28. How to make a woman become your own.

Before Chen Ze went to dinner, the investigative firm provided him with files worth 500,000, which included information on Gong Bingyan.

Actually, the system was slightly off. She wasn't exactly the daughter of an enemy—she was a niece, that much was true. Gong Bingyan was the daughter of Gong Yaowen, not Gong Yaowu, though she had been raised by Gong Yaowu's wife. Born in the United States in 2000, she was taken in by Gong Yaowu’s wife after her mother passed away in 2006, and she remained there until Gong Yaowen fell critically ill in 2015. After Gong Yaowen's funeral in 2016, she left for South Korea to study.

That she had returned to the country at this stage was a bit of a surprise to Chen Ze, but not entirely. It involved a specific matter. Although he lacked concrete evidence, he highly suspected it.

Gong Yaowen: 33.2%.
Gong Yaowu: 25.7%.

Bangyuan Real Estate was firmly controlled by the Gong brothers, with the remainder held by small shareholders and retail investors. After Gong Yaowen’s death, his shares would surely have been prioritized for his descendants, and Gong Bingyan was his only daughter. According to the industrial and commercial registration, Gong Yaowu currently held a 38.5% stake (having cashed out 20% over the last two years).

The reason Chen Ze suspected Gong Bingyan had inherited Gong Yaowen’s shares was because it was entirely possible. After all, shares could be held by a proxy. By the time Gong Yaowen died, Gong Bingyan was already sixteen, and judging by her demeanor, she didn’t seem like a submissive, obedient girl. If she weren't, how could she have simply let her uncle easily usurp her assets? Furthermore, Gong Yaowu had children of his own; even if the uncle and niece were close, such matters should have been clearly delineated.

Previously, Chen Ze hadn't looked too deeply into this, as he viewed everyone in the Gong family as a villain. But now that the system had presented a choice, it served as confirmation that this Gong Bingyan was exactly the person he had suspected.

[Within 24 hours, make Gong Bingyan call you "Master" three times and admit that she is your slave from now on.]

There was no penalty for failing the task. Chen Ze chose option one almost immediately, though he hadn't expected the system’s mission to be so difficult. A slave? In this day and age? How was he supposed to turn a woman into a slave…

"Drinking alone is boring. Want to play a game?"

After clearing his thoughts, Chen Ze penalized himself with half a glass of wine and proposed a game. Gong Bingyan hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Sure, what are we playing?"

"Truth or Dare."

Chen Ze said it directly. Gong Bingyan gave him a strange look, agreed readily, and quipped, "A bit low-brow, but fine, let's play."

There were dice in the booth drawer, protected by a transparent plastic cover to prevent them from being lost.

"The rules are simple. I’ll shake the dice, you guess odd or even. If you guess right, it's your turn; if you guess wrong, it's mine," Chen Ze said, holding the dice cup.

Gong Bingyan ate a piece of cantaloupe and nodded. "Alright, let's go."

As Chen Ze shook the cup gently, the contents remained hidden. He chuckled, "Make your guess."

"Odd."

This kind of game was entirely based on luck. Unless Chen Ze was a highly skilled card sharp, there was no reason to hesitate. It was a blind guess—50% odds.

Chen Ze held the cup with both hands, not rushing to open it. He looked at the beauty with the long, wavy hair and smiled faintly. "Let's agree on this first: whether it's Truth or Dare, if you lose, you have to drink, but you can choose how much."

"Deal."

With 50% odds, it didn't matter if he won or lost. Gong Bingyan agreed readily. They reached a consensus. Chen Ze lifted the lid. There were five dice in total, and he calculated the sum almost instantly.

"Eighteen. You lose."

Gong Bingyan sighed at her own bad luck and waved her hand. Before drinking, she said nonchalantly, "I choose Truth. Ask."

Chen Ze didn't hold back. "Why did you come here to drink alone?"

Gong Bingyan had intended to take just a sip, but at his question, she unconsciously drank a bit more. After swallowing, she replied coolly, "Because I was cheated."

"Cheated?"

Chen Ze feigned surprise. Seeing this, Gong Bingyan set down her glass, her eyes sparkling, and gestured with her hand. "Want to know? Win, and I'll tell you."

"Playful, aren't you?"

Chen Ze laughed, covered the cup, and shook it again. This time, Gong Bingyan still chose odd. He lifted the lid and said, "Twelve. You lose. Answer."

Gong Bingyan looked a bit surprised, but seeing Chen Ze’s smug expression, she curled her lips into a smile. "This time, I choose Dare."

"Fine."

Seeing Gong Bingyan playing like this—piquing his curiosity without satisfying it—Chen Ze smiled faintly. "A dare? Then give me a kiss on the cheek."

Chen Ze pointed to his cheek. Gong Bingyan gave him a peculiar look, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly. Kissing just after meeting? Wasn't that a bit inappropriate?

"If you're not willing, just choose Truth," Chen Ze said triumphantly. But the next second, Gong Bingyan leaned in and kissed his cheek directly.

The warmth lingered, then faded into a cool sensation. After the fleeting touch, Gong Bingyan picked up her glass, looking pleased yet indifferent. "Continue."

The alluring fragrance lingered at the tip of his nose. Setting aside the hatred, Gong Bingyan was undeniably a great beauty. Although her beauty might have been "enhanced," if there were no visible signs of surgery, it was as good as natural. She looked a bit like the South Korean actress Roh Jeong-eui—he wondered if they were "patients" of the same kind.

Chen Ze shook the dice again. Gong Bingyan still chose odd, but this time, luck didn't favor the lucky.

"Truth."

"Such a coward."

Chen Ze hadn't expected to be scolded. Looking at Gong Bingyan, who was staring straight at him, he said speechlessly, "Ask, hurry up."

Gong Bingyan gripped her glass, her eyes fixed on the simple, handsome man, half-smiling as she asked, "How many girlfriends have you had?"

"Three."

Don't ask—if you do, the answer is three. For Chen Ze, this answer was safe—it allowed him to advance or retreat. In truth, he had forgotten how many relationships he had actually had. Or rather, it wasn't that he had forgotten, but that some were hard to define. He didn't know if they counted as having started or ended; some hadn't been "official" but involved sleeping together, others involved just a kiss. But as of 2018, Chen Ze had only been in two relationships, so "three" was close enough; it wasn't a lie.

Gong Bingyan didn't dig deeper into the answer. The dice continued to roll, and Chen Ze lost again.

"Truth. Your turn to ask."

"Then how did your previous three relationships end?"

Gong Bingyan seized the opportunity to ask a follow-up. She crossed her arms, looking at him lazily and triumphantly. Chen Ze was speechless. He took a sip of wine and said, "The first was because we were too young and ignorant in school. The second was a long-distance relationship. The third one—she pursued me and then dumped me."

"Are you putting on a show for me?"

Hearing Chen Ze’s answer, Gong Bingyan’s deep eyes narrowed slightly. She gave him a sharp, fierce glare. "You aren't honest at all."

"Do you think I'm lying to you?"

Good heavens. Chen Ze swore he wasn't lying this time. His first three relationships really had ended that way. The first was in eighth grade; they were just kids who didn't know anything. After he went to Tianjin for school, that "relationship"—if one could even call it that—ended. The second was Li Yao; although his family's bankruptcy was the trigger for the breakup, it really had been a long-distance relationship. The third one—he hadn't lied about that either; the girl had pursued him, and when things didn't work out, she dumped him.

Seeing Gong Bingyan’s skeptical look, Chen Ze picked up the dice cup again, shook it, and gave a bitter smile. "Alright, actually I've had four relationships, but let's not talk about that for now. Let's keep playing."

"Still odd."

Gong Bingyan wasn't in a hurry to get to the bottom of it. She chose odd as usual, and the loser was still Chen Ze.

"Still Truth. Ask."

Chen Ze took the initiative to pick up his glass. This time, Gong Bingyan kept him company, taking a small sip of her wine before asking, "Then how did you break up with your last ex?"

Speaking of this, Chen Ze couldn't help but fall into memory. He toyed with his glass, a flash of pain in his eyes. "The third one was an older woman. She helped me walk out of the shadow of a previous breakup and taught me many things."

Gong Bingyan arched an eyebrow. "What did she teach you?"

He hadn't shaken the dice this time, so Chen Ze could have chosen not to answer, but he couldn't help it—he was still immersed in his sorrowful memories.

"She taught me how to cherish a girl and how to be a good boyfriend. But not long after she finished teaching me, she turned around and went to teach someone else."

"That's not right. Didn't you say you'd had four?"