svetikya Chapter 12 Why did he have to have that lipstick?
Chapter 12 Why did he have to have that lipstick?
Love is nothing more than two wretched prey licking each other's wounds in the hunting grounds of capital, even their tenderness reeks of mortgage debt.
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As soon as the intercity train pulled into Beijing South Station, Wang Haowen clutched the velvet gift box containing his "rice bowl" tightly, darted off the platform, and jumped into a taxi waiting in line.
He gave Yu Li the address of the clubhouse, eager to hand over this heavy "ancestor" as soon as possible.
The car sped onto the Second Ring Road. Outside the window, the city of Beijing was unusually quiet, except for the dazzling neon lights at the entrance of the club, which were so bright and colorful that they were almost blinding. Compared to the quiet darkness around them, they were extremely conspicuous.
Wang Haowen, enveloped in a chill, ventured into the bustling room, where Yu Li was chatting happily with someone.
He peeked in through the doorway and carefully handed the gift box inside. Yu Li's eyes, like tiny brushes, swept over his sweaty face and wrinkled coat, then she waved her hand expressionlessly: "You should go home and rest first."
He was dismissed without a word of comfort. When Wang Haowen left, the thick door of the club slammed shut, shutting out the warmth and liveliness inside.
The late autumn night wind whipped at him like a small whip, and the fatigue and soreness he had endured during the day suddenly exploded. For some reason, a chilling sensation entered his feet and went straight to his calves, causing his thigh muscles to snap.
Wang Haowen glanced down and couldn't help but exclaim "Damn!" The soles of his Burberry shoes had a huge tear in them, making a "clattering" sound as he walked, like he was stepping on two clappers.
He swayed a few more times, the "allegro" playing crisply, as if mocking his disheveled state. But why was he in such a disheveled state? His thoughts were racing, and he couldn't figure it out.
Zeng Jia stayed with her family and waited for him the whole time, without sleeping at all.
She went to Gaoyou for four days, and he went out for three days. They counted on their fingers and realized that they hadn't seen each other for a full seven days.
They've been living together since graduating from college, and they've never been apart for this long. Zeng Jia asked him in advance what time he'd be home, her heart pounding like a little vixen, and she was busy getting ready.
After taking a shower, she changed into a newly purchased silk nightgown. The light pink fabric made her figure look incredibly beautiful. She had lightly applied a "no-makeup" makeup look, her lips were smooth and moisturized, and her big, wavy curls were loosely draped. Her whole body exuded a carefully prepared, alluring, and languid charm.
She had already rehearsed the scene eight hundred times in her head: upon seeing him, she would first pounce on him with a bear hug, then shower him with kisses, and then mutter about missing him...
But when Wang Haowen dragged his aching body in, wearing clapper shoes, Zeng Jia's sweet little drama in her belly instantly vanished.
"These genuine products just aren't durable. If they were from Yiwu, they wouldn't break even after three years!" She laughed so hard she almost fell over.
Wang Haowen didn't reply; he was so exhausted he was practically burying himself. He quickly ripped off his coat and tossed it into the washing machine, then rushed over, pulled Zeng Jia into his arms, and the two of them collapsed onto the bed together.
He buried his face deep into her neck, which carried a familiar fragrance, and like a thirsty camel looking for water, he took a deep, greedy breath. It was as if he wanted to suck away all the longing he had accumulated over the past few days.
The two hugged for about five minutes before Wang Haowen finally emerged from between Zeng Jia's shoulders, looking somewhat confused and resentful: "Why does Yu Li insist on having this lipstick?"
Zeng Jia was momentarily stunned by his tightness. The warm light, deliberately dimmed by the bedside, softly illuminated Wang Haowen's face.
He stared intently at a tiny spider crawling listlessly on the ceiling, his brow furrowed. He couldn't understand whether Yu Li was deliberately trying to test his temper or if it was just a whim.
He always felt that Yu Li had other intentions. Given her status, she wouldn't need to use a lipstick to make a show of things. There must be something more to it. This question mark was like a thorn, pricking his heart and making him ache.
Zeng Jia snuggled closer to him, wrapping her long legs around his waist. "What else could they be after? Luxury goods have inflated prices. What else can they do but fleece consumers? Don't even mention Givenchy's limited-edition lipsticks; even a small collectible toy like Labubu can fetch an astronomical price these days. Don't underestimate the power of scarcity these high-end collectibles possess!"
Wang Haowen's eyes lit up instantly. Zeng Jia's words were like a bolt of lightning, splitting open a crack in his muddled brain!
He suddenly remembered the Shanghai seller's mutterings about "second-hand items tripling in price." Isn't the strategy of creating scarcity and enticing people to scramble to buy—the kind of thing high-end luxury brands use—something worth studying in depth?
"No, I need the whole report!"
Wang Haowen sprang out of bed as if he'd been injected with adrenaline, slamming his butt on the desk. "Whether Yu Li acknowledges it or not, I have to let her know that my three days of hard work haven't been in vain!" With that, he started pounding his fingers on the keyboard, the sound so fast and dense that it filled the small room.
Zeng Jia was caught completely off guard by the sudden silence, sitting on the bed, clutching her blanket, stunned for a long time. She looked down at her sexy nightgown, her lips twitching involuntarily. So, he hadn't even glanced at her since she walked in?
But looking at his hunched back and his focused typing, Zeng Jia's slight frustration turned into helplessness.
Isn't it all for the down payment on a house? Even this carefree guy has been driven to madness by it.
Zeng Jia quietly got out of bed, tidied up the backpack he had thrown on the floor, picked up the Burberry shoes with the broken soles, carefully wiped off the dust with a wet wipe, and placed them in the corner like a precious treasure.
The late autumn nights in Beijing were eerily cold. Even the prettiest silk nightgown couldn't keep out the chilly breeze seeping in through the cracks in the window. Zeng Jia broke out in goosebumps, pulling the blanket over herself like a dumpling. She moved a chair next to the desk, pulled out a stack of invoices she'd brought back from Gaoyou—these needed to be properly sealed before the accountant would reimburse her.
The warm yellow light of the desk lamp enveloped the two of them, and the rhythmic "tap tap tap" of the keyboard sounded like a lullaby. Zeng Jia was also exhausted after a long day, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and before she knew it, her head rested on the pile of messy invoices, and she fell asleep.
After Wang Haowen finished typing the last period in his report, it was still as dark as ink outside the window. He rubbed his sore and swollen eyes, picked up his phone, and saw—good heavens, it was 3:30!
He let out a long breath, stretched his stiff neck, and then noticed Zeng Jia asleep by the table. Her wavy hair was scattered across her fair face, and her carefully applied, glossy lip gloss still shone. A thin strap of her nightgown had slipped down, draping over her smooth, round shoulders. In the dim light, she looked both alluring and heartbreaking.
He then realized that he had completely forgotten about Zeng Jia since he came in. He gently picked her up, placed her on the bed, covered her with the blanket, and then tiptoed off to take a shower. When he returned and sat down at the table, he patiently helped her sort and neatly paste all the miscellaneous receipts, one by one, by the light of the table lamp.
After finishing all that, he finally crawled into Zeng Jia's bed...
"Stop messing around!" Half-asleep, Zeng Jia frowned and impatiently pushed his face away, muttering something indistinctly.
The tiny flame that had just begun to rise went out with a "poof." Looking at her tired face, which she couldn't hide even in her sleep, Wang Haowen couldn't bear to disturb her any longer. He could only carefully turn to the side and gently hug her from behind, his nose filled with the faint lemon scent from her hair.