Neon Contract

The evening breeze on the Bund was moist and salty. Lin Xiaoxia stood at the door of the “Amber” restaurant, and the hem of her black lace skirt was blown gently. Her fingers turned white as she clenched her handbag, which contained the newly signed agreement – $1200 per month for six months in exchange for her mother’s surgery fee.
 
“Ms. Lin?” A deep male voice came from behind.
 
She turned around and saw Gu Mingyuan leaning against a black Bentley, his silver-gray suit was well-tailored, and the Patek Philippe on his wrist was shining coldly under the neon lights. His eyes swept across her exposed collarbone, and his Adam’s apple moved slightly.
 
“Mr. Gu.” Xiaoxia knelt down to salute. This action was practiced in front of the mirror twenty times last night, to appear respectful but not humble.
 
Gu Mingyuan took a half step forward and opened the door for her. The light scent of cedar and sandalwood wafted from his sleeves: “Don’t be so reserved.” His fingertips brushed her lower back, like feathers brushing porcelain.
 
The restaurant manager immediately came over: “Mr. Gu, your private room is ready.”
 
As Xiaoxia walked through the corridor under the crystal chandelier, her high heels tapped out a rapid rhythm on the marble floor. She noticed that every waiter was wearing a uniform black uniform, and even the angle of the bow tie was exactly the same. Gu Mingyuan’s palm rested on her waist, and the heat burned her skin through the gauze fabric.
 
“What would you like to drink?” Gu Mingyuan handed over the wine list, and his fingertips stopped on the 1945 Romanee-Conti.
 
Xiao Xia stared at the zeros for three seconds, her throat tightened: “I don’t know much about wine…”
 
“Then some champagne.” He turned to the sommelier, “Dom Perignon 2002, chilled to 8 degrees.”
 
The appetizer was foie gras with port wine jelly, and Xiao Xia cut off a tiny piece with a silver fork. Gu Mingyuan suddenly reached out and wiped the sauce from the corner of her lips with his fingertips. She froze, watching him bring the golden color to her lips, his tongue coating gently rolling over his fingertips.
 
“Too sweet.” He commented, but his eyes were always fixed on her.
 
Xiao Xia hurriedly lowered her head, and the glassware reflected her red ears. She remembered the third article of the agreement: Party B must accept reasonable physical contact from Party A. Is this action reasonable?
 
The main course was M9 Wagyu with black truffles, and Gu Mingyuan cut the steak with such elegance that it seemed like he was performing some kind of ritual. “I heard that your mother is in Ruijin Hospital?” He suddenly spoke.
 
Xiao Xia’s knife and fork made a harsh sound on the porcelain plate: “You… investigated me?”
 
“This is necessary caution.” Gu Mingyuan wiped the corners of his mouth with a napkin, “After all, I have to pay a six-figure fee for a stranger.” His tone was light, as if he was talking about today’s weather.
 
Xiao Xia’s hands trembled slightly as she clutched the tablecloth, and her nails pinched a crescent mark on her palm. She suddenly realized that what she signed was not just an agreement, but a contract to sell her body. Those elegant manners and expensive tableware were just shackles wrapped in sugar.
 
“Actually…” Gu Mingyuan put down his knife and fork and leaned forward, “I want to know more about why you chose this path.”
 
The light of the crystal chandelier reflected tiny spots on his glasses, and Xiao Xia couldn’t see his eyes clearly. She remembered the cold voice of the nurse at the hospital payment office three days ago: “If you delay any further, the patient’s life will be in danger.” And her father’s coffin had long been looted by loan sharks.
 
“Because I need money.” She looked him straight in the eye, “Isn’t that enough?”
 
Gu Mingyuan suddenly smiled, and that smile was like a crack in an iceberg: “You are very honest, that’s good.” He called the waiter, “Change the dessert to mango sorbet, this lady doesn’t like things that are too sweet.”
 
It was already nine o’clock when the dinner ended, and the cruise ship on the Huangpu River was flashing neon lights. Gu Mingyuan put on Xiaoxia’s coat, and his fingers deliberately or unintentionally brushed across her bare shoulders: “Do you want to go for a walk by the river?”
 
The river breeze rolled over with moist water vapor, and Xiaoxia shivered. Gu Mingyuan took off his suit jacket and put it on her shoulders, and the hem swept across her inner thighs. His body temperature remained on the fabric, like some kind of silent invitation.
 
“Are you cold?” he asked, his arms around her waist.
 
Xiaoxia froze in his arms, and could clearly hear her violent heartbeat. The sound of a ship’s whistle came from afar, and the Oriental Pearl Tower on the other side of the river was shining with colorful lights in the night sky. She suddenly remembered that when she was fourteen years old, her father took her to the Bund to watch fireworks. The starry sky was also so bright at that time.
 
“My mother… She always said that she would come to Shanghai to see the night view when I was admitted to university.” Xiao Xia’s voice was torn into pieces by the river wind, “Now she even needs a machine to breathe.”
 
Gu Mingyuan’s fingers gently stroked the back of her neck, where there was a small light brown mole: “When my mother died, I was in New York to discuss a merger and acquisition case.” His tone was terrifyingly calm, “When I rushed back to the hospital, she had already been cremated.”
 
Xiao Xia looked up at him and found that his pupils reflected the ripples of the river, like two bottomless pools of water. She stood on tiptoe and kissed him gently at the corner of his lips.
 
Gu Mingyuan instantly deepened the kiss, prying open her pearly teeth with the tip of his tongue, with the aftertaste of champagne. Xiao Xia tasted the bitter taste of dark chocolate, which was the after-dinner wine he had just drunk. His palm slowly slid down along the spine and finally stopped at the waist.
 
“I will send someone to pick you up at 7 o’clock tomorrow night.” Gu Mingyuan said when they separated, his fingertips stroking her swollen lower lip, “Remember to wear that blue silk nightgown.”
 
It was already one o’clock in the morning when Xiao Xia returned to the rental house. The screen of her mobile phone lit up. It was a message from her mother: “Xiao Xia, today the nurse said that a kind person paid the hospitalization fee for us…”
 
She looked at herself in the mirror, her lips were swollen, and there were faint teeth marks on her collarbone. Suddenly, she remembered the sentence written by Gu Mingyuan in the supplementary terms of the agreement: “Party B has the right to terminate the agreement at any time, but must pay double the penalty for breach of contract.”
 
There was a drizzle outside the window. Xiao Xia buried her face in the pillow and smelled a faint scent of cedar. She didn’t know whether this was the beginning of depravity or an opportunity for redemption. The river breeze, carrying the hustle and bustle of the city, blew through the window, tearing her sobs into pieces.