Chapter 2: If You Want a Girl, Pay Up

At the compliment, Rose's cheeks flushed faintly. She bit her full lower lip and said in a somewhat self-pitying tone, "Pretty doesn't help. Some people only come see me once in a blue moon, and on my birthday you still have to show up this late."

Faced with the alluring woman in front of him, a rush of lust surged through Yang Chen. Especially since she was looking at him with those bewitching eyes, not the slightest trace of rejection in them.

But very quickly, his strong mental control forced that restless heat back down, and he returned to calm with a smile. "I don't drink, and I'm not good at sweet-talking women or making them happy. Besides, I set up my street stall every day, so I really don't have much time."

Rose shot him a look full of hurt and annoyance. "Stop saying useless things to me here. Street stall, street stall - what's so great about selling lamb skewers? You work yourself half to death and don't make much money anyway. If you're really that desperate to make money, come be my housekeeper. I'll pay you a hundred times more a month than you make selling skewers!"

Yang Chen gave a wry smile. "Sister Rose, what man is a housekeeper?"

"How many times have I told you? Call me Rose. Do I really look that old to you when you keep calling me sister?" Rose said with a hint of coquetry, glaring at him with her almond-shaped eyes.

Yang Chen had no choice but to give in. "All right, Rose, my mistake. I just really like my life the way it is right now. I'm not planning to change jobs for the time being."

Rose was still unwilling to give up. "If you won't be my housekeeper, then be my bodyguard instead. Or come work at the bar as your manager. I only come out here to handle things occasionally anyway; most of the time I leave it alone."

Hearing that, Yang Chen felt a little moved. He certainly knew the woman in front of him truly cared about him, but he had his own boundaries. From the very first day he met Rose, he had already decided he couldn't get too close to her.

"Forget it, Rose. I think selling lamb skewers is pretty good. A lot of people at the market are good people too." Yang Chen lowered his head and took a sip of water, not wanting to talk about it any further.

Seeing that Yang Chen was being so stubborn, Rose huffed in exasperation and wrinkled her little nose at him, cursing under her breath, almost like a murmur, "It'd be better if you were my man..."

She didn't know that, although her voice was barely audible even to herself, Yang Chen heard it clearly. But he knew he had to act like he hadn't heard a thing.

Rose's face and figure were the kind that, even under the bar's dim lights, radiated an irresistible, sensual charm. Yet from the moment she appeared, even when people noticed her, they only dared glance once before looking away. No one dared linger over her.

Some new customers would curiously ask around who Rose was, but the answer was basically always the same: "Drink your liquor and don't go looking for trouble."

A little discouraged, Rose walked around to the bar, sat down beside Yang Chen, poured herself a glass of whiskey, then poured one for him too. She gave him a reproachful look. "You stubborn ox. I know you're stubborn. Fine, if you won't stay by my side, then at least break the rules for once today. It's my birthday. Can you drink with me?"

Yang Chen hesitated. He wasn't really incapable of drinking. It was just that whenever he did, alcohol would scramble his thoughts and bring up too many things he didn't want to remember. He needed to stay clear-headed, and for him alcohol was poison...

"All right, but just this once." Feeling a little guilty, Yang Chen didn't want to let Rose down too badly, so he finally agreed, silently hoping that such a small glass wouldn't have any effect.

Rose immediately smiled brightly. In the dim light, her face seemed to glow with a pearly luster, like fresh snow after a clear sky, and Yang Chen's heart skipped again at the sight.

"Cheers."

After the glasses touched, Yang Chen lifted his head without hesitation and drank down the cold liquid.

Rose laughed softly. Suddenly she leaned forward and pressed herself against Yang Chen's chest, breathing warm, fragrant words into his ear. "You know, I haven't had a real birthday for almost ten years. No cake, no candles, no gifts, not even a party... But with you, this blunt, clueless man, drinking a glass with me, I already feel more than satisfied..."

No matter how you looked at it, the woman in front of him had a body that was so full and tempting it made people salivate. Right then, Yang Chen clearly felt two soft, springy mounds pressing against his thigh, rubbing there and sending a jolt of stimulation through him.

When he lowered his head slightly, the slit in Rose's qipao revealed flashes of porcelain-white skin, as fair as snow. Beneath her long, elegant calves was a pair of blazing red high heels, and the fierce visual impact stirred Yang Chen's male hormones with brutal force.

When a man sees a woman, the reaction of his hormones and adrenaline is the most direct judgment he can make about her, and Rose was clearly scoring very high.

Just as Yang Chen was doing his best to suppress the response of his desire, Rose finally sat back up slowly and flashed him a sly smile, like a little fox that had just gotten its way. "All right, my little man, looks like you've got quite a lot to work with..."

Yang Chen gave a bitter smile. Of course he knew what Rose meant. This woman had actually been sizing him up even while she leaned in close.

"I can see you're already getting restless. I'm going to go greet the customers for a bit. If you really don't want to stay any longer, then leave." Rose rose gracefully from her seat and walked toward the crowd of customers.

The customers in the bar all knew the owner's wife was charming and alluring, but none of them dared overstep their bounds. After all, they'd heard long ago that this woman's background was anything but simple, so when Rose went over to greet the guests, she looked perfectly at ease.

In fact, although Rose wore a warm, welcoming smile, her extraordinary bearing was enough to make most men feel awe and caution. The thought of admiring her from afar but never daring to touch her naturally rose in their minds.

So no one made a fool of himself.

Seeing Rose walk away, Yang Chen let out a breath of relief, then mocked himself inwardly. In the half year or so since returning to this place, he really did seem to have changed a lot. If it had been before, facing a woman like Rose who was bewitching and clearly interested in him, there would have been no way he would let her tease him like this. He would have thrown her onto the bed long ago and gone at it without caring about anything else, then walked away afterward like nothing had happened.

But now he couldn't do that, especially since Rose was the first woman in Zhonghai he could genuinely call a friend. In Yang Chen's heart, that mattered a great deal.

Although he had only had one small glass, the alcohol was still starting to get to his head.

Yang Chen could feel his craving for liquor being stirred up, but he didn't dare go overboard. The pain of drinking and then drowning in random thoughts was something only he understood.

But looking at the tent straining stubbornly in his pants, Yang Chen felt it was time to let out some of that frustration, or he'd really be driven crazy. Of course, going to Rose was definitely not an option. Once they crossed that line, it would be hard for him to pull away.

After finishing a glass of water, Yang Chen quietly walked out of the ROSE bar. As he left, Rose, who had been watching him in silence, had a flash of disappointment in her eyes.

Once he stepped outside, Yang Chen glanced around briefly, then headed into a small bar not far away. High-end bars might have more prey, but the money in Yang Chen's pocket wasn't enough to cover the bill.

If he wanted to live like a normal person, then if he was looking for a woman, he would have to pay.