Can't afford to pay for the takeout? Stunning CEO: Then pay with your body!

Inside the reception area of ​​the multi-treasure pavilion, the air seemed to have been drawn into a vacuum.

The smugness and contempt on Zhou Kai's face were like an oil painting splashed with sulfuric acid, quickly distorted and melted, leaving only an absurd and unbelievable blank.

The taunt that his henchman was about to utter was stuck in his throat, causing his entire face to turn a purplish-red.

Even the seasoned hostess in her cheongsam, who was used to all sorts of things, was completely dumbfounded. Looking at the handsome young man in front of her, she felt as if her worldview was being repeatedly rubbed into the ground.

What kind of reaction is this?

Shouldn't being hit in the face with a five-million-dollar check elicit fury, humiliation, or ecstasy?

What's with this... this tone, like someone picking out cabbage at the market and complaining that the vendor didn't give them enough?!

"What did you say?"

Zhou Kai's voice was dry and hoarse; he suspected he was hallucinating.

Zhang Yan waved the check in his hand. In his clear eyes, there was no anger at being humiliated, but rather a pure and serious confusion. He repeated it again, his tone as calm as if he were discussing today's weather.

"I said, just five million?"

He paused, and a genuine disappointment, which Zhou Kai found extremely jarring, flickered in his clear eyes.

"Nie Qingcheng is in your heart..."

"Is it really worth this price?"

boom--!

These words were like a bolt of lightning from the heavens, striking Zhou Kai squarely on the top of his head.

He finally understood.

The other party doesn't care about the amount of money at all!

He is humiliating himself in an incomprehensible way!

"You fucking want to die!"

Zhou Kai's sickly pale face instantly flushed with an unnatural red, and a ferocious, beast-like light burst forth from his gloomy eyes.

His henchmen reacted quickly, pointing at Zhang Yan's nose and cursing, "Kid! Don't push your luck! Brother Kai is doing you a favor by giving you money! You dare to haggle here? Who do you think you are!"

Zhang Yan ignored the barking dog; his gaze remained calmly fixed on Zhou Kai's face.

"What I am is not important."

"The important thing is that you, Young Master Zhou, are pursuing the most outstanding woman in Jinghai City, but you only offer five million to get rid of the people around her."

"If this gets out, I wonder how people in the Jinghai circle will evaluate you, 'Brother Kai'."

Zhang Yan spoke slowly, each word like a scalpel, precisely cutting into Zhou Kai's fragile and sensitive nerves.

"Is it a compliment to your thriftiness and careful budgeting?"

"Or are you laughing at me for being short of money and unable to do what I'm supposed to?"

The phrase "powerless" was like a red-hot iron rod, piercing Zhou Kai's heart.

For a self-proclaimed top-tier playboy like him, he can be harshly criticized, he can be driven mad by criticism, but he absolutely cannot be told that he is "not good enough"!

"Who the hell is unable to do it!"

Zhou Kai completely lost his temper. He shoved aside his henchman, his chest heaving violently, and glared at Zhang Yan with bloodshot eyes.

"I have plenty of money!"

He pulled out the checkbook again, his fingers trembling slightly with anger.

Seeing his exasperated expression, Zhang Yan subtly curved his lips into a smile, adding fuel to the fire at just the right moment.

"Since Young Master Zhou is so sincere, why don't we round it up?"

"Ten million, that sounds auspicious too."

"you……!"

Zhou Kai almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

He had never seen such a shameless person!

However, under Zhang Xing's calm gaze and amidst the subtle stares around him, all his anger ultimately transformed into a desperate, inescapable madness.

You won't give it to me?

Refusing to give it is admitting that you are powerless to do so!

She admitted that she had been manipulated by a pretty boy!

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

The gold pen scribbled wildly across the check, making a screeching sound.

"Rip—"

He ripped off another five-million-dollar check, practically slamming it into Zhang Yan's arms.

"Is that enough?!"

Zhou Kai gritted his teeth, each word seemingly squeezed out from between his teeth, "Now, take your money and get the hell out of here!"

Zhang Yan slowly and deliberately stacked the two checks together and put them into his backpack, his movements as natural as if he were collecting his due wages.

[Ding! The hidden quest "Accepting Gifts" has been completed!]

[Task Rating: S+! (Turning the tables on them, not only did you gain money, but you also made them experience the ultimate pleasure of being "played like a monkey"!]

[Task rewards are being distributed...]

[Congratulations, host, you have acquired the passive skill: Photographic Memory (Beginner)!]

Zhang Yan glanced at Zhou Kai's face, which was contorted with rage, and then gave him a sincere, approving smile.

"Young Master Zhou is magnanimous."

After saying that, he turned around and, without looking back, walked out of the Treasure Pavilion under Zhou Kai's almost murderous gaze.

……

After leaving Duobaoge, Zhang Yan did not linger for a moment and took a taxi directly to the nearest bank.

In the VIP room, he took out his spare old cell phone and skillfully transferred ten million yuan without missing a single penny to the public fundraising account of the Jiangzhou Orphanage.

In the transfer remarks section, he thought for a moment and carefully typed out a line.

— "Mr. Zhou Kai, a philanthropist from Jinghai City, donated to the children."

After doing all this, Zhang Yan deleted all the transfer records, took out the SIM card, broke it in half, and threw it into the trash can.

He walked out of the bank, looked up at the magnificent sunset on the horizon, and felt an indescribable sense of joy.

……

9 PM, Cloud Top Manor.

When Zhang Yan returned to the bedroom, Nie Qingcheng was lying on the bed reading documents, wearing the silk robe that he was most familiar with and that made his heart race.

The wine-red silk made her skin look even whiter than snow, and her long, straight legs swayed gently by the bedside, like two tempting mermaid tails.

"You're back?"

She didn't even look up, just asked lazily.

"Um."

Zhang Yan walked over, hugged her from behind, rested his chin on her fragrant shoulder, and smelled the familiar fragrance in her hair.

Something fun happened to me today.

"Oh?"

Nie Qingcheng finally put down the documents in her hand, turned her head, and her captivating fox-like eyes held a hint of curiosity. "Tell me about it."

Zhang Yan then vividly recounted how he had met Zhou Kai at Duobaoge that afternoon, how Zhou Kai had tried to bribe him with checks, how he had "persuaded" Zhou Kai to raise the price, and how Zhou Kai had ultimately donated the money to an orphanage, all as a joke.

He spoke casually, but Nie Qingcheng gradually lost the languid look on her face.

When she heard Zhang Yan's last words, "Young Master Zhou is so generous," she finally couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Then, the laughter grew louder and louder, becoming increasingly uncontrollable.

"Hahahaha...you...you little rascal...you're going to make me laugh to death..."

Nie Qingcheng laughed so hard she nearly fell over, and finally threw away the documents, rolling into Zhang Yan's arms. Her shoulders swayed back and forth, and tears welled up in her eyes from laughing.

She hugged Zhang Yan's neck and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, her eyes filled with undisguised admiration and doting.

"Well done!"

"That's how you deal with idiots!"

She lay on Zhang Yan's chest, laughing until she was done, then lifted her alluring face and gently stroked his nose with her slender fingers.

"You're becoming more and more to my liking."

Looking at her radiant smile, Zhang Yan felt a surge of tenderness in his heart.

However, the next second.

The smile on Nie Qingcheng's face slowly faded away at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Those fox-like eyes, which had just been filled with affection, instantly turned icy, and a chilling killing intent flashed in the depths of their eyes.

"The Zhou family..."

Her red lips parted slightly, but the words she uttered carried a chill that could freeze one's soul.

"Anyone who dares to humiliate me with money has some nerve."

She picked up her phone and dialed Linda's number directly, her voice cold and devoid of any emotion.

"Pass the word down."

"Starting tomorrow, cut off all business lines of the Zhou family's 'Kaisheng Logistics'."

"I want him to disappear completely from Jinghai City within a week."

After hanging up the phone, she acted as if she had only done something insignificant, and transformed back into the lazy Persian cat, snuggling in Zhang Yan's arms.

She played with Zhang Yan's fingers, then suddenly remembered something, looked up at him, and gave him a sweet smile.

"Oh, right, you little rascal."

"To reward you for behaving so well today, I'll take you somewhere fun in a couple of days."

"This weekend, Duobao Pavilion is hosting a top-tier internal appraisal event. I heard that the grand finale is a piece that is rarely seen in a century..."

"Imperial Green".