Chapter 17: Shen Hongmei’s Thoughts

The phone hung up, and it was clear that Aunt Lai had gone back to sleep once again.

Li Zhiyan realized he had been far too naive and earnest. How could he have believed a drunkard when he said the interview was at ten in the morning?

“Aunt Lai smells so good…”

Li Zhiyan recalled the scent from the night before, when that drunk man had propped his silky black legs up on the dining table—there was such a fragrant aroma about him.

At that moment, a delicate fragrance wafted into Li Zhiyan’s nose.

Turning his head, he saw the T-shirt he had worn last night, belonging to Aunt Shen. It was a soft pink, impeccably clean without a single stain or discoloration.

Clearly, Aunt Shen was meticulous about hygiene.

Glancing at the stockings in the bedside drawer, Li Zhiyan gently stroked the pink T-shirt, savoring it fondly before folding it carefully and placing it together with the stockings in the drawer of his computer desk.

He then closed the drawer with utmost care.

“Am I being too much of a simp like this…”

“Forget it. Aunt Shen is so beautiful, I’m happy to be this way.”

“This isn’t even simping, because I truly…”

Thinking of Shen Hongmei’s regal and charming face, Li Zhiyan felt a warmth bloom in his heart.

Scrolling through his phone, he noticed Liu Jinxin showing off in the group chat.

“The Audi A4 looks so handsome.”

“Some stingy, narrow-minded toads will never get to drive an Audi in their lifetime.”

Many classmates in the group were envious that Liu Jinxin, so young, could already drive an Audi.

“Rich second-generation life is just so good.”

“My goal is to work for a year, then get a loan to buy a Changan UNIV next year. BBA is just a dream.”

Regarding Liu Jinxin and Xu Qianqian, the shameless couple constantly mocking him in the group chat, Li Zhiyan found it amusing. Having free clown shows every day certainly brightened his mood.

Since discovering they lived by borrowing online loans, Li Zhiyan’s mind kept recalling an advertisement:

“I’ll cover the upgrade fee!”

He understood all too well the dangers of online loans—borrowing 100,000 yuan would cost 25,000 yuan in interest per year, no different from a loan shark’s terms.

A slight delay in repayment would lead to exorbitant interest, trapping an ordinary person in lifelong debt.

“Better go brush my teeth and use the restroom.”

Thinking of Shang Shunsheng and his mother, Li Zhiyan felt a bit awkward. After their fight, they still had to live under the same roof.

But at this hour, Shang Shunsheng and his mother were likely not home.

Shang Shunsheng usually did hard labor on construction sites, while his girlfriend Liu Yan preferred lounging at home scrolling on her phone, relying entirely on Shang Shunsheng for food and expenses.

The shrew Zhao Shumin helped manage a clothing wholesale business in the market; this woman was quite capable of earning money.

Li Zhiyan had heard she had saved enough for a down payment on a house for her son in the suburbs of the city. As for her husband, he was rumored to work somewhere in the deep urban area.

In her role as a mother, Li Zhiyan admired Zhao Shumin. Despite only having a high school education, she worked tirelessly in the city to save money.

Only she was such a shrew.

Yet, the memory of her grabbing and tearing her own clothes from behind was unforgettable.

Aunt Shen’s figure was already incredibly perfect, but compared to her, this shrew was even more extreme.

After grabbing his toothbrush and towel, Li Zhiyan saw Zhao Shumin just returning from outside.

She walked with uncontrollable trembling, and Li Zhiyan worried her waist might break.

---

Upon meeting, Zhao Shumin ignored Li Zhiyan and went straight to her room.

Li Zhiyan felt slightly awkward and went to the bathroom to freshen up, ordering takeout while waiting to call Lai Feifei in the afternoon.

But when he came out, he saw Shang Shunsheng and Liu Yan moving the living room sofa into his room.

The water dispenser had vanished without a trace.

They lived in the master bedroom, and though the sofa made it cramped, they could barely fit it in.

“What are you doing?”

“We rented two rooms; you rented the secondary bedroom. Moving the sofa to your room is normal—it stops you from spying on my girlfriend while sitting on the sofa!”

Li Zhiyan nearly laughed in anger but held back. The police had taught him well: fighting wouldn’t solve anything now, only land him in trouble.

“Put the sofa down, son.”

“Even though we’re from the countryside, we’re not that pathetic!”

Zhao Shumin came out and saw her son moving the sofa; she felt it was excessive. Though a shrew, she was fiercely proud and cared deeply about face.

Over the years, she had scrimped and saved secretly to gather the down payment for her son’s house, which proved this well.

But when she threw a fit, she was a thorough shrew.

“Get lost!”

“You filthy bitch! Didn’t my dad hit you hard enough? Your skin still itches?”

“You want more of my beating?”

Shang Shunsheng dared not show his teeth at Li Zhiyan because he had lost to him the day before.

Even his own mother had struck him, and he was no match.

His girlfriend was far more important than his parents—after all, she was the one who stayed with him at night.

Unable to vent his anger elsewhere, he showed his ferocious side to Zhao Shumin.

Fear flashed in her eyes.

Li Zhiyan took a deep breath and returned to his room.

…

In a suburban office building.

Shen Hongmei was instructing her subordinates on work.

“I don’t want to see you make this mistake again. If it happens a second time, you’re fired!”

“You’re supposed to be a top graduate from a prestigious school!”

“How could you be so stupid?”

Before her stood a tall, burly executive, head bowed like a schoolboy.

Everyone knew Shen Hongmei’s personality was strong and fiery.

“Get out!”

She threw the folder sharply at the executive, who fled feeling relieved.

Though the company was small, it was highly profitable with plans for expansion. Bosses like Shen Hongmei were rare.

After the office quieted, Shen Hongmei gently pressed her stomach. Despite a heat patch, the pain was still sharp.

Her menstrual cramps made her temper even more volatile.

Her mind drifted back to last night.

Li Zhiyan had taken off her high heels and placed her feet on his stomach.

That warmth made her temper soften, and she seemed gentler.

Later, she even felt his natural reaction.

Young men truly burned with vigor; that feeling was so comforting. Shen Hongmei felt a sudden impulse to have Li Zhiyan keep warming her feet.

“This kid…”

“If only he could be my godson.”

“Godson and godmother—that would be the best relationship.”

A thought of forming a godparent bond stirred in Shen Hongmei’s heart. Having such a pure junior was truly appealing.

She couldn’t see Li Zhiyan as a man, yet her reason urged her to keep distance.

After all, that night was a complete mistake, unless fate truly bound them…

Otherwise, it was best to forget it.

…

Around one in the afternoon, Li Zhiyan received a call from Lai Feifei.

“Hello.”

“Li Zhiyan, where are you?”

“Aunt Lai, I’m at home.”

“Was it Shen Hongmei and you who saw the aunt home last night?”

“Yes.”

“Come over to my place. I’m tidying up and will take you to the interview later.”

“Do you remember where my place is?”

“I do, Aunt Lai.”

“I remember.”

Li Zhiyan felt the drunkard was sober now, nothing like last night’s lecherous ramblings.

“Looks like this woman is quite normal when she’s not drinking.”

…

Riding a shared electric scooter near the villa, Li Zhiyan returned the vehicle and gazed at Aunt Lai’s home with envy.

It was a villa...

But now, he was filled with hope for the future. After all, he had a “golden finger”—though a weak one, it still granted him countless extraordinary possibilities.

Pressing the doorbell, the door soon swung open.

Li Zhiyan entered the villa’s living room and saw Lai Feifei dressed in black silk stockings and a high-heeled short skirt suit. Her face was flushed—clearly drunk again.

“Aunt Lai, you’ve been drinking again!”

Looking at the bottles on the dining table, Li Zhiyan finally understood what Shen Hongmei meant by drinking every day of the month!

On the phone, she seemed fine, but at lunch, she was already drinking once more.

Sure enough, he couldn’t expect a woman who promised to take him to an interview at ten in the morning but couldn’t get up to be normal!

“Yes, little Yanbao.”

“Hungry? Auntie will treat you.”

The tipsy drunkard began teasing Li Zhiyan anew.