[Urban] My Flirtatious Wife (Complete) - 16-18

Chapter 18 of Volume 1: Gu Hanxue's

passion came fiercely, but faded just as quickly. On the fifth day, after reviewing the CT scan, the doctor told me the blood clot had dissipated, meaning I could be discharged. Hearing this, I didn't jump out of bed with the same eager anticipation I had when I first arrived, shouting "Hooray!" three times.

A sense of loss seemed to linger in my heart…

In those five days, I had been completely captivated by her pair of clever and adorable dimples, and we had developed a pure and profound revolutionary affection. Don't misunderstand, it really was very pure, very transparent. I learned her name from her work badge—a cool name, yet completely different from her personality—Gu Hanxue. She looked at me with astonishment, then smiled and explained that she was born in December, specifically in the early morning, when it was snowing heavily. So her father, on a whim, gave her this name. Snow is chilling enough, but adding the word "cold" immediately reminded me of two lines of poetry from my elementary school Chinese textbook: "An old man in a straw hat and raincoat, alone in a small boat, fishing in the cold river snow." I asked her if her father used to be a fisherman, and she asked in surprise why. I explained, only to be met with a pout and a glare. Haha~ She has a gentle personality, but sometimes she can be quite carefree, or perhaps more accurately, unrestrained. Maybe she hasn't quite shaken off her girlish naiveté. A girl in her twenties who hasn't shed her naiveté? Wow—but that's enough to betray the cold name her father gave her. So, while her name sounds cold, she's actually as warm as a dancing flame. Anyone who comes into contact with her seems to be infected by her warmth, and this affability is something I, who am about her age, could never achieve.

Xiaoxue stayed in my ward until around 9 PM every day before going home. I asked the nurse on the night shift, and she said Xiaoxue's shift ended at 6 PM, meaning that from 6 PM to 9 PM, she was providing unpaid companionship. This made me feel a mix of joy, pride, and guilt. I asked her why she didn't go home after her shift, and she said her parents worked in another city, and she lived alone, so going home would be boring. She also said I was quite interesting and talkative, and that I was bored alone in the ward, so she wanted to stay with me a little longer. I was happy to enjoy this wonderful gift; having a beautiful woman to talk to was much better than staring at the IV drip! However, she was very talkative, and in just a few days, she asked about my entire family history, including whether I was married or had a girlfriend. But I skillfully avoided these sensitive questions… I couldn't very well tell her that my girlfriend was the "sister" who helped me pay my hospital fees, could I?

Speaking of Xiaoli, she's really worked hard these past few days. She's busy with work during the day and then rushes to the hospital to see me after work. Even though it was just to ask if I was feeling better, it made me incredibly grateful. All my previous doubts about her and our relationship vanished because of Xiaoli's concern. Judging

from how busy she's been with me since my injury, she's already considered me one of her own. A physical pain for a bond of affection—it was worth it!

When I was discharged, Xiaoli picked me up in her red BMW. She called to tell me she was already downstairs at the hospital. I tidied myself up a bit, opened the door, and walked out into the long, white corridor. Standing at the elevator, I watched the lights come on one by one, until it stopped on my floor. The door opened, but I didn't go in, because there was someone standing inside—it was her—Xiaoxue.

"You—are you discharged?"

she asked in surprise, her red lips slightly parted. So she didn't know I was being discharged today. No wonder I hadn't seen her this morning.

"Uh—yes, I'm discharged. Hehe…"

I laughed, but for some reason, as soon as I stepped out of the ward and spoke to her, the relaxed and natural feeling inside vanished.

The atmosphere became a little awkward.

Soon, she regained her familiar smile. "Hehe~ Happy, right?"

Looking at those dimples, I really wanted to tap them with my finger. "Mmm—yes, of course I'm happy. I haven't moved for days, I was almost dying of boredom."

I immediately regretted saying it.

Her face suddenly darkened. "Oh—really?"

"No…I…I…I didn't mean that!" I hurriedly tried to explain, but the more flustered I became, the more incoherent I sounded.

"Hehe…hehe…"

She laughed again, seemingly mistaking my panic for a circus act. "Then what did you mean?"

"Clang—"

The elevator, seemingly annoyed that no one had used it for so long, slowly closed its aluminum doors again.

"I—I mean, I've been lying in bed for days, my bones are practically moldy, but—I'm actually quite happy, because…"

I felt my face burning. Through the closing elevator doors, I glimpsed a slightly flushed, distorted face. Oh my god, how embarrassing!

"Because of what?"

She held the handouts horizontally, crossed her arms over her chest, still smiling, tilting her head as she asked.

Her expression was so pure, yet a little mischievous.

I secretly hated myself for being so useless; at my age, I still couldn't shake the habit of blushing. Finally, I mustered my courage and said, "Because you're here to chat with me, hehe~" "Oh—"

Her smile faded, she didn't comment on my answer, gave a long "oh," and turned to leave.

"Xiaoxue—"

I quickly called out to her.

"Hmm?"

She didn't turn around, but her steps faltered.

"Thank you!"

I looked at her slender back, my right eye conveying "truth" and my left eye "honesty," but unfortunately, she didn't see it.

She suddenly turned around. "Tch! Who cares about your 'thank you'? No sincerity at all. Will those two words make me gain weight? Or will they get my dean to give me a raise?"

"Then—I'll treat you to dinner another day?

" "Hehe—that's more like it. It's a deal then. I'll let you know when I'm free, and remember that song you sang when you were little!"

Her beautiful eyes blinked, her eyelashes fluttering. For a moment, I felt a pang of jealousy. I wondered who would be facing those captivating eyes in the future.

"What song?"

I slung my backpack over my shoulder. The elevator came up again.

"Duh, of course it's 'Always Ready'—your phone number hasn't changed, has it?"

The corridor was empty, not many people were around. She spoke as she backed away, and soon reached the corner in the middle. "

Nothing's changed, I'll wait for your call—"

I shouted loudly as I watched her disappearing figure.

Chapter 19 of Volume 1: Her Return .

Walking out of the outpatient building, I saw Xiao Li's rare yet familiar smile in the car in the distance, and a warm current welled up in my heart. I'm back in the human world, I thought to myself.

Xiao Li opened the door on the left and came out, her face beaming. "How are you? You seem to have gained a little weight?" “

Hehe—”

I grinned sheepishly, scratching the back of my head. (Is that my signature move?)

“Stop grinning like an idiot. Come on, to prove you’ve recovered well, be my driver today.”

She walked around the front of the car and got into the passenger seat.

I didn’t refuse, because I hadn’t ridden a horse in so long, and from the moment I saw the red 318i, my whole body was agitated. The BMW’s power was truly extraordinary; with a light touch of the accelerator, the gauges spun faster than the second hand in my hand.

“Where to?”

I asked.

Xiao Li leaned back in the pale yellow chair, tilted her head back, thought for a moment, and said, "Let's go to your place. I haven't seen your doghouse yet. Hehe—"

"I protest—"

"Oh? Protest? Well—not a doghouse, but a pigsty. Right, you were born in the Year of the Pig, so it really is a pigsty, haha—"

Wow, when did she develop a sense of humor?

I turned my head and saw her happy smile, and suddenly noticed that she had very fine crow's feet at the corners of her eyes when she smiled. Wow! How could this be? Is she very tired? Or is she carrying too much on her mind?

I quickly felt relieved. After all, she is a woman who is beginning to enter middle age, more than thirty years old. Time will inevitably leave some marks on her. Skin aging and the appearance of crow's feet are within the normal physiological range. I should treat her better, I thought. I shook my head, tossing away the glimpse I had just seen.

"Hmph! Keep protesting—"

I turned the car right onto the coastal highway, heading towards my pigsty—no, wrong word, oops—"Protest denied, haha—Xiao Shi, there's something I haven't asked yet. Didn't you say you were coming from my house the other day? How did you end up there, and get robbed?"

She put a CD in the CD player and asked.

The CD played an English song with a familiar melody. After listening carefully, I realized it was "Yes Today Once More" by The Carpenters. The song title translates to "Yes Today Once More," a classic old song that many nostalgic people will always remember. The Carpenters, this brother and sister duo who suffered so much, now the sister is gone, leaving the brother to lament alone, occasionally thinking of it, feeling utterly desolate.

God is always jealous of the excellent.

The car stopped at an intersection, waiting for the green light to turn left.

I turned to her with a mysterious smile. "I went there that day to buy..."

Halfway through my sentence, the light turned green. I shifted into left, and just as I crossed the white line, a white light flashed diagonally. I knew it was the flash of a camera catching traffic violations. Had I been photographed? My heart skipped a beat, and I eased off the accelerator.

Xiao Li noticed my hesitation and loosened her seatbelt, saying, "It's okay, that wasn't for us—"

Before she finished speaking, I felt a slight jolt in the car. My first thought was—someone had bumped into me. Looking to my right, sure enough, a small Buick was squeezed next to me. The driver was a gray-haired guy. Perhaps blinded by the flash, the Buick swerved wildly, and then it bumped into my car, the two cars colliding in an inverted V shape. But the old guy, though old, was still sharp. Seeing that he had hit my car, he immediately sped away like a rabid dog... I looked at the license plate: Guangdong S, from Dongguan. Not a local. Humph!

I immediately shifted from first to third gear, ready to give chase. You old devil, you dare to try and outdo my (Xiao Li's) horse with your Buick? If I don't catch you, you old devil, you really don't know how to spell BMW!

"Forget it, don't chase it. Pull over and take a look. It shouldn't be serious..."

Xiaoli saw my angry expression and hurriedly told me to stop and not chase. Was she worried about the car or me? Me, right? Heh—I pulled over to the right and got out to look. There was a dent about the size of a small bowl on the front right side guard plate. I looked at Xiaoli with a bitter face, and she calmly said, "Heh, it's nothing. We'll get it fixed at the repair shop tomorrow. It won't affect anything. Let's go. We can't park here for too long."

Rich people are so arrogant! I once got stuck in traffic for an hour. Later, the traffic police cleared a lane. When I passed by, I saw a Xiali and a Fukang. When the Xiali overtook the Fukang, the Fukang didn't have time to slow down and made a tiny scratch. It really was a tiny scratch, because the Xiali only had a piece of paint about the size of a fingernail. Because of this fingernail, the Xiali driver blocked National Highway 107.

“By the way, Sister Li, I clearly signaled to turn left just now, so why was I photographed?”

I asked Xiao Li while keeping a close eye on the road ahead, afraid that another Buick might suddenly appear.

Xiao Li raised her delicate eyebrows and replied, “You don’t drive often, of course you wouldn’t know. They weren’t photographing our car, they were photographing the Buick that bumped into us.”

“Why? He didn’t break any rules.”

“Well—he didn’t break any rules, but he has out-of-town license plates, not from this city.”

“Huh? Out-of-town plates get photographed? Aren’t cameras automatic? How can they distinguish between out-of-town and local license plates?”

I was even more puzzled.

"You idiot, who told you the cameras are automatic? Only speed cameras are automatic. These traffic light cameras are all contracted out by the traffic police department. They all have monitoring rooms with people operating them. They take pictures of violations and get 200 yuan each time. They're like us; they have targets and quotas. They pay a fixed amount to the traffic police team every year, and the rest is commission. But since the implementation of electronic monitoring, there are very few violations, but who doesn't want to make more money? So they don't care if it's a violation or not; if they want to take a picture, they will. But there's one thing: they don't dare to take pictures of local cars because they're afraid of offending people. So—out-of-town cars are unlucky..."

Xiaoli finished in one breath, and I was stunned for a long time.

Is that even possible? I've learned something new.

"Damn it! A harmonious society,"

I cursed under my breath.

At the next few traffic lights, I was constantly worried—what if some blind traffic officer mistook my license plate for an out-of-town one? So at each intersection, I waited for other cars to move first before slowly starting my own.

Xiao Li kept her eyes closed, her lips moving slightly, as if humming along to an unknown English song on a CD. I wondered what she was thinking. Lin Hao? Wenwen? Me? How could I have put them all ahead of me? Perhaps subconsciously, I've always lacked confidence, always feeling a huge gap between myself and Xiao Li. I gave myself a bitter smile, immediately blurring all the answers, because I didn't want to know, and I was afraid to know. At least she was beside me now, less than thirty centimeters away; nothing else mattered.

Another weekend passed. On Monday, I went to work, and as I expected, no one in the department asked why I hadn't shown up for a week. These guys, except for getting excited about a raise or their mother dying, otherwise… They're all utterly cold-blooded.

However, besides their indifference, I sensed something else was amiss. Looking around, I found J's seat empty; besides a computer, all his office supplies and personal belongings were gone.

I quickly asked the assistant, who stared at me with a half-smile. "He resigned. Didn't you know? He's been gone for a week."

I understood why she was smiling; she must have thought I'd ousted J so I could rightfully take his supervisor's position. I was the manager's favorite—it was practically an open secret in the sales department. Honestly, J was my best friend; how could I do something so heartless? I went to the smoking

area in the stairwell and dialed J's number. "Hey! You're really unfair! I've only been away from work for a week, and you've already run off? Did some girl bewitch you and you eloped?"

On the other end of the line, he sighed, a rare occurrence for him. "Sigh…brother, don't say anything. I didn't want to either; I was forced into it, damn it!"

"What's wrong? You rarely seem down. Tell me about it."

"Sigh... It's hard to explain over the phone. I'll tell you tonight. Don't work overtime tonight. I'll wait for you at Little Sheep Hot Pot at seven."

Little Sheep Hot Pot is the name of a restaurant, and as the name suggests, its signature dish is lamb.

Xiao Li didn't come to the office today; she went on a business trip to Hong Kong for a week. Before leaving, she gave me her car keys and asked me to pick up her car from the repair shop.

July and August are the off-season for the PCB market. After organizing a few documents, I got a little bored and ended up picking at my nails until I left work, my mind racing with random guesses about why J resigned. When

I got off work, I discovered that it had rained despite the bright sunshine in the morning. The roads were full of puddles. Since it was still early, I went home, took a shower, changed my clothes, and then rushed to Little Sheep Hot Pot at 6:50. J arrived almost at the same time. I saw him get out of his car, looking haggard.

"Beer or liquor?"

he asked after ordering.

I shook my head. "Alcohol? Forget it. I just got out of the hospital. The doctor said it's best to avoid alcohol and cigarettes for two months. I'll just have Coke." "

Damn, the doctor said saving lives is their duty. Have you ever seen anyone who can't afford hospitalization and surgery?"

He's been so down all day. What's making him so depressed?

"Okay, then let's have beer. Get some Kingway, it's pretty good—waiter—"

I waved to the waiter for two beers.

J looked serious, tilted his head back, downed a full glass of beer, put down the glass, and sighed deeply. "Sigh..."

"Come on, I've never seen you so down. What happened?"

I looked at him seriously.

"Actually, it's nothing. You know I've only been married for six months, right?"

I nodded. He continued, "Only six months, but just recently I accidentally discovered that my wife is still in contact with her ex-lover. Damn! Can you believe how pathetic I am?"

"Well—I think it's normal to have contact. Former lovers can still be friends."

I advised.

"Damn! If it were just contact, I wouldn't be this angry, but I saw them eating together with my own eyes. That guy drove a Honda Accord, acting all high and mighty. You have no idea how upset I was..."

He poured himself a drink, his eyes blazing with jealousy and anger.

Actually, J's worries weren't unfounded. In this day and age, many men without a car or a house wake up one day to find themselves cheated on. I've met his wife; she has a round face, big, bright eyes that seem to speak volumes. Overall, she seems like the kind of person who's lucky despite being a bit naive. She's not unattractive, especially to someone who's had a past fling with her; once married, she seems to have more appeal.

As I arranged the two dishes that had been served, I asked, "So you're so sure she's cheated on you? I think you shouldn't act rashly. Observe her carefully. After all, you're married now, and it wasn't easy getting through this."

"Hmm—that's what I was thinking too. Let's see. If they really are, then I'll..."

He trailed off, but I knew he wasn't choked by the food; he was just upset. I knew a little about the ups and downs J and his wife had been through.

"How about this, you take her home for a while, and come back when you think they've cooled off."

"Hmm—that's really what I'm planning to do, which is why I quit my job. Hehe, you and I are on the same page! You're my brother, cheers!"

J's hometown is Zhangjiajie, Hunan, which is in the same province as me, but we're in the southeast and northwest, respectively.

"Damn! You're so relieved, but you've ruined me. Everyone thinks I'm the one who pushed you out. How long are you planning to stay at home? What are your plans after you come back here?"

He was already smiling, so things shouldn't be too bad. Actually, he had already planned it all out; he just lacked someone to affirm his actions, and now I was that person encouraging him.

"Don't worry about that,"

J said cheerfully, popping a few peanuts into his mouth and chewing them with a "crunch, crunch." He seemed to have completely emerged from the shadow of his wife's impending infidelity, his face regaining its usual calm. I felt deeply gratified, thinking I had done another meritorious deed.

"Really? What does your friend's company do?"

"Mainly an agency, they have their own customers, they distribute drill bits (drill bits are used for drilling in circuit board manufacturing processes) and laboratory equipment, etc..."

We chatted happily that night, and J became particularly talkative. We both knew that after tonight, we didn't know when we would have another chance to get together. As we talked, we forgot about the passage of time. It was already 10 p.m. when we got back. I lay on the bed and thought about many things... many things...

A light drizzle had been falling for a whole week. On Saturday afternoon, I was using a hairdryer to dry my underwear—I hadn't changed my underwear for two days, and if it didn't dry soon, I would have to go out and buy ten or eight pairs. The phone rang. It was an unknown number. I turned off the hairdryer and pressed the answer button. I heard a loud female voice on the other end of the line, "Hello, Little Pig, is that you?"

My breathing suddenly became rapid. The door, the window, and the ceiling seemed to be pressing against me. The bright window suddenly went dark. I sat on the soft bed, and when I heard that voice, I only had one feeling—dizziness! This voice once drove me crazy, captivated me, intoxicated me, and made me proud; yet, it also cruelly shattered my heart, sending me soaring to the clouds only to slam me back to earth. I will never forget this voice, and I've discovered that deep down, I've always longed for her return.

"Who are you?"

My inherent masculine pride still supported me in uttering this cold question.

"Hehe…it really is you! You haven't changed your number? That's great! It's me, Liu'er! You've forgotten me so quickly?"

Her tone shifted from cheerful to disappointed, and I couldn't help but think of Carina Lau, my favorite actress.

"Oh, it's you. What's wrong?"

I could clearly hear my heart

pounding at a rate 50% higher than usual, but I dared not let it slip out.

"Little Pig, you—why are you so cold? Don't you really care about me anymore? I…waaaah…waaah, I'm at the airport, just got off the plane, can you come pick me up? Waaah…" She

was crying on the other end; it didn't seem fake. Carina Lau temporarily disappeared from my sight.

"Okay, okay... stop crying. Where are you at the airport?"

A woman's crying really sounds awful, like a swarm of flies buzzing

around your ear, giving you a splitting headache and making you want to smash your head against a rock.

"I'm at McDonald's near the exit..."

"Wait for me for half an hour, I'll be right there."

I hung up the phone and dashed out the door like a whirlwind. After a few steps, I realized I'd forgotten to lock the door, so I ran back...

The red 318i sped along the highway. I'd just picked the car up from the repair shop. When I got it, I looked at the right side skid plate, and it was completely restored to its original condition. Not only at first glance, but even upon closer inspection, you couldn't tell it had been in an accident.

The rain continued, and a bluish-white mist floated around me, like a group of sprites dancing in the wind. The azure sky was their stage for graceful leaps. The sprites would sometimes swirl upwards, sometimes swoop down in a group, crashing into the windshield. A wiper would instantly turn them back into puddles. In truth, isn't life just like that? No matter how wealthy, how successful, or how high your social standing, you only eat three meals a day, and you only sleep on a surface no bigger than two meters wide. When your eyes close, you too will turn to ash, ultimately becoming fertilizer for plants.

Yang Liu was my ex-girlfriend. I've mentioned her many times, but each time I've only touched on the subject. It's not that I don't want to, but she's a scar in my heart. I want to reopen it, but I'm afraid of the pain. Yet, if I don't reopen it, it will never heal. But the scar will always be there. I seem to have never forgotten her, even when I was in bed with Xiao Li. I'm so pathetic, I think.

My initial interest in her stemmed from her name—Yang Liu (Willow).

Mao Zedong once wrote in "Butterfly Loves Flowers - Reply to Li Shuyi": "I lost my proud Yang, you lost your Liu; the willows sway lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven. I ask where Wu Gang is, and Wu Gang offers osmanthus wine. The lonely Chang'e stretches her long sleeves, dancing for the loyal souls across the vast sky. Suddenly, news arrives that a tiger has been subdued on earth, and tears fall like a torrential rain." (Li Shuyi was a Chinese language teacher at Changsha No. 10 Middle School in Hunan at the time, and a close friend of Yang Kaihui. "Yang and Liu" refers to Yang Kaihui and Li's husband, Liu Zhixun (who died in the Battle of Honghu in Hubei in 1933).)

She was a bold and meticulous girl. At that time, I worked as a network administrator in a small internet cafe. She arrived almost every day at six o'clock in the evening and asked me to turn on her computer. Whenever I had free time, she would pull me aside and ask me to teach her how to play games—MapleStory.

I really didn't understand why a girl would like to play these games. In the game of hack-and-slash, I still couldn't understand why she insisted on having me teach her, since my level wasn't even as high as hers. However, after learning her name, I re-evaluated her. She wasn't perfect-looking, not exactly a beauty, but she was very attractive, the kind of girl who grew more captivating the more you looked at her. Later, I continued teaching her, and eventually, things naturally progressed to the bedroom, and in doing so, I also instilled her in my heart, one I couldn't shake off.

Lost in thought, I finished the 50-plus kilometer highway drive, parked the car after passing the airport exit, and nervously walked towards McDonald's…

The distance from the airport parking lot to McDonald's was less than 200 meters. I imagined the scene when I saw her next. I glared at her, and roared, "You slut, you finally decided to come back?"

Then her lips curved downwards, and she began to sob softly. I went over to comfort her. Or perhaps we don't remember what happened, like Xu Xian and Bai Suzhen's meeting on the Broken Bridge, where they immediately dropped their umbrellas and embraced tightly, wanting to merge into one another, their bodies and souls intertwined. However

, none of that happened. After avoiding a few hurried tourists, I looked up and saw her standing quietly by the glass door at the exit. That familiar figure is like a brand on my life, something I can never erase from my mind. She stood there peacefully, unaffected by the hurried movements of the many travelers.

She was wearing... She wore a bright red t-shirt and faded jeans, her hair styled in waves, a more alluring and mature look compared to her straight hair a year ago. A breeze carrying moisture swept by, lifting her neatly styled bangs and releasing a captivating fragrance. She pulled a black suitcase in her right hand, smiled slightly at me, her expression natural, as if she had just returned from a business trip. She had changed; that familiar smile now seemed like a mask to me, but even as a mask, it felt so warm. My feelings at that moment were like those of Yang Guo, the one-armed warrior, finally finding his beloved after sixteen years of waiting.

"You're back?"

My voice trembled slightly, and my hands kept rubbing together as if they were dirty.

"Hmm..." She

reached out and handed me the suitcase handle. From the moment I appeared, she had maintained a smile, while I, trembling with fear, cautiously observed her like a child who had done something wrong. I took

the suitcase, and then realized something was wrong. She was the one who had done something wrong, not me. She had abandoned me without a word, and if I hadn't found out from one of her friends that she had gone to Shanghai, I almost would have gone to the police station to report her. And now she was acting like nothing had happened, swaggering around and exercising her "womanly rights" on me—she used to always leave everything to me to carry, saying, "What are men for if they don't help women carry things?" "

That's her catchphrase when she's shopping." Thinking about it, I suddenly laughed again. So I'm still willingly her slave, either I'm pathetic, or I've never truly hated her. And the first person she thought of when she got back was me; I should be happy.

She walked a few steps ahead, then turned back and saw me standing there smiling instead of following. She frowned. "What are you grinning about? Did you drive or take a taxi?"

"Oh—oh, I drove. This way…"

I quickly picked up my luggage and led her to the parking lot.

"Huh—is this your car? You didn't get the wrong one, did you? Hey, you're really something, driving this car now?"

Seeing me open the 318i door, her face went through a series of expressions: surprise, excitement, and more.

I put the luggage in the trunk, slammed the trunk door shut, and replied, "It's not mine, it belongs to our manager. She's away on a business trip, I borrowed it for two days, I'll return it to her when she gets back."

Her surprised smile quickly faded, replaced by a long "Oh—" I

was annoyed. I tried the key several times but couldn't get it in. Damn it! I snapped, focused on the keyhole, shoved it in hard, and twisted it forcefully. "Screech—Vroom—"

The car immediately emitted a slight engine noise.

"Where to?"

I asked once we were on the highway.

"Where? Home."

"Home of what? Did your family move here?"

Her family moved here? How come I didn't know? I quickly berated myself for being stupid. She disappeared for a year, got married, and I didn't even know.

"No, uh—I mean, what about my family and yours? What's wrong? You—don't love me anymore? Have you got a new girlfriend?"

she said anxiously.

"No, I just think, you disappeared for a year without explanation, shouldn't you explain?"

"Oh—I see, haha, then I'll tell you. Actually, I've been staying in my hometown for the whole year, haven't gone anywhere. Do you see how tanned I am?" "

She effortlessly pulled out the thorn that had been stuck in my heart for a year.

"Really? I heard from your best friend Amin that you went to Shanghai?"

I asked, secretly observing her in the rearview mirror as I drove.

A fleeting, unnatural look crossed her eyes, but it vanished in an instant. "Ugh—don't even mention it, it's so embarrassing. I was tricked into going there, told I was doing multi-level marketing and could earn millions a year. When I got there, it was just a pyramid scheme. I stayed in Shanghai for seven days and then went back to Tianmen."

Tianmen is Tianmen City in Hubei Province, her hometown.

The rain had stopped, but the roads were still flooded, and wisps of white mist hung in the air. Suddenly, everything went dark as the car entered a tunnel.

"Really? Even so, it's impossible to not be able to make a single phone call in a year, right?"

“Yeah, that’s what bothers me too. My phone was confiscated as soon as I arrived in Shanghai, and my ID card and everything else were taken away. You have no idea how terrifying pyramid schemes are. Later, when I got home, who knew—who knew that my family had heard from someone that I had a boyfriend from another province, they locked the home phone with a password, and wouldn’t let me make any calls, or even go out to make calls. I…I really want to tell you how upset I was, but that’s just how my family is, I just can’t explain it to them. This time I had to sneak out.”

I saw her gesturing wildly in the rearview mirror as she described the fear of pyramid schemes, and suddenly it seemed a bit exaggerated. Yet, from the articles I’d read online about pyramid schemes, it really was like that. The dim lights in the tunnel flashed by rapidly, and I couldn’t see her face clearly, couldn’t tell what expression she had. Regret? Excitement?

Should I believe her?

The tunnel was very long, a full two kilometers. I silently thought about what Yang Liu had said, my hands mechanically turning the steering wheel.

Emerging from the tunnel, we fell silent. Yang Liu fiddled with the Donald Duck tag in her bag, the only sound in the car the muffled thud of the wheels rolling over the viaduct connecting sections. The air seemed to solidify, and I suddenly felt a bit restless, so I turned the air conditioning up to level three.

"Shi, how have you been these days?"

she asked.

"Me? Ha—I'm fine, still alive."

My tone was cold, almost as cold as the air conditioning.

"I...I'm sorry, it's all my fault, it's all my fault. I should have at least called you. I know you don't believe me, but I was really being watched tightly by my family, I had no chance to escape. I'm sorry...Shi..."

She suddenly became anxious, apologizing frantically.

This was the scene I longed for, but now I didn't know what to do. Looking back, I realized I had been a bit too harsh with her.

First, I have no direct evidence of what she did over the past year. I can't be sure if she did anything to betray me. Besides, we didn't make any grand promises or vows a year ago, so even if she did something, it can't be said that she betrayed me.

Second, I love her so much, my longing for her runs deep in my bones, but what did I do? I always thought she ran off to Shanghai with someone else, but I never thought to call her family. If I had called her family sometime during this year, perhaps I wouldn't be suffering so much and bitterly blaming her for being heartless. That's my fault.

Finally, I remembered something even more despicable, something that suddenly made all my doubts about Yang Liu vanish, replaced by boundless guilt.

We became lovers six months after we met, or more precisely, we had sex; I was her first man. If I had to describe that disaster in one sentence, I would say: it was all due to youthful ignorance.

Our first time, we didn't use any protection. But fate didn't favor my wishful thinking. A month later, her period was late; two months later, still late. One day, she secretly bought a pregnancy test, hid in the bathroom, and a few minutes later, she told me in a solemn and terrified voice, "Oh no, I'm really pregnant! What should I do?"

What should I do?

Should I call home and ask my mom, "Your good son has gotten someone pregnant, what should we do now?"

Of course, that was impossible. If my dad knew that his son had gotten someone pregnant at just over twenty, he'd skin me alive. So what should we do? Go to the hospital? No, hospitals are very strict about abortions, and I might even be fined. Finally, I suggested we buy an abortion pill from the pharmacy and handle it ourselves. She bit her lip, nodded, and agreed…

The pill was at her lips, and she hesitated. I softened my tone, "Please trust science!"

Full of hope, she closed her eyes and swallowed it.

Yes, we both believed in science, but science brazenly deceived us.

A little over an hour after taking the abortion pill, she said she needed to use the restroom. I felt relieved—so soon? But she went in and didn't come out for over ten minutes. I panicked, opened the door, and all I saw was red—the toilet, the floor, her pants were covered in blood. I rushed in and picked her up. She was pale and struggled to open her eyes. "Quick…to the hospital."

"Sigh…you young people these days, how can you take abortion pills without a doctor's orders? You're practically playing with your lives! So ignorant, so irresponsible!"

At the hospital, a middle-aged female doctor in her forties came out of the operating room and gave me a severe dressing-down. She was the same doctor who had just taken Yang Liu into the operating room with the same nurses.

I didn't dare look up, and stammered, "So...is she better now?"

"Better? You think it's as simple as going to a restaurant? We're lucky we arrived in time. The bleeding has stopped, she's out of danger. She'll stay in the hospital for observation tonight, and she can go home tomorrow. Remember to make sure your girlfriend rests well when she gets home, buy her plenty of supplements, and absolutely no physical labor for two months. Understand?"

I nodded frantically, like a chicken pecking

at rice. After she was discharged, I went to the mall and bought a bunch of canned goods and bird's nest, and later grabbed several black-boned chickens at the market. It wasn't until three months later, when my bank account balance had dwindled to just one zero, that her health finally recovered.

The night we made love again, I held her tightly, secretly vowing to love her dearly and never let her suffer any more harm.

Now, she's been gone for a while, and instead of caring about the hardships she's endured, I've been cold and sarcastic, venting my resentment. Is this how I fulfill my vow?

"Hello, vehicle type 1, please pay 24 yuan."

The stiff computer voice pulled me back from my distant memories.

I snapped out of my daze and realized I'd unknowingly driven to the highway exit and stopped smoothly in front of the tollbooth. A pretty young woman at the toll booth stared at me with wide eyes…

I broke out in a cold sweat, quickly paid the toll, and drove away from the tollbooth as if fleeing.

"Oh—Shi, you really still live here? Hehe…"

I opened the door, and Yang Liu, like a joyful little bird, hopped quickly into the living room.

"Hehe…"

I stood at the door, holding her suitcase, and smiled bitterly.

My dear, do you know, I once tried to leave this place too, because it holds too much of your presence, too many memories of you. You left in such a hurry, you didn't even take your favorite SD doll with you. For over three hundred nights, I've been overwhelmed with sorrow whenever I see familiar things and think of you. Yet, I find myself unable to bear leaving, constantly trying to convince myself not to go. Perhaps, in some mysterious way, heaven knows you'll return today.

Yang Liu circled the house, then called out to me, who was standing there dumbfounded at the door, "What are you standing there for? Come in! Hurry up, I need to take a shower. I'm exhausted from the train and plane rides."

"Oh—why did you have to take the train?"

I carried my suitcase into the living room and placed it on the table.

"Duh, we don't have an airport where I live. I'm going to Wuhan to catch a plane, and I have to take the train to Wuhan first. Hey—help me open this, the password is 432013."

She said, sitting on the sofa and taking off her socks. After looking around, she realized she had no shoes. "Oh dear—where are my shoes? Do you have any slippers?"

"No, but you can wear mine for now."

I went to the shoe rack by the door and tossed her my slippers. She didn't hesitate, but as soon as she slipped them on, we both burst out laughing.

Her feet were so small that my slippers looked baggy on her. It was like a seven or eight-year-old child wearing an adult's long gown—gross and ridiculous.

She went to take a shower, leaving me alone on the sofa, my mind filled with her radiant smile. I couldn't help but feel a little dazed… The lingering image of her in my heart rekindled in that instant. Every smile and gesture of hers seemed to be imbued with magic, constantly tugging at my heartstrings. She was back, really back. Her body and her heart were back. All of this was mine again. A long-lost smile of happiness spread across my face…

But then, someone always seemed to disturb my peace. Before my smile could fade, the phone rang like a madman.

"Hello? Who is it?"

I asked impatiently.

"You jerk! So fierce, and you didn't even save my number. I'm hanging up!"

The caller was a woman. I knew immediately it was my benefactor—Gu Hanxue! Just as I was about to explain, she acted on her words and the line went dead, leaving only a dial tone.

I quickly called back, and thankfully, she answered.

"Hello? Is this Xiaoxue? Hehe—"

I chuckled ingratiatingly.

"Laugh, laugh, laugh at your stupid head. You were so fierce just now. I'm asking you, why didn't you save my number?"

Her tone had softened considerably, but she was still pressing me.

"Ah? I did save it, I was in such a rush just now, I answered the phone without checking."

I dared not tell her I had forgotten to save her number, otherwise my eardrums would suffer again.

"Is that so? Trying to deny it, hehe—do you remember what we said last time?"

This time she was back to normal, and my heart finally settled down.

"I remember, of course I remember, I invited you to dinner, how could I forget?"

"Hmph! What do you mean by 'dare' or 'dare'? You make me sound like a shrew."

"No—no, of course you're not a shrew, how could you be? Even if you were a shrew, you'd be the most beautiful and adorable shrew in the world, haha—"

"What did you say?"

The decibels increased several times over, and I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear.

"Hehe—just kidding. So? When are you free?"

"Hmph! Tonight, I'm free tonight."

"Tonight?"

I glanced at the bathroom; Yang Liu hadn't come out yet.

"What? Is there a problem?"

She suddenly sounded a little nervous on the phone.

"Oh, no problem, tonight it is. What do you want to eat?"

I thought she would definitely say Western food, because Western restaurants have a good atmosphere, are more romantic, and are especially suitable for couples on dates... Sigh, where did my mind wander?

But my intuition was wrong. After a moment of silence, she asked, "I think... Oh, by the way, where is your hometown?"

"Hunan."

I answered honestly.

"Hehe... Then let's go eat your hometown's cuisine, Hunan food, what do you say? There's a place called Xiaoxiang Pavilion next to Shennan East Road. I went there with a friend last time and thought it was good. How about we go there? What do you say?"

"Okay, there it is."

What can I say after you've already said it, little girl? But I haven't eaten spicy food in a long time, so today I'll go to Xiaoxiang Pavilion and have a feast.

Xiaoxiang Pavilion? My mind raced. "Xiaoxue, if you take me there, aren't you afraid some Lin Daiyu will steal me away?"

"What? What Lin Daiyu?"

she asked, surprised.

"Hehe, haven't you read 'Dream of the Red Chamber'? The place where Lin Daiyu lives is called 'Xiaoxiang Villa'."

"Tch, do you think you're Jia Baoyu? Jia Baoyu was such a handsome guy. You should take a good look in the mirror. Hehe..."

"Am I that bad? Back in school, I was invincible when it came to picking up girls. Everyone loved me, and cars would give me a ride."

After saying that, I couldn't help but laugh twice.

"Pah—you, be careful when you go out later, don't let the street sweeper say you're affecting the city's appearance and take you away. Although it's getting dark now, and they might have finished work, I still suggest you put on some makeup before going out. I don't want to go without paying."

"Ugh, you're so mean. Okay, okay, I won't joke with you anymore. What time are you arriving?"

"Seven o'clock, see you there! If you dare to stand me up like last time, you'd better watch out, hmph—hmph!"

I heard her teeth grinding together. This little devil, she might really mean what she says.

I looked at my watch, it was already six o'clock, so I quickly said, "Okay, okay, that's old news, why bring it up again? I promise I won't break my promise this time, okay? I'll definitely be there on time. That's all, I'll change my clothes first, bye—"

Actually, even if she hadn't said anything, I definitely wouldn't have broken my promise again. Besides the fact that she had done me a favor, I also wanted to know just how mysterious she was.

I was changing in the bedroom when Yang Liu came in. "Are you going out?"

I turned around and froze. She was wearing a white t-shirt, no bra, her nipples pressing against the fabric, creating two small dots on her chest. Upon closer inspection, I could see a noticeable difference in color. Because she was drying her wet hair with a towel, the hem of the t-shirt only covered her navel. Most shockingly, she was only wearing pink underwear, her two white thighs starkly exposed before my eyes.

Ugh… wasn't she tempting me to commit a crime? My heart skipped a beat, and I quickly turned my head away.

"Hehe, when did you become so gentlemanly?"

she chuckled.

Yes, how could I be so gentlemanly? Why did seeing her naked make me feel guilty? Was it because after a year apart, her familiar body felt somewhat unfamiliar? Or was it that the distance between our hearts couldn't be bridged so quickly?

"Ahem—hehe, I have to go out for a bit, something came up with a client. I'll go take care of it."

"A client wants to see you this late?"

She dried her hair, tossed a towel onto the chair, and sprawled onto the bed. I saw her in a very alluring pose in the wardrobe mirror.

"Yeah, it's urgent. You should rest. If you're hungry, go downstairs and buy something to eat."

She used to be a resident here, so my words seemed a bit redundant. I left a hundred yuan on the desk, grabbed my car keys, and hurried out, heading towards Xiaoxiang Pavilion.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the car door, my eyes inadvertently swept across the third-floor window. I saw Yang Liu standing behind the window, watching me. The light from inside cast her delicate shadow across the window, making her look somewhat lonely.

I waved to her, got into the car, and felt uneasy…

People always have many contradictions, like walking a road; you'll always encounter crossroads, some crossroads, some T-junctions. The sad thing is that these intersections have no road signs, leaving you disoriented. The choice between them often hinges on a single thought, and how many people actually make the right decision?

I understand why I feel uneasy; I can't bear to leave her alone at home after she just returned. Perhaps I should take her out, stroll through the night market, sample the delicious street food, tell her about the changes in the city since she left, and pour out my heart. But I can't do that. What happened in the bedroom just now tells me that I can't completely put her back in my heart, even though I desperately want to. The fact is, I can't, at least not yet.

On the other hand, Xiaoxue took good care of me while I was hospitalized, and I promised to treat her to a meal. I couldn't break my promise like I did when we first met a few months ago.

Most importantly, I suddenly saw a photo of Xiaoli in the car, and I suddenly remembered that there was another woman in my life, and I was using her car to take care of another woman. I was despicable, wasn't I?

I didn't dare to think any further…

The road was a bit congested, but I managed to get through several traffic jams and finally arrived at Xiaoxiang Pavilion at 6:57.

"Welcome, sir, how many are in your party?"

the pretty hostess at the door asked with a smile.

"There's already a table. My surname is He. Could you check it for me?"

Xiaoxue had called once on the way to let me know she had arrived.

The hostess quickly glanced at the notebook in her hand.

"Mr. He, is your friend's surname Gu?"

I nodded.

"Please follow me."

The hostess led me upstairs, where there were private rooms. There was a TV, a tea cabinet, and a round table for ten people in the middle of the room. Xiaoxue was sitting at the table opposite the door, watching TV.

Wow, this girl is really shameless. It's just two people eating, but she's making it sound like a secret rendezvous.

I opened the door and sat down, carefully observing Xiaoxue across from me. Although it had only been a little over a week since I last saw her, seeing her again still made me sigh inwardly. From my brief interactions with Xiaoxue, I knew she usually didn't wear makeup, always going bare-faced. But today, she wore a light purple V-neck dress, a delicate necklace around her fair neck, and a touch of powder on her face. Combined with her perfect features, her former innocent look had vanished, replaced by a mature and alluring woman.

The Creator is truly biased; how could He have installed all the best parts of the world into one woman? Was God dozing off when I was born? Otherwise, why didn't He make me more handsome?

"Hey! I'm calling you to order! What are you standing there for?"

she shouted. I was lost in thought and didn't hear her.

"Still looking, still looking, you pervert..."

My face turned cold; she had dipped her finger in tea and flicked it at me.

I laughed awkwardly, "Hehe, I was just thinking about something."

"Tch, what could you possibly be thinking about? Just some random nonsense. Hurry up and order, I'm hungry."

She stuck out her tongue and patted her stomach with her right hand, indicating that her words represented my stomach.

Sigh, it seems she's two-faced. Mature on the outside, but still a girl at heart. I think perhaps it's her straightforward and uninhibited personality that drives my urge to get to know her.

"Hehe, Xiaoxue, I say, why do you, a girl, always swear?"

I really disliked her constant use of the word "tch." Who could accept such a vulgar word coming from the mouth of an angel?

She leaned forward, her eyes wide. "Swearing? What?"

I was both amused and exasperated. "No? You're always 'cutting, cutting, cutting,' what are you cutting? Only men say that, what's so interesting for a girl to cut? Haha—"

"I'll cut, I'll cut, I'll cut vegetables, I'll cut radishes, is that wrong?"

she denied immediately.

I was both amused and exasperated again. "Ugh, okay, okay, cut if you want, but I think it's bad for girls to swear. Be careful you don't end up getting married, haha—" "

Hmph! Is that considered swearing? All my classmates say that. You dare to curse me to never get married, hmph! You don't want to live anymore—"

Before she finished speaking, she pretended to pick up her teacup to throw it at me...

I quickly blocked it with my hands. "Ouch, okay, stop it, let's order, let's order... What do you like to eat?"

"I don't know, otherwise I would have ordered earlier."

Xiaoxue pouted her plump lips.

"Huh? You don't know? Then you said you wanted to eat Hunan cuisine again? Don't you know how to eat it?"

"Well, isn't that you? Aren't you from Hunan?"

"Me? Well... every restaurant has different dish names, and I don't know what they're making."

"Hmph! So you're still considered a Hunanese? You don't even know yourself, how are you supposed to eat it?"

Ugh, it seems like a scholar encountering a soldier—reasoning is useless.

"Okay, I'll give it a try."

Luckily, I usually go to Mao's Restaurant when I'm on business trips, and the menu here is similar to Mao's Restaurant. I ordered chopped chili fish head, braised pork, sweet tofu, and crab roe egg soup. Three dishes and a soup in total. She focused her attention on the TV again. I don't know if she's nearsighted, but her eyes were almost touching the screen. Judging from her appearance, she wasn't watching TV at all, but rather wanted to be the main character herself. 02-06
Volume 1 Chapter 24 At the End of the Road, a Glimmer of Hope

To be precise, I had met Yu three times before, all inside the Weida factory. The first time I met her was through Xiao Li; the next two times I visited her alone, naturally for business purposes. As mentioned before, this woman didn't leave a good impression on me, or even on J—heavily made-up and pretentious. In a word—vulgar!

However, seeing Yu again today, outside of Weida Company, was a huge surprise—if I had glasses.

She wasn't wearing makeup today, sitting across the table with a simple expression, dressed casually, creating an unexpectedly relaxed atmosphere. The reason I say surprising is because I had been treating this meeting as a battle of wits. I realized she was actually quite pretty, at least more attractive without makeup. Her elegant features were well-proportioned on her oval face, and her eyes, except for the long false eyelashes, were even more striking. Only her fiery gaze remained unchanged; her entire demeanor was completely different.

I was confused. Had I misjudged her before? Or had she suddenly gained a new understanding of herself, like a prostitute reforming herself completely? Or perhaps she has a split personality, one face at work and another in private?

Suddenly, I felt an intense, almost overwhelming, interest in her. What kind of woman was she?

"What are you looking at? Don't you recognize me?"

My unfocused stare finally drew her displeasure. As soon as she spoke, I noticed something new: her tone had changed. No longer sweet and coquettish, but

crisp and decisive. I gave an awkward laugh, trying to sound charming. "Hehe… I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I lost my composure. I just think you seem to have changed a lot, even become more beautiful, Manager Yu."

She blushed instantly and made a gesture often made by shy women—lightly brushing her hair aside. Ugh, why is she blushing? Could she be mistaking my polite compliment for a romantic interest?

Afraid she might actually think that, I took the menu from the waiter and handed it to her with both hands. "Here you go, Manager Yu, please order first."

Five dishes for two people—too extravagant. It didn't matter, since the company paid, and all the dishes were seafood I like. There was "Mandarin Fish," "Steamed Scallops with Vermicelli," "Stir-fried Flower Crab," "Steamed Flower Crab," and a vegetarian dish. I just wondered if the crabs we ordered were related to the little crab I had just stepped on. If they were, I'd be in big trouble.

We didn't drink alcohol; after a few rounds of tea, we got down to business.

"Manager Yu, what's your opinion on the 200 boards you scrapped during your night shift a few days ago, claiming it was due to our equipment?"

"What opinion? Didn't we already send you a notification? Each board costs $100, totaling 20,000 boards. The current exchange rate is 1 USD to 7.9 RMB, so 20,000 multiplied by 7.9 equals 158,000 RMB. We'll deduct it directly from the final payment for your equipment."

Sigh, experience counts. I was trying to feign ignorance to get information out of her, but she was smarter, staring intently at me, as if to say: You're pretending not to know? I won't give you the chance.

"Really? A decision so quick? But before Manager Yu makes the deduction decision, I need to clarify a few important issues."

Although the situation seemed to be turning against me, I still hoped for a miracle to turn the tide. You see, if we could negotiate not to deduct the payment, tens of thousands of RMB would be mine.

Yu looked at me with interest, and parted her lips slightly. "Go ahead and ask."

"First, how did you determine that our equipment malfunctioned, causing your board to be scrapped? Could it be due to operator error?"

"That? Heh, there's no dispute about that. Your engineer reviewed it the day before yesterday and personally signed the 'Equipment Failure Responsibility Agreement.' It seems that a small hole in a chemical pipe caused a leak, which corroded the board surface, rendering it unusable. Understand?"

Yu blinked, seemingly confident.

"Understood..."

I cursed inwardly. That bastard engineer, what a fucking idiot! How could he just sign something like that? Even if he had to sign it, he should have notified me afterward; otherwise, we'd be in this mess. Now, all my carefully laid plans have been ruined by this guy.

“Okay, my second question is, why didn’t you stop feeding the panels immediately when you discovered the abnormality? I calculated that, given the length of our equipment, it can only hold a maximum of 25 panels at a time. Considering your scrapped panels are 21 inches long and wide, if the production speed is 3 meters per minute, it would take at least 40 minutes to process all 200 such panels. Does that mean there wasn’t a single person on your production line during those 40 minutes? Also, your notification stated that each panel was priced at $100, but that’s just your side of the story; we have no idea how much each panel is worth.”

Since I was already facing a loss, I could only try to minimize it.

Yu smiled slightly, picked up a bag from the side, and took out a piece of paper. I took it and saw it was a photocopy of an order. It was an order from Weber’s client, clearly stating: $100/panel. Without a doubt, I had lost another bargaining chip.

Yu said, "Regarding your question about why so many boards were scrapped, I've actually investigated. There was indeed a problem with the operators; they were dozing off, which is why so many boards were scrapped."

I was secretly pleased. Good! I'd strike right there. Then she continued, "But that employee has already been fired. And even if he hadn't, you've already signed a liability waiver, so you'd bear full responsibility, understand?"

Damn! I might as well just rob them. Of course, that was just my inner thought.

"So, you're going to deduct money? Could you… next time you buy equipment, I'll include some spare parts? Or extend the warranty?" I

was at my wit's end. God, help!

"Hehe… what do you think? Extending the warranty is pointless. If parts break, you still have to buy them. Besides, with this problem, the new factory will have to carefully consider whether to buy your equipment."

Yu maintained a smile throughout. Normally, I'd probably be drooling, but right now, my heart was burning, and I had no time to care about her beauty.

"Cough...Oh dear, I'm really at my wit's end. I wonder if Manager Yu could be lenient..."

I turned around, took an envelope from my bag, and placed it in front of her with trembling hands. Inside the envelope was the 20,000 yuan I had advanced from the company. My head was spinning. How could the same old bribery scenes I saw on TV be happening to me?

Yu looked at the envelope, then at me, and remained silent for a long time. Just when I thought I was about to make my escape, she suddenly put the money back on the table in front of me and said seriously, "Xiao Shi."

Ugh, why did she call me Xiao Shi? Only Sister Li called me that.

Yu continued, "Xiao Shi, I understand how you feel right now, but I don't need the money. Besides, what you're doing is completely out of character for your manager, Xiao Xiaoli. In China, you can openly bribe officials, but you can't treat a high-ranking foreign company employee like this. Do you understand? I believe Xiaoli would be very disappointed if she saw you doing this."

I was sweating profusely. Indeed, I hadn't told Xiaoli about this idea; it was entirely my own decision. If she knew, I don't know what she'd think.

I lost, utterly defeated. From the moment I uttered my first compliment, I was destined to be at a disadvantage. I think if this were a real battlefield, I'd probably be beheaded by now. A battle between two armies should be a matter for all soldiers, like today's negotiations—a clash between companies. Yet I treated it like a personal affair. That's why I launched an offensive before fully understanding the situation, revealing my fragile, desperate desire to win. One tree cannot support a building; today I've learned my lesson.

This battle is a total annihilation; there's no point in continuing. I said awkwardly, "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Then you can just deduct the loss from the payment."

I turned to go out and call the waiter to come in and pay, when I suddenly heard Yu say, "Xiao Shi, actually... there is a way."

"Really?"

I turned back, my surprise overflowing. "What do you need me to do?"

Yu glanced at her watch and said, "Well, it's past eight o'clock now, it's getting late. If you don't mind, I'd like to invite you to my house for a while? We can talk again then?"

"Okay, okay!"

I quickly replied, my joy at that moment indescribable. The saying "When you think you've reached the end of the road, a new path opens up" probably describes my situation perfectly.

I was too eager to succeed and didn't think carefully about why I should go to her house to discuss something that could be discussed here. Many years later, I finally understood that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and God doesn't favor anyone for no reason. Life's stage has no miracles, only scenes already prepared, waiting for the first drumbeat to begin.

I told the driver to find a place to stay and wait for my notification. Then I got into Yu's car and followed her to her home in a residential area in Nanping.

(Chapter 25, Volume 1: The Value of Dignity)

Opening the door, I saw a small screen, which I found strange, as I rarely see screens facing the door. After changing my slippers in the corner between the screen and the wall, I followed Yu Yanfang into her home, and what followed made me even stranger, or rather, shocked.

If Xiao Li's home had struck me as extravagantly luxurious, then Yu's home, in comparison, was simply austere and simple. Of course, this doesn't mean Yu's home was empty, but rather that in this approximately 100-square-meter two-bedroom apartment, the decoration, furniture, etc., were extremely ordinary and common. Yu's house was decorated casually, with furniture and walls in a light sky blue color, creating a simple environment that gave a warm and tranquil feeling. In fact, I thought that with Yu's financial resources, she could have easily reached a higher level. Unless, of course, it's just her personal preference.

She gestured for me to sit on the sofa, then tossed her bag aside, smiled, and asked, "Tea? Or coffee?"

I was flattered and hurriedly replied, "No, thank you, I... water is fine!"

How many people have received this kind of treatment at their client's home?

Yu poured me a glass of water, then poured one for herself, seemingly not intending to make tea or coffee. We sat there in a right angle, and I looked down at the transparent disposable cup and the water inside. A gentle swirl created ripples in the clear water, but they vanished instantly upon contact with the cup's sides—the cup was too small. Out of the corner of my eye, I knew Yu was watching me. Why was she staring? My heart pounded with anxiety… Just as I was about to speak, Yu spoke first.

"Xiao Shi, do you know how to play chess? Chinese chess?"

She still called me Xiao Shi; I almost mistook her for Xiao Li.

"Chess? I can play, but not very well."

I only played chess in middle school, and I almost never won. I lost interest and never played again.

Yu Yanfang nodded and said, "Oh… how about Gomoku? You know that, right?"

Gomoku? I nodded. Yu put down her cup, turned and went into the room on the left. A moment later, she came out with a plastic sheet and two earthenware pots, one black and one white. I hadn't expected her to be good at this. We laid out

the Go board on the coffee table. I used white, and Yu used black, and we started.

I often play Gomoku with online friends on QQ Games, so I have some basic skills, but Yu wasn't bad either. She played thoughtfully, step by step. Even so, I won the first game, and I was quite happy. Suddenly, I remembered something about Xiao Li and me. I realized that although I had been to Xiao Li's house countless times, it almost always started with flirting and ended with a climax. It seemed like never before had we sat down so quietly, sipping tea, watching TV, and playing chess. Was it that neither of us were truly interested in these things? Or was it that Xiaoli and I were fundamentally only physically intimate? But I knew Xiaoli was very important to me; I had always considered her the only woman in my life, even though Liu had returned recently, and after much deliberation, I found the scales tipped in Xiaoli's favor. But what was I to Xiaoli? I needed to find out when I had the chance. Lost in

thought, I played the chess game terribly. I was easily defeated by Yu in the next few games.

She was displeased, picked up her cup, and took a sip of water. "Xiaoshi, I can see you weren't playing with any real focus; you were distracted."

"Uh… I…"

I stammered awkwardly, my right hand holding a snow-white chess piece, unsure whether to put it down or stop, frozen in mid-air.

Yu pursed her pretty lips, glanced at me sideways, and said, "I know what you're thinking. You're still thinking about the compensation we just discussed, aren't you?"

Yes, if she hadn't mentioned it, I would have forgotten why I came here. Suddenly, like a drowning person grasping at a straw, I found my footing. I put down my chess piece and said, "Yes, Manager Yu, didn't you say you had a way to help me? I was just thinking about what that way might be."

"Help? Xiao Shi, when did I say I'd help you? Even if I were to help, give me a reason. A reason for me to help you?"

Yu suddenly turned her back on her word.

Her words instantly enraged me. I felt like I'd been played. I thought she really wanted to help me, but this twisted woman was just using it as an excuse to get me to play chess with her. "Damn it, pervert!"

I cursed inwardly.

I stood up and said coldly, "Manager Yu, how can you go back on your word? You clearly said you had a solution at lunch, so why are you saying it's impossible now? If that's the case, then follow your rules and compensate me. I really don't believe our company can't afford this little bit of money. Excuse me, it's getting late, I should go."

To my surprise, she wasn't in a hurry or angry when she saw my reaction. She crossed her arms and said slowly, "Don't be angry. Think about it carefully. Did I just say that? I said I had a solution, but I haven't told you the solution yet. Besides, this isn't about helping you; you have to pay a price."

"What? What price?"

I asked in surprise, a weight slowly lifting from my heart.

"Hehe, the price... come here, I'll tell you."

She beckoned me closer. I immediately lowered my head and leaned over. Just as I got close to her, I suddenly caught a glimpse of her deep cleavage through her collar. A wave of horror washed over me, and I quickly closed my eyes, listening intently as she said, "I can help you, on the condition that you stay with me tonight."

"Fuck! Bitch! Whore! Slut!..."

The moment she finished speaking, every vile word I could think of flashed through my mind, ready to be used against this middle-aged woman. However, even a fool would know that I would only curse in my heart, not aloud. I was confident in my self-control, and besides, offending her would be like clipping my newly sprouted wings—a pain I couldn't bear. But why

would she so brazenly make such an outrageous request? Did she know about my predicament at the company, about being ostracized by the Taiwanese, and was now taking advantage of my misfortune to threaten me with this condition? Or, as J said, is it that Weida's general manager is old and frail, unable to meet her needs, and she was so desperate that she made this absurd request? Or perhaps, my personal charm is too strong, deeply attracting her, making her unable to resist, and this opportunity allowed her to satisfy her own desires, so… Ugh, what time is it, how can I still be in the mood for narcissism?

In any case, she's said it, what should I do? What can I do?

Leave? That would inevitably offend her. I believe that from the moment I step out of her house, I will never have another chance to close a Weida order. And within the company, I believe I will soon be packing my bags and leaving.

Stay? Why stay? For that 20% bonus? For a smoother career? To avoid implicating Xiaoli? But if I stay, what about my dignity as a man?

Leaving or staying, like a powerful vortex, has deeply drawn me in, and I try everything I can, but I can't escape the vortex. It was like a crossroads with no way out, one signpost marked "Desire" and the other "Dignity," both radiating an alluring glow. I found myself utterly unable to choose. I slumped back onto the sofa, a sour, astringent feeling in my throat, and I wanted to cry.

Just then, Yu Yanfang stood up and said, "I've given you the conditions. Think about it yourself. I'm going to take a shower. If you've decided, yes, I'll be in the bedroom. If not, just open the door and leave. Remember to lock the door when you go out."

She had actually seen through my inner struggle; I was stunned. A moment later, the sound of running water came from the bathroom. Slowly, I calmed down and began to silently organize my chaotic thoughts…

I once discussed with an online friend the question of whether money is omnipotent. Finally, I asked him, “Are there people who don’t need money?”

He said, “Yes, the dead.”

I said, “You’re wrong, terribly wrong. The dead not only need money, but they spend it far more than we do. In my hometown, every year on the fifteenth of July, we gather in the village ancestral hall to burn paper houses, clothes, and paper money for the dead. I believe they must be richer than us. Because every penny we have, every piece of clothing, every brick in our houses, is accumulated through our own sweat and blood.”

Do I need money? I think this absurd question will never have an answer, because the answer is itself.

I suddenly felt a pang of irony, because the city I was in—Zhuhai—was the very first city I arrived in four years ago, right after graduating from school. It was in this city that I first experienced the helplessness, bitterness, and sorrow of life.

On March 31st, four years ago, I and 29 classmates—10 girls and 20 boys—boarded a long-distance sleeper bus from Ruxian County, Chenzhou City, to Zhuhai. The bus was chartered by the school, and our destination was an electronics factory in Zhuhai, also found by the school. On the bus, we were all very happy, cheering and jumping for joy, because the school had finally fulfilled its promise made at the beginning of the semester—to recommend jobs.

The bus departed from the school around 6 pm on the 31st, first taking National Highway 106, passing Shaoguan, and then speeding along the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway. The early spring night was still a bit chilly, but it couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of us dozens of classmates. We were all discussing what kind of job we would get and how much we would earn.

The vice principal in charge of employment arrangements stood up and asked everyone with great interest: "How will you spend your first month's salary?" Some said they would buy a bicycle, some said clothes, and others were even more far-sighted, saying they would buy a pager. I remember thinking about this question too, and my answer to myself was: I will send my first month's salary to my parents. In fact, I did just that; I sent my first month's salary home—three hundred yuan.

The excitement lasted all night. At around 6 a.m. on April 1st, the bus finally arrived at its destination—Sanzao Town, Zhuhai City. We all got off the bus, carrying our large and small bags. After making sure everyone had disembarked, the bus, as if chased by a ghost, impatiently turned around and went back. I put my suitcase by the roadside and carefully looked around. Under my feet, a straight, hard cement road stretched into the distance. Next to it was a road sign with an arrow pointing to "Zhuhai Sanzao Airport." Beyond the cement road was a wasteland overgrown with weeds. Ahead of me stood a towering factory building, as large as our school building. Looking at the wall next to the guardhouse, I saw "Sitai Electronics Factory"—yes, this was the place we would be entering, working, and living in, the sacred place we had been dreaming of all night.

We arrived far too early; after the headcount, it was only 7 a.m. The guard said the personnel department wouldn't start work until 8:30. The principal grinned and said, "Everyone wait a bit, take a break, don't wander around."

So, 30 boys and girls, with an average age under 20, began their hour-and-a-half-long wait by the roadside. Instead of people, we were greeted by the scorching sun. The Guangdong sun is quite unique; firstly, it loves to rise early, and secondly, it's incredibly warm. Soon, everyone was drenched in sweat. At

8:30, people began to trickle in through the gate, and we all sighed—finally, work had begun. However, the factory's efficiency seemed rather low. We waited another hour and a half, and at 10 a.m., finally, someone announced: we could go in for the interview. However, there was an additional instruction: women go first, men to be notified later. So, the female students lined up one by one, completely disregarding the discomfort brought by the scorching sun, and went in for their interviews with great excitement. We men, on the other hand, could only watch them go in with envious, dumbfounded eyes.

The green belt beside the road seemed to have just been completed; each sapling struggled to sprout new buds from its branches, the soil beneath them yellowish, like a pale, lifeless patient. I really wished these saplings would grow up instantly, because it was so hot. It was already 12:15, and the principal and the female students still hadn't come out. We were like a pile of pitiful sweet potatoes, neatly arranged, helplessly enduring the sun's scorching heat. There wasn't a breath of wind; the saplings were quiet and still. Were they, like me, helpless? A van drove by in the distance, and as it passed us, a man in the van stuck his head out the window and laughed loudly, shouting in his local dialect, his expression like someone watching a show. I didn't understand his local dialect, but I think he was saying, "These silly sweet potatoes, are they almost done roasting? Add some sugar, they might taste better."

At 1 p.m., someone finally couldn't take it anymore and said, "Let's go eat first, we're starving."

Then we all went to a small restaurant nearby in twos and threes. I was very hungry and didn't want to deprive myself, so I splurged on a five-yuan dish—stir-fried shredded potatoes with meat. But when the dish arrived, I felt cheated. In the small oval plate, there were only a few pitiful slices of green pepper and a pile of shredded potatoes. Where was the meat? I searched it all over, but there was still none. Maybe it had been cooked for too long and turned into oil, I comforted myself. After eating, the sweet potatoes were gradually returned to the oven and roasted until the sun went down and the oven lost its heat…

The female student stayed behind, and the principal came out. With the principal came some unfortunate news: because a fight had recently occurred among male employees at the factory, resulting in one death and one injury, Sitai had decided not to hire male workers for the time being. After delivering the news, the principal's face turned grave, his brows furrowing as if his father had died. He was worried: it was almost dark, how would he manage such a large group? Suddenly, I realized it was April 1st, April Fool's Day!

Later, the 21 of us split into two vans and rushed to the Gongbei Bus Station. In Gongbei, I suddenly saw our homeroom teacher; they had come too. She was a young woman, usually very kind to me, always speaking softly. Seeing her now felt like a child returning home to their parents; I almost cried. It was midnight, and we were like a flock of lost lambs, led wherever the lead sheep led us. The principal, that lead sheep, had gone to find a car, saying he was going to Dongguan.

We waited for news in the underground tunnel of the Gongbei Port. Some of us took advantage of the lull to run up the stairs and into the underground shopping mall to buy things. And I stood alone at the entrance to the tunnel and underground shopping mall, blankly watching car after car whiz by, leaving trails of black, foul exhaust fumes. The spacious staircase was bustling with groups of Macanese people descending in small numbers. Every now and then, I'd see women pulling pagers, cell phones, watches—some had as many as ten, others as few as five or six. This glittering city seemed tireless, constantly busy from morning till night. In the hurried crowds, who would notice the lonely little boy by the roadside?

My hand was touched. I turned and saw my homeroom teacher. She was holding two yellow paper bags with a kind-looking old man drawn on a red background in white. She handed me one of the bags. A delicious aroma of food wafted up. I took it out and saw a chicken leg. I hesitated for a moment, then grabbed it and started to devour it. As I ate, she told me it was KFC, very famous. Indeed, it was perfect for a bite. At 1 a.m., our group of over twenty people split into seven taxis and began our journey to Dongguan. As soon as I got in, I drifted off to sleep…

In my hazy state, the car suddenly stopped. Half-asleep, I got out, and a man in a peaked cap said, “Show me your ID.”

I fumbled for my ID and gave it to him. He asked a few questions, and I told him we were classmates, looking for work together. He looked at it a few more times, then returned it to me. As soon as I got back into the car, I fell asleep again, or perhaps I never woke up at all. Years later, when I returned to Zhuhai, I learned that we had indeed been stopped that night; the place was the border checkpoint at the entrance to the Beijing-Zhuhai Expressway. Around 3 a.m., we arrived at a job placement agency near the Dongguan Bus Terminal and stayed there, beginning our long job search. Due to space limitations, I won't go into the rest.

I wonder if any of my classmates will see this article, and if they do, whether they still remember those bittersweet days. However, I can never forget them. Even today, many years later, these scenes remain vivid and clear in my mind. Therefore, every time I go to Zhuhai, I inevitably go to the Gongbei Port, inevitably walk to the stairwell where the tunnel meets the underground shopping mall, look back on the past, and cherish the present. Most of the time, I stand there gazing at the crowds and vehicles coming and going, sighing for a long, long time, until sadness wells up uncontrollably, and tears stream down my face. "He Shi, you are not happy, you are still in pain. Whether in Shenzhen or Zhuhai, nothing truly belongs to you. You are still just a drifter. You must persevere!"

I pushed open Yu's bedroom door, that light blue door…

Chapter 26 of Volume 1: Two-Timing

Xiao Li is finally back.

She returned to the company on September 25th. That evening, around 7 PM, I was working overtime on some documents when I heard the office door open. Thinking it was a security guard patrolling, I didn't look up. The footsteps grew closer, and just as I was wondering why the footsteps sounded so familiar, someone tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey! So diligent! If I had known you were this diligent, I would have promoted you sooner."

Xiao Li, carrying a briefcase, smiled at me.

"Hehe..."

I smiled sheepishly. Her trip to Shanghai lasted for over 20 days, and I found my longing for her growing wildly like weeds.

"What are you grinning about? Are you almost off work?"

"Almost, just a little bit left to finish."

I pointed to a PowerPoint report on my computer that I was almost done with.

"Okay, then hurry up, let's go out for dinner later, it's on me."

With that, she went into her private office. Just before opening the door, he turned back and said, "Xiao Shi, I almost forgot to tell you, you managed to get that Weida case handled so well that not a single penny was deducted. The chairman is very happy, so the 20% bonus I mentioned before should have been paid out by now. Check it yourself."

"Oh,"

I replied casually.

I opened Internet Explorer, typed in my name, and went to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China's website. After logging into my account, I found that my account balance had indeed reached a five-digit number starting with 3.

I felt a pang of melancholy; this was the richest I had ever been. However, should I be happy? Or should I be disappointed?

Yes, I like money, and I need money. This has a lot to do with my upbringing. Although my father repeatedly taught me that "poverty doesn't diminish ambition," he didn't know that because of poverty, I had almost ended my own life.

The year I graduated from junior high, I was 15. As the high school entrance exam approached, the school announced two options: First, those confident in their grades could pay a 120 yuan exam fee to take the exam at the county's top high school (a key high school), and could apply to any school they wanted, including the top high school. Second, those less confident could take the exam at their local middle school, and could apply to any high school or vocational school except the top high school.

When I got home, I told my parents. My grades had always been above average, and I wasn't entirely confident I could get into the top high school. I thought I'd get at least a little encouragement from them; at least I'd give it a try. But to my surprise, they said, "Forget it. Even if you get into the top high school, you still won't have the money for tuition."

I was deflated.

Their implication was: since that's the case, you might as well save the 120 yuan. The high school entrance exam was over, and when the results came out, I regretted it. Including the bonus points, my score was much higher than the admission score for the top high school, but because I hadn't even gone to the county town to take the exam, I wasn't qualified to attend. I said goodbye to the top high school forever.

My depression began that summer vacation—or rather, it wasn't really summer vacation, because they said they wouldn't send me to school anymore. What could I do without school? Was I really going to spend my days in the fields, working from dawn till dusk?

I sat blankly by the bedroom window, foolishly writing in my diary, "Fate, why is this happening? If everything could start over…"

I imagined myself as a farmer, working from dawn till dusk. I was heartbroken, tears streaming down my face. I stepped onto the windowsill, intending to end my short life. But at the last moment, I thought of my parents working in the fields. They had raised me for fifteen years, a full fifteen years. How grieving they would be if I died like this? I thought of the lamentations of parents burying their children, and I stopped. But for two whole months, I didn't utter a single word.

Yes, I could have used poverty as an excuse to sell myself. As an article I read earlier said: a person's life is a constant buying and selling; when someone has nothing left to trade, they have no choice but to sell their body. But in reality, people only use their bodies to exchange for what they need when they no longer cherish themselves.

Am I like that now?

Undoubtedly, yes. The source of this money is like a rat in a sewer, forever hidden from the light. Even now, I don't understand why Yu Yanfang asked me to do that that night, a little over ten days ago. Now, I can only hope this is the only time, and pray that there will never be any further entanglement between Yu Yanfang and me. Unfortunately, God is a stingy miser; He will never let anyone easily achieve their desires. Meeting Yu Yanfang influenced my entire life—but that's a story for another time.

Back to the present, Xiaoli sat in the office for a while, shut down her computer, came out to my side, and asked, "How did it go? All done?"

"Okay, let's go."

I looked Xiaoli over carefully; she seemed perfectly normal and hadn't noticed anything amiss. I breathed a sigh of relief—thank goodness!

We arrived at Xiaoli's favorite Dio Coffee, and just as I sat down, the phone rang.

"Hello, Shi, where are you?"

It was Yang Liu. I quickly got up and walked out of the restaurant. I didn't want Xiaoli to know she was there.

"I'm working overtime at the company. What's up? Is something wrong?"

Again, I didn't want her to know about my relationship with Xiaoli, so I had to lie. I hadn't reflected on why I didn't want them to know I had a relationship with another woman. Maybe all men are like that, liking to have two relationships at once.

"Oh, working overtime at the company? I left work a long time ago. When are you coming back?"

After living with me for a month, Yang Liu finally couldn't stand the suffocating atmosphere of being alone at home all day, so she went out and found a clerical job. Since it wasn't far, she still lived with me, so I still had to sleep on the sofa every night. Sigh...

"Well, I'm not sure... I have a lot of documents to finish. If I can finish early, it'll be an hour, but I can't say for sure. I might have to work all night."

As if possessed, the lie came out uncontrollably, like SARS.

"Oh... then hurry up, okay?"

Yang Liu gently, yet with a hint of bitterness and regret, urged me.

I suddenly felt a little guilty. It seemed a bit cruel to her. But if I didn't do this, how could I have time to spend with Xiao Li? So, I hardened my heart and quickly hung up the phone.

"Xiao Shi, can you tell me about what happened with Weida last time? How did you resolve it?"

Halfway through the meal, Xiao Li suddenly asked.

I hadn't expected her question, and my mind went blank. I stammered, "Uh... well... actually, it's not that complicated."

"Hmm?"

Sigh, women are too smart; they always like to get to the bottom of things. It seems I can't get away with this evasive answer.

I smiled slightly, "Hehe, actually, the problem is mainly on their end. I went to Weida to investigate. That time, our equipment really had a problem, but the main reason..."

Xiaoli's eyes widened, and she asked with interest, "Really?"

Seeing that I'd started, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and say, "Yes, their night shift workers fell asleep, otherwise so many boards wouldn't have been scrapped."

"Oh, so what's wrong with our equipment?"

“We? Our medicine tube had a small hole, but Sister Li, you know, we signed a contract when we bought the equipment, which stated that there was a 1000/3 scrap rate. If their night shift workers hadn't fallen asleep, so many boards wouldn't have been scrapped,” I emphasized.

“Oh, I see. Last time, you talked to Miss Yu? What did you think of her?”

Ugh, I don't know what got into Xiao Li, asking such a question.

I laughed, “Miss Yu? Wow, she's a 'Miss'? She's practically an old lady.”

Xiao Li's expression turned serious, staring at me with a half-smile, “Xiao Shi, Sister Li and she are the same age. Do you think Sister Li is an old lady too?”

Oh no! Why didn't I think of that? Realizing I'd misspoke, I quickly stopped laughing and said self-deprecatingly, "No, no, Sister Li, I was just joking. She's not old, and besides, she can't compare to you, Sister Li, haha, you look much younger than her."

"Looks like? So that means I'm actually older than her?"

Xiao Li's face grew increasingly unpleasant, clearly showing her emotions, and she retorted sharply.

"No, no, I meant you're prettier than her, and she's definitely not as young as you, Sister Li. Even though you're the same age, to me, one is like a mother and the other a daughter... Ah! No, no, I misspoke, not mother and daughter... sigh... I don't know what to say anymore, anyway, in my heart, you're the most beautiful, Sister Li."

The more I panicked, the more confused I became, and in the end, I was incoherent.

"Ha! Haha..."

Xiao Li clutched her stomach and laughed exaggeratedly, panting, "Xiao Shi, you... you don't have to be so anxious, do you? Look at you making up these random comparisons, like mother and daughter... you're killing me, haha..."

"Haha..."

I awkwardly laughed along with her.

After dinner, I got into Xiaoli's car and asked, "Sister Li..."

"Hmm?"

Xiaoli answered without looking up, still looking for the keyhole.

"Tonight, I want to go to your place..."

Actually, this thought had been lingering in my mind ever since Xiaoli came back. I hadn't been with a woman for over 60 days, and lately I'd been waking up in the mornings feeling constantly erect; my male instincts were starting to stir.

"Ah!"

Xiaoli exclaimed, turning to stare at me like I was from Mars. After a moment's hesitation, she slowly replied, "It's not convenient these days, how about another time?"

"Okay," I said helplessly. But another thought lingered in my mind: Inconvenient? I remember her period started in the middle of the month, and it's the end of the month now, how could it be inconvenient? But I couldn't ask her like that; if she knew I knew everything about her period, she'd think I was a pervert. Oh well, I'd just have to bear with it.

Xiao Li dropped me off at the intersection near my place and then turned and left. Watching the red taillights of her car recede into the distance, I felt an emptiness, a sense of loss…

I opened the door. The house was dark, a soft glow mingling with the distinctive scent of candles, stimulating my senses. In the dim light, I saw someone slumped over the table. I pressed the light switch, and the room was filled with light. The person on the table woke up—it was Yang Liu.

Seeing me enter, she exclaimed with delight, “You’re back?”

“Yeah, you… what are you doing?”

On the table was a small cake, densely covered with colorful candles.

“What are you doing? Hehe… you silly goose, don’t you remember? It’s your birthday today!”

Liu reminded me cheerfully, as if she had discovered something amazing.

My birthday? I suddenly remembered—it really was my birthday, my lunar birthday. I never imagined that I myself wouldn't remember, but this girl hadn't forgotten. I was incredibly moved and hugged her tightly…

That night, I actually ended my long-running war with the sofa…

Chapter 27 of Volume 1: Sex, or Love?

I have a little secret in my heart.

Do you remember 2008, when Beijing was the first city in China to host the Olympics? If you do, you should know that the host country has the right to choose which event to include. My secret is—to include sex, the oldest form of exercise, in the Olympics. And to incorporate a series of judging criteria as evaluation principles, such as depth, angle, strength, speed, endurance… Most importantly, this sport doesn't allow Viagra, which is the same as athletes not being allowed to use performance-enhancing drugs.

See, some people say I'm disgusting, calling me a pervert. It's okay, keep criticizing, but I'll still keep talking, because this sport, which has continued since the beginning of life on Earth, has created humanity's brilliance and glory today, and has also left behind hundreds of millions of lives. Without it, you, me, no one could exist in this world. Humanity reproduces through this activity.

And when it comes to sex, people possess a talent that surpasses their understanding of all other things; this has been true from ancient times to the present. Let me tell you a short story, a story called "That Work." Long ago, two brothers, after ten years of diligent study, went to the capital together to take the imperial examination. On the day of their departure, the elder brother, sister-in-law, and younger brother's wife gave them countless words of advice and tearfully saw them off.

As the saying goes, "You reap what you sow." During their studies, the elder brother was always diligent, while the younger brother was the opposite. Naturally, on the day the exam results were posted, the younger brother failed, while the elder brother won first place.

The younger brother returned home dejectedly. His wife, seeing him, asked in surprise, "Why are you back so early? What happened?"

Overwhelmed with shame, the brother didn't tell the truth, lying that he had passed the imperial examination, but then heard that this position was about to be abolished. He thought about it for a long time, but how could he face his beloved wife at home? So he resigned and returned home.

His wife secretly breathed a sigh of relief, but was overjoyed. She asked, "How is your brother?"

The brother replied, "You have become an official."

His wife sighed again and then told her brother and sister-in-law. Upon learning that her husband's position had been abolished, the brother and sister-in-law were filled with remorse for encouraging him to seek a high post. They also thought that they would be alone in their empty house from now on, unable to bear the loneliness. Their sorrow grew unbearable, and they wept day and night.

Not long after, the elder brother returned home in glory. Upon arriving at the door, the brother and sister-in-law rushed out and pulled down his trousers. The elder brother was shocked and shouted, "What are you doing?"

His sister-in-law told him what her brother had said

. Upon hearing this, the elder brother was furious and spat, "You scoundrel! Do you think I, a top-ranking scholar, am less than that few inches of meat?" Frankly, this little dirty joke is very, very shallow; you can just laugh it off. I just wanted to say that Yang Liu is exactly like the brother and sister-in-law in the story.

Before I could even see what was written on the red frosting of the cake, let alone eat it, I opened my arms, and Liu rushed into my embrace in a fraction of a second, a soft sob escaping my lips. Just as I was about to say something comforting, she suddenly broke free from my embrace, pulled me into the bedroom, and pushed me down onto the bed. I stared blankly as she hurriedly unbuckled my belt, too afraid to move.

With great difficulty, the belt was unbuckled. I don't know where she got the strength, but without me lifting myself, she forcefully pulled my pants down to my knees, then quickly ripped off her only nightgown, straddled me, and sat on top of me. I heard a "sizzle" sound, like a red-hot iron block being thrown into freezing water. I felt Liu tremble all over. The moment I penetrated her completely, she stretched her neck and let out a low growl from deep in her throat, like the long whistle of a train before entering a tunnel.

Ah, it really was tough on her. Anyone who has had sexual experience understands that sex is like heroin; once experienced, it's impossible to escape, only leaving an insatiable desire. Yang Liu's actions today were entirely a result of my initial stimulation, so I didn't think she was being lewd or had any other abnormal thoughts. My heart was filled with guilt.

Even after our last failed encounter, Liu had tried to be intimate with me with boundless tenderness for a while. However, I still harbored some unseen trauma and couldn't satisfy her. I always used work as an excuse to avoid it, so Liu gave up. She then asked me to come in and sleep with her, but I said it would be more uncomfortable for both of us. She remained silent. Actually, even if we didn't sleep together, a man and a woman in the same room was still very unsettling. I'm a very alert sleeper and wake up easily. Sometimes in the middle of the night, I'd hear her getting up to go to the bathroom. The unusually quiet room would be filled with the "slurping"

sound of her urinating, and my mind would immediately start racing. But when she came out of the bathroom, I had to pretend to be fast asleep. In the darkness, she would never notice that I had pitched a tent under the blanket.

These nights were a painful ordeal for both of us, and we endured this suffering for over 60 days. No wonder Liu was so impatient today.

"Is it comfortable?"

Men seem to like asking this question, and I was no exception.

"Mmm..."

Liu was sweating profusely, her eyes glazed over, as if she had just returned from heaven. She opened her eyes, looked at me, then clung tightly to my neck, smacking her lips as if savoring the delicious food on her lips.

"Hehe..."

Seeing her silly look, I couldn't help but laugh happily. Yes, what could be happier than a woman praising your prowess in that area?

"Shi, you're so amazing!"

Yang Liu whispered in my ear. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed my limp penis, stared at it for a few seconds, widened her eyes, and said seriously, "I heard that if a man has frequent sex, this thing will become darker and darker. I see yours is getting darker and darker."

"Haha..."

I found it funny. What kind of nonsense theory was that? So I patted her smooth back and asked, "Where did you hear that? I've never heard of it before." "

I read it in a book. Don't change the subject. Tell me, have you been with other women?"

Ugh, she's really getting into it.

"Boring, I don't want to argue about such childish topics. Think about it, if I had another woman, wouldn't you have known after being back for so long?"

I casually grabbed a cigarette from the bedside table and lit one.

"Then why did your thing turn black?"

Yang Liu asked persistently.

"Hehe...you want to know? Well, I'll tell you, every afternoon after work I run to the rooftop to take it out and sunbathe it. After sunbathing it for a long time, it turns black, haha..."

As I said this, I couldn't help but laugh at myself. Sunbathing a penis, I guess only people in mental hospitals would do that.

"Haha...nonsense, I don't believe you, hmph!"

Liu laughed for a moment, then continued, "But seriously, Shi, how have you been doing all year while I was gone?"

"How have I been doing it? Heh...with my left and right hands, what else can I do? A living person can't let their sperm suffocate, right?"

I said self-deprecatingly. In front of her, I didn't need to hide anything.

"No way? Sigh... It's all my fault..."

Liu reached out and hugged me, letting out a long sigh as if atoning for her mistake.

Atonement? Was she guilty? I didn't know. The bedroom fell silent again, the only sound the lonely spinning of the fan and the hissing of the burning tobacco in my hand.

A year ago, in the period immediately after she left, I was like Bi Gang, the prime minister in "Investiture of the Gods" whose heart was ripped out—utterly lost and disoriented, I quit my job and wandered the streets like a lost soul. My hair and beard grew wildly, just like my sorrow. I couldn't bear to cut them; I was afraid that one day Liu would suddenly return and see me living a vibrant life, afraid she would think I didn't love her. I bought case after case of beer and drank it like water, getting drunk, falling asleep, waking up, and continuing to drink until the house was filled with beer bottles, leaving no room to even step. One night, I threw all the bottles out, realizing a crucial issue: my heart was gone, but my body remained. And now my woman was gone, what could I do?

I turned on my computer and chatted online. A Hong Kong netizen gave me an adult website. I frantically downloaded porn. I downloaded one, stared intently, and tried to imagine the female lead as Liu, but it was all in vain. Even when the video froze, my heart remained as calm as a still lake, undisturbed. I continued downloading, continued watching, and continued failing… I realized that without Liu, I had become an ED man.

So I wrote an article and posted it on a forum I frequented, titled "Tonight, I'm Devastated." The content detailed my relationship with Liu, from the moment we met until her departure. Because the title was so captivating, and the article was so poignant and melancholic, it garnered over a hundred thousand views and thousands of replies within a day.

It turns out there are plenty of lonely people online like me. I met a girl, the same age as me, and after chatting, we discovered we were both in Shenzhen. She asked to meet me, which I was more than happy to accept, but I still pretended to ask her why. She said I was a very loyal man, worthy of a woman's love, the kind that's unwavering. However, she also said that her request to meet wasn't because she loved me, but because she was lonely and wanted a one-night stand.

I said okay!

The saddest part was that the next day, when we parted and she said not to contact me again, I realized I had fallen in love with her. I begged her not to be so heartless. She stared at me for a while, then sighed, "Sigh…it's really unlucky to have met a man like you."

I was stunned. Women are all sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, aren't they? She really didn't abandon me. She'd come over every few days to cook with me, do my laundry… I was immersed in the joy of being with her. One day, staring blankly at her back as she washed clothes, I suddenly had an urge to marry her.

Before my impulse could cool down, she left. After she left, she called to tell me that she had actually met someone online before me and fallen deeply in love with him. However, he was in Dongguan and his behavior was always aloof, leaving her feeling confused. That's why she considered a one-night stand. As for everything she did afterward, it was just out of pity for me. Now, the man she deeply loved had a change of heart and suddenly treated her well. She was happy and was going to Dongguan to sleep with that man. Her words struck me like a bolt from the blue.

It turns out, humans are intelligent creatures. Her thunderbolt didn't hurt me. Because of Liu's departure, I had developed an antibody, an immunity to the pain of love. And after she went to Dongguan, I found that apart from occasionally struggling with laundry, I didn't spend much time thinking about her. In the quiet of the night, the only person swirling in my mind was still Yang Liu. Perhaps, subconsciously, she was just a transitional step in my eagerness to leave Yang Liu's circle. However, she didn't give me a chance to transition to the other side; Liu still assaulted my memory like the flood of 1998.

It turns out, the first woman in your life will be a brand you can't iron out or erase with a knife.

The cigarette burned out, scorching my index and middle fingers, the intense pain pulling me back from the sea of memories. I heard a soft snore beside me. Turning my head, I saw Liu sleeping soundly on top of me like a docile little lamb.

That brat, she hasn't even showered yet.

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