Chapter Eight: Walking with Beauty

The guessing game continued for several more rounds, and more than half of the beers on the table had been emptied. Zhang Wei, thanks to his mind-reading ability, remained undefeated—he was hardly ever penalized with drinks. Xu Ming, though he drank quite a bit, was blessed with remarkable alcohol tolerance and showed no signs of intoxication. In contrast, the instigators, Wang Min and Guo Bin, had drunk too much. Wang Min’s eyes were glazed, her cheeks flushed like fire, one hand propped lazily on the table, her demeanor tinged with a languid charm. Guo Bin was in even worse shape; among those present, he had drunk the most. His head swayed, unable to stay upright in his chair, and finally, he slid beneath the table, landing heavily on the floor, unable to rise.

“Tsk tsk, look at you two, drunk out of your minds—talking about going to karaoke? I think we’d better call it a night and head home early,” Li Lin sighed as she watched Guo Bin crawl under the table, while Wang Jianfa struggled in vain to help him up.

“Damn, this guy is wasted. He just threw up under the table—made a mess all over himself,” Wang Jianfa stood up, wrinkling his nose in disgust.

“All right, looks like everyone’s had enough. Let’s head out,” Xu Ming, his face glowing red from the drink, fished his wallet from his pocket and made for the door to settle the bill, but Zhang Wei pulled him back.

“Xu Ming, I said tonight’s on me. Leave it, I’ll pay,” Zhang Wei grabbed Xu Ming’s arm and hurried out ahead to settle the bill.

After Zhang Wei paid, the group emerged from the private room and flagged down three taxis to head home. Guo Bin and Wang Jianfa, living nearby, shared one; Li Lin and Xu Ming took another; while Zhang Wei left in a car with Wang Min.

“Where are you two headed?” The driver turned to ask, a man in his forties with a kindly face.

“Ya Yuan Residential Complex,” Zhang Wei replied after glancing at the driver.

“All right, we’ll be there in twenty minutes,” the driver called out, started the meter, and set the car in motion.

The reason Zhang Wei shared a ride with Wang Min was that they lived in the same residential complex, even in the same basement, their rooms separated only by a wall—neighbors in the truest sense.

The conflict between Zhang Wei and Wang Min stemmed entirely from a misunderstanding. Their neighborly relationship had been good enough until one evening, when Zhang Wei saw Wang Min arguing with a man and rushed over to intervene. He had not expected the man to be Wang Min’s husband.

Once Zhang Wei realized their relationship, he was caught in an awkward position—not knowing whether to intervene. From their argument, he gleaned the gist: Wang Min’s husband was lazy, addicted to gambling, and had impoverished their household. In a fit of anger, Wang Min left home and came to Beijing.

After Wang Min left, her husband was filled with regret and tried desperately to find her and bring her home. However, Wang Min wanted a divorce and cut off contact, though her husband still managed to discover her whereabouts.

Despite his efforts, Wang Min did not return. The matter should have ended there, with little to do with Zhang Wei. Yet, when he arrived at the office the next day, he found everyone knew about it.

Wang Min had always considered that marriage a disgrace, and was furious to discover the story had circulated through the company. Naturally, Zhang Wei, as a witness to the event, was her primary suspect. It was not a matter she could confront him about openly, so she harbored resentment in secret.

Both Zhang Wei and Wang Min sat in the back seat of the car. Wang Min, like a drunken beauty, leaned languidly to the right, eyes half-closed, lips pursed, her cheeks flushed. She wore a white blouse that embraced her ample bosom, two buttons left undone at the collar, revealing glimpses of snowy curves.

Her lower half was clad in a black short skirt, exposing two pale thighs that, to Zhang Wei’s eyes, were enticing and dazzling. He longed to stroke that smooth skin, to pull her into his arms and ravish her.

“If you dare let your eyes wander over me again, I’ll gouge them out,” Wang Min suddenly opened her beautiful eyes, glaring at Zhang Wei in warning.

“You dressed like this to attract men. If I pretend not to notice, wouldn’t that bruise your ego?” Zhang Wei reluctantly shifted his gaze from Wang Min’s thighs, smiling.

In truth, Zhang Wei was usually a decent young man; even when he saw a beautiful woman, he would only steal a glance, never letting her catch him. Tonight, emboldened by drink and the strained relationship between them—Wang Min had repeatedly given him a hard time—he made no effort to hide his gaze, seizing the chance to feast his eyes.

“You scoundrel. Shameless, and so self-righteous about it,” Wang Min covered her skirt and scolded in a coquettish voice. “I dressed like this for wealthy men. You paupers don’t deserve a look.”

“Oh? What counts as wealthy, then?” Zhang Wei laughed softly in response.

“Hmph, don’t think that just because you made thirty thousand today you’re suddenly rich. Even if you gave it all to me, don’t think you could win me over,” Wang Min scoffed.

“Thirty thousand isn’t enough for you? What about three million?” Zhang Wei retorted.

“If you can give me three million, not only can you look at me, I’ll be your lover,” Wang Min teased, half-serious. “Plus, you’re not bad-looking, so I wouldn’t be losing out.”

For Zhang Wei, a mature, alluring divorcee like Wang Min was immensely tempting. Their beds were separated by a single wall; late at night, he could even hear her breathing. It was impossible for him not to fantasize about her.

He had been her neighbor for more than two months and, aside from her husband, had seen no other man visit her home. He knew she wasn’t promiscuous—just someone who, having suffered poverty, prized money. Such women made ideal lovers.

“Remember what you said tonight. If I ever have three million and ask you to be my lover, don’t go back on your word,” Zhang Wei joked.

“Don’t worry, I won’t forget. Just don’t let me wait until my hair turns white,” Wang Min replied, not believing for a second that Zhang Wei could earn three million. In her eyes, his windfall tonight was pure luck; once he spent the thirty thousand, he’d be back to being a poor nobody.

“Wang Min, I never told anyone at the company about your marriage. I didn’t say a word,” Zhang Wei suddenly shifted the topic, hoping to clear up the misunderstanding between them. Whether Wang Min believed him or not, he could at least have a clear conscience.

“Hmph... I...” Wang Min started to reply, but just then, a car ahead swerved dangerously. The driver reacted quickly, jerking the wheel to the right to avoid collision. The sudden movement sent Wang Min tumbling from the right side of the back seat into Zhang Wei’s arms.

The taxi veered sharply, pressing Zhang Wei against the left window. Suddenly, he was enveloped in her fragrance and softness as Wang Min’s delicate body collided with him. Her supple, voluptuous breasts pressed against his chest, and Zhang Wei felt as if a fire had ignited within him.

The force of the impact triggered a pain in Zhang Wei’s body; instinctively, he tried to pull back his arms to protect himself, but instead he ended up embracing Wang Min, his left hand resting on her slender waist, his right hand on her shapely hips. Her full curves yielded under his touch, his fingers sinking into her flesh, filling him with an indescribable satisfaction.