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

Chen Boxu paused for a moment as he caressed her wrist. He chuckled softly, his breath brushing against the back of her ear.

"Quite an appetite." He released his grip on her wrist, then instead placed his hand on the back of her neck, the pressure neither too light nor too heavy. "Tell me, how do you plan to take it?"

"I want everything Lin Xiao has." Zhou Suisui's voice was low, her back ramrod straight. "Whatever she earns each month, I want more than her. Two hundred thousand? I won't accept that."

Chen Boxu's hand tightened around her waist for a moment, the force causing her to groan softly. He lowered his head, his lips almost touching her earlobe, his voice low and calm, revealing no emotion.

"Not satisfied?" he asked, his breath brushing against the skin behind her ear. "You think you deserve a higher amount?"

Chen Boxu released his grip and took a step back. He didn't look at her again, but instead adjusted his cuffs with unhurried movements.

"OK."

He took a step back, took out a cigarette case from his suit pocket, flicked out a cigarette, and lit it.

The light from the lighter illuminated his expressionless profile, as well as Zhou Suisui's pale and stubborn face.

The smoke rose slowly, separating the two people who were very close together.

He took a drag of his cigarette, his gaze falling on her face through the pale gray smoke, as calmly as if discussing an insignificant account. "Starting next month, I'll give you five hundred thousand."

Zhou Suisui's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

"The rest," Chen Boxu flicked his cigarette ash, his tone flat, "depends on your performance."

Zhou Suisui didn't speak immediately. She raised her eyes and met Chen Boxu's gaze through the smoke.

His eyes reflected a smoldering flame, as well as his expressionless face.

She noticed it. She noticed, beneath that calm surface, a barely perceptible scrutiny and…interest. Like assessing a collectible that had suddenly revealed unexpected value.

"Not next month." Her voice wasn't loud, but it was unusually clear, each word carefully chosen before uttering. "Now. And don't show it."

She paused, took half a step forward, and deliberately closed the distance he had just created. The cold scent of cedar mixed with a faint smell of tobacco enveloped her once more.

"I'll only accept one thing: always more than Lin Xiao." She tilted her head back, looking directly into his eyes. "Otherwise, I'll find someone else."

Chen Boxu's fingers, holding a cigarette, froze in mid-air.

Smoke curled from his fingertips, blurring his expression for a fleeting moment. He looked at her, his gaze lingering on her face for a fraction of a second longer than before.

Then, he gave a very soft chuckle.

It wasn't anger, but more like... confirmation. Confirmation that an interesting guess had been verified.

He raised his hand, brought the cigarette to his lips, took a deep drag, and then slowly exhaled. In the swirling smoke, his eyes became somewhat inscrutable.

"Find another job." He repeated these three words, his tone as flat as if he were reciting a weather forecast.

He took a step forward, and the distance became incredibly oppressive again. With the hand holding the cigarette, he extended his index finger and gently lifted her chin, the pressure light.

"Zhou Suisui," his gaze fell on her tightly pursed lips, then slowly moved to her stubborn eyes, "you're negotiating with me."

He lifted Zhou Suisui's chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. She could see more clearly what lay hidden deep in his eyes, concealed by smoke and composure.

"No," her voice was a little hoarse but very clear, "it's the price."

She paused, feeling the cool touch of his fingertips against her skin, and continued, her tone carrying an almost self-deprecating bluntness:

"Since I can make you a little interested in me, then others should be able to as well. After all," she forced a smile, her eyes fixed on him, "as long as I'm willing to spread my legs for someone else."

Chen Boxu's fingers, which were holding her chin, tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

The fleeting hint of amusement in his eyes vanished instantly, like a thin mist blown away by the wind, leaving only an unfathomable coldness.

The coldness in those eyes was terrifying, like a deep, frozen pool.

He looked at her for two seconds, then released his grip on her chin. The movement was slow, so slow that the invisible pressure in the air suddenly intensified.

He stubbed out his cigarette, tossing the butt carelessly onto the clean floor and crushing it with the tip of his shoe. Then, he turned around, walked back to the window, and stood with his back to her.

"You can try." His voice came from the window, calm and even, without a trace of anger, yet it was more chilling than any furious words. "See which leg you step out of is able to pull back unscathed."

Chen Boxu turned around and faced her again.

He walked up to her, so close that she could see her own stiff reflection in his pupils.

"Seven hundred thousand." He spoke, his voice low but clear. "Starting now, monthly payments. Directly deposited into your account, no middlemen involved. No performance required, and no waiting for next month."

He paused for a moment, his gaze locking onto her eyes.

"There's only one condition." He leaned down slightly to meet her gaze, his voice lower and carrying an undeniable air of judgment, "Take back what you just said."

Zhou Suisui met his unfathomable eyes, which held no amusement, only a cold scrutiny. She knew that her earlier comment about "spreading her legs" had truly crossed a line, touching upon some unyielding bottom line of his.

The air was so stagnant that it was hard to breathe.

Her eyelashes trembled slightly, and the defiant spirit she had displayed vanished like a punctured balloon. She could even feel a thin layer of cold sweat seeping down her back.

"...Okay." She heard her own voice, much lower than before, carrying a hint of barely perceptible compromise.

She lowered her eyes, avoiding his piercing gaze, and her eyes fell on his slightly disheveled bathrobe.

After hesitating for a moment, she reached out and carefully hooked her fingertips around the corner of his bathrobe, gently tugging at it.

The movements were very light, with a hint of probing and a touch of ingratiation, like a child who knows they've made a mistake and is trying to ease the tension.

She didn't speak again, but kept her head down, maintaining this subtle, almost submissive posture.

Chen Boxu did not move.

He let her fingertips hook onto the hem of his clothes; that tiny, insignificant pulling force was almost negligible to him.

He lowered his eyes, his gaze falling on the top of her drooping hair and her carefully held hand.

A few seconds passed, or perhaps longer.

He raised his hand and lightly brushed her cheek with his knuckles; the gesture wasn't exactly gentle, but more like a touch to confirm ownership.

"Remember what you said today." His tone was flat, devoid of emotion, but the invisible pressure seemed to lessen slightly as she yielded. "And remember your choice now."

He paused for a moment.

"The money will be in your account this afternoon." He withdrew his hand, turned and walked towards the bedside, his voice regaining its usual calm and detached tone. "When you leave, close the door behind you."

As Zhou Suisui watched his cold, retreating figure, the panic and resentment she had just suppressed surged up again.

This won't do. We got the 700,000, but the rift caused by those words is still there, and the coldness in his eyes makes her heart tremble.

She bit her lower lip, and almost without hesitation, quickly caught up with him, reaching out from behind to wrap her arms around his waist.

Her face was pressed against his back, her voice muffled, with a deliberately softened tone, completely different from her previous sharpness.

"Don't be angry..." she whispered, tightening her arms around him. "I even learned something new this week."

She paused, seemingly considering her words, then tilted her head back to look at his expressionless profile, her voice lowered, carrying a hint of probing and a subtle seduction.

"Now... shall we try it?"