Just a Contract: Love love Pursuit Battle

In the afternoon, the café was filled with an expensive scent, a blend of coffee beans and leather conditioner. The sunlight poured through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, making the silver cutlery on the table almost blinding, but it did nothing to warm the cold atmosphere in the room. Ethan sat across from a man in a black tuxedo, his hair slicked back perfectly, each strand seemingly measured with a ruler. He was the butler of the Sophie Lee family, Mr. Bell. Mr. Bell wasted no time. With precise movements, he took a plain black card from his pocket and slid it across the table to Ethan. The card glided silently across the smooth mahogany surface, eventually stopping just at Ethan’s fingertips. “There’s fifty thousand dollars inside.” Mr. Bell’s voice was as cold as his appearance, flat as if a machine were reading instructions. “Leave Miss Sophie Lee.” Ethan glanced down at the card, its surface reflecting a dark sheen in the light, like a miniature black hole. His heart skipped a beat, but quickly regained its steady rhythm. He could even clearly calculate how many zeros would follow when this sum was converted to the currency he was most familiar with. It was a series of very, very charming numbers. He raised his eyes, his face showing just the right amount of feigned pain and struggle. “Sir, money is important.” “But I’ve put in a lot of effort with Sophie. There’s an emotional investment.” Mr. Bell sneered slightly, his eyes filled with blatant disdain, as if he were looking at a stray dog by the side of the road. “Emotion?” “Young man, put away your cheap rhetoric.” “In Sophie Lee’s world, your so-called emotions are worth less than a piece of jewelry.” “No, no, you misunderstand me,” Ethan said, flashing a bright smile, his teeth shining white. “I mean Need more money” Mr. Bell’s expression froze. He had expected greed, hypocrisy, and bargaining, but he didn’t anticipate such a swift and decisive response. It somewhat diminished his sense of victory, even giving him the strange feeling that he himself was the fool. “Deal.” “Pleasure doing business.” Ethan pocketed the card, stood up, and turned to leave, leaving Mr. Bell standing still, his face fluctuating between blue and pale. Once outside the café, Ethan quickly pulled out his phone and began to type with practiced ease. When he saw the long string of numbers added to his bank account, he couldn’t help but squint in satisfaction. This was the most beautiful sight in the world. The so-called "emotional value provider" was, at its core, just a job. And Ethan? He was a professional worker. The employer for this job was none other than the father of Sophie Lee, a man he had never met but whose power was undeniable. It all started when her father noticed his daughter struggled with social interactions and feared she might be bullied at school. He didn’t want to make a big scene by sending bodyguards, which would only alienate her further. So, he came up with a brilliant idea. A perfect suitor, a "boyfriend", who could stay by her side 24/7, acting as her personal shield. Ethan was chosen to be that shield. His orphan background meant there were no family concerns, and his thirst for money made him loyal enough for the task. Perfect. The contract clearly stated that the salary for acting as the suitor was fifty thousand dollars a month. Now, the butler had handed him an extra fifty thousand. Her father was paying, and Ethan was playing the role of the suitor, protecting Sophie. It was perfect; everyone got what they needed. The daily "good morning" and "good night" messages were copied from the internet. The milk tea he sent her was overly sweet, something he never touched himself. He accompanied her to those boring public lectures, sitting next to Sophie. It appeared as if he was focused entirely on her, but in reality, he was scanning every person in the classroom with his peripheral vision. He was like a dutiful actor, playing the role of the affectionate suitor. This job could have gone on forever, until Sophie graduated, or until her suspicious father found a more suitable bodyguard. But then, an unexpected event occurred. Last week, during the school’s anniversary event, the stage backdrop collapsed without warning in the middle of the performance. Screams filled the air. Everyone scrambled to escape. Sophie froze in place, her face pale with fear. Ethan reacted instinctively. Instead of lunging forward dramatically like in the movies, he grabbed her and pushed her out of the danger zone with almost brutal force. His speed was not that of an ordinary college student. He was grazed by a light metal rod that fell from above, leaving a red burn across his arm. In the chaos, Sophie looked back at him with a new, unfamiliar expression. For the first time, there was something else in her eyes. Unexpectedly, that very day, Ethan received a termination notice. Damn capitalist, firing him like this! He was going to be strung up on a streetlamp someday! Ethan thought this job was heaven, but unfortunately, the contract had ended. He sat down on a park bench and pulled out a notebook from his pocket. The notebook was filled with names. Without hesitation, he crossed out Sophie’s name and wrote "Payment received in full" next to it. “Tonight, I’ll be at Rouyu’s house playing pretend. On Saturday and Sunday, I’ll have to deal with that crazy woman.” As he mumbled to himself, he suddenly froze. Not far away, under the trees, a flashy red Ferrari was parked. The window rolled down, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. The woman wore exaggerated sunglasses, her red lips fiery, a playful smile at the corner of her mouth. “Well, well, isn’t this my exclusive little boyfriend, Ethan?” “What’s wrong? Sitting here all alone and not coming to find me?” Ethan glanced at the date on his phone. It was Saturday. Alright. Time to deal with this crazy woman again. Out of respect for his client, Ethan didn’t hesitate to open the door and get inside. The Ferrari roared to life and merged into the sea of city lights. One contract had ended. Another was still active. And so, Ethan’s life went on.