REN
FLASHBACK:
I not-so-comfortably settled in Mr. Zhen's car. It was quite the upgrade from my usual means of transportation. A few seconds after shutting my door, Mr. Zhen was in his seat, pulling out his phone from his pocket.
"Just so you know, I've shared my live location with my relatives, so you better not try anything." I waved my phone in his face, and he chuckled, not even looking at me.
"Here." I leaned back when he shoved his phone into my face, eyeing the device skeptically.
"What?"
"Sign it," came his reply. I frowned. Even if I didn't know anything at all, I knew never to sign anything until I absolutely needed to. One reason being that my signature didn't really hold water since I didn't exist in the system—and especially not when the person asking for my signature was someone so dangerous.
"What is it?"
"A plus-one liability form."
"A what?" He breathed out a long sigh.
"Read it." My eyes flitted to the bottom of the page: Page 1/50. Fifty pages for a liability form? Were we going to tango with swords? I frowned as I looked at him.
"You expect me to read fifty pages of eleven point font size right now? Do I look like a machine to you? I'm not signing it," I replied,
thrusting his phone into his chest.
He grabbed my hand with the phone, moving it back toward me. "Then we're not leaving."
"Fine then, I'm going back home." I swung my bag around my shoulder, reaching for the door handle.
"Suit yourself. What I said yesterday still stands."
"Either meet me tomorrow, or see my face every day for the rest of your… career." The memory flashed in my mind, and I froze. I really couldn't risk him coming to my workplace all the time. What would I do if he started to get curious?
I reluctantly sank back into the seat, pulling the phone from his hands. I scrolled through the pages. It was mostly about how a certain
'Big Shen' organization wouldn't be held liable in case of any injuries and stuff. Soon, I was at the end, where Mr. Zhen already had his elegant signature in place. I did the best I could at the space close to my name with my finger, saved the file, and gave him back his device.
"Happy now?"
"Immensely." I rolled my eye at his response, fastening my seatbelt as he eased us into the main road.
~
'Deal.'
My eye twitched. I must've misheard. Everything happened quickly and slowly at the same time.
Three of the suited men were by my side in a matter of seconds, and I had to take a few steps back from the sudden closeness. The one who looked like Mr. Feng gave me a once-over, like he was performing an inspection, and there was nothing kind about his eyes. I flinched when he touched my shoulder, immediately swatting his hand away.
"Hey, don't touch me!" I warned, but it was like I was talking to wood.
"Pass." Wait, pass?! That was what he said earlier to confirm the washroom guy's wager. What did he mean by pass?
"The fuck do you mean by pass?" The words were out of my mouth before I could hold back. My cool exterior was completely broken, but I didn't care. Were these people crazy?
Mr. Feng's head snapped toward me in surprise, and I lifted a brow at him.
"Lang, you can't possibly be serious." Mr. Ruiqing looked serious for the first time since I met him, stepping forward to put himself
between me and the suited men. How was he suddenly the only sane person? Without
realizing it, I'd crept a little to hide behind his frame. They couldn't possibly wager a human. It was absurd, right?
"Step aside, Ruiqing." Mr Lang ordered. " It'll be a hassle to carry you home on a stretcher tonight." I searched his eyes for any sign that
he was joking. He wasn't. That was definitely not a good sign.
"I said no violence tonight." Mr. Ruiqing stood his ground, giving me a slight bit of hope.
"And I don't care what you said. Now, you either sit tight and watch, or you go home, cop." He said the last word like it tasted like
garbage. "Besides, he's my property. I can do whatever I want with him."
Property
That word. I pushed Mr. Ruiqing aside, coming face to face with the clearly deluded Z-Gen alpha. I scrunched my nose as my chest trembled from the closeness. His aura was overwhelming. But I had to stand firm.
"You must be sick in the head. How the hell am I your property?" His gaze hardened.
"Shen Junior, why don't you explain it to him?" he said, all the while looking me straight in the eyes. There was something behind his gaze… a dare. I was in no mood for cynical games.
"Page 31 of the plus-one liability form," the suited man began after scoffing, and I stiffened.
The car.
The phone.
The fifty pages.
Did he say 'plus-one liability form'? It was as if I'd been splashed with cold water. My heart rate steadily accelerated as I listened with
rapt attention. Mr. Feng had noticed, because his smirk grew significantly.
Thump.
Thump.
The man continued, "The Plus-One agrees that all privileges, protections, and claims within the event shall be exercised exclusively through the Registered Host." My ears rang. No, that wasn't what I signed.
"Lang!" Mr. Ruiqing warned, but his voice was barely audible over the sound of my own heart.
The words hung in the air.
Extension.
Not guest.
Not partner.
Extension.
I looked at Mr. Zhen, and the nonchalant way in which he returned my gaze made my blood run cold.
The bastard had tricked me.
"The Plus-One shall be considered an extension of the Registered Host for all event related purposes."
No, I—why didn't I read the form? It can't be legal. No. I didn't just sign off my ownership, something I'd spent my whole life trying to
preserve.
"No." My voice came out in a whisper. I took a step back, almost tripping off my feet. "I didn't agree— I don't agree to that."
Mr. Lang slowly walked toward me, bringing his voice down almost to a whisper. "And since Long brought you here, you're technically mine to gamble." I shook my head violently. Then I paused. He was right. I came with Mr Zhen, not him. I lifted a daring brow.
"Like hell I am! I came as Mr. Zhen's extra, not yours." Yes, that was a good point. I was furious about what Mr Zhen did, but right
now, I just wanted to get out of my predicament. There was no way I was getting pulled into this nonsense.
"…That is, if Zhen Long agrees." The suited man added, giving me a bit of hope. Surely he wasn't going to let this happen.
I turned my head sharply to Mr. Zhen, sneering so tightly that my face started to ache. He looked at me for a second, then turned to Mr Yichen, his gaze lingering a bit longer. When he turned back to me, it seemed
he had already made his decision, and fuck, did I already know what it was.
"He's all yours." My heart dropped.
"You son of a bitch!" I lunged at him, but was held back before I could make contact—not that I could've done any damage otherwise. I
struggled against the hands restraining me, my eyes welling with tears I refused to let fall when I failed to break free. Then he came into view—a soft smile on his sleazy face. The bastard from the washroom.
I cringed when his finger stretched toward my cheek, right before Mr. Ruiqing came between the two of us. "Don't worry, Ren. We'll go home together after I win this race." My stomach turned in disgust.
"Alright, let's race!"