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Just like Damian Shi, all the young men and women in the hall were stunned. They couldn't believe that Shawn Young and Xu Dong, those two oddballs, had managed to attract three drop-dead gorgeous beauties. Could they really be that poor? Everyone started to wonder, realizing things were way more complicated than they'd thought!
Just as Damian Shi was hesitating, Maggie Chang stifled a strange smile and politely said, "Uh—Mr. Shi, I'm sorry, but I can't accept your feelings. I have to go now! My mom's waiting for me!"
"Uh—why? Can you give me a reason?" Damian Shi finally snapped back, realizing his carefully crafted plan to win Maggie's heart was about to flop. His handsome face twisted with frustration.
"Oh, Mr. Shi, you should know the gap between us is just too big. I live in low-rent housing, I'm a poor girl, and I have a mother who's bedridden and needs my care. You're a famous rich kid. Compared to your life, mine is like heaven and hell—totally different worlds! So—I'm really sorry, I—I don't deserve you. I hope you find someone better than me—I, I have to go!" Maggie Chang explained apologetically, then turned to leave.
"Wait—Maggie, don't you believe I truly love you? Don't you believe that true love can break through all the barriers of society? I think I can give you everything you want—" Damian Shi cried out, desperate to confess.
"I'm really sorry, I—I can't even dream about love right now! I can't afford it—" Maggie Chang said with a sad look, slowly picking up her purse, ready to leave.
Damian Shi finally panicked. He knew that if Maggie left, all his careful planning would go down the drain, turning into a mix of farce and tragedy—which was something he just couldn't accept!
Damian Shi's handsome face darkened and twisted. He suddenly called out coldly to Maggie Chang, who was about to leave: "Maggie Chang—aren't you just trying to raise money for your mom's heart surgery? I can help you with that! And about your dad, who ran off with public funds and disappeared—I hired someone to investigate, and now we have news! Don't you want to know where he is?"
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"Of course—there's nothing Damian Shi can't do if he sets his mind to it!" Damian said proudly, realizing he'd found Maggie Chang's weak spot.
"Then—can you tell me where he is now?" Maggie Chang asked urgently.
Damian Shi shrugged and sighed, "Oh—Maggie, he's overseas now, drowning in debt and living a pretty miserable life—"
"Ah—he went abroad, no wonder I couldn't find him here in China—Mr. Shi, can you tell me exactly where my father is? I want to go find him—" Maggie Chang couldn't hide her eagerness.
Damian Shi sighed, "Maggie—it's not that I don't want to help you, you know? I went through a lot of trouble and spent a lot to track down your father's whereabouts! If you agree to be my girlfriend—then I'll tell you everything and help you bring him back! Trust me, Damian Shi always keeps his word!"
Maggie Chang lowered her head, biting her lip, her pretty face flickering with indecision. She was struggling inside, torn. She knew Damian Shi was using this to pressure her, but she really wanted to know where her father was! What should she do?
Seeing her like that, Damian Shi knew she was fighting her final internal battle. He stoked the fire: "Maggie, you know your father's situation is terrible. No one but me can help him—"
Maggie Chang's body trembled. She knew Damian Shi was probably telling the truth; after all, her father had made a huge mistake, using his position to embezzle a large sum and then disappeared. When it all blew up, their once-happy family fell apart overnight—they lost even their basic housing, and she lost her job. Everything she had vanished, and she and her mother became the subject of gossip wherever they went. Her mother, devastated, had a heart attack and was bedridden. Maggie spent everything she had trying to save her, but nothing worked. With no other choice, she left their heartbreaking hometown and moved to a cheap rental on the outskirts of Nanning City, working and caring for her mom. Though she looked well-dressed now, no one knew she lived a life of darkness.
"Say yes, Maggie. As long as you agree to be my girlfriend, your problems are my problems! I'll solve everything for you and your family! Trust me!" Damian Shi kept urging, seeing Maggie's hesitation—he knew, just a little more effort, and he'd win the beauty tonight.
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He first spotted Maggie Chang at a party, playing piano for a living, and was instantly captivated. Damian Shi did everything he could to get close to her, learn about her life, and then started his pursuit. He knew as long as he grabbed hold of Maggie's weakness, she'd never escape his grasp. Now, seeing Maggie lost in thought, Damian was already fantasizing about having this gorgeous woman moaning under him in bed!
After a fierce internal struggle, Maggie Chang finally made up her mind. She lifted her head and seriously asked Damian Shi, "Mr. Shi, if I agree to be your girlfriend, will you really keep your promise?"
A warm, charming smile spread across Damian Shi's handsome face—he could already taste victory. He nodded elegantly, deliberately raising his voice: "Of course! Everyone knows Damian Shi is a man of his word!"—But while he said that, his mind was thinking, "Damn it, Maggie Chang, just wait. After all I've spent on you, I'm not letting you off easy. Once I've had my fun, I'll send you to Japan to shoot AVs and get my money's worth!"
"Then I—I..." Maggie Chang, after getting Damian Shi's guarantee, gritted her teeth, ready to accept his terms. Even though she'd heard from a high-class escort—who'd once been Damian's plaything—about what kind of person he was! But she was cornered, with no bargaining chips left!
Just as Maggie Chang was about to agree, a jarringly discordant male voice rang out: "Hold on—don't say yes to him!"