Chapter 1
The hotpot boils; red oil pops like tiny firecrackers.
Chen Yanxi lifts the last slice of wagyu, lays it on Fei Ye's plate, wipes her fingers clean.
"Contract's up."
Her voice is flat, final.
Fei Ye's chopsticks freeze. "Another tantrum?"
"Three-month agreement. Ends today."
She folds the napkin into a perfect square, sets it beside his bowl.
Ding.
Only she hears the mechanical voice:
[Target Fei Ye: complete. Reward: ¥50,000,000—transferred.]
She shoulders her bag. The chair legs scrape, a curt goodbye.
"Sit. We're still eating."
He doesn't look at the food.
"I'm full."
She taps her phone—payment confirmed—and pushes through the glass door.
Rain slams down.
Fei Ye follows, catching her wrist. "You're playing me?"
"Yes."
She smiles; the tear-shaped mole at the corner of her eye glints like a warning. "You were worth the price."
Rain turns to needles.
She twists free, heels slicing puddles.
[ALERT: Five-star target Shen Yan. ETA thirty seconds, left intersection.]
A black Maybach glides to the curb.
The rear window lowers; a man's profile—cold marble under neon—appears.
She opens the door herself, voice soft as breath:
"Next."
The car pulls away.
Fei Ye stands in the downpour, umbrella unopened, water running off his knuckles like defeat.