Without much support from feet, Ji Wujin fell on the floor. She was scared to cry, “you can’t do that to me! I just want some money for food. Just let me know if you odn’t give me. But you can’t scare me like that! I am really innocent.”

She cried pretty harsh, and grabbed Gu Ye’s leg while she was crying, “master, it is me. Look at me. I am Hua Wujiao. I am really Hua Wujiao.”

Right when she grabbed Gu Ye’s leg, she was kicked away and down on the floor again.

Ji Wujin just felt something coming out from her throat and then spit out some salty fishy liquid. Looked down. Saliva?

Damn it! Shouldn’t it be blood? She didn’ t show how serious she was.

Looking up, she saw Gu Ye’s long face because of her vomit.

Quickly, Ji Wujin pulled her dress and cleaned the saliva on the floor and also her footprints that she made just now. after she had done all of these, she crawled back on feet and said to Gu Ye with watery eyes, “master, you are great at controlling your strength. I am totally fine.”

Gu Ye was shocked. He really regreted that he didn’t kill this woman just now. Why did he take her in to work for him in the first place?

With a glance, he noticed from her big eyes she was obviously plotting something. Gu Ye looked away. Out of sight, out of mind!

“I have something important to talk to you.”

“Huh? You don’t doubt me any more, master?”

“Shut up or I will kick you to death!”

Ji Wujin zipped up tightly.

In fact, it was not easy to find out who she really was. Gu Ye didn’t doubt her. Although Hua Wujiao behaved differently, Gu Ye didn’t notice any sign of face changing. Besides, he didn’t pay a lot of attention to Ji Wujin before. Therefore, Gu Ye just put behind that problem very quickly.

It was late at night. He just wanted to finish what he wanted to say and get rid of this woman.

“Next month there will be a courtesan competition. It is hold by royal court. They will select beautiful women to give a dance show in the imperial palace.”

“…” Ji Wujin was thrilled to hear the news! What a blast!

Without looking at her, Gu Ye proceeded, “the competition is very important! You have to prepare for it! And you have to make sure Xiao Panpan could win.”

Xiao Panpan? So she is not ordinary people. No wonder she insisted to stay at Xiaoxiang Lou no matter how hard she persuaded her. She turns out to work for this man.

“Do you understand?” the notorious officer seemed impatient.

“…”

Without receiving a response for a while, Gu Ye looked back and started at her.

It said in his eyes: believe it or not, I will kick you to death.

“You said, shut up or you will kick me to death.” Ji Wujin squeezed a few words between teeth.

“Oh? Do you think you are talking or not?”

“…”

Ji Wujin just wanted to go home! She didn’t want to stay for another second. She might be killed by this evil man if it kept going!

Gu Ye still looked at Ji Wujin with a cold face. Ji Wujin looked ridiculously skilly to him.

Rumbling… A strang voice sounded somewhere in the room. Gu Ye looked at where it came from, Ji Wujin’s stomach which she was covering tightly.

Ji Wujin was about to cry with tears, “you can’t say that I am talking because my stomch is rumbling.”

“…”

Gu Ye was completely speechless. Is this woman out of mind? What did he see in this stupid woman and allow her to work for him?

Memory went back to how they met for the first time. A weird smile instantly went back to his face. Forget it. He would let go easy on the women because she was useful.

“Are you hungry?” asked him.

Ji Wujin, who was terrified, shook her head hard in panic.

“No. No. No. Not at all. I am not hungry at all.”

“Is that so? I was going to send them to get some cake…”

“Since you are so kind to offer, how dare I refuse?! Although I am so full, I can still make some room with an effort.”

Gu Ye’s lips twitched, “don’t push so hard on yourself. Now that you are full, you shouldn’t waste food, which I don’t like.”

“…” Ji Wujin had a taste of her own medicine. She squeezed a few words between her teeth, “you are wise, master!”

Stomach rumbling…

“Aha…I ate too much for dinner. Haha…”

Stomach rumbling…

“…”

With a rumbling stomach, she looked up at Gu Ye and tried to change the subject.

“Master, what did you just say about the competition? Why do they need to dance in the imperial palace?”

“Next month, foreign states will pay tribute to the emperor. There will be a banquet to receive them in the imperial palace. We need pretty and open-minded women to dance at the banquet. The most outstanding one had a chance to meet the emperor…”

Gu Ye slowed down on purpose when he said the last few words while he was observing Ji Wujin’s every subtle reaction.

Ji Wujin was shocked with eyes wide open, jaw dropped, and then swallowed,

“To meet the emperor?

As he had assumed, this woman really wanted to get into the palace. Gu Ye smiled calmly.

“Whoever wins the first prize in the competition will dance in front of his majesty.”

“But, but why brothel girl?”

“So the foreign officers can choose from. If they like a girl, that girl will serve them closely.”

“You mean as a mistress?”

“It is possible that they can be given a family title too.”

Gu Ye specifically stressed “family title”. Whereas Ji Wujin had something else on her mind,

“Are there any money giving?”

“What?” Gu Ye frowned. Ji Wujin said something he didn’t anticipate. For a while, he had no clue what she was up to. The woman was totally different today.

“Reward money. Master. Will the emperor reward money for winning the competition?”

“…” usually people would be grateful enough to see the emperor. But this woman just wanted money? He gave her a cold look, “you are overthinking.”

“Huh?” Ji Wujin lost all of her interest in just one second. She cared nothing but money.

Comparing with money, winning the competition or dancing in front of the emperor was worthless. Who cared about those nonsense!

It’s true. In Ji Wujin’s eyes, anything without profit turned out to be nothing.

Her attitude confused Gu Ye. Getting into the palace was even less attractive to the woman than money? Was the woman really that poor?

Her stomach rumbled again. Looking at her pale starving face, although Ji Wujin claimed it was because of powder, Gu Ye’s lips twitched.

“Do you only want money?”

Ji Wujin’s eyes sparkled with innocence. She gave Gu Ye that puppy eyes as what she did as a beggar.

“Deal?”

“…Deal.”

“Really?”

“As long as you make sure Xiao Panpan win the competition, a thousand taels of silver.”

He paused and the corners of his mouth curve slightly upward, when Ji Wujin looked at him with greedy eyes.

He suddenly realized that Ji Wujin’s love for money. When she heard money, her eyes brightened like sunshine. He had to make use of her weakness to his advantage. Therefore, he changed his offer, pointing a finger in front of Ji Wujin, “one thousand taels of gold only for you.”

“…” Silent. It went silent for a long time.

Boom! A pair of knees fell heavily on the floor and a small head knocked hard on the floor. It was so loud and harsh that she wished she could make a dent on the floor to show her loyalty.

“I would die for your generosity!”

Even if I die, I would get the thousand taels of gold.

Gu Ye smiled with satisfaction. He liked the attitude when people were desperate to get money.

Gu Ye had never gotten tired of using money as a tool to control people for more than ten years. It was his theory of bribery. When he received a large amount of bribery, he recruited those who would work their asses off for money. People who were greedy for money like Ji Wujin was his perfect choice. But why didn’t he see that in the woman before?

After kowtowing to Gu Ye, Ji Wujin got back on feet full of satisfaction and made a bow to Gu Ye,

“I do have one thing to report to you. Right now the business is running with much difficulties, which might be a big hinder to win the competition…”

Gu Ye frowned but saw right through her. Throwing his hand in the air, he gave his words generously, “you can get as much as you need from Lin Yun for your daily expenses.”

“Thank you, master!” as she was about to kowtow again, she saw Gu Ye’s weird facial expression.

Oops! She was too get used to kowtow when she begged for food. She calmed herself down and stood up steadily, “Aha…I am thanking you on behalf of all the girls in the building. They are starving these days. You are like their second parent…”

Gu Ye stared at her, still confused.

“You can get money from Li Yun as much as you want for running the business and the preparation of the competition. Just remember to make sure Xiao Panpan win.”

“Yes, sir! Master, you can count on me!”

“Mm. You can go now.”

“Yes, sir!”

What the heck! She is absolutely lucky today. She met such a super rich master now!

She left the room with gratitude. The man in black was still standing outside the door. She was mad at him before, but now not so. Since she had money, she even said to him with a soft and tender voice, “hey, could you please send me home? And could you tell me who is Lin Yun and where is he?”

“…I am Lin Yun.”

“Oh really?” She rubbed her hands greedily, “well, the officer, no, the master said that I can get money from you.”

Lin Yun stood there stiffly like a stone, being silent for a while, asked, “how much?”

“How much can you carry?”

Silver was heavy. She couldn’t carry much.

But since this man could fly, it must be easier for him to carry for her. It meant that he could carry much more. While Ji Wujin was planning, the man in black still remained silent, “hello…”

“A banknote worth a thousand taels of silver.”

Shaking her hands really hard, she accepted the piece of paper with both hands with extra attention as if it was something precious,

“so this is a banknote of a thousand taels of silver?”

This thin piece of paper was enough for her to eat a lifetime steamed bread. No. More than a lifetime! She shouted at Gu Ye’s room, “thank you, master! I will work hard!”

Right after, the light went out.

Even after Ji Wujin left the house, she still didn’t figure out who her master was.

She only knew one thing tonight. Hua Wujiao’s master was super rich. And he was someone she relied her life on. He was her father!