The Allure of Fifty Thousand

It’s real!

She stared intently at the string of zeros on the screen, her breath catching in her throat.

The indignation and humiliation that had filled her moments before now deflated like a punctured balloon, all at once, with a soft whoosh.

She glanced down at the lengthy, impassioned tirade on her phone screen, then looked up at the enormous sum of fifty thousand yuan.

Within her mind, the tiny figure representing ‘dignity’ and the one representing ‘money’ commenced a desperate, mortal struggle.

‘No, you can’t accept it! What kind of person would you become? We must have integrity!’

‘Can integrity feed you? Fifty thousand yuan! How long would it take you to earn fifty thousand yuan by livestreaming? Just tap ‘receive payment,’ and fifty thousand yuan is yours!’

Dignity Imp, with tears in its eyes, nodded: ‘I think it’s right.’

Xiang Qing’s internal struggle lasted less than three seconds from start to finish.

Decisively, word by painstaking word, she deleted the abusive message she had just typed.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, her small hand pressed down on the ‘Confirm Receipt’ button.

[You have received fifty thousand yuan.]

Truly, how delightful!

Xiang Qing felt her very soul ascend.

With the money secured, a new dilemma emerged.

How should she reply?

Xiang Qing gazed at her chat window with Gu Wei, falling into a deep contemplation.

Several minutes later, having carefully composed her words, she tentatively typed out a line and sent it.

–CEO Gu, I’ve received the money. Thank you, CEO Gu! You are truly too generous!–

No sooner had the message been sent than Gu Wei’s reply arrived instantly.

–So, are you going to resign?–

Xiang Qing’s heart gave a sudden lurch.

–Resign? Resign from what? Why would I resign? Working for a boss as kind, generous, beautiful, and charming as you, CEO Gu, is a blessing I’ve cultivated over eight lifetimes! I just suddenly felt a little unwell earlier, perhaps from something I ate, which is why I rushed back. I absolutely wasn’t skipping work! Please believe in my character!–

–I’ll definitely be at my post bright and early tomorrow! At your service! bows–

After sending that, Xiang Qing felt her own thick skin had reached an entirely new level.

–Heh.–

Gu Wei had only replied with a single word, yet Xiang Qing discerned a clear sense of amusement and knowing in it.

But what did it matter?

After all, she had given so much!

Clutching her phone, Xiang Qing watched the fifty thousand yuan extra in her bank account and happily rolled around on the bed.

What was dignity? What was integrity?

In the face of money, everything else was mere fleeting clouds!

That evening, as Xiang Qing stood in her cramped shower stall, hot water cascaded over her, yet she felt not the slightest warmth.

Only one thought consumed her mind.

Fifty thousand yuan!

With just a few gestures, a mere movement of her lips, fifty thousand yuan had fallen into her hands!

This earning speed was far quicker than yelling, “Big bro, big bro, send a rocket!” during her livestreams!

If only she had known about such a good thing sooner!

If she had known that a simple back rub and a few playful words could earn her fifty thousand yuan, she wouldn’t just have scrubbed Gu Wei; she would have scrubbed her until her skin peeled off!

As for wetting her pants, or that utterly humiliating experience…

What were those? Could they be eaten?

In the face of a massive sum like fifty thousand yuan, dignity meant absolutely nothing!

She even began to gleefully scheme, planning what demeanor she should adopt for work tomorrow to further please her eccentric benefactor, Gu Wei, and perhaps secure herself another bonus in the process.

She had to come up with something.

The following day, Xiang Qing, having shed yesterday’s discomfiture, deliberately changed into her most vibrant outfit and, feeling refreshed, rang Gu Wei’s doorbell.

“Ding-dong—”

The door opened to reveal Gu Wei, clad in a silken robe, leaning languidly against the doorframe.

Her already exquisite face, soft with the haze of just waking, held a touch of bewilderment. Her hair was loosely gathered, with a few stray wisps falling upon her pristine collarbone.

Xiang Qing’s eyes brightened, and she immediately conjured a flawless, professional smile, perfect from every angle.

“Good morning, CEO Gu! I’m here for work!” she announced, her voice booming with the vigorous energy of a diligent worker.

Gu Wei raised an eyebrow, a familiar, wicked smile playing on her lips.

“Oh, if it isn’t Miss Xiang,”

She surveyed Xiang Qing from head to toe, her tone laced with sarcasm. “What, the money’s arrived, and your dignity has magically reappeared?”

“CEO Gu, what on earth are you saying!”

Xiang Qing, without a blush or a single skipped beat, her smile growing even brighter, declared, “They say money makes the mill go ’round, and with the money you’ve provided, CEO Gu, forget grinding the mill—I could hoist the millstone onto my shoulders and perform weighted squats right here and now!”

As long as one’s principles were flexible, solutions would always outweigh problems!

To quarrel with money—that was truly insane!

Gu Wei was thoroughly amused by her brazen declaration, and was about to say something more.

“Xiao Qing, you’re here.”

Shen Lanzhi’s gentle voice drifted from behind Gu Wei.

Dressed in a tasteful set of loungewear, she approached with a cup of warm water, moving like a hostess, and subtly positioned herself beside Xiang Qing, creating a slight distance between her and Gu Wei.

“Don’t listen to her. While money is important, we must still maintain our principles as people,” Shen Lanzhi gently advised, her eyes filled with concern. “You can’t do just anything for money.”

Upon hearing this, Xiang Qing felt it made perfect sense.

Indeed.

Though she loved money, she was a person of principles.

A gentleman loves wealth, but acquires it righteously!

She immediately dropped her playful grin, nodding gravely. “Sister Lanzhi, you’re right! I, Xiang Qing, have my boundaries!”

“Boundaries?”

Gu Wei let out a scoff, as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable.

She turned and walked into the living room, with Xiang Qing and Shen Lanzhi following her in.

Gu Wei casually retrieved a thick envelope from the cabinet in the entryway and, with a crisp ‘thwack,’ tossed it onto the coffee table.

The envelope was open, revealing a stack of crisp, red banknotes.

“Aren’t ‘boundaries’ precisely the kind of thing meant to be broken?”

Gu Wei leisurely picked up the stack of money, a full ten thousand yuan.

She flicked it with her fingers, and the crisp sound it made was nothing short of heavenly music to Xiang Qing’s ears.

“Ten thousand yuan, is that enough to break your boundaries?”

Gu Wei held the stack of cash, deliberately waving it before Xiang Qing’s eyes.

Xiang Qing’s eyes immediately fixated.

Her gaze was as if glued by superglue, rigidly tracking the stack of money as it moved up and down.

Her boundaries?

What were her boundaries again?

Oh, she remembered now—her boundary was having no boundaries!

“Enough! More than enough!” Xiang Qing instinctively replied, practically drooling.

Shen Lanzhi, beside them, frowned anxiously. “Xiao Qing!”

Gu Wei smiled with satisfaction.

She settled ostentatiously onto the sofa, crossing her legs, the hem of her robe sliding open to reveal a dazzling sliver of her pale calf.

“I’m a little warm,” she stated, extending the ten thousand yuan towards Xiang Qing.

Xiang Qing paused, failing to grasp her meaning.

Gu Wei gestured to herself with her chin. “Take it, and fan me.”

‘Huh?’

‘Use ten thousand yuan in cash as a fan?’

‘What kind of idiotic plotline from some ancient CEO novel was this?’

‘Was the world of the rich really this plain, unadorned, and boring?’

Xiang Qing inwardly ranted, yet her body responded with utmost honesty.

She snatched the stack of money, feeling as though she had received a sacred decree.

“Alright, CEO Gu! No problem, CEO Gu!”

Standing before Gu Wei, she vigorously began to fan her with the ten thousand yuan.

“Whoosh—whoosh—”

The scent of money, truly intoxicating!

“Harder. Haven’t you eaten?” Gu Wei commanded languidly, her eyes still closed.

“Yes!” Xiang Qing put more force into her movements, fanning even more diligently.

“Where’s the breeze? I don’t feel anything at all,” Gu Wei grumbled, her brows furrowing.

‘…A vein throbbed in Xiang Qing’s temple.’

‘This ten thousand yuan was only so big; how much wind could it possibly generate? Did she think this was the Banana Fan from Journey to the West?!’

“Are you just tickling me?” Gu Wei complained, clearly displeased. “I didn’t request this particular service.”

‘So many demands!’

Xiang Qing gritted her teeth, deciding to throw caution to the wind!

‘A fan’s no good, huh?’

‘Fine!’

She abruptly ceased her actions and, under the astonished gazes of Gu Wei and Shen Lanzhi, swiftly stuffed the ten thousand yuan into her pants pocket.

‘Hmm! Bulging and full, a profound sense of security! This was her earned income!’

Then, she took a step forward, leaned down directly, and gripped the collar of Gu Wei’s robe with both hands.

“If a fan won’t do, I’ll provide some physical cooling!”

Xiang Qing grinned, revealing a flash of white teeth.

“Just take off your clothes, and won’t you be cool?”

With that, she exerted force, making as if to strip off Gu Wei’s robe!

The languor on Gu Wei’s face vanished instantly, a flicker of surprise flashing in her beautiful eyes.

Yet that surprise was fleeting, replaced by an unshakeable surge of excitement and wild delight.

‘Oh, ho?’

‘The little cat isn’t pretending anymore?’

‘Starting to actively show its claws and strip my clothes?’

‘Quite interesting.’

‘No, it’s too interesting!’

‘This feeling was more exhilarating than paying to watch ten strip shows!’