Why would Peninsula want to date a lazy dog ​​like me?

Zhang Zhenying's room has not seen sunlight for five whole days.

The heavy curtains were drawn tightly shut, preventing even the faintest ray of light from penetrating.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, filled with a suffocating mixture of smells: the scent of fermenting expensive red wine, the ash of burnt sandalwood, and a slightly neurotic fragrance secreted by a woman's body in a state of extreme excitement and anxiety.

Zhang Zhenying walked barefoot on the A4 papers and photos scattered on the ground.

She was wearing a wrinkled nightgown, and her hair was disheveled and draped over her shoulders.

That once exquisitely beautiful face was now unusually pale due to five consecutive days of sleep deprivation, with deep dark circles under her eyes.

But her eyes were terrifyingly bright.

That light was not a healthy glow, but a ghostly green phosphorescence, burning in the dark and carrying a deadly poison.

"It's been five days..."

Zhang Zhenying's voice was hoarse, like the sound of two rusty iron pieces rubbing together, echoing in the empty room.

She walked to the large bed in the center of the room and collapsed onto it like a lump of mud. Her fingers dug into the sheets so tightly that they turned a sickly pale white from the excessive force.

Wei Wu has been on the starship for five full days.

For five days, Zhang Zhenying didn't step out of her room even once. She turned down all social engagements, ignored her parents' inquiries, and didn't even go to school.

She locked herself in this dark cell, like a beast licking its wounds while frantically simulating in its mind how to tear its enemy to pieces.

She hates Zhang Yuanying.

I hate her so much that I want to peel off the skin of that so-called "national center" one layer at a time, and rub her face, which always wears a fake and sweet smile, against broken glass.

That night, in the study, when she caught Zhang Yuanying's undisguised predatory gaze towards Wei Wu, as if he were looking at a personal toy, Zhang Zhenying understood everything.

What "helping my sister lock up her prey"? What "a trap of 500 million in breach of contract fees"?

It's all a lie!

Her younger sister, who had always loved to steal her dolls, her pretty dresses, and her parents' affections since childhood, has now set her greedy gaze on the only man Zhang Zhenying wants to hold onto tightly in her entire life!

Zhang Zhenying turned over in the darkness and buried her face deeply in the pillow that Wei Wu had once leaned against.

The cheap, discounted laundry detergent smell that Wei Wu had worn off on the pillow had long since dissipated, but Zhang Zhenying could still almost smell that rough, real scent that she was so infatuated with that she was almost driven mad.

"Why... why him of all people?"

Zhang Zhenying asked herself this question over and over again.

She had seen far too many so-called "excellent men." These men wore impeccably tailored suits, wore perfumes costing thousands of dollars, and fawned over her with the most elegant manners.

But in Zhang Zhenying's eyes, those people were nothing more than a group of stinking plastic mannequins. Their eyes held a lustful greed for her body, and their smiles concealed meticulous calculations of profit. Their fawning over her was like a programmed machine, so hypocritical it made her want to vomit.

Until that rainy evening, Wei Wu, carrying that faded, tattered canvas bag and with his messy hair soaked by the rain, walked into her study.

Zhang Zhenying will never forget that scene.

That was the first time Wei Wu came to give her a Chinese tutoring lesson.

Zhang Zhenying deliberately displayed her proud collarbone and the barely visible edge of her bra under the lights. She was used to testing the men's self-control in this way, watching their awkwardness as they appeared serious on the surface but their eyes involuntarily wandered downwards.

But Wei Wu did not.

The man pulled out a chair and sat down. His lifeless, dull eyes didn't even glance at her neckline. Instead, he slammed a thick Chinese grammar book onto the table with a loud "thud."

"Jang Jin-young, my hourly wage is 50,000 won. I hope that for the next two hours, you can focus on these Chinese characters instead of trying to irritate my breathing with your cheap perfume. If your goal is to flirt with a man, go to a nightclub in Gangnam District, don't waste my time earning money."

That was the first thing Wei Wu said to her.

It is cold, harsh, ruthless, and full of the mercenary mentality of the working class and their extreme aversion to trouble.

At that moment, Zhang Zhenying did not feel anger at being offended.

Instead, she felt a tremor she had never felt before.

It's like a drowning person who has been holding their breath in a vacuum for over a decade suddenly breathing in a breath of air that is incredibly rough yet incredibly real, mixed with mud and gravel.

This man didn't care about her wealth, and he was even oblivious to her beauty, which was enough to drive countless men crazy.

All he cared about was money, and that hourly wage of 50,000 won.

That's so true.

It was so real that Zhang Zhenying felt a morbid infatuation with it.

In the days that followed, this infatuation began to multiply wildly in Zhang Zhenying's blood like a virus.

She began to observe every detail of Wei Wu.

She liked to see Wei Wu frowning impatiently because she got a question wrong; she liked to hear the "tap-tap" sound of Wei Wu tapping the table with his red ballpoint pen; she liked to see Wei Wu's resolute back as soon as get out of class ended, packing his bag without hesitation and not wanting to stay for even a second longer.

Wei Wu was like a hard, cold stone covered with sharp edges, which crashed into Zhang Zhenying's stagnant life.

When the song "Believer" went viral online, and when Zhang Zhenying discovered through a private investigator that the person was Wei Wu...

This morbid obsession has been completely sublimated into an almost religious fanaticism.

"genius……"

Zhang Zhenying muttered nervously in the darkness, her fingers gripping the bed sheet so tightly that her nails almost tore the fabric apart.

"He was a genius... a genius with godlike talent who was willing to sell instant noodles in a convenience store and get moldy in a low-rent apartment."

In Zhang Zhenying's distorted worldview, Wei Wu's "salted fish" state was not a kind of decadence, but a kind of arrogance of the highest level.

He disdained to display his talent to this disgusting world, and he disdained to pander to those vulgar audiences.

"just me……"

Jang Jin-young suddenly sat up in bed, her eerie green eyes flashing with a terrifying light in the darkness.

"Only I can understand his value! Only I am worthy of him! He is a dusty idol, and I will be the only believer qualified to lock him in a golden shrine and worship him day and night!"

Wei Wu is hers.

It can only be hers!

Anyone who tries to take over Cao Cao's territory must die!

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhenying's sweet face reappeared in Zhang Yuanying's mind.

During those five days, although she didn't go out, her mind never stopped working.

She knew how much Wei Wu hated trouble, how much he disliked the hypocrisy of the entertainment industry, and how much he resented being controlled.

Zhang Yuanying's self-righteous "sweet offensive" and condescending attitude might work on those lust-driven fools, but it wouldn't work on Wei Wu.

That's like throwing a match into a powder keg.

"He won't be able to hold out for long."

Zhang Zhenying paced back and forth in the darkness, as if performing some kind of mysterious ritual.

"Wei Wu is a lone wolf who only recognizes money, but will never recognize his master. When he discovers that Zhang Yuanying is not making a deal with him at all, but trying to tame him, he will definitely explode. He will not hesitate to tear up the contract and tear off Zhang Yuanying's hypocritical face."

"He won't stay on Starship for long."

"He will soon discover that the outside world is full of disgust and scheming. Only here with me, only by my side, is he his final refuge."

Zhang Zhenying is waiting.

She was engaging in an extreme psychological game.

During her five-day seclusion, she compressed her longing for Wei Wu and her murderous intent towards her sister to the extreme, waiting for the moment when Wei Wu was frustrated, angry, and had nowhere to turn. Then, she would capture him again in the manner of an absolute controller.

Just then.

"Buzz—Buzz—Buzz—"

In the eerily silent room, a piercing cell phone vibration suddenly broke out.

Zhang Zhenying's body suddenly stiffened.

Her breath stopped completely in that instant, her heart felt as if it had been clenched tightly by an invisible hand, then suddenly released, and began to beat wildly.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

Zhang Zhenying could even hear the roar of her blood surging through her veins.

She slowly turned her head and stared intently at the drawer that was making the vibration sound.

She practically lunged at it.

Zhang Zhenying stumbled to the bedside table and picked up her phone with trembling hands.

The screen lit up, displaying two words:

[Cao Cao]

"what……"

An extremely suppressed groan, as if the very soul was trembling, escaped from deep within Zhang Zhenying's throat.

He called.

He really called!

Zhang Zhenying felt a tingling sensation on her scalp, and an unprecedented ecstasy overwhelmed her reason like a tsunami.

She guessed right!

Wei Wu and Zhang Yuanying have fallen out! The lone wolf broke free of its chains, and with nowhere else to turn, it finally remembered its former employer!

Zhang Zhenying's finger hovered above the green answer button, trembling violently.

She wanted to answer the phone immediately. She wanted to shout into the phone, "Wei Wu, you're finally back!" She even wanted to rush out of the room, rush to Wei Wu, hug him tightly, and chain his hands and feet!

but.

No.

Zhang Zhenying suddenly closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

The murky air, a mixture of red wine and sandalwood, rushed into her lungs, forcibly cooling her heart, which was about to explode.

"Calm down... Jang Jin-young, you must calm down."

She was frantically warning herself in her mind.

Wei Wu was an extremely vigilant prey. If she showed even the slightest bit of fervor or impatience, Wei Wu's abnormally sharp intuition would immediately detect the danger, and he would flee again.

She has to maintain that persona.

The persona of that aloof, cold, neurotic, yet consistently financially supportive "young lady employer".

"call--"

Zhang Zhenying slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

When she opened her eyes again, the madness and eerie green phosphorescence in them were completely covered by a thick, perfectly formed layer of ice.

Her facial muscles quickly adjusted, regaining their expressionless indifference.

She pressed the answer button and put the phone to her ear.

"Feed".

Zhang Zhenying's voice was cold and flat, with a hint of displeasure at being disturbed, so perfect that there wasn't a single flaw.

On the other end of the phone came the noisy traffic of Seoul streets, and Wei Wu's extremely familiar breathing, tinged with a hint of roughness and impatience.

"Zhang Zhenying xi".

Wei Wu's voice sounded somewhat muffled, as if he were wearing a mask. He was completely unceremonious, lacking any of the restraint one would show when addressing a wealthy heiress; his tone was that of a typical, down-to-earth working-class man.

"It is I, Wei Wu."

"I know," Zhang Zhenying replied coldly. "Is there something wrong? If I remember correctly, our employment relationship ended five days ago."

There was a two-second silence on the other end of the phone.

Then, Wei Wu let out an extremely irritated "tsk" sound.

"Stop talking nonsense. I'll just ask you one question: are you still hiring for your Chinese tutoring job?"

Wei Wu was squatting in front of a convenience store two streets away from the Starship Entertainment Building, with a lollipop in his mouth.

He had just given Zhang Yuanying, that crazy woman, a good dressing down in the recording studio, and then casually flipped the table and left.

It felt great to leave.

But when the cold wind blew, Wei Wu's brain, corrupted by money, instantly cleared up.

Damn, twenty million gone.

Not only did he lose 20 million, but he also quit his part-time job at the convenience store to take on this big job.

Now he can't afford the second-hand monitor speakers, and he's even struggling to pay the rent for his run-down low-rent apartment next month!

Wei Wu was an extremely pragmatic person.

What face, what dignity? They're nothing but a fart when you can't pay rent.

He went through his phone's contacts and found that the person who could get money the fastest and was the most generous was actually Zhang Zhenying, this somewhat mentally unstable young lady.

Although Jang Jin-young is usually aloof and has a strong perfume smell, she pays promptly! 50,000 won an hour, never late!

Compared to Zhang Yuanying, that weirdo who was always thinking about something and wouldn't even provide requirements documentation, Zhang Zhenying was practically an angel!

So, Wei Wu dialed Zhang Zhenying's number without hesitation.

"Need more staff?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Zhenying's voice remained completely flat, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

"Teacher Wei, are you mistaken about something? Five days ago, you resigned from this job on your own initiative. Although I, Zhang Zhenying, am not some big shot, I am not the kind of shelter where you can leave or come back as you please."

Zhang Zhenying was in control.

She was testing Wei Wu's bottom line with the coldest language, while simultaneously enjoying the ultimate pleasure of her prey struggling in her palm.

Wei Wu rolled his eyes dramatically on the other end of the phone.

"Alright, Zhang Zhenying-xi, we're all adults, let's stop with the formalities." Wei Wu took the lollipop out of his mouth, his tone quite straightforward, "I'm short of money to pay the rent right now."

"Just tell me one thing: can you still do this job? If you can, I'll be at your house tomorrow night and I guarantee I'll correct your terrible grammar. If you can't, I'll hang up immediately and find another part-time job. I, Wei Wu, have hands and feet; I won't starve."

Wei Wu's tone was devoid of any pleading; it was entirely a tough stance of "equal trade, take it or leave it."

It was this very gesture that made Zhang Zhenying on the other end of the phone so happy she almost screamed.

Correct!

That's it!

It's this raw, undisguised, money-obsessed authenticity that's so real!

Zhang Zhenying bit her lip hard until she tasted a hint of blood, then forcibly suppressed the wild laughter that was about to spill from her throat.

She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and made sure her voice still sounded arrogant and reluctant.

"Teacher Wei, your attitude is still so annoying."

Zhang Zhenying said coldly.

"However, I haven't been able to find a suitable replacement recently. The people the agencies send all have too heavy accents."

She paused for a moment, as if making a difficult decision.

"Tomorrow night at eight o'clock. If you're even a minute late, never show your face in front of me again."

"Beep—beep—beep—"

Zhang Zhenying decisively hung up the phone.

She gave Wei Wu no room for negotiation.

The phone slipped from her hand and fell onto the thick carpet.

Zhang Zhenying stood quietly in the dark room for a few seconds.

then.

She suddenly opened her arms wide, as if embracing the whole world.

"Ha ha……"

"Hahahahahahahahahaha!!!"

Sharp, morbid laughter, filled with endless ecstasy and possessiveness, exploded in the closed room.

Zhang Zhenying spun wildly among the photos and papers scattered on the floor, the hem of her nightgown drawing eerie arcs in the darkness.

"He's back..."

"My god... my dog... carried his collar back to my cage himself!"

Zhang Zhenying suddenly collapsed onto the bed, burying her face deeply in the pillow that still carried the scent of Wei Wu, taking deep, greedy breaths.

"Yuan Ying..."

A cruel glint flashed in Zhang Zhenying's eyes.

"Thank you……"

"Now, he belongs to me alone."