Why didn't you tell me earlier that my little sister is still waiting for me?

Xu Hongdou took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger and sense of absurdity in her heart, and tried to keep her voice steady. "Mr. Lin, I think you may have misunderstood something. Chen Nanxing is indeed my best friend, there is no doubt about that. I am also sincerely willing to pay a price to save her, even a considerable price - such as all my savings, or work for you for free for the next few years... But the premise of these is reasonable and does not violate my bottom line and principles."

She paused, looking at Lin Bufan firmly, her tone clear and calm, "And the price you just hinted at is clearly far beyond the scope of reason and principle. I don't think there is anyone in this world who would really sacrifice their entire life and dignity for their best friend."

"Why not?" Lin Bufan's eyes widened immediately, with an expression that said, "You're too ignorant!" He slapped his thigh and said, "That's me!"

Xu Hongdou was stunned by Lin Bufan's sudden boasting, and subconsciously looked him up and down - wet colorful hair, loose bathrobe, and the smug expression on his face that said "ask me something, ask me something"... No matter from which angle she looked at it, she really couldn't connect the Lin Bufan in front of her with the image of a tragic hero who "will risk his life for his brothers and sacrifice himself."

Lin Bufan obviously understood Xu Hongdou's suspicion. He immediately straightened his chest and began to narrate with great emotion: "Don't believe me? Then let me tell you about my glorious deeds! Back then, I had a close friend. We were friends for life! He accidentally offended a very rich and powerful woman. She used this as a handle on him and threatened him that he had to dump his girlfriend and be with her, otherwise he would make his whole family miserable!

My brother is a man who values ​​friendship and loyalty. On one hand, he was worried about his love, and on the other hand, the safety of his family. He was so worried that he couldn't eat or sleep for days and nights. He was so thin! I saw it with my own eyes and was worried inside! In the end, guess what happened?

Lin Bufan suddenly leaned closer to Xu Hongdou and lowered his voice, as if sharing a shocking secret: "Just when my brother was about to collapse, it was me! I stepped forward! I took the initiative to find that rich woman!"

Lin Bufan stood up straight, his face filled with a mixture of pride and a sense of "who else but me?" "I had a negotiation with that rich woman, a negotiation between men...er, no, between warriors! In the end, with my...um...personal charm and wisdom, I successfully persuaded her to let my brother and his family go! I helped my brother overcome this enormous hardship! This is what a true brother is! He's willing to risk his life for his friends! He's willing to go through fire and water for them!"

After Lin Bufan finished speaking, he nodded vigorously, as if deeply moved by his own story. He looked at Xu Hongdou with a hint of "contempt" in his eyes: "Look at you... Tsk, you say you're best friends, but you won't even consider this little sacrifice? This is clearly a fake sisterhood! Fake! So fake!"

After listening to this long, turbulent, and riddled "heroic epic," Xu Hongdou was left speechless, her temples throbbing. She didn't even bother to delve into the illogicalities and exaggerations of the story.

Xu Hongdou took a deep breath and completely gave up on any attempt at normal communication with Lin Bufan. Her tone became distant and cold. "Mr. Lin, your glorious deeds are very... impressive. However, everyone's understanding of friendship and the limits of what they want to give are different. Regardless, your request has exceeded my ability and willingness."

She nodded slightly, regaining her professional politeness, but her eyes had turned cold. "Since Mr. Lin is not willing to help, I will not bother you any further. Please enjoy your fruit. I wish you a pleasant stay."

After saying that, Xu Hongdou didn't give Lin Bufan any chance to speak. She turned around decisively, grabbed the handle of the cart, and prepared to leave this room that made her feel extremely uncomfortable and absurd.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait!" Lin Bufan didn't expect Xu Hongdou to leave so easily, and immediately started yelling, "What's wrong with you? Even if the deal doesn't go through, there's still friendship! How come you don't have the patience to bargain? Buying vegetables in the market requires several rounds of back and forth! My conditions are not fixed prices! You can bargain! How can you just flip the table and walk away? You don't understand the skills of business negotiation at all!"

Xu Hongdou's hand gripping the cart handle suddenly stopped, and she turned her head in disbelief: "You...you can still bargain?"

Lin Bufan said this with a matter-of-fact expression, even with a hint of disdain, as if to say, "How come you don't understand this?" "Of course! Market economy, free trade! If you allow me to make an offer, then you can also counter-offer! How can you just flip the table? Your business negotiation class was taught by a physical education teacher, right?"

Lin Bufan leisurely picked up another grape, wandered over to the sofa and sat down, crossing his legs. He didn't care that the hem of his bathrobe was untied. "Tell me, what's your target price? Be bold, don't be afraid of hurting me, I can handle it very well."

Xu Hongdou was a bit confused by this reversal. She stood there, not knowing whether to leave or stay, her expression tangled. She took a deep breath, trying to make sense of this absurd situation. "Mr. Lin, I don't understand... How can you bargain for something like this? This isn't a normal deal at all!"

"Why not?" Lin Bufan began to present facts and reason with Xu Hongdou: "Look, you need me to provide extremely precious and possibly unique medical services, right? I need you to pay the corresponding price, right? This is the most typical transaction model! As for the specific form and content of the price, of course it can be negotiated! I'm not the kind of unreasonable person!" Lin Bufan spoke confidently, as if he was expounding some business truth.

Xu Hongdou felt her worldview being challenged. She spoke with difficulty, "So... you mean... it's not necessary... it doesn't have to be that...?"

"Oh my!" Lin Bufan slapped his forehead with an exaggerated expression. "My dear Manager Xu, why can't you think flexibly? My opening price is just a starting point, an anchoring effect! The purpose is to leave enough room for subsequent bargaining! This is called a negotiation strategy! Do you understand?"

Lin Bufan counted on his fingers and began to teach on the spot: "For example, you can bargain and say: Mr. Lin, you think my appearance is plain and not worthy of your superb medical skills. How about I work for you for ten years for nothing? Or, Mr. Lin, although I don't have money, I have an heirloom. Do you think it can be used to offset it? Or, Mr. Lin, can I introduce you to other clients? ... There are so many options! You have to exercise your subjective initiative!"

Xu Hongdou was stunned and muttered subconsciously: "It can be like this..."

"Why not?" Lin Bufan spread his hands and said, "Rules are dead, but people are alive! I am officially informing you that my previous offer is invalid! Now we enter the second round of bidding! Please start your counter-offer!"

He made a "please" gesture, his eyes full of encouragement and... anticipation of watching the fun.

Xu Hongdou stood there, her mind racing. Although the entire situation still felt absurd and unreliable, it seemed... was there really a glimmer of hope? She tried to ignore Lin Bufan's infuriating attitude and odd hairstyle, and began to seriously consider what she could offer.

"I...I can give you all the savings I've made since I started working." Xu Hongdou tentatively offered a specific figure. "Although it may not be much for you, this is truly all I have."

Lin Bufan touched his chin and smacked his lips: "Hmm... Your sincerity is average. Let's continue."

"I... I can work for you for free for a period of time, such as five years? No, ten years! As long as you need me, I can quit my current job and handle anything I can for you." Xu Hongdou gritted her teeth and added.

"Oh? Anything?" Lin Bufan raised his eyebrows and deliberately lengthened his tone.

Xu Hongdou immediately added cautiously, "It's legal and compliant! It doesn't violate morality or the law!"

"Tsk, boring." Lin Bufan curled his lips: "Limited value, pass! Next one!"

Xu Hongdou was a little anxious: "Then... then what exactly do you want? As long as it's something I can afford and doesn't cross my bottom line, just tell me!"

Lin Bufan spread his hands, with an expression that said, "This is easy!" "My condition is—you become my girlfriend!"

"You!" Xu Hongdou's cheeks instantly turned red with anger, feeling that she was being teased: "Is it fun to play tricks on me? You're talking in circles, but you're still saying the same thing? I said this is impossible!" She turned around abruptly and tried to pull the cart again, her movements so fast that they stirred up a gust of wind.

"Hey, hey, hey! Wait!" Lin Bufan hurriedly called out to Xu Hongdou, his tone filled with helplessness: "Why are you so impatient? Can you wait until I finish what I'm saying? How did you become a manager with such an impatience? You run away before the customer has even finished speaking?"

Tell me, who wouldn’t be anxious when meeting someone like you?

Xu Hongdou stopped moving, her chest heaving slightly with anger. She turned her head and glared at Lin Bufan, wanting to see what else he could say.

Lin Bufan spread his hands, an innocent expression that said, "You misunderstood me." "I said I wanted you to be my girlfriend, but I didn't say what I was going to do to you. Manager Xu, what era is this? Even if you're my girlfriend, or even a married couple, the woman has absolute autonomy. Do you understand? Do you know about marital rape? It's illegal!"

Xu Hongdou was stunned by Lin Bufan's sophistry. She frowned and asked doubtfully, "What do you mean?"

"Have you ever read that kind of novel?" Lin Bufan suddenly became interested, gesturing excitedly: "It's the kind where they get married with the queen of pop, but actually, because of the demands of their elders or other reasons, they both dislike each other, and right from the start they make three rules, saying they'll break up peacefully after a few years. In the meantime, they pretend to be a couple on the surface, but sleep separately at night."

Xu Hongdou looked bewildered: "...I haven't seen it."

"Tsk, you're so old-fashioned. You haven't even seen such a classic type?" Lin Bufan curled his lips in disdain, then put on a serious expression: "What I mean is, we can pretend to be boyfriend and girlfriend like in novels. I think you rejected me because you don't know me well enough. If we get along for a while, you will definitely discover my shining points and fall hopelessly in love with me. That way, my goal will be achieved, and you won't have to violate your principles. Wouldn't that make everyone happy?"

Xu Hongdou was so angry that she almost laughed: "Has anyone ever told you that you are narcissistic?"

"Need I say this? Isn't this an obvious fact?" Lin Bufan shook his colorful hair with confidence: "If a person doesn't even love himself, who else can he love?"

Xu Hongdou was speechless: "...Is this how narcissism is explained?"

"Don't worry about how you explain it," Lin Bufan took a step closer and asked with a smile, "Just tell me whether you agree or not. If you don't agree, forget it. Goodbye, I won't see you off."

Xu Hongdou bit her lip and thought for a moment before finally speaking: "Okay, I agree. But I have a few conditions."

"Accurate."

Xu Hongdou rolled her eyes in annoyance: "First, you must cure Chen Nanxing first."

"no problem!"

"Second, I'll only be your girlfriend for one year, not... half a year. Once that time is up, the relationship will automatically end."

Lin Bufan immediately bargained: "One year! Half a year is too short. I have so many advantages, you can't discover them all in half a year!"

Xu Hongdou hesitated for a moment: "...Okay, one year is enough."

"Third, during this period, you cannot do anything to me without my consent. Otherwise, the agreement will be automatically invalidated, and I will sue you."

"What if you put your hands on me?"

"Absolutely impossible!" Xu Hongdou said firmly, and Lin Bufan had no choice but to spread his hands.

"Fourth, I have the right to maintain my own privacy. You cannot interfere too much in my life."

"Fifth, that's all I can think of right now. I'll add more later."

After listening to this, Lin Bufan touched his chin and nodded: "Okay, I agree to all your conditions. But I also have a request."

"You said."

"First, you can't tell anyone about our agreement. If anyone asks, you have to say that you're with me because you admire my talent."

The corner of Xu Hongdou's mouth twitched: "...Okay."

"Secondly, I'm going back to Shanghai soon, and you have to come with me." Lin Bufan added, "But don't worry, I also own a hotel chain. If you want to continue working in this industry, I can arrange it. You can also change jobs, or even not work at all."

Xu Hongdou thought for a moment and nodded.

"Third, you also know that I am a person of status and often need female companions by my side. When I need you, you can't make excuses to refuse."

"can!"

"Fourth, during this year, you are not allowed to flirt with other men. This is the most basic."

Xu Hongdou's cheeks flushed red with anger upon hearing this, and her voice rose eight octaves: "Lin Bufan! Who do you think I am? Since I promised you, I will naturally abide by the agreement. How could I possibly do such a thing!"

"That's good." Lin Bufan nodded with satisfaction and held out his hand: "Agreement is reached, girlfriend."

Xu Hongdou took a step back, avoiding Lin Bufan's hand: "Wait! I mean I will only be your girlfriend after you cure Nanxing. Before that, our agreement has not officially begun."

Lin Bufan spread his hands indifferently: "Okay, then let's wait until tomorrow to treat your bestie and then we'll talk about it!"