Love for One Night

Ch 2: Over-the-Shoulder Throw (1)

"Ryo, I heard you recently got a girlfriend?" Arden walked into KSF, went straight to the fridge, and grabbed a bottle of mineral water.

Ryo waited for Arden to finish greeting the other classmates lounging on the sofas in the KSF lobby before dragging him to sit at the bar. Slouching like a withered radish, he gritted his teeth and muttered, "Don't bring it up."

Arden was thoroughly entertained by the sight of this usually lively boy looking so dejected. People are like that—enjoying others' misfortunes as long as it doesn't involve themselves. The messier the situation, the more intriguing it becomes. But outwardly, he feigned concern. "What happened? The radish rotted in the pit? (a slang in Chinese which means girlfriend gets pregnant)"

Ryo glared at him. "Do you think I'm the type to leave things unguarded down there?"

"Then what kind of girl could make our charming, handsome, dashing heartthrob so depressed?"

Arden's flattery thoroughly choked Ryo. His frustration was evident, but he couldn't bring himself to admit it. A "heartthrob" like him hadn't even made any progress in a week—how could he possibly say that out loud?

Ryo stayed silent, but Moya didn't, "Seven days and five hours. This guy hasn't managed to sleep with his so-called girlfriend."

"Pfft!" Ardon spat out a mouthful of water.

Ryo fiercely glared at Moya, who had just walked in and remained oblivious to the attentions she attracted from the crowd of "wolves" on the sofas. The icy look in Ryo's eyes and his battle-ready stance were worlds apart from his earlier defeated demeanor. Moya was clearly his stimulant; the two never stopped bickering when they were near each other.

"If you keep quiet, no one will mistake you for a duck," Ryo retorted, muttering nonsense.

"You think everyone is as stupid as you? If I keep quiet, they'd think I'm mute."

Arden pointed at Ryo, turning to Moya incredulously for confirmation. "You're saying this guy hasn't been able to handle that girl in a whole week?" A whole week, and he hadn't heard a peep about it—Ryo had kept this under wraps well. But then again, it wasn't exactly the kind of thing you bragged about.

Moya, holding a bottle of Tsingtao beer with her slender fingers, tilted her chin slightly as if to say, "Ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

Arden turned back to Ryo, looking at him like he was an alien. "Bro, did you finally meet your match?"

Ryo pursed his lips and pretended to be mute.

Arden nudged him with his shoulder. "Didn't expect there'd be a girl you couldn't handle."

Ryo rolled his eyes, unsure how to refute the claim. After all, it was true, as embarrassing as it was to admit.

"Is she a student? Or a model?" Arden guessed easily, knowing Ryo's simple tastes.

"She's also a student at our school. Supposedly part-time modeling," Moya answered for Ryo.

"One from your dad's company?" Arden pressed.

Ryo's dad owned a well-established entertainment agency. Back in the day, Arden's mom had been one of their top-notch artists. The agency had signed many famous models, shaping Ryo's taste to be both simple and picky.

"Nop." If she were from his dad's company, this wouldn't even be an issue—unless Ryo's dad claimed her first.

"And you dare chase after a freelance model? Aren't you worried about giving your family trouble?" For the young heir of the Ryo family to be involved with a model from another company or a model without agency—it'd only boost others' reputations while diminishing his own. Plus, freelance models often had complicated backgrounds. Fun was fine, but dating seriously was another matter.

"She's not exactly a freelance model... just... a nobody ... you know ... a part-time one." Honestly, calling her a model was probably an overstatement.

"That should make it easier. Didn't you tell her you're the heir of Ryo Entertainment? She should be falling over herself to get into your bed."

"Of course I told her..." Unfortunately, it didn't work. The girl just stared at him blankly, having never even heard of Ryo Entertainment.

Arden's expression turned serious. A model who didn't aware of the Ryo family's reputation. She might be a plant from a rival company and just putting on a show.

"Next time you meet her, let me tag along."

Ryo eyed him warily.

Arden winked with his left eye. " What, afraid I'm going to steal her away?"