Standing at the entrance of the room, looking up at the numbers "5012" on the door frame, Xia Shiyou's hands tightly twisted together, she had a vague sense of unease.

At noon, she received a text message from Ji Fan, asking her to meet in room 5012 of this five-star hotel. As soon as she finished her job as a private tutor, she rushed here.

She had just summoned the courage to knock on the door when it suddenly opened. The woman standing at the doorway was a pure beauty dressed in a sexy silk nightgown. This woman was not a stranger. She was Xia Shiyou's roommate, Lin Xiaoya.

The sound of water pouring from the bathroom abruptly stopped. A man emerged from the inside, bare-chested, with only a white towel around his waist. With a soft and warm voice, he asked, "Xiaoya, who's here?" His gaze swept toward the door just as he finished his sentence. The hand he was using to wipe his hair froze in place. His warm, black eyes flickered with a hint of panic. Swallowing involuntarily, his voice low and somewhat hesitant, "Shiyou," he asked, "why are you here?"

"It was me who used your phone to text her to come here," Lin Xiaoya lazily responded, deliberately pulling the door wide open to give Xia Shiyou a full view of the mess on the large white bed.

"Xiaoya!" Ji Fan's handsome face immediately became much colder, his dark pupils even brighter.

"Ji Fan, just how long do you plan on stringing two women along?" Lin Xiaoya had a fiery temper. Seeing that Ji Fan remained silent, she turned to the totally stunned Xia Shiyou standing at the door and said, "Xia Shiyou, I called you here today to make things clear. Ji Fan is my boyfriend now. He dumped you a long time ago and chose me. Stay away from my boyfriend in the future, understand?"

"That's enough!" Ji Fan, struggling to control his anger, let out a low growl.

"Was what she said true?" Xia Shiyou asked, looking at Ji Fan. She felt wronged and wanted to cry, but pride swelled within her, preventing her tears. Her eyes, dark like black grapes, were brimming with unshed tears, making her look pitiful.

Ji Fan looked at Xia Shiyou, the girl who he'd grown up together since they were kids. It felt as if a fishbone was stuck in his throat, rendering him unable to utter those ruthless words.

Lin Xiaoya forcefully elbowed Ji Fan. Only then did Ji Fan managed to say, "Yes, Shiyou, let's break up."

Xia Shiyou didn't say anything more. She covered her mouth, turned around and ran off. Ji Fan called out to her and wanted to chase after her, but Lin Xiaoya held him back.

When she arrived, the weather was fine. In less than fifteen minutes, it started pouring. Xia Shiyou stood at the hotel entrance, watching the curtain of rain under the dark night, waited for three minutes. Seeing that not only the rain didn't stop, but it even got heavier, she no longer waited and plunged into the downpour.

While pushing her electric bike to make a U-turn, her eyes were washed by the rain until she couldn't see anything. All she could hear was a long honk, and then she was struck by a heavy object and knocked to the ground.

"Sir, I hit someone." The driver of the luxury car was a middle-aged man in his forties. Dressed in a rather expensive suit, he currently held the steering wheel with both hands and turned slightly to look at the back seat.

Seated in the back was a handsome man around thirty years of age, exceptionally elegant in his custom-made, hand-tailored black suit. His hair was precisely combed, and a natural air of aloofness rested between his handsome brows and eyes. As he slowly opened his eyes at the sound, his gaze was as piercing as a cheetah's in the veil of the rainy night. His cold eyes briefly swept over the woman outside, struggling to get up in the rain. He simply nodded and gently tapped on the window glass after a moment of silence.

"Go take a look."

His voice was icy and distant, not particularly loud, but carried a coldness that seemed to emanate from a distant horizon.

~

The luxury vehicle just hit her electronic bike, not her. But she still took a hard tumble, landing on the ground, somewhat dazed.

Xia Shiyu, struggled to get up, staring at her e-bike that was now deformed by the impact. She forgot about her own pain for a moment. She didn't care about her injuries. All she cared about was her e-bike-- it was something she bought for over a thousand yuan. If it were broken, it would genuinely hurt her.

"Miss, do you want us to take you to the hospital?" Xu Ming, holding a big black umbrella, stood tall in front of Xia Shiyu. He bent slightly, sheltering Xia Shiyu under the umbrella.

At first, when he realized they had hit someone, he was quite worried, fearing unnecessary trouble. This accident was not their fault; it was caused by the girl going in the wrong direction. Nonetheless, if it resulted in a fatality, it would be detrimental to the president and the entire Gu corporation.

Now that the person seemed okay, he was relieved. Even if she wanted to extort money later, it would not be a big deal.

"No need, I am fine." Xia Shiyu replied without looking back. Her mind was completely on her e-bike. If it could not be repaired, she did not have extra money to buy a new one. She was a senior in college now, with very few classes to attend. Most of her time was spent running around. She tutored in three homes, all located far apart. She roamed around the city every day. In a few days, it would be time for the annual campus recruitment. Once she finds an internship, she will be even busier.

As she thought about it, Xia Shiyu became sadder. She tried getting on her e-bike to ride away, but it would not move.

Left with no other options, if she couldn't ride it, she would just have to push it.

Gu Zhongqian sat in the car with a slight frown on his handsome face. His solemn eyes swept over the rain-hit window, falling on Xia Shiyu. Silently watching the girl in the rain, he thought of another girl from many years ago, seeing her in such a helpless plight. Gradually, his sharp gaze softened a bit.

That little girl, when she wanted something from him, she would call him pitifully as "Uncle", when she did not get what she wanted, she would politely call him "Sir". She appeared naïve and innocent, but was actually very clever.

In reality, his interactions with her were not many, they had occasionally spoken a few words. Even when she stopped visiting his home, he never thought about finding her. However, every now and then, in quiet nights, he would suddenly think of her.

With an innocent face, a childish voice, she is always diligent and hardworking, never slacking off.

She seemed a bit dense and rarely spoke. Each time he came home, if she was there, she would simply greet him with a 'sir' and then bury herself back in her work. By her reckoning, she should be twenty-one by now, approximately the same age as this girl.

Gu Zhongqian gently closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he saw Xia Shiyu pushing her cart past him.

He had a clear view of her appearance up close, and momentarily lost himself in her looks. Seeing that she had already passed him, Gu Zhongqian got out of the car. Xu Ming, seeing this, quickly came over with an umbrella.

"CEO ..."

"Book a room in the hotel and take her up there. I have some questions to ask her," Gu Zhongqian said, interrupting Xu Ming before he could finish speaking.

"Yes, CEO," replied Xu Ming. The boss's unusual behaviour gave him a stomach full of confusion, but he didn't dare ask, or even hesitate, he simply complied.

Xu Ming handed Gu Zhongqian the umbrella, who then quickly caught up and stood in front of Xia Shiyu, blocking her path and saying, "Miss, our boss would like to speak with you."

Xia Shiyu, having her path blocked, had no choice but to stop her hurried steps. She looked up at the middle-aged man standing in front of her. Judging by the voice, it was the man who had just asked if she wanted to go to the hospital. "I'm not injured, so there's really no need for me to go to the hospital," Xia Shiyu replied.

"Miss, our boss wants to speak with you," Xu Ming said to Xia Shiyu in a very gentle tone because he noticed that the boss seemed to have a soft spot for this girl.

Xia Shiyu turned around and saw, in the rain not far away, a tall, upright man standing under an umbrella.

She couldn't make out his facial expression, but from that distance, she could still feel the chill emanating from him. Xia Shiyu couldn't help but shiver slightly and shook her head, "I don't know you, I won't go." With that, she was about to leave when Gu Zhongqian steadily walked over to her, blocking her path and covering her with his large umbrella. He looked down at her and said, "You've damaged my car. Don't you think you should compensate me?"

Of course, an e-bike couldn't damage a luxury car worth millions, but earlier, in order to avoid hitting her, Xu Ming had to swerve the car quickly and ended up hitting a large tree.

At the mention of "compensation", Xia Shiyu visibly trembled, glanced back at the car, and asked with feigned calmness, "How much do I need to compensate?"

"Four hundred thousand." Gu Zhongqian stated his price, his cold gaze didn't waver from her face for a moment. His black pupils were clear and bright, his lips slightly curved, but not too much.

He thought she looked so much like she used to - all these years, her appearance didn't seem to change much, only she had grown taller. If he wasn't mistaken, she must be that girl - Xia Shiyou.

Four hundred thousand! Xia Shiyou's legs grew weak with fear, involuntarily taking a step back. She initially thought that he wanted her to compensate for the damages to his car, and since her car was severely damaged too, she would have to pay as well. But she figured they could offset each other's costs if it came to that. However, four hundred thousand... that was too much money. Even if she sold herself, she wouldn't be able to afford it.

In the luxurious suite of a five-star hotel, Xia Shiyou was staring non-stop at the bathroom door, when suddenly the sound of running water stopped, and a man stepped out from inside.

The man was wearing a towel around his lower half, his upper body was bare, revealing his strong muscles.

Xia Shiyou was caught off guard seeing him. She paused, then swiftly averted her gaze, no longer looking at him. Unconsciously, her face began to flush. She had never seen a man's body before. In reaction to his approach, she continued to step backward until there was no more space, finally plopping into the soft sofa.