Chapter 674: New Loves and Old Flames

I spent the evening dining with Xu Mengda and the others; at the table, no one mentioned the matter of cooperation again.

I had intended to invite them to go listen to music, but Xue Bing was unwilling, so I had to let it go. After bidding them farewell and coming out, a gust of wind blew directly at me, and to my surprise, my whole body shivered.

Just as I was preparing to drive, a figure rushed out from the darkness and stood blankly in front of my car. I was just about to flare up, but when I looked up, my heart was instantly thrown into chaos.

I had forgotten Li Mei!

By the light of the car headlights, I saw Li Mei's eyes glistening with tears. She was biting her lower lip, not saying a word.

I hurriedly got out of the car and said apologetically, "Oh my, little Li, where did you go?"

Li Mei stared at me fixedly, making me feel a wave of unease in my heart. I gave a sheepish laugh, scratched my scalp, and said, "Let's get in the car and talk."

Li Mei remained unmoved, standing as firm as a rock in front of the car.

I said in a low voice, "It's my fault. I'm sorry, have you eaten yet?"

Only then did she burst into tears and say resentfully, "And you said you'd take me to Beijing; I'm not going anymore. I don't want to experience the feeling of being forgotten ever again."

I reached out and pulled her, trying to get her into the car. After all, staying in the parking lot for too long was likely to attract other people's attention. Not to mention a man and a woman being alone together; what was worse was that the woman was still crying. If someone saw this, who knows how many romantic tales might evolve from it.

After I pulled her once, Li Mei actually followed me into the car obediently.

A wave of relief washed over me, and as soon as the car left the parking lot, I asked her, "What do you want to eat? I'll take you to get some."

Li Mei hesitated for a moment, sighed, and said, "Even if you gave me dragon liver and phoenix marrow to eat right now, I wouldn't be able to taste it." She tilted her head, thought for a moment, and said, "Why don't you take me to eat KFC."

I couldn't help but smile; it was a young girl's habit after all, always liking Western fast food.

I readily agreed. There are four KFCs in Hengyue City, distributed across the four districts of the city. I rarely eat this kind of junk food, but I know the places that produce it.

"I want to eat chicken wings, and potato chips," Li Mei thought for a moment and said, "Anyway, you have to compensate me; whatever I eat, you have to agree to it."

I nodded and said, "Alright, alright, whatever you want to eat is fine. As long as you can eat it, whatever you say you want, I will buy it for you."

Li Mei smiled with satisfaction, and the guilt in my heart was temporarily eased.

When we arrived at the place, Li Mei was unwilling to get out of the car; she wanted me to go buy it and bring it back while she waited in the car.

I had no choice but to get out of the car and, following what she had ordered, bought a large bag and returned. Li Mei took it from my hands, first took a sip of cola, then extended her orchid-shaped fingers to pick up a chicken wing, and after taking a bite, looked at me and said, "Do you want to take a bite?"

I shook my head and said, "I don't want any, I'm full."

Hearing me say this, Li Mei's brow, which had been relaxed, furrowed again. She held the chicken wing, blankly extended it to my mouth, and ordered me, "Eat!"

I still wanted to refuse, but she had already shoved the chicken wing to my mouth without allowing any argument.

I had no choice but to open my mouth, take a bite, and say, "Mm, not bad, quite fragrant."

Li Mei, however, laughed uncontrollably, examined the chicken wing in her hand, and said, "You're eating my saliva."

Only then did I realize that this girl had actually given me a chicken wing she had already bitten into. But since the meat was in my mouth, I was too embarrassed to spit it out. I could only laugh dryly and say, "Mm, that's what I meant, your saliva is fragrant."

I said this unintentionally, without any hidden meaning. I have a bad habit of liking to exploit the loopholes in other people's words; this was already fully manifested when I was in school. According to the Beijingers' way of putting it, this is called "glib-tongued."

My glibness, however, made Li Mei blush. She seemed to sense my teasing, her face like a red apple under the autumn sun, cute and tender.

She hesitated for a moment, but still shoved the chicken wing into her own mouth, chewed carefully for a few bites, and then said, "A dog biting Lu Dongbin—not recognizing a good heart."

I chuckled, preparing to take her home.

Li Mei was too young; although she had grown into a young woman, she was, after all, a child who had just left school, having never seen the storms of the world, so how could she understand the ways of the secular life?

After Li Mei ate two chicken wings, she picked up the cola, took a few sips, and while holding the straw, asked me, "Do you want to take a sip?"

I shook my head and said, "There's only one cup, and besides, you've already drunk from it; you can't expect me to drink your saliva again, right?"

She giggled, spat the straw out of her mouth, handed it to me, and said, "That's right, I just want you to drink my saliva."

I was driving and didn't dare to move too much. After struggling a few times, I was still forced by her to have the straw shoved into my mouth.

"Drink!" she commanded me.

I had no choice but to take a sip, frowned, and said, "I never drink these kinds of beverages."

"Why?"

"Because things like cola are essentially used for cleaning toilets." Before I had finished speaking, Li Mei's little fists were already falling on my shoulders like raindrops.

She hit me while scolding, "I see you dare to talk nonsense; a decent gentleman, how can you say such unpleasant things!"

I laughed, "I'm telling the truth. If you don't believe me, go ask someone else."

Amidst the laughter and banter, the car had already arrived downstairs at her home.

Li Mei was hesitant and reluctant to get out of the car. Because I had things on my mind, I urged her, "Still not going home? Your parents are waiting for you."

She glared at me fiercely and said, "Let me tell you, you abandoned me today; these few chicken wings won't solve it. You still owe me."

"Owe you what?" I said with a smile, "As a young lady, wouldn't it be better to be a bit more magnanimous?"

Li Mei had already opened the car door to get out, but hearing me say this, she became angry instantly. She glared at me and said, "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"No, no," I waved my hands frantically, "Are you fat? I don't think you're fat at all. With your figure, if you were in the Tang Dynasty, you would be a standard beauty."

"You still think I'm fat." She looked ahead with dull eyes, sighed, and said, "I don't have the good fortune of Yang Guifei."

Actually, I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth; the thing girls fear most is others pointing out their shortcomings. Especially girls with a fuller figure; even hearing words like "fat," "blubber," or "broad" and "boundless" would make them feel disgusted. Girls in this world all like to have a willow-like, slender figure; no one wants a bulky body, or even a frame where the waist is invisible.

Li Mei was indeed plump, but her waist was distinct, especially her pair of thighs, which were round enough to invite imagination.

"Now you owe me two favors." She suddenly laughed, looked at herself, and said, "This is just how I am. If you don't like looking, then don't look."

I laughed and said, "That's right, if you don't like looking, then don't look. I like looking, so I look."

Her face blushed slightly again, and she said shyly, "I'm not talking to you anymore, I'm going back."

She walked toward her home without looking back. I watched her retreating figure, feeling fortunate that the words that had been on the tip of my tongue hadn't been spoken.

After sending Li Mei back, no one could find me for the rest of the night.

I took out my phone, turned it off, threw it on the passenger seat, and closed my eyes to rest.

Xu Mengda had suddenly come to Hengyue City, and straight away wanted to cooperate with me. Between him and me, there was absolutely no area for cooperation. He was a businessman, and businessmen chase profit. I was a cadre, and cadres focus on governance. One of us was in the river, the other on the shore; we were worlds apart, so what could he possibly want to cooperate with me on?

This question had been spinning around in my heart ever since Xu Mengda brought it up.

Xu Mengda was a man with resources; not only did I know this, but everyone who knew his name knew it too. Although he was a businessman, he was keen on political matters. For example, who was going to be promoted, or who was going to fall. His information not only came quickly but was also accurate.

I also understand that Duanmu must be involved in this, but Duanmu is, after all, only a division chief, and there are many things he simply cannot touch given his status. For example, when I was to move from the Letters and Visits Bureau to the Industrial Park, Duanmu never said a word; it was Xu Mengda who called to congratulate me the day before my transfer order was issued.

Whatever Xu Mengda sets his sights on, he is sure to obtain.

My heart couldn't help but tremble a few times. What did Xu Mengda see in my hands? Since he has personally stepped in, it is clear that this matter is very important to him, and he intends to win it at all costs.

Dealing with a person like Xu Mengda is best done with the detachment of a gentleman's friendship. If one goes a step deeper, the danger increases by a fraction.

I thought for a long time, yet I still couldn't figure out what exactly Xu Mengda had come to see me for; I didn't find the answer, but my head started to ache instead.

I rolled down the car window and spat a thick glob of phlegm outside. I have been smoking heavily lately, and my throat feels scorched and inflamed every day; it is not only painful, but there is also a lot of phlegm.

Since I couldn't figure it out, I simply stopped thinking about it. I decided to go home and ask my wife, Huang Weiwei.

My wife is often more clear-headed than I am, and she always sees issues much more profoundly than I do. I once joked that behind every successful man, there must stand a great woman.

My wife said that because this woman belongs to this man, the woman's greatness comes from the man's love.

At the thought of my wife, a bit of tenderness suddenly welled up in my heart. I have been busy with work lately, and although I return home every day, I have barely been intimate with her.

Huang Weiwei understands me very well; the first thing I do when I get home every day is draw water for my bath. By the time I finish washing and return, she is always sitting at the head of the bed waiting for me.

She lets me lie between her legs and massages me quietly until I fall asleep; only then does she carefully tuck me in before going to my mother's room to check on our son.

Every morning when I wake up, she has already risen before me and taken on the task of making breakfast.

Breakfast in my home used to be arranged by Xi Meizhu, but since I returned, Huang Weiwei has taken on the task of making breakfast herself. She changes the variety of our breakfast every day, sits quietly across from me watching me finish, then hands me my briefcase and sees me out the door.

I am opposed to her waking up early because when I wake up every day, I habitually reach out to touch her beside me, only to always touch empty space.

Actually, Huang Weiwei knows about this habit of mine; as long as I am home, the mandatory program every morning is that I must hold her and caress her breasts before I get out of bed.

My opposition was ultimately dissolved into nothingness by her persistence. But she returns to my side a few minutes before I wake up, allowing me to continue the tenderness we have shared for years.

Huang Weiwei once said to me that everyone says if you capture a man's stomach, you can capture a man's heart. She only wants to capture my stomach, to ensure I have a clean and hygienic breakfast and a healthy, strong physique. As for the human heart, that is not something that can be captured.

Her reflections made my nose feel a bit sore; thinking back carefully, ever since we got married, it seems we have lost the fiery passion of the past.

She is still her, but I feel as if I am no longer me!

I sigh, start the car, and prepare to go home.