CHAPTER 1: A CONTRACT IN THE DARK
Streetlights flickered through the shattered glass of an old storage room at Saint Mary Academy. Kieu Yen opened her eyes, a sharp pain radiating from her head making her wince.
"Kieu Yen, look at your pathetic self. Did you really think being a straight-A student would let you climb over my head?"
Bach Lien stood there, the sharp tip of her stiletto heel grinding into Kieu Yen's slender hand. Her face was contorted with a ridiculous sense of superiority. Kieu Yen suppressed the pain as the original host's memories flooded back. For ten years, the Bach family had swallowed her parents' fortune, turning her into a parasitic servant for their daughter. The old Kieu Yen would have cried, but the "Queen" soul that had just transmigrated into this body only felt pure disgust.
"Are those your shoes?" Kieu Yen tilted her head slightly. She didn't stand up immediately; instead, she leisurely brushed the dust off her worn-out school skirt. Her calmness made Bach Lien grow impatient.
Suddenly, Kieu Yen looked up. There was no fury, no tears. Her eyes were as still as a frozen lake, reflecting Bach Lien like a mere clown. Her lips curled into a faint smirk:
"You're right, these shoes are beautiful. Keep them safe, Bach Lien. Beautiful things... are often very easy to lose."
Her voice was light, but it sent a shiver down Bach Lien’s spine. Kieu Yen stood up and brushed past her with total indifference. As their shoulders grazed, she whispered: "I’m working part-time tonight. Don’t wait for me for dinner."
That night, in the parking garage of The Sphinx bar. A sleek black Maybach sat silently in a dark corner.
Click. The back door opened slightly and then slammed shut.
Hoac Kinh—the heir of the Hoac family and the most arrogant bad boy at the academy—had just left the bar, smelling faintly of alcohol. He leaned back against the seat, only to realize there was someone else in the pitch-black cabin. An unfamiliar presence made the 17-year-old tense up with curiosity.
"Who’s there?" he growled, his sharp eyes snapping open as his large hand moved to choke the intruder.
But his movements froze. In the darkness, Kieu Yen sat there. She slowly raised her hands to her head, untying her uniform ribbon with movements as deliberate as a ritual.
"Young Master Hoac, why such a temper?" her voice was low and sultry. Kieu Yen leaned forward, whispering into his ear. She was so close that he could feel the heat radiating from her body. Despite his boasting about his love life, Hoac Kinh had never let a girl get this close to him before.
"Get out!" Hoac Kinh hissed, but as he moved to push her away, his hand accidentally brushed against the silky skin of her arm. The soft, smooth sensation felt like an electric shock.
Kieu Yen chuckled. She took the ribbon she had just removed and wrapped it loosely around his wrist, pulling his face toward hers. Her eyes glowed with ambition in the shadows.
"I heard Young Master Hoac is still... 'untouched'? Want to spend some money to buy the secrets of a real woman?" Kieu Yen lowered her voice, blunt and pragmatic. "Sponsor me. I need a great tree to provide me shade. In return, I will teach you what it truly means to be a man."
Hoac Kinh was stunned. This proposal was unlike any plea he had ever heard. Kieu Yen’s composure, combined with her hand slowly grazing his Adam's apple, made the bad boy feel like he was the prey.
"Do you know what you’re saying? You’re just a parasite living in my fiancée's house," he tried to regain his arrogance, but his heavy breathing betrayed his confusion.
Kieu Yen didn't answer with words. She leaned down, her lips feathering a kiss over his trembling Adam's apple before pulling back. Her lips moved barely an inch from his: "You have 30 seconds to decide. Continue your boring life with that fake little socialite... or sign this contract."
In the darkness of the Maybach, Hoac Kinh stared into Kieu Yen’s hypnotic eyes. His ego—the ego of someone who had never been "led" by anyone—was officially ignited.
"Fine," Hoac Kinh rasped, his hand tightening around her ribbon. "I’ll sponsor you. Let’s see... how long you can play this role."