As soon as it was payday at the end of the month, the few grown men in the office would sigh and complain non-stop. Men are extravagant spenders; usually, after treating people to drinks and deducting expenses for food and clothing, there was basically not much left of the salary they had just received. They had to be frugal to get through the next month, which really made one lament how tough life is.

Mother Jiang's legs weren't good, and being old, she could only stay in their hometown. Jiang Xu would send a portion of his salary home every month. He hadn't saved much money over the past few years, but he could just barely get by. Who would have thought that plans can't keep up with changes? His phone screen cracked a while ago, and his old computer finally gave out after several repairs. But his work required them, so he had no choice but to replace them with new ones. The rent was paid quarterly, and it happened to be due this month. All the miscellaneous expenses added up, completely draining his savings at once.

After paying rent, other people still had a little left over. He didn't have a single cent left.

After calculating his finances, Jiang Xu stared at the sky speechlessly for a long time. Finally, he turned to look at Li Si'ao and found him also scratching his head, tormented by a headache, looking at his pay slip over and over again.

Jiang Xu asked, “How much do you have left?”

Li Si'ao usually spent a lot of money topping up his game account, and he also had to pay his mortgage every month. Hearing the question, he scratched his head and said in disbelief, “Not much is left. I'm baffled. I didn't even spend that much, where did all the money go? Hey, do you have any extra? Lend me some, I'll pay you back next month.”

Jiang Xu shook the scratch paper he'd just used for his calculations in front of him: “What were you thinking, asking to borrow money from someone poorer than you?”

The office door wasn't very soundproof. He had been complaining about being poor there since early in the morning, and Gu Qingzhou, standing by the door, heard everything clearly. He was holding a cup of black coffee as usual. Listening to the commotion outside, he seemed to recall something, lowering his gaze to the rising steam and faintly raising an eyebrow.

Most of the motley crew of friends Jiang Xu knew weren't rich; it was already good enough that they had decent jobs. For a while, he couldn't find anyone to borrow money from, so he ate instant noodles for lunch every day.

Li Si'ao wasn't doing much better. After eating take-out boxed meals for a week, his face had turned green. He complained to Jiang Xu, “Can you eat a different flavor of noodles? I smell braised beef every day, I'm about to puke from the smell.”

Jiang Xu crossed his legs and slouched lazily in his chair: “I bought them wholesale online, a whole case has only one flavor. What can I do about it? Your take-out is full of gutter oil. I've been smelling it for so long, have I said anything?”

Li Si'ao spat: “You're the one who eats gutter oil!”

During the lunch break, neither of them was in the mood to eat. Jiang Xu opened a box of instant noodles, but was actually a bit tired of them. In the end, he tossed it back. He draped his jacket over his shoulder and planned to go downstairs for some air.

He had never been particular about this sort of thing. Sometimes when he worked overtime late into the night, it was common for him to just gnaw on some bread for a day or two. It didn't matter whether he ate lunch or not.

Jiang Xu hadn't bought many cigarettes this month. He was sitting on a roadside bench, basking in the sun out of boredom, when suddenly, the sound of a car horn rang in his ears. He looked up and saw a car parked not far away—it was clearly Gu Qingzhou's car.

Jiang Xu raised an eyebrow but didn't move. He watched as the car window slowly rolled down, revealing Gu Qingzhou's overly cold face. 'This guy can't be planning to get revenge for me forcibly kissing him last time, can he?' he thought.

The two were not far apart. Gu Qingzhou stared at the road ahead, not looking at him, and just crooked a finger at Jiang Xu. His long, slender fingertips rested halfway out the car window, so fair against the pure black car body they were almost dazzling.

Seeing this, Jiang Xu pinched his earlobe and had no choice but to get up and walk over. He leaned over, resting a hand on the car roof, and said with a half-smile, “What can I do for you, Manager?”

As he spoke, intentionally or not, his gaze brazenly swept over Gu Qingzhou's lips and then paused for a moment.

Gu Qingzhou noticed his gaze and looked up at him. His eyes were as dark and deep as jade, with none of the anger Jiang Xu had imagined. He only saw him curve his lips slightly, his fingertips tapping lightly and irregularly on the steering wheel. His attitude could be called amicable, but it was hard to discern the profound meaning hidden within it: “I hear you're short on cash recently?”

'It's not that I'm only recently short, I've always been short,' Jiang Xu thought. He narrowed his eyes, a roguish smile on his face, and retorted, “What, you want to lend me money?”

It was normal for him to have such a thought. After all, Gu Qingzhou used to be good to him, pouring out his heart and soul like a fool. The possibility that he couldn't forget their old feelings wasn't excluded.

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou neither denied nor confirmed it. He leaned back slowly into the seat. There were even cigarettes in the car. He pulled one out in front of Jiang Xu and lit it unhurriedly. Then, amidst the curling smoke, he asked, “Money isn't a problem, but do you think there's such a thing as a free lunch in this world?”

Jiang Xu caught the hint, the tip of his brow twitching slightly: “What do you mean?”

Even when smoking, Gu Qingzhou looked refined and noble; he just still seemed distant and unapproachable. He took out a bank card from his leather wallet, held it between his fingertips, and flashed it before Jiang Xu's eyes. His voice carried a cold, bewitching tone: “I can give you money, but what will you give me in return?”

Jiang Xu instantly understood what he meant, and his eyelid twitched uncontrollably. He had always thought Gu Qingzhou wanted to get revenge on him. It turned out, after all this, that he wanted to pay him for sex.

If this were a beautiful woman with a graceful figure, Jiang Xu might have agreed for the sake of the money. As for Gu Qingzhou...

Better to forget it. He couldn't suppress him at the company and was resentful; this time, he most likely wanted to continue his revenge in a different way. Jiang Xu would have to be an idiot to agree to it. It was just a matter of eating instant noodles for a month, who was afraid of whom?

Jiang Xu deliberately played dumb, saying with a cheeky grin, “I have some scrap metal at home, Manager. Do you want it? If you do, I'll sell it to you at a high price.”

Gu Qingzhou wasn't annoyed by his words; he just thought Jiang Xu was putting on an act. He casually tossed the bank card aside, curving his lips into a smile that concealed much of his scorn. “Jiang Xu, don't you love money? Why are you acting so high and mighty in front of me? Keep me company for a few months in exchange for an amount of money you couldn't earn in several years. What a bargain.”

'Isn't this just asking me to be his little lover? Since when did Gu Qingzhou start playing these kinds of games?' Jiang Xu thought. His focus unwittingly strayed, and he asked doubtfully, “Keep you company for a few months?”

Gu Qingzhou flicked the ash from his cigarette and glanced sideways at him, squinting through the smoke with a somewhat amused expression on his face. “Otherwise, how long do you want? Jiang Xu, my patience is limited. Maybe it won't even be a few months. I might get sick of you in a week.”

Times had changed; it was no longer like the old days. Gu Qingzhou was handsome and rich, with plenty of people around him willing to offer themselves up for his choosing. Whereas Jiang Xu was just an obscure little office worker—the kind with no car, no house, no savings, who wouldn't get a second look if tossed onto the street.

Jiang Xu was thick-skinned and felt not the slightest sense of shame at these words. Even after years of being polished by the workplace, his smile was still full of youthful spirit: “Manager Gu, with your qualifications, it would be too easy to find someone better than me. You should just count me out.”

If he agreed, Gu Qingzhou would surely torment him to death. Jiang Xu was just bad at studying, not stupid. Why would he look for trouble for himself?

Hearing this, Gu Qingzhou faintly lowered his eyes and stubbed out the cigarette, looking for some reason as if he was certain of victory. “Don't be in a hurry to refuse. You can think it over. After all, this is a deal where you're guaranteed to profit.”

Jiang Xu loved money as if it were his life, so this offer was indeed full of temptation for him, especially now that he was so poor he could barely make ends meet. But he suddenly recalled how he had played Gu Qingzhou in the past, and a chill ran down his spine. He suddenly felt it was better not to agree. He touched the tip of his nose and said evasively, “Alright, I'll think about it.”

After saying that, he didn't stay downstairs any longer and went back up to the office. The lunch break was almost over, and everyone was gradually returning. Fang Qia and Fan Jiajia had bought some fruit and gave a few pieces to everyone; Jiang Xu got some too. After his confession was rejected last time, the relationship between the two was still a bit awkward, but at least they could exchange a few normal words now.

Jiang Xu tossed the apple in his hand and said, “Thanks, you two beauties.”

Fan Jiajia smiled and shook her head: “Sister Fang brought them all. At most, I just helped carry them up. If you want to thank someone, thank her.”

Fang Qia placed a few apples and oranges on Li Si'ao's desk, which were obviously bigger than everyone else's. As she tidied up the plastic bag, she said, “My family sent them. I can't eat them all by myself, so I figured I might as well share them with you.”

Jiang Xu subtly glanced at the dazzling array of fruits on Li Si'ao's desk and thought, 'This silly boy has finally made it.' He smiled but didn't say anything, sitting in front of his computer, munching on an apple while drawing. His stomach, which had endured a week of instant noodles, finally found some relief.

Every month, he would wire money home around the fifth. This month, he was really tight on cash, so he hadn't sent it. In the afternoon, Mother Jiang specifically called to ask, worried that he didn't have any money: “You stinky brat, are you short on cash over there? If you don't have money, just tell Mom. Don't suffer in silence. I'll send you some.”

Mother Jiang was usually frugal; she saved most of the money Jiang Xu sent back. But her health was frail, and the year-round medical expenses were not a small sum. If she knew her son had no money, she would most likely pinch pennies again and be reluctant to buy her medicine.

Jiang Xu was working at the time, so he could only hang up first. Then, using the excuse of going to the bathroom, he walked to a secluded spot and called her back: “It's not that I don't have enough, it's just that the company paid late this month. I've been running around construction sites these past two days and got so busy I forgot to send money home. Don't always worry that I don't have money.”

Father Jiang passed away early, and Mother Jiang raised him all by herself. In that kind of environment, her personality inevitably became a bit stingy and frugal: “Don't send any more money home. I can't even use it all up. Just take good care of yourself, so I don't have to worry. The weather's gotten colder recently, so remember to wear more clothes...”

Jiang Xu usually didn't have many holidays throughout the year and rarely went back to see her. Once she started talking, it was hard for her to stop. She rambled on and on and was still intent on sending him money. It took a lot of persuasion to talk her out of it.

Jiang Xu hung up the phone. 'I still have to send some money home this month, or Mother Jiang definitely won't believe me,' he thought. He scratched his hair and returned to his seat. As luck would have it, he then received an overdue payment notification from his phone company. He fell silent for a moment, then couldn't stop himself from cursing.

'Fuck,' Jiang Xu thought, 'this must be the legendary "when it rains, it pours." It's like God is eager for me to be paid for sex by Gu Qingzhou.'