"Are you alright?" Qiu Ping held Hu Ni's hand.
"good."
A silent embrace—how could she possibly release her love? Hu Ni's body was still brimming with so much boundless love. She buried herself deeply in Qiu Ping's arms, unwilling to leave.
But they still had to face life, so Hu Ni slowly got up and put on her clothes.
"We're not going back." Qiu Ping hugged Hu Ni's waist.
"No, I'm worried about leaving Lianqing home alone," Hu Ni weakly resisted.
Qiu Ping said nothing more, quickly dressed, then pulled Hu Ni close and said, "After the house is renovated, let's live together! Okay?"
Hu Ni nodded. It was such a wonderful thing to be able to be together every day when she came back.
The Angel of Matter (17)
gold
The TV was on loudly; I could hear it even before I entered the house. Opening the door, I was immediately struck by the sight of Lianqing sprawled on the sofa, dressed in loose-fitting home clothes, holding an ice cream cone, her feet propped up on the coffee table, laughing uproariously. The coffee table was littered with her snacks and crumbs, and the TV was playing a popular entertainment program.
"So early today?" Hu Ni asked, putting down her bag.
"Hmm!" Lianqing's eyes were fixed on the TV. On the screen were two hosts who were trying to appear innocent, but whose eyes already showed obvious wrinkles.
After taking a shower, I opened the bathroom door and saw Lianqing leaning against the doorway with a mysterious smile on her face.
"Did you win the lottery?" Hu Ni leaned back on the sofa.
"Cousin, why don't you ask me?" Lianqing smiled gently.
"What do you want to say? Go ahead and say it!" Hu Ni sat down, joking with a smile.
After hesitating for a while, Lianqing finally said, "I have a boyfriend!" Her face was already glowing with happiness. Women all have a desire to talk, especially when they have someone to talk to right now.
"What are you doing here?" Hu Ni asked warily. She couldn't not ask. Firstly, this cousin was too young. Secondly, her aunt called Hu Ni once a week to inquire about her precious daughter. Hu Ni felt responsible for her.
Lianqing showed no aversion to Hu Ni's question; she was only worried that Hu Ni lacked the desire to listen, but it seemed that she did.
"He's a junior manager in our company's marketing department." Lian Qing's face and eyes shone with excitement.
"Very old?"
“Oh! He’s only twenty-five!” Lianqing said proudly, and she simply said all her pride: “He was in the university’s gifted youth program, graduated from university at sixteen, and then passed the postgraduate entrance exam. He’s a postgraduate student, just like Qiuping.” Lianqing said with no small amount of pride.
"Are you... serious?" Hu Ni asked worriedly, putting the remote control she was holding on the table.
"What are you talking about? How is it not serious?" Lian Qing pouted in dissatisfaction, tore open a bag of potato chips and started eating, making a crunching sound in her mouth. Then she said in a muffled voice, "You think only you and Qiu Ping are serious, and everyone else is just messing around!"
Hu Ni couldn't voice any further doubts. In Shenzhen, women are realistic, and men are just as realistic. A man who doesn't have much of a foundation is especially realistic, because he hopes his partner can support him. Was that man really serious? This is a city where it's not easy to open your heart.
The TV was constantly changing channels, Lianqing was doing it, and it was always difficult to find a good program. Two-thirds of her time in front of the TV was spent searching for channels. Hu Ni suddenly felt bored, stood up, then sat down again. She was carefully considering her tone, trying not to sound like she was bossing her around, but rather like she was discussing how to deal with men with her best friend. Actually, she wanted to warn her cousin to be careful. Hu Ni said slowly, "You need to be careful, don't do anything out of line with him. Men don't cherish what they get." These kinds of things are easier to say between sisters.
"No, no, no!" Lianqing feigned innocence, even feigning a shy reproach. Seeing her cousin nod in relief, Lianqing felt it was a waste that she wasn't an actress. At the same time, she felt a pang of sympathy for her cousin. Her cousin was too naive, too easily deceived; it was truly pitiful. Her first time with Gao Xiaohai had crossed that line; nothing like that had happened. How could they be considered dating? Lianqing found her cousin's old-fashioned ways ridiculously naive.
Lian Qing was lost in ambiguous reminiscence. In Gao Xiaohai's apartment, a three-bedroom, one-living-room house he had bought himself, Lian Qing realized that love was truly a superstructure built upon many concrete things, with the lower layers including "money," "house," "car," "youth," and "handsomeness," among others. Gao Xiaohai possessed these lower layers, at least in the future; he was a "high-potential stock." That's why Lian Qing could fall in love with him. This principle seemed to be something Sister Xiaoyan had said, and it was absolutely true. Sister Xiaoyan was definitely a "wise person." Lian Qing recalled Xiaoyan's words at the Nan'ao Hotel.
The Angel of Matter (18)
gold
On their first date, after sitting in a bar for a while, Gao Xiaohai invited Lianqing to "take a look" at his place. Lianqing innocently smiled and agreed, knowing what awaited her. She still smiled innocently, saying some childish things. She thought Gao Xiaohai would like this pure and innocent look; he definitely would, his eyes never leaving her, giving her a smug sense of accomplishment.
To be honest, she liked him. He was tall, handsome, and successful at a young age, already owning his own house in a city with such high housing prices. He was also very cultured; he was charming. Now, this charming young man was right beside her, his eyes glued to her. Lianqing felt particularly confident because of his encouragement, and this confidence led her to perform exceptionally well. She innocently said some silly things and made innocent, silly expressions. Lianqing felt she must have left a pure and lovely impression on him, and she was very proud of her performance.
His room was interesting, full of fun things. She could play exciting games without leaving the room, like darts and running on the treadmill. She found herself increasingly fond of him. He moved closer to her, and she smiled innocently, holding the ice cream he had just handed her from the refrigerator. Lianqing was clear-headed; she knew what he wanted to do. He liked her, she thought happily. He kissed her, simultaneously stripping her naked. She flinched slightly—a good girl should flinch a little. She saw his shocked gaze, a gaze burning like flames. Her pride was indescribable. How right she had been to insist on getting breast augmentation; her "devilish figure" was now the epitome of it. Lianqing remembered seeing an advertisement when she went for the augmentation: "Let men be forever buried deep in your valley." She wanted to bury Gao Xiaohai forever in her valley.
The ice cream spilled, staining Lianqing's clothes. She was annoyed, but he became even more passionate, sucking and licking the pink ice cream off her body with his tongue and lips. Then he roughly shoved his tongue into her mouth; it was cool and tasted like strawberries. He breathed heavily, roughly kneading her body. Lianqing remembered the saline implant in her breast; the doctor had said how much weight it could support—she forgot, but it was very strong, so she didn't need to worry. Lianqing began to moan, not because it felt "good," but because that's how women moaned in TV shows and videos. Gradually, she forgot the discomfort of the ice cream sticking to her skin. Gao Xiaohai stimulated her intensely; they tried many positions. He was very serious, so serious that he didn't say a word, only focusing intently on the act. Lianqing felt a moment of displeasure, feeling that he was neglecting her, but she quickly dismissed it. He was making love to her; how could he neglect her? She cooperated perfectly, doing the positions he requested, and finally he trembled and ejaculated while leaning over her neck.
He quickly took a shower and fell asleep. Lianqing felt a little wronged, the kind of wronged feeling of being ignored. Gao Xiaohai didn't say a word the whole time. Before, when she was with her wandering singers or classmates, no one ever used the word "love." It was considered old-fashioned; the younger generation wouldn't say that word. Even the word "like" was implicated, but you could always sense the feeling of liking. But it seemed that ever since they started "doing" it, Gao Xiaohai's "like" was hard to feel. Lianqing woke him up in frustration, and he asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Lianqing pouted and glared at him, but didn't say anything. Would she be so pathetic as to ask him, "Do you like me?" She wouldn't ask. She just stared at him fiercely. Just then, Hu Ni called, asking why she wasn't home yet. She had no excuse not to go home. She said, "Take me home."
He got up, dressed, and spoke very little on the way, completely different from when he left. Lianqing couldn't understand what had gone wrong. Had she done something wrong? But she really couldn't think of anything. She was worried that he might not like her anymore, but why had he changed so much in such a short time? The gaze that had been fixed on her was gone. Lianqing still couldn't figure it out. In her past experiences, she had never felt this anxious. She was always carefree, as the saying goes: "Can you take it or leave it?" Her previous partners had only annoyed her, none of them like Gao Xiaohai, who was so enigmatic. But the more enigmatic he was, the more she wanted to understand him. Besides, his conditions were satisfactory to her. She felt she had seen too many wealthy bosses, each one more lecherous than the last. So, being too rich might not be a good thing. Finding a man who was somewhat wealthy, but not so wealthy that he would cheat on her, was Lianqing's current ideal. Moreover, Lianqing's clients were all older than her, and none of them were as handsome as Gao Xiaohai. In Lian Qing's heart, Gao Xiaohai became more and more ideal, more and more perfect, and more and more indispensable. She felt that she was in love.
After two agonizing days, Lianqing found herself spending most of her time at the company. They weren't in the same department, so she made up many excuses to go to his. He played hide-and-seek with her, keeping her at arm's length. But eventually, he couldn't resist and asked Lianqing to his house again. Lianqing felt relieved; he still liked her. After that, they met at his house even more often, though the content of each date was always the same—which was perfectly normal. But Lianqing often felt insecure, even wanting to hear him say that corny, cheesy word to confirm if he liked her, but he never did. Sometimes Lianqing thought, "If he won't say it, he won't say it. Aren't they already dating? Regular dates, such a close relationship—they're a normal couple. Let these unnecessary worries go to hell." Lianqing encouraged herself, and truly threw her worries to the winds, becoming happy again.
In the days that followed, Lianqing began to "collect" evidence that he liked her. Their relationship grew increasingly harmonious, and they had more and more to talk about. He would go to great lengths to pick her up, run errands to buy her the ice cream she wanted, and even pick out the latest smartphone for her—of course, he paid for it. They would play around on the streets at midnight, fueled by alcohol, and kiss on a busy overpass… Lianqing was completely reassured; he did like her.
Thinking about all this, Lianqing smiled sweetly. Her plan was that by her cousin's age, she would definitely be married, and work would be just a hobby, not a source of income like her cousin's. Lianqing would be a leisurely "wife," with plenty of time for beauty treatments, fitness, and enjoying life, like in a romance novel. Lianqing tossed a handful of potato chips into her mouth, chewing them crisply with a smug look on her face.
The Angel of Matter (19)
gold
The house renovation was complete, which was important for all three of them: Qiu Ping, Hu Ni, and Lian Qing. They didn't wait long enough for the renovation materials to dissipate before happily moving in. Lian Qing even decorated her room like a cute nursery. Actually, she didn't plan to live there for long; she figured she and Gao Xiaohai would eventually live together, and then she'd have her own place.
The moving company busily carried in pieces of luggage, large and small, piling them up haphazardly. Hu Ni, wearing jeans and a thin sweater, stared blankly at the mountain of stuff, unsure where to begin unpacking. Qiu Ping directed the packing of the larger items. There were now two computers; Lian Qing insisted on having one in her room, but Hu Ni firmly objected, worried she'd be online day and night. In the end, one was placed in the study, and the other in Qiu Ping and Hu Ni's bedroom.
Hu Ni was tidying up the clothes. Her clothes and Qiu Ping's clothes were hanging together like this. She stroked them and felt a strange sweetness in her heart.
A few days ago, when she was discussing room allocation with Qiu Ping, she didn't want to share a room with Qiu Ping because Lian Qing was with them. "What if Lian Qing sees me sneaking into your room?" Qiu Ping laughed and said, "It's no big deal. We'll get married after the Spring Festival anyway."
“Who promised you we’d get married right after you come back for Chinese New Year?” Hu Ni said.
“Didn’t we agree that we would go to my house first during the Spring Festival, and then go to Lianqing’s house?”
"What does that have to do with our marriage?"
“Going to my house is to let my parents meet my wife, and going to Lianqing’s house is to get your original household registration document and get a marriage certificate. Then we can get married. I really want to get married.” Qiu Ping looked at Hu Ni with quiet and determined eyes. When a very masculine man softens, he has a stronger charm than a woman.
Hu Ni lowered her head and remained silent.
"We will be very happy."
Hu Ni looked up. Only in the dim light did she dare to look at Qiu Ping without restraint; in such light, weariness and exhaustion could be hidden. She stared at him and asked, "You really won't regret it?"
Qiu Ping took her hand, kissed her deeply on the lips, and shook his head.
"Cousin!" Lianqing pulled Hu Ni out of her reverie while she was hanging up clothes. "Where's my photo album? Can you see where my photo album is?"
"No, look again."
"Did those workers take it?" Lian Qing asked angrily.
"Why would someone take your photo album? Look again, it's all messy, maybe it's somewhere."
After a flurry of activity, everything was finally put back in its place. Qiu Ping grabbed a large mop and started mopping the floor, while Hu Ni and Lian Qing took rags and wiped things down. Once they were done, the three of them collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted. After catching their breath, Qiu Ping pulled Hu Ni up and looked around at their home with great interest.
Hu Ni jumped up from the sofa, and Qiu Ping hugged her from behind. They first looked around the living room. The walls were a simple white, and the floor was also white, but a deeper white with subtle patterns. A dining table sat in one corner, above which hung a unique retractable light. A double-door refrigerator stood in the corner, crammed full of Lian Qing's various ice creams, sodas, beer, and snacks. The sofa was new, a dark coffee color with medium-yellow cushions. Fruit and dried flowers, chosen by Lian Qing, were already on the coffee table. The TV cabinet was also fully stocked—a simple, practical, and cozy home.
Qiu Ping still embraced Hu Ni as they went to the study and then to the bedroom. Lian Qing seemed unfazed, calmly munching on her potato chips on the sofa.
"Hu Ni, this is your home. We'll live here for the rest of our lives!" Qiu Ping whispered in Hu Ni's ear, "Do you like it?"
Hu Ni nodded. How could the word "like" possibly express her feelings? She was blissfully happy, no longer seeking anything else. "Let's go out, Lian Qing will laugh at us."
Lianqing had finished her potato chips and was now finishing off a chocolate ice cream.
"Aren't you afraid of gaining weight?" Hu Ni warned, sitting down next to her.
"People who want to gain weight gain weight even from drinking water, while people who don't want to gain weight won't gain weight no matter what they eat. I've always eaten like this, and when have I ever gained weight?" Lian Qing proudly put her legs up on the coffee table.
"I'm so hungry, why isn't Sister Xiaoyan here yet!" Lianqing grumbled unhappily.
Hu Ni checked the time; it was almost six o'clock. Moving had taken a lot of energy. Qiu Ping also opened the refrigerator, looking for something to eat. She called Xiao Yan; she was on her way.
Qiu Ping opened a bag of cookies and handed it to Hu Ni.
"Me too!" Lianqing cried out, "Brother Qiuping is being unfair!"
“Aren’t you eating?” Qiu Ping said.
"Then I still want to eat cookies," Lianqing insisted.
Hu Ni thought of Lian Qing when she was little. Lian Qing would snatch anything that Hu Ni had in her hands... Hu Ni quickly pulled her thoughts back. Back then, she was still a young girl who didn't know any better.
Lianqing got up and went to her room, dragging her slippers along, looking listless. Qiuping watched her retreating figure and asked Huni, "What's wrong with her today?"
Hu Ni shook her head: "Perhaps it's because her little lover can't come today."
Have you seen him?
"No, they said he's a very nice young man."
In Lianqing's room, Lianqing dialed Gao Xiaohai's number on her phone: "Hey, are you still working overtime?"
"yes!"
"Then why is no one answering the phone in your office!" Lian Qing demanded sharply. She had come to her room to make the call so that her cousin and Qiu Ping wouldn't hear her conversation, but her shout startled the two people sitting outside.
"I'm out, I have social engagements," the other person replied casually. "Besides, what would be the point of me going to see your friends?"
Gao Xiaohai's words infuriated Lian Qing so much that she almost threw her new phone away. She glared at the phone and said fiercely, "Fine, Gao Xiaohai, you've got guts!"
Hanging up the phone, she realized she had no way to hurt him. She couldn't control him, nor could she strike him down, but how could she accept that? Lianqing had begun to notice the problems between them. Gao Xiaohai had no other demands besides sex. He didn't take her out with his friends and made all sorts of childish excuses to avoid attending her friends' gatherings. Lianqing even suspected that he deliberately made those excuses childish; he didn't bother to make them more convincing. And, most importantly, he no longer invited her to his house—he hadn't asked her out at all, and this had been going on for two weeks. She had tried to contact him, and he only ever said one word: "Busy!" She intercepted him on his way home from get off work, thinking he would run out of things to say, but he still said, without batting an eye, "Busy!" Lianqing was getting herself into this mess, unable to pull herself out, her mind consumed by how to make Gao Xiaohai give in. Actually, Lianqing hadn't always been certain that Gao Xiaohai was the one, even though he was very outstanding. But there are plenty of outstanding people out there. Lianqing is still so young, with many opportunities ahead of her. It's somewhat disheartening to decide her life's path like this. Yet, he remains enigmatic to her, drawing her deeper and deeper into his world. If he were to pamper her, she would be completely at peace with him.
Enraged, Lianqing tried to call again, only to be told that dialing was restricted. Completely infuriated, she stormed out, grabbed the phone from the coffee table, and, ignoring Hu Ni and Qiu Ping's presence, dialed and yelled, "You just wait, you bastard!" Hanging up, she sadly realized she had no idea how to make him "wait and see." She was bewildered.
"What happened?" Qiu Ping asked seriously, while Lian Qing regretted making the phone call in front of them.
"No, just one client." She felt guilty and didn't dare look at the two of them.
"Tell the truth, Lianqing, is he your boyfriend?"
Lianqing denied it: "A client said he wanted to buy goods in bulk, and we were even about to sign the contract, but then he changed his mind." It was embarrassing to not be able to handle her boyfriend, so how could she tell her cousin? Lianqing put a preserved plum in her mouth and chewed it, suppressing the urge to confide in her.
The doorbell rang. When the door was opened, Xiao Yan stood there, looking incredibly charming. She was wearing a dark purple modified cheongsam, a cobalt blue cashmere shawl draped over her shoulders, and pointed leather shoes with high heels. Behind her, Gu Peng was holding a large Jingdezhen vase.
"The traffic was terrible today, I couldn't move an inch for ages, it was so frustrating!" Xiaoyan complained as she entered. A group of people clamored around the room again: "Isn't it a bit too simple?" Xiaoyan whispered to Hu Ni, afraid Qiu Ping would hear. Hu Ni, remembering the luxurious decor of Xiaoyan's house, smiled and said, "Simpler is easier to clean." "So quick to become a devoted wife and mother!" Xiaoyan nudged Hu Ni with her elbow, smiling knowingly. "Compared to you and Gu Peng, we're much slower," Hu Ni whispered with a laugh.
The large vase that Xiaoyan brought was placed in the corner of the living room. Lianqing temporarily forgot her unhappiness and said excitedly, "When can we get some reeds to put in the vase? They'll look really nice!"
"Where's your little sweetheart? Didn't you say you had a little sweetheart a month ago? Why don't you bring him over so we, your older brothers and sisters, can give him a go-ahead and see if he's up to par?" Xiao Yan teased.
Lian Qing smiled, appearing nonchalant, and said, "Him? He's working overtime. I don't know what he's busy with all day." As she said this, she felt resentful and somewhat fearful inside, making her smile a little unnatural.
Xiao Yan persisted, saying, "Go back and teach him a lesson! Why work overtime on such an important day?"
Lian Qing smiled awkwardly, but in her heart she was determined to get a clear answer from Gao Xiaohai about what was really going on between them.
Hu Ni changed her clothes and came out, picking up her bag and saying, "Let's go, you must be hungry!"
Lianqing glanced coldly at her cousin, who was wearing a white sweater, a black tight-fitting short skirt, and boots. She felt that her jeans and sweater were a bit sloppy, but she didn't care to change them since no one was looking anyway.
“Lianqing, do you want to change your clothes? There’s so much dust on them,” Hu Ni said.
"I'm not changing it." Lian Qing lazily stood up from the sofa.