Is my roommate a caged bird? I'm stealing her away.

Zhou Suisui nodded: "I've taken it to heart."

"How much do you remember?"

"I've memorized them all."

Chen Boxu stared at her for a few seconds, his fingers lingering on her earlobe for a moment. He looked at her docile demeanor, which, like the dress that tore apart so easily last night, revealed traces of overacting.

"The milk is at the perfect temperature, and the toast is baked to perfection," he said, his tone unreadable. "Thank you for your trouble."

Zhou Suisui's fingertips trembled slightly.

"But I paid for you to lie down." His gaze shifted from the tray back to her face, precise and cold. "The terms of the deal are clear. Your scheme—"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over her from head to toe—the oversized white shirt, the bare feet, the submissive posture—before deliberately slowing his speech:

"Additional services? Or do you think that doing this will make this deal look... more respectable? Like Lin Xiao's?"

He pronounced the name "Lin Xiao" very clearly, like two icicles.

The color drained from Zhou Suisui's face instantly.

"Get your act together, Zhou Suisui." Chen Boxu leaned back against the headboard, relaxing. "You're here to sell yourself, not to be a nanny."

He looked at her fingers, which had suddenly tightened, and continued, his tone almost cruelly calm:

"Lin Xiao's dignity comes from the fact that she has always been clear about who she is and accepted it."

He paused, then his last sentence was like a knife chilled to the bone:

"And you? You're asking for money while simultaneously trying to pat yourself on the back. Aren't you tired of that?"

Every word struck Zhou Suisui's most unbearable shame. She wanted to retort, but her throat felt blocked, and she could only bite her lower lip tightly.

Chen Boxu watched as the light she had been forcing in her eyes finally began to shatter, and watched as her thin shoulders trembled slightly. He didn't continue, but simply picked up his phone again, his gaze fixed on the screen.

"Pack your things away." He said calmly, as if dealing with something insignificant. "Eva will arrive at nine. The card and driver will be arranged."

The tray in Zhou Suisui's hands slammed heavily onto the low table beside her with a loud thud. Milk spilled out, leaving a sticky, cold residue on the back of her hand.

"Yes! I'm just not as good as her!"

She suddenly raised her head, her eyes red-rimmed, tears welling up but not falling, her voice shrill.

"I'm not as quiet as her! I'm not as good at pretending as her! I'm not as good at making you feel respectable as her!" She spoke rapidly, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth. "I'm just greedy! I just want it! I just can't stand why she has everything, while I have to be careful, and even making breakfast gets me criticized and gossiped about behind my back!"

Her chest heaved violently, and the oversized shirt she wore opened haphazardly with her breathing, revealing more traces left from the previous night.

"I'm not serving you anymore!" she practically screamed, tears finally streaming down her face. "Chen Boxu, I don't want this money! Go find someone else!"

After saying that, she didn't even glance at Chen Boxu's face, which instantly darkened, and turned to leave. Her bare feet sank slightly onto the carpet, her haste and anger causing her to stumble.

She rushed to the door, grabbed the cold doorknob, and twisted it open with all her might.

"Zhou Suisui".

Chen Boxu's voice sounded behind her, not loud, even calmer than before, but it seemed to have an invisible hook, making her freeze in her action of opening the door.

She didn't turn around, but kept her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly from her rapid breathing and lingering excitement.

The room was deathly silent for a few seconds.

Then, she heard the faint sound of him getting out of bed, his footsteps approaching unhurriedly.

He didn't touch her; he simply stopped a step behind her.

"Two hundred thousand," he said, his voice so close it seemed to penetrate her ear clearly. "Once Eva arrives, she'll take you to the mall. Besides clothes, you can buy skincare products, bags, or anything else you want."

He paused, his tone devoid of any emotion, simply stating a fact, a choice.

"The door is in your hands. Now get out of here and don't let me see you again."

Zhou Suisui's fingers gripped the doorknob so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Outside the door was a quiet corridor, the way out, the way to give up that 200,000 yuan, and also to give up this humiliating yet potentially life-changing relationship.

"Stay," Chen Boxu's voice continued in her ear, steady to the point of being cold, "Remember today's embarrassment, remember the difference between you and Lin Xiao. Then, use the money I gave you to put that indomitable spirit of yours to good use."

He reached out, not to pull her, but with his fingers, very slowly, gently tucked a strand of hair, damp with tears and sweat, behind her ear. This sent a shiver down her spine.

"Choose," he said. Just one word.

Zhou Suisui closed her eyes. Tears silently streamed down her face.

Cards. Shopping malls. Skincare products. Bags. You can buy almost anything else.

The pain and pleasure of last night, the humiliation and embarrassment of this morning, Lin Xiao's indifferent face, Liu Weiwei's admonition, and the fire in my heart that has never been extinguished...

Time passed second by second, each second feeling like being fried in a pan of oil.

Finally, she loosened her grip on the doorknob, one finger at a time, extremely slowly.

She didn't turn around, her voice low and hoarse, almost broken, as she asked the question that had lingered in her mind for so long: "Lin Xiao... how much does she get each month?"

The moment the question left her lips, Zhou Suisui felt a wave of dizzying shame. It was tantamount to laying bare her most greedy and competitive side under his scrutinizing gaze.

But she still asked, like a drowning person grasping at the last straw, even if that straw was prickly.

She needs a yardstick, a yardstick by which she can measure the value of her humiliation.

Chen Boxu stood behind her, silent for a moment.

Then, she heard him give a barely audible snort, a sound that carried no surprise, only a detached "I knew it" indifference.

"She doesn't need 'every month'." Chen Boxu's voice remained calm, unmoved by her blunt and even vulgar question. "Her account is open, and Eva will arrange all her living needs directly. Clothes, supplies, transportation, accommodation... everything."

He paused, as if giving her time to process the information, or perhaps making a more brutal comparison: "If she wants anything special, she'll tell Eva. As long as it's reasonable, it'll be delivered to her."

Reasonable. This word was like a bucket of ice water poured over Zhou Suisui's head, which had just become a little feverish because of the promise.

Lin Xiao possesses a continuous and unconditional support system, which can be fulfilled as long as it is reasonable.

She needs to rely on her performance, on her submission and embarrassment at this moment, to exchange for a limited card and a license to buy things.

The difference is fundamental, like comparing heaven and earth.

Zhou Suisui's shoulders slumped, the last bit of strength she had mustered in the outburst seemingly drained away in an instant. She thought she was fighting for fairness, but she hadn't even touched the starting line of fairness.

"Now," Chen Boxu's voice rang in her ears again, carrying a cold indifference as if the dust had settled, "you have thirty seconds to consider. Go outside, or get yourself ready and wait for Eva."

He didn't urge him, but simply gave a final deadline.

Zhou Suisui closed her eyes. Lin Xiao's condescending face flashed before her eyes. The flames of shame and resentment in her chest suddenly erupted into a near-destructive resolve.

"not enough."

She opened her eyes, her voice hoarse but resolute. Without looking at him again, she suddenly exerted force and turned the doorknob.

This time, the door opened. The light from the corridor and the cool air rushed in instantly.

Just as she lifted her foot to step out, an arm reached out from behind her with irresistible force and shoved the door back open with a loud "bang".

Zhou Suisui was thrown backward by the force, her back slamming heavily against the hard chest behind her.

Chen Boxu's arm was stretched across her front, his forearm pressed tightly against her collarbone, firmly trapping her between the door and his body.

His warm breath and the cool scent of cedar instantly enveloped her.

Did I let you leave?

His voice rang close to her ear, deep and flat, revealing no anger, yet it was more oppressive than any of the previous words.

That wasn't an inquiry; it was a declaration.

Zhou Suisui struggled to her feet, trying to strike backward with her elbow, but he easily grabbed her wrist with his other hand and twisted it behind her back. Her posture was awkward, and the difference in strength was significant.

"Let me go! Chen Boxu!" she gasped, her voice trembling with anger. "Didn't you give me a choice? I chose! I quit!"

"Your choice requires my consent." He remained very close, his breath brushing against the sensitive skin behind her ear, but his tone was frighteningly calm. "Zhou Suisui, it's only over when I say it's over."

He tilted his head slightly, his gaze falling on her neck, flushed with excitement, where the marks he had left the night before still lingered. His fingers caressed the skin on the inside of her wrist, which was twisted behind her back, with a casual, intimate touch.

"Are you done venting your anger?" he asked, his voice carrying a faint, almost amusement. "Lin Xiao wouldn't act like this. She doesn't even throw a tantrum." He paused, as if enjoying her struggle and anger at that moment. "You're more interesting like this than when you're pretending to be well-behaved."

"Then I'll get more than Lin Xiao."