Chapter 17: The Embarrassing Dress and the Sugar Daddy’s Demands

The pale yellow dress drifted gently with the wind, subtly revealing her fair, slender calves. She was like a fresh, elegant pear blossom, filling one’s heart with a delicate fragrance.

Zhou Ruoyu, wearing a dress for the first time, blushed profusely. Her mind was consumed with the desire to return the garment as quickly as possible. She stood awkwardly, feeling as though she were being punished, yet Gu Jiachen remained silent for an eternity.

‘Help me,’ she thought. ‘Even if he just insults me a little, it would be better than this. Did I even put it on correctly? I couldn’t have put a dress on backward the very first time, could I?’

‘Ah… I don’t want to be this commercial spy anymore. It’s so troublesome, so troublesome. Being a girl is so troublesome!’

‘Ugh… but if I don’t complete the mission, I can’t change back,’ she mused. ‘It was precisely for this reason that the girl in the fitting room earlier managed to steel her heart and put on the little dress…’

‘But it’s still so embarrassing…’

“Hey, what’s wrong? Why are you… frozen?”

After a long moment, seeing that Gu Jiachen still hadn’t moved, Zhou Ruoyu called out to him twice, a hint of helplessness in her voice. Only then did the esteemed CEO seem to snap back to reality, chuckling as he replied, “You look a bit like the girl next door…”

‘The girl… next door?’

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ruoyu gasped sharply. ‘Tsk… what a scoundrel! Another ‘girl next door’ has popped up? How many girls has this jerk simultaneously kept, and how many innocent maidens has he corrupted?’

‘Pervert, shameless, unforgivable!’ she fumed. ‘Most importantly, how can he afford to keep so many women?! And the only girlfriend I’ve ever had… well, she and I could practically be sisters now…’

Zhou Ruoyu silently lowered her head, appearing somewhat disheartened. Gu Jiachen was momentarily stunned. After a brief thought, he wondered, ‘Huh? Was there something wrong with me praising Little Rabbit just now?’

A moment later, the girl composed herself, then looked up and addressed Gu Jiachen.

“The size is fine. Alright, I’ve tried it on. I’ll go back and change out of it now.”

Before the girl could finish speaking, Gu Jiachen suddenly reached out and took hold of Zhou Ruoyu. He gave a mischievous smile, then shook his head. “No need,” he said. “Just wear this one! My wording was a bit off just now, Little Rabbit. What you look in this outfit should be called… ‘as gentle and refined as jade.’”

‘Gen… gentle and refined?’

Zhou Ruoyu’s lips twitched. She had seemingly never imagined such an adjective would ever be applied to her. However… when one is under another’s roof, and since the esteemed CEO wished to see her wear this outfit home, then… it seemed Zhou Ruoyu had no choice but to comply.

‘Hmph, does the CEO of a reputable listed company really care about my old shirt and pants?’ she grumbled inwardly. ‘He won’t even let me wear my own clothes home. Honestly…’

Zhou Ruoyu pouted her lips and turned her head, only to see Gu Jiachen approaching the checkout counter with a large pile of clothing bags. The black-haired, straight-haired girl immediately gasped, then rushed forward to grab Gu Jiachen, protesting loudly on the spot.

“Hey, hey, hey, CEO Gu, what… what’s with all these clothes?”

“Hm? They’re all for you. Could it be… Little Rabbit, do you wear the same outfit every day?”

“Ugh… there’s no need to buy so many! Damn it… fine, whatever, if you bought them, you bought them…”

With a helpless expression, Zhou Ruoyu silently pulled out the bank card Gu Jiachen had given her. The girl now truly suspected that this women’s clothing store was also Gu Jiachen’s property. This ‘pocket money recycling plan’ was clearly banking on her thin skin…

‘What a coincidence, isn’t it… my skin really is quite thin.’

Seeing the girl’s small hand extended towards him, Gu Jiachen almost lost his composure. He shook his head with a wicked grin, then placed all the shopping bags on the counter. Reaching out, he wrapped his arm around the girl’s slender waist and whispered softly.

“Who said I was going to use your money? That’s your pocket money, for you to spend however you wish. These are clothes I bought for you, and I’m afraid you must accept them. After all, you’ll need to wear them for me on our future dates, won’t you, Little Rabbit~!”

Gu Jiachen’s magnetic voice, to Zhou Ruoyu at that moment, sounded like the whisper of a devil. She watched as the man in front of her pulled out a mysterious black-and-gold card and handed it to the sales associate, who immediately gasped in surprise, her tone softening considerably. Zhou Ruoyu, however, was still caught in a moment of sudden realization.

‘Damn it! These clothes weren’t bought for me by Gu Jiachen at all; they were entirely bought for Gu Jiachen’s own… preferences!’

****

After leaving the women’s clothing store, Gu Jiachen took the girl to buy some shoes and socks, as well as toiletries and sanitary pads. Among these items, only two pairs of finally-fitting flats and the daily necessities felt like treasures to Zhou Ruoyu.

The rest, she felt, were merely destined to be brought home and put on display.

Especially those high heels, white stockings, black stockings, and makeup… the girl swore she would never wear them, never use them!

Afterward, Gu Jiachen still wanted to take the girl out for a meal. Ah… but Zhou Ruoyu resolutely refused. ‘What kind of joke is this?’ she thought. ‘I would never… never eat with my archenemy. Who knows what tricks he might pull during dinner?’

Thus, after the black-haired, straight-haired girl shook her head like a rattle drum, the dinner plans were ultimately canceled. The girl breathed a sigh of relief. At the very least, these were the bottom lines she absolutely had to uphold for now.

The girl, now seated once more in the passenger seat of Gu Jiachen’s luxury car, pondered this, only to suddenly realize she seemed to have already crossed many bottom lines today. She could only grit her teeth, comforting herself that it was all for the sake of changing back. Then, she suddenly heard Gu Jiachen from the driver’s seat, asking softly.

“Little Rabbit, where do you live?”

“…”

Through the rearview mirror, Gu Jiachen clearly noticed the black-haired, straight-haired loli’s gaze suddenly becoming nervously evasive. Gu Jiachen immediately smiled, then spoke.

“Afraid to tell me? What are you scared of? Are you afraid I’ll come to your house and cause trouble?”

“Ah-ha… My… my place is a bit messy, ha… haha…”

Zhou Ruoyu quickly waved her hand. ‘No, no, I absolutely cannot tell him!’ she thought. ‘If Gu Jiachen knew where I lived, he would undoubtedly show up at my door when I complete the mission and make my escape! What if it ends up with one corpse and two lives—no, that’s not right… a lovers’ suicide… no, that’s not it either. A crime of passion? Uh…’

‘In short, I’m afraid of retaliation!’

“Hm-hm? You don’t want to tell me, huh? Little Rabbit, don’t forget, right now, I’m your sugar daddy~ Even if you don’t say anything, I can always find you~!

“And…”

Gu Jiachen leaned close to the girl’s ear and suddenly blew a breath, then continued speaking slowly. “If you’re unwilling to say, could it be that you want me to take you back to my place to see it~? Oh~ so that’s it, alright! Then I’ll turn the car around right now. Welcome, Little Rabbit, to your master’s home~ I can even arrange a new room for you~”

The girl instantly broke out in goosebumps. Inside, she felt a chill of dread, yet also a strange… inexplicable restlessness.

“No, no, no… no need! I’m sorry, CEO Gu, Master! Um… I live at Ping’an Residential Area, Building XX, Unit X. Please, please take me home, boo-hoo—”