Chen Xinxin said, "Yes, but now he seems as nimble as a rabbit."
Zhao Ling said, "You might have struck gold."
Chen Xinxin said, "Then can you give him back to me?"
Zhao Ling said smugly, "No, even though he's still your bodyguard, he's the man in my bed tonight."
Zhao Qiang said to the shop owner who sold him floor tiles, "Let's go." Behind him was a group of movers lying on the ground. The shop owner patted Zhao Qiang on the shoulder in surprise, "Young man, you're good at this. I believe you can finish the job in one morning. Let's go."
Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin naturally followed. There was limited space in the truck bed, so Zhao Qiang had to climb onto the floor tiles in the truck bed to sit. It took them nearly twenty minutes to get to the fat boss's house. Without saying a word, Zhao Qiang first tried to stack the five boxes of floor tiles together. They were indeed very heavy, but he could handle it. He then followed the fat boss up five floors.
The combined weight of five boxes of floor tiles is unimaginable. For an ordinary person, let alone climbing stairs, even walking on flat ground would be incredibly strenuous. Zhao Qiang exerted force on the stairs, using this to generate power to help him ascend. Push, push, suddenly a force propelled Zhao Qiang up the three-tiered staircase. If the fat man in front of him hadn't been walking so fast, he would have bumped into Zhao Qiang's backside.
What was going on? Zhao Qiang was puzzled. He tried to increase the force of his kick again, and at this moment, the magical assistance appeared again. With a whoosh, Zhao Qiang was pushed up two steps. If Zhao Qiang hadn't leaned against the stairwell wall, he might have lost his balance and dropped the five boxes of floor tiles. In that case, not only would he have to pay for the moving, but he would probably also have to pay the fat boss money.
Seeing that the fat boss had already climbed to the fourth floor and was the only one in the entire corridor, Zhao Qiang gently placed the five boxes of floor tiles on the ground and tried to push off the ground with his feet a few times. Suddenly, his shoes seemed to spring up and pushed him upwards. Zhao Qiang hurriedly covered his head and braced himself with his other hand on the top of his head, thus avoiding hitting the ceiling.
Damn, Zhao Qiang was overjoyed. Not only were the glasses strange, but these shoes were also extraordinary. Who was he before? How did he end up with such high-end stuff? Zhao Qiang picked up the five boxes of floor tiles again, testing the shoes' magical power while pondering his identity.
Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin each tried to carry a box, but they were too tired to even get to the first floor and quickly put them down. Zhao Ling said, "Let's carry them together. This job is really not as easy as giving a massage to a man."
At this moment, Zhao Qiang came running down again and saw two girls carrying a box of floor tiles upstairs. Although it was a bit cold, the two girls were sweating. He grabbed the box of floor tiles and put it back in the car, saying, "You two rest over there. You'll never finish the job even if you work yourself to death. Don't block my way."
Zhao Ling said to Chen Xinxin, "It seems we can't help. Oh well, let him move it himself. Anyway, he's earning money to support himself. How much do we eat?"
Having already made one trip before, and with the help of his magical shoes, Zhao Qiang was confident. This time, he carried eight boxes at once, blocking his view and forcing him to turn his head to the side to see the road. The driver, who was watching from the truck, was dumbfounded. He had been delivering goods for several years and had never seen such a powerful mover before. Others could only carry three boxes at most at a time, and not even that many times.
In half an hour, Zhao Qiang transported half a truckload of floor tiles to the fifth floor. The boss upstairs couldn't stop smiling. This was faster than hiring four movers; it could be finished in half a day. Don't let the young man's delicate skin fool you; he's surprisingly strong.
Actually, Zhao Qiang was also a bit exhausted, and sweat had already beaded on his forehead. Zhao Ling kept wiping his sweat with tissues, and complained with heartache, "What are you doing this for? I can earn money to support you. Don't ruin your health."
As Zhao Qiang climbed the stairs, he thought to himself, "Damn, if only there were an anti-gravity device that could eliminate the weight of the floor tiles and make climbing stairs feel like lifting air. That would be so awesome, especially with these magical shoes I'm wearing."
Volume 2 [431] Earning Extra Money
[431] Earning extra money
Zhao Qiang suddenly felt his body go light, as if he were holding nothing in his hands. He had just been carrying the weight of eight boxes of floor tiles, and the sudden loss of that weight caused him to lose his balance. He fell, and the eight boxes of floor tiles that had been in his hands flew off. Zhao Qiang cried out in alarm, "Oh no!"
Just when Zhao Qiang thought there would be a loud crash, he suddenly realized that he hadn't tumbled down the stairs, but was instead suspended in mid-air. The eight boxes of floor tiles were also floating in the air like ghosts, seemingly lighter than goose feathers. It turned out that both he and the floor tiles had experienced weightlessness.
Zhao Qiang cursed, "Holy crap, no way, what I wish for comes true? Am I a god?"
Zhao Qiang gripped the handrail on the stairs to steady himself, then gathered the eight boxes of floor tiles together and gently stepped on them. Only then did he dare to think about canceling the anti-gravity effect. Just as the thought arose, his body suddenly sank, the feeling of levitation disappeared, and everything returned to normal. Some porcelain shards that had leaked from the floor tile boxes also fell to the ground with a whoosh.
"Activate anti-gravity," Zhao Qiang thought, and instantly, a state of weightlessness returned to a certain area around his body. Zhao Qiang was overjoyed. It turned out that not only were his shoes special, but he also had some kind of anti-gravity equipment somewhere on his body. He just didn't know what it was yet. However, Zhao Qiang wouldn't easily lose even a speck of dust on his body. Maybe it was a good medicine for curing diseases. In short, he had many secrets. He would slowly recall them. Maybe he could even remember a bunch of beautiful women, Zhao Qiang thought.
It took Zhao Qiang a full ten minutes to master how to walk in zero gravity and how to avoid being noticed by others. The fact that it took him ten minutes to learn one thing was enough to prove how difficult it was. The owner upstairs thought Zhao Qiang had run away with the floor tiles and was impatient to come down and check. Only then did Zhao Qiang carry the eight boxes of floor tiles upstairs. He then carried them up almost every three minutes and in less than half an hour, he had carried the remaining floor tiles to the fifth floor. Moreover, Zhao Qiang hadn't even broken a sweat, which scared Zhao Ling and Chen Xinxin into thinking that he had overexerted himself.
The fat boss pulled out two red bills from his wallet and handed them to Zhao Qiang, saying, "Brother, you've got good skills. This mover job is perfect for you. Keep the change; it's a reward for completing the task ahead of schedule. Here's your phone number; I'll call you again if I need any work in the future. Those guys in the market are unreliable."
Zhao Ling hurriedly gave her phone number to the fat boss. She had earned two hundred yuan in just one hour, which was much more lucrative than her massage business. Chen Xinxin nervously held Zhao Qiang's hand and asked, "Zhao Qiang, are you really not exhausted?"
Zhao Qiang said, "Do you think it looks like it? I'm very relaxed right now. Is there any other work? If not, let's find a place to eat. I'm going to eat a hundred steamed buns for lunch today."
Zhao Ling came over and took Zhao Qiang's other hand, saying, "Okay, this is the money you earned. We won't object if you buy all of it with steamed buns."
The chubby boss watched the three leave with envy, muttering, "Brother, even as a porter you have two beautiful secretaries, you're really something else."
On the way, Chen Xinxin suggested, "Let's buy some food and cook at home; that way we'll save money."
Zhao Ling said, "I don't have any kitchen utensils at home, so I'll have to go to your house."
Chen Xinxin said, "Of course, let's go to the market."
Zhao Ling said, "Buy more meat. I see Zhao Qiang is very tired, so let's give him some extra nutrition."
Zhao Qiang walked behind Zhao Ling. At this moment, the unpleasant scent of her perfume no longer bothered him. However, Zhao Qiang boldly wondered if it was possible to modify the properties of a perfume. It seemed that such a thing existed in the sliver of his memory. Judging from the special places he had discovered today, perhaps this dream could be realized. He must try it when he got back.
After buying vegetables and several large bags of steamed buns from the farmers' market, Chen's mother was packing her things when Chen Xinxin asked, puzzled, "Mom, are you planning to move?"
Chen's mother looked at Zhao Qiang with some surprise. "Young man, why haven't you left yet? I heard that the people who were burned are looking for you everywhere. That's why I don't dare to stay here anymore. You should leave quickly, it will be very dangerous if they find you."
Chen Xinxin said, "Mom, don't worry about it. If they dare to cause trouble, I'll have Zhao Qiang beat them up."
Chen's mother scolded, "You child, why are you throwing a tantrum? Those are real thugs and hooligans, don't treat them like a joke!"
Chen Xinxin said, "Mom, I'm not taking this lightly. Zhao Qiang is really capable, so don't worry."
Chen's mother said, "How can I be at ease? We'll move this afternoon. I've already rented a house in the north of the city. We'll go live there. Anyway, it's not our own house, so it doesn't matter where we live."
Zhao Ling said, "Xin Xin, since Auntie wants to move, let's move to a different place together. We'll move to your place first this afternoon, and then I'll find a house in the north of the city to move to."
Chen Xinxin said, "That's the only way. Let's cook. We need to eat to have the strength to move. We just helped others move this morning, and now it's our turn this afternoon."
Actually, Zhao Qiang wanted to tell them that he no longer cared about Scorpion Man, Brother Fa, or Brother Hong. With his super brain, running shoes, and anti-gravity device, Zhao Qiang could easily deal with them. However, Zhao Qiang didn't think he could persuade Chen's mother, so he let them move the things.
Aside from the fried dough stick stall and the other household items, the Chen family didn't have much property. And because of Zhao Qiang, a strongman, moving was an easy task. As for settling into the new house, that was beyond Zhao Qiang's ability, so Zhao Ling took him back to her own home, while Chen Xinxin stayed behind to help her mother tidy up the new house.
While packing her things, Zhao Ling said, "If we move to the north of the city, we'll have to pay rent in advance. I've been playing around for over a week, and I don't even have a hundred yuan left. Come with me to the massage parlor later, and I'll do a few jobs to earn up the rent."
Zhao Qiang was playing with a screwdriver. This thing he always carried in his hand must have a special function, but he hadn't discovered it yet. "I won't let you go," Zhao Qiang said. He felt extremely uncomfortable just thinking about Zhao Ling being taken advantage of by another man.
Zhao Ling came over, took Zhao Qiang's hands, and placed them on her waist, letting Zhao Qiang hug her like this. She said, "Alright, Zhao Qiang, you're still young and don't know how hard life is. You know, I felt bad watching you move floor tiles this morning. The work I do is much easier. If you don't believe me, come and see for yourself."
Zhao Qiang said softly, "I don't want other men to touch you." Now he's learned to be jealous.
Zhao Ling giggled: "So that's what you're worried about. Don't worry, as soon as I show up, those men will fight over me for a massage, even if they don't let them touch me. Come on, I'll show you around, and you can protect me while you're at it."
Zhao Ling insisted on going, and Zhao Qiang couldn't dissuade her. He was also afraid that she would suffer at the hands of a man, so he had to go with her. Yihai had a new urban area, and on a commercial street in the new urban area, there was an inconspicuous alley with a row of hair salons and massage parlors. Whether they actually gave hair salons and massages was another matter.
Zhao Ling led Zhao Qiang into a hair salon called **Hair Salon. As soon as they entered, they saw three scantily clad women sitting on the sofa smoking with their breasts partially exposed. Zhao Ling greeted them, "Sisters, I'm back."
A woman in her late thirties came out of the inner room and her face lit up when she saw Zhao Ling. “Oh, Zhao Ling, where have you been these past few days? Do you know how many guests have come to see you? And who is this child?” Zhao Qiang still looked so fresh and youthful. He had fair skin that was pleasing to the eye. Although his hair was a bit short, it was perfectly acceptable for a child to have a neat hairstyle.
Zhao Ling said casually, "My younger brother, Zhao Qiang, recently came to see me, so I had to keep him company. I've run out of money, so I'm here to earn some extra cash. Are there any customers? Same price as always, fifty yuan. You can raise twenty, and I'll keep thirty."
The proprietress smiled and said, "Yes, I'll call right away, but several people have told me to let them know when you get back."
The girls on the sofa weren't enthusiastic towards Zhao Ling; instead, their eyes held a hint of disgust. It was easy to imagine that they had no business, but Zhao Ling brought in pre-booked customers as soon as she arrived. With such competition for profits, it was no wonder things weren't going well.
Zhao Ling didn't care about the hostile looks from her girlfriends; she was probably used to them. She found a seat and pulled Zhao Qiang to sit next to her. She lit a cigarette, and when she had smoked half of it, a car sped up and screeched to a halt at the door. A fat man got out and practically ran in.
"Little Lingling, I missed you so much." As soon as he entered, the man made a hugging gesture. Zhao Ling curled her lips in disgust and held the cigarette in front of her chest. Naturally, the man didn't dare to actually hug her, otherwise his clothes would be burned.
Zhao Ling pointed to the inner room, where there were rows of massage rooms. The man didn't rush in, but glanced at Zhao Qiang and asked Zhao Ling, "Who is this child?"
Zhao Ling said, "It's my younger brother. I'm in a hurry, let's get going."
The massage room door closed, and Zhao Qiang chuckled coldly as he gave the X-ray glasses an order. He didn't care what Zhao Ling was like before, but after he officially held her and slept with her last night, he couldn't allow any other man to touch her. This time, he really couldn't persuade her otherwise; otherwise, Zhao Qiang would never have let her come to a place like this again.
The moment the door closed, the man couldn't wait any longer and reached out to put his arm around Zhao Ling. Zhao Ling turned away and said, "Boss Wang, I'll say it again: if you keep this up, I'll leave immediately. I'm not one of those prostitutes out there. Please understand that. If you need anything, I can go out and call them for you. I guarantee a full-service package, from singing and playing instruments to everything to your satisfaction."
The man smiled ingratiatingly and said, "No, no, I'll lie down and you can give me a massage, okay? Actually, I just want to get some money. I know your brother's visit will cost you a lot. Here's five hundred yuan for you. If it's not enough, come back to me. I'll say it again: as long as you agree to be my mistress, I'll cover your expenses with ten thousand yuan every month. How about that? It's better than you living in constant fear, earning this little bit of money in brothels. If you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get wet. You can protect yourself today and tomorrow, but can you protect yourself forever? Sooner or later, the day will come when you're caught."
Zhao Ling snatched the banknotes from the man's hand, saying, "It's nothing. You're dreaming if you think you can buy my body with this little bit of money. I'd be much better off marrying a rich man than being your mistress. Even if I have sex, I won't give it to you, so don't even think about it. If you can look at it, then look at it. If you can't, then behave yourself."
Volume 2 [432] Moving
[432] Moving
The man muttered something under his breath and then obediently lay on the bed to get a massage. His eyes were always lecherously staring at Zhao Ling's chest. Whenever she bent over too hard, her breasts would sag, making the man swallow hard. Unfortunately, before he could even make a move, Zhao Ling would slap him down.
Zhao Ling seemed very adept at guarding against this, making it difficult for men to take advantage of her. Yet, there were always those shameless men. One inside hadn't finished when another was waiting outside. What could they do? Zhao Ling was simply too charming. Her charm wasn't just physical beauty; she possessed a seductive allure unique to women who frequented brothels. She was incredibly alluring. But all the men knew that Zhao Ling was completely innocent; no one had ever been heard of taking advantage of her. Yet, the more innocent she was, the more men flocked to her. Therefore, Zhao Ling looked down on them even more, and scolding or hitting them was the least of her worries.
Boss Wang emerged from inside, still seemingly unsatisfied. Zhao Qiang had been keeping a close eye on her, ready to pounce on her if Zhao Ling suffered any injustice. However, it seemed that nothing unexpected happened during the entire process, which put Zhao Qiang at ease. He now had another piece of corroborating evidence regarding Zhao Ling's past. It shouldn't be as he had imagined. This massage girl was truly untainted by the world; she was just a woman who swindled men out of their money.
Zhao Qiang couldn't understand why Zhao Ling was so open with him, letting him do whatever he wanted to her. Was he really that handsome? For a moment, Zhao Qiang felt smug. He looked at his skin, which was incredibly good. He looked in the mirror, and he was incredibly handsome. He was strong, could fight, and could work. If he had some money, he would be a real heartbreaker. Killing Zhao Ling would be more than enough for him. Beautiful women love handsome men; this is an eternal truth.
Boss Wang glared at the man waiting outside. This man was younger than him and had been pursuing Zhao Ling for a long time. He had rushed over as soon as he heard she was coming, only two minutes later than Boss Wang. Boss Wang snorted disdainfully, then opened the door and went out. Rivals meeting are always bound to be hostile.
The waiting man went in and his first question was, "How much money did that old man give you?"
Zhao Ling said smugly, "One thousand? I'll consider his request. Anyway, women always have to get married. It'll be too late to sell them for a good price when they're old and faded." From this statement, it's clear that Zhao Ling is a sly little devil who cheats people out of money.
The man snorted and threw out a wad of RMB, probably around three thousand yuan. "Forget about him. I'll give you one more chance. If you're still just trying to scam me out of my money this time, you know I have ways to deal with you."
Zhao Ling chuckled sweetly, "How could that be? How could a weak woman like me dare to play tricks on you big bosses? You are much more generous than Old Man Wang, and you are young and handsome. If I really decide to sell my first night, I will definitely consider you first."
The man said, "I don't just want your first night; I want you to be my woman from now on, and I'll take care of you."
Zhao Ling asked, "How much money can you offer?"
The man said, "I'll triple whatever others offer."
Zhao Ling exclaimed dramatically, "If others offer 30,000 but you offer 100,000, then I'll sell myself tonight!"
The man scoffed, "A price of 30,000 a month simply doesn't exist in Yihai, so you don't need to lie to me. At most, it'll be 20,000 a month. I can afford that little bit of money. I'll give you one day to consider it. If you can't give me a satisfactory answer by tomorrow, then you'll have to return all the money I've given you before."
A flicker of panic crossed Zhao Ling's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and giggled, "Okay, I'll think about it carefully." In her heart, however, Zhao Ling was thinking, "I'll just move out after I tricked you this time. Go ahead and try to find me all over town!"
The man wasn't actually there for a massage, so the formalities were skipped. He opened the door and left, and the proprietress came in and said, "Xiaoling, three more customers said they'd come in tonight, but they don't have time right now."
Zhao Ling pulled out two hundred-yuan bills and tossed them to the proprietress, saying, "You saw my brother waiting for me, so maybe next time."
The proprietress took the money and kindly reminded Zhao Ling, "Boss Huang is not someone to be trifled with. You've already taken over ten thousand yuan from him. If you don't let him take advantage of you, it will be very troublesome."
Zhao Ling glanced at Zhao Qiang and said, "Don't worry, he won't dare to do anything. I'm leaving, boss lady."
After leaving the brothel, Zhao Ling said to Zhao Qiang, "Well, you saw it with your own eyes, right? I'm not that kind of vulgar girl. You can rest assured now. If I hadn't let you see it for yourself, you might have thought of me as some kind of girl."
Zhao Qiang chuckled: "So you're a female con artist, specializing in swindling money from lecherous men. Luckily, I don't have any money."
Zhao Ling said, "They're after my body, so who else would I lie to if not them? As for you? You're not a man."
Zhao Qiang pursed his lips. He would never tell Zhao Ling whether he was a man or not, otherwise it would be hard to say whether he could get into her bed tonight. Zhao Qiang said, "Be careful, they might corner you one day and make you pay back your money with interest."
Zhao Ling giggled: "You're willing to watch me get bullied?"
Zhao Qiang touched his nose: "I'm really reluctant to part with it."
Zhao Ling said, "That's fine. You're so strong, what are you afraid of? Come on, I've got money now. Let's go get a new bottle of your favorite perfume first, and then we'll find a place. You pretty boy, I'll take care of you from now on."
As she spoke, Zhao Ling affectionately touched Zhao Qiang's face. His smooth, supple skin was something she envied immensely. Aside from the fact that Zhao Qiang wasn't considered a "man" in her eyes, his appearance genuinely attracted her. Unfortunately, Zhao Qiang couldn't remember what he looked like before, so he couldn't compare whether his body had become handsome or ugly after the reboot.
Zhao Ling went to several cosmetics stores, but unfortunately, she couldn't find a perfume that Zhao Qiang could smell. This annoyed Zhao Ling, who asked, "What kind do you want? You can't stand the cheap ones, and I can't afford the expensive ones."
Zhao Qiang said, "Why don't you stop wearing perfume? Just use a natural scent. I'll think of a bottle that I can specially make for you later. It will definitely be the most suitable for you then."
Zhao Ling said helplessly, "Okay, okay, this will save us money. Let's go find a house."