Chapter 109: The Prelude to a Good Show
Chapter 109: The Prelude to a Good Show
After finishing dinner, Li Zian was cleaning the dishes when he received a two-million-yuan transfer from the New Star Company.
Li Zian glanced at Yu Meilin, who was helping him clear the table. He asked in surprise, “Isn’t your company short on money? Why are you transferring funds to me?”
Yu Meilin replied, “The copper mine output is solid. Banks that wouldn’t lend to us before are now competing to offer loans. The company finally has funds to settle debts. Since the amount you loaned is smaller, I paid you back first. As for Mr. Wen’s portion… that might take longer. I still need to handle the debt owed to the Dajiang Group’s finance company.”
Li Zian said, “Mine isn’t urgent. If you can use the money, keep it. Bank loans come with interest anyway.”
Yu Meilin looked at him, a faint smile playing at the corner of her mouth. “If you don’t want it, hand it over. I’ll manage it for you. Invest it or manage it. How about that?”
She thought: When men lack money, they become content with what they have.
She thought: What woman feels secure about a husband hiding millions in a secret stash?
Li Zian chuckled. “Heh.”
Yu Meilin asked, still smiling, “Does that heh mean yes? Or what?”
Li Zian cleared his throat. “My studio is practically a small business itself. It needs operating funds. I’ll handle the money management, thanks. By the way, I’m helping Teacher Xiao Tang with a problem tomorrow. Then I’ll offer her part-time work at my studio. She could help me with finances too.”
“You’re letting Xiao Tang work part-time at your studio?” Yu Meilin seemed genuinely surprised.
Li Zian explained, “The studio’s business keeps growing. We don’t have enough hands. Xiao Tang is reliable. Once Xiaomei starts attending school, Xiao Tang can come work at my studio full-time. So, having her part-time now works well.”
“You’ve thought this through quite carefully,” Yu Meilin acknowledged. “Xiao Tang is capable, a doer. Honestly, your studio probably is short on someone dependable like her.”
She thought: Short one? Meaning Mu Chuntao isn’t a doer?
But Li Zian just took the comment at face value. He wasn’t interested in arguing the point. Her underlying motive was clear: to distance him from Mu Chuntao.
He thought: I certainly didn’t ask for your opinion.
“What salary are you offering Teacher Xiao Tang?” Yu Meilin inquired further.
“Fifty thousand,” Li Zian answered truthfully.
Yu Meilin laughed outright. “I knew it’d be something ridiculous! Your ‘Worry-Relieving Studio’ truly operates like a tycoon club. I only pay Kun Li forty thousand a month! That’s less than what you offer a part-timer!”
Li Zian gave her a wry smile. “I am a ‘Master’. I can’t be stingy. Besides, we’re a global, high-end customization service tailored for the elite. My team can’t get by on ten or twenty thousand a month – it wouldn’t fit the image!”
Yu Meilin raised her hands defensively. “You’re the Master. Clearly, I’m outmatched. It’s your studio. Have it your way.”
She thought: Like I offered my input!
“Actually,” she continued, her tone shifting, “Since it’s rare to have a free evening… have you heard about ‘Wandering Mars’? Everyone online is raving about it. Let’s go see it?” Her gaze held a clear, hopeful anticipation.
Li Zian wondered: My plastic wife asking me to a movie? What’s the deal here?
He was about to agree instinctively. But then Mu Chuntao’s face suddenly popped into his head. It was an odd sensation. What came out of his mouth changed completely. “Uh… Actually, I need to prepare for Teacher Xiao Tang’s issue tomorrow. You should go ahead. I’ll pass.”
Yu Meilin’s lips parted slightly as if to say something, but no words came out. The hopeful spark in her eyes flickered into disappointment. Li Zian gathered the dishes and headed to the kitchen.
Yu Meilin sighed softly, turned, and walked upstairs. Her steps felt heavy and slow.
The next morning, Yu Meilin barely spoke to Li Zian during breakfast. She left quickly after eating. Not long after she was gone, Tang Qing arrived.
Tang Qing’s eyes were red and puffy, with dark circles beneath them. She’d cried her heart out the night before and obviously hadn’t slept well.
Li Zian comforted her gently. “Try not to dwell on it too much. I’m here. That scumbag won’t take you away.”
“How are you going to convince my mom?” Tang Qing’s voice was strained. “She’s incredibly stubborn. If she says she’ll jump off a building… well, she absolutely would.”
“The tallest lanes here are only three stories,” Li Zian reasoned placidly. “The fall wouldn’t matter much even if she did.”
Tang Qing: “…”
Li Zian grinned. “Relax! Just teasing! Shouldn’t I get at least a tiny smile?”
Tang Qing stared at him wordlessly. She couldn’t find humor in a joke like that.
Feeling awkward now, Li Zian suggested, “Why don’t you go get Xiaomei started with her lessons? I’ll pop over to tell Chuntao. She doesn’t know yet about you coming to the studio.”
“Alright,” Tang Qing murmered distractedly. She took a few steps towards the stairs, then paused and turned back, her eyes full of worry. “Brother Zian… you aren’t really planning on making my mom jump, are you?”
Li Zian chuckled. “Honestly? Not a chance. I have it all sorted out. Your problem will be handled smoothly. You have my word.”
“Oh. Okay,” Tang Qing seemed to relax a fraction. The sheer dread on her face eased slightly, though her smile was still missing. “I’ll go teach Xiaomei now.”
Li Zian went back to his room and sent Mu Chuntao a message: ‘Chuntao, how are you feeling? Can I come over to change your dressing?’
‘King Kong Lolita’ replied almost instantly. This time, it was just a meme – a grinning Shiba Inu.
He interpreted: A grin meant happy. Happy meant yes.
Li Zian felt that familiar itch: ‘Coming right over.’
King Kong Lolita: ‘You can’t! Dad’s actually home this time! The old man is cooking noodles in the KITCHEN right now.’
The itch faded considerably. Nevertheless, he typed: ‘I’m coming anyway. Your injury needs care.’
King Kong Lolita: ‘Yeah, right! Is it my ‘Camel’s Foot Arch’ you want to see again?’
Li Zan typed: ‘…’
With Mu Long at home? Just peeking at her foot? Utter madness! His plan was simply to drop off the Golden Wound Ointment on her doorstep and leave swiftly – typing a long explanation was a bother he’d avoided. Her cheeky accusation left him feeling awkward. He definitely hadn’t been thinking about that!
King Kong Lolita: ‘Is the Master craving peaches again?’
A faint, embarrassed smile touched Li Zian’s lips. His own thoughts were perfectly clear, obviously.
He typed back quickly: ‘Let’s get serious for a minute. Something important.’
King Kong Lolita: ‘What? Spill.’
Li Zian: ‘Teacher Xiao Tang has a big problem. I want to help her. Here’s the plan.’
King Kong Lolita: ‘Video call.’
Ding Dong! Ding Dong! The video request chimed immediately.
Li Zian hit ‘Accept’.
His phone screen illuminated.
It showed a room. There stood Mu Chuntao, balanced on a yoga mat. One leg was planted firmly, the other stretched high and braced flat against the wall – a perfect split.
He saw the ‘Camel’s Foot Arch’ once again.
His mind scrambled instantly.
How was he supposed to discuss serious plans like this?
…
At 5 PM sharp, Tang Qing stood in the arrivals hall of Hongkou Airport.
She felt like an entirely different person today.
She had permed her hair. Oversized dark sunglasses obscured her eyes. She wore a faux-leather micro-skirt. A glitzy, pink waist-cincher belt studded with rhinestones hugged her hips. Her tight-fitting top was dangerously low-cut, held precariously by two thin spaghetti straps over her shoulders, leaving them gleamingly bare. Waves of alluring, provocative energy radiated off her.
The naturally pretty, innocent girl was gone. She looked like someone who might hostess at a KTV lounge – a ‘Princess’.
More than a few men in the hall turned to stare at her. A first glance wasn’t enough. Second, third… even brazen, hungry stares followed her. Their undisguised avarice and desire thickened the air.
This transformation wasn’t Tang Qing’s idea. She hated it. But Li Zian had asked her to dress this way. Though baffled by his purpose, she trusted him. She would follow his instructions.
Another wave of passengers poured out from the exit gates.
Surging within the crowd were three people:
A woman in her forties, bulging within a flowery white dress. Her skin was dark, rough, etched with crow’s feet. A faded, worn, Oxford-cloth knapsack hung from her shoulders. Her head swiveled constantly as she searched the crowd behind the barriers.
Flanking her were two young men:
One was skinny, bald, barely eighteen or nineteen. Crude, colorful tattoos sprawled over his bare arms and neck. He looked like trouble.
The other was older, twenty-four or twenty-five. Sported slicked-back hair. Fat glowed on his face. He carried a significant beer belly. A thick gold chain, unnaturally golden, hung around his neck. A flashy, golden-finished watch weighed down his wrist. Pure nouveau riche gaudy.
Tang Qing spotted these three. Her cheerful mood plummeted.
She knew them all.
The woman in the white flowers? Her mother: Tian Cuihua. A pathetic, infuriating creature Tang Qing somehow couldn’t bring herself to hate.
The greasy, slicked-hair guy? Li Qiang. The target of Li Zian’s plan.
The tattooed, bald lout? Li Jun. Li Qiang’s cousin. Just as rotten.
“Over there!” Tian Cuihua shrieked, spotting Tang Qing. She jabbed a finger excitedly past the barriers towards her daughter and bustled forward, practically scuttling.
Li Qiang’s gaze zeroed in on Tang Qing. His hungry eyes first locked onto her face. Then they slid down, lingering heavily on her chest. They traveled lower, appraising her waist and legs.
Some things were impossible to hide.
Li Qiang grinned. Tang Qing’s body had fired his teenage imagination in high school. Now? A hundred times better. Just thinking the girl he’d lusted over might soon be his made every nerve scream with greed.
“Qingzi!” Tian Cuihua screeched upon arriving. “Why so bare? You’re Li Qiang’s woman now! Don’t go around showing off your shoulders!” She launched immediately into reprimand.
Tang Qing just stared at her mother. A profound bitterness choked her. Words died in her throat.
Li Qiang swaggered over, still grinning. He smoothed over the tension. “Mom, it’s sexy! I love it however Qingzi dresses! I’ll spoil my woman rotten.”
Tian Cuihua fawned instantly, “Oh, see Qingzi? Li Qiang’s so good to you! Marrying him? Blessings owed from a past life!”
The urge to vomit surged violently through Tang Qing. She choked it back. “Mom… let’s get going.”
“Right, right!” Tian Cuihua bobbed her head. “First, your place! Then show us around SHANGHAI! It’s my first time! So exciting!”
Tang Qing gave a stiff, minimal nod. She turned sharply and headed for the exit doors. Her footsteps were clipped.
Li Qiang easily caught up, matching her stride. “Qingzi, got us a ride called?”
“No need,” Tang Qing replied, her voice icy.
Unfazed, Li Qiang pressed on, “A pal’s picking us up, huh? I planned on driving my brand-new BMW X6 here, y’know? Sweet ride! But…” he oozed false concern, “…worried the long ride’d be too hard on Mom’s health. Took the plane instead, see how I care?”
Tian Cuihua practically salivated with gratitude. “Oh, the plane! My first flight ever! Bless you, Li Qiang! Truly blessed!”
Tang Qing walked faster, almost marching towards the exit. Her mother’s groveling disgust twisted inside her. The tears were perilously close now. She needed to get away faster.