Mutual Pursuit

150,000 yuan was the amount Lu Qing wanted Tang Hua to earn on her own.

If Tang Hua could manage to earn 50,000 yuan a month in Tianhai City through her own abilities, it would mean that even if she were to leave him one day, she could still live well and healthily, without the risk of starving.

Although this scenario was somewhat hypothetical—after all, whether she would be willing to move forward in life without him was a difficult question to answer.

"Boss, are you underestimating me?"

At the door of Room 301 in Dongyang Residence, Tang Hua, who had been silent the entire way, suddenly spoke up: "Do you think that by setting an impossible demand, you can reject my request?"

"Ah..."

It was clear that she was a bit upset.

Lu Qing couldn't deny this, of course. After all, he had promised her such a big goal, and if he didn't set an extremely difficult condition, what if she ended up wanting to take advantage of him?

Wouldn't that mean she'd actually get her way?

What would Su Ling think?

What would Bai Xing think?

What would the big orange cat in the yard think?

What would Uncle Wang, who saw through everything at the door, think?

Lu Qing felt that this was a serious matter and that he needed to proceed cautiously, not letting her achieve it too easily.

No one understood Tang Hua better than he did.

He knew that once she set her mind on completing a "task," she would throw herself into it with reckless abandon, disregarding her health, just like how he had been in the final chapter of his own life—rushing to achieve goals at any cost, even if it meant paying a heavy price.

That was precisely why he had set such a difficult requirement. It seemed impossible, but if she really pushed herself to the limit, there was still a sliver of hope that she could achieve it.

And if Tang Hua really succeeded, it would indirectly mean that she had gained the ability to stand on her own in Tianhai City. She would no longer have to worry about money, and at the very least, financial pressure would gradually fade from her life.

This was the hidden goal of the cunning Lu Qing.

"I'm not underestimating you," he said. "But I know this demand is outrageous. So I’ve set an equally outrageous condition. Neither of us loses out. Isn’t that a win-win situation? I hope we can both have a bright future."

"...You... you’re so biased!"

Faced with his scheming, Tang Hua gritted her teeth, wishing she could immediately execute Plan B: push her boss into the room and devour him.

But!

The harder he was to "devour," the more she wanted to go all out!!

Achieving something effortlessly didn’t give the same satisfaction as unlocking a hidden achievement.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t force the issue, but compared to the easy, yet potentially disastrous option, Tang Hua preferred to challenge herself and succeed at the "impossible task" her boss had set.

She would either remain silent or make a grand statement.

By then, her boss would truly have no room to argue.

Of course, Tang Hua wasn’t stupid. She knew her boss was deliberately making things difficult for her.

If that was the case, she decided to raise the stakes as well.

After all, if he doubled down, she would quadruple it. When both sides went all-in, betting everything they had,

this gamble would no longer be about who would "devour" whom.

"100 times."

Suddenly, Tang Hua held up a finger and spoke a number.

...

...

"?"

For a moment, Lu Qing didn’t understand.

"What did you say?"

"No questions. If I complete your demand, you have to fulfill 100 of my requests, no matter what they are."

"??? Tang Hua, did I hear you right? You want me to trade one for a hundred??"

Lu Qing was stunned. She was really pushing her luck, treating him like family or something.

Even family wasn’t this close, was it?

"Mhm, you won’t go back on your word, right?"

Tang Hua had already figured out his personality. She stood at the door, not opening it, but instead turned to face him, puffing out her chest with a look that said, "I’m going to face you head-on," waiting for his response.

"..."

He was a bit nervous.

But an arrow once shot couldn’t be turned back.

Water spilled couldn’t be gathered again.

A man’s word was final.

So—

"...Okay."

He reluctantly agreed to the demon’s request.

"Although I don’t know what these 100 requests are, you have to promise that I’ll stay healthy. Don’t devour me alive."

Lu Qing said guiltily.

"Of course, I’ll take your health into consideration. I’ll make sure you live well and won’t disrupt your daily life."

Tang Hua gave a seemingly flawless promise, her eyelashes fluttering, her heart filled with joy.

"Really?"

"Mhm! Really."

"Alright. I’ll take the bet."

—「One of the few fatal mistakes in someone’s thirty-something life.」

...

...

The afternoon passed quickly.

Lu Qing helped Tang Hua clean her room and noticed that she had kept the place much tidier this time, unlike last time when there had been piles of garbage.

He also cleared the viruses from her workstation, as she had complained that it was running slowly lately, whether she was drawing or editing photos, which was affecting her efficiency.

"You haven’t been watching weird stuff without a VPN, have you?"

"Of course not, boss. I don’t need to watch that kind of thing."

"Oh..."

"Huh?"

Lu Qing looked suspicious. "What do you mean by 'don’t need'?"

"Don’t need means don’t need," Tang Hua avoided his gaze.

"..."

Lu Qing glanced around the room and noticed that all the "posters" on the walls were gone.

They had all been there the last time he visited.

Had she stored them away somewhere?

Suspicious!

Where had she hidden them?

He couldn’t say, and he couldn’t ask.

He peeked at the wardrobe and noticed a few bold outfits inside...

But since the wardrobe was only slightly open, and as a guy, he couldn’t just rummage through it, he had to keep his curiosity to himself, feeling an itch he couldn’t scratch.

"Hehe, boss, no peeking."

Tang Hua noticed his gaze and quickly stepped in front of the wardrobe, closing it tightly to prevent her newly purchased "decisive items" like fishnet stockings from being exposed prematurely.

"See? My room is much cleaner this time, right? I’ve been cleaning diligently!"

She spoke like a little girl seeking praise, her tone completely mismatched with her mature age.

"Yeah, I can see that. You’ve made a lot of progress."

Lu Qing didn’t hold back on the compliments. It was clear that Tang Hua had picked up some household tips from his previous cleaning sessions, especially with the roach killer. In addition to the usual poison pellets, she had added a new gel applied to the corners of the walls—

It seemed she had learned how to poison roaches on her own.

"I just hope she doesn’t use that skill on me someday," Lu Qing thought to himself.

The two spent a little more time together, and before leaving, Lu Qing packed a large amount of beef for her and stored it in her small fridge.

He then took a look around her room and frowned slightly.

"Tang Hua, do you ever cook for yourself, or do you just order takeout?"

"I do, boss. I can make dumplings and noodles."

"What about heating up this meat? You can’t just boil it, right?"

"Ah, I have a small electric pot, but my room is too small. I’ve only used it once since I bought it..."

Tang Hua said dejectedly, "I tried frying an egg, but it burned."

"...Ouch."

Lu Qing didn’t know how to respond.

But it was clear that whether Tang Hua could cook or not wasn’t the issue. He felt that what her room lacked wasn’t just a kitchen, but enough space to accommodate more things.

Living in such a small, dark room, even a mentally healthy person would eventually develop issues.

Having endured tough times in the countryside, he knew all too well—

【Environment greatly affects one’s mood.】

【A poor environment brings negative emotions, while a noisy one brings chaos.】

【A comfortable environment, on the other hand, brings peace.】

Standing at the door now, seeing Tang Hua’s reluctant expression, Lu Qing felt a pang of sadness.

It was 8 PM, and her face was filled with longing.

"Boss, when will you... come see me again..."

"Didn’t we agree? I’ll come on the broadcast day. It’s this weekend."

Lu Qing looked at her and replied gently.

Although it was only a few days, for Tang Hua, it felt like an eternity.

"Oh... then, I'll work hard these next few days to delve deeper into what you've taught me."

Tang Hua tried her best to put on a brave face, shifting her attention as she said:

"By the way, the boss's cover isn't urgent, right?"

"Yeah, I still need to submit and stockpile drafts, so focus on getting through the livestream first before thinking about the illustrations. Don't worry, I keep my word. I won't assign the job to another artist."

He gave her a reassurance.

"Mmm..."

Finally, a faint smile appeared on Tang Hua's face. She walked over, mustering the greatest courage to face the boss's departure.

It was as if this brief separation was like a sharp blade, piercing her heart and leaving her breathless for a long time.

"Sigh..."

Seeing her like this, Lu Qing's heart was filled with pity.

To be honest, in his eyes, Tang Hua was like a stray cat he had just fed, turning back three times as it walked toward the horizon after he took the bowl away.

She wanted to turn around and rush back, but deep down, she knew, "This owner can't adopt me," and "He has a family."

This brutal truth fit Tang Hua's situation almost perfectly.

"Boss..."

Tang Hua lowered her head slightly, wanting to ask for something but stopping in her tracks, pausing about a meter away.

"Ah..."

He couldn't take it anymore.

Lu Qing was truly at a loss with her heart-wrenching demeanor, so in a moment of impulsiveness, he suddenly said:

"How about this,"

"There's an empty room on the left side of my place. If your livestream earnings this weekend are good, I can contact the landlord in advance and secure that room for you. It's a bit bigger than your current one, but not by much. The rent is around 5,300, and it's negotiable. As long as you agree, I can deduct it in advance from your gift revenue, so you can move closer to me next time."

...

...