Chapter 509

Because the train’s roar drowned out Li Zhi’s voice, Wei Ming didn’t hear her: “Huh, what did you say?”

“Nothing, I just asked what you wanted to eat.” Li Zhi dared not ask again, thinking this was Wei Ming’s way of refusing.

“Let’s have Chinese food.”

“Okay, I know a Cantonese restaurant.” Li Zhi immediately adjusted their route.

While eating, Wei Ming’s mind still dwelled on that strange yet naive locomotive.

In his past life, he had helped Xi Zi raise seven boys, plus the one from Xiao Hong’s family—eight Golden Boys altogether—so he knew boy toys inside out, but girl toys were relatively unfamiliar to him.

In his memory, there was a wildly popular toy train he had bought for Xiao Hong’s son and also for Xi Zi’s youngest boy—a hit for over a decade—called Thomas the Tank Engine.

Because he bought so many, he’d learned a bit: this toy originally came from Britain, then was later acquired by Mattel, a rival to Hasbro, and became Mattel’s flagship money-maker.

I should call Melinda later and ask about this.

After getting off the train, Li Zhi couldn’t bear to let go of her twin dolls, carrying them into the restaurant. Wei Ming had little interest in these plastic toys—he preferred cuddling plush toys like Steel Ball Basi .

While eating, they saw people dancing on the street—one doing breakdance, the other doing the moonwalk.

The moonwalk had recently been popularized by Michael Jackson’s performance; within a year, American film and music had unleashed two dance trends upon the world, their influence piercing decades—Wei Ming could even do a few moves himself.

Seeing Wei Ming gaze out the window, Li Zhi said: “You like watching dance? I can dance too.”

I know you can—and you danced with Chung Chu-hung like fireworks exploding.

Seeing Wei Ming suddenly laugh, Li Zhi said seriously: “I really can dance—I’ve taken lessons.”

“Oh, what kind of dance can you do?”

“Latin, ballroom, and I can do a bit of classical too.” As she spoke, Li Zhi glanced down at herself—though classical dance would suit her figure poorly.

“Can you pole dance?”

Li Zhi’s face flushed red as she gazed at him seductively: “If you want to see it, I can perform it for you at home.”

Now it was Wei Ming’s turn to be embarrassed—he thought Li Zhi didn’t know about this dance, but apparently she did.

“How do you even know this? You shouldn’t learn such things.” Wei Ming scolded—this dance, which showcases strength and beauty, wouldn’t move from nightclubs to gyms for another twenty years.

“I didn’t specifically learn it—Lingling took me to Las Vegas a few times. I saw it there. But we don’t have any metal poles at home.” Her gaze drifted downward beneath the table.

Wei Ming: Outrageous!

He cleared his throat twice: “Hurry up and eat—we still have to go do a big Walmart shopping run.”

Wei Ming had no intention of cooking—he knew there were restaurants downstairs serving every cuisine; he could handle Indian food just fine, and preferred to spend his time on more meaningful things.

So at Walmart, he bought no vegetables or raw meat—only ready-to-eat food and drinks, for emergencies.

Wei Ming hadn’t brought many clothes, so he bought some trendy outfits—a hat worn backward made him look very hip-hop.

Li Zhi bought some too, and deliberately dragged Wei Ming into the lingerie section, making sure he couldn’t miss her advantages.

In the household goods section, after buying essentials like toothbrushes and face wash, Wei Ming asked Li Zhi: “Want to grab some sanitary pads just in case?”

“Hmm,” she blushed, “Okay, but I’m not on my period right now.”

This was a hint to Wei Ming—but as she reached for the pads, Wei Ming was picking up contraception, choosing the largest size.

Li Zhi’s heart pounded wildly—tonight, only the two of them would be home. Who was this for? It was so hard to guess.

A slow smile crept onto her lips, impossible to hide.

Clearly, men went wild when out of their girlfriend’s sight.

Actually, actually, she didn’t even need that thing—she wanted to experience true, unbarriered intimacy for the first time.

Now Li Zhi was desperate to get home and experience the pleasure she’d imagined for so long—but Wei Ming kept browsing, unable to stop.

Later, they bought some household appliances—a kettle was a must; he was used to drinking cooled boiled water.

A VCR was essential too—he bought a stack of movies he’d never seen or classics, and Walmart was a strong VHS sales channel.

Finally, he wandered through Walmart’s toy and book sections. The toy selection was far inferior to Toys “R” Us, but Transformers still held center stage.

For books, he bought a full set of the month’s bestsellers, including his own newly released August title: *Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask*.

The *Goosebumps* series, starting with *Dear, I Shrunk the Kids*, was now on its fourth book. Wei Ming’s writing speed hadn’t improved much, but the quality had steadily risen—he was growing increasingly adept at writing these short stories.

The four books had sold three million copies cumulatively in North America, but due to low unit prices, profits weren’t high—Wei Ming was counting on future film adaptations, since all these stories were adapted from movie scripts.

One shopping trip filled not just the trunk but even the back seats—excluding the computer.

The computer was bought, but it was bulky, so Wei Ming had the store deliver and install it tomorrow—worth the extra cost.

Li Zhi couldn’t wait to drive back to the apartment, making two trips just to carry everything inside.

But once inside, Wei Ming showed no sign of intimacy—he immediately set up the VCR, making Li Zhi stomp her feet in frustration.

Was he planning to watch a romantic movie first, then let the mood naturally lead somewhere?

Li Zhi silently scolded herself for being too eager—she carried her twin dolls and other toys into the bedroom, then changed into a loose, comfortable nightgown.

When she returned to the living room, she found Wei Ming had finished installing the VCR—but he wasn’t watching. He had gone back to his bedroom.

Li Zhi angrily knocked on Wei Ming’s door.

Wei Ming yawned: “What is it, Xiao Li? It’s so late—why aren’t you sleeping? Tomorrow you have to report to school.”

“Huh, I have to report tomorrow?”

“Yes, better to get it over with early—Xiao Hong went ahead too, to get adjusted.”

Hearing this, Li Zhi made up her mind—she pulled the sash at her waist, and the nightgown instantly loosened, slipping naturally off her shoulders. Now she wore nothing but a tiny scrap of cloth.

Wei Ming swallowed hard—she was stunning, truly the pinnacle of Asian femininity: tall, full, fair, and lush—comparable to Melinda.

But except for one spot, his entire body remained still.

Not because he didn’t want to—but because he dared not.

He didn’t dare not out of fear, but because he was good.

“Xiao Li, hurry up and put your clothes back on—you’ll catch cold,” Wei Ming urged.

Seeing Wei Ming still pretend ignorance, Li Zhi threw herself at him and hugged him tightly: “Fine, I’m the one making the first move now—take out that Jieshibang you bought at Walmart.”

To be held by such a body and still remain restrained—he was damn proud of himself.

“Xiao Li, that’s not for you,” Wei Ming opened his arms. “I bought it for Melinda—she’s coming to the U.S. in September.”

Hearing this, Li Zhi froze—she had misread everything. But she still didn’t want to let go—she wanted to make it real tonight, or tomorrow she’d be living on campus.

Li Zhi clenched her fists tightly, afraid Wei Ming would forcibly pull away.

They stood like this for a moment—then suddenly, Wei Ming felt a chill on his shoulder—Li Zhi was crying.

Li Zhi clenched her two hands tightly, afraid that Wei Ming would forcibly pry them apart.

“I feel so cheap,” Li Zhi whispered, sobbing softly. “I thought if I just made the first move, I could move you—but you’re completely unmoved.”

Wei Ming: “To be honest, with us this close, you should know whether I’ve reacted. But if I just gave in to you, wouldn’t I be just as cheap?”

“No! A graceful woman is what a gentleman desires. If you act on me, you’re the true gentleman,” she argued, twisting logic to ease his moral burden.

Wei Ming smiled: “I have a girlfriend.”

“But you have more than one—you have Gong Ying too,” Li Zhi pierced his innocent facade. “If you already have two, why can’t I be the third?”

Since she mentioned Gong Ying, Wei Ming said plainly: “Actually, it’s not just Min and Gong Ying—Zhu Lin is also my girlfriend, and Melinda—even though we broke up, we’re permanently bound.”

Holy hell—he had Zhu Lin too! Li Zhi had no idea.

“Fine, now you’ve got four! I’m happy to be your fifth!” Li Zhi was even more heartbroken.

Hey, she really had a thing for “five.”

Wei Ming sighed: “Why bother?”

Li Zhi: “I like you!”

Wei Ming: “Then first, be honest—what do you like about me? My talent? My wealth? My face or body?”

“Can’t I like them all?”

“There must be one weightier than the others. What’s the heaviest reason you want to be with me? Tell me the truth.” Wei Ming’s tone grew firmer.

Li Zhi loosened her grip slightly, clutching Wei Ming’s shirt, lifting her head slightly—her lips, flushed and trembling: “I admit, at first I liked you because you were rich—I had no experience then, and thought money was everything. But now it’s different.

Money isn’t the main reason I chose you. Don’t be afraid—I met an old man later, far richer than you, beyond anything you could ever reach. He pursued me, even wanted me to be his fourth concubine. But whenever I thought of you—even if he were decades younger—he meant nothing compared to you in my heart.

That’s why I call myself cheap. You never even looked at me properly—you were cold to me—but my heart holds only you.”

Money wasn’t the main reason I chose you; I’m not afraid to tell you, later I met an old man who was far wealthier than you—perhaps a height you could never reach in your lifetime. He pursued me and even wanted me to be his fourth concubine, but whenever I thought of you, even if he were decades younger, he still meant less to me than you did.

So I say I’m lowly—you never even looked at me properly, you were so cold to me, yet in my heart, there was only you.