Tòumíng shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his brain processing the offer. "That's a good deal and all, buuuuut... it seems a tincy-wincy bit... controlling?"
He tried his best to dance around the rejection delicately, not wanting to trigger another violent outburst. "How about... casual friends? Like, we hang out sometimes, no formal arrangement, just... friends who maybe help each other out occasionally?"
He paused, then added what he thought was a very reasonable concern: "Also, Chesqo Dong might kill me if he realizes I'm dating his girlfriend. That seems like a variable I didn't sign up for when I got kidnapped tonight."
The Ice Queen stopped smiling.
Her expression went completely neutral—which was somehow more terrifying than anger.
"You don't want to be the companion of the Ice Queen?" Her voice was dangerously quiet.
Tòumíng felt his survival instincts screaming at him.
She continued, her tone becoming colder. "I could very easily kill you for that transgression alone. Rejection is not something I experience. Ever. Men have died for far less offensive behavior than turning me down."
Tòumíng started to panic, his mouth opening to backtrack—
But then her expression shifted again. The coldness melted into something predatory and delighted.
"But your rejection..." She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with dangerous excitement.
"Your rejection makes me anticipate you MORE. Makes me want you MORE. Nobody says no to me. NOBODY. Which means you're special. Interesting. Worth pursuing properly."
A slow, wicked grin spread across her face. "New plan. No sex. It doesn't matter if you want it. It doesn't matter if you BEG for it. I won't give it to you. Not yet."
She let out a breathy moan that made Tòumíng's entire body react involuntarily.
"I'm going to make you WANT me. More and more. Every day. Every interaction. Until you're absolutely desperate. Until you're the one making propositions. Until you're the one begging to become my companion."
Her hand came up to her chest, her breathing becoming slightly heavier. "Oh, how I ENJOY this! Cat and mouse! The chase! The anticipation! It's been so long since someone gave me a proper challenge!"
She waved her hand dismissively, her voice shifting back to commanding. "Run along now. Before I lose self-control and take what I want anyway. Be ready for the sexiest game of cat and mouse you've ever experienced."
Tòumíng nodded quickly, standing up from the table. "Can I get a ride back home?"
The Ice Queen let out another delighted moan, her eyes rolling back slightly. "We've only been together for thirty minutes and you're already asking for a CAR?! How HIGH MAINTENANCE!"
"No, I meant a ride BACK to home, not a ride to TAKE back home—"
But the damage was already done. She was already enjoying the misunderstanding too much to let it go.
She snapped her fingers with authority. "Someone! Show him to the car room! Let him pick whatever he wants!"
A man appeared, not a Black Hawk agent, but a butler in formal attire, clearly part of the Ice Queen's personal staff rather than her criminal organization.
"Right this way, sir," the butler said with perfect professionalism, gesturing toward the elevator.
Tòumíng followed, glancing back once to see the Ice Queen watching him leave with that same predatory smile.
They entered the elevator. The butler pressed the button for the basement level. The descent took almost a full minute—suggesting they were going VERY far down.
The doors opened onto a massive concrete parking garage. Two floors of open space. Approximately eighty cars arranged in organized rows.
And not just any cars. HIGH-CLASS cars. RICH-RICH expensive.
McLaren P1s. Aston Martin Valhallas. Koenigsegg Jesko Absoluts. Pagani Huayras. Rimac Neveras. Cars that cost millions of yuan each. Cars that Tòumíng had only ever seen in magazines or video games.
The butler gestured expansively. "The Mistress has permitted your choice of any vehicle here. Please, take your time selecting."
Tòumíng gulped, looking around at the automotive fortune surrounding him.
He could NOT pick a car like this. One tiny scratch and the value would tank by 100,000 yuan. One fender bender and he'd probably owe more than his original debt.
But... he WAS inclined to pick the most expensive one since it was free. That was just good economics.
Then he thought about the Ice Queen getting mad at him for being greedy. For being presumptuous. For taking advantage of her offer. She'd probably sentence him to some torture dungeon or feed him to her criminal associates.
Too risky.
But if he picked something tacky? Also dead. Too cheap? Dead. Too expensive? Dead. Too flashy? Dead. Too boring? Dead.
Nothing was safe. Every choice led to potential death.
"I want to go back up," Tòumíng said firmly.
The butler's expression didn't change—perfect professional neutrality. "Very well, sir."
They rode the elevator back up to the main floor where the Ice Queen was still sitting at the dining table, sipping what appeared to be very expensive wine.
"Did you decide on a car?" she asked, her voice carrying mild curiosity.
"I can't pick any of them," Tòumíng admitted.
Her expression immediately darkened—but not at him. At the butler and surrounding staff.
"You IDIOTS!" Her voice rose with genuine fury. "You didn't anticipate EVERY style of car?! What if he wanted something more rugged?! Something vintage?! Something CUSTOM?!"
She turned to Tòumíng, her anger immediately replaced with attentive concern. "Do you want something more expensive? More unique? I can have my staff start bidding on every high-class custom car in private auctions RIGHT NOW!"
"No! No, that's not—" Tòumíng raised his hands defensively. "I just... is there like... a staff car parking lot? For the people who work here?"
She looked at him like he'd grown four heads. "Why would you want a STAFF car?"
"Because I want something cheaper to start off with. Less responsibility. Less pressure."
The Ice Queen stared at him for a long moment, trying to process this logic. Then she waved her hand dismissively. "Very well. Show him to the staff garage."
The butler—looking thoroughly perplexed by this entire interaction—led Tòumíng back to the elevator and down to a DIFFERENT parking area.
This one was far less impressive. Beat-up sedans. Old SUVs. The kind of vehicles that had clearly seen years of hard use. Oil stains on the concrete. The smell of old tires and exhaust.
Tòumíng grinned. "THAT'S more like it!"
He walked among the vehicles, examining them with the critical eye of someone who'd grown up broke and knew how to evaluate used cars for reliability.
Eventually he stopped in front of an older Toyota SUV. Dented. Paint faded. Probably ten years old. But Toyotas were reliable. This thing would run forever.
He slapped the hood affectionately.
The butler stood nearby, absolutely perplexed. "Sir... that vehicle is only worth approximately 20,000 yuan. Why on Earth would you select THAT when you have access to millions of yuan worth of luxury automobiles?"
Tòumíng shrugged. "Because this is what I want. It's practical. Reliable. Won't draw attention. Won't make me a target for thieves. Perfect."
The butler sighed deeply—the kind of sigh that suggested he'd given up trying to understand this strange young man. "Very well, sir. This way."
They returned to the main floor once more.
The Ice Queen looked up expectantly. "Did you like the selection there?"
Tòumíng nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! I'll take the beat-up SUV!"