Chapter 63: Actually, I Am Reluctant to Let You Go Too

Neither of them slept the entire night. Fortunately, Li Hong did not provoke Liu Weidong further. As soon as morning broke, she washed up, applied her makeup, and changed her clothes right in front of him without the slightest bit of shyness or avoidance.

If it had been any other man, even without crossing any lines, he would have at least feasted his eyes. Liu Weidong, however, used the excuse of fetching water to hide out in the courtyard.

Inside the room, Li Hong stripped completely bare and rubbed cold cream all over her body. With her long, dark hair cascading down, her fair, plump body glowed brilliantly in the morning sunlight. She didn't care at all whether Liu Weidong was peeking through the window. The scene instantly reminded Liu Weidong of a movie, *Malèna*.

Li Hong was so much like the female protagonist in the film: beautiful, sexy, coveted by every man, and envied by every woman.

And Qianjin Commune was the very Sicily that had made her suffer through so much hardship.

To think that such a fine piece of prime white cabbage had been rooted up by a pig like Li Baotian—just thinking about this made Liu Weidong's whole body burn with heat.

The only reasons he didn't touch Li Hong were his fear of wronging Lou Yanru and his aversion to Li Baotian; he refused to touch any woman that pig had ever defiled.

Whether Li Hong genuinely didn't own any undergarments or simply hated wearing them, she put on her dress directly over her bare skin.

Only after she was fully and properly dressed did Liu Weidong step back inside. Glancing at the two distinct protrusions on her chest, he quickly averted his gaze.

"Um... do you really not have any underwear? Do you always go out like this?"

Li Hong curled her lips into a smirk. "Stop acting so righteous. You've already seen every inch of my body. My underwear broke; you can buy me a new set when we get to the city, and I want a new dress and high heels too."

Acting completely nonchalant, Li Hong checked herself in the mirror, linked her arm through Liu Weidong's, and headed out.

Startled, Liu Weidong quickly shook her hand off. "Don't link arms with me like that. Too many people in the commune know us. If someone sees this, goodness knows what rumors they'll start."

Li Hong let out a soft huff. "Such self-deception! You even expect me to call you my cousin? Who in the commune doesn't know us? How long do you expect this lie to last?"

On the packed bus, Li Hong practically pressed herself against Liu Weidong's chest. With the crowd crushing in from all sides, Liu Weidong, terrified that she might be groped by others, had no choice but to let her lean on him.

"Leaning on you really gives me a sense of security. No wonder your mother-in-law pushed Yanru so hard and she still refused to divorce you—is your stamina in that department just as strong? I might need to borrow your shoulder to cry on whenever I'm wronged in the future. I have a feeling Yanru won't be that petty; after all, I am your cousin."

Her breath smelled like orchids as her lips brushed against Liu Weidong's ear to whisper. With all eyes upon them, Liu Weidong couldn't push her away, and her teasing left him burning with suppressed desire.

***

Upon getting off the bus, Liu Weidong took Li Hong straight to the Number Three Department Store, outfitting her from head to toe in the trendiest fashion available in Binjiang.

As he watched Li Hong striking poses in front of the giant mirror, Wang Li's eyes glazed over.

"Weidong, you are truly something else. She isn't just an ordinary femme fatale; she's practically Daji reborn, capable of throwing an entire imperial court into chaos. Forget about Deputy Director Fu being tempted the moment he lays eyes on her—even I'm feeling the urge to commit a crime right now."

Liu Weidong snorted. "Brother Wang, don't go having any wild thoughts. She'll soon be Deputy Director Fu's exclusive possession; you wouldn't dare snatch a woman from a high-ranking official, would you?"

Wang Li sighed in deep regret. "What a waste of such a stunning beauty! Saving his mother coupled with a figure and face like that—how could Fu Hongqi not melt into a puddle of mush? I heard Deputy Director Fu's wife is from the countryside and the couple has been living apart for a long time. If this woman truly manages to get a grip on Fu Hongqi, she'll soar up to the branches and turn into a phoenix. I'm just afraid that by then, you won't be able to control her anymore."

Liu Weidong smiled faintly. "Brother Wang, she betrayed me like that, and yet I'm still repaying her kindness with virtue. Is there any other man in this world as magnanimous and broad-minded as me? She isn't stupid; backstabbing me wouldn't that mean backstabbing herself?"

Wang Li chuckled dryly and said no more.

Dressed in a white-based, red-floral georgette dress, black high heels, and deliberately wearing flesh-colored silk stockings, Li Hong truly looked breathtakingly dazzling.

"Cousin, let's go home. Manager Wang can handle the rest, right, Brother Wang?"

That sweet, coquettish address of "Brother Wang" turned Wang Li's bones to jelly, almost making him drop to his knees on the spot.

"Your cousin and I are brothers. From now on, you're my own younger sister, and I'll definitely take care of your matters. I know where Weidong lives—the moment Deputy Director Fu comes over, I'll send someone to fetch you immediately."

Li Hong offered a radiant, utterly bewitching smile. Forget about Wang Li; even the surrounding shop assistants were left staring in a daze.

As soon as Liu Weidong and Li Hong stepped into the courtyard, Lou Yanru's expression turned complicated, unsure of what to say for a moment. Li Hong rushed forward, grabbed Lou Yanru's hands, and her eyes instantly turned red.

"I'm sorry, Yanru. It's all my fault for being so selfish. I never thought my selfishness would almost ruin Weidong. This time, no matter what price I have to pay, I will help you and Yanhua pass the political review."

Lou Yanru hesitated for a moment. "Li Hong, I've never actually resented you. I can understand why you did what you had to do to protect yourself. Have you really thought through what Weidong asked you to do? If you're unwilling, it's still not too late to turn back."

Li Hong gave a bitter laugh. "Do I still have the capital to regret? I'm a divorced woman, and besides... if I really can climb up to Fu Hongqi just as Weidong said, perhaps this is my chance to turn my luck around. I don't regret it."

***

Lou Yanru's eyes reddened as she pulled Li Hong into the house.

The younger sister was absent, having presumably been sent away on purpose by Lou Yanru. Naturally, such unseemly matters could not be allowed to reach the younger sister's ears.

Once the three of them were inside, Liu Weidong went straight to the brick-bed cabinet and pulled out a box.

It was a ninety-centimeter-long brocade box that looked high-end, luxurious, and sophisticated.

Upon opening the lid, a rich, fragrant aroma of ginseng wafted out, leaving a sweet aftertaste. Resting on a bright red gold-velvet lining were two intertwined wild mountain ginseng roots, completely intact. Even an untrained eye could tell that this item was extraordinarily expensive.

Li Hong could only click her tongue in amazement. "Weidong, Yanru, are you two really willing to part with something this expensive? If it were up to me, I'd just go see Fu Hongqi as I am. Why let him reap both wealth and beauty?"

Liu Weidong smiled. "You have to risk a sprat to catch a whale. As long as my wife can get into university, I'm willing to pay any price. Without a proper stepping stone, you can't even get an audience with Fu Hongqi, and he is a notoriously filial son. Since you saved his mother, out of courtesy and reciprocity, he'll have to invite you to a meal. Through back-and-forth interactions, won't feelings naturally warm up?"

Li Hong and Lou Yanru exchanged a look. Lou Yanru looked somewhat indignant, clearly still very resistant to Liu Weidong's approach.

Yet Li Hong's smile carried a trace of bitterness.

They were both women, but their fates were worlds apart. Her own purpose in sacrificing her physical charms was to help realize another woman's dream.

Wang Li's efficiency was astonishing. Less than an hour after Liu Weidong returned, the heavy iron gate was knocked on.

When Liu Weidong opened it, he saw a jeep parked outside. Wang Li leaned out the car window and said, "The deputy director told me to bring her straight to his office right now. Hurry up and have Li Hong take the items and come with me."

Watching the jeep drive away, Lou Yanru finally let out a sigh. "Husband, will your plan actually work? It's not that I begrudge that root of ginseng, but I'm afraid Li Hong will be taken advantage of for nothing."

Liu Weidong grinned. "I reckon the chances are good. If this trick doesn't work, I have other ways. Worst case scenario, I'll donate the steel mill project to the government free of charge. I simply don't believe such a massive project can't buy university admission tickets for you and your sister. Besides, wife, Li Hong is supposed to be my cousin—if we act a bit too close in front of outsiders, you mustn't get jealous."

Lou Yanru originally looked as though she had something to ask, but hearing Liu Weidong say this, she stamped her foot in frustration. "I *will* be jealous! I'm going to go get my hair permed tomorrow, and I'm going to wear high heels too. When I dress up, I won't be a single bit less dazzling than Li Hong..."