"Don't be so shameless. I was clearly the one taken advantage of, yet you speak as if you were the victim, sneaking your way in while I was drunk and defenseless."
"And now the villain plays the victim?" He narrowed his eyes. "My car was parked right outside the bar—who was it that climbed in uninvited, stubbornly refusing to leave? And if that wasn't enough, she stripped herself bare inside my car, bit me, kissed me, and threw herself into those unspeakable acts between a man and a woman. To top it off, she vomited all over my interior. Now tell me—who exactly did all that?"
As he finished, he raised the back of his left hand to show her—a pair of deep teeth marks embedded in his skin.
Gu Lili knew he spoke the truth. "I gave you my first time, so let's not talk about who got the worse end of the deal."
"You were a virgin, but do you think I wasn't?" Long Yubei cast her a cool glance. "Since it was mutual, both of us surrendering something for the first time, we can call it even. But how are we going to settle the bite you gave me?"
She extended her hand. "Bite me back."
"I wouldn't soil my mouth with that filthy hand. And what about you vomiting in my car?"
"I'll pay to have it cleaned."
"Fifty thousand for detailing. Pay up."
Gu Lili nearly choked on her breath—she had never met someone so outrageously shameless.
"Why don't you just go rob a bank?" she snapped, yanking the blanket around her as she sat up. "What kind of car wash costs fifty thousand? Is your car made of gold?"
"My car is worth more than any celestial chariot," he replied with a radiant smile. "Pay up, and you may leave."
"I have no money! Not a dime. Take my life instead."
All she had was a few thousand yuan—left over from buying a coffin for her master, from his own meager savings. A child raised on the mountain—how could she possibly afford more?
"No money? Then pay with your body." From the way she dressed, he had already guessed she was poor. He pushed further, step by step. "Sleep with me five more times and we'll call it even—ten thousand per night. Not cheap, you know."
"You… you rogue! Taking advantage and still pretending to be wronged!" Gu Lili was fuming.
"You showed up at my door—how can you turn around and blame me? Either give me the fifty thousand, or sleep with me five more times. Your choice."
"Fine. I agree."
She dressed and left her phone number. Just as she turned to go, Long Yubei called after her, "Starting tonight. Five nights in a row. If you don't show up, I'll send someone to drag you here myself."
"Tonight is impossible. My master just passed and hasn't been buried yet—I have to keep vigil. I'll come tomorrow night. Last night was the most humiliating mistake of my life—absolutely wretched."
Watching her fume, Long Yubei chuckled, "Really? Last night you seemed very pleased. You kept moaning how good I was, begging me to go faster, saying you couldn't wait…"
Gu Lili's face turned crimson. "Nonsense! I would never say such things!"
As she stormed off, Long Yubei reclined, his mind replaying the night's pleasure—his mood soaring.
Gu Lili bought buns and soy milk on her way back to Xiliang Mountain.
Dressed in white mourning garments, she knelt on a cushion, folding gold paper ingots with quiet devotion.
Gu Xichen didn't come alone.
He arrived hand-in-hand with his girlfriend, He Meiwei, carrying a bundle of offerings.
The two had been laughing and chatting, but the moment they stepped into the courtyard, the smiles froze on their faces.
Their eyes locked on the coffin laid out in the main hall.
The gift in Gu Xichen's hand slipped to the ground. He rushed forward—only to stop in his tracks at the doorway when he saw Gu Lili kneeling before the altar.
His eyes reddened instantly.
"Whose coffin is this…?"