Chapter 334: The Breakthrough (Part 2)

Chapter 334: The Breakthrough (Part 2)

In November, a total of twenty-seven chapters were published (the morning statistics were incorrect). Sigh, I always fall short by a few chapters each month.

The flight from Chengdu to Lingxi was slightly delayed. By the time Li Jing emerged from the airport, it was already seven o’clock. Dragging her luggage, she had just reached the gate when she saw Hou Weidong standing outside, waving at her. She couldn’t help but sigh with genuine relief, “It feels so good to have someone waiting for you.”

The sunset was beautiful. Countless rays of light pierced through the clouds, casting a golden hue over Hou Weidong’s face and body. His slightly tanned skin looked handsome, with a straight nose and short hair, exuding a strong masculine charm. Li Jing held his arm tightly, feeling an unusual warmth in her heart.

After their first passionate encounter, she had lost all interest in those bloated, self-satisfied men. Even the thought of their pale, distended bellies made her feel nauseous.

Hou Weidong had become the most important man in Li Jing’s life, his influence gentle yet profound, like spring rain nourishing the earth.

During the conference in Chengdu, as she walked down Chunxi Road and saw pairs of happy young couples, she couldn’t help but think of Hou Weidong. She had originally believed herself numb to men, yet now she found herself deeply attached to a man two years younger than herself. This feeling was both novel and blissful.

“Could this be love?” Li Jing asked herself involuntarily. In an era where love stories flooded movies and novels, true love had ironically become a luxury.

Love was a dream belonging to her girlhood. In middle school, the precocious Li Jing often held Qiong Yao’s novels in her hands. Her first Qiong Yao book was Dream of a Red Chamber (Note: Yi Lian You Meng / A Curtain of Dreams is the actual title, but keeping the sentiment). She had read it with such intoxication that she still remembered the sensation of tears sliding down her cheeks.

Her desk-mate was a tall boy who shared her literary interests, though while Li Jing read Qiong Yao, he read Jin Yong.

They viewed each other as protagonists in their own stories, pretending to possess love when they barely understood it. During evening self-study, they would hold hands under the cover of night. Once, they even shared their first kiss at a street corner. Aside from a mouthful of saliva, it left no beautiful impression on Li Jing.

Upon graduating from middle school, that brief romance was blown away by a gentle breeze. Li Jing, by a twist of fate, was admitted to a secondary vocational school. That boy transferred to another city, and they parted without even saying goodbye. That was Li Jing’s first love—faint and fleeting. Sometimes, when recalling it, it felt like a lifetime ago.

After graduating from vocational school, she eventually ended up at the Sandou Investment Company. When she lost her virginity to a boss nearing retirement age, she buried herself under the quilt and wept bitterly. The word “love” flew out of her life’s dictionary. She never expected that ten years later, Li Jing would think of the word “love” again. But this time, her heart was filled with complex emotions, no longer possessing the innocence of her ignorant youth.

Hou Weidong drove with concentration. Noticing Li Jing had suddenly gone silent, he asked, “Why the silence? If you’re tired, you can take a nap.”

Li Jing hummed in agreement and truly closed her eyes. The trip to Chengdu had exhausted her. Leaning back in the soft leather seat, she fell asleep. When she opened her eyes, the car had entered their residential compound and parked steadily beneath their building.

Back home, Hou Weidong recounted the entire story of the Huofu Coal Mine to Li Jing. Li Jing was now nestled in Hou Weidong’s arms. She said, “The coal market is poor right now, and the coal bosses are suffering huge losses. How dare you buy a coal mine?”

Hou Weidong slipped one hand under her clothes, caressing Li Jing’s breast, and said, “The State Council is shutting down small coal mines. Once they are closed, the market is bound to improve.” Li Jing lay comfortably on Hou Weidong’s shoulder, tilting her head back to enjoy the touch. “It’s hard to say for sure. We should wait and see.”

“If Deputy Director Jiang hadn’t called this time, the Huofu Coal Mine would have faced serious problems. I originally wanted to invite Director Jiang to dinner, but he refused.” Hou Weidong was clear about his own standing. “He helped me this time mainly out of respect for Zhu Yan. Next time, it’s uncertain.”

Under Hou Weidong’s caresses, Li Jing’s face began to flush. She said, “I know you want to befriend Director Jiang without always relying on Zhu Yan’s influence. Generally, to pull a leading cadre into your orbit, there are only two ways: money and women. These are the simplest, most vulgar, yet most effective methods. If neither works, you look for their special hobbies or needs. No one is perfect; everyone has weaknesses. It’s good to stay clean in this society, but…”

She turned over and kissed Hou Weidong’s forehead. “Let’s not discuss this topic for now. Later, I’ll help you inquire about Old Jiang’s situation.”

After passionate embraces and caresses, they panted as they rolled onto the bed. Just as Hou Weidong was about to reach his climax, Li Jing suddenly became alert. “Monkey, don’t pull out. Finish inside. I’ve taken contraceptive pills.” As she spoke, she intentionally tightened her muscles below.

Li Jing had not taken any contraceptive pills. She did not want to marry, but she wanted a child—a child belonging to her and Hou Weidong. Hou Weidong had not anticipated this. He had reached the critical point. As he erupted, he whispered in Li Jing’s ear, “I’m coming.” He suddenly increased his pace, crashing against the shore like an eight-level storm, raising waves of crashing sound.

Li Jing’s whole body turned crimson. She felt a stream of hot fluid rushing into the depths of her abdomen, so hot it made her want to cry. Biting her lip, she cried out in her heart, “Monkey, I will bear you a son. I will give birth to a son for you.”

Li Jing had heard that sleeping for a while after intercourse made it easiest to conceive. So, after the passion, she lay motionless, a strange happiness on her face, which made Hou Weidong feel something was unusual. After lying still for a while, Li Jing remained smiling and motionless. Hou Weidong had to turn over and get up himself, wiping himself clean with paper. Looking at Li Jing’s expression, he said, “What’s wrong with you today? You held back your cries. I really like hearing you moan; it’s the horn of advance, the mobilization order for attack.”

The next day was Monday. Hou Weidong called Zhou Yongtai and took leave for himself. Since he wasn’t in the office, the colleagues at the Science and Technology Commission relaxed. Some slipped out to buy groceries during work hours, and others left early. Since there were no specific tasks at hand, Zhou Yongtai turned a blind eye while the top leader was away.

Li Jing also didn’t go to work. She called the several vice presidents separately, arranged the urgent matters, and then accompanied Hou Weidong to wander around. She had already found out that Deputy Director Jiang had no other hobbies except Go. He was an amateur third-dan player and quite famous in the Lingxi government system. Hou Weidong prepared to buy an expensive Go set to gift to Deputy Director Jiang.

They visited many large stores, but the most expensive Go sets cost only a few hundred yuan, which didn’t meet the requirements for a gift. Finally, the two went to the art market. The Lingxi art market was quite large, with over a hundred stores. The items inside were varied, with genuine and fake goods mixed together, dazzling the eyes.

Hou Weidong usually disliked shopping. Today, including driving time, they spent a full six or seven hours wandering. They had lunch at a Hunan cuisine restaurant and continued shopping. By four in the afternoon, Hou Weidong was exhausted.

Hou Weidong stood in front of an antique-style shop, hands on his hips, and said to Li Jing, “This is the last one. If there’s nothing suitable here, I’ll have to change my approach.” Li Jing remained energetic. “I’m not tired. When I first came to Lingxi with classmates during my vocational school days, I only had ten yuan on me, yet I still wandered around Lingxi for a whole day.”

The shopkeeper was a small old man, his face covered in curved wrinkles, as if hiding various kinds of artistry. At first glance, he looked like an expert. Seeing someone enter, he raised his head with a mysterious smile, then continued to face the empty doorway, thoughtfully watching the pedestrians on the street.

The prices of the artworks in the shop were quite high, all above a thousand yuan, with the most expensive costing over nine thousand. Hou Weidong walked around and unexpectedly discovered an antique-style Go set in the corner, with no price tag.

Seeing Hou Weidong stop by the Go set, the old man said, “This Go set is good. It’s hard to find elsewhere.”

Opening the wooden Go box, the jade pieces were very warm and smooth, emitting a faint glow under the direct light. Hou Weidong didn’t understand the trade, but he felt it was high-end, so he asked, “How much for this Go set?”

The old man searched behind the counter for a while, didn’t see a price tag, and then turned to take a small notebook from a cabinet behind him. This notebook contained prices for items worth over ten thousand yuan. He searched line by line and finally found an entry (Xinjiang Hetian Jade Go Set). Behind the ten thousand yuan figure, there was a symbol.

The old man stared at Hou Weidong and said, “Ten thousand yuan.” Hou Weidong casually asked, “What kind of Go set is this? Worth ten thousand?”

The old man said, “This is a Xinjiang Hetian Jade Go Set. It’s very valuable.” He spoke little. After saying one sentence, he turned his wrinkled forehead toward Hou Weidong.

Hou Weidong wanted to bargain, but the old man wouldn’t budge. Finally, Hou Weidong said, “Fine, I’ll buy it. I’ll have someone authenticate it. If it’s not worth ten thousand, you’ll have to refund the money.”

When Hou Weidong and Li Jing left with the Go set, the old man was very pleased. The shop was run by his son. Today, his son was sick and needed to go to the hospital for an injection, so he was temporarily helping to guard the store. In less than half an hour of guarding the shop, he had helped his son sell a Go set that had been sitting there for several years.

Humming a tune, the old man’s fat son returned. The old man happily said, “Good luck today. I sold a Go set.”

Unexpectedly, the fat son panicked upon hearing this and shouted, “I told you not to touch the items without price tags. How much did you sell it for?”

“Ten thousand. That’s the price in your notebook.”

The fat son jumped up. “Dad, the purchase price of the Go set was fifty thousand.” To keep the price confidential, the prices in the notebook were also hidden. The symbol meant adding another zero. The minimum selling price for this Go set was one hundred thousand.

By the time the old man and the fat son chased out, they searched the entire art market, but the man and woman had long disappeared without a trace.

Back home, Hou Weidong sat on the sofa, picked up a few pieces, and praised, “It is expensive, but the feel is indeed extraordinary. I wonder if Old Jiang will accept it.”