"Please," Fan Yujing cut her off coldly, "spare me the polite nonsense. Do you have anything else you wish to say?"
His voice was quiet, but every syllable carried a blade that could mercilessly cut through anything.
He had come all this way, yet he hadn't even set foot into the Lan villa.
He sent his secretary to handle the contract instead.
To him, the Lan family clearly wasn't worth his attention.
And logically… that should include her.
He was Fan Yujing, the CEO of King's Group.
The kind of man whose shadow alone could crush a hundred Lan families.
To someone like him, that night—whatever happened—must have been nothing more than a fleeting inconvenience.
That thought, strangely, steadied her heart.
She took a tentative breath and suddenly found the courage to straighten her back.
"Mr. Fan," she said carefully, "I… I have something to ask of you."
One of his brows lifted—mocking, perhaps. Or amused.
But he said nothing.
His silence pressed heavily against her nerves. Her fingers twisted at the hem of her shirt. She lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
"That land you just obtained… it doesn't belong to Lan Tianhao. He had no right to mortgage it. It belongs to my mother and me. I hope… I hope you can return it to us."
For a heartbeat, nothing happened.
Then Fan Yujing's lips curved into a slow, cutting, disbelieving smile.
"Miss Lan," he said lightly, "Lan Tianhao mortgaged that property to King's Group himself. The Lan family owes my company a substantial construction debt. That land now belongs to me—legally, completely. So tell me…" His gaze sharpened. "Why should I give it to you?"
Her heart sank.
He wasn't bringing up last night. He wasn't mentioning this morning.
He wasn't making any demands.
Was he angry she hadn't called?
She didn't know.
She didn't understand him at all.
Even stranger—why had he come personally today?
This kind of minor, low-value case would normally never reach the president of King's Group.
Unless…
Unless he hadn't come for the Lan family at all.
The realization chilled her.
"President Fan," she said quietly, "let's not dance around it anymore. You want something. And I… I have nothing left except that deed. If you want compensation, just say it."
His eyes flickered with an interest so sharp it made her breath hitch.
"Oh?"
Truthfully, he was taken aback.
He had fully intended to offer her a formal arrangement—employment, treatment, structure—when she called in the afternoon.
She was, after all, the first woman he could be physically close to without his body rejecting her.
That alone made her invaluable to him.
But instead of calling…
Here she was, facing him with a strangely fierce, cornered sort of courage—as if she wasn't the one whose entire world was collapsing.
It amused him.
"You believe," he said slowly, "that you are in a position to negotiate with me?" His voice lowered, teasing yet dangerous. "Miss Lan, I'm very curious. Where did you suddenly find all this confidence?"
Her face went scarlet.
She truly had forgotten who she was speaking to.
Fan Yujing was not Zhao Wang.
He was not someone she could challenge or plead with or outwit.
"I—I didn't mean it like that…" she whispered, mortified.
"Oh?" His eyes glinted. "Then what did you mean?"
The corner of his mouth lifted, and his expression softened in a way that made her heart skip.
He leaned back slightly, hand propped under his chin, every inch the picture of a man amused and entertained.
If she hadn't seen his business card with her own eyes, she would never have believed this playful man was the cold, untouchable CEO rumored throughout the entire country.
She was so flustered she couldn't form a coherent thought.
Up front, Steve Han finally couldn't take any more of it.
"President," he reminded in a strangled voice, "the company meeting is at five."
Steve's reminder hung in the air, and Fan Yujing shifted his gaze back to her. A faint, unreadable flash crossed his eyes—calculation, irritation… and something sharper.
"There's not much time," he said, voice cool. "Let's settle this quickly. I don't mix personal matters with business. Miss Lan, get in the car. We'll talk inside."
His change of tone was so sudden it startled her.
One moment, he was teasing, the next, he was all ice and efficiency.
Before she could fully register what was happening, the car door swung open in front of her.
The interior smelled faintly of leather and cold cologne. The seat beside him looked far too luxurious… and far too dangerous. She hesitated only a second too long.
"Get in," Fan Yujing snapped, impatience tightening his voice.
Her body moved before her mind did; she slipped into the seat like a frightened rabbit diving into a burrow.
The door shut with a muffled thud, and the world outside disappeared.
Fan Yujing didn't speak again.
Instead, Steve Han turned in his seat, his professional smile polished and deceptive, like a blade wrapped in satin. He handed her a document folder with both hands.
"Miss Lan," he said pleasantly, "before anything else, I'd like to congratulate you. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You're very lucky to receive such an offer."
She accepted the folder with stiff fingers and flipped it open.
Her expression darkened immediately.
It was a relationship contract.
A written, formal agreement… between a man and a woman.
Her heart sank to her stomach.
Steve Han continued brightly, as though reading out a grocery list.
"Mr. Fan intends to begin a formal relationship with you, valid for one year. After that, both parties may choose to extend or terminate based on personal wishes. Once you sign, you will officially become President Fan's girlfriend in legal terms. In return, he can cover your mother's medical expenses, offer you housing, and assist with any personal matters you may require."
He paused, smiling knowingly. "You may also request compensation regarding the flower shop, if you wish."
She stared at him, utterly speechless.
He would… pay her?
What kind of relationship was this supposed to be?
Her throat tightened.
Steve Han leaned in slightly, his tone gentle but filled with quiet cruelty.
"With Miss Lan's current reputation in Zinhai City…" he said, "this is perhaps the only path to regaining even a fraction of her former status."
His words slid into her ears like poison dipped in honey.
He made it sound like mercy.
But she could feel the pressure behind them..
He was cornering her. Kindly. Softly. Like a fox in golden fur, smiling as it herded its prey.
Her heart pounded painfully, but her voice, when it emerged, was steadier than she expected.
"I refuse."
Steve Han blinked. "Miss Lan—"
"No," she said firmly. "I do want my flower shop back. But not like this. I don't want to pay this kind of price."
A brief silence fell.
Then Fan Yujing laughed.
It was soft, quiet, but it carried a chill that slid down her spine.
His smile didn't reach his eyes; it sharpened them instead.
Steve Han's face immediately paled. He felt the temperature in the car drop by several degrees.
"Miss Lan," he urged desperately, "please reconsider. This contract is entirely in your favor. Why not read it again? It isn't—"
She closed the folder sharply.
The sound echoed like a slap.
"I'm sorry," she said coldly. "Please forget everything I said earlier."
She pushed the door open and stepped out, the contract abandoned on the seat.
She didn't look back.
Silence filled the car like black smoke.
Steve Han swallowed hard. He didn't dare turn around, not with the murderous chill radiating from the man behind him.
After a long moment, Fan Yujing finally spoke.
"Drive."
Steve Han jolted back to life. He scrambled to signal the driver forward, but before he could calm his racing heartbeat—
"Steve," Fan Yujing said flatly, "isn't it almost five o'clock?"
Steve Han's soul nearly fled his body.
Does he mean I'm responsible for the delay?
He shot upright in terror.
"Yes—yes, President. Understood!"
The car sped off.
Behind them, Lan Xia stood frozen on the sidewalk, heart pounding out of rhythm.
She had refused.
She had actually refused.
And as the car's taillights vanished down the street, something inside her wilted.
Her pride had spoken for her.
Her anger had burned through her fear.
But now—left alone with her thoughts—she felt the weight of reality crash down on her shoulders.
Maybe… I shouldn't have refused him.
Her mother was still in the hospital.
She still had no money.
Her shop was gone.
And she had just walked away from the only person who could have solved all of it in one sentence.
Regret seeped into her bones like cold rain.
For the first time that day, she truly felt like crying.