KA | Chapter 2

The apartment was tiny. Two steps in and you could see the bed, which took up nearly half the space, making me wonder if Shen Yuesheng had rented this place just to get into bed.

The heating was excellent. I took off my quilted cotton coat and hung it next to Shen Yuesheng’s down jacket.

Looking around, I suddenly noticed there were no tables or chairs.

Shen Yuesheng seemed to know what I was thinking. He sat on the bed and patted the space beside him.

After five years in sales, I’d never negotiated a deal with a client on a bed before.

I sat down carefully, unsure what he was up to, feeling even more anxious than when I’d walked in.

They say you don’t hit someone who’s smiling at you, so I forced out an extremely stiff smile, put away all my flattery, and got down to business.

“Mr. Shen, if I may ask, what are your plans for Pinsheng this year?”

When meeting a major client for the first time, you always start by probing their needs. Once you know what they want, you can provide targeted marketing strategies.

“No plans.”

His voice was still very soft, like snow on the peak of the Alps.

I guided him: “Um, well, do you have any aspirations for the future? Like, how many schools do you want to open, how many courses do you want to expand, how many teachers do you want to hire…?”

Shen Yuesheng said flatly: “Each campus has plans made by its branch principal. I don’t handle those.”

“Oh, so what business do you handle?”

Sunlight fell on his pale skin. Shen Yuesheng crossed his legs, swinging his calf back and forth. Looking closely, he really was handsome. The most striking feature was his eyes, a pair of bright eyes that conveyed three parts charm and seven parts coldness.

“I handle fining people.”

“…”

So you’re not just sharp-tongued, you’re actually mean.

Night fell, and fireworks lit up outside the window.

The restrictions on fireworks during the Lantern Festival weren’t as strict as during Spring Festival, and since this was a suburban area, people set them off illegally without anyone stopping them.

Businesspeople in Yucheng set off fireworks during the New Year. The bigger the fireworks, the more prosperous the business. The more they set off, the more powerful the company appears.

I had a sudden idea and asked: “Mr. Shen, does Pinsheng set off fireworks?”

Shen Yuesheng nodded.

I continued on this thread: “So what’s your fireworks budget this year?”

“Over 100,000.”

“Fireworks for 20 minutes, spending 100,000 just to hear a bang, isn’t that just for corporate prestige? Advertising might not even cost 100,000, and it not only gives the company prestige but also boosts visibility.”

Shen Yuesheng said flatly: “That 100,000 is for all 140 Pinsheng campuses combined. We only do a fireworks show at the main campus.”

“…”

One fireworks show would be enough for external publicity, and the other branches wouldn’t need budget allocations either.

Stingy, really stingy!

“You’re really… smart.”

Shen Yuesheng didn’t respond, just looked at me quietly, his eyes like he was examining meat on a cutting board.

I got goosebumps all over. Then Shen Yuesheng suddenly said: “I gave my ex-boyfriend 200,000 as a breakup fee when we split up.”

Not talking about fireworks, not talking about advertising, but talking about his ex?

Wasn’t that quite a topic jump?

A fireworks show costs 100,000, but he gave his ex 200,000 as a breakup fee?

Looks like you were pretty generous with your ex.

Wait, bringing up an ex on a first meeting, suddenly mentioning 200,000 as a breakup fee, wasn’t this topic too private?

The most important thing in negotiation is controlling the conversation.

If a sales rep wants to close a deal, you have to manipulate the client’s emotions and get them to follow your line of thinking.

I once pressured a sock-selling lady into paying in minutes, but this guy and I had been talking for over ten minutes and I still didn’t know what he wanted.

Since coming inside, I’d been constantly probing Shen Yuesheng’s real needs. He answered every question, but it was like he said nothing at all.

He spoke without a single leak, revealing no useful information. My thinking kept following his lead. When he talked to me, it was like he was playing with a dog.

This wouldn’t do!

I needed to take control of the negotiation.

“Um…”

Before I could finish, Shen Yuesheng suddenly tore the knife wound on his index finger.

Blood trickled down along the edge of his fingernail. Shen Yuesheng put his finger in his mouth, his lips stained red.

The red lips added a touch of color to his pale face, and his beautiful peach-blossom eyes looked over at me.

In that moment of eye contact, my bones went soft.

This guy was like a fox spirit!

I didn’t dare look at him and turned my head to ask: “Do you have a bandage?”

Shen Yuesheng pointed toward the refrigerator. “There’s a storage box on top.”

The refrigerator was about two meters tall. I stretched on my tiptoes, opening my palm to feel for the box. My acrylic sweater was a bit short, and the box was positioned far back. I stretched my arm hard, and my sweater along with the thermal undershirt rode up, accidentally exposing my waist.

I covered my waist, holding the box, and said awkwardly: “H-here you go.”

Shen Yuesheng’s eyes deepened. I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.

We hadn’t discussed anything serious, just been bickering, and I was getting frustrated.

This couldn’t go on. I decided to be direct: “Mr. Shen, what did you want to see me for today?”

Shen Yuesheng slowly applied the bandage, not looking up, and said: “Just looking at your name, you seem like a farmworker with good stamina.”

Huh? No, I have good stamina, what does that have to do with you?

How did this conversation get so off track?

I forcibly steered the topic back: “Recently Pinsheng launched several co-branded activities. Our company hasn’t worked with you for over a year, so I wanted to ask if these activities were planned by Pinsheng?”

If Pinsheng did it themselves, it would mean their planning department had the ability to incubate IP, and even if we worked together, the budget they’d give me would be small. If Pinsheng was working with another company, I’d need to find the right entry point to take back the budget they were giving to that other company.

Shen Yuesheng said flatly: “I don’t handle those things. I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Many corporate CEOs only manage operations, not marketing.

But if he doesn’t handle marketing, why did he ask me to come here?

The meeting location was strange, and the topics were even stranger.

This sharp-tongued, mean fox spirit, everything about him was strange.

Shen Yuesheng’s gaze circled around my waist and abdomen, his eyes containing hooks at the corners, making my heartbeat faster and faster, my breathing quickened and my scalp tingled. He suddenly asked: “You run pretty fast, don’t you?”

“…”

Just a moment ago his eyes looked like he wanted to devour me alive, and now he’s suddenly asking about running?

Do rich people’s minds work this erratically?

I answered honestly: “I’m a 100-meter champion.”

“Have you ever carried rice?”

“Um, I’ve carried it up to the third floor.”

Shen Yuesheng’s lips curved up, and when he smiled he looked even more like a fox spirit.

His shirt collar was quite loose, and through it you could see his delicate collarbone. His neck was very pale, with blue veins winding beneath the fair skin, looking delicate and tender.

He was very handsome, handsome in a way that was almost eerie.

Why could a man be this seductive?

I panicked.

*

Shen Yuesheng stretched lazily, his voice drowsy. “I’m so tired, I want to sleep.”

“…”

It wasn’t even 7 PM yet!

“Did Mr. Shen just get back from Switzerland and need to adjust to the time difference?”

“No.” Shen Yuesheng looked at my waist and said flatly, “I just think that when you exposed your waist just now, you were deliberately seducing me.”

What?

I seduced you?

We’re both men!

A bolt of lightning flashed through my mind, followed by several thunderclaps in quick succession, splitting open my dense skull.

Confused thoughts connected into a line, linking all the strange pieces together.

Not revealing useful information was because Shen Yuesheng never wanted to talk about advertising.

Constantly seducing me was because he’s gay.

Staring at my waist, asking if I run fast, if I can carry rice, was assessing my stamina.

He invited me here because he wanted to sleep with me.

The 200,000 breakup fee was what he’d give me when he got tired of me and kicked me out.

Now everything made sense.

When I was in school, the gay guys I knew were all effeminate. After work, the gay guys I knew were all losers who couldn’t get girlfriends. Today Shen Yuesheng had completely changed my understanding of this group.

With money, power, and good looks, it’s not like he can’t find someone. He passes up soft, sweet girls and insists on finding a man to stick with, that’s just perverted!

I take back what I said earlier. I’m short on money, but I’m not willing to do anything!

Shen Yuesheng left his words hanging so I’d have to guess, leaving himself a way out. If I agreed, I’d take the money, put in the effort, and get in bed. If I didn’t agree, we’d just sleep as if nothing happened.

The fox spirit only cared about his own pleasure, didn’t even ask if I had a girlfriend, completely disregarded my feelings, selfish and cunning, and I felt deeply offended.

No shame, and still wanting to leave a way out?

Bah!

I stiffened my neck and made it clear: “I wasn’t seducing you.”

“Don’t worry, even if you stood naked in front of me, I wouldn’t touch you.”