Chapter 2

To raise more funds as fast as possible, I dug out the private wine collection my father had left behind.

Among the bottles was a rare, vintage Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, worth a fortune.

I contacted a broker at a private, underground auction house, hoping it would fetch a high price.

The auction took place in a secluded private club downtown. The lighting was dim, and the atmosphere felt suffocatingly heavy.

Dressed in a plain T-shirt and washed-out jeans, I sat among rows of impeccably dressed elites, looking completely out of place.

When my bottle was brought up to the stage, my palms began to sweat with anxiety.

This was likely the last high-value asset I had left to sell.

Just then, a guy wearing an oversized hoodie, a baseball cap, and a face mask slid into the empty seat beside me.

He was shrouded in shadow, revealing only a pair of sharp, fiercely rebellious eyes.

A faint scent of expensive liquor and crisp tobacco lingered around him.

"Hey," he suddenly spoke up. His voice was slightly husky, carried by the bright energy of youth. "You here to pawn stuff off, too?"

I ignored him.

He didn't seem to care and kept rambling on his own. "I just got into a huge fight with my family and stormed out. They're trying to force me to take over the family firm. Annoying as hell. Seriously, why can't people just do what they actually love?"

I stayed completely silent.

I had an endless mountain of real problems to deal with; I had zero energy to indulge a spoiled rich kid's teenage angst.

He didn't really need a response anyway. He just kept muttering to himself in a low voice.

From esports championships to his overbearing older brother, all the way to the stray cat he adopted.

He only stopped talking when the bidding for my wine began.

The price climbed steadily, and my heart leaped into my throat.

Finally, the gavel struck down at a number that exceeded my expectations. I let out a long, heavy breath of relief.

The guy next to me suddenly scoffed. "Boring."

With that, he stood up and strode out of the hall.

By the time I finished the paperwork, collected my payout check, and walked out of the venue, it was already past midnight.

The moment I stepped past the lobby doors, I saw the guy in the hoodie being swarmed by a mob of paparazzi.

"Leo! Why did you suddenly skip the grand finals tonight? Is there bad blood between you and team management?"

"Leo, the rumors say you're retiring for good, is that true?"

"Leo, give us a statement—"

Trapped in the middle of the crowd, he waved his arms around in sheer irritation. "Stop flashing your damn cameras! Back off!"

It hit me then. This noisy stranger was Leo Zhou—the legendary esports prodigy known across the country for his god-tier gaming skills and his notoriously explosive temper.

His gaze swept through the crowd and caught sight of me. His eyes lit up. Before I could process what was happening, he reached out, grabbed my arm, pulled me against his side, and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. Facing the stunned reporters, he announced, "Can't you see I'm on a date with my girlfriend? Back off!"

I froze completely solid.

Dozens of camera flashes turned and blinded me instantly.

Leo leaned down and whispered into my ear, "Do me a favor and play along. I know you need cash. I'll pay you for your trouble."

Before I could even open my mouth to refuse, he tightened his grip around my shoulders, shoved through the sea of flashing lights, and pushed me straight into the passenger seat of an eye-catching luxury sports car parked by the curb.

The engine roared to life, and the car shot forward. Staring at the shrinking crowd of reporters in the rearview mirror, my mind went totally blank.

"Thanks, babe," Leo said, pulling down his mask to reveal an insanely handsome face. Fair skin, sharp jawline, and eyes that curled up slightly at the corners with effortless, playful charm. "What's your name? Let me get your SnapChat so I can send you the money."

"No need," I said coldly. "Pull over. I'm getting out."

He raised an eyebrow. "Feisty, huh? Fine. Guess I owe you one."

He pulled the car over to the curb. Without looking back, I pushed the door open and stepped out into the night.

I thought that was the end of a bizarre, one-off encounter.

I had no idea that by the very next morning, my face and the hashtag #LeosSecretGirlfriend would explode across the trending feeds.