CHAPTER 54: CHAPTER 54 CLARIFY THE TRADING RULES 4_1

Wan Donglin met her suddenly sharp gaze and offered an awkward smile. "What’s so hard to figure out here?"

Yan Xixi shifted her gaze away, staring at the blue roses again.

Wan Donglin! He was the one causing mischief. He had always been the one causing mischief. The first time I visited Huang Xiaojue’s home, his mother seemed to miraculously know everything about my family background, including the 50,000 yuan Huang Xiaojue had given me. After all these years of her being oblivious, how did she suddenly gain clairvoyance and such keen hearing? When Huang Xiaojue went on a blind date, the whole world seemed to know. And so many people were vying to introduce girlfriends to Huang Xiaojue—and how coincidental that Xu Xiaoya happened to witness it, then report back to me. Every day Huang Xiaojue came to find me, Wan Donglin would ’happen’ to pass by, always ’accidentally’ letting Huang Xiaojue find out, leading to his jealousy, anger, and frustration... These, of course, were not ’accidents.’

"Mr. Wan, is all this painstaking effort you’re pouring in really worth it?"

His face stern, he said, "I’ve certainly never gone to such lengths to pursue a woman before. Yan Xixi, you should consider yourself flattered!"

"Should I kneel and thank Your Lordship for this great honor?"

He chuckled at her retort, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

It was then that Yan Xixi saw him produce a small box from behind him. He opened it in front of her; inside, there was a diamond necklace and a pile of small pills.

This was the legendary ’big stick policy.’ Hit you hard with a stick first, then offer you a carrot.

He remarked casually, "Yan Xixi, I’ll make some things clear to you beforehand, to keep you from having unrealistic expectations."

Yan Xixi listened attentively.

"In our kind of family, we can fool around outside, but we absolutely cannot have illegitimate children."

Yan Xixi understood immediately. At least, it’s best not to have illegitimate children before marriage—that’s his bottom line. After all, no matter how much these playboys fool around, they will eventually marry a woman of equal social standing to preserve their family’s reputation. Mr. Wan’s biggest taboo is clearly: never threaten me with pregnancy, never try to use pregnancy as leverage to climb the social ladder—otherwise, you’ll meet a very ugly end.

He hadn’t usually explained these things to his female companions at the outset, but Yan Xixi was different. He found this woman too shrewd. She had a background as a swindler, and he feared she might resort to cunning tactics that could become unmanageable. So, he laid out all the rules in advance: Yan Xixi, you’d best not play any mind games with me.

Yan Xixi understood clearly and nodded.

"Another thing, I have a habit: I never share my bed with anyone. After we’re done, you leave on your own."

The harsh words came before the sweet ones.

"While living in this house, everything you eat, wear, and use will be taken care of by dedicated staff. The latest clothes, bags, and so on—I’ll have people buy them for you..."

He stared at the fine hairs on her face, which looked particularly beautiful in the golden sunlight. He paused, then continued, "I might make an exception. When you leave, you can take everything in this house with you."

Should I express my gratitude? Yan Xixi wondered.

"But I won’t give you any cash..." he said, handing her a credit card. "This card has a moderate limit. You can use it when you go out..."

In other words, she wouldn’t have a single penny of actual cash on hand.

Many people assumed that rich tycoons were often extravagant with their mistresses, lavishing them with money. Little did they know, these men were as cunning as monkeys. To control their mistresses, they would never give them large sums of cash at once, fearing they would take the money and run.