Xu Qingsui glanced at her Contract partner. She sighed inwardly, thinking that the Golden Octopus was quite considerate; at the very least, the Contract partners it arranged for her were all exceptionally good-looking.

“Have you looked enough?” A cold, stoic voice sounded by Xu Qingsui’s ear.

Meeting the man’s slightly disdainful gaze, Xu Qingsui secretly pinned the first label on her Contract partner: Narcissist!

She had only taken a couple of extra glances at him. Given that look in his eyes, who knew what kind of ideas he was getting in his head! Hastily looking away to stop him from overthinking, she said, “Hello, my car has a flat tire, and the wheel is stuck in the sand. I can’t change the spare tire all by myself. Could you do me a favor and help?”

The man assessed the condition of Xu Qingsui’s camper van. She wasn’t lying, but he wasn’t exactly a charity worker!

“It’s a pity your car has a flat tire, but I’m just passing by. We don’t even know each other, so I’m under no obligation to help, am I?”

Xu Qingsui’s eyes widened in disbelief. Wasn’t this guy a little too unreasonable? Even if they didn’t know each other, wasn’t it basic decency to help a fellow traveler in need? She immediately slapped another label on him: Selfish!

If this had been any other time, absolutely nothing could have convinced Xu Qingsui to keep asking him for help. However, given her current predicament, she couldn’t find anyone else to assist her. It was highly unlikely that anyone else would pass through this deserted area anytime soon. Compared to walking all the way to the Safe Zone to seek assistance, begging the man in front of her was much more practical and time-efficient. Not to mention, he was technically her Contract partner anyway. She might as well use this as a preliminary interaction to pave the way for her upcoming conquest mission.

Having made her decision, Xu Qingsui took a deep breath, plastered on a smile, and met the man’s gaze once more.

“You truly don’t have an obligation to help me, but in this situation, I really can’t find anyone else. That’s why I have to trouble you. I won’t let you help me for nothing. I can pay you.”

“Pay me?” Hearing those words, the man acted as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world, a trace of mockery appearing on his face.

That smile was incredibly irritating, causing his image to plummet in Xu Qingsui’s mind. It was bad enough that he didn’t know how to treat a lady properly, but mocking people so casually made him an absolutely awful person.

“Yes, I won’t let your efforts go unrewarded.”

The man’s smile widened. He looked Xu Qingsui up and down, his blatant scrutiny making her feel highly uncomfortable.

“What can you possibly give me?”

His tone made Xu Qingsui thoroughly displeased. She had already silently retracted her earlier praise for the Golden Octopus. Good looks were completely useless if the person’s character was trash!

But since she still had a mission to complete, she could only suppress her disgust and reply, “I can give you money, or I can give you some elixirs. Whatever you want, as long as I can provide it, it’s yours.”

“You’d better just state what you can offer! I’m afraid you can’t afford what I want!”

Xu Qingsui’s pupils trembled. The man’s words were becoming increasingly repulsive to her. She concluded that he was just a spoiled, affluent playboy who happened to have a pretty face.

The man scrutinized Xu Qingsui, his impression of her equally poor. Was this some new tactic? Trying to catch his attention this way? It was his first time hearing someone offer him payment! Although he felt she was doing this on purpose, his playful curiosity got the better of him, which was why he humored her with a few more words.

Finally, clinging to the last of her patience, Xu Qingsui said, “Money, elixirs, or even some potions are all fine!”

The man curled the corner of his lips and shook his head. “I don’t need any of those things. It seems you can’t offer any compensation that interests me. In that case, I’m sorry, but I have no reason to help you!”

Such a meager offer was nowhere near enough to pique his interest. Having said his piece, the man prepared to leave.

Seeing this, Xu Qingsui grew anxious. Throwing caution to the wind, she blurted out, “I might not have what you need, but the business tycoon Lu Shiyin can definitely provide something you want, right?”

Originally, Xu Qingsui truly had no intention of using Shen Yan’s letter to seek help from that business tycoon. But right now, she had run out of options and could only use Lu Shiyin’s name as leverage.

Upon hearing the name Lu Shiyin, the man clearly froze for a second, a strange expression crossing his face.

Noticing his reaction, Xu Qingsui assumed her words had worked. She immediately added, “As long as you help me, once I reach the Safe Zone, I will ask Lu Shiyin to fulfill your request.”

The man’s mouth twitched. “Is that so? May I ask what your relationship is with Lu Shiyin? Why on earth would he listen to you?” He stared fixedly at Xu Qingsui, thoroughly looking forward to her answer.

Xu Qingsui paused, clearly not expecting him to press for such specific details. After a brief hesitation, she confessed, “I actually have no relationship with Lu Shiyin…”

The man’s brow twitched violently. He was finding this woman in front of him increasingly incomprehensible. Just a moment ago, she claimed she could get Lu Shiyin to satisfy his demands, but now she was saying they had no relationship whatsoever. Was there something wrong with her head? Or had women nowadays really reached the point of utter desperation just to catch his attention?

Watching the changing expressions on the man’s face, Xu Qingsui realized her words were completely contradictory. To convince him, she had no choice but to explain, “I don’t know Lu Shiyin personally, but my friend does. Before I came here, he specially prepared a letter for me and told me to take it to Lu Shiyin if I ever ran into trouble!”

The man’s expression returned to relative normalcy. “And who exactly is this friend of yours? How can I be sure you aren’t just lying?”

Realizing that words alone wouldn’t explain it, Xu Qingsui helplessly pulled out the letter Shen Yan had given her.

After reading the letter, the expression on the man’s face shifted noticeably, even taking on a hint of amusement.

[Congratulations to the Host for gaining 30% favorability from the SSS level sentinel, Lu Shiyin.]

Right as the man was reading Shen Yan’s letter, the Golden Octopus’s voice rang out.

Upon hearing the Golden Octopus’s words, Xu Qingsui’s eyes widened drastically. Her Contract partner was actually Lu Shiyin himself! Didn’t that mean she had just made a complete fool of herself by trying to use his own name against him? She suddenly understood what all of Lu Shiyin’s earlier expressions meant, and an overwhelming wave of embarrassment washed over her.

At the same time, a flicker of curiosity arose in her heart. Why had Lu Shiyin’s favorability toward her suddenly increased? Seeing that he was still staring at Shen Yan’s letter, Xu Qingsui simply assumed that Shen Yan must have put in a few good words for her, so she didn’t dwell on it any further.

Having finished reading, Lu Shiyin handed the letter back. He didn’t expose his own identity, though. Instead, he said, “It seems you weren’t lying to me. In that case, I’ll help you! But don’t forget what you promised me just now.”

Lu Shiyin’s eyes gleamed. Looking at Xu Qingsui, he found the situation increasingly amusing. He really wanted to see just what kind of woman could capture Shen Yan’s heart!

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