"Alright then!" Kris Cooper patted the spot beside him. "Come here."
The man raised an eyebrow slightly. Fearing he might change his mind, Vera reluctantly got up and sat next to him. No sooner had she settled than the man’s hand reached over, offering her the yogurt.
"I don’t flavor. You have it!"
Vera Wave glanced at him, snatched the yogurt from his hand, and unceremoniously drank a mouthful.
Peach-flavored, and he even despises it. He has such poor taste.
She hadn’t eaten much for dinner, so she was already quite hungry. In just a few gulps, Vera finished the yogurt, her eyes then fixing eagerly on the Blueberry Mousse on the table.
Noticing her expression, Kris Cooper reached out, took a notepad, and handed it to her.
Licking the yogurt from the corner of her lips, Vera dejectedly wrote out an IOU for him.
Over ninety thousand last time, a hundred thousand this time... That’s nearly two hundred thousand in total! How am I ever going to repay this?!
Kris Cooper took the IOU. "How do you plan on repaying me?"
"Well..." Vera hung her head. "You know, my income isn’t high right now, and I also have to take care of my grandma, so..."
"How about you find another way to repay me?"
Vera glanced at the man’s handsome face, instinctively tugged at her clothes, and scooted a bit to the side.
"I... I only offer my skills, not my body!"
Kris Cooper almost burst out laughing.
"Alright. Then tell me, what skills do you have?"
"I..." Vera thought for a moment. "I... I can help you... do chores! Yes, chores. You’re a grown man; you definitely wouldn’t want to do things like cleaning the room. I can do your laundry, cook for you, clean your room, sweep the floors, wipe the tables... I can do anything."
Cook? Kris Cooper sounded surprised. "You can cook?"
"Uh..." Vera’s face turned red. "I can only do simple things, like boiling water, cooking eggs, and making instant noodles. That’s about it!"
He rolled his eyes. She calls *that* cooking?
"Although I can’t cook, I can do anything else," Vera said, hurrying to save face.
"Alright then." Kris Cooper casually picked up a pastry from the dessert plate. "It’s settled then. From now on, you’ll work to pay off your debt to me. Once you’ve paid back all the money, we’ll be even."
He pulled out a sheet of white paper. "Write a contract."
"A contract is... not really necessary..." Seeing the man’s almond-shaped eyes turn sharp as he glanced at her, she immediately grabbed the pen. "Actually, I think it’s very necessary. It absolutely must be written."
Kris Cooper picked up a strawberry from the Blueberry Mousse with a fork. "Write as I dictate. ’Given that Party B is unable to repay the debt owed to Party A, both parties agree that Party B shall repay all debts to Party A in the form of labor. The interest rate shall be calculated according to the highest bank fixed-term deposit rate...’"
Vera turned her head, opening her mouth to question, but Kris Cooper had already stuffed a strawberry into it.
"Any objections? Or would you rather just pay back the money?"
Vera immediately shook her head. It’s true what they say, poverty makes you lose your nerve!
Kris Cooper continued, "’Party B’s Obligations: One, Party B must complete any work designated by Party A, and the remuneration for said work shall be determined by Party A.’"
Vera swallowed the strawberry. "On what grounds? Those are tyrannical terms! I have the right to choose my work too."
"Fine, you have the right to choose." Kris Cooper’s almond-shaped eyes narrowed. "Two, during the term of this contract, Party B is prohibited from having a boyfriend."
Vera raised an eyebrow. "That’s restricting my personal freedom!"
Kris Cooper spread his hands in a shrug. "Or, you could just pay back the money instead."