Su Mo immediately called her wife, making Qi Ling chuckle as she poked his waist with her finger, "Wife? Iâm just hiring you as my one-day boyfriend, not a one-day husband. Donât upgrade it on your own~"
Thick-skinned, Su Mo said, "Any relationship that doesnât aim for marriage is just fooling around. As long as you give me a graphics card, youâre my wife in my heart."
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!" Qi Ling laughed joyfully, her eyes squinted into crescent moons as she held her cheeks, "Youâre so funny! I knew I was looking at the right person~ So, youâre accepting this date request?"
Su Mo promptly replied, "Yes, of course. Iâll have KK take you to sign the contract shortly. If youâre not assured, we can also find a middleman to vouch for us."
Qi Ling waved her hand generously, "No need for a middleman, I trust Grand Captain Suâs character."
"Alright, then letâs go." Su Mo picked up the graphics card Qi Ling gifted him, removing the outside bag and holding it directly in his arms.
As they entered the elevator, a mercenary happened to step out and nodded a greeting to Su Mo, "Captain."
"Hey, how did you know someone gifted me a graphics card?" Su Mo flashed the graphics card he held.
"Huh?" The mercenary was momentarily stunned.
Su Mo swayed the graphics card to show off, and entered the elevator with Qi Ling and KK, leaving the mercenary puzzled.
The three of them found a meeting room, KK brought the contract, and once Qi Ling signed it, Su Mo stamped it.
This "one-day boyfriend" agreement was officially in effect.
Holding the contract, Su Mo thought: Damn, the world has gone crazy! Are kids these days so rich? Spending 10 million just to hire someone for a date...
To be safe, Su Mo asked, "You spend so much money; your family doesnât mind?"
Qi Ling rocked her legs while sitting, "I have no family, Iâm on my own, and I earned all the money myself."
Su Mo nodded, "Oh... same here, just me. Weâre quite similar."
Qi Ling smiled slightly, with a hint of deeper meaning in her amber eyes, "Then I think there are still quite a few differences."
Su Mo didnât think much of it, and continued to ask, "By the way, what do you do to make so much money?"
KK nudged Su Moâs waist and whispered, "Dude, you interrogating her?"
Su Mo realized he was talking too much, quickly waving his hand, "Sorry, just curious, not trying to pry into your privacy."
Qi Ling generously said, "Itâs alright, people often ask me that. Iâll tell you when thereâs a chance~"
Su Mo lightly coughed and steered back to the main topic, "Iâve officially accepted this contract, but to protect the employerâs rights, I should inform you of some things beforehand."
"I... Iâve never dated anyone or taken a girl out, so Iâm not sure if I can meet your expectations tomorrow..."
Qi Ling gently covered her mouth, a bit surprised, "Really? Youâre in your twenties and never dated?"
Su Mo awkwardly laughed, "I was pretty lame before making it big, girls didnât like me."
"Their judgment was too poor~" Qi Ling smiled and comforted him, "No worries, no pressure, we can just hang out like friends."
Su Mo relaxed upon hearing that, "Alright, what do you like doing? Iâll arrange the itinerary."
Qi Lingâs smile curved into a playful arc, and she slowly said, "I like... thrilling things."
Su Mo was stunned, blankly asking, "This âthrillâ you mention, is it appropriate?"
Qi Ling laughed and countered, "Do you hope itâs appropriate or not?"
Su Mo blushed, stammering out, "Well... of course, I hope itâs appropriate. Iâm a proper mercenary."
"Even though mercenaries should satisfy all the employerâs needs, I canât accept extremely bizarre activities..."
"Oh~ is that so." Qi Ling propped her cheek with her hand, playfully tracing her face with her finger, "The way I hear it, your words can be understood two ways."
"The first interpretation isâno matter what, you wonât do anything inappropriate with me."
"The second interpretation isâyou could, but Iâm not paying enough, inappropriate actions have a separate price."
Qi Ling reached out, grabbing Su Moâs tie to pull him face-to-face, their noses almost touching, her amber eyes brimming with amusement, "Which one do you mean?"
With this teasing, Su Moâs face turned redder than ever, "Then then then, itâs certainly the first one. I said Iâm a proper mercenary..."
"Hahaha! Hahahahaha!" Qi Ling let out her signature laughter, releasing Su Moâs tie, "Youâre too cute, Iâm just messing with you!"
"What I meant by thrilling are things like roller coasters, haunted houses, free-fall rides. Where were you thinking~"
Su Mo covered his forehead, feeling like heâd been thoroughly played.
Qi Ling took out her phone, "Letâs exchange contact info so we can chat tonight and meet up easily tomorrow."
Su Mo: "Sure."
After exchanging contacts, they chatted casually for a while before Qi Ling said she had matters at home and they waved goodbye.
While organizing the contract in the office, Chu Nanyi suddenly crawled in on all fours.
KK was startled, "Young Master Chu, having another fit?"
Chu Nanyi scrambled into the office, eyes sparkling, "Hey! Did you just see a girl in our building?"
"That face, those eyes, that hair, aside from Sister Dong, Iâve never seen anyone so beautiful! Very long legs, neither fat nor thin with the perfect amount of plumpness, a slim waist, and a big chest, truly exquisite!"
Su Mo twitched his mouth, "Your description is... really straightforward."
KK teased, "Young Master Chu, didnât you go up and start a conversation?"
Chu Nanyi: "I went up and asked for her number."
KK: "And then?"
Chu Nanyi: "She told me to crawl."
KK: "And then what?"
Chu Nanyi patted his backside, "Then I listened to her and crawled all the way up here."
KK applauded with delight, "Great work."
...
At night, Su Mo lay on the big bed in the bedroom, wrapped in a down quilt, gazing out at the cityâs night view through the floor-to-ceiling window.
Even deep into the night, the Lakefront Business District was still bustling. Neon lights bloomed all night, casting splendid and gorgeous halos, as if this city would never sleep.
"Ring ring." Just then, Su Moâs phone rang, it was Qi Ling calling.
Su Mo picked up the call, "Itâs late, why arenât you asleep yet?"
Qi Lingâs lazy voice came through, "Too excited for tomorrowâs date, canât sleep~"
Su Mo chuckled, "Youâre making me feel a lot of pressure, I really hope I donât mess up tomorrow."
Qi Ling reassured him gently, "Donât worry, Iâm easy to get along with. By the way, since weâre a couple for a day, isnât calling each other by name a bit strange? Can I call you âMo Moâ?"
Su Mo laughed, "Sure, what should I call you then? Umm... Ling?"
"No." Qi Ling refused very plainly.
For some reason, her voice seemed to carry a certain coldness.
Su Mo mumbled to himself, "Then... what should I call you?"
"Friends call me âXiaoqiâ, you can call me that too~" Qi Lingâs voice turned cheerful again, as if the momentary coldness had been an illusion.
Su Mo lay on the bed with a stretch, "Then, Xiaoqi, go to sleep and rest well for tomorrowâs outing."
Qi Ling sweetly smiled, "Okay~"
Just as Su Mo was about to hang up, Qi Ling softly asked, "Can we not hang up?"
Su Mo: "Hmm? Why?"
Qi Lingâs voice was soft, gentle, "Leave the phone on the pillow, I want to fall asleep listening to your breathing. It feels like youâre by my side."
Su Mo hadnât expected Qi Ling to be so affectionate, and smiled slightly, "Okay, I wonât hang up. Good night, Xiaoqi."
Qi Ling: "Good night, Mo Mo."
Su Mo placed the phone beside his pillow and switched on speaker mode.
Outside, the cityâs clear and bright lights were shining, and Qi Lingâs gentle and even breathing echoed from the phone, reverberating by his ear.
Su Mo closed his eyes and drifted into a gentle dreamland.