Chapter Five: The Cheapest Life

Gu Yan's lawyer was named Chen Shao. He clutched his briefcase as though it held a heart counting down its final beats. Chenzhou did not expose him. “What are your father's terms?” he asked Gu Yan. “End the broadcasts and sign the proxy. The Gu family will restore our engagement and pay for Mr. Zhou's operation.” Her words came quickly. “Everyone walks away with dignity.” “Do you know the proxy's hidden condition?” Gu Yan paused. “Every commercial agreement has a price.” “So you do.” That pause was more honest than an answer. Chenzhou had believed she was merely obeying her family when she ended their engagement. Now he understood that she, too, had learned to place other people's wounds on a balance sheet. Zhou Ye suddenly seized a pen.