It's just a toy, why would you care if it breaks?

The next morning at seven o'clock, just as dawn was breaking, Nan Yan woke up.

This was his first official "job," and even though it was just an unpaid hourly job, he cherished it all the more.

This flexible position was specially arranged for him by General Xu out of consideration for Wei Xun.

Nan Yan left half an hour earlier than scheduled, quietly walked to the door, and pushed out her new matte black bicycle.

The morning breeze was cool and felt nice on her face. Nan Yan couldn't help but smile slightly, her heart filled with undisguised joy.

At 7:45, Nan Yan parked her car in the parking area in front of Senmu Bakery Huayao Store.

The store wasn't officially open yet; the roller shutter door was only half-closed.

Nan Yan pushed her cart over and saw a middle-aged woman in black overalls tidying up the display rack by the door, her movements efficient and neat.

"Hello, Sister Dan," Nan Yan said, her voice tinged with timidity.

The store manager's name is Wang Caidan, and everyone calls her Sister Dan.

Wang Caidan turned around and saw Nan Yan: "Nan Yan? You're here so early."

"I wanted to come and help as soon as possible so I could learn more."

"What a diligent child," Wang Caidan said with a smile. "Go change into your work clothes first."

"Okay, thank you, Sister Dan." Nan Yan thanked her softly, quickly changed into her work clothes in the changing room, carefully put her things into the lockers labeled with her name, and then immediately came out to help.

He imitated Wang Caidan, tidying up the empty trays on the display shelf and then carefully wiping the glass cabinet doors with a rag.

As employees arrived at work one after another, Zhang Qiang and Li Zhuang from the kitchen, and Su He and Yao Fu from the front of house, all greeted Nan Yan warmly.

"Hello, new little brother," Su He said to him with a smile, her voice gentle.

Nan Yan blushed slightly and responded softly, "Hello, Sister He," "Hello, Brother Qiang," "Hello, Brother Zhuang," and "Hello, Sister Fu."

Wang Caidan asked Zhang Qiang to take Nan Yan to the kitchen. Nan Yan was very smart, learned quickly, and was very skilled at hands-on work.

Everyone took good care of him, which made him feel much more relaxed.

Business was busy in the morning, and Nan Yan worked alongside everyone, helping to knead dough, arrange egg tart shells, and organize freshly baked bread.

Zhang Qiang and Li Zhuang are male kitchen workers responsible for heavy work. Whenever they see Nan Yan carrying heavy bags of flour, they always come over to help.

"You're still young, so leave the heavy work to us. You can take care of the lighter tasks."

Nan Yan nodded and continued to sort the bread.

He cherishes this job and takes every task, big or small, very seriously.

Wang Caidan saw this and was even more satisfied with Nan Yan, praising him from time to time for being diligent and sensible.

Busy until 10:30, the last batch of bread came out of the oven, and the rich aroma of wheat filled the entire kitchen.

Wang Caidan clapped her hands: "Everyone, stop for a moment, have some tea and rest for a while, and eat some freshly baked bread to fill your stomachs."

After eating a few bites of bread, Nan Yan noticed that the trash can in the corner was full, so she offered, "Sister Dan, I'll go take out the trash."

Nan Yan carried the trash can out the back door of the kitchen.

Outside the back door is a narrow alley with several huge trash cans in it.

He walked to the trash can and was about to dump the trash in when he heard several people talking behind the trash can next to him. It was the voice of Li Zhuang and Zhang Qiang; they were hiding there smoking.

Nan Yan didn't want to disturb them, so she slowed down her movements.

But soon after, he heard his own name called.

"Hey, Zhang Qiang," Li Zhuang's voice carried a hint of gossip, "Is that new Nan Yan really the child the president of the Wei Group picked up?"

"Probably." Zhang Qiang took a drag of his cigarette and exhaled a smoke ring. "I heard it from Sister Dan. She said that President Wei personally spoke to the boss and asked him to arrange an easy job for Nan Yan, without paying him a salary, just so he could experience it."

"An orphan living in Mr. Wei's house?" Li Zhuang was a little surprised. "That's so inconvenient. I heard Mr. Wei has many girlfriends. Wouldn't it be awkward to bump into them every day?"

"Hey, you're overthinking it." Zhang Qiang scoffed. "Nan Yan is just an orphan fostered in his family. She probably can't even get into the main house and lives in the garage or servants' quarters. How could she possibly know about President Wei's private life?"

"That's true." Li Zhuang smiled. "Someone of President Wei's status would certainly not let an outsider know about his extravagant lifestyle. Besides, everyone in the entire South City knows he's engaged to Miss Dou."

"That's right. These rich people always marry people of equal social standing. No matter how much of a womanizer Mr. Wei is now, he'll eventually have to marry Miss Dou and have a glamorous heir."

"That's right," Li Zhuang chimed in. "Those women who are with him are nothing more than his toys. No matter how favored they are now, they would never marry him. They will only marry wealthy young ladies with powerful backgrounds to consolidate their business position."

Hearing this, Nan Yan was stunned.

The word "toy" was like a sharp knife, piercing Nan Yan's heart.

He froze, nearly dropping the trash can in his hand.

So... the gentleman was engaged.

It turns out he will marry Miss Dou and have his own children.

It turns out that all the women he was close to were just toys.

And what about myself? In my husband's eyes, am I just a temporary toy?

Nan Yan's tears welled up instantly, blurring her vision.

He quickly lowered his head and secretly wiped his eyes with his sleeve, not daring to let anyone see.

He never aspired to become an important person by Mr.'s side; he simply felt that Mr. was good to him, and he wanted to stay by his side.

But now, hearing these words, he realized that there was a world of difference between him and his husband.

The gentleman is a high-ranking CEO, while he is just a penniless "toy".

To be treated so gently by my husband is already an immense blessing.

How could he possibly ask for more?

Nan Yan bit her lip, trying hard to hold back her tears, until her lips ached from biting them.

He quietly put down the trash can and tiptoed back, his steps unsteady.

Behind them, Li Zhuang and Zhang Qiang continued gossiping about Wei Xun, saying how quickly he changed women and how beautiful Miss Dou was.

Those words were like needles, piercing Nan Yan's heart like a knife.

Back in the kitchen, Nan Yan's face was as pale as paper.

Su He noticed something was wrong with him and asked with concern, "Nan Yan, what's wrong? You look so pale, are you feeling unwell?"

"I'm fine, Sister He." Nan Yan lowered her head, avoiding her gaze.

"Then you should rest a little longer," Su He said considerately. "There's still plenty of freshly baked bread; there's no need to rush to work."

Nan Yan walked to a corner of the rest area and sat down.

He repeatedly told himself that he shouldn't have any improper thoughts, and that the fact that his husband was so good to him was already a blessing.

He must know his place and not take advantage of others, much less cause trouble for his husband.

At 2 PM, Teacher Zhang Qiming arrived at his home on time for his lesson: "Nanyan, how was work today?"

"It's all good, everyone is taking good care of me." Nan Yan forced a smile, her eyes a little dim.

Teacher Zhang noticed that something was off with him, but didn't ask any questions. She simply took out her textbook and said, "Today we'll learn Tang poems and then teach you how to use a dictionary. From now on, you can look up unfamiliar words yourself when you want to read a book. It's very useful."

"Okay, Teacher Zhang." Nan Yan sat at her desk, trying her best to concentrate and listen attentively to Teacher Zhang's lecture.

Teacher Zhang's teaching is very practical. He not only taught him to recite Tang poems, but also explained the meaning of the poems in detail.

Then he took out a dictionary and taught Nan Yan step by step how to look up pinyin and radicals.

Teacher Zhang also brought him a baking-related book and asked him to try reading it on his own, looking up any unfamiliar words in the dictionary.

"Thank you, Teacher Zhang." Nan Yan was very grateful.

He took a small cake he had brought back from the shop that morning out of his pocket: "Teacher Zhang, here, have this. It was just made at the shop, and it's delicious."

"Thank you, Nan Yan. Mmm...it's delicious. Nan Yan's thoughtfulness is the sweetest."

Nan Yan blushed slightly upon hearing the praise.

Teacher Zhang not only taught him academic knowledge, but also essential life skills. He taught according to his aptitude and never got impatient with him because of his poor foundation, which made Nan Yan feel at ease.

At 5 p.m., Teacher Zhang dismissed get out of class on time.

Aunt Chen also came to cook.

After greeting her aunt, Nan Yan sat on the sofa and picked up the baking book to look through it, but her eyes were unfocused and she couldn't concentrate at all.

My mind was filled with the "toys," "marriage," and "matching social status" that I had heard during the day.

At this time, the doorbell rang.

Aunt Chen was cooking and couldn't free her hands, so she said to Nan Yan, "Nan Yan, could you go open the door?"

"Okay." Nan Yan walked to the door, feeling a little uneasy.

He looked out through the peephole and saw a young man in a dark black delivery uniform standing at the door, his hat pulled low so he couldn't see his face.

Nan Yan hesitated for a moment, then gently opened the door. "Hello, who are you looking for?"

The young man looked up, revealing a face devoid of expression.

Just as Nan Yan was about to ask him if he was a deliveryman, her gaze fell on the badge on his chest—a rose entwined with thorns.

Nan Yan's body froze instantly, her face turned deathly pale, her lips trembled slightly, and she couldn't utter a single word.

He will never forget that badge, that symbol, for the rest of his life.

"Hello, 073." The young man's voice was calm, yet it carried an inexplicable sense of oppression, like a cold knife held to Nan Yan's neck.

073... This number instantly pulled Nan Yan back to those dark days, making him feel cold all over.

He took a step back, his eyes filled with fear.

The young man took a thick, beautifully bound booklet from his bag and handed it to Nan Yan: "I'm here to deliver a new product catalog to Mr. Wei. Please pass it on to him."

Nan Yan was so frightened that she dared not answer; her body trembled uncontrollably, and she didn't even have the courage to look up at him.

"Don't try anything funny, 073." The young man's tone suddenly turned fierce. "Don't forget, you're part of the club. Your job is to get the guests to buy more and spend more. Got it?"

Nan Yan's tears fell, sliding down her cheeks to her chin.

He wanted to shake his head, to refuse, but out of fear, he didn't even have the strength to move, and could only let the tears flow endlessly.

Seeing that he didn't speak, the young man shoved the booklet into his arms, made a vicious threat, and turned to leave.

Nan Yan, clutching the booklet, blankly closed the door.

"Nan Yan, who is that?" Aunt Chen came out of the kitchen after finishing cooking and was startled to see Nan Yan sitting on the floor. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Nan Yan quickly wiped away her tears, stood up from the ground, hugged the booklet tightly to her chest, and whispered, "It's...it's a delivery."

"Is this a package for Mr. Chen?" Aunt Chen asked. "Then you can leave it in his room. He should be back soon."

"Mm." Nan Yan nodded, holding the booklet, and walked upstairs step by step into Wei Xun's bedroom.

He placed the booklet on the bedside table, hesitated for a moment, but couldn't resist opening it anyway.

The booklet was full of exquisite photos of various handsome young men and women dressed in revealing clothes, striking alluring poses.

Each page is labeled with a price and number, along with appalling product descriptions.

Nan Yan's tears fell again. He quickly closed the booklet and covered his face with his hands.

A strong sense of fear rose within him.

He actually had ulterior motives; he didn't want Wei Xun to buy other toys, he wanted to be Wei Xun's only one.

Even if it's just a toy... I want to be Mr.'s only toy.

But... the club's rules bound him like shackles.

His upbringing taught him to coax his owner into buying more toys so that the owner could play with them as well.

To encourage owners to spend more and increase the club's revenue, the ridiculous notion of "exclusivity" is not allowed.

Two conflicting thoughts clashed fiercely in his mind, causing him immense pain.

He didn't know what to do and could only cry helplessly.