Eight Years, One Love — Chapter 1

I was the pampered heiress of a wealthy family. Then Dad froze my cards.

So I went to my sworn enemy for a loan. Before I knew it, I owed him 13.14 million yuan.

Then my family went bankrupt.

I became my sworn enemy’s secretary, earning ten thousand a month. I was so done with life that I said, “Even if I never eat or drink, it’ll still take me 109 years to pay this off. Just end me.”

Seated behind his CEO’s desk, my sworn enemy said calmly, “You can work off the debt with me. Ten thousand per time.”

I did the math.

At ten thousand a time, that would take 1,314 times.

By the time I paid it off, I’d probably be used up.

My sworn enemy was worth tens of billions. A little over ten million yuan was barely a drop in the bucket to him.

I tried to bargain. “How about a hundred thousand per time?”

Lu Shizi said nothing, as if considering it.

Just then, I heard his thoughts.

[13.14 million divided by 300,000—that’s just over four months to pay it off.]

[No. I can’t let her pay it back that quickly.]

I stared at him, thinking that even if he could manage once a day, I still had a monthly period.

Then he added another thought:

[Besides, thirty times a month probably wouldn’t be enough for me. When I’m in the mood, three to five times in one night should be normal, right?]

I looked at Lu Shizi in disbelief.

He sure talked big. Was he even that virile?

When he still didn’t say anything, I pressed him. “Mr. Lu, have you made up your mind?”

He said coolly, “I don’t bargain. Ten thousand per time. Think it over.”

I cursed him silently. “Scrooge.”

He was already rich and still ridiculously stingy.

His thoughts continued:

[At this rate, it’ll take three years to pay it all off. Just thinking about it makes me happy.]

[Three years. I refuse to believe I can’t make her fall for me by then.]

I froze.

He’d already slapped me in the face with his calculations, and he still wanted me to fall for him?

We had always been sworn enemies.

Back in school, he was three grades ahead of me.

Our families had been close for generations.

My feud with him began when I was in middle school.

He ranked first in the whole grade. I was somewhere among the better students.

He offered to tutor me, telling my mother he’d help me with my studies.

Tutoring would have been fine, but he was incredibly strict. He took over every afternoon after school and every weekend. I had no free time at all.

I grew rebellious. Just hearing him say he’d tutor me gave me a headache.

Later, I got into the same high school he’d attended.

He wrote a love letter to the campus belle. I looked the other way.

Then a boy confessed to me on the school grounds, and Lu Shizi told my mother I was dating. She gave me a furious scolding.

I was so angry I filled an entire diary with:

[Hate Lu Shizi. Hate Lu Shizi. Jiang Yu hates Lu Shizi!]

After that, I got into the same university he’d attended.

I confessed to his closest friend. Lu Shizi overheard me, and his expression darkened instantly.

I said without a care, “Lu Shizi, I’m old enough to date now. You can’t control me anymore.”

Maybe he had some grudge against his roommate.

He forbade me to date the guy.

I still remember how domineering he was when he said, “Break up with him, or we’re done.”

Who I dated was my business. What gave him the right to interfere?

I immediately replied, “Fine. Then we’re done.”

Even after we stopped speaking, when Dad froze my cards, I went to Lu Shizi for money. I only had to ask, and he’d lend it to me.

And so, somehow, my sworn enemy became my creditor.

As for why the amount came to exactly 13.14 million yuan: the first time I borrowed ten million, the second time, three million. The third time, I asked for 150,000, but he said he only had 140,000 in his wallet, so he transferred me that much.

The total was just a mathematical coincidence.

He’d just said he wanted to use three years to make me fall for him.

Was he planning to wait until I loved him, then dump me cruelly?

Was this revenge for the time I dated his roommate?

How vicious.

I absolutely couldn’t let his scheme succeed.

“Oh, then forget it. I’ll just keep working and pay you back slowly.”

I didn’t believe he’d live another 109 years.

I heard his thoughts:

[That stupid mouth. Negotiations failed.]

[I have to think of a way to stabilize the situation.]

[But if I give in now, will she take advantage of me?]

[I can’t indulge her. If she repays the debt too quickly, I won’t have anything to keep her close.]

Lu Shizi’s gaze darkened slightly. Still wearing that haughty air, he said, “Are you sure? You won’t get another chance if you pass this one up. Think carefully.”

Without hesitation, I said, “I’ve thought it through. If there’s nothing else, I’m clocking out.”

As I turned, I heard his thoughts:

[My heart’s shattered. If I’d known my future wife wouldn’t fall for this, I shouldn’t have acted so high and mighty.]

[Wife, don’t go. If you’d just turn around and soften your tone a little, I’d agree right away.]

[Whatever amount you want, just say the word. I can even make up the difference.]

[Why did my wife leave without even looking back? QAQ~]

I stopped.

Then I remembered why I’d come to see Lu Shizi in the first place: to ask for time off.

My leave request was still tucked inside my folder. I hadn’t had a chance to give it to him.

So, reluctantly, I turned around.

Lu Shizi heard my footsteps. His heart soared.

[My wife came back. I’m secretly thrilled.]

[Is she going to give in?]

[Can’t wait...]

[If she asks me, I’ll agree immediately.]

I pretended not to hear his thoughts and handed him my leave request.

“Mr. Lu, I’d like to take two hours off this afternoon and leave early. Please approve it.”

His expression stiffened. “What for?”

To meet the poor college student I sponsored.

He’d come to my city and said he had something important to tell me.

We’d agreed to meet at a café.

But I absolutely couldn’t tell Lu Shizi the truth. If I did, he’d never let me take time off.

“I have some personal business to take care of.”

Lu Shizi signed the request and handed it to me.

I took it, but he didn’t let go.

He hinted, “Secretary Jiang, is there something else you wanted to say to me?”

His expression was cool and aloof, but his thoughts were hopeless:

[Was that hint clear enough?]

[Wife, give me an out. Please.]

[I’m easy to appease. Really.]

I thought, Lu Shizi sure was quick to call me “wife” in his head.

Had he taken the wrong medicine? Had he forgotten we’d always been sworn enemies?

Where we came from, sworn enemies didn’t call each other “wife.”

“I’ve said everything I needed to say.”

I tugged at the request. “Mr. Lu, let go.”

Lu Shizi released it in disappointment and said coolly, “Close the door on your way out.”

“Got it.”

I left with the approved request and casually shut the CEO’s office door behind me.