She sat down across from him at the marble table, her movements fluid and deliberate. Her pale blue eyes locked onto his with predatory intensity, and she slowly licked her glossed lips—a gesture so blatantly sexual that Tòumíng felt his face heat up instantly.
Inside his chest, Cupid's voice urged: "Flirt a little! Say something! Anything! Keep her interested and distracted!"
Tòumíng's brain scrambled for something to say. His social skills—already minimal—were completely failing under pressure.
"Umm... do you come around here often?"
The moment the words left his mouth, he wanted to die. That was THE most cliché, basic pickup line in existence. Something drunk guys said at bars before getting rejected.
But the Ice Queen giggled, a genuine, delighted sound that somehow made her seem younger despite her commanding presence.
"I actually OWN this high-rise apartment building," she said, her voice carrying pride and amusement. "I've turned it into what I call a 'criminal hotel.' High-end gang members rent rooms here for business negotiations, torture sessions, or even—"
Her hand reached across the table and caressed Tòumíng's hand, her fingers trailing along his knuckles with deliberate slowness.
"—to have sex with whoever they fancy."
Tòumíng gulped audibly. "So like... umm... a love hotel for criminals?"
Her grin widened impossibly further, her eyes lighting up with genuine pleasure.
"Good boy! You made that connection so quickly! You're such a smart boy!"
She said it exactly like someone praising a dog who'd just performed a really impressive trick. The condescension should have been insulting, but somehow coming from her it felt... not terrible? Maybe even kind of good?
Tòumíng shifted nervously in his seat. "Well, I'm glad you like... that."
She leaned forward across the table, closing the distance between them, her dress shifting in ways that made Tòumíng's eyes involuntarily track the movement before he forced himself to look back at her face.
"Oh, I like WAY more than just your smarts," she purred, her voice dropping to a lower, more intimate register.
"Thank you?" Tòumíng managed, his voice cracking slightly.
She reached across the table and ruffled his hair—actually ruffled it, like he was a child or a pet—and somehow that gesture was more intimate than anything else she'd done so far.
"Now," she said, pulling her hand back and folding both hands on the table in front of her, shifting into what appeared to be business mode despite her revealing dress. "Let me make you a proposition."
Tòumíng straightened slightly, trying to focus despite the absolute chaos his hormones were causing.
"Min-woo owed me 35 million yuan for his passage. Ji-yeon owed me another 35 million for hers. And there was an additional 10 million yuan fee for their unborn child—that's you—since pregnant women require extra care during smuggling operations."
She ticked off the numbers with the precision of an accountant. "Total debt: 80 million yuan. You've been paying 10,000 yuan per month for three years. That's 12 months times 3 years times 10,000. Approximately 360,000 yuan paid off."
Her expression became almost sympathetic. "Which means you still owe me more than 79 million yuan. At your current payment rate, that would take you... let's see... 6,583 more months. Which is 548 years. You'd be paying this debt for literal centuries if you were immortal."
Tòumíng felt his stomach drop. He'd never actually done the math. Never calculated how long it would take to pay off the full amount. Had just been focused on making monthly payments and surviving day-to-day.
548 years. The number was so absurd it didn't even feel real.
"But," the Ice Queen continued, her voice shifting back to that sultry tone, "such a good boy like you shouldn't be stuck paying this much every month. No, no, no. That won't do at all."
She leaned forward again, her eyes locked on his. "How about this: You become my... companion. In a sense."
She paused, letting the word hang in the air before elaborating.
"This package includes several benefits. First: I can request sex from you anytime, anyplace. You comply without complaint. Second: You get my protection. And I mean FULL protection. Nobody fucks with the Ice Queen. Nobody. You'd be untouchable in the criminal underworld. Third: You get a generous allowance. Depending on my mood, it could be as low as zero yuan... but it could also be as high as a fleet of supercars. I'm quite generous when I'm pleased."
Her finger traced a pattern on the marble table as she continued. "Fourth: You can't tell anyone publicly about our arrangement for legal reasons, but everyone in the criminal underworld will know your name and face. They'll know you belong to me. That comes with significant social capital."
She smiled, showing perfect white teeth. "Fifth: This is NOT dating. I don't care if you do your little mingling with whatever you fancy. Boys, girls, whoever. Sleep with them, romance them, I don't care. As long as you're available when I want you, your personal life is your own."
Her expression became more serious, her voice taking on a harder edge. "But there is one incy-wincy condition."
She reached across the table and grabbed his chin, forcing him to maintain eye contact. "I OWN you. Body and soul. I make the demands. I have the authority. You obey. Always. Without question. You become my property in every sense except legal paperwork."
She released his chin and leaned back, her expression returning to that predatory smile. "In exchange, your entire debt—all 79 million yuan—is forgiven. Wiped clean. You'd never have to make another payment to me again."
She folded her hands in front of her, waiting expectantly. "Deal?"