From Contract To All My Life: I Own You

A cold wind was howling in the winter night. A silver Volkswagen Santana was speeding along the snow-laden asphalt road.

In the car, Joy Mu, a sixteen-year-old girl, looked nervously at the man next to her. She had called him father for more than ten years.

The man was gripping the steering wheel so excitedly that his knuckles had turned pale.

"Dad,"

said Joy Mu cautiously as she reached out and tugged on his sleeve.

He shook off her hand and yelled with a twisted expression, "Don't call me Dad! I'm not your father."

"Waa, waa!"

Police sirens wailed in the distance behind them.

"Attention, car number 6758! Please pull over."

The man was not affected by the warning. He stepped on the gas and sped ahead. Then he fished out his phone from his pocket and tossed it to her. "Call up your mother and ask her to save you. Hurry up!"

The phone rang and her mother answered the call.

"Hello? Do you want money again? I have already told you... You cannot call me on this number,"

a woman said irritably in a hushed tone.

"Mom? It's me."

It felt so strange to say that word. Joy Mu had thought she was different from others as she was born without a mother.

The woman on the phone paused for a while. She never expected the person on the other line to be her daughter.

"Marry, listen! You have lied to me for so many years. I'm going to die with this bastard child. I'll make you regret it for the rest of your life!"

roared the man, who had grabbed the phone. He threw it out of the window after he was done.

"Watch out!"

The surge of adrenaline coursing through him distracted him from the road and he failed to notice the road ahead. A large truck of containers suddenly appeared on the highway. The man swerved sharply to avoid a collision but it was too late.

"Bang!" The car rammed into the truck. In a moment of desperation, Joy Mu raised her arm to protect the man's head.

The Imperial City, an entertainment club, was located in the center of A City.

It was known for being the favorite haunt of the rich and famous who spent more money here in one night than three years' salary of ordinary people.

Mu secretly followed a man with a big waist and a gold necklace. He looked nouveau

magnificent. The man with the golden necklace seemed to be a regular guest

where another group of people was

necklace was the

advance and changed into it. Amy Shen waited at the door with a room service cart. As soon as Joy Mu stepped out of the bathroom, Amy Shen handed her the

forward and secretly

cart stopped at the gate of room 414. Joy was about to walk

"What are you doing?"

"Here's the lobster!"

that her palms were sweating, but

They immediately opened

unusual inside, they allowed

bracing breath and pushed the

to an American man with a dragon tattoo on his arm. When he heard

she was there to deliver the food. She put the lobster

she was done,

the

heart lurched but she turned around

need anything else,

is there no number on

look. All the waiters in the Imperial City had their badge numbers pinned onto

no! I must have left it in the bathroom,' Joy thought in

"Knock, knock, knock!"

was scrambling to find an excuse when there was a knock on the door. Everyone

who entered dressed

her hand. There was a

it on your uniform. If the manager catches

was about to hug Amy gratefully, but when she saw the

the gold necklace peered at the number 116 on Joy's chest and seemed mollified. He allowed her to

hour, Joy estimated that they might have finished eating and accompanied the other two waiters to bring back the dishes. There was a big mess in the room. Empty wine bottles and plates were

and stole a quick peek at the people in the room. As she tidied

Joy was about to push

his eyes over the other waitress's

"Stop!"

Joy pretended not to hear him and continued to push

"Hey! Stop her!"

guys

"What are you doing?"

hid the bug behind her and held up her hands. She smiled stiffly