Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Secret

Hush money was obviously just a joke to Zhang Yan, but Xia Xiqing seemed to take it seriously. She furrowed her slender brows and hesitated for a moment before reluctantly offering, "I can give you a discount on Sunday’s part-time job."

Zhang Yan couldn’t quite tell if this was a "Xia Xiqing style" joke or something else. He could only play along. "Exactly how much of a discount are we talking about? I won’t accept if it’s too little."

"Five percent off."

She really was stingy!

"Haha, deal. However, regarding this Sunday’s part-time job, you haven’t told me how you charge."

"I don’t know."

It seemed this was Xia Xiqing’s first time taking on this kind of "part-time job." That made sense; after all, it was just a random excuse she had come up with. Zhang Yan also had no concept of the going rate for this sort of service, so he had to consult the omnipotent Great God Jipti.

Basic etiquette accompaniment was around five hundred to a thousand per hour. Full-event accompaniment ranged from three to eight thousand, while high-end customized services—such as specific languages or professional accompaniment—generally started at ten thousand per event.

He put down his phone and looked at his senior, who was currently savoring her dessert. "Then how about ten thousand an hour?"

"Okay," Xia Xiqing replied immediately, with almost no hesitation.

True, it was just a perfunctory excuse anyway. She probably didn’t care about the amount. How could Xia Xiqing possibly lack a mere tens of thousands of yuan?

Zhang Yan watched thoughtfully as his senior carefully ate every last bite of her food until her plate was spotless.

She really was a good girl who cherished food!

"Are you free this afternoon? I..."

"No."

Alright then. Zhang Yan could tell that Xia Xiqing wasn’t just giving a brush-off excuse; her frequent glances at the time indicated that she genuinely had something else to do.

"Where are you going next? Want me to drop you off?"

Xia Xiqing shook her head. "It’s not far."

It seemed their brief date for today would have to end here.

When it was time to part ways, Xia Xiqing surprisingly took the initiative to come over and bid him farewell. "Thank you. The food was very good. Goodbye."

Although it was still a bit stiff, it was much better than her usual icy nod before walking away. Seeing her make an effort, Zhang Yan felt a stir in his heart and decided to tease her.

"Senior, this isn’t how good friends say goodbye."

Xia Xiqing tilted her head slightly, looking at him in confusion.

"Senior, do you have any good friends? Like, super close ones?"

She pondered carefully for a moment before finally shaking her head in regret.

It made sense. If Xia Xiqing truly had a close friend she could talk to about anything, she wouldn’t be such a social klutz now.

"That’s why you don’t know. Let me teach you how true friends say goodbye."

Seeing her nod with eyes full of anticipation, Zhang Yan suddenly took a step forward and gave her a gentle hug.

He could feel the delicate body in his arms noticeably stiffen. Her hands made a subconscious motion to push him away, but she forcibly stopped herself.

Fortunately, Zhang Yan knew when to stop. He didn’t linger too long on her faint fragrance and cool touch, separating after a brief embrace. Xia Xiqing’s face flushed red once again as she looked at him, a bit at a loss.

"Remember, this is a farewell greeting that can only be used between very, very good friends. You absolutely can’t use it casually with anyone else!"

Xia Xiqing seemed to accept this explanation. In fact, in Western Countries, it was quite common to say goodbye with a hug and a cheek kiss. She had learned a lot about social etiquette since she was young, so she understood these things, though she had never performed such greetings with the opposite sex. Furthermore, she hadn’t heard of this kind of etiquette becoming popular in Huaxia; perhaps she was simply out of touch.

"How good is good enough?" Xia Xiqing was a little uncertain about measuring the depth of friendships.

"Umm... at least as good as we are."

Seeing her nod as if she understood, Zhang Yan quickly asked, "How many friends do you have that are as close as we are?"

"Two or three, I guess."

Zhang Yan felt like he had just shot himself in the foot. He pressed further, "Are they all girls?"

"Yes."

He breathed a sigh of relief. "That’s good."

"?" She didn’t quite understand.

"Because boys are very bad. You absolutely must not casually trust their sweet talk. Just assume they’re all trying to trick you, and you definitely won’t be wronging anyone!

"Honest and trustworthy boys like me, who don’t have a single bad intention, are rare these days. You need to cherish me properly!"

Watching Zhang Yan spout nonsense with a straight face, Xia Xiqing gave a rare, slight smile. It was so subtle that Zhang Yan almost thought it was his imagination. The entire world seemed to brighten just a fraction in that instant, but it was a fleeting beauty, gone in a flash.

After parting ways with Zhang Yan, Xia Xiqing arrived at a photography studio.

"Qingqing, you’re finally here!"

A young man around twenty-five or twenty-six walked towards her, dressed in expensive clothes and wearing a smile. However, Xia Xiqing visibly took a step back, maintaining a certain distance from him before nodding. "Is the job still available?"

"You’re a bit late, so the other model is shooting first. Just wait a moment."

The man’s name was Fang Hanyu, a former suitor of Xia Xiqing. He had somehow found out she was in need of money lately and introduced her to this job. The work was simple: put on some new clothes that a brand was about to launch and take a few faceless photos. Usually, this kind of job required professional models, but Xia Xiqing’s physical qualities were more than enough. Plus, since Fang Hanyu was the son of the brand’s major shareholder, the job was given to her.

"Qingqing, how are you considering what I told you last time? No matter what difficulties your family has encountered, as long as you marry me, everything can be solved!"

Xia Xiqing had already refused countless times, so she merely shook her head.

In truth, Fang Hanyu didn’t genuinely want to marry her either. Her past spending habits had been equal to, if not higher than, his own. Whatever financial crisis had forced her to come out and work was definitely not something a trust-fund kid like him, who hadn’t even inherited his family business yet, could handle. He merely coveted her beauty and wanted to trick her into his bed first.

Under Xia Xiqing’s best efforts to conceal it, the people around them still believed she was the same old Xia Xiqing, just with a more low-profile and aloof personality. This secret was a powerful leverage; if he used it well, it could significantly boost his chances of scoring with her.

Since he had been rejected many times already, Fang Hanyu didn’t mind and changed the subject. "Be my date for the banquet this Sunday. I’ll pay you."

If it were before, Xia Xiqing might have actually considered it, but now she just shook her head again. This was also within Fang Hanyu’s expectations, and he didn’t press the matter any further.

A while later, it was finally Xia Xiqing’s turn to shoot.

Looking at the beautiful figure on stage that was in no way inferior to a professional supermodel, Fang Hanyu pressed a hand to his crotch. "Just hold on a little longer. You’ll be mine eventually."

Meanwhile, after parting ways with Xia Xiqing, Zhang Yan didn’t immediately head home. Instead, he made his way back to the vicinity of her residential complex.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.