Your Turn to Serve Me

Gu Hansheng's movements paused, and then he gave a laugh.

It was a faint laugh, yet more dangerous than any words.

The next second, he raised his hand, brushing the corner of my lips with his fingertip. "Don't forget what kind of relationship we have now. You should learn to... please me."

I met his gaze without looking away.

His smile deepened, the trace of coldness in his eyes replaced by a soft glow.

I gave a soft huff. "I'm tired today. I want to enjoy being served by my sugar daddy."

The corners of Gu Hansheng's lips curved again, but his gaze was astonishingly seductive.

There was something aristocratic yet dangerous about him.

He merely leaned down slightly, his gaze bearing down inch by inch, his warmth drawing closer little by little.

The air pulled taut, and my heartbeat threatened to explode in the darkness.

His fingertips lightly touched my chin, their heat searing.

I saw him tilt his head slightly, the smile on his lips both icy and seductive.

I forgot what I was thinking. All I remembered was his breath spreading beside my ear, swallowing every bit of distance between us, little by little.

That night drained every ounce of my strength, but I slept sweetly, straight through until dawn.

Gu Hansheng seemed to have completely let go of his anger, too, and no longer brought up Gu Mingze.

Gu Hansheng went to the office, and the house fell quiet all at once.

I sat at the desk, staring blankly at the computer for a long while.

No matter what, I couldn't keep relying on him to survive forever.

If one day he grew tired of me and no longer wanted me, I would be completely finished.

At that thought, I turned on the computer and started looking for work.

The cursor blinked on the page as job listings scrolled past one after another, but my heart sank until the weight felt stifling.

The loan shark debt due in seven days was like a knife hanging over my head, making me feel desperate and suffocated with every passing second.

As I was thinking, my phone suddenly rang.

I picked it up casually and glanced at it. A name flashed on the screen-Qin An'an.

I froze, then laughed aloud.

At that moment, some of the oppressive weight in my chest finally lifted.

"An'an?" I answered the call, my voice brimming with surprise and delight.

The words had barely left my mouth when her familiar voice came through, so exuberant it could almost explode.

"Hanhan! Darling! Guess where I am right now?"

Her voice was as bright as ever, like sunlight that could pierce the gloom.

I immediately caught her mood and laughed. "Don't tell me... you're back in the country?"

"You're the smartest! I called you the moment I got off the plane!" she shouted excitedly. "How have you been? I've missed you so much!"

Holding my phone, I felt an ache in my heart.

I hadn't told her about what had happened to my family, and I didn't want her to worry.

But now that she was back... I probably wouldn't be able to hide it much longer.

"I missed you, too," I said with a smile. "How about we meet up today?"

"Of course! Same place, same time!"

After hanging up, I felt a little lighter for once.

Before leaving, I made a point of sending Gu Hansheng a message:

[My best friend is back in the country. I'm going to meet her at the café.]

His reply came quickly-just one word.

[Okay.]

I stared at that word for a few seconds, then thought no more of it, changed into something comfortable, and headed out.

Inside the café, a familiar aroma filled the air.

The moment I pushed open the door, I spotted that beaming face.

"Hanhan!"

"An'an!"

We squealed and threw ourselves at each other almost simultaneously, hugging tightly as though trying to make up for all the years we had spent apart.

"Oh my God! You haven't changed at all!" Qin An'an pinched my cheeks hard, her eyes full of laughter.

"Neither have you." I laughed and pinched her arm in return.

Qin An'an and I had grown up together.

We had attended the same schools through elementary, middle, and high school.

She was naturally lively, someone who loved laughing, making a fuss, and standing up against injustice on other people's behalf.

The two of us had been practically inseparable.

The year she got into a school abroad, we had clung to each other at the airport and cried like a pair of fools.

After that, she studied abroad while I stayed in the country, and we kept in touch less and less.

But the moment she called me "Hanhan," that sense of closeness instantly came flooding back.

Qin An'an and I chatted the entire afternoon.

The light outside the window faded from bright to dusky gold, yet we still had endless things to say.

Just as she always had, she gestured as she drank her coffee, talking so quickly that several times I couldn't keep up.

Several times, she laughed until tears came to her eyes.

And I laughed aloud, too, for the first time in ages.

Later, I still ended up telling him about what had happened to my family.

But she listened with tears streaming down her face, sobbing nonstop. "How could you be such a lousy friend? Something this serious happened, and you didn't even tell me?"

The sight of her left me at something of a loss.

I handed her a tissue and ended up comforting her instead. "It's okay, An'an. It'll all pass."

"How could it possibly be okay!"

She glared at me with reddened eyes. "You've been like this since you were little, carrying everything on your own."

I lowered my head and smiled without arguing further.

There was no point in talking too much about certain kinds of suffering.

Only after a long while did she ask hoarsely, "Then... what about Gu Hansheng? Does he still treat you the way he used to?"

I lowered my eyes, my fingertips gently rubbing the rim of my cup, a bitter smile on my lips. "We're divorced."

"What?" Qin An'an practically shrieked. "You two got divorced?"

I nodded.

She stared blankly for a long moment, a trace of regret flashing in her eyes.

"I've actually always thought you and Gu Hansheng were a good match," she said softly. "He really did like you a lot."

I looked up, somewhat stunned. "He liked me?"