Velvet Chains of a Tycoon

At eight o'clock in the evening, Sheng Lu returned to his home at Pine Lake Gardens.

Opening the door, he found the house completely dark—his wife, Ran Qin, clearly wasn't back yet.

Tomorrow was Saturday, and miraculously, his grandfather had managed to convince his mother to have dinner at a small fishing village by the seaside in a neighboring city.

Do three people running a small clinic really need to be so busy?

After entering the house, Sheng turned on all the lights, then went behind the bar and poured himself a glass of wine. After taking a couple of sips, he picked up his phone and called Ran.

"Ran, are you still not done with work?"

At that moment, Ran was on the subway: "I've finished work. I'm on the subway now, Mr. Lu. Is there anything urgent?"

Instead of answering, Sheng asked, "How long until you get home?"

Ran glanced at the station indicator: "About twenty minutes or so."

"Alright, we'll talk when you get home."

Ran: "OK."

After ending the call, Ran noticed a message notification on QQ. She quickly opened it, and as expected, it was from Shangguan.

"Been busy lately, haven't taken any jobs. Little girl, why are you short on money again?"

Ran: "I've run into some tricky issues and need money to resolve them."

Shangguan: "Sorry, I'm abroad right now and can't help. I'll contact you once I'm back in the country."

Ran: "Okay, take care while you're abroad."

Shangguan: "Will do, good luck!"

Closing the chat, Ran felt a wave of melancholy wash over her. With Shangguan out of the country and unable to help, where would she find the 500,000 RMB she needed?

Just as she was feeling down, her roommate Xia Lan sent her a WeChat message.

"Xiaoran, are you looking for a high-paying part-time job?"

Ran: "Yes, I've been asking around in the group for two days."

Xia Lan: "Yue Liu just mentioned a haunted house sleep tester job. The pay is quite high. Are you interested?"

Ran's eyes lit up: "Haunted house sleep tester? How does it work? What's the daily wage?"

Xia Lan: "You move into a haunted house. They don't care what you do during the day, but you must stay there at night."

Xia Lan: "The pay is quite high—100,000 RMB per month—but you have to stay for three months. You'll need to sign a contract, and if you don't complete the term, your pay will be halved."

Ran: "I can take this job, no problem. Please help me get in touch with them."

100,000 RMB a month, 300,000 RMB for three months—why wouldn't she take this job?

A haunted house? Ghosts?

She wasn't even afraid of people, let alone ghosts!

When Ran arrived home, Sheng had already finished a glass of red wine.

Ran glanced at the wine glass on the bar: "Mr. Lu seems to be in quite the mood tonight."

Though there had always been red wine and glasses in the bar, this was the first time she'd seen him drinking since they got married a week ago.

Sheng hadn't come home last night, and she hadn't asked where he'd gone.

As a couple in a marriage of convenience, respecting each other's privacy was a given.

Sheng walked out from behind the bar: "Are you free tomorrow?"

"I probably won't be. I need to go out with my colleagues to look for a shop."

Zhao Lin had gone out today to find a shop but hadn't found anything suitable and had even broken her electric scooter. When Zhao Lin left tonight, the scooter had just been fixed.

Although the Yang family had given them a month under pressure, they still needed to find a shop quickly. After all, once found, it would need renovations, which took time.

"My mom is back, and Grandpa wants us to come home for lunch tomorrow. Can you postpone your shop search by a day?"

"What? Meet your mom and grandpa?"

Ran was shocked. She hadn't expected to meet Sheng's elders so soon, and she hadn't even figured out how to be a proper wife yet.

Sheng found her reaction annoying and frowned.

"Isn't it bound to happen sooner or later? If you meet my family, I can also go with you to meet yours."

Sheng originally had no intention of meeting Ran's family, but now that he was asking her to meet his, he felt he should reciprocate.

Ran looked troubled: "But I have a part-time job interview tomorrow."

Just as she entered the community, Xia Lan had messaged her, saying she had contacted the intermediary for the haunted house testing. The intermediary would take her to see the house tomorrow, and if everything was okay, they could sign the contract.

If it were another job, Ran might have skipped it.

But this haunted house testing job offered 100,000 RMB a month, 3,000 RMB a day, and she couldn't bear to miss it.

Miss this opportunity, and she might never find such a lucrative one again.

Sheng laughed at her words: "It's just a part-time job. How much is it? I'll compensate you."

Ran hesitated for a moment before answering truthfully: "300,000 RMB."

Sheng's eyes widened: "What kind of part-time job pays that much?"

Ran: "Haunted house sleep tester.

Ran: "If someone else signs up, I'll miss this job."

Sheng: "There are plenty of jobs; it's not like you need this one specifically."

Ran: "Sure, but this one has the highest pay."

Sheng was getting annoyed: "Do you really need the money that badly?"

Ran: "Of course. If I didn't, who would want to live in a haunted house?"

Sheng, growing impatient, said, "How much do you need?"

Before Ran could answer, he added, "300,000 RMB, right? Three months in a haunted house for 300,000 RMB."

Ran: "..."

Sheng picked up his phone, opened WeChat, and transferred 300,000 RMB to her.

Hearing the WeChat notification, Ran quickly opened her phone and was stunned when she saw the 300,000 RMB transfer.

Sheng put away his phone and headed to the master bedroom: "Alright, I've transferred the 300,000 RMB. Tomorrow, you'll come with me to have dinner at my parents' place. Postpone that haunted house job for now."

Ran, regaining her composure, called out to Sheng as he reached the master bedroom door.

"Mr. Lu, consider the 300,000 RMB a loan. I'll earn it back and repay you as soon as possible."

To ensure he believed her, she also sent him a promissory note via WeChat.

She couldn't just take his 300,000 RMB for free. Otherwise, what if he demanded the same amount when she asked him to meet her family?