Zhang Lili, dressed in a red wool coat, with freshly permed brown curly hair and knee-high boots, walked into a budget chain hotel in the north of the city.
Passing the reception desk, she stepped into the adjacent elevator and pressed the button for the third floor.
The mirrored steel inside the elevator reflected a rare smile on Zhang Lili's face.
The two young girls at the reception desk were whispering together.
"See her? She's a regular at our place. Don't let her prim and proper appearance fool you; she's been seeing her lover here for at least four or five years."
"What if she's divorced and having an affair?"
"Come on, if you've been dating for that long, why meet at a hotel? Wouldn't it be better at home? Cheaper, too. Besides, she's only here for about two hours each time. Who dates like that?"
"Then... aren't you afraid of being discovered?"
"Who knows? If discovered, she'll just get divorced!"
Inside the room,
She took off her red wool coat, revealing Zhang Lili's figure, which, despite being close to forty, was still well-maintained.
From behind, she still looked quite like a young girl.
This was one reason why Xu Sheng could maintain his affair with Zhang Lili for so many years. Of course, the biggest reason was—
Zhang Lili could help him obtain the seal that Hu Xingfa kept in his home safe and the password Hu Xingfa habitually used.
Xu Sheng had worked for Hu Xingfa for nearly ten years, rising from the lowest employee to his current position as Manager Xu. However, Xu Sheng knew this was a facade, as he wasn't a university graduate at all. His promotions were solely due to Hu Jin's advocacy in front of Hu Xingfa.
Without Hu Jin, he was nothing.
Xu Sheng's hand expertly settled on Zhang Lili's waist.
"What's wrong? My little beauty? Why the long face? I told you, you're most beautiful when you smile. Once I transfer all the money overseas, we can fly away together."
Hearing Xu Sheng's words, Zhang Lili's entire demeanor softened.
She turned from her side on the bed to face the refined Xu Sheng, complaining,
"Do you know how unreasonable Hu Xingfa is? He actually said he's not eating or living at home this month, so why should he give me living expenses? If he doesn't give me money, I don't dare go to the beauty salon this month, for fear they'll ask me to pay upfront."
After speaking, Zhang Lili fell silent and looked at Xu Sheng with anticipation.
Xu Sheng gently patted Zhang Lili's back and coaxed her softly,
"Just hang in there for a few more months. Once it's done, I'll take you to America. Once we're there, what kind of beauty treatments won't you be able to get? The beauty salons in small cities like C City are all scams. Be careful, or they'll ruin your pretty face."
Listening to Xu Sheng, Zhang Lili was still hesitant. Just as she was about to act coy again, her phone on the bedside table rang.
Zhang Lili quickly reached out and pressed the answer button on her phone.
"Hello? Yes, I'm Hu Qian's mother. What? I'm a bit busy right now, can I come later? Okay."
The call ended. Zhang Lili placed her phone back on the bedside table and turned to continue their conversation, only to see Xu Sheng already sitting up and putting on his suit jacket.
This was what Zhang Lili liked about this man. Unlike Hu Xingfa, who, relying on his money, only played with women.
Xu Sheng was cultured, a university graduate, and his usual attire was like something out of a TV drama. In the middle of winter, Hu Xingfa would wear a wrinkled wool sweater and a coat that was creased at the backside from sitting.
Xu Sheng was different. Even in winter, he wore a shirt and suit, with a black overcoat. He looked like he had stepped out of a Hong Kong TV series.
"Xu Sheng, don't go. It's nothing, just that Hu Qian was caught playing with her phone in class by the teacher, and they want me to go to the school."
Xu Sheng, who was facing away from Zhang Lili and tidying the wrinkles on his suit jacket, frowned slightly, a flash of impatience crossing his face.
"Lili, my little beauty, our love can't wait half a day. When we get to America, we'll spend the rest of our lives together."
Zhang Lili, who had been a little flustered by Xu Sheng's decisive movement to get out of bed, felt a blush of shyness upon hearing his words.
"Then... I'll be going. Hurry up on your end. I feel like throwing up whenever I see Hu Xingfa's face now. I really can't stand him anymore."
Xu Sheng stood up and began to adjust the hem of his overcoat, giving a slight "Mm-hmm."
Zhang Lili picked up her handbag, put on her boots, and hurried out of the hotel room.
After she left, Xu Sheng sighed and walked into the bathroom to wash his hands.
Then, Xu Sheng's phone began to ring. It rang for about three seconds before the caller immediately hung up.
A smile finally appeared on Xu Sheng's face.
He quickly dried his hands and turned on his phone on the bedside table, calling the number that had just rung.
"Hello?"
If Hu Xingfa were here, he would be very surprised to hear this voice, for it was not his sister, but Hu Jin's voice!
Hu Jin on the phone spoke slowly, as usual, her tone conveying an air of culture.
Hearing Hu Jin's voice, Xu Sheng's eyebrows relaxed, and he asked with a smile,
"Finally remembered me, Sister Jin?"
Hu Jin, however, did not engage in flirtation. Her tone was gentle and calm, saying,
"The little secretary's due date is in March. We had another hundred thousand in the accounts to last another month, but Hu Xingfa took it out during Chinese New Year for some reason.
He wouldn't say why when asked. Now there's only tens of thousands left in the accounts. Given Hu Xingfa's personality, if it's a boy, he'll throw a lavish banquet. If we use the remaining money for that, we won't be able to pay salaries for March in April. I've already completed all the visa applications and booked our flights to America for March 18th."
As Hu Jin spoke, Xu Sheng's expression turned serious.
"Okay, I understand. I'll start wrapping things up on my end. The loose ends Zhang Lili has left should be enough for Hu Xingfa to chew on."
"Yes, I won't say more. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
After Xu Sheng said goodbye, he waited for the other party to hang up.
Listening to the dial tone, Xu Sheng finally looked up at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.
What Zhang Lili liked was merely the persona Hu Jin had packaged for him.
A university graduate?
Heh, that was just a fake diploma Hu Jin bought to help him get the job. He was just a guy from the mountains who was lucky enough to be chosen by Hu Jin as a partner.
And he was willing to be Hu Jin's dog, as long as he could stay by her side.
After all, without him, there was Xu Jun, Xu Shan, Xu Danian...