The Wager of a Million

Having just entered the house, Mu Yaochen glanced at Luo Yao, who was standing in the corner.She also noticed the five scratches on his arm.The wounds were not deep, yet the vivid crimson blood starkly contrasted with Luo Yao’s pale skin.

“Who did this?”

Initially, Mu Yaochen had no intention of dwelling on what had transpired moments ago at the Longda Mall; after all, it was merely an encounter with an acquaintance.

In the brief interval while Luo Yao and Frost had been out, Mu Yaochen had already acquired Luo Yao’s basic information and family background.It spoke volumes of Frost’s efficiency, or perhaps, of how thoroughly the Bluebird Group’s network had enveloped the entire Fanhai City.

His parents were merely minor clerks, and he had one younger sister.

It was all rather bland, utterly uninteresting.

For safety’s sake, she had already dispatched someone to contact Luo Yao’s parents.

After all, supporting a daughter still in high school must be incredibly arduous.

Future university tuition, marriage, and children—all would undoubtedly require money.

Moreover, she had heard they were burdened by a mountain of debt.

At this thought, Mu Yaochen felt her heart swell with a profound sense of conquest.

“Well, it was… by…”

Hearing Mu Yaochen’s words, Luo Yao was momentarily at a loss for how to respond.

Given Mu Yaochen’s temperament, if she discovered Su Mengqi had scratched him, while he couldn’t predict what she might do to Su Mengqi, he knew with certainty that she would torment him first.

Luo Yao wanted to lie, but he also knew that Frost would undoubtedly report the full situation to Mu Yaochen once she entered.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating.

Observing Luo Yao’s evasive gaze, Mu Yaochen immediately sensed that he was attempting to deceive her.

“I recall you once mentioning you had a girlfriend, didn’t you?”

Seeing Luo Yao’s timid expression, Mu Yaochen remembered his bluster back at the hospital, when he’d boasted about having a girlfriend.

Though she hadn’t witnessed the mall incident firsthand, the mere sound of the voices had been enough for Mu Yaochen to deduce that the person involved was a woman Luo Yao knew intimately.

Perhaps it truly was his so-called ‘little girlfriend’?

This thought caused Mu Yaochen to fix her gaze on Luo Yao, as a depraved and sinister idea began to germinate in her mind.

“N-no, she’s just a classmate?”

Luo Yao, seeing the expression on Mu Yaochen’s face that suggested she might devour him, felt a profound sense of dread.

However, since she had already somewhat guessed Su Mengqi’s identity, Luo Yao could only frame her as an ordinary classmate.

As for Luo Yao claiming Su Mengqi was his girlfriend, he had initially only intended to bluff.

He had never imagined, however, that Mu Yaochen would remember it later, or that she would find the matter so intriguing.

The persona Mu Yaochen had previously established for herself had been entirely discarded; in her eyes, she was the master, and Luo Yao was merely a pet.

Their relationship was as simple as that.

Luo Yao, it seemed, had also forgotten the persona Mu Yaochen had initially presented.

More than forgetting, it was simply that Mu Yaochen wielded absolute power.

In this game of cat and mouse, she would always be the one in control, holding the ultimate say.

“Just an ordinary classmate? And yet she’d clash so fiercely with Frost? Your relationship must be rather extraordinary, wouldn’t you say?”

Noticing Luo Yao’s suddenly serious gaze, Mu Yaochen couldn’t help but slowly lean closer.

“You’re so handsome; I imagine many girls at school must like you, don’t they?”

Mu Yaochen murmured, inhaling the faint, pleasant scent emanating from Luo Yao’s body.

“That… that’s none of your business?”

Luo Yao watched Mu Yaochen approach, his body instinctively recoiling until he bumped against the sofa, ultimately losing his balance and slumping onto it.

“None of my business? Little Yaoyao, you are my dog,” Mu Yaochen said with a soft smile, her gaze fixed on Luo Yao.

“By the way, do you remember what you promised me?”

Seeing Mu Yaochen’s expression, Luo Yao felt nothing but profound humiliation.

“What did I promise you?”

Mu Yaochen asked, her words casual yet loaded, as she met Luo Yao’s wary eyes.

At that moment, Luo Yao suddenly remembered the investment.

Although every action he took now involved an element of risk, he could only dance on the edge of a knife for the sake of his peaceful life.

Simultaneously, Luo Yao successfully shifted the conversation from Su Mengqi to his own debt.

“I will repay you these eight million,” Luo Yao declared earnestly, his gaze unwavering as he spoke to Mu Yaochen.

Luo Yao desperately needed to seize the initiative; he was currently in a deeply passive state.

If this continued, he would only sink further into Mu Yaochen’s mire until his very will was extinguished.

“You’re just a little boy; simply be my pet and relax.”

Not bothered by how Luo Yao addressed her, Mu Yaochen found his sudden seriousness rather amusing.

“N-no… I want to make a wager with you, alright?”

Luo Yao looked at Mu Yaochen, his voice trembling slightly; though his body feared her, his soul and will remained resolute.

“A wager? Very well,” Mu Yaochen replied without a second thought, her eyes gleaming with a subtle, eerie light as she stared at Luo Yao.

“Give me some money, and I’ll repay everything I owe you.”

Luo Yao’s voice wavered, uncertain of what Mu Yaochen might do if she were displeased.

“Oh? Little Yaoyao wants to earn his freedom through his own efforts?”

Mu Yaochen extended a hand and firmly grasped Luo Yao’s chin, a familiar gesture of control that Luo Yao knew all too well.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Even as Mu Yaochen toyed with his face, Luo Yao managed a difficult nod.

“Very well, I can give you the money.”

“As for your wager? Three months.

If you earn a million, I will agree to give you more time to repay your debt; if you fail, then simply resign yourself to being my dog.”

Mu Yaochen narrowed her eyes, then dotingly rubbed Luo Yao’s nose.

Her voice held no hint of a threat; instead, it was laced with a cloying sweetness.

Three months, one million?

For a high school student, it was an impossibly distant sum.

“If you give up, your future life will be very comfortable, you know.”

Mu Yaochen, as if discerning Luo Yao’s profound hesitation, spoke in a soft whisper.

‘Come now, Luo Yao.

‘Your struggles will only excite me further.

‘Everything you meticulously prepare will only be destroyed by me.’

“I… I won’t.”

Luo Yao felt the hand on his face grow incredibly cold, yet he dared not stop Mu Yaochen’s actions.

“That’s good then; I hope you won’t regret it.”

She offered a faint smile, simultaneously placing her hand on Luo Yao’s head and dotingly ruffling his hair.

Luo Yao, at this moment, found himself in a predicament where he was hesitant to take the necessary risks to achieve a greater reward (TL Note: A Chinese idiom, ‘shě bù dé hái zi tào bù zhù láng,’ literally meaning ‘one cannot catch a wolf without being willing to part with a child,’ akin to ‘no pain, no gain’).

Three months, one million—it was truly a daunting task.

Should he fail to meet Mu Yaochen’s demands, he would undoubtedly fall into a state of eternal damnation.

****