The Three-Month Sentence

“Fine, no problem.”

Xiang Qing sneered inwardly, yet forced a stiff curve onto her lips.

‘Go home and take them for you now? Take what? If I were to take nude photos, wouldn’t my life be entirely in your hands from then on?’

‘Unless she no longer wished to be a streamer and instead pivoted to becoming an adult film actress on one of those sites, this material would remain a ticking time bomb, so long as she intended to earn money online.’

‘First, she needed to placate Gu Wei.’

The two women returned to the apartment, one following the other.

A few window repairmen were finishing up, the pungent scent of glass sealant permeating the cramped space.

With outsiders present, Gu Wei reined in her wild demeanor, once more appearing as the refined, wealthy beauty with delicate features.

She even proactively apologized to Xiang Qing, admitting she shouldn’t have smashed the glass.

However, her tone quickly shifted, asserting that Xiang Qing’s evasiveness had forced her to resort to such extremes.

“Therefore, we both bear responsibility,” Gu Wei concluded.

What more could Xiang Qing say? She could only nod.

“Yes, everything you say is correct.”

‘Correct, my foot! If you weren’t a lunatic, would I even need to avoid you?’ she cursed inwardly.

The workmen, swift and efficient, quickly gathered their toolboxes, preparing to depart.

The lead technician, with a kind heart, offered a reminder.

“Miss, don’t open the new windows for twenty-four hours; let the sealant dry completely.

Also, in the future, try to talk things through instead of smashing windows.

It’s not safe.”

Xiang Qing, mortified, felt her toes curl, managing only a strained laugh as she saw them out.

“Click.”

As the security door locked, the last vestiges of the normal world vanished from the apartment.

Only she and Gu Wei remained within the home.

Xiang Qing’s heart involuntarily quickened its pace.

Gu Wei surveyed the small apartment, her gaze finally settling on the sofa, her chin lifting slightly.

“Go sit down, and take them off.”

Her tone was as casual as if commanding a pet dog to sit.

Taking a deep breath, Xiang Qing suppressed the fear and humiliation churning within her.

“I won’t take them.”

Gu Wei’s eyebrows arched.

“At most, I can only agree to swimwear-level photos,” Xiang Qing declared, clenching her fists, marking the absolute limit of her concession.

“If you feel shortchanged, I can return your money.”

“Return the money?” Gu Wei scoffed, as if she had just heard the most absurd joke.

“That’s not what you said downstairs earlier.

Are you toying with me?”

“I’m not toying with you!”

Xiang Qing stiffened her neck, attempting to project more confidence.

“If you genuinely like me, you should trust me!

I said I’d take professional photos for you, and I will!

Once they’re done, we’ll be quits!”

“Quits?”

Gu Wei’s smile deepened as she advanced toward Xiang Qing, step by step.

“Xiang Qing, do you perhaps overestimate your own worth?

You think a single set of photos can offset the eight hundred thousand I spent?”

She stopped directly in front of Xiang Qing, looking down at her imperiously.

“Do you imagine yourself adorned with gold, or perhaps diamonds?”

The icy words crashed down, draining the color from Xiang Qing’s face.

‘This person is so mercurial,’ she thought.

Biting her lower lip, she hesitated for a long moment before finally forcing out a question through gritted teeth.

“Then… what exactly do you want?”

Gu Wei finally revealed a satisfied smile.

She extended a finger, gently hooked Xiang Qing’s chin, forcing her to meet her gaze.

“My objective has been crystal clear from the very beginning.”

“Either, marry me.”

“Or, I’ll keep you.”

“Choose one.”

Marriage? Being kept?

The two words descended like colossal mountains, crushing Xiang Qing’s chest and leaving her gasping for breath.

She detested love, making marriage to a lunatic an absolute impossibility.

As for being kept…

‘This lunatic is so rich; how much would she pay to keep someone for a month?’ an ill-timed thought flickered through Xiang Qing’s mind.

The thought vanished as quickly as it came, ruthlessly extinguished.

‘No.’

‘She loathed humanity, abhorred physical contact, and most of all, despised being treated as a plaything.’

‘No matter how important money was, it wasn’t worth selling herself.’

“I…” Xiang Qing’s throat felt parched as she spoke with difficulty.

“I choose neither.”

“Oh?” Gu Wei regarded her with amusement.

“But you don’t have a choice.”

Gathering her courage, Xiang Qing met her gaze.

“I don’t date, so marriage is out of the question.

And as for being kept… I don’t accept that either.”

Gu Wei suddenly laughed, a peal of mirth that made her whole body tremble.

“Who said anything about dating you?” she said, as if she’d heard the most preposterous joke, reaching out to cup Xiang Qing’s face, examining it from side to side.

“Xiang Qing, have you perhaps misunderstood something?

I merely desire your body; I just want to sleep with you.”

Her thumb suggestively stroked Xiang Qing’s lips, her voice dropping to a low whisper, laden with a scorching heat.

“Dating is such a hassle; I might grow bored in a few months.

But right now, I just want to lock you away, to make you belong to me and me alone.”

Gu Wei’s eyes gleamed terrifyingly, revealing a morbid excitement.

“Besides, you’re so resistant to romance, you’ve probably never dated in your life, have you?

So pure… still a little virgin?”

Xiang Qing’s entire body stiffened, scorched by Gu Wei’s explicit words and gaze, and she abruptly turned her head, evading her hand.

“I’ll return your money!” she practically roared.

This was her final line in the sand.

“I’ll give you back eight hundred thousand, not a single penny less!”

“Return the money?” The smile vanished instantly from Gu Wei’s face, replaced by an expression of icy mockery.

“With that pathetic livestream channel of yours?

Without me showering you with gifts to boost your presence, how many pennies do you think you’d earn in a day?”

She had directly exposed Xiang Qing’s predicament.

Xiang Qing’s face flushed crimson, yet she was powerless to retort.

Gu Wei closed in again, her finger tapping Xiang Qing’s chest as she spoke each word distinctly.

“Furthermore, I loathe you preening provocatively for the camera, parading your body for others to see, and then using that ill-gotten money to repay me.”

“Let me tell you, I forbid it.”

Utterly out of options, Xiang Qing could only grit her teeth and ask, “Then what exactly do you want from me?”

“It’s quite simple.” Gu Wei finally laid her cards on the table, that all-controlling smile reappearing on her face.

“Move into my home and be my live-in assistant for three months.”

“What?” Xiang Qing suspected she had misheard.

“Laundry, cooking, cleaning—you can do all that, can’t you?” Gu Wei said dismissively.

“Serve me for three months, and the eight hundred thousand I spent on you will be written off.”

Three months, eight hundred thousand.

That averaged over two hundred sixty thousand a month, nearly nine thousand a day.

This was no mere assistant; this was practically a golden Buddha.

Xiang Qing’s heart began to pound wildly.

Though it sounded preposterous, this seemed to be the best option available.

No need to take those kinds of photos, no need to sell her body, just… do chores?

Having been independent since childhood, and a skilled cook to boot, this task would be incredibly easy for her.

Compared to marriage or being kept, being a live-in assistant was practically heaven!

“Alright.” Xiang Qing barely hesitated, nodding immediately in agreement.

“I accept your terms.”

Seeing her agree so readily, Gu Wei’s smile deepened further.

“Excellent,” she said, nodding in satisfaction, her voice now laced with command.

“Pack your belongings and come with me now.”

Xiang Qing had little to pack.

In this dilapidated apartment, the most valuable thing was herself.

“I don’t have much luggage; let’s just go straight to your place so I can get acquainted with the route,” Xiang Qing said calmly, yet inwardly, she was calculating: the sooner this began, the sooner her three-month sentence would end.

“Alright then,” Gu Wei replied with a knowing smile, as if she had long anticipated this very response.

Emerging from the old residential complex, a sleek black sedan idled silently beneath a streetlamp.

Xiang Qing knew little about cars, yet she recognized the trident emblem on its hood.

Maserati.

She clicked her tongue inwardly, then quietly pulled open the door and settled inside.

“Do you like it?” Gu Wei asked casually, starting the car and smoothly merging into traffic, her words feigning indifference.

“Stay with me, and this will be your daily ride.”

Her tone was laced with a boastful pride, yet it felt more like an enticement, as if proclaiming, ‘I can give you everything you desire.’

Xiang Qing didn’t even lift an eyelid, but her mind was racing with calculations.

A single car costing several million meant that eight hundred thousand was, indeed, a mere drop in the ocean for Gu Wei.

She offered no reply, simply watching the streetlights recede rapidly outside the window, silently repeating to herself: ‘Endure for three months, get through this, and I’ll be free.’

The car finally entered the city center’s most exclusive luxury residential area: Star Convergence International.

Every inch of land here was paved with money, representing the ultimate dream for Xiang Qing, who during her streaming days, had been too frugal to even order the most expensive tier of takeout while saving money.

Gu Wei’s home occupied the penthouse, where 360-degree floor-to-ceiling windows offered panoramic views of the entire city.