Substitute Girlfriend Contract (GL) - Chapter 7

“C0ck-a-doodle-doo!” The rooster’s cry was loud and piercing.

Ugh, so annoying. This was supposed to be a villa neighborhood—who keeps chickens here?!

Tao Anyu irritably rolled over and hugged something long and soft. Mmm… this pillow was really nice.

Wait. Soft…? She didn’t remember having a pillow like this when she went to bed last night.

“C0ck-a-doodle-doo!” Another shrill rooster call.

Anyu shot upright, eyes snapping open.

“Well, well, finally awake.” The voice beside her was lazy and teasing. “I’ve never seen anyone sleep like you. What are you, part pig?”

She gripped the blanket tighter.

“That rooster alarm is the ultimate wake-up tool. Most people are up after two calls, but you slept through five. Tsk, tsk… Ah, maybe you were just too tired from yesterday? I did have a bit too much to drink last night… maybe I went a little rough, adding a couple more rounds.” A pause, then the woman smirked. “But with fingers this long and skills this good, you must’ve been so blissed out that you couldn’t get up, right, pretty girl?”

Anyu closed her eyes, drawing in a slow breath. Aside from the inconvenient fact that in her “past life” she’d been a lesbian—cheated and discarded by a straight woman—she was otherwise the picture of a sweet, upright young lady. After her “rebirth” through faking her death, she had no intention of marrying a man… nor wasting her heart on a woman again.

So as a perfectly “normal” girl, she had absolutely no idea what this self-proclaimed emperor was babbling about.

“Hey, I’m talking to you, pretty girl. Don’t just play mute.”

Anyu threw the blanket aside and got out of bed, but a firm hand yanked her back.

“Ah!” She stumbled into a soft embrace, looking up in shock into a pair of golden eyes glinting with mischief.

“Good morning, beauty.”

Anyu stared. Wasn’t this… the “queen” of the devil’s castle who’d drunkenly kissed her last night?

Stay calm. Stay calm. She silently recited a Buddhist sutra, then forced a polite smile. “Hello. You must be the general manager who wanted me to sign a contract?”

The woman smirked, tilting her chin up with a finger. “We can have breakfast first, then discuss business.”

Anyu had always hated flippant, arrogant people. Unfortunately, the woman in front of her ticked every box.

In fact, it took a special kind of talent to earn her complete and utter dislike so quickly.

The woman, seeing Tao Anyu motionless in her arms, raised a brow. “What’s this? Feeling frisky first thing in the morning? Want a little morning delight?”

“Sorry, I think you’ve misunderstood. I’ll just go wash up and eat.”

The woman released her with a whistle. “No rush. Wash up and then make breakfast.”

“…What?” Anyu turned. “I’m cooking?”

The woman lounged on the sofa, legs propped on the crystal coffee table, and tilted her chin. “Everything’s in the fridge. Cook something tasty, and I might reward you.”

Anyu drew in a long breath with her fists tightening. “And how much is this ‘reward,’ Your Majesty?”

The woman’s smile was languid. “Depends on my mood.”

Holding back her temper, Anyu asked sweetly, “Then what would Your Majesty like to eat?”

The woman tapped her chin. “Noodles.”

“You mean… pasta?”

There was a wicked grin on her face. “No. Your noodles.”

Lovely. She really hoped that meant what she thought it meant.

Anyu matched her smile. “All right. I’ll make you pasta.”

******

“Your Majesty, your noodles.” Anyu set down a steaming plate—translucent noodles bathed in bright red meat sauce, topped with two sprigs of cilantro, and flanked by a pair of glossy cherry tomatoes beaded with water.

“Hmm, looks good.” The “king” pulled out a chair and patted her thigh. “Come sit on my lap, darling.”

Anyu removed her apron, folded it neatly over the chair, handed her a fork, and took the seat opposite. “Sorry, I think you’ve misunderstood.”

“Misunderstood?” The woman chuckled, propping her chin in her hand. “What, just because I slept with you? You’re not going to cry and demand money?”

Anyu sipped her porridge, only looking up once she finished her mouthful. “You really have the wrong idea. Nothing happened between us last night. And even if it had, I wouldn’t cry or demand money.”

The woman laughed outright, then sprawled on the table. “You’re funny. What’s your name, sweetheart? I’ll give you a title so I know who to summon next time.”

Anyu drained her porridge in one gulp, dabbed her lips, and smiled politely. “Tao Anyu, Your Majesty. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.”

“Hold it!”

Anyu had no patience left for her games. She’d assumed the woman would get to the point about the girlfriend contract, but no—she was apparently just another of her bedwarmers. One of many, if the casual talk of rotation was anything to go by.

“What now—mmph!” Before she could finish, the woman yanked her over and pinned her to the wall, sealing her lips in a kiss.

“Mm—!” Anyu’s eyes flew wide.

She’d only just started enjoying her peaceful, reborn life—and now she’d been molested. Twice. By the same tasteless, egotistical, possibly brain-deficient woman.

“Let me go!” Anyu shoved her off, glaring. “You’re a general manager, half a public figure. How can you act like this? Please, have some self-respect!” She wiped her mouth—the woman still had tomato sauce on her lips from the spaghetti, and now so did she.

The woman just wiped her mouth with a smirk, running a hand through her hair. “What, didn’t read the contract properly? I pay you a hefty sum each month—food, lodging, and s3x included. And you won’t even let me kiss you? You signed, right? Saw the penalty clause?”

Penalty clause? Anyu froze. She hadn’t noticed that. She turned to go upstairs for her briefcase.

But the woman caught her by the shoulder, pulling her in close, her hands wandering shamelessly. “Don’t bother looking. I did my homework—you’re broke.” She winked. “You couldn’t afford the penalty.”

Anyu sighed at the ceiling, prying those restless hands off—only for them to return. She shot her a sharp look. “Funny you remember who I am. You’re the one who approached me. I haven’t even asked how you knew to offer me that strange contract. What exactly do you want?”

“Bingo.” The woman finally let her go, guiding her to a chaise. “The great me is called Lu Mengxiao. Ring any bells?”

Lu Mengxiao… The name did sound familiar. Anyu narrowed her eyes. Where had she heard it before?