Chapter 204: Night (Part 3)

Amidst the low, melancholic strains of the music, the two shared a passionate kiss, their tongues intertwining in a tender, secret exchange.

Li Jing had thrown herself completely into the embrace. In the past, her kisses with men had always carried ulterior motives, but this time, it was purely for the joy of the act itself—a pleasure that was both physical and psychological.

When the kissing grew tiring, Li Jing pressed her warm body against Hou Weidong’s and murmured, "It’s good to be young. Weidong, your body is so solid."

Hou Weidong understood that Li Jing had surrendered her body to him entirely. The thought of having such a beautiful form at his disposal brought him a sense of achievement and satisfaction. Yet, he had only recently married Xiaojia, and they were in the honeymoon phase, their relationship sweet and harmonious. Neither his body nor his mind was prepared for an affair.

After a brief but intense internal struggle, Hou Weidong suddenly lifted his head and said, "Oh no."

Li Jing, holding onto Hou Weidong’s tense frame, looked up at him with a trembling voice. "What’s wrong?"

Hou Weidong’s tone was low. "I ate wild boar meat for dinner and didn’t brush my teeth. A small piece of lean meat got stuck in my teeth, and I don’t know where it fell."

Li Jing, who had been deep in the moment, was so annoyed by his words that she raised her hand and slapped him hard. "You dead Weidong, how disgusting!" She hurried to a corner of the dance room, grabbed a bottle of water from the counter, and rinsed her mouth. Then, with a resentful tone, she said, "At such a beautiful moment, why did you have to bring that up? What a buzzkill."

After this little incident, Hou Weidong and Li Jing returned to normal. They went back to the tea room, where the four cups of Longjing tea remained untouched. However, Li Dazui and Wang Yaping were nowhere to be seen. As soon as Li Jing emerged, a waitress approached immediately. "Manager Li, would you like to change the tea?"

Li Jing had studied tea ceremony and had considerable knowledge of tea leaves. "The Longjing is a bit light, winning with its fresh fragrance. It has the flavor of the West Lake. At this hour, let’s switch to a heavier Tieguanyin."

She then instructed the waitress, "Bring the tea set. I’ll brew it myself."

Facing the exquisite tea set, Li Jing performed the brewing process with fluid, graceful movements, creating an atmosphere that felt less like drinking tea and more like a devout religious ritual.

Hou Weidong took the small cup Li Jing handed him, raised it to his nose, and the aroma hit him. Upon tasting it, he found it rich and slightly sweet. He praised, "It’s truly fragrant, but the cup is too small; it doesn’t satisfy my thirst."

"This is about savoring the tea, not gulping it down like a beast."

"Did you invite Li Dazui here for any specific business?"

Li Jing lifted her small teacup and took a slow sip. "Not at the moment. However, our Jingong Group’s main business is transportation construction, so dealing with Li Dazui is inevitable. He is professionally trained and technically proficient. Sometimes, his words carry more weight than those of the deputy director in charge. That deputy director was transferred from the Municipal Party Committee Office and doesn’t understand the technical details."

"If there’s no specific business, why did you rush to meet him so late at night?"

"I received reliable information that Li Dazui is going to the United States tomorrow afternoon, organized by the Lingxi Provincial Department of Transportation. Today is a farewell dinner for him. I even prepared two thousand US dollars for him as a token of my appreciation."

Accurate judgment of future goals and bold investment in relationships were Li Jing’s secrets to managing her network. Handling matters like Li Dazui’s was second nature to her, something she considered utterly ordinary. After mentioning this, she lowered her head and focused on brewing the tea. Hou Weidong, who had previously dismissed tea ceremony as pretentious, now found himself intrigued by Li Jing’s elegant technique.

The curling steam danced in the light, reminiscent of Yang Liping’s dance movements.

Hou Weidong recalled Li Jing’s words and sighed inwardly. "No wonder Li Jing has been able to navigate the business world so successfully in just a few years. Her approach to people and affairs is indeed unique. One cannot underestimate women."

Then another thought crossed his mind: "Powerful officials like Li Dazui earn only a few hundred yuan a month in salary, plus allowances, totaling less than one thousand yuan. Yet, bosses who contract projects from them can make hundreds of thousands, millions, or even tens of millions of yuan. Watching millionaire after millionaire emerge from their hands, their mindset inevitably changes. Once their mindset shifts, it’s only a matter of time before they become close friends with these bosses."

Hou Weidong’s thoughts turned again, and he pondered another question: "Tonight, I followed Li Jing to 'corrupt' Li Dazui. What role do I play in this? A businessman? Or an official? I feel utterly out of place."

Li Jing looked up and noticed Hou Weidong suddenly zoning out. She had no idea how many thoughts were racing through his mind. She waved her hand in front of his eyes and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"Too many things. Like when the earth will explode, what the meaning of life is, and what the origin of the universe is."

"You’re just being cheeky." Li Jing didn’t mind and returned to brewing the tea.

Hou Weidong, contemplating the issue of "businessman versus official," calmed down. His venture into business in Shangqinglin had originally been a desperate move. Who would have thought that when all seemed lost, a new path would open up? He had started with road construction and quarrying. Although he currently held no official position in the Organization Department, he could rise at any moment. His situation was vastly different from when he was in Qinglin.

With the identity of a cadre but starting out in quarrying, Hou Weidong had always balanced between officialdom and business. As his position rose, his environment changed, and his power grew, this balance would eventually be broken. Tonight’s meeting with Li Dazui, though accidental, made Hou Weidong reconsider this sensitive issue of official versus businessman.

"I should think about where I’m heading. Once I get to Shazhou, if I don’t have a clear strategy, problems will arise sooner or later."

Hou Weidong thought of the many business owners who had been invited to study classes, and of his own experience of being subjected to a grueling fifty-hour interrogation by the Procuratorate. He also thought of the effort—or cost—Li Jing had paid to connect with government officials. Under no circumstances did he want to give up what might be a promising career in officialdom.

He calculated in his mind: "First, I was smart enough to register all my businesses under my mother, Liu Guangfen’s name. Second, becoming a shareholder in Jingong Group was a wise move, but there’s no need to get involved in its specific operations. Third, handing over Goubewan to He Hongfu for management was the right choice. If I were to handle everything personally, my only option would be to resign and become a full-time businessman."

At this moment, Li Jing noticed Hou Weidong’s distraction. She smiled and said, "Why are you so absent-minded? Are you thinking about your beautiful new wife in Shazhou? Is her name Zhang Xiaojia?"

"Hmm."

"I’ve heard her name before, not from you. Isn’t she the Deputy Director of the Construction Commission Office?"

Li Jing spoke of Xiaojia naturally, as if they were old friends, showing no psychological burden despite their earlier passionate kiss. Hou Weidong, feeling awkward, replied, "She was transferred from the Construction Commission to the Garden Management Bureau."

The Garden Management Bureau was a newly established unit, and Li Jing had not dealt with it yet. She asked curiously, "The Construction Commission is a good department. Why did your wife want to go to the Garden Management Bureau?"

"People have different aspirations. She wants to focus on professional work and doesn’t want to stay in a comprehensive department."

"What department is your wife in at the Garden Management Bureau?"

"She’s the Section Chief of the Planning and Finance Section."

Li Jing smiled slightly. "The Planning and Finance Section is also a comprehensive department, and one with real power."

After chatting about various topics for a while, Hou Weidong pointed upstairs and asked, "When will he come out?" He didn’t know exactly where Li Dazui was, but he assumed he was upstairs.

Li Jing pursed her lips. "Li Dazui likes to keep people waiting. Who knows when he’ll come out. Are you going home to sleep, or staying here? There are guest rooms on the fourth floor."

Hou Weidong yawned. "I’d better go home to sleep."

Watching Hou Weidong leave the Urban Farm in Old Liu’s car, Li Jing felt a mix of emotions. If Hou Weidong had stayed, it would have meant he had cast his new wife aside, making him a bad man not worth lingering over. But since he chose to leave, Li Jing felt a hollow emptiness, a sense of loss. She comforted herself, "Men are all like this. I’ve seen enough of them."

When Hou Weidong arrived at his home in Xinyue Tower, it was already one o’clock. Knowing that Xiaojia would have locked the door from the inside, he stood at the door and made a phone call.

"Hello, hubby. What time is it? Why are you calling at this hour?"

"I’m at the door. Open up quickly."

Xiaojia had only just fallen asleep. Hearing that her husband was outside, she hurried to the living room in her pajamas. Through the peephole, she saw Hou Weidong standing outside, looking exhausted, and quickly opened the door.

"Where have you been fooling around all night? Why are you back so late?" Xiaojia chattered as she handed Hou Weidong a cup of cool boiled water. "Sit in the living room for a few minutes, then go take a shower." After he drank two sips of water, she brought over a plate of sliced ice-cold pears.

"Confess honestly. What were you doing in Shazhou so late?"

Hou Weidong had already prepared an excuse. "Zhang Mushan is now my provider. I have to accompany him throughout, otherwise, I won’t be able to account for myself to Zhu Yan."

Xiaojia didn’t probe further. She sat beside him and said, "Tonight, I played mahjong with Sister Xie. She said the bureau wants me to take a year off for full-time study at Xi’an Agricultural University, specializing in landscape planning."

"You’re the Section Chief of Planning and Finance. Why study landscape planning?"

"In any unit, without professional skills and knowledge of the business, your development is limited, and work becomes difficult. I tasted enough of that at the Construction Commission. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to transfer out."

Xiaojia rested her head on Hou Weidong’s shoulder, her face radiating the happy expression of a devoted little wife. Hou Weidong suddenly remembered dancing in Li Jing’s embrace earlier that night. Li Jing’s perfume was very distinctive. If Xiaojia smelled it, it would be trouble.

He quickly stood up. "I’m going to take a shower. Let’s take a couple’s bath together." Xiaojia’s face flushed slightly. "I just showered. I’ll wait for you in bed."