Take the Deal While You Can

Welcome to Trapped in the Same Day for a Thousand Years, exclusively produced by Feilu Novel Network, written by Sang Ze and narrated by Wang Xiaomo and Lao He.

Su Qingying called a little earlier than Wu Chen had expected. He had figured it would take a few days—hard to say exactly how many, but not long.

He hadn't expected her to call after just one day, without even sending a text first. She must have been desperate to settle the matter.

A day was also enough time for her to investigate Wu Chen thoroughly.

When Li Ruobing had looked into Wu Chen, all it had taken was one phone call. His information had landed on her desk in less than an hour.

Su Qingying could learn about Wu Chen with one call too, but that would only give her the basics: his age, education, and family background. Beyond those, nothing about him stood out.

Before July 7, 2020, Wu Chen had been utterly ordinary. Nothing particularly noteworthy had happened in his twenty-two years of life.

But once July 7 truly passed, his life had suddenly become extraordinary.

Even so, today was only July 10. It had been just three days.

A great deal had happened in those three days, but it was all recent, and only a handful of key people were involved. That actually made it easier to investigate.

The fact that Su Qingying had called meant she already knew Wu Chen was Li Ruobing's boyfriend and that he had once clashed with Lu Guangnian, among other things.

She was probably even more alarmed than she had been yesterday. Wu Chen wasn't an ordinary man. He had been ordinary before, then suddenly wasn't.

That told her it would be difficult to buy his silence or force it through threats and inducements. Wu Chen was someone even the Su Family would have trouble touching directly.

"We don't need to meet, do we?"

Wu Chen smiled faintly. "I've already told you about your secret. Don't worry. I won't tell anyone else."

"No, Mr. Wu. I think we absolutely need to meet."

Su Qingying's voice remained calm and cool. "Some things are better discussed face-to-face."

"I don't know where you heard about it, but I think you may have misunderstood."

"You really don't trust me?" Wu Chen sighed with a smile. "All right, then."

"Tomorrow at nine in the morning. Tangsha Private Club. Call me when you arrive."

Su Qingying had named the time and place without hesitation.

"Sure," Wu Chen said. The call ended. He had just slipped his phone into his pocket when he heard a slightly tipsy voice beside him.

"Who was that?"

"It sounded like a woman."

Li Ruobing was walking arm in arm with Wu Chen beneath the trees. She had vaguely heard a woman's voice but couldn't make out the words. From Wu Chen's replies, though, it sounded as if he knew something about the caller, and the caller didn't trust him.

That fit his identity as an information broker.

"What, women aren't allowed to call me?"

Wu Chen tilted his head with a smile. "Jealous?"

"Didn't I lose to you?"

"Am I not allowed to be jealous?"

Li Ruobing smiled. A little drunk, she had a particular charm.

"Then why ask whether it was a woman?" Wu Chen said.

"Can't I ask? Consider it conversation."

"What, do you have a client? Someone who wants you to keep a secret?"

Li Ruobing asked again.

"I wouldn't call it business, but it does involve a secret."

Wu Chen smiled. "Tell me about it."

"Since when are you this curious? That's not like you, wanting to know someone else's secret."

Wu Chen's tone caught her attention. "Who says I'm not curious?"

Li Ruobing immediately pulled on his arm, turned to face him, and poked a finger against his chest. Speaking slowly, she said, "Right now, I'm very curious about you." The alcohol really had made her a little different.

"You want to get to know me that badly?"

Wu Chen smiled. "Am I not allowed to?"

"Can't I get to know you?"

"There's something about you that really fascinates me."

Li Ruobing couldn't have put it much more plainly.

"Have you fallen in love with me?"

Wu Chen smiled and asked outright.

"No, I haven't."

Li Ruobing denied it first, then added, "I just think... I have to admit, you do fit my requirements for a partner rather well."

"Whoa. That doesn't sound like good news."

Wu Chen's smile turned peculiar. "Putting me down on purpose again?"

Li Ruobing narrowed her eyes. "No, I just—"

Wu Chen didn't finish. Li Ruobing suddenly wrapped both arms around his neck and kissed him. It was even more sudden than that night at the mouth of the alley. This time, though, she was gentler and slower, her breathing heavy. She really wasn't good at kissing.

Wu Chen guided her and kissed her back.

There, beneath the trees beside the busy square, they held each other and slowly savored the kiss.

Li Ruobing's bodyguards stopped some distance away rather than coming closer, while keeping watch.

A few passersby noticed, including some young couples. They gestured toward the shade and shared quiet laughs. A soft breeze blew, and no one disturbed them.

Neither of them noticed what was happening farther away.

At the roadside in the distance, the rear window of a black SUV stood open. A man with binoculars spotted them beneath the trees. He quickly lowered the binoculars, raised a camera with a long telephoto lens, adjusted the focus, and photographed them for perhaps ten seconds or even longer.

At last, Li Ruobing lowered her head and drew back, then looked up at Wu Chen.

She pressed her lips together and asked with a smile, "Why didn't you push me away?"

"Why would I?" Wu Chen asked in return.

"You've kept acting like you don't like me, that you'd never fall in love with me. You even put me down on purpose. Shouldn't you have pushed me away?"

Li Ruobing smiled lazily. "Don't you have women prettier and richer than me?"

"That's a separate matter, isn't it?" Wu Chen smiled.

"Is it? Then explain why you didn't push me away when you supposedly dislike me."

"Is that hard to explain?"

"No? Then tell me."

"You threw yourself at me. I'd be a fool not to take the deal."

Li Ruobing nearly choked.

She didn't know why, but whenever Wu Chen said something like that, it infuriated her.

"Fine. Keep pretending you don't care."

Li Ruobing made no effort to hide her annoyance. She hooked her arm through Wu Chen's and strode forward. "Come on. It's time to get back to the company."

They headed back.

By the time they returned to Huancai Fashion Company, it was past four in the afternoon. Li Ruobing had mostly sobered up by the time they reached the underground parking garage. She hadn't been that drunk to begin with.

Li Ruobing had to work late. They had changed spokespersons, and many arrangements needed adjusting, so they wouldn't be having dinner together.

Wu Chen didn't go upstairs. With nothing else to do, he got out of Li Ruobing's car, retrieved his Lamborghini, and drove home.

Back at Villa No. 36 in East Sea Splendor, Wu Chen went down to the basement to work out. The room held a full set of exercise equipment Li Ruobing had bought earlier; it was practically a gym.

He had woken up yesterday with his muscles aching terribly. Only a massage had helped.

So today he decided to take it easier. Instead of strength training, he would do cardio, hit the punching bag, and work on his muscle memory. He would probably ache all over again tomorrow, but as long as he could move, that was fine.

A little after ten that night, an utterly exhausted Wu Chen fell fast asleep.

On the morning of July 11, 2020, Wu Chen woke early, watched the news for a while, spoke with Li Ruobing on the phone, then leisurely went downstairs for breakfast.

It was after eight before he drove off in his Lamborghini.

Just before nine, Wu Chen arrived outside Tangsha Private Club, where he had arranged to meet Su Qingying.

He called her and said, "I'm here." "Come straight in. I'll tell the front desk. Head to the golf course; I'm in Area C."

Su Qingying sounded as calm and cool as she had yesterday. She hung up as soon as she finished speaking.

Wu Chen drove into the front grounds of Tangsha Private Club, where there was a huge parking lot.

Tangsha Private Club was in a remote spot on the northern outskirts of Donghai City, just bordering the main urban area. Yet it was an exceptionally luxurious place. Above all, it was enormous.

Unlike the pleasure spots Li Ruotai ran, this place was geared more toward business.

In short, it was a club for the wealthy: a strikingly designed building that wasn't especially tall but occupied a vast area.

It offered dining and lodging, as well as swimming, fitness facilities, bowling, tennis, golf, and other leisure activities. Butler service was available around the clock.

It was an upscale business club that admitted members only. No walk-ins were accepted; you needed a membership card to use its services.

Even the lowest-tier Gold Card cost two hundred thousand yuan a year, and that was only the membership fee. Everything else was charged separately.

The next tier, the Diamond Card, cost a million yuan a year, with spending charged separately as well.

Then there was the top-tier Black Card. Money alone couldn't get you one. Without sufficient status or someone to recommend you, it was out of reach.

Naturally, different membership tiers came with different services.

Wu Chen knew Su Qingying had a Black Card. Black Card members could bring as many guests as they liked to dine and spend money there, and they could use every leisure facility.

There were plenty of luxury cars in the parking lot, but it was so large that it still looked somewhat empty.

Wu Chen found a spot at random, parked his Lamborghini, and went inside.

He knew his way around. He entered the lobby and headed straight for the front desk. During the thousand years of resets, there had been a period when he'd come here often.

A membership cost two hundred thousand yuan, and he hadn't had that much in savings back then. But he could put his house up as collateral and take out a high-interest loan. The money arrived as soon as the paperwork was done, and the whole process took less than a morning. Since every day reset, he never had to worry about what happened after he spent it.

But he hadn't bought a membership every time he visited Tangsha Club. He had also slipped in many times. With the skills he'd developed, getting inside wasn't difficult. He had thoroughly enjoyed the wealthy upper class's leisure activities here.

"Sir, your card... Is this your first visit?"

"Would you like someone to show you around?"

The receptionist smiled as she spoke.

Her manner was thoroughly professional. "I have an appointment with Miss Su," Wu Chen said with a smile.

"One moment, please."

She lowered her head, apparently to check for him.

"Mr. Wu?"

Just then, a beautiful, poised middle-aged woman in business attire hurried over. She was the front-of-house manager at Tangsha Private Club.

"That's me."

Wu Chen looked at the manager.

"This way, Mr. Wu. Miss Su is waiting for you."

Manager Qin Ting promptly led the way. She didn't know who Wu Chen was, but she knew Su Qingying: East Sea's Number One Heiress. Her guest couldn't be treated carelessly. The place was so large that they walked for several minutes, then rode a sightseeing cart for another two before Wu Chen finally spotted Su Qingying in the distance.

The First Floor of Area C faced the golf course. It had an open terrace garden that extended into a sunshade five meters deep and nearly a hundred meters across.

Beneath the sunshade was a row of tees, each set several meters apart.

It was only nine in the morning, and there were few people on the golf course. Wu Chen stepped off the cart and watched Su Qingying swing her club and send a ball flying.

"Miss Su is waiting over there, Mr. Wu," Manager Qin Ting said.

"Thank you."

Wu Chen straightened his jacket, put one hand in his pocket, and walked over.

At tee fifteen in Area C, Su Qingying wore sportswear and a sun visor. Holding the club out in front of her, she lined up the golf ball with a couple of practice movements, then swung hard and sent the white ball flying.

It went a long way.

"Not bad. About half as good as me."

Wu Chen stopped a few meters behind and to the side of Su Qingying. He watched the ball fly with a smile, then turned his gaze to her.

Su Qingying planted the club against the ground, rested her hands on it, and turned her head toward Wu Chen.

She was past the worst of her fear and anxiety, past the point where she could barely control herself. Now she was calm, at least on the surface.

Even in sportswear and a sun visor, Su Qingying was stunning. She looked almost ethereal.

She was a few months older than Li Ruobing, yet she seemed several years younger. There was a strong girlish quality about her.

That was why she liked wearing her hair in big waves. Her looks and skin made her seem too young, and the hairstyle lent her a little maturity.

"How did you find out?" Su Qingying asked evenly. She turned back toward the tee as the machine set down another ball.

After asking, she nudged the ball into position with her club. As before, she lined up the shot twice, then swung hard. Crack! The strike sounded sharper than the last one.

"Does it matter how I found out?" Wu Chen smiled. "Everyone has secrets they don't want others to know. How those secrets got out isn't the important part."

"Name your price," Su Qingying said.

"What price? You think I'm here to blackmail you?"

"I won't feel at ease unless you take money. And if you do, is that blackmail?"

"I told you, you can relax. I won't tell anyone."

"How am I supposed to believe you just because you say that?"

"You should understand what would happen to me if that matter came out. My reputation would be ruined, my family would be disgraced, and it might even affect whether I can take over the company. If the Board of Directors loses faith in me, even with my father as the largest shareholder, I..."

"My father's health is poor. He can't take any more shocks."

Another golf ball flew away. Su Qingying had kept playing as she spoke. Wu Chen knew she hadn't liked exercise much in the past, but she had grown fonder of it with age, especially golf. It let her vent her stress. She put everything into each swing, driving the ball at least a hundred meters. For Su Qingying, it was an effective way to ease the pressure.

"Are you threatening me?"

"You're deliberately making it sound this serious. What kind of guarantee do you want from me?"

"If you're so worried, why didn't you bring more bodyguards today?"

Wu Chen glanced to either side, then looked back at Su Qingying.

"Bring a few more people, grab me, dig a hole, and bury me. Then I'd keep my mouth shut forever."

Su Qingying did have bodyguards nearby, but they were a long way off. Wu Chen could see two of them.

The golf course was wide open. No stranger could suddenly get close to Su Qingying, so her bodyguards had no need to stand right beside her.

That was why Su Qingying had come to meet Wu Chen here: no one could hear what they said.

"I'm not Li Ruobing. Why would I do something like that?"

Su Qingying said.

"You're saying that about my girlfriend to my face. Aren't you afraid I'll get angry and start talking?"

"I didn't lie. What are you getting angry about?"

"You should know better than I do what Li Ruobing and her brother Li Ruotai are like. I'm not like them."

As she spoke, Su Qingying swung her club again, preparing to hit the ball.

Suddenly, she felt someone wrap his arms around her and pin her hands.

Wu Chen had stepped up behind her and embraced her. More precisely, he had reached along her arms to grip the golf club.

"That's not how you hit the ball. Stop trying to force it just to make it go farther. I'll show you."

Wu Chen said.

They had barely exchanged a few words at their first proper meeting, and Wu Chen had already put his hands on her.

"W-what are you doing? Let go!"

Su Qingying struggled in a daze.