Do you need a five-star review?

Cheng Yue stood beside the access gate with a hand on his lower back, watching a black sedan slowly pull up. Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at its emblem.

A Mercedes, with temporary plates.

Probably someone's new car.

Seriously, what harm would one more rich person in this world do-if it were me!

Despite his inward grumbling, he put on a professional smile. "Hello."

As the window slowly lowered, the smile on Cheng Yue's face gradually froze.

The air abruptly fell deathly silent. Even the wind seemed to stop.

Ji Huaijin watched his expression shift from shock to disbelief, then to gritted teeth. Like a palette of colors, his face displayed every emotion clearly.

After looking him up and down, Ji Huaijin suddenly curled his lips into a soft smile. "Hello, Mr. Security Guard."

The security uniform at Blue Sky No. 1 differed from ordinary uniforms. The all-black workwear outlined the young man's fine figure, and he made the austere, high-cut Roman boots look runway-ready.

Staring at that familiar face, Cheng Yue could hardly believe his eyes. The memories he had avoided all day instantly came back to life.

He had been drunk last night, not dead. From how he had entered the hotel to how he had thrown his arms around the man and kissed him, every scene played through his mind like a film, frame by frame.

Though his own ass had ended up hurt, he had initiated everything. Even if he wanted to ask the cops to settle it, he wouldn't have a leg to stand on.

Qi Su, damn you!

The security office was tiny. Sitting at the desk, Cheng Yue slapped a pen down expressionlessly. "Name, phone number, which building you're visiting, and how long you'll stay. Write it all down clearly!"

If someone hadn't known he was registering a visitor, his cold, harsh tone would have made them think he was interrogating a criminal.

Ji Huaijin lowered his eyes to the notebook and pen on the desk and gave a short, muffled chuckle.

Cheng Yue was shifting his weight to the other side to ease the pain. Hearing that laugh, the anger he had just suppressed flared again. "What are you laughing at? Take this seriously!"

Ji Huaijin noticed his little movement. After a few moments' consideration, he said nothing more and picked up the pen, quickly filling in the required information.

In the cramped space, it was quiet enough for them to hear each other breathe.

"Did you apply the ointment?"

Cheng Yue had been bracing himself against the chair with one hand. At those words, his hand slipped, and his ass landed heavily on the seat.

"Fuck! Hiss...!"

Ji Huaijin swiftly dropped the pen, caught his arm, and pulled him up. "Careful."

Cheng Yue nearly couldn't catch his breath. Once the worst wave of pain passed, he paid no attention to how close they were and furiously punched Ji Huaijin's shoulder.

"You've got some nerve saying that! Whose fault is this?"

A grown man's punch carried considerable weight. Knowing Cheng Yue was angry, Ji Huaijin didn't take offense. After all, he was the one who had hurt him.

Everything last night had happened too suddenly. He knew perfectly well how indifferent he was at heart, yet for some reason, when he met those eyes shimmering with starlight, he had let things unfold as though under a spell.

When he returned to the hotel and found him gone, he had spent the drive considering whether to have someone look into him. But the ointment discarded in the trash had made the other man's attitude perfectly clear.

What should have remained an accidental one-night stand had instead led to another encounter at the next turn.

Ji Huaijin admitted that this was exactly the outcome he wanted.

Residents had to register their vehicle information with property management, whose staff had probably finished work by now. However much Cheng Yue wanted nothing to do with the man who had violated his ass, he wouldn't deliberately make things difficult and send him on a wasted trip.

"Second floor of that low building to the west. They open at nine in the morning."

With a cold expression, Cheng Yue picked up the registration book and glanced at it, pretending it was casual.

Ji Huaijin.

Hmph. A pretty nice name. As for the man...

Ji Huaijin had gone to report to the university that day. His crisp black outfit was neatly and tastefully tailored, his features striking behind rimless glasses. The faint smile on his lips softened some of his aloofness.

Cheng Yue lowered his eyes and returned the notebook and pen to their places. Though he didn't want to acknowledge him, he had to admit that the man before him was outrageously good-looking.

Look at it another way, and I didn't exactly lose out, right?

No, no, no! Cheng Yue, you've sunk so low! How can you let a pretty face corrupt you so easily?

Especially when he's the annoying bastard who violated my ass!

His briefly wavering resolve instantly hardened.

When Ji Huaijin said he had only recently returned to the country and wasn't familiar with the roads, then asked whether Cheng Yue could personally show him the way tomorrow, Cheng Yue ruthlessly refused without a second's consideration.

He thought his attitude was obvious enough. Yet Ji Huaijin seemed to have anticipated the answer and smoothly took out his phone, retreating to advance.

"Then could I trouble you to send me the location?"

Cheng Yue: "..."

What a pushy bastard. Give him an inch and he takes a mile!

Although Cheng Yue had graduated several years ago, he was straightforward and had little guile. Almost everything he wanted to say was written on his face.

Ji Huaijin took it all in, amusement flickering in his eyes, but his words yielded nothing.

"Mr. Security Guard, I'm a resident here too. Surely you wouldn't refuse even this small favor?"

To achieve a goal, one could first make a request the other person would never agree to, then seemingly retreat by making a smaller request of the same kind. In reality, this made the other person more likely to accept.

The door-in-the-face effect.

As someone who frequently sat at negotiating tables, Ji Huaijin employed it with ease.

Looking at that inscrutable smile, Cheng Yue had reason to suspect that if he refused, the man would immediately file a complaint.

That struck straight at the lifeline of every service worker.

What could he do? The client's request was reasonable and within the rules. The guiding principle of service in an upscale residential complex was, of course, to make residents feel they were being treated like gods.

Cheng Yue glared fiercely at him, then reluctantly took out his phone and scanned the QR code he held out.

It's fine. For every move you make, I've got a counter. I can just delete him after sending the location.

Cheng Yue felt proud of his cleverness.

"Thank you very much for your help."

Looking at the notification confirming that his friend request had been accepted, Ji Huaijin spoke with a hint of pleasure. "To express my gratitude, I'll make a point of praising your service to your company's management. Oh, right. Do you need a five-star review?"

Cheng Yue's finger trembled silently above the delete button. He nearly ground his teeth to pieces. "Well, thank you so very much."

With dual degrees in finance and law and postdoctoral credentials from Harvard Law, a top institution in Country M, he was a renowned financial analyst on Wall Street. Kyoto University had specially recruited him to return to the country as a professor in its finance department and the youngest adviser at its law school.

How could Cheng Yue possibly outplay him?

"You're welcome."

Ji Huaijin switched off his screen. Standing tall, he spoke with certainty, his smile as warm as a spring breeze. "I look forward to your help from now on, Cheng Yue."

The sun sank, and the sunset glow squeezed through the window into the cramped security office. As time passed, the twilight faded.

After watching the black sedan leave, Cheng Yue looked down at the delete button on his screen. He hesitated for a long time before finally returning to the previous screen.

Except...

"How the hell did he know my name?"