part of someone else’s script.
Su Jin’s father could use hundreds of millions of shares to put him through the test, or use an unlimited black card to set obstacles for him.
What about Su Jin? She could buy one month of his time for ten million today. Tomorrow, would she use another price to buy something else from him?
The feeling of his fate being tied to the whims of others made him feel a sense of resistance and fear deep in his bones.
He was afraid.
He was afraid of getting used to that fake power and the feeling of being needed.
He was afraid of falling deeper into the web of money and tenderness Su Jin had woven, eventually losing himself completely and becoming a shadow that only existed by attaching itself to others—a shadow he wouldn’t even recognize.
Lin Luan was indeed poor, he indeed needed money, and he truly didn’t have any great skills.
But he didn’t want to live in a delusion created by a cheat code.
Lin Luan sighed and thought for a moment before taking out his phone and deleting Su Jin’s contact information.
‘You really are a fool, Lin Luan.’
After pressing the confirmation button, Lin Luan smiled helplessly.
But since he was going to cut ties, he had to cut ties with that world completely.
He would have to find a new job after he woke up.
The experiences of this past month were truly strange, like a dream.
Maybe it really was a dream?
‘I’ll just treat it as a yellow millet dream.’